Lydia And Her Alien Boss (7 page)

“What can I get for you?”

An eyebrow arched as he watched her with an amused expression. “Give me a

large mocha with two extra shots of espresso. I find myself in need of caffeine.”

She stared at the register then looked up at him. “You own the place so I guess I don’t need to ring up your order. I’ll see if Carrie will make it. If I make it for you, you’ll never be able to drink it.”

He outright smiled at that and she turned to give Carrie the order, but the barista was already making it. Carrie kept glancing her way and Lydia could tell that she was dying to find out how she’d met Gryf and what exactly had happened last night. Carrie had become a good friend over the past few weeks and Lydia knew she’d tell her everything as soon as she had a chance.

Carrie finished Gryf’s drink and handed it to him, but he didn’t seem to be in a big hurry to move along. Lydia wasn’t sure what to say to him so she busied herself with straightening things behind the counter. Eventually, Gryf took the hint and went into the back office with Scott. She breathed a sigh of relief and sagged against the counter.

“So, the boss and you, huh?” Carrie asked. “I told you the two of you would be perfect together.”

“Don’t marry us off just yet. We had a date last night that morphed into a trip to the ER, but that’s all. He fell asleep on my couch after putting me to bed. It’s no big deal.”

Carrie smirked. “He came here to see you this morning. I haven’t seen Gryf come in during the morning shift in a long time.”

Lydia wasn’t going to read too much into it. Just because Gryf showed up this morning didn’t mean anything, right? He was a nice guy and probably had just wanted to check on her. That didn’t mean he was going to start confessing his undying love.

And if he did, after just one date, she’d probably run like hell.

When Gryf left, she did her best not to make eye contact, but he wasn’t budging it seemed. She looked up and saw that smile on his lips that made her want to kiss him.

He leaned his elbows on the counter and appraised her.

“I believe we still have chocolate cake and grape juice at your place. Now, I can let you have both pieces of cake and schedule a date for another time, or we can have another stay-home date tonight.”

“Two dates back to back?” she asked. “People will talk.”

Gryf laughed. “I think they already are.”

“I was going to order a pizza for dinner tonight. You’re welcome to join me,” she said.

“I have a better idea. There’s a great little diner not far from here. Why don’t I pick up their special and bring it over for dinner? I guarantee you’ll love anything they make. I think I gained ten pounds after I discovered that place.”

“You want to hang out at my place again? I thought you didn’t like my

apartment.”

“It’s not that I don’t like your apartment; it’s that I don’t feel you’re safe enough there.” Gryf’s lips thinned. “It’s not a good neighborhood, Lydia; you have to know that.”

“I may know that, but it doesn’t mean I can afford anything better.”

Gryf grumbled under his breath. “Do I seriously pay so little that my employees can’t afford a place to live in a safe part of town? Because if that’s the case, I may have to look over the books and see if I can give everyone a raise. No one should work as hard as all of you do and not be able to take care of themselves and their families.”

“I’m not complaining. I’m making more here than I could anywhere else.”

Gryf straightened. “Didn’t you say your degree was in marketing?”

“No, I said I was working on a degree in marketing, but I lack a year of finishing.

I have a portfolio that I started, but I haven’t learned everything yet. I’m sure there’s a lot they cram into that last year.”

“Why don’t you get your laptop and come to my house for dinner tonight? Dress however you want. I want to see what you’ve come up with and then I’ll show you a few things Espress Yourself has done to date. I’d like to hear your ideas on what we could do differently, and if I like them, I may hire you to do the marketing for my small chain. I have three stores right now, but I’d like to eventually expand to five.”

He wanted to hire her to do his marketing? It would be a huge step in the right direction, but she was also nervous. It was one thing to create marketing campaigns for a class, campaigns that would never see the light of day, and another to make something that everyone would see. What if she created something for him and it failed miserably? They weren’t playing with pretend money.

