Romance: The Boss (15 page)

Chapter Seven

The following morning, I pour myself a cup from the fresh pot of coffee Rosita has made and go to stand out on the deck. Even though it’s just shy of winter, the sun is still warm, stroking its tendrils across me in a comforting embrace.

This manor is a dream home for someone like me, an opulent haven that will definitely never exist on my paycheck.

“It’s a shame you have to fly off this afternoon, Lauren,” Dana says suddenly, walking up behind me. “We were just getting to know you.”

“Likewise,” I say. “But I promised my dad I’d spend a few days with him. He’s not doing so good.”

“Oh? Nothing serious, I hope.”

“He had a mild case of pneumonia a couple of days ago. But I think he’ll be fine. I just need to see him…” My voice trails off when I spot Clint and Ridge charging across the front paddock on their horses. Even the way the Townsend men ride is textbook. They make it look so gallantly easy.

Is there anything those two men can’t do?

“What’s the deal with them?” I ask Dana frankly, biting my lip. “I get the feeling they don’t like each other very much.”

“They do and they don’t,” she answers, her eyes averting away. “I’m not sure if I’m the right person to say anything.”

She changes the topic but I interject, seizing my chance.

“Did they have a fallout over a woman?”

Dana turns to me curiously. “How do you know about that?”

“I don’t. It was just something Clint said yesterday that hinted to it. I don’t think he knows I put the rest together.”

“Well perhaps that’s for the best. It’s a sore spot…for the both of them.” She hesitates, but carries on. “Her name was Catherine and she was a piece of work. Clint dated her first for about a year. Then she cheated on him…with Ridge.” She notices my mouth open in disbelief. “Yeah, it shocked us all too. Clint and Ridge didn’t speak for four years over it.”

Their fallout lasted four years? That’s a tad direr than I thought.

“So, what happened in the end?” I ask, trying not to sound too prying.

“What do you think happened?” Dana sighs. “Catherine cheated again. She wasn’t satisfied with just ripping Clint’s heart out—she had to have Ridge’s as well.”

“She cheated on Ridge? Even after everything that had happened with Clint?”

“Uh-huh, with some polo player who was a good friend of Ridge’s too. Anyway, Ridge was a mess over it. Never seen a grown man look so devastated. But then Daddy died and that seemed to snap him out of it. Ridge took over the company and bounced back. He’s been single ever since.”

“And he and Clint are just—”

“Slowly becoming brothers again,” Dana finishes, scraping out a weak smile.

“Wow, that’s quite a saga between them.”

“Yes, it is. And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention it to either of them that I told you. Clint is better off thinking that he’s the one who told you about it. I’m sure he will, in time.”

I give her a reassuring nod and gaze out to the hills.

“But on a brighter note,” she says, redirecting my attention back. “You and Clint seem very at ease with each other.”

“Yeah, I guess we are,” I say with a small laugh, yet am still thinking about what she has told me. “I mean, we work pretty closely together so it’s bound to happen. I know his moods, he knows mine, etcetera.”

“Of course,” Dana pauses again, turning away to clear her throat. “I wasn’t going to say anything initially—save you some potential awkwardness—but…we all know they’re something going on between you two. The way you look at each other is one thing, but when Ridge caught you both in the shower yesterday…”

I can already feel the ribbons of red on my cheeks.

I don’t know what to say.

What do you say to the sister of your billionaire boss when she says something like that?

“It’s all right, Lauren. In fact, I’m thrilled he’s found someone, particularly someone as down-to-earth and genuine as you seem to be. You balance him out. You’re great for each other.”

As much as I want to agree with her, I can’t.

Clint and I haven’t spoken to each other since the bonfire.

We haven’t even been able to talk about the kiss yet, let alone anything else it may signify about our future.

“Oh, we’re not together, Dana,” I tell her offhandedly. “Our relationship is just professional. Ridge is mistaken.”

But she is no fool.

I forgot for a minute there that she was a Townsend.

They don’t exactly seem like the type of family who would let the wool be pulled over their eyes.

“Hey, you feel free to keep on telling yourself that, but I don’t buy it. I know when my brother likes someone.” She smirks and bumps my shoulder. “Anyway, I have to run. I own a florist in town. I have to make sure the flowers haven’t all gone and wilted on me. It was lovely to meet you though, Lauren. I mean that.”

“You too, Dana,” I say, hugging her briefly before she goes back inside.

I turn back to the paddocks, searching for Clint and Ridge, but they are long gone, coveted by the canopy of trees twisting their way down the slope.

I feel sadness for the both of them. Nobody deserves to be cheated on by somebody that they love, not even Ridge.

I can almost forget his entire behavior this weekend now that I know the source of it.

It’s still no reason to treat Clint with such bitterness, though.

After all, he’s the one who cheated with Clint’s girlfriend, Catherine.

If anyone could be justified by being hateful then it’d be Clint, not Ridge.

But something is also making me question whether Dana knows the whole story. There’s seems to be a part of it missing, a part where Clint comes off looking like the bad guy too.

Regardless of the ending, I can’t help but feel uneasy—a part of me doesn’t want to leave Clint, his family, or this beautiful manor. Just when I was starting to feel at home here, like I almost belonged, like Clint and I were finally becoming closer…I have to go away.

I know if I told Clint everything, if I confronted him about the one-night stand and told him how I feel, he would probably ask me to stay.

But I need to go see my dad too.

Coming back here would have also reawakened dark memories for Clint.

Memories of Ridge and Catherine that must have burned like salt in a wound each time he’d seen me with Ridge, especially yesterday at the mud run.

I can’t expect Clint to give me any clear answers with that kind of headspace, so maybe a few days apart from each other is for the best. That way, it gives us both time to think about what we want and where our hearts truly lie.

Chapter Eight

I never said goodbye to Clint at Townsend Manor because he and Ridge hadn’t made it back on the horses in time.

I’d had to ask Delilah to pass on my apologies to the both of them, and to tell Clint that I would see him back at work the following Thursday.

But the entire time I was in Steamboat Springs, I couldn’t stop thinking about him. I even told my dad about it—I don’t know what on earth possessed me to. I guess I needed someone to talk to, seeing as Brooke wasn’t around and Dad had asked about my love life, so it made sense at the time.

Dad was released from the hospital, which was a relief. The doctors told him to take it easy, and that he should probably think about retiring. But in characteristic Dad style, he wouldn’t hear another word about quitting the force.

Yes, my dad works in law enforcement, hence where I get my cautiousness, wit, and sternness.

But I love that he gave me all those things. It’s got me to where I am today and even though that’s a scrambled place right now, I wouldn’t choose it to be any different.

Speaking of scrambled, Clint has just arrived in the office two hours late. He’s walking toward me with a grave expression, like he’s just heard bad news and doesn’t quite know how to handle it.

“Happy Thursday, Lauren,” he says informally. “Ready to go over the schedule?”

I sigh and take a deep breath after he’s walked past.

So it’s back to being strictly business again, is it?

Two can play at that game, buddy.

I take a seat in the client chair closest to his desk, opening up the itinerary to the first page. If he doesn’t at least acknowledge what happened over Thanksgiving, I swear to God I’m going to walk out of this office and never come back.

“So what time is the meeting with Seattle?” he asks shortly.

“Nine thirty,” I say without looking up.

“My lunch appointment with the new investor?”

“Twelve fifty-five at the Gramercy Tavern.”

“The follow-up conference with Kuala Lumpur?”

“Two thirty.”

“And how is your dad?”

I raise my head to look at him. “Better. Thank you.”

“That’s good to hear,” he sighs, “because I’m not sure I can give you any more time off for a while.” He stops to take a breath. “I’m going to need you close by me. Permanently.”

Permanently?

Don’t tell me there’s another trip coming up he hasn’t told me about.

“What is it?” I ask, flipping through the schedule to find if there’s anything important I’ve forgotten about. “Have I missed something?”

“No, you haven’t missed anything, Lauren.”

“Oh,” I say, putting down the itinerary. “Okay, then what’s going on?”

“Lauren, I—” But he suddenly glances away, getting up from his seat to walk over to the arched windows.

“Clint?”

He coughs and sharply turns from the city. “I think, I mean, I, I’m…falling in love with you.”

