Bossy Brit Read online

  Table of Contents

  Bossy Brit

  About the Book

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  What to Read Next

  About Kendall

  Other Books by Kendall Ryan

  Bossy Brit

  Copyright © 2019 Kendall Ryan

  Content Editing by Elaine York

  Proofreading by Virginia Tesi Carey

  Cover Design and Formatting by Uplifting Designs

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without written permission of the author, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages for review purposes only.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  About the Book

  Sexy billionaire Liam Bennett is cocky, dangerously handsome, and more importantly, my new boss. If only my ovaries didn’t flutter when he was near—yeah, that’d be super helpful.

  When our long hours lead to a dare—and an X-rated encounter—I never expected it to be the hottest sex of my life.

  It’d also be super helpful if Liam didn’t know it and taunt me about it every chance he got. Unable to deny our attraction any longer, our work relationship brings a whole new meaning to the term inbox.

  But being with him comes with some baggage—like an ex-wife and three kids kind of baggage. And a lawyer who wants half of his company.

  Unsure that I’m cut out for this new level of complicated, my traitorous ovaries beg me to try.

  Heaven help us all.

  Chapter One

  Noelle

  “Noelle? Hello?” a deep voice rumbles my name, and I almost jump out of my seat.

  Around the long conference table, all eyes in the room swing over to me. I’m supposed to be taking notes on the business meeting I’m in, but I’d been doing what I usually do at work: ogling my way-too-sexy boss, Liam.

  I drag my eyes up his broad chest and blink twice. “Sorry, what was that?” I clear my throat, trying to hide my embarrassment. But I’m pretty sure my mouth was just hanging open. I was having a particularly vivid fantasy about him taking me into his office, pushing me up against the wall and ripping my dress off while he whispered filthy endearments in that British accent of his.

  Although I don’t stress about climbing the career ladder, I’m still a hard worker and would never allow myself to drift off during an important meeting. But at any other job, my boss wouldn’t be six-foot-two inches with thick, dark hair, piercing green eyes and a British accent that makes my knees weak. He’s basically the definition of man candy, and I’m dying to try a piece. Or ten.

  “Do you have those files I asked you to make copies of?” Liam asks sternly, giving me a look like we’re going to have a long discussion about my negligence later. This isn’t the first time I’ve been caught daydreaming. In fact, it’s something I do way too much of whenever he’s within a five-hundred-foot radius.

  I nod and rise to my feet to begin passing out the files to each member of his executive team, hoping I’m not blushing as much as I think I am. I know Liam isn’t going to be happy about this, but if he wants me to focus, maybe he shouldn’t sit across from me looking like he was just named sexiest man alive by People magazine.

  Plus, today he’s wearing that cologne I love, the one that makes me have a mini orgasm every time he comes anywhere near me. Not that he needs cologne to turn me on. His sculpted chest and trim waist, accentuated by those designer power suits he wears every day does the trick all on its own.

  I started working as the assistant to Liam Bennett, the CEO of Griffin Real Estate Investments, a few months ago. It’s by no means my dream job, but it pays the bills and allows me the free time to do the things I really love to do outside of work. The only downside is that the boss is serious, demanding, and an absolute panty dropper. Oh, and if you couldn’t already guess, totally off limits. Apparently, it’s unprofessional to sleep with your boss. Who knew?

  It’s probably not a great idea to fantasize about him, either, but that doesn’t stop me from imagining what it would be like to sneak into his office late one night and ride him like the stud he is.

  Thankfully, the meeting ends without another incident. I’m hoping I can sneak back to my desk unnoticed, but Liam clears his throat loudly before I get out the door.

  “Noelle, my office,” he snaps as everyone begins filing past me. Usually I’d hate to have a boss order me around the way he does, but with Liam it just turns me on more. Between the power suits and that demanding attitude, I spend what feels like the majority of my day drooling over him. In fact, it’s amazing I can even get work done. But despite Liam’s alluring presence and constant demands, he seems surprisingly pleased with my work so far.

  “Care to explain what happened back there?” Liam asks angrily as I step into his office. I shut the door so the whole office doesn’t have to hear me get chewed out. Wouldn’t you like to know? I think, then mentally slap myself. Not the time to get sassy, Noelle.

  “I bring you in on those meetings to help me, not so you can daydream,” he continues as he takes a seat behind his desk. He has the corner office, with floor-to-ceiling glass windows, amazing views, and a huge, mahogany desk.

  His forest green eyes are watching me intently, and his full lips are turned down at the corners. Even angry, he still makes me want to crawl across his desk and see how fast I can rip that Calvin Klein suit off of him. If he bosses me around this much in real life, I can only imagine the way he’d boss me around in the bedroom. The thought alone makes my stomach flip, and I feel my nipples harden beneath my dress. I hold my notepad and pen against my chest, hoping Liam doesn’t notice.

  I take a seat in from of him and clear my throat, resting my eyes a few inches to Liam’s left. It’s a lot easier to concentrate when I’m not staring at his chiseled jaw and lose-yourself-in-them green eyes.

