JENNIE

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"You're kind of needy, do you know that?"

Lisa peered down at me from where she was leaning against the headboard and reached down to brush some hair from my face. "I'm aware, but it's the first time anyone has ever said it out loud."

"You're welcome." I patted my hand against her lightly toned stomach. "So, uh… What do we do now?"

She raised her eyebrows. "What do you mean, what do we do now?"

"Well, we can't exactly wake up tomorrow and pretend this never happened." I sat up and pulled the sheets up to cover my front as I turned to her. "And don't you dare say you thought that's exactly what I'd do."

"All right, I won't say that."

I clutched the sheets tightly and moved to swat at her, but she captured my wrist with a laugh and pulled me against her. I curled into her side and rested my head on her shoulder.

"Tell me what you want to do, Jen."

Jen.

Why did my nickname feel give so many warm fuzzies when it came out of her mouth?

"I want to wake up tomorrow and pretend this never happened," I replied, fighting back a laugh. "But I know we can't do that."

"We could if you really wanted."

"No. If we pretend it never happened, we can't do it again."

Lisa froze. "You… want to do it again?"

"Do you not?" I jerked back and stared at her. "Was it that bad for you?"

"Whoa, whoa, I never said that. I'd do it again right now if I could, trust me." She pulled me back against her and clamped her arms around me. "I'm just surprised you brought it up."

I sniffed, burying myself in her embrace once more. "I'm a big fan of boundaries. Since our original ones have shifted, we should redraw them in a way that's comfortable for us both."

"It's sexy when you assert yourself."

"I know."

Her chest shook with a quiet laugh. "So confident."

"Why wouldn't I be? You seemed to like it earlier when I was telling you what I wanted."

"Mm." She slipped her hand up to cup the side of my face and dipped her chin, then brushed a kiss across my temple. "I liked it very much. Almost as much as when you were begging me to let you come in my mouth."

Ahem.

Now was hardly the time to be shy.

It was a bit late for that.

"I think we should keep the work-home separation the way it is. Which means no touching, flirting, or running your dirty mouth during the hours of seven until seven."

"Can I think about you in a dirty way during that time?"

"I can hardly police your thoughts," I muttered. "But you are still my boss, and I'm still your secretary. It would be inappropriate to behave otherwise."

Lisa paused. "There's an 'and' in there."

"Um, and…" I hesitated. "There's no need to mix work and pleasure like that, is there?"

"What does that mean?"

I fixed my gaze on the houseplant in the corner, focusing on the variegation of the leaves. "Well, the only time that would need to happen is if we were romantically involved, and seriously so. And we're not, are we?"

"Right," she said slowly, her fingers twitching against my back. "We aren't romantically involved."

Ouch.

That really had no business stinging as much as it did. Especially since I was the one who'd brought it up to begin with.

"And you hate inter-office relationships," I continued, rushing the words out before I could focus too much on that painful little flutter in my chest.

"Hate is a strong word. I'm opposed to them," she replied after a moment. "I think they complicate things too much."

I tugged the covers up to below my chin. "Why do you feel that way?"

Her arms tensed around me.

"Never mind. You don't have to answer. It's not really my bus—"

"Ssh. It is your business. I just made it so." She rested her cheek on top of my head. "You're aware of how I ended up where I am in the company, aren't you?"

"Of course. I was privy to the process—the professional one, at least. I know something happened before you moved to the head office, but I don't know what it was."

"About two years ago, when I was at the subsidiary company, I transferred teams to the general management one since Gramps had made it clear he wanted to retire and move me to the head office," she said in a quiet voice. "The lead manager there at the time was about six or seven years older than me, and we hit it off right away. I knew I wouldn't be there too long, so I didn't think much of starting a relationship with her. We both agreed it wouldn't be anything serious at the beginning."

"That… Did she pursue you?"

"Hmm. I don't know, to be honest with you. It was definitely a mutual attraction, but in hindsight, perhaps she was slightly more aggressive than I was when it came to pursuing it." She trailed her fingertips up and down my forearm, leaving goosebumps in the wake of her touch. "We agreed to keep it a secret in the office, but after about six months, I overheard her talking to one of her friends in an empty meeting room. They were talking about our relationship, and I realised then that she was only seeing me because I had something to offer her."

I tightened my grip on the covers. "You mean because you were the President's granddaughter."

"Yes, pretty much that."

"What a bitch."

Lisa chuckled. "Believe it or not, that wasn't what bothered me most. It's not as though I'm not used to people approaching me because of who I am, and it wasn't exactly a secret that I'd changed departments to prepare for a move to head office. She was hoping that if we had a relationship, I would put in a good word and secure her a promotion at head office with me."

