Boss I Love To Hate Read online

  “What are you having, handsome?”

  “Guinness and two bottled waters.”

  Sonia was going to be living in the bathroom tonight, given the amount of water I was shoving down her throat.

  “Is that it?” she asked with a lilt, a voice that sounded sweet as sin and promised more.

  “Yes. Thank you.” I placed a couple of bills on the counter, and when I tipped back my Guinness, Jeff sidled up beside me.

  And, to think, I had been having such a good time thus far.

  “Hey, Brad,” he said, raising his hand to the bartender. “Midori sour and gin and tonic, please.” Then, he winked at the bartender, who was in no way interested in his sorry ass.

  “Where’s Sonia?”

  Why did this guy care where his ex-girlfriend was? The question irked me.

  “At our table,” I snapped.

  He smiled, teetering and using the bar for support.

  Someone couldn’t handle his liquor.

  “Yeah, Jean went to the restroom. I think she’s checked her makeup at least twenty times. I mean, I told her she’s gorgeous, but still.”

  Why is he talking to me like we were fucking pals? We weren’t.

  He took the drinks from the bartender, placing the Midori sour on the bar, closer to himself. “When she started flirting with me at the office, I couldn’t believe it. Have you seen her?” He hiccupped. “She’s way out of my league.”

  What a prick. It felt like a jab to Sonia, and tension rose to my shoulders. “I prefer the simple beauty.”

  He knew what I meant.

  “Yeah. I mean, that’s nice and all. But I’ve had that.” He gestured toward the table where Sonia was sitting. “And, between you and me, Jean is crazy in the bedroom.” He laughed and tipped back his drink, spilling some on his shirt.

  I smirked, though my eyes were hard. I had an undeniable urge to knock him on his ass. “I know what you mean. Sonia … fuck …” I let my voice trail off. “I don’t know why you let her go, man. I’ve been with many women, but no one like her.”

  Take that, asshole.

  He straightened, all of a sudden sober. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, you know …” I followed his line of sight to Sonia’s direction.

  “No, I don’t.” He leaned into me and pushed up his glasses, as though to see Sonia better.

  “Maybe she just needed a different guy to unleash her.” I condescendingly patted his shoulder.

  Before he had a chance to respond, Jean walked up to us. “Thanks, baby,” she cooed, grabbing her gin and tonic.

  I chuckled to myself. So, Jeff preferred the girlie drinks, not like I was surprised. And I knew I’d gotten to him because he couldn’t stop staring at Sonia, and all I wanted to do was rip his eyes off his face.

  As though Sonia knew we were talking about her, she lifted her eyes to me and smiled. I’d thought she’d be pissed, but she began to walk our way, almost skipping and definitely shimmying her hips to the sound of the live band.

  “Hey, guys. You talking about me?” she asked, her eyes lazy in that I’m feeling good kind of glow.

  I was so glad I’d cut her off when I did.

  “Yes, we just were.” I grabbed her chin with one hand and leaned into her, meeting her lips for a brief kiss. “I was telling Jeff here how you have the sweetest mouth.” And it was sweet with a touch of liquor that I could taste. I bent in again, my whole body tingling with need, and kissed her. “I can’t get enough of these lips.”

  Instead of backing away, she smiled. Guessed the liquor had loosened her up.

  Then, she grabbed my hand and proceeded to drag me to the dance floor. “Let’s go, go, go and dance, dance, dance.”

  To my surprise, Jeff and Jean trailed behind us and met us on the dance floor.

  “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” by Whitney Houston was being played by the live band. Sonia lifted her hands in the air and moved to the rhythm of the beats. Not like I’d had any doubt she had coordination, but still, I was surprised at how Sonia could really dance.

  Me? I had been blessed with many things. Rhythm was not one of them. I stood there, bounced a little, and tipped my head, all the while holding my drink—just how I had in my early twenties at the bar.

  “Come on, Brad. Dance with me.” She tugged me forward and then began to twirl herself around.

