Deceiving Her Boss by Elizabeth Powers Read Free Book Online Page B

Allie's car, and Sean waited patiently while
Allie unlocked the doors and tossed her purse onto the passenger seat.
     
"Thanks, Mr. Greyson.  See you in the morning," she said as she
opened the driver's side door.
     
"I'd feel better if you let me follow you home, Allie," he said
before she could get in.
     
But Allie needed to get away, and if he followed her home, she knew she'd end
up crashing into a lamppost or something because she wasn't concentrating.  She
forced a calm smile, and shook her head.
     
"It's out of your way, sir.  And I'll be fine.  If you'd like, I'll text
you when I get there," she added,  pointing to his phone.
     
"Do that, please," he told her.  "And if you forget, I'll likely
be knocking on your door in 30 minutes in a panic," he warned.
     
"I can't imagine you in a panic," she said lightly.  "But I
won't forget.  Good night."
     
As she moved to get into her car, Sean reached out his hand and lightly grasped
her arm.  "I'd panic if I thought something had happened to you.  Drive
safely, Allie," he added, bending down and kissing her lightly on the
cheek.  He released her elbow and stood back then, watching until Allie was
sitting in her car with her seatbelt on and the engine started before he began
walking back to his car.
     
Allie was stunned.  She wanted to just sit in her car for a moment to collect
herself, but knew that Sean would come back over if she didn't move to see what
was the matter.  So she took a deep breath, checked her rearview mirror, and
backed out of her spot.  After swiping her employee ID at the exit to the lot,
she turned out onto the road and began driving home.
     
It was a quick drive home, and Allie was parked outside of her apartment in
less than ten minutes from when she had left work.  She pulled her purse from
the car and locked the doors, but hesitated before going inside.  Anna would be
home, and might be waiting up, and Allie needed a few minutes to herself before
she had a conversation with her roommate.  Instead of heading into the
building, Allie walked down the block to the neighborhood coffee shop, which
was thankfully still open at this hour.  She ordered a cup of herbal tea, and
sat down in one of the comfortable couches for a few moments.  Pulling her
phone from her purse, she quickly texted Sean to let him know that she was
home, and then leaned back and closed her eyes.
     
He had kissed her.  It was only on the cheek, and it was obviously a kiss of
affection and not passion, but he had still kissed her.  Why had he done that?
she wondered.  Why now, after a year of working together, were things suddenly
changing between them?  If he didn't stop this new interest in her, she
wouldn't be able to keep her guise going for much longer.  And what would he
say when he discovered the truth about her?
     
She needed to start morphing back to who she was, she thought.  Sean could take
the credit.  She could tell him that she was listening to him, and thinking
about changing her wardrobe.  And she could get a haircut.  And she could... 
she stopped.  She could do all of this, but gradually.  And she needed to do it
for her own sanity, and for her own integrity, not to seduce her boss.  As
attracted as she was to him, she was simply not interested in an affair.
     
     
Paul and Anna's wedding was approaching quickly, and while they were keeping
the event simple and relatively small, there were still a world of details to
work out.   Allie had gone dress-shopping with her friend months ago, but now
that the date was coming up, they needed to go in for alterations.  So Allie
spent most of the next several weekends with Anna, running errands, checking on
arrangements, and generally keeping her calm as they checked everything off her
list.  And with Anna moving from Allie's apartment to Paul's house, packing
boxes and bubble wrap were soon strewn about her place.
     
"I can never find the damn scissors," Anna complained one