Gryf almost looked like he wanted to lean a little closer and kiss her goodbye, but he looked around the shop, gave her a nod and left. After the door closed behind him, Carrie hurried over and bumped her shoulder.

“He is totally into you.” Carrie beamed. “I bet there will be wedding bells in your future.”

“Carrie, he just offered to look at my portfolio. I’m sure this is going to be a working dinner and nothing more. He was really sweet last night, but how would it look if I were to date my boss? Isn’t there a company policy against it? He can’t go around breaking his own rules.”

“Then maybe he’ll change the company policy, because I really don’t see him

backing down. He has you in his sights and I believe he means business.” Carrie nudged her again. “Admit it. You like him.”

“What’s not to like?”

“So, if he asks you out again tonight, will you say yes?”

Lydia hesitated only a moment before nodding. Yes, if Gryf asked for another

date, she would definitely say yes. He was kind and thoughtful, and she’d be an idiot to turn him away. Even if the dating agency hadn’t exactly paired them, it didn’t mean things couldn’t work out between them. And who was to say the dating agency would ever come through for her? It could be weeks or months before they found a match for her, if they found one at all. Just because she was open to a relationship with an alien, didn’t mean she was going to have one.

The rest of the day passed quickly and Lydia was thankful when it was time to clock out. Her back was aching more than usual and her feet were hurting again. When she got home, she changed out of her uniform and put on yoga pants with a tank again.

He’d already seen her at her worst, but maybe she’d get a chance sometime soon to show him her best. Her portfolio was stored on her laptop so she grabbed it before slipping on her flip-flops and heading out the door.

They hadn’t agreed on a time for her meet him and she was anxious to hear what he thought of her work. She’d asked Scott for Gryf’s address, since the sexy alien had forgotten to give it to her, and it was easy to find his house. If you could call it a house.

As far as Lydia was concerned, it looked more like a mansion. She parked her car in the circular drive out front and approached the front door. When she rang the bell, she could hear it echo inside.

How long would it take someone to answer the door in place so big? Did he have someone to do something like that for him? Or did Gryf take care of himself? A place this big would need servants, she would think, in order to be maintained. It was obvious he had a gardener because the yard and garden were immaculate. Was the inside the same?

Gryf answered a few minutes later, looking far too good with an open shirt and jeans. Either she’d caught him dressing or he just wandered his home looking like he was doing a magazine shoot. She wasn’t going to complain either way. The man had a set of abs that looked like they belonged in the WWE, or maybe on a Navy SEAL.

Definitely lick-able. When her gaze finally snapped back up to his, she found him smirking at her.

Busted!

“I wasn’t sure when you wanted me to stop by. I brought my laptop,” she

stammered.

“Come in. We can go to my office and you can show me what you’ve got. We

have a few hours until dinner. Since you’re early, we can drive to the diner together and just eat there.”

“Shouldn’t I just follow you and go home from there?” she asked.

“No, because I have a special surprise for you. You’ll want to return here, trust me.”

Trust. She found that she trusted Gryf more than she did anyone else, which was strange since they had just met. It wasn’t like her to trust men so easily, and yet she knew somehow that he was worthy of that trust. At least, until he proved he wasn’t. He was a man after all, so he was bound to screw up at some point.

She followed him through the house to an office at the back that overlooked a beautiful pool and lounge area. Was that an outdoor kitchen? She’d seen them online and in magazines, but she’d never thought she’d be up close to one. Just how rich did you have to be to have a kitchen in your backyard? The pool looked cool and inviting.

Her apartment complex had one, but there was no way in hell she was wearing a bathing suit around the men who lived there. They looked like thugs, or at least most of them did. She was sure there were decent people living there, people like her who just didn’t make enough to live anywhere else.

“We can sit at the table over here,” he said, motioning toward the windows and a table with four chairs. “There’s a plug nearby if you need to charge your laptop.”

“I think it’s okay, but if the battery gets low I’ll plug it in.”