Ah, I didn’t exactly see that coming.

“What did you just say?” I whisper, not sure if I’ve imagined it or not. He didn’t really say love, did he?

“Lauren, we need to talk about this,” he says, gazing deeply into my eyes. “We need to talk about what happened over Thanksgiving.”

“I—yes, I agree—but you just said—”

“You’re my PA,” he interrupts. “I’m your boss. I really don’t know how this is going to work.”

Well isn’t that the freaking understatement of the year. And the same one I’ve been thinking for the last six months.

“I know,” I retort, yet am not quite sure how to respond to him.

Here we are, finally getting things out, and I can’t find the words.

“Seeing as I’ve said that much, I may as well go full throttle on this,” he states, notably uncomfortable. I’ve never seen him this jittery. “The last six months have been…very hard for me. Every time you walk into this damn office, all I want to do is…oh, I don’t know if I should even say it.”

“Please do,” I implore him. “I think we both need you to.”

He manages a quick nod before he continues. “Every morning that you walk into this office, it’s near impossible for me to take my eyes off you. I mean, do you realize how much of an effect you have on me? I know that you already know I find you very attractive.”

Wait—is he referring to the one-night stand now? When he told me that very same thing in the bar?

“Clint, I—”

“I’m not finished,” he lashes. “I’ve been fighting my feelings for you for months. Why do you think I’ve been so short-tempered lately? It’s hard to control myself when all I want to do is bend you over this desk and—”

“Okay, don’t finish that sentence,” I say, holding up my hand. I can figure out the rest. “It’s all well and good to tell me all this, Clint. I respect you for it and I feel the same way. But…where does that leave us?”

“I don’t know,” he says simply, sitting down at the desk and burying his head in his hands. “I’ve never been in this situation before. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this…”

His muffled voice fades out and, once again, I don’t need him to finish the sentence.

He’s thinking about her.

“I know about Catherine.” It comes out as barely a murmur.

Clint releases his hands from his face and peers at me, the color completely drained from his cheeks. “What? Catherine is none of your business.” He states it so harshly that if I were standing, my legs would have given out beneath me.

“I disagree,” I tell him staunchly. “I think I have a right to know. It sure explains a few things.”

“How long have you known about her?” he asks, ignoring my comment.

“I figured most of it out on the day of the mud run. Dana told me the rest.”

“Dana!”

“Don’t get mad at her; I’m the one who asked her about it. Besides, I already knew something had happened between you and Ridge. It was obvious—you two were bickering all weekend.”

“So let me get this straight,” he verbalizes, his tone getting fiercer. “You surmised, even before Dana confirmed it, that Ridge and I had some kind of falling out over a woman?”

“Yes.”

“All the while having strong feelings for me, correct?”

“Yes.” Where the hell is he going with this?

“And yet you acted like you were best pals with Ridge on Thanksgiving night, cracking jokes with each other and talking about your hometowns around the bonfire—quite flirtatiously, I might add. Some may even say it was downright romantic!”

Okay, now he’s way out of line.

His delusions have clearly gotten the better of him.

There’s good jealousy, and then there’s irrational and impulsive jealousy. There had been flirting on Ridge’s part, but certainly not on mine.

“Clint, that isn’t fair!” I reprimand him, the fury all too noticeable in my tone. “I was just being polite—”

“THAT’S BULLSHIT, LAUREN. RIDGE IS—” he begins to shout but then clamps off the words, like he’s realized that he’s letting his anger run away with him again. “I saw the way he was looking at you over the weekend,” he says more calmly. “He wants you.”

“Don’t be absurd,” I flare at him, but he’s unerringly right.

Ridge had been acting more than friendly toward me.

But I think that’s just part of his personality. He’s a seductive, charming, and bigheaded golden boy who, much like Clint, is very accustomed to getting what and who he wants.

I’m sure Ridge has a multitude of women in a little black book somewhere, all of them equally vying for his attention.

But also like Clint, something tells me Ridge doesn’t like to get too attached to women either.

A fire can only burn you if you dare to reach out and touch it.

