Hero Boss: An Alpha Male Office Romance Read online

  Hero Boss

  An Alpha Male Office Romance

  Piper Sullivan

  Copyright © 2019 by Piper Sullivan

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

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  Contents

  1. Stevie

  2. Scott

  3. Stevie

  4. Scott

  5. Stevie

  6. Scott

  7. Stevie

  8. Scott

  9. Stevie

  10. Scott

  11. Stevie

  12. Scott

  13. Stevie

  14. Scott

  15. Stevie

  16. Scott

  17. Stevie

  18. Scott

  19. Stevie

  20. Scott

  21. Stevie

  22. Scott

  23. Stevie

  24. Scott

  25. Stevie

  26. Scott

  27. Stevie

  28. Scott

  Excerpt: Misters of Pleasure

  1. Wanting Ms Wrong

  Undesired

  2. Undesired

  Kissing My Best Friend

  3. Kissing My Best Friend

  Also by Piper Sullivan

  About the Author

  Stevie

  “What in the hell do you think you’re doing?” I looked up from the computer, where my focus had been trained for the past two hours, and my gaze slammed right into a pair of angry green eyes. Angry, but beautiful eyes that weren’t quite mossy green and not quite forest, but somewhere in between. And definitely angry. “Well? I asked you a question.”

  He hadn’t really asked so much as barked the words at me but saying so now would only poke the bear. No, not a bear. A beast. The man I guessed was my new boss was a big beast of a man, with shoulders so wide he had to turn just to get into the office and a broad chest that even his pricey Oxford couldn’t contain. His narrow waist suggested that at some point in time he’d been an athlete—that, and the way he carried himself, graceful and sure. He had ashy blond hair that would probably curl if he ever let it grow long enough, and those green eyes, well, it made him one hell of a package. A big, sexy, and very angry package.

  “I won’t ask again.”

  Right. He wanted to know what I was doing here.

  “I’m updating the filing system. This one, if it can even be called a filing system, is out of date. Way, way out of date. My guess is you have plenty of money you haven’t been paid yet.” How could a man with his pedigree, if his business partner was to be believed, run his business this way? “Do you need something?”

  I was his assistant, after all. It was part of the job, as it always was. I didn’t love it, but I could handle it.

  The beast’s nostrils flared. “I need for you to tell me why you’re on my computer doing anything at all to my filing system.” I opened my mouth to tell him exactly who I was, but he held up two big paws—I mean, hands—and glared. “Step away from the computer.”

  This whole routine was already getting tired, but I needed this job, so I stood, slowly, summoning every dollop of patience I had, and stepped away from the computer. With my hands up. This was Texas, after all, plus it was guaranteed to piss him off. “I’m your new vet assistant. Your business partner, Eddy, hired me.”

  The older woman was a little bit kooky, but she was nice and blunt, which made her my kind of people.

  “Eddy hired—” His words cut off abruptly and he shook his head as a few more choice expletives spilled from his mouth. “Eddy is in no position to hire anyone. Period.”

  She had mentioned that he was a stubborn man but now, staring up at him and seeing the genuine anger and confusion on his face, I wondered if I should have waited to talk to him. I’d wanted to, but Eddy insisted he was busy and happy to have her deal with all the details. Dammit, this is what happened when you didn’t think first, just acted. It was kind of my specialty and, oddly enough, exactly why I needed this job to start with. “Well, Eddy did hire me, and I need this job. Now you’re telling me you don’t even need an assistant?” Arms folded, I looked at the big man in the deep green shirt with darker green buttons. He looked like the last doctor I’d worked for—the only difference was his patients were animals.

  “No, I’m not saying that,” he conceded and blew out a long breath.

  “But you don’t want me to be your assistant?” I didn’t look exactly like what anyone wanted in an executive assistant, but I more than made up for it by being excellent at my job. Stuffed-shirts didn’t mind the nose ring or row of studs that went up my left ear when I made their lives easier than their wives did.

  “I didn’t say that, either.”

  “You’re not saying much of anything, Dr. Henderson.” When he blinked, I lowered my arms, enjoying the small smirk that played across his mouth. “And the state of your filing system says you could use the help, so what is it? The piercings?”

  Guys like him always judged a book by its cover when their covers never matched the contents inside.

  “I didn’t say it was anything!” He smacked his hands on the round edges of the circular reception desk. “You’re frustrating, you know that?”

  It wasn’t the first time I’d heard that, so I nodded. “I’m not the one turning away a damn good assistant because she doesn’t fit my own preconceived notions.”

  His green eyes narrowed to slits and his nostrils flared, harder this time. I had to clench my jaw and school my features into a bored expression. He was intimidating, but he wasn’t scary. “Got me all figured out, don’t you?”

  “No, and I don’t want to figure you out. I want a job, and this happens to be a job I’m damn good at. I don’t get what the problem is because you won’t tell me.”

