All Chapters of Before He Was My Boss.: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Aurélie Tess Blackwood.I was in a ridiculously good mood.Everything just clicked... The blouse, a fitted maroon red silk blouse that clung a bit too tight to my torso and chest, in all the other right places without being inappropriate. The short, tailored black skirt that hung way above my knees made the shirt stand out even more and black sleek heels that made me look inches taller than I was. The fit came out so well, crisp and professional, and hot. My hair fell in soft waves over my shoulders, and my makeup was perfect, subtle but polished, with just enough mascara to make my eyes pop behind my glasses.I felt good. Better than good. I felt powerful.“Girl, what is going on with you today?” Addison noticed as she made her way to the kitchen counter to make herself a bowl of cereal. “You’ve been beaming all morning, and you literally look so good. What? Is there like some celebration I don’t know about?” She pointed her spoon at me accusingly, squinting her eyes. “Oh my God, Tes

"Seal the deal." He said, his voice sharper than cold. Almost cruel."I'm sorry, Mr. Reynor, I don't know what you...""You'll close the damn contracts you started. Seal. The. Damn. Deal."Okay, but why was he yelling?After the meeting, it felt like I was constantly doing something wrong. Or not enough. And all I'd been doing was following orders, orders barked at me like commands to a subordinate he could barely tolerate.Nothing more. Nothing less.He'd called me into his office and made me wait for what seemed like a ridiculous amount of time. Just standing there while he read through documents, ignoring my presence completely. And then when I'd finally asked if he needed something, he'd snapped at me like I'd committed some unforgivable offense."Okay," I muttered quietly, grabbing the three folders from his desk."And where the hell do you think you're going?"I froze mid-step, my hand still clutching the folders. "You said...""I know what I said." He snapped, his eyes finally

Maybe I should have just fucked her that night and gotten it over with.Maybe claiming her this time would end this mess, purge this gnawing need of her from my system, prove to myself that she wasn’t special, that it was just sex, temporary chemistry, just another encounter I could schedule and forget the second it ends.But even as I thought about it, I knew it was a lie.Because it wouldn’t end anything.It would ruin her. It'd ruin me.She didn’t deserve a person like me. A man who’d turn something beautiful into something transactional and ugly because he didn’t know how to do anything else than ruin.This was getting out of hand. I was getting out of hand. She was getting out of hand.And I couldn’t have that.John, my therapist. He had warned me this would happen, he’d told me that having her around would cause something I’d deem terrifying yet undoubtedly wanted.But I didn’t listened.Because I’d let my weakness get the best of me that morning. I’d let myself het excited abou

Aurélie Tess Blackwood.I could have yelled at him. Said my piece.But what good would it do?His mind was already made up, and there was nothing I could do about it. No argument I could make and no defense I could offer. He’d decided I was a distraction, and that was that.I hated it. I hated everything about this situation.But what I hated most? What made my chest ache with a humiliation so deep it felt like burning, was knowing that if he came back tomorrow and asked me to work for him again, I would run back to him without question.Because that was the only place I wanted to be.How absurdly pathetic of me.I hated myself for it. For wanting to be near someone who treated me like I was simultaneously everything and nothing. For caring what he thought. For triple-checking every draft to ensure perfection, hoping he’d notice. For choosing my outfits with care each morning, hoping he’d look at me, like really look at me the way he had that night.But he wouldn’t even spare me a gla

We pulled up to one of the most exquisite structure I’d ever seen.A cylindrical building made entirely of glass slabs that ascended stories and stories into the sky. The elevators were built in such a way that I initially thought they were outside the building, but no. They were inside, encased in transparent tubes that allowed you to see everything happening outside as you ascended.I looked at it in absolute wonder, unable to hide how completely blown away I was.He walked toward the entrance without waiting for me.I didn’t even notice he’d gone ahead until I snapped out of my trance and skittered behind him, my heels clicking frantically against the pavement.We entered the elevator, and the ride up was nothing short of ecstatic. Watching the whole city descend below me, the buildings growing smaller, the people becoming dots was breath-taking.We reached the top floor, and the restaurant that greeted us was as exquisite as the building itself. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked