Tempted by My Boss Book 2

HAILEY

The car pulled up to Hailey’s home. Alex held the door open for her, and she stepped out, heading straight into her house.

She slipped out of her dress and collapsed onto her bed. That was too close, she thought to herself. She rolled over and drifted off to sleep.

The following morning, she woke up and dressed in her professional attire. She headed to work, receiving numerous greetings on her way to her office—a routine she still hadn’t grown accustomed to.

She settled into her desk and began her work. The office door swung open and she glanced up.

“Coffee for the lady,” Alex announced.

“Thanks! How did you know I needed this?”

She accepted the coffee, and Alex perched on the edge of her desk. “You’re welcome.” He flashed her a smile.

She reclined in her chair. “Don’t you have work to do?”

“I do, but I had a few minutes to spare for you.”

“Well, in that case, I’ll take my time with this coffee.”

“By the way, who was that guy who called out to you last night?”

She stiffened momentarily. “He’s someone I used to do business with at my old job.”

“And why did you run from him?”

She exhaled deeply. “I just don’t want my past to interfere with my present.”

Alex nodded in understanding. “Fair enough.”

They continued their conversation until Alex finally said, “I hate to cut this short, but I need to get back to work.”

“Understandable.”

Before he exited her office, he turned back to her. “Dinner tonight?”

“Sounds great.”

“I’ll pick you up out front at seven.”

“Perfect.”

Once Alex was gone, she worked at a faster pace to ensure she’d be finished by dinner.

When lunchtime rolled around, she opted to work through it. At the end of the day, she gathered her things and headed outside.

Alex was already there, waiting for her. She climbed into his car.

“Where are we headed?” she asked.

“You’ll see.”

After a while, they arrived at their destination. They exited the car, and she couldn’t help but grin.

They entered the restaurant and took their seats.

Alex turned to her. “I hope you like it here. I know you’re not a fan of fancy places, so I thought this would be perfect.”

“You remembered.”

A server approached and took their orders.

Throughout dinner, Hailey learned more about Alex—his upbringing, his fears. She also shared some personal details about her own life.

Once they were full, they decided to call it a night.

She returned home and went to bed, but not before agreeing to another dinner with him. The next morning, she woke up, went through her usual routine, and arrived at work on time.

Soon, there was a knock at her office door.

“Come in.”

Bethel walked in. “Ma’am, there’s a client here to see you. They’re quite important, so I couldn’t ask them to wait.”

“Who’s so important they can’t wait?”

“Me,” a deep voice echoed as he stepped into her office.

Her eyes widened in surprise. “Valerian?”

***

HAILEY

Hailey felt a chill run down her spine as she watched him saunter in and take a seat across from her. It was as if he was drinking her in.

“Can I get you some coffee or tea?” Bethel asked.

“No, thank you,” he responded.

With that, Bethel exited the room, leaving Hailey feeling trapped, like a bird in a cage. She tried to maintain her composure and keep her nerves in check.

She realized she was looking everywhere but at him. When she finally met his gaze, she noticed he had changed slightly since their last encounter.

She quickly averted her eyes, the memory of their last meeting flooding back.

“I see you’ve made quite a name for yourself,” he commented.

She cleared her throat. “Yes, I have.”

“Is that why you left me?”

Her eyes flicked back to his. “No—not entirely.”

“Did you ever plan on giving me closure?”

“You’d have moved on by now, I assumed.”

Valerian inhaled deeply. “So, I didn’t mean much to you?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Your actions did.”

“I just didn’t expect you to be here.”

“When were you planning to be ready, Hailey? When?”

His anger was palpable. She braced herself. “I don’t know. I honestly don’t.”

“I’ve been searching for you for a year, and you don’t even seem to care.”

“Alright, what do you want me to say? That I’m sorry I left, Valerian. Is that what you want?”

“No, I don’t want your half-hearted apology.”

“Then why are you here?”

“I need you to tell me where I messed up. You just disappeared.”

“I did what I thought was best for me.”

“So, leaving us high and dry without any explanation was what was best for you?”

“I didn’t have the time.”

“You could’ve made a call or sent an email, Hailey.”

“If I had, you would’ve come after me.”

“Would that have been so terrible?”

“Yes, I needed a fresh start—away from the past.”

“So, I was just baggage to you, Hailey?”

“You’re putting words in my mouth again.”

“Then why couldn’t you end things properly? Tell me face-to-face it wasn’t working. You could’ve explained, then left.”

“Would you have let me leave?”

“I would’ve.”

“No, Valerian, you wouldn’t have let me go.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“You’re here after a year.”

“I’m here because you left without explaining what went wrong.”

“Maybe you need to accept that I don’t have a reason.”

“Why are you pushing me away so hard, Hailey?”

“I’m not. You wanted the truth, and I’m giving it to you, right?”

“Can we—”

The door swung open, and in walked Alex.