  After a few long moments of silence, his shoulders dropped in resignation. “There’s nothing wrong with my filing system.”

  That’s what he wanted to focus on? Okay. “So, you have twenty-seven different horses with a hoof infection to check out today?” His face paled at the information and I knew I’d proven my point, even if I’d had to exaggerate it a little bit. “I didn’t think so. Do you have any idea who’s current on their bills and who’s delinquent?”

  “No.”

  “I already have a list running. Or should I toss it out because this business is the one special business that doesn’t need to turn a profit?” My specialty was small businesses just like this. Give me a few months and I’d have this place running like a well-oiled machine.

  “Who are you?” The question, this time, was asked with a little less venom than before so I smiled and held one hand out.

  “Stevie Mattis. Organizer and assistant extraordinaire. Eddy said you needed help and it’s a pay bump from my last job, so I accepted.” And I kept my hand there, dangling alone in the air until he did what every proper southern boy was raised to do: be respectful.

  His big hand swallowed mine up. It was hot and oddly smooth. Too hot. I snatched my hand back to avoid being burned and waited for him to say something. Anything. “One week. We’ll do a one-week trial run to see how well we work together. If it doesn’t work out, you won’t try to get my grandma to change my mind.”

  I frowned. “Dude, I don’t even know your grandma.”

  His eyebrows arched high. “Eddy is my grandmother.
Not my business partner.”

  After a beat of silence, a loud laugh erupted out of me. I shook my head at the sheer Hallmark-ness of it all. “A meddling grandmother, huh? I never would’ve guessed. She doesn’t sound all that grandmotherly.”

  “Well, that’s Eddy. Do we have a deal?”

  Damn straight, we did. “Yep.” I was good at my job and I knew by the middle of the week he’d be asking me to stay, so I wasn’t worried. “Eddy said you take your coffee with two creams and two sugars, is that right?” He nodded and I turned towards the small break room in the back. “I’ll grab you a cup while you get settled. Then we can talk about whatever is on your mind.”

  He stared at me like he couldn’t quite figure me out, nodding slowly as if distracted, before he turned and disappeared around the corner into his office.

  I hurried to make sure the coffee was hot, grabbing a pastry because sugar and carbs made everyone a little easier to deal with—especially busy doctors prone to crankiness.

  Scott

  Closing the office door behind me so I could fume in peace, I took several deep breaths after that frustrating encounter with that… that frustrating woman. Stevie, what the hell kind of name was that for a woman, anyway? Especially a professional woman—even though she hardly looked professional, in jeans that hugged her ass and thighs like a lover and a ring in her nose. No, Eddy had gone too far with her meddling this time. Interfering in my love life was one thing, but my business was where I drew the line.

  I hung up the blazer I brought because it was ingrained into me to dress professionally, even though my patients all had four legs and didn’t give a damn what I wore. Dropping my beat-up brown leather bag on the floor beside my desk, I lowered myself into the chair and let out a sigh. It was too early for a headache, but already, I felt one coming on. So much for showing up early to get a jump start on the day.

  But on top of my desk was Stevie’s resume. No, not Stevie—Stephanie. Stephanie Ann Mattis from Gary, Indiana. She was a long way from home, but she had an impressive work history that made me wonder why she’d taken this job in the middle of nowhere.

  “Why?” It was the only question I had. If Stevie looked a little different, I might have thought it was Eddy’s attempt at matchmaking, but she wasn’t my type at all. She was too short, too curvy, and had way too much sass. If it wasn’t about romance, then Eddy must be worried about me—and that was the last thing I wanted. An assistant was the last thing I wanted.

  A knock sounded on the door a second before it opened and Stevie strode in, her strides quick and capable. “Here’s your coffee.” She offered the oversized mug with a smile and earned extra points for not making a joke about the ‘Stay Pawsitive’ printed on the front of the mug. I watched as she rounded the desk and took the chair across from me. “Did you want to start with the filing system?”

  She wasn’t in charge here. I was. “I had an assistant once, Stephanie.”

  “The name is Stevie,” she corrected. It was the only thing she said but her gaze remained steady on mine, waiting for me to continue.

  “Her name was Tori and I relied on her, as one grows to do, and she did a damn good job. One day, she came in to tell me her boyfriend had proposed and they were moving to Canada together so he could have a real shot at the rodeo. In Canada, when they were already in Texas.” Even thinking about it pissed me off all over again. “I went through a few temps who ran the gamut of just plain incompetent to husband-hunting. I gave up, and for the past eighteen months, I’ve been doing it all.”

  She nodded like she understood and I wondered if this would be easier than I thought. “I get that, I really do. The problem is that you haven’t been doing it all that well.”

  “Excuse me?” Didn’t she understand that I was the one in the position of authority here?

