Tied Up By The Boss (The Key Party Chronicles)

Tied Up By The Boss

By Olivia Jaymes

OliviaJaymes.com

Cover design:
selfpubbookcovers.com/Warren

© 2013 Olivia Jaymes

Chapter One

Lea Taylor grabbed her purse from her office desk, slipped out of her high heels, and shoved her feet into a soft pair of athletic shoes, sighing in relief.  After a long day at the law offices of Bradford, Meyers, and Britton her feet and calves were killing her.  Her red leather pumps with the three and a half inch heel looked fantastic on but were killer to wear.  She was going to take a long soak in a bubble bath when she got home and work out the kinks.

If
I ever get home. 

Her boss, Jack Britton, one of the finest legal minds in Chicago, possibly the country
, had kept her late again tonight.  Most nights she didn’t mind at all.  Jack was incredibly handsome, totally sexy, and frighteningly smart, albeit a trifle formal in his dealings with the staff.  Tall, dark and handsome, she’d superimposed his image over the face of her latest boyfriend, Gary, when she fantasized.  She also found herself lingering in a room Jack had just left to sniff at his distinctive scent.  He smelled like sex, money, and man if such an aroma actually existed.

Whatever the thing was that made a man attractive to women and successful in business, Jack Britton had it in spades.  She doubted he’d ever had to truly struggle for anything in his life.  He seemed as perfec
t as his completely restored candy apple red 1963 Mustang convertible.  More than once, she’d found herself drooling over both man and car.  Such perfection really wasn’t fair to the rest of the mere mortals in the world.

Tammy Johnson
, who worked for the associate attorneys in the firm, leaned over Lea’s desk.  She didn’t really want a rehash of Tammy’s week but she couldn’t think of a polite way to extricate herself.  Lea was nothing if not polite. 

“I’ve quit better jobs than this,“
Tammy announced, a scowl firmly in place.

“What happened?  Steve grab your ass again?”
Lea sighed.  Tammy was always aggrieved about something or someone. 

Steve Simmons thought himself quite a ladies man.  The only reason he still had a job was that his father
was somebody in the state government.  Tammy rolled her eyes and perched on the edge of Lea’s desk, letting her know she was settling in for a long, drawn out story. 

“That’s the least of my problems.  I have to work late tonight to
get some paperwork ready for Monday morning.  It’s completely unfair.  I had plans.”

Lea bit her tongue so she wouldn’t
say something she shouldn’t.  While Lea worked late several nights a week, Tammy was usually out of the office by five o’clock on the dot.  If the stories she told in the break room were true, she had a varied and active social life with multiple men who begged for her attention. 

“That’s too bad.  I’m sure it won’t take too long. 
What are your plans tonight?”

“Sam is taking me dancing.”  Then she leaned forward so only Lea could hear.  “And then some dancing in the sheets afterward.  He’s an amazing lover.  He’s got the biggest--.”

“Miss Taylor, can you come in here for a moment?”  Jack stood at his office door, several files in his hands.  She bit back a sigh as she prayed he wouldn’t need her to stay any later tonight.  She also had plans for this Friday night.  Gary was taking her to a fancy party in the Lincoln Park area of the city.   She couldn’t help wish it was Jack taking her to a party, rather than Gary. 

“Sure, Mr. Britton.”  She turned to Tammy.  “Have a good weekend.  I’ll see you on Monday.”

Tammy barely heard her, already headed toward her target.  She sidled up to Jack as close as she could be without actually touching him, licking her lips and throwing back her shoulders to show off her ample breasts.  Lea winced as Jack barely acknowledged the brunette’s attention, but Tammy wasn’t so easily discouraged.  She’d been after Jack Britton for months and from what Lea could tell, wasn’t going to be giving up anytime soon.

“What do you have planned for the weekend, Jack?”  Tammy pouted up at him, her red lips shiny. 

Jack barely looked at Tammy.  “Work.  If you’ll excuse us, Miss Johnson?” 