  “I’m sorry I was a little out of it today,” I begin, but my phone buzzes against the hard, wooden surface of his desk before I can continue. Shit. I thought I’d put it on silent.

  “Jesus, Noelle, seriously?” Liam says, as my phone continues to buzz and light up like a freaking slot machine in Vegas. “What could be so important that you need your phone on right now?” His eyes drift down to the screen.

  “I apologize, I thought it was off,” I say, reaching forward to silence my phone, but before I get to it, I pause with horror. It’s my friends, Jess and Maxine, messaging me in our group chat. To make matters worse, they happen to be messaging me about how I should “bang” my “totally hot boss.” It takes me a second to recover, but I grab my phone and turn it on silent. From the look on Liam’s face, though, it’s obvious he’s seen everything.

  “I’m so sorry,” I say, in full blush now. “Those are my friends, and it’s just an inside joke. They’re totally kidding,” I stammer, but it’s too late. I’m not only terrible at lying, but my tendency to blush easily gives me away every time. There’s a smile playing across Liam’s lips, and I know he doesn’t believe my terrible excuse for a second.

  “An inside joke about banging your hot boss?” He smirks, leaning back in his chair. I can tell he’s suppressing a laugh. Even in my mortification I can’t help but notice the way his biceps strain against the fabric of his suit.

  “Yeah, it’s a long story,” I say, frantically grabbing my things from his desk. I almost trip on the leg of the chair in my rush to stand up. “Sor
ry about that. And about earlier, it won’t happen again.”

  I walk out of his office as quickly as I can, throw my things down on my desk, and practically run to the ladies’ room. I lock myself in a stall and put my face in my hands, letting out a sigh. I debate how long I can get away with hiding in the restroom, then consider sneaking out a back window before I remember we’re on the twenty-fifth floor. The idea of plummeting to my death is only slightly more terrifying than the idea of facing Liam again, but I know I have to leave the bathroom sometime.

  As I walk past Liam’s office to get back to my desk, I purposely avoid looking at him, but I can feel his eyes on me. I start work again, trying not to think about the little slip-up and what I might have just gotten myself into.

  •••

  “So, he knows you want to bang him, so what?” Maxine says, taking a long sip of her dirty martini. “This is a good thing.”

  “I’m sorry, how is it a good thing?” I ask, downing my second margarita. After my little mishap, I texted my group chat with Jess and Maxine telling them that we needed to meet for emergency drinks after work. After I filled them in on what happened, I expected them to share my mortification and tell me I needed to stop imagining how my new boss looks naked and focus on keeping this job. Instead, they seem excited that he saw our little text conversation.

  “Now that he knows, you can make a move and finally get some of that high-powered, CEO di--,” Maxine starts, but Jess cuts her off.

  “I think what Maxine is trying to say is that now that your attraction is out in the open, you don’t have to deal with all of that sexual tension anymore,” Jess says, tucking a strand of her short brown hair behind her ear.

  I stare back and forth between them. I invited them for drinks to make me feel better, not to encourage me to do the crazy thing I’ve been trying to stop myself from doing.

  “You want me to sleep with him?” I ask, mouth agape. I can feel my anxiety skyrocketing. “I was thinking something more along the lines of changing my name and moving to Mexico, so I never have to face him again, but sure, let’s exacerbate the situation even more with your plan.”

  “We’re both Team Bang Your Boss.” Maxine grins, crossing her arms. “Stop being such a prude and just jump him already.”

  I look back and forth between them. They’re both grinning at me and I can’t help but laugh.

  “Jess, I expected better from you,” I say, raising an eyebrow at her.

  Maxine opens her mouth in mock offense, tossing back her long blonde hair. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “I think she’s referring to the fact that you slept with your last two bosses,” Jess reminds her, grinning.

  “Yeah, and it was some of the best sex I’ve ever had. There’s nothing like forbidden sex, the paycheck was just the icing on the cake.” Maxine winks, finishing her drink. “I have no regrets.”

  “Can we get another round?” I ask the server. “I’m way too sober for this.”

  Jess and Maxine are watching me intently, and I realize they’re loving my drama a little too much.

  “You guys, I’m too old for this. I could maybe justify it if we were younger, but I’m turning thirty this year. Shouldn’t I be making rational, mature decisions about who I sleep with?”

  “Fuck it.” Maxine waves away my concerns. “You only live once, and you don’t even care about this job that much. If all you get out of it are a few good paychecks and some hot sex before you get caught, I’d say you got a pretty good deal.”

  I look to Jess. Normally, she’s the levelheaded one who can counter Maxine’s overly carefree attitude. I’m hoping she’ll encourage me to stay away from Liam, but she just shrugs.

  “Honestly, I agree with her. It’s not like this is your dream job or anything, and if he’s as hot as you say he is, it might be worth it to just throw caution to the wind.”

  Maxine high fives Jess and they both turn to grin at me.

  “I can’t believe this,” I say, taking my margarita from our server. “So, you two actually think I should sleep with my boss?”

  “It’s just a little harmless fun.” Maxine smirks. “And if it goes south after you or he goes south, if you catch my drift, then you can both be professional about it, or you can just quit. No harm done.”

