Page 24 of Off-Limits Bosses
“You sound very sure of that,” Sierra said, raising an eyebrow. “What did you do? Have you helped someone bury a body? Sneak in some drugs for some high-profile finance people? Hide a cheating spouse?”
“That last one is standard practice,” I sighed. “But, no, it’s not any of that.”
I toyed with the napkin that came with my drink nervously. I wasn’t going to get away with not telling her absolutely everything. She’d get it all out of me eventually.
Sierra leaned forward, her eyes big and curious. “Then what is it?”
I sighed again, and pinched the bridge of my nose. “So… my boss. I’m not going to say his name again, I don’t know who’s listening.”
“Oh, sure,” Sierra answered. I could see her shoulders tensing by this point. She was obviously waiting for something big. I still wasn’t sure that I should be saying any of this, but I needed to tellsomeoneabout it. I couldn’t deal with keeping it to myself and having all of the thoughts piling up in my head.
“So. I…” I started the sentence, and struggled to keep going. But Sierra was patient, and simply watched me and waited for me to gather my courage. I took a serious gulp of my latte, hoping a rush of sugar would help.
Then, I realized that drawing things out like this was only making everything worse. I needed to get it over with. Sierra would understand. And if she didn’t, she’d know exactly what to say. Maybe she’d chastise me, or maybe she’d have some kind of fantastic advice that I hadn’t thought of. Either way, I needed to get it over with.
“I slept with him,” I said quickly, squeezing my eyes closed for a second.
The silence from Sierra was deafening, and she was still staring at me when I finally opened my eyes and looked back up at her. Her jaw had dropped and her eyes were wider than ever.
“I feel terrible,” I could feel that I was about to start babbling. “It wasn’t planned, but I shouldn’t have… I don’t know what to do. I wanted this job to be a new chapter in my life. It’s a dream, it really is. I finally have stability in my career. I’m good at it. And now I’m screwing it up, for oneincrediblyhot guy. I know, I know. It’s awful. I’m such a—”
“Okay, breathe,” Sierra reached out a hand and put it on my arm to ground me. I obeyed, stopping my ramblings and counting as I took deep breaths.
“What do I do?” I finally muttered, and Sierra sighed in return.
“Look, it’s not an easy world to be in,” she said, moving her hand so she could pat mine. “It’s the kind of place where ethics are negotiable, where everyone and everything can be bought. That’s not who you are, as far as I know. You just made a mistake. It could happen to anyone.”
“Yeah,” I muttered, staring at how the ice in my latte moved.
“Honestly, why don’t you just leave?” Sierra went on. “You could come work with me at the frame shop. I could always use a second pair of hands, and this place… It’s a true paradise. Youdon’t need all of that money, all of that drama. We can make a good living together, and you wouldn’t have to worry.”
I smiled at her, and shook my head. “I appreciate that, but… I can’t give up on this job. It’s a dream come true for me, and I don’t want to lose it.”
“I figured you’d say that.” Sierra nodded. “The offer will stand as long as it needs to, though. Just… The whole thing. You know what you have to do, don’t you?”
“I have to end things with him,” I said tightly, a knot forming in my stomach as I did. “And I will. I need to… I know that it can’t keep going like this. It’s inappropriate. It’s wrong.”
“You don’t sound like you’re convinced,” Sierra pointed out, and like usual, she was right. My heart didn’t want to leave Landon behind.
“It doesn’t matter,” I insisted. “I have to.”
“Oh, no,” Sierra said, putting her hand over her heart. “You have feelings for him, don’t you? Real, actual feelings.”
The answer should have been quick. I should have just said: “No, of course not.”
It should have been easy to say. So why did I clam up? Why did I simply look away and hesitate to say anything at all?
12
Adriana
It was once again time for my regular late-night debrief with Landon, and I was more nervous than usual. After talking to Sierra that afternoon, I knew that I had to do something. It was probably going to be easier to set boundaries rather than just ending everything all at once.
I sighed as I knocked at the door and went inside, closing it behind me as soon as I did. Landon was standing by the bookcase as usual, and his face lit up when he saw me.
“What a sight for sore eyes you are,” he said as he approached me, clearly gearing up for a mind-blowing kiss.
I managed to keep control of my hormones and emotions, and caught him by his arms before he could reach me to stop him. He seemed surprised and looked at me curiously. Of course he’d want an explanation, and I had planned to give him one, but now it felt like my mind had gone blank.
