“It’s okay to say you’ve got a thing for the boss.”
I deny it every time, but if I’m going to take that leap to try to get Branson to cross the line in our relationship, then I might as well start fessing up.
I drop my head to my chest. “Okay, fine. I have the tiniest of crushes on Branson.” I raise my eyes to him and scrunch my nose. “Is that crazy?”
“You’re out of his league,” Hunter states, and I instantly want to punch him in his square jaw.
“Excuse me? I’m out of his league?”
“It’s the truth.” He takes a sip of whiskey, like he just told me the sky was blue instead of shattering my dreams.
I lift my chin and stare straight into his eyes. I lift a finger and point it directly at his face. “For your information, I’m a catch. I’m funny and cute, and people say I bake a raspberry cheesecake that’s better than sex.” Hunter nearly chokes on his whiskey, but I pay no attention and continue, “I’m organized, and I have a rescue cat. Plus, I’m the best damn assistant Branson has ever had. He’s told me that himself.”
Hunter clears his throat as he adjusts the tie around his neck. “Sorry. You could have stopped at sex. I’m sold.”
I groan in frustration and give him an eye roll.
Apparently, my reaction is comical to him because he lets out a deep laugh. “You’re cute as hell when you act like this; I’ll give you that. But most men don’t want cute.”
As if on cue, Janice comes sauntering over. She has on a silver fringe dress that’s cut low, making her boobs bounce out the top. Her fingers flutter over Hunter’s shoulder as she slides around to the front of him. “There you are, handsome.”
He takes her hand off his shoulder and holds it in his as he walks her a step back and looks over at me. “Janice, did you say hello to Katie?”
She turns to face me, giving me a closed-mouth smile. “Hey,” Janice says and turns her attention back to Hunter. “Look what I have.” She lifts a bunch of plastic mistletoe in her hand and holds it up in the air. “It’s bad luck to refuse a kiss to someone.”
In that cavalier style of his, Hunter grins, showing off his dimples, and then he leans forward and gives Janice a kiss on the cheek.
Her eyes flutter with a blush. “So PC for the office.” She giggles. “I’m just teasing. I actually came over here to grab you. The Accounting team is waiting to do a shot with you.”
Never the one to turn down a drink, he nods his head and then holds his arm out to me. “Would you like to join us?”
Janice shoots him a glare as I place my hand up in refusal. “I’m good.”
His head tilts with a concerned rise of his brow for just a second before he puffs his chest and gives his arm to Janice. She takes it and pulls him toward the bar, where I can see a group from the Accounting department waiting with glasses in hands.
“What do you say you and I get out of here early tonight?” I hear Janice tell Hunter in a sultry, hushed tone as they walk away.
It’s a bold statement, but maybe that’s what I need to do. I should be forward, confident, and available.
I take a drink of my whiskey, the burn feeling like liquid courage as I stare back at Branson and muster up the girl balls to go over to him and … what?
Maybe Hunter’s right. Men want women like Janice, not a Suzy Homemaker like me. I need a plan.
With a serious gulp, I finish my drink in one swig and place the glass on a nearby table. I pat down the pleats of the emerald-green dress I purchased for tonight’s holiday party. It was more than my budget could afford, but when Branson had told me last week that I had pretty green eyes, my heart had gone pitter-patter, and I haven’t been able to stop smiling at the thought.
I should have worn the practical black wrap dress I have in my closet, but when I saw this one in the store, I knew he’d love it. At least, I hope he does.
Knowing it’s now or never, I inhale a deep breath and make my way toward him.
Hey, Branson.
What do you say you and I …
I was thinking we should …
Wait. What am I going to say to him?
“Katherine!” Branson sings as I approach. His smile beams from ear to ear, showing those glistening, pearly whites. “I’ve been looking for you, love.”
Did I mention he has a British accent? Yeah, add that to the list of things that make me melt on a daily basis.
My eyes widen as I smash my lips with a smile. “You needed me?”
He lays a hand on my arm and pulls me toward a group of people he’s conversing with, singling out one man in particular. “I want to introduce you to Mr. Vargas. He’s the chief of operations at corporate, and he’s been asking about my very apt assistant.”
Mr. Vargas extends a hand, and I take it, shaking it as he cups our joined hands with his other. “I was telling Branson what a wonderful job you do, keeping him on schedule. His last two assistants didn’t manage so well. And you’re always so pleasant on the phone.”
Mr. Vargas’s compliment makes me stand up taller.
Branson drops his hand from my arm yet keeps his place beside me. “I’m chuffed with this one. She’s been compiling the data from the Nielsen research we accumulated and is going to put on quite the presentation for us,” Branson boasts, and I feel like leaping out of my cherry-red heels. “She’s going places in this company.”
“A compliment from Branson Ford is as good as any. You stick by him, and you’ll be at the top for sure,” Mr. Vargas says.
I take a step closer to Branson and look up at him with a dreamy smile. “I have a great teacher and am taking notes every day.”
When his piercing gaze meets mine, I know this is it. Those sapphires are sparkling as they look back at me, and I feel the zing down in my toes. Tonight’s the night I’ll tell him how I feel. I’m going to do it. I’m going to put it all on the table and tell the man I’ve longed for from just twenty feet away for over twenty-four long months that he’s the man of my dreams.
“Ahem,” Mr. Vargas lets out a cough, getting our attention. As we look to him, he bows away. “If you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll go grab another glass of champagne.”
He leaves, and it’s just Branson and me standing in front of the windows. The view is magnificent with a straight shot of Columbus Circle, overlooking the foot of Central Park and down Fifty-Ninth Street, decorated in holiday lights as the snow flurries from the sky.
I don’t look out the window though. Because the man standing right here is more magnificent, and I can’t take my eyes off him.
“Branson,” I say as he says at the same time, “Katherine.”
I giggle like a schoolgirl for no reason and shake my head. “Sorry, you go,” I apologize for interrupting him.
He grins, and it has me pushing up on my toes. “No, ladies first,” he says.
My heart is beating wildly in my chest as my nerves race through my body. I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. I want to say so many things, and yet I can’t think of one.
A comment I heard just a few minutes ago rings in my ears as my mouth opens again, and I utter, “What do you say you and I get out of here early tonight?”