Lydia sat down and opened her laptop. The machine was a few years old and a

little slow, so it took a few minutes to get it turned on and get the files pulled up. She started with the Power Point presentation she’d created for her last class, then showed him some of the flyers and brochures she’d created. At the end, she showed him her estimate costs for both a paper campaign and an online media blitz.

“Of course, if you have the money for it, there’s always television or radio. Some radio stations reserve spots for local businesses and artists to do a short on-the-air interview. The listeners find it entertaining and it’s free advertising for the company.

You could also mention if you are hiring for any of your locations as a way to get the community involved.” She leaned back in her chair. “I saw your cute chalk board with the specials that goes up every day, but what else do you do right now?”

“When I first opened, I placed some flyers at the library, the college, and posted some around town with non-human owned businesses. Since then, I haven’t really done anything. The company is in the black, but I’d like to turn more of a profit so I can pay my workers more without running the risk of bankrupting the company.”

“Well, the college angle is a good one because college students drink a ton of coffee. The campus has their own television and radio stations, so we could either put together a mini commercial to go on TV there, or we could try to gain you a spot on the campus radio station. If you’re hiring, that might be a good way to get your foot in the door, since college kids are always strapped for cash.”

He nodded thoughtfully.

“As for something broader, are you wanting to focus on the town, the county, or the state as a whole? I don’t know where your other locations are.”

“They’re all within this county, but different towns. What do you suggest?”

Lydia tapped her fingers on the table. “Well, we could start with the local news station. Maybe we could come up with a gimmick like a special new drink for the summer or maybe donate a percentage of your profits on a particular day to a local charity, like the battered women’s shelter.”

“Let’s do both. We can advertise the drink at the college and the donation on the local news. I can also mention that we’re hiring two baristas when I speak at the local college.”

“Two?” Lydia frowned. “I thought we only had one opening.”

Gryf gave her one of those heart-stopping smiles again. “Well, that was before I knew there was a marketing genius in my midst. As of this moment, you’re promoted to my marketing manager. I’ll need you to visit the other locations with me and help me get things moving there too, but we’ll focus on the store here first. I was thinking I could pay you thirty thousand a year, fund the last of your college courses, and once your degree is complete, we can discuss a raise.”

Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. “But, I…”

“You don’t want the job?”

“No! I mean, yes! Yes, I want the job, but are you sure? You could easily hire someone with more experience, someone with connections in town or in a broader area.

I don’t want you to hire me just as a way to give me more money.”

“The first thing you’re going to do is give notice at your apartment complex. And then you’re going to move in here.”

“Here?” she squeaked.

“Well, not precisely here. There’s a small guest cottage out back. You can’t see it from here because it’s around the side of the house behind some trees. You would have privacy and you would be nearby so we could discuss things easily. We can both work out of this office. I’ll get you anything you need.”

So, it was a work thing. Still, she’d be close to him and she’d have access to that gorgeous pool. There were worse fates.

“And rent?”

“I’m not going to charge you rent, but I’ll let you handle your own cable. The utilities are something I already pay for and there’s really no way for me to tell how much of the bill comes from the cottage, so you won’t be able to pay me for that.”

“If you’re paying my utilities, then I’m paying you something for rent.”

“Count it as part of your salary.”

Lydia narrowed her eyes. “If you’re counting it as part of my salary, then thirty thousand is too much.”

He gave a bark of laughter. “Are you actually trying to make less than what I offered? Why would you do that? Lydia, you have a baby to think about. You’re going to need a crib and other baby furniture, not to mention diapers, clothes, bottles and stuff. Babies are expensive. Take the raise and the cottage and stop giving me grief over it.”

“Fine.” She huffed out a breath. “I’ll take the deal, but I still think I’m getting the better end of things.”

“There’s a small washer and dryer in the cottage so you should have everything you need, but you’re welcome to anything my house or yard can offer. Swim as often as you like, and if you want to invite friends over that’s fine. Just let me know if you’ll be entertaining in the backyard so I can prepare.”