  I laughed, watching her shimmy and dance like no one was watching. Maybe my favorite Sonia was the free Sonia. Then, she dropped her hand and circled me. And the way her hips moved heated me up, making my thoughts turn seductive, thoughts I shouldn’t be having about my own secretary—a secretary that I adored and couldn’t fire.

  When she backed up into me, my cock stiffened, and I froze. I didn’t know what she was doing, but shit … it was bad. My free arm wrapped around her waist as we both moved in sync to the music.

  When the beat changed, she grabbed my Guinness and tipped it back, draining the bottle. Then, she ran to the closest table and left it there.

  Rules, rules, rules. I drilled the words into my head because I wasn’t drunk enough to blame wanting to be close to her on the liquor.

  Against my better judgment, I wrapped my arms around her center, and we were grinding—her ass to my straining cock—on the dance floor like we were in the club and had just turned twenty-one.

  My head dropped to the crook of her neck, and I could smell that strawberry perfume or soap or lotion she used. I leaned in and kissed the tender part of her skin, and then I took a swipe with my tongue. She tasted of salt and sweetness, the right combination, and it wasn’t enough. I needed more. She was like a new drug I hadn’t known about, a drink of choice I had just discovered. My fingers gripped the silk dress, right by her thighs.

  Soft. Smooth. Sexy.

  I wanted her. There was no doubt. There was wanting and knowing you couldn’t do anything about it. It was a foreign concept for me because, everything I wanted, I took. It was always within reach, and it was mine. But this … I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t have her, though I very much wanted all of her—in my arms, in my bed, beneath me.

  I swallowed hard.

  When a slow song broke through the noise, she turned around and wrapped her arms around my neck. Our eyes locked, and my heart stopped.

  Her eyes sparkled with a gleam that knocked me breathless. For once in my life, I was mesmerized by a woman. This woman.

  When she pulled at the ends of my hair, and I peered down into her endless pools of brown, I couldn’t resist. I needed another taste of heaven, and I kissed her. She kissed me back, harder, without restraint. Her breasts were pressed up against my chest, and I knew this was a terrible idea, yet I couldn’t help it. I couldn’t stop kissing her. The reception hall could be burning down, everyone around us could be screaming, all the women in the room could be stripping, yet nothing would stop me from kissing her.

  Her lips were soft, the bottom lip plumper than the top, and she tasted of liquor and mint and a sweetness I couldn’t put my finger on. She was exquisite, and her body molded against mine, as though it were meant to fit there.

  She was drunk, and I was taking full advantage. I very well knew that. Sonia wouldn’t be kissing me in her right mind, and the thought shoved a pang of annoyance in my gut. But that annoyance disappeared when she swiped my bottom lip with her tongue.

  Fuck. Fuck.

  “Sonia,” I whispered, my eyes falling shut.

  Now would be the time to stop. Now would be the time to put some space between us. End this. Clear my muddled head.

  You know that little voice in your head that told you something was wrong, so wrong that you needed to step back and reevaluate things? Well, this was that moment.

  But, instead, I opened my mouth and swiped my tongue against hers. Purely fucking delectable.

  Both of my hands skimmed down her bare back to right below her tailbone, where I pushed her against me.

  We shouldn’t be doing this with her friends and their p
arents around. We weren’t in a club. This was wrong. But why the hell did it feel so right? And so damn good.

  She pulled back, sporting a lazy smile when the music changed, and her fingers continued to play with the ends of my hair while her arms were wrapped around me.

  We stayed locked in our own moment for a few seconds before the song changed, and so did her mood.

  Suddenly, she jumped up and down, searched the room, and grabbed Ava’s hand right beside me. “Let’s dance.”

  Her change of mood gave me whiplash. I sort of liked horny Sonia.

  Jeff approached with Jean, and my eyes widened when Sonia, who’d previously bawled her eyes out over her two-timing ex, released Ava to grab one of his hands and then Jean’s.

  Jean enjoyed the attention and began to dance to some upbeat version of some Adam Levine song, moving like an awkward duck that had rolled out of its mother’s womb.

  “I thought I was mad, but I’m not mad anymore. Everything tends to work itself out, ya know,” Sonia slurred.

