Falling For The Boss Read Online Free Page A

years, sexual lust had never been able to get past the pain of that day.
    The gym was empty, so I put on my headphones and began my cardio. I ran six miles on the treadmill. That was longer than normal, but she seemed to break through all my norms. After my grueling workout, she popped back into my head. I wanted to rush into work and fuck her into my desk. The thoughts of a life with her were drumming through my head, but I couldn’t be my father, so I had to back away. Since I couldn’t shake those feelings, I added another cardio session to punish myself.
    The punishment did nothing to stop the need. All I managed to do was build up an appetite and create a backlog of work to return to.
    Thankfully she’d decided to dress a little more conservatively today. I didn’t know what I’d do if she dressed like someone her age. If she wore her suit jacket unbuttoned, I’d probably come in my pants. I hadn’t meant to snap at her when I came in, but Jessica’s concern for my emotions hit me right in my gut. I wanted her more than I could ever imagine. That wasn’t a good thing. It could never be a good thing.
    I managed to get through the day until it was time for my business lunch with my lawyer. The entire way to the meeting, I thought about how I should have invited Jessica. She could have learned that the stories floating around the office were lies.
    But Jessica stayed at the office to wait for a specific call I needed, which meant she’d have to have lunch at her desk. I wasn’t crazy about that idea. They said eating at the desk didn’t give a worker the reprieve they needed and was ultimately bad for the company. But since I knew she didn’t have money to go out, I didn’t pitch a fit.
    My lawyer and I talked about the rumors and damage to my reputation. After my lawyer told me his people couldn’t narrow down the blogger’s location, I called an end to the meeting. It wasn’t productive, which meant the lunch was a total waste of my time. Plus, I wanted to see her.
    It was about one in the afternoon, and I was about to leave the restaurant, when I called the office. “Jess, this is Nate. How’s it going?”
    “It’s going okay. I received a call from Mr. Delany’s assistant. She said he’s no longer interested and is going with another company.”
    “Damn it,” I snapped. Moriarty was probably undercutting me again, or the rumors were starting to spread.
    “I’m sorry. I hate to be the bearer of bad news.”
    I didn’t mean for her to feel responsible. It wasn’t her issue. “It’s not your fault. I actually called to see if you ate yet.”
    “No, I was going to wait until you got back,” she said softly. I wondered if it was because she had the same old thing and she wasn’t interested in eating it.
    “Did you want something to eat from here? I know you’re busy, but you’ve got to eat,” I reminded her. I was about to leave for almost a week, and I knew I’d be worried about her. I’d tell finance to process her check early. Everyone got paid on Monday, but since she was new, she’d normally have to wait until the following pay period. Rushing it wasn’t a big deal to me though.
    “Um. No, that’s okay. I brought my lunch.”
    Yeah, I’d seen that plain ham-and-cheese sandwich. It was the same thing she’d had the day before. I knew she was poor, but damn, she was going to starve if she didn’t get a paycheck soon. I hadn’t seen a piece of fruit or even a snack to go with the sandwich. I’d been there before, so I knew what it was like. She was going to fight me on this, but there was no way I’d let her starve.
    “So a cheeseburger and fries cool?” I knew, from the ham sandwiches, that she ate meat, so a burger was the safest choice.
    “I brought my lunch.”
    I knew it; she’d put up a fight, but I wasn’t going to let her win.
    “Save it for later. I asked you if you want a burger,” I stated authoritatively. If she tried to fight me again, I might have to