"Please tell me you fired her."

"I had no authority to do such a thing, nor would it have been appropriate to fire someone for such a personal reason."

Stupid employment ethics. "Then at least tell me you broke up with her."

"That very night," she answered. "The real problems started after that. Word of our relationship got around, and the story had been twisted from the truth. Instead of her using me, it was that I'd accused her of using me to get a promotion and was seeing someone else at the same time as her, and I'd used the fabricated accusation as an excuse to break things off."

Ugh.

As if she'd cheat on someone. I'd thought many things about Lalisa over the time we'd worked together, but that she was a cheater was not a thought that'd ever crossed my mind.

She was the most honest girl I knew.

"Nobody said anything out loud, but it was clear they sided with Rosé over me. She was our direct superior and she'd been there much longer than I had." A hint of sadness and frustration edged her tired tone. "She was well-liked amongst the staff, and as far as they were concerned, I was the arrogant nepo baby using their office as a stepping stone to greater things."

No wonder she always worked so hard to prove herself and kept a distance from most people in the office. She'd been up against such bullshit for years.

"They sound like complete pricks," I said, turning into her and resting one of my arms across her stomach.

She chuckled lightly into my hair. "They were. Still, the resulting fall out made things exceedingly difficult for about a year. If I wasn't me, there was no doubt I'd have had to resign or request a transfer. The only good thing about being the President's granddaughter was that they were all too scared to say shit to my face."

"Saying it behind your back is hardly better. I'd rather people air their grievances in front of me."

"Yes, well, so would I." She reached up and ran her fingers through my hair, stroking it softly. "Rosé found another job and left after that year, and things were less tense after that. I gradually started spending more time at head office learning the ropes, and I slowly started feeling more comfortable. If I didn't already know my position had an end date, though, I probably would have tried to leave that office. I wouldn't have had a choice."

"So, it wasn't the relationship, but rather the aftermath?"

"Mm. That was the worst part of everything, and I swore I'd never do it again. I wouldn't want to put anyone in the position I was in, even if it was unintentional. Gossip spreads like wildfire in companies like ours, and I don't think I could handle that again."

"That explains why you kept everyone at arm's length when you moved to us."

"That and the bastard board breathing down my neck."

I smiled, stroking my thumb across her stomach.

"Stop." She caught my hand, lightly squeezing my fingers. "Unless you want me to flip you over and fulfil your wish of fucking you again," she said, nuzzling her nose into the side of my neck.

"Stopppp." I pushed her face away with a laugh. "I'm too tired for that. Please behave yourself."

Lisa grunted, releasing my hand to hug me again. "Only because I know you're telling the truth. You haven't stopped all day."

"Whose fault is that?"

"You must have a terribly needy and overbearing boss."

"She's the worst. She even makes me knot her tie on a morning, and I have to deal with women who fancy her all the time."

She pushed me down and leant over me, kissing my neck. "I'm pretty sure she has to deal with men who fancy her assistant, too."

"Unlikely."

"Mm, you say that, but I'm absolutely sure Kai has a crush on you."

I rested my hands against her cheeks and pulled her face up until our eyes met. "Don't say such ridiculous things."

Lisa raised her eyebrows. "You're completely blind to the obvious things right in front of you, aren't you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Doesn't matter." She dropped her lips to mine. "He can't have you, anyway."

"Nobody can. I'm not an object that can be possessed by anyone," I retorted, kissing her back.

"And if you were, not many people could afford you." She pressed one firm kiss against my lips again before resting her forehead against mine, closing her eyes. "Stay with me tonight, Jen."

"Stay with you?" I gently scratched my nails across the back of her head. "Where exactly do you think I'm going to go? My bedroom is only twenty feet down the hall."

"No, stay here." She flopped onto her side and wrapped me in her arms, pulling me against her body. "Right here."

"You're needy. Like a puppy."

"Mm. So pat my head and tell me I'm a good girl."

What the—

I laughed, reaching up with my free arm. I patted her head softly and said, "Good girl."

She smiled, touching her lips to my forehead. "Thank you. Does that mean you'll stay?"

"Mm, but only because I'm warm." I cosied into her and turned off the part of my brain that was screaming that this was a Very Bad Idea. "We don't have anywhere to be until tomorrow afternoon, right?"

"That's usually my line." She smiled against my hair. "But no. You can take it easy before lunch, so make sure you sleep in."

"Yes, ma'am."

"And don't call me 'ma'am' when you're lying naked in bed with me unless you want me to never get any work done ever again."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Jennie…"

Hehe. "Goodnight, Lisa."

She sighed. "If I can't sleep tonight, it's all your fault."

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