  Shit, this was bad, really bad. I had pinkie-promised that I wouldn’t let her make a fool out of herself.

  “I mean, he hated the way I ate, and I hated the way he couldn’t last more than three minutes,” Sonia said loud enough for Jeff to hear.

  “She’s drunk,” I heard Jeff say.

  “Sonia.” I reached for her, but she pushed me off and continued to dance and move with Jean following her lead.

  Jeff and I stood awkwardly by the side, watching our dates interact. Jean was laughing hysterically. Then, without warning, she handed Sonia her phone, and Sonia proceeded to plug in what I could only think was her number.

  Fuck. This isn’t good.

  I walked over and wrapped one arm around her waist. “Okay, Shorts. Maybe it’s time to go home.”

  A full-on pout escaped, and a big part of me wanted to bite her bottom lip again.

  “No, we have to dance,” she demanded.

  “YMCA” played next, and before I even had a chance to deny her, I was on the dance floor, laughing and twirling her with my hands up in the air, YMCA-ing. If my brothers could witness me dancing, they would never let me live this down.

  “Aunt Chelsey!” Sonia shouted, hugging a short, stout woman beside her. Small brown curls encompassed this woman’s head, and I imagined that she wore curlers overnight.

  “Sonia …” Aunt Chelsey said, mid-YMCA. “Who is this? I didn’t know you had a new boyfriend.”

  “I do.” She tugged me forward, almost making me trip. “This is Brad. My man.”

  All right then. Isn’t Sonia cute?

  I extended my hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Well, well, well. Does your mom know?” Aunt Chelsey pulled me into a bear hug, and I had to bend forward to hug her shorter frame. “You will have to go to the monthly family dinner. We have one on Monday.”

  “He is; don’t worry,” Sonia said, eyes crinkled, smiling with all teeth and definitely drunk.

  I cringed. She’d hate me in the morning if I didn’t fix this.

  “If I don’t have work, honey.” I raised my eyebrows and stared at her, doing the silent-speaking thing that Mary and Sarah did when they had done something bad and didn’t want to get in trouble. “You know how work is.”

  She tiptoed and surprised me by kissing me on the lips. “Don’t be silly. You love your Shorts.”

  Shit. This is so bad.

  After twenty more minutes of dancing, I grabbed more water for her. Maybe she would be able to dance and pee herself to sobriety. But, after the electric slide, the chicken dance, the cha-cha slide—which she taught me—I knew there was no slowing down.

  I was practically dripping sweat, but I couldn’t help but smile. My mood was in between enjoying the night with Sonia and stopping her from talking to Jean and Jeff as though they were all best buds. I hadn’t ever danced so much, nor had I ever been more entertained by another human being.

  I thought Mary was amusing. Drunk Sonia was a totally different level.

  At one point, the bride had me in the center of the circle, doing some Michael Jackson move that I hadn’t known I had in me.

  When a Frank Sinatra song came on, I twirled Sonia around and brought her close to my chest. Like before, her body melted against mine, her softness to my hardness.

  “Thank you,” she whispered against my cheek, and nothing felt righter.

  “Don’t mention it.”

  Her eyes were closed, her breathing even.

  “No, really. Thank you. I’ve been dreading this day for weeks, but I don’t think I’ve ever had more fun.”

  Tiny breaths escaped her, and when my hand moved to the small of her back, I pulled her closer.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever had this much fun either.” Because it was the truth.

  I’d never experienced a whole spectrum of emotions in one night like I had tonight. I’d never laughed so hard. I’d never been so pissed before than I was at Jeff, at Jean. I’d never danced like no one was watching. Most of all, I’d never felt this undying need to be this close to someone else.

  She nuzzled her nose against mine, and then she kissed me, sweetly, passionately. This time, her kiss was the end of me, the end of everything platonic, an end of everything I had ever promised my brothers. But it was the beginning, the beginning of a hope that I wanted to explore. A hope with Sonia.