“Oh I’m not being absurd. You forget I’ve been down this road before!” Clint rises again and makes his way to the liquor cabinet, pouring himself a whiskey on the rocks. “Do you want to know what Ridge said to me when I confronted him about touching you like that on top of that damn wall?”

“You spoke to him about me? Why?”

“Didn’t you just hear me?” He takes a large swig of the whiskey. “He wants you, Lauren! He told me that you were as fragile as spun glass and that if I didn’t wrap you up, he would.”

“I…don’t know what to say about that. I don’t know Ridge,” I tell him honestly. “But you know I would never do anything with him, right?”

“I’ve heard that before too.”

“Yeah well, I’m not Catherine,” I snap.

I’ve had enough of this.

I will not be compared to some girl whom he loved years ago and who cheated on him with his older brother.

Screw that.

“I know you’re not,” Clint says, more softly. “I just don’t know if I can invest in anyone again.”

“Invest? Women aren’t business deals or a piece of real estate, Clint! Do you honestly think I would be unfaithful to you? I mean, if we ever decided to make whatever this is work?”

He sighs and downs the rest of the whiskey. “It’s not you, Lauren, it’s me.”

Oh please, not that damn line.

You’ve got to be kidding me.

“You’re crazy if you think I’d ever cheat on you,” I blast at him.

“I know. I just can’t—”

“Then let me make this easy for you,” I cut in, standing up to face him. “I was going to wait a little longer to tell you this, but what the hell? Now is as better time as any. I accept your offer to leave Townsend Investments at the end of January. Consider this my official notice.”

“Now Lauren, you just wait a minute—”

“No. I’m done with this conversation and I’m done with you.”

I know I don’t actually mean what I’m saying, but I’m just so angry with him.

How could he think I would cheat on him if we got together? I would never do that.

I’m in love with him!

And he’s a handsome billionaire.

Even if I were the shallowest person in the world, I would still be more than happy with a man like him.

This Catherine woman has certainly done a number on the Townsend brothers. They truly are scarred.

“I won’t be in tomorrow,” I go on. “In fact, I won’t be in Monday either. I’m going to take an extra two weeks of Christmas leave. I’ll see you sometime in the new year.”

“Lauren!”

I walk out of the office, flustered and shaking.

I can’t believe I just had the balls to say all that.

I don’t know if it was the right thing to do, but for once, it feels good to be the one in control, to spoon up to Clint Townsend a taste of his own medicine.

Outside, the snow has become thicker.

The New York City I arrived in six months ago is a far cry from this version.

Although it’d been a cold day when I came in the summer, it had been warm after that, making my first two months quite enjoyable even with the hospitality work.

But now the rain and sleet have smothered the sun with a cold winter chill that is taking over the city with a sharp vengeance.

When I hail down the cab, I can hardly believe my luck when I see it’s the same guy who drove me to the Red Peacock Bar that night.

Out of all the cabs in New York, I had to end up with his again.

And just when I don’t have the patience for it.

“Hey, what do you know? It’s little miss gold digger!” he harshly lobs at me out the window.

I laugh at him and then keep on laughing. It’s like something has shifted in me and I no longer care about anything. It’s all just insanely funny.

“What’s the matter with you? Have you gone nuts, lady, or what?”

“No,” I splutter, the chortles coming out in torrents. “But I’m not in the mood for cheating death today. You can run along now.”

“You are one messed up babe, you know that!” he yells before flooring it up the wet and shiny street, a gray cloud from his exhaust left for me to choke on.

I smile as I watch him go, relief surging through me like a new life force until I finally get a hold of myself and dwindle into silence.

I look up at the huge skyscraper that is Townsend Investments and decide that I can’t leave things hanging like this.

The time for acting like a timid, immature teenager is over.

I need Clint and me to both finally admit that the first time we met was outside a bar and that everything that had happened between us these last six months has been shaped by that night we spent together.

I love him, I know that now more than ever, and if I don’t tell him today then I fear I never will.

When I step out of the elevator, I know exactly what I’m going to say.

I love you, Clint.

Ever since I began working here, I’ve gotten to know who you are. I’ve seen your good side, your bad side, and your downright ruthless side too.

But regardless of the latter, I’ve fallen for you anyway. I also remember that night we spent together in June, and I need you to tell me you remember it too.