There was silence and then Tammy realized Jack wasn’t going to be chatting about any weekend plans, Sunday brunches, or anything else.  She smiled as she glided toward the door and waved to Lea as she left.
  Lea bet Tammy would be back to try again next week. 

“Have fun this weekend.  Give Gary a big kiss from me
,” Tammy called out.

Gary would probably like that.  He’d said that Tammy oozed sexuality
, or something close to that, when he’d met her.  It had been a backhand at Lea who liked to keep her sexuality a tad more private.  Gary said she was repressed, but Lea just liked to think of herself as modest.  The fact was, Lea wasn’t sure she really even wanted to date Gary any more.  She was thinking about breaking it off this weekend if things didn’t go better at the party tonight.

Lea headed into her boss’ inner sanctum.  
“What can I do for you, Mr. Britton?” 

Jack seemed to be staring at her and her hand went self-consciously to her hair.  It was a fiery red and quite curly which made it difficult to tame for this conservative law practice.  Lea tried to keep it short but her hair grew very fast and she was overdue for a trim.  Jack frowned and reached toward her
, plucking something out of her hair.  Their hands brushed and she felt a flash of fire run up her arm and straight through her body.  She steeled herself not to show any reaction to his touch.  He wouldn’t be interested in the least.

He held up a pencil with a small smile and she felt the heat in her cheeks.  Her hair was so thick and curly, she often stuck a pen behind her ear and forgot about it until she got home. 

“Oh, um, thank you.”  He still stood there and she started to feel uncomfortable.  “Is something wrong?”

“You look shorter.  I know it’s not possible but you do.”
  His brows were knitted together in a frown.

She laughed and pointed to her sneakers.  “I changed shoes.  It’s more comfortable to walk to the train.”

He smiled, a little more warmly this time.  Jack Britton was one of the best bosses she’d ever had but he seemed to have a tough time with small talk.  In fact, he seemed to have a difficult time talking to people unless he was discussing the law.

He cleared his throat.  “I didn’t actually need anything.  You just looked like you needed saving.”

She was surprised Jack had even noticed.  “Was I that obvious?  I’m kind of in a hurry to get out of here tonight.”

He shook his head.  “You weren’t obvious.  I’ve just noticed your voice is different when you talk to Miss Johnson.  Slower, as if you’re measuring your words and holding on to your patience.
”

“Wow, you notice all that?  That’s amazing.”

He shrugged awkwardly.  She’d made him uncomfortable.  “Noticing people is part of an attorney’s job.”  He glanced at his watch and winced.  “I’ve made you stay late.  Again.  I apologize.  You have plans tonight?”

She nodded, trying to concentrate on his words and not the enticing scent of his cologne.  “It’s not a big deal.  I like working for you.  It’s just tonight I do have plans.  Gary’s taking me to a party.  It’s someone from his work.”

“Then please give Gary my apologies as well.  All this work can wait until Monday morning.  Have a good weekend, Miss Taylor.”

“You, too, Mr. Britton.” 

Once back at her desk, Lea grabbed her purse and shoes and headed toward the exit with a pang of regret.  Any other night, she would have offered to stay late.  But tonight, she was going to get dressed in her finest and have some fun for a change.  Maybe tonight, she’d take one last try at saving her relationship with Gary and show him she wasn’t repressed.

* * * *

The location of the party was upscale and the apartment was opulent.  A doorman was waiting to take their coats and ushered them through a corridor.  The floors looked like gleaming marble, the décor tasteful and understated.  It screamed money and lots of it, making Lea feel out of place in her off the rack, no name designer, little black dress.  She’d splurged on it, loving the way the halter top and short flared skirt made her look more hourglass than simply someone who needed to lay off the cookies in the office.  She took a deep breath and decided not to feel embarrassed.  They were invited and she was going to enjoy an evening of rubbing elbows with the one percent.

“Gary!” A tall, blonde woman in a figure hugging dress cut down to her navel, grabbed Gary and kissed him on the lips.  “I’m so glad you could make it.  Is this your girlfriend you’ve been telling me about?  Lisa, isn’t it?”

“Lea.  I’m Lea.” 