  Stevie stood and set down her notebook so she was free to pace in front of my office. I didn’t like it, but it gave me time to observe her. She was a tiny little thing, and she looked younger than the twenty-six her resume suggested she was. Maybe it was her massive black ponytail or the almost indecent white t-shirt she wore that molded over a pair of breasts too large for her petite frame. She didn’t wear a lot of makeup, which contributed to her youthful appearance, with smooth white skin marred only by one freckle beneath her right eye. The way she paced, the way her leg muscles bunched with every move, said Stevie wasn’t one to sit still. She probably spent a great deal of time outdoors.

  Like me.

  “Look, I get that you don’t like the way this went down and, honestly, I don’t either. I packed up my life and moved here because I had a job, so why don’t you tell me what I can do to help you accept this?” She finally stopped pacing and stopped right in front of my desk, violet eyes, eerie and bold, staring at me with barely restrained patience.

  Instead of answering, I reached for the mug and took a long, fortifying sip. I didn’t want her as my assistant but I had no good reason to explain it, so I’d give her the week to show her true self before firing her. “Tuesdays and Thursdays I reserve for field work, going to the farms and ranches in the area. Even if I don’t have a standing appointment, preventative care is a priority.”

  She nodded and scooped up her notebook, scribbling notes on the first page before those clear violet eyes turned back to me. “Do you have special equipment or tools you regularly take for those visits?”

  I blinked. “Uh, it varies from week to week.” It was a good question. Unexpected, just like Stevie.

  She jotted that down, keeping her gaze fixed on mine. “Next?”

  I nodded and continued. “Some of the older patients with pets come in and I know they’re on a fixed menu so I take the treats they offer. Cooked goods only. No live animals and no huge sides of raw meat. Not anymore.”

  Stevie’s face blossomed into a grin, which quickly transformed into a laugh. It wasn’t rusty, it was husky and well used, like she laughed a lot. “Learned that the hard way, huh?”

  “Unfortunately.” My lips twitched but I controlled myself because it was best to start as you meant to go on—at least, according to Eddy. “I try not to turn anyone away who has an animal in need, but I always like to know beforehand if treatment will be costly.”

  “So you can decide before you do anything expensive?”

  There wasn’t any judgment in her eyes or her voice, but the question still rubbed me the wrong way. “No. There are grants and other services available that I can use if I know ahead of time.”

  “Cool,” she said and scribbled more notes and then a few more, before turning earnest eyes back up to me. Stevie asked a few questions about insurance and new patient information but otherwise, she was quiet. Reserved, even.

  “Any other questions?”

  “Nope.” She shook her head, the mass of thick black curls nearly blinding her. “I’ll write them all done so you can answer them all at once. It’ll be a better use of our time that way.” She stood and held the notepad close, like a barrier between us. “Anything else, Dr. Henderson?”

  “No, Stephanie. That will be all.”

  Her gaze narrowed and her jaw clenched. “My name is Stevie. I only answer to Stevie.”

  So, she did get riled up. Good to know. I gave a short nod and she turned on her heels and walked to the door. “Good luck, Stephanie.”

  She stopped in the doorway and turned to me, slowly, with a mischievous smile on her face. “Thanks, Scotty. Lookin’ forward to it.” Her smile darkened deviously and then she shut the door, giving her the last word.

  This time.

  Only time would tell if Stevie was as capable as she seemed to think. If she was and had no interest in becoming the Mrs. to my Dr., then she might last more than a week. The other woman, however, would require a firmer approach and when I heard the smile in her voice on the other end of the line, I knew it would be impossible to stay mad at her. But I had to try. “What in the actual hell, Grandma?”

  Any other grandmother woul
d admonish me for my language, but not Eddy—she cackled for several long minutes before she got herself under control. “Is that any way to speak to your dear old grandmother?”

  She was dear to me, but Eddy wasn’t anyone’s idea of a typical grandmother. She didn’t dress the part and certainly didn’t act it—she barely acted her age half the time. “It is when she starts to meddle in my business.” I shook my head at my own arrogance, thinking that just because the meddling old women in town hadn’t focused on me yet, that they’d forgotten about me. “Why, Grandma?”

  “I still own that land, I’ll remind you.” She did, but only because she refused to admit she wasn’t as young and quick as she used to be. Her laughter sounded at my silence, and I was glad she couldn’t see the smile forming on my face. “I did it because you’re working yourself too hard trying to do it all on your own. Your grandfather tried that, too, and got a heart attack for his efforts. What’s the problem, you don’t like Stevie?”

  She really didn’t get it. Eddy was bossy as hell and she came from a different time, where her meddling was seen as her due. “I prefer to hire my own employees, Eddy.”

  “But you don’t even have the time to place an ad, never mind to interview applicants. I did it all for you.”

  I didn’t miss the hint of hurt in her voice, and I kicked myself.

  “I know you’re just trying to help, but I don’t know anything about this woman. You gave her a key to my offices! What if she’s some kind of criminal?” People came in all the time in search of drugs, and several vet friends of mine had been robbed by tweakers in search of a good high.