I Hate You, Mr. Boss-Man [18+]

009

Jesse

I could almost choke on her perfume as it surrounded me, the sweet—flowery smell filling my lungs. It was always the same, from the first day she walked into my office.

Her scent could knock a man out cold with how inebriating it was. It had a hold on me. So much so that it took me months to find the exact one—recognizing it right off the bat as I passed a perfume department. 

Katherine was all I could think about, and that wasn't good for me or her. "How are they?" I ask suddenly, silencing the hitch in my breath as her green eyes meet mine. 

"Hmm?" She hums softly, straightening out her posture as she drops her palm from her chin. 

"The...eggs, how are they?" I repeat, ripping my eyes away from her collarbone. Her breathing making it emerge now and then. I swallow hard, inhaling her perfume once again.
If I was going to get through the day, I needed to step out for a while. I picked up my mug, masking the way she made me feel with a sip of my coffee. 

"Oh, uh...they're good. Thank you," Katherine replies, drawing in her full lip between her teeth, her eyes casting down to her plate, pushing around the eggs with her fork. She seemed off, not her usual perky self, and I couldn't help but wonder if it had something to do with me. 

I wasn't a cheery person to be around, and I'll admit that I haven't been the nicest to her. It'd been a while since I engaged or tried to form a relationship with someone, especially a woman. Dating never enticed me, either I was too focused on work or I never had the time, but there was something about her that I couldn't seem to shake, no matter how hard I tried. 

My eyes zero in on her pulling the silver from between her lips and I quickly push out from the counter, standing up from the stool. "I have some errands to run," I pipe up, her head snapping to me. 

"Anything I can help with?" 

Finishing my coffee, I shake my head. "No, just some work-related things. I'll be back later and when I come back, we're having dinner with Mr. Glabello and his wife Teresa. So...wear something nice." And with that, I grab my keys and head out. 

               >      >      >      

"What do you mean, you can't?" 

"Exactly how it sounds," I mutter through the phone, grazing the silk between my fingers, feeling the quality of the material. "I don't want to engage in something that probably won't lead anywhere. She doesn't exactly hide the way she feels about me. She hates me." 

Silence follows my small rant, my eyes locking with the saleswoman, gesturing to the dress in my grasp. "Ce l'hai in rosso?" I whisper, placing the mic against my chest. Earning a nod from her, she takes the dress from my hand and heads into the back of the shop. I place the phone back to my ear, "You still there, H?" 

Silence still, as if there was no one on the call. I pull it away from my ear, checking to see if the call failed, but it didn't. "Henry?" 

"Do you realize how fucking stupid you sound?" 

"Wow, Henry," I scoff, my mouth setting in a hard line. "Tell me what you really think," 

"Look, I'm sorry little brother but, you sound fucking stupid. For months. Years, even. I've been hearing you complain about this girl. She's all you talk about and now you're saying you can't at least try to start something?" 

I could practically hear my brother roll his eyes through the phone and as much as I tried to deny it, he was fucking right.

"I'm her boss," I whisper, making sure no one could hear me in the shop.