  * * *

  Brad

  It was almost midnight, and the band’s music was all slow jams, indicating the end of the wedding. Sonia was hunched over with her head on the table, asleep. Her mouth was ajar, and I could hear soft breaths escaping her mouth. I wouldn’t doubt it if she was drooling. She had knocked out mere minutes ago, but as soon as she was down, she was down for the count.

  Ava and her boyfriend had left, and only a few college friends remained.

  Jeff and Jean had left an hour ago. From everyone looking in, Jean and Sonia had become good friends, dancing and laughing and drinking. She was going to hate herself in the morning when I told her.

  When the music finally ceased, I knew it was the end. Carrie and Tim made their way over.

  “Looks like she had fun.” Carrie rustled Sonia’s hair.

  “I’ve actually never seen her like this before, and she drank in college,” Tim added.

  “Yeah, but never that much.” Carrie bent down and kissed her forehead. “Take care of my girl, okay?”

  I stood and proceeded to lift Sonia into my arms, her head resting on my shoulder. “I will. It’s bedtime.”

  Tim patted my back, and I ushered my sleeping beauty to the car. She was passed out, dead weight, and I wondered if she’d remember what had happened tonight—the drinking, the dancing, the kissing.

  You would think she’d smell like a piss-poor drunk, but she still smelled sweet through the liquor, her natural strawberry scent pushing through.

  She stirred in my arms. “Brad?” She opened one eye.

  “Yeah?”

  “I drank too much, didn’t I?”

  “You did. But you’re allowed. It’s not like you do that every weekend. Unless you’re undercover. Do you keep bottles of tequila in your desk?”

  She smirked, and then her eyes fell shut. “No.”

  I opened the passenger door, placed her in the car, and buckled her in. Her swooping neckline had me enjoying the span of her pale neck, and I had a sudden urge to bite the tender part of her skin. After I shut her door and entered the car, I drove us back to her apartment. I’d actually never been inside her apartment, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious to see where Sonia lived, how she decorated her home, what pictures of her family members she had hanging on her wall.

  As I parked in front of her condo, I wondered how the hell I was going to get in her place. I reached for her purse that she’d brought to the wedding, unzipped the top, and dug to the bottom. After jiggling the contents around, I found a slew of keys attached to a Canada keychain.

  “It’s a go
, Shorts.”

  I exited the car, made my way to the passenger side, and unbuckled her from the seat. When I lifted her in my arms, her head lolled to my shoulder.

  “You smell amazing.” She sighed into me, inhaling deeply against my skin.

  I laughed. “And you are officially drunk.”

  “Are we home?” she asked in a barely audible voice.

  I kissed her forehead without a second thought, not knowing where the hell that had come from. “Yes, we’re here. You’re home.”

  Sonia weighed nothing, and it was easy to carry her past the doorman and up the elevator, but getting us through her apartment door was going to be a challenge because I had to put her down.

  “Shorts, you’re going to have to stand while I get the door open.”

  She nodded with her eyes still shut, and when I placed her on her feet, she nearly wiped out. With one hand around her waist and anchoring her against me, I used my free hand to fidget through the keys. I prayed it was the first one I grabbed, but it was the fourth key I tried.

  I kicked open the door. I swept her up, and she was weightless in my arms again. Then, I entered her apartment.

  Inviting gray walls welcomed me into an open area. I could see her living room and kitchen all at once. There was one room to the right, which was the bathroom, and on the far end of the room, I knew it had to be her bedroom because it was the only room left. I staggered to a stop right before entering her room.

  An eleven-by-fourteen poster of my face hung on the living room wall, like a tortured piece of art. I recognized the picture from the company website. This thing had darts around my eyes and a few other darts lying on a table right next to it.

  “Nice.” A low laugh escaped me.

  I should’ve been mad, offended at the very least, but I couldn’t after today, after being with Sonia.

  Oh, how times had changed. I’d bet she hadn’t predicted this. After tonight, I hoped I’d proven myself, and she no longer hated me. I wondered how things would be tomorrow or even the next day at work. I didn’t know how I would be because there was an internal shift in me after the multitude of kisses and spending the day with her. I knew I no longer wanted her to be just my secretary. I wanted to explore the idea of more.