The Boss's Orders: Alpha Male Billionaire Office Romance by Cat Carmine

Especially not if it’s all going to turn out to be nothing.
    He’s been crazy stressed this week as it is. I don’t know what it is — I assume something to do with the business, but he won’t talk to me about it. He spends all his time brooding in his office with the door closed, arriving in the morning before I get here and leaving long after I’ve gone home. I’ve barely seen him all week.
    And to be honest, I miss him. I miss the sound of his voice and his weird little jokes and yes, the way he knew how to fuck me senseless.
    I knock lightly on his door. He makes a grunting noise from inside his office which I take to mean ‘come in’.
    I step lightly into the room. I have his cappuccino and a muffin in a little bakery bag.
    “Coffee, tea, or me?” I smile.
    He barely looks up from his laptop. “Just the coffee’s fine, thanks.”
    My face falls but he doesn’t even see it because he’s so focused on his work.
    I set the cup and the bag down on his desk. I take my time doing it in the hopes that he’ll say something else or otherwise acknowledge my presence, but he doesn’t. Just stares at that monitor, occasionally pounding on the keyboard.
    I slip back out of his office unnoticed.
    At my desk I try to get back to work. I have about forty-two million spreadsheets to update but I can’t concentrate on any of them.
    All I can think about is William. My boss.
    What if everyone was right? What if sleeping with my boss was a terrible idea?
    God. What am I thinking? Of course they were right. Was there ever a scenario in the world where fucking your boss led to anything but heartbreak? Sure, he could walk away unscathed. He was a man and he was the boss. He’d be able to replace me in a week. If the rumors were true, I was just one in a long line anyway.
    I was the one who was fucked here. And not in the good way.
    My mind is already running over the implications of this. I would have to find a new job. Without a pay check, I could lose my apartment. Especially since April and Vanessa had made it abundantly clear that they weren’t willing to cover for me anymore.
    But to be honest, those things didn’t scare me as much as the idea of never seeing William again.
    Oh no. What have I gone and done? I’ve broken the number one rule of sleeping with your boss.
    I actually fell for him.
    I need to get some air.
    Even though I just got back from getting coffee, I head outside for a walk. It’s not like William will even notice I’m gone.
    Once I’m outside I take in deep gulps of that smoggy downtown air. Salty tears prick my eyes, threatening to spill over onto my cheeks. I tilt my head back and blink furiously. I can’t believe this is happening. I can’t believe let this happen.
    No. I’m not ready for this to be over yet. I know it might be — hell, it’s probably — for the best, but I can’t just let go. I need one more fix. One more fix and then maybe I’ll be able to purge him from my system.
    I steel myself and then head back upstairs, and once I’m there I go into William’s office without knocking. This time he does look up, probably just due to the surprise of being intruded on.
    “Yes?” He already sounds bored of me. I fight back tears.
    “Take me.”
    His eyes widen in surprise. I am already sliding off my blouse. It falls to the floor.
    “Take me. Do whatever you want to me. Anything.” I reach around and unhook my bra, letting that fall to the floor as well. My nipples harden and reach for him.
    I can’t believe the words coming out of my mouth, and the door I’m opening. Yet it seems to be working. William puts down his pen. His eyes flare. He pushes his chair back from his desk and stands up.
    “That’s a very generous offer, Claire.”
    “I mean it. Use me. Hurt me.” I slide my skirt down over my hips. I haven’t worn panties to work in ages — not since the incident with the scissors — and now I stand before him, completely naked.
    His nostrils flare. He’s