The woman looked embarrassed.  “Do forgive me.  I’m terrible with names, but I’m so glad you could come.”  She turned to Gary with a mischievous smile.  “She’
s just gorgeous, darling.  Absolutely stunning.  Everyone’s going to be crazy about her red hair and pale skin.”

That was a strange remark and awfully personal as well.  Perhaps
the rich talked about people’s appearances all the time.  She wouldn’t know, as she really hadn’t socialized with any.  Her upbringing was firmly middle class.  The woman took their hands and pulled them into an alcove.  She gestured to two small fishbowls on a small table.

“Choose whichever you like.  Vanilla or non-vanilla.  We’ll socialize for a
while then choose keys.  The bar is over there and the buffet is in there.  If you need anything, just find me.  Oh, I see someone calling me!”

The woman was gone in a cloud of expensive perfume.  Lea studied the two clear glass fishbowls
filled with keys and her stomach tightened as she realized what they were and what kind of party they were at. 

This was a key party.

She’d heard of them, of course, but thought they’d died out in the seventies before sexually transmitted diseases could kill you.  Her body was trembling with anger as she turned to face the man she’d been dating for the last four months.

“You brought me to a key party
?  What in the hell were you thinking?”  She kept her voice quiet, but inside she was seething.

Apparently, Gary had been ready for her objections.  His boyishly handsome faced barely registered her discomfort.  He pushed her further into the alcove
, his chin lifted in defiance. 

“I was thinking that our sex life is a bore and we need something to spice things up.  Shit, Lea, it’s like you’re counting ceiling tiles when we fuck.  How do you think that makes me feel?  This party can break you out of your shell.  You need to loosen up in the bedroom if you want to keep a man like me happy.”

She wanted to stomp on his foot and knee him in the balls.  All he was worrying about was how it made him feel?  How about how she felt?  The reason she was counting ceiling tiles was that they always did it in the same position and in the same way.  Gary wasn’t a very imaginative lover and he seemed to think she should be able to achieve an orgasm with a couple minutes of foreplay and another minute of him poking his cock in her pussy. 

“A man like you?  Who are you?  Hugh Hefner?  If we have a lousy sex life it’s both of our faults, not just mine.”  She kept her voice low, not wanting to air their dirty laundry in
front of a bunch of strangers.

“My sex life has always been fine until now.  You’re uptight.  You need to relax and let go.”

“And fucking a stranger at a party will prove I’m not uptight?  This is just an excuse to cheat on me.”  She poked Gary in the chest with her finger.

“I don’t need an excuse to cheat on you.  We’re not married or anything.”

She ignored his whiny-assed nasty tone and listened to the words.  She was fuming and ready to stomp out of the apartment.  “Holy shit, you’ve already cheated on me.  You slime bag.  I can’t believe I ever thought you were a nice guy.  You’re a total asshole.”

He shrugged as if he didn’t care
, but his cheeks were stained with red.  “So what if I have?  You can’t prove anything.”

Lea shook her head.  She didn’t need any more of this crap in her life.  “We are so done here.  Don’t call me.  Don’t text me.  Fuck, I don’t even want you to think about me.  Got it?”

“Got it.”  Gary dropped his keys in the fish bowl labeled ‘vanilla’.  “It doesn’t matter anyway.  I needed to bring a female with me and I have.”  He turned to leave the alcove and ran into a tall man with dark hair.  “Sorry, dude.  Find your own way home,” he threw over his retreating shoulder. 

Lea scraped a hand down her face.  She was going to have to call a taxi or take the train home and the autumn evening was colder than hell.  She would probably freeze to death on the way to the station. 

“Was that Gary?”

Lea swallowed hard as she heard the familiar voice.  She peeked through her fingers and almost died right then and there. 

It was her boss, Jack Britton. 

At a
key party. 

She was there, too.

Well, shit.

* * *
*

Lea looked like she wanted to be anywhere but where she was at the moment. 
Jack would have known it was her first key party even if he hadn’t overheard the couple’s tensely hissed argument.  The guy seemed like he was a self-absorbed pretty boy who only thought about himself.  Lea could certainly do much better.