  I can’t help but laugh at the situation I find myself in.

  Even though I’ll still be slightly mortified to see Liam at work tomorrow, I’m starting to feel better about the whole thing. Or maybe it’s just the third margarita kicking in.

  “Wait! What if he rejects me?” The thought comes out of my mouth before I have a chance to process it. I’d been so focused on the fact that he’s my boss and how taboo that is that I hadn’t even thought about that aspect of things.

  “You said he was smiling after he read the texts,” Maxine says, raising an eyebrow at me. “And he teased you about it. I mean, come on, this guy has a total boner for you.”

  “Besides, have you looked at yourself? Of course, he’s into you.” Jess smiles at me.

  “Come on, just do it. Work hard, play harder, right?” Maxine says with a wink, and I snort into my drink.

  As much as I love them for being so encouraging, there is no way. As I walk home, I try to remind myself of all the downsides of my workplace attraction. The trouble is, when I picture Liam’s green eyes staring into mine, all of the doubts melt away and I can only think about how much I want his hands on me. I don’t know if it’s the margaritas, my friends, or the thought of Liam, but the more I think about it the more the little, rational voice inside my head is fading away, and the thought of sleeping with my boss is starting to actually seem like a good idea.

  Chapter Two

  Liam

  I’ve always been a man who knows what he wants and goes after it. It’s how I met and married my wife. It’s how we had three kids while both working full-time. And it’s how I worked my way up the corporate ladder and became the youngest CEO in the history of Griffin Real Estate Investments at the age of thirty-five.

  But now, I’m on the other side of a long divorce, forced to share custody of my kids with a bitter ex-wife who makes Godzilla seem like a playful kitten, and I’ve got a new assistant who’s such a knockout I can hardly get through a workday without imagining her taking a ride on my cock—which is seriously distracting me from running this multimillion-dollar company.

  “I’m just saying, you could stand to relax a little bit,” Jamie, my chief strategist says, interrupting my thoughts. He’s been trying to convince me for the past fifteen minutes to go on a date with a woman he knows from the gym. I’ve been zoning out, sick of hearing the same thing from him. The problem with Jamie is he’s not a coworker, but my best friend, and he’s way too concerned about my personal life when he should be focusing on his own work. He’s been on my ass about letting loose and taking a break pretty much since we met, and it’s gotten even worse since my divorce.

  “CEOs don’t relax, Jamie. That’s how they became CEOs.”

  Jamie sighs and sits back in his chair, his hands behind his head, like he’s heard it all before. Which he has, for the past seventeen years. We went to college together, and sometimes I think Jamie wants me to be the same guy who stayed out all night and always won the keg stand contest. But I’m just not. I grew up. And I have mountains of responsibility that keep me in check.

  “Just go out with her once. Maybe you’ll even get laid. It’s been how long again?” He smirks at me, and I shake my head. It has been awhile. Longer than I’d care to admit, in fact, but my nasty divorce made the idea of pursuing a new relationship sound more exhausting than it’s worth.

  “I’m too old to go on a blind date. And I’m definitely too old for a one-night stand. I have kids, remember?” I tell him, hoping this will make him drop the subject.

  I specifically haven’t told him about what I saw on Noelle’s phone yesterday, or about my very inconvenient attraction to her. Partly because I don’t want
to give him any ammunition to encourage me to pursue my assistant, and partly because I want to keep this between me and Noelle.

  The truth is, every time I catch her staring at me with that look on her face like she’s picturing all the things she wants me to do to her, I feel things behind my zipper that I haven’t felt in years. Or maybe ever. Even when things were good with my ex, they were never as steamy as I’ve felt just standing next to Noelle. I’m not the kind of man who gets easily distracted by anything, especially when it could affect work. And I’m nowhere near the kind of creep who would hit on his assistant. But no one in business school told me how to deal with my assistant coming onto me. Especially not one with full lips, perky tits and legs for days, that I keep imagining clamped around my waist. Which is exactly what’s been happening ever since I hired Noelle St. James.

  My computer pings, pulling me out of my thoughts. Probably for the best, considering that when I think about Noelle for too long I start to feel an ache in my groin that makes it impossible to work.

  “Shit,” I say, setting down my cup of coffee. I look up at Jamie. “Looks like it’s going to be another late night at the office.”

  “What happened?” Jamie asks, surprised. “I thought everything was ready to go for the meeting tomorrow?”

  We’d managed to land a huge contract on a new skyscraper downtown. Not only does the company stand to make an absurd amount of money if everything goes well, but it would make me look like a fucking genius to the board of directors.

  “It’s Chandler, from the city. There’s been a last-minute zoning change. This throws off the whole presentation.” The presentation I spent two weeks building—thinking through every contingency and rebuttal. I could have given that presentation in my sleep, and now I’ll need to rework the entire fucking thing.

  I run my hands through my hair, deciding how I want to play this. I didn’t become CEO by wallowing about things that are out of my control. There’s nothing to do besides deal with this setback, and really that’s all it is. A setback, and one that I’m sure can be overcome.