Page 39 of Bossman

“The parents-to-be give a sealed envelope that contains the sex of the baby to a bakery, and the baker puts pink frosting inside the cupcakes if it’s a girl and blue if it’s a boy. Then they have a party, and everyone finds out at the same time, including the parents-to-be. Pure. Fucking. Torture. Whatever happened to the kid popping out and the doctor giving it a smack and yelling it’s a boy over the thing crying?”

“Thanks. More to look forward to.”

Chase slapped Josh on the back as we walked to the stairs. “You’re welcome.”

Arriving on the first floor, I eyed the mess we’d left in the living room and dining room. Chase had dinner brought in, and there were dishes and balled-up papers from our work session all over the place.

“Where you heading, Reese?” Josh asked. “I’m going to grab a cab downtown if you want to split one.”

“I’m cross town. But I’m going to stay for another minute and help Chase pick up a bit.”

Josh looked over my shoulder, seeing the mess for the first time. “Crap. Thanks. I owe you one, Reese. See you Monday.”

Before Chase even returned from walking Josh out, I had the place halfway cleaned. I picked up the garbage, and I was rinsing dishes and loading them into the dishwasher when I felt Chase come up behind me. He gently placed a hand on my face, and I stopped what I was doing.

“Keep going.”

At first, I thought he meant to continue loading the dishwasher. Then I realized I’d been humming. Smiling, I continued with my tune. Luckily, he was no Owen. I would have been mortified had he guessed the song I was humming.

“’Thinking Out Loud’, Ed Sheeran.”

“Not even close.” I laughed.

“’I Don’t Mind’, Usher.”

I shook my head. “You do realize those two songs sound nothing alike?”

I finished loading the dishwasher while Chase moved the furniture we’d rearranged back. We glanced up at each other as we worked.

“Plans for tonight?” he asked.

“No. I wasn’t sure what time we’d be done. You?”

“Nope. Wanna share another beer with me?”

“Sure. Why not?”

He grabbed two Sam Adams bottles from the fridge, and we sat down on the living room couch. Opening one, he took a sip and handed me the bottle, setting the other unopened one on the end table next to him.

I took the bottle. “I didn’t realize you meant literally share a beer.” I sipped and then offered it back to him. Raising my fingers to my wet lips, my instinct was to wipe away the beer remnants. But then I realized it wasn’t just beer on my lips—it was Chase on my lips. His eyes followed the path of my tongue as I instead licked the wet spot off. The way he looked at me sent tingles of arousal through my body, hitting certain places more than others.

Desire built as we quietly finished one beer, and then he cracked open the other. I never knew something so innocent could seem so much like foreplay. There goes my theory of getting him out of my system this morning.

“We’re off the clock now, aren’t we?” He passed me the bottle.

“Hmmm…not sure how weekends work. It’s technically not a workday, yet we did work today. Still, I’d have to say even if Saturday counts as part of the workweek, we’re off the clock by now.”

“So I’m not your boss right now, then?”

“Suppose not.” I grinned and took a long sip from our beer.

“Well, then…it wouldn’t be inappropriate to tell you that while I was in the shower this morning, I closed my eyes and thought of you as I took care of myself.”

I was mid-swallow when what he’d said registered.

I choked, sputtering and spraying beer all over the place. Coughing, my voice was hoarse. “You what?”

“From your reaction, I’d say you heard me correctly.” He took the beer from my hand.