Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Poppy

Julian is Mr. Sterling, the CEO of Sterling Defense.

My new neighbor is my boss!

Oh my god, get me a shovel so I can dig a hole to hide in.

I look down at my desk; maybe I should duck and hide under it.

I kissed my boss this morning!

My cheeks are so hot they feel nuclear. My knees start to sag as if I were a snail and my body was a shell I could retreat into.

What do I do?

Should I pretend his tongue wasn't making my ovaries shout for joy, maintain professionalism, or act like he's just another stranger?

"Oh, stop it!" Debbie grumbles, then shoves a piece of chocolate towards him; when he doesn't accept it, she tucks it into his arm sling, "You know her name isn't Pumpkin; it's Poppy."

She glances up at me, "Ignore him. You're meeting him after a meeting with his brother. He's always an ass after having to deal with him."

I look back at Julian and feel goosebumps ripple over my skin. He's wearing the same pants he had on this morning, but now he's got on a white dress shirt and navy tie. His jaw is slack, but his eyes darken with suspicion.

Oh, Lord! He thinks I knew he was my boss. I can see it now. I must look like a crazy stalker. I moved next door to him, showed up at his work…, and I'm never going to get to taste those lips again.

"Poppy!" The man next to him steps forward with a wide grin and devilish eyes.

"Kent," I mutter in shock. He looks totally different in a suit; he is more professional but also more dangerous. I could handle him dressed as the boy next door, but in a suit, it's like dancing with the devil.

I take a step back and bump into my desk.

"You're Jay's new secretary." Kent grabs his stomach and laughs, "Oh, this is going to be fantastic."

"Leave the poor girl alone. She is more than capable of taming you both. Don't let her polite charm deceive you. It's the shy ones you have to worry about." Debbie comments.

Was that a compliment?

Debbie has no idea what is going on. Her phone rings, and she rushes to it. "Yes, Oh, for heaven's sake. Yes, I'll be right there." She slams the phone down, "You'd think they couldn't wipe their own asses sometimes." She growls and then levels her eyes on Julian. "Be nice to her because I'm not going to find you a replacement before I retire." She barks as she leaves the office.

I inch forward. Let me come with you, Debbie.

Julian's stormy eyes pin me in place.

The door closes, and Julian and I keep staring at one another. "I…um. I …I…" What other letters can I sound out?

"Is Harper still in town?" Kent interrupts as he leans on Debbie's desk, crossing his feet and looking all too relaxed.

"My office." Julian barks at me. He storms past me, and I glance at Kent for help.

He just chuckles, grabs a Hersey's Kiss, and pops it into his mouth. "This is going to be epic."

I follow Julian into his office with Kent hot on my heels, "Close the door." Julian orders Kent.

"Oh, come on, let me eavesdrop," Kent whines. He looks down at me and pouts his bottom lip out like a puppy begging. If it weren't at my expense, I'd let him. Who could refuse that face? Handsome yet adorable.

I look anywhere I can but at him. His office is huge, with a massive window overlooking the outside lake with the fountains. His desk is covered in paperwork, so much so that I feel antsy. I love organizing; it makes me feel calm and relaxed, the opposite of how I feel right now. There's a seating area and a small bar with a coffee machine and mini fridge set up in the far corner, a private bathroom, and basically an entire high-end hotel suite.

Besides that, nothing personal is here; it could be anyone's office, and that makes me sad. This is where we work, and it should have some aspect of who we are, like Debbie and her candy dishes.

"I didn't know," I blurt out. My hands clutch my stomach, which feels so knotted not even an expert sailor could undo it.

Julian's eyes watch me. Judge me.

I don't like the feeling.

"I really didn't," I stress.

"I believe you." He replies with a heavy exhale. Yet his stormy eyes don't reveal the same statement as his lips do. "You look like you're on the verge of a panic attack."

He points to the chair, "Come sit down; we have a lot to talk about."

I walk to the chair with numb legs. "I'm gonna kill her," I mumble as I sink into the chair. I feel like a kid being sent to the principal's office.

"Who? Debbie?"

"What!" I gasp, "No, not Debbie. Harper."

He sits in his chair, his legs spread wide, dominating the room. Only the desk separates us. "Harper knew?"

Why did I say that out loud? Now, I look guilty by association.

I shrug, "She said she looked into you." Clearly, I have no filter and will just confess under no duress.

I hold my hands up as if I'm caught. "I know it sounds crazy, but you've met Harper, and she's far from normal, so it's not shocking. She works for the NSA and looks into anyone I'm interested in. She must have pieced this together. It's all a crazy mistake, a coincidence. You have to believe me."

"Shouldn't a friend tell you that?" He dips his chin, leveling those stormy eyes on me like a sniper.

"Not if she thinks it will benefit me. I wouldn't have shown up if she told me you were my boss."

His jaw ticks. "Why?" He leans forward, his strong biceps making his shirt ripple.

"Because it's you," I deadpan. "You're my neighbor, who I kissed, who I like. You can't be my boss." My words sink in. "We joked about topics that are not office-appropriate."

I lean closer. "You call me Pumpkin because of Pumpkin puss puss. You cannot be my boss, Julian." I hold my head in my hands. My eyes find his carpet, which looks plush and soft. I want to sink into it, fall asleep, and wake up to discover this is all a crazy dream.

He snorts a laugh. "You'd be surprised by what is said around here, especially with Kent." His smile fades as the reality of our situation overtakes it.

"So, what are we going to do about it?" He leans back in his chair, but he looks uncomfortable.

I bite my bottom lip. "I don't know, Julian." I sigh. He's silent. That's not good, is it?

I dare to look up again. "I can find a new job," I offer. I can live off my trust fund until I find something new.

"No," he replies quickly. "You shouldn't punish yourself over this." He grabs his injured shoulder and massages it. His jaw tenses with pain. "I don't want to fuck this up. I have to succeed at my job, Poppy, and I don't want rumors about us around the office. I don't give a shit what they say about me, but it could ruin your career."

I gulp. He's right. My heart slows back to a normal beat, and I am no longer hopeful about the future with Julian.

"I understand. We'll be friendly neighbors only." I'm going to need to purchase a chastity belt to commit to that statement.

He stands abruptly, turning his back to me as he looks out the window. "Fuck. Fuck!" His back widens as he exhales. "I've never been a CEO, and I don't want to be known as the boss who sleeps with his staff."

I can respect that. I like that he thought about my reputation as well.

"I don't want that either." I shift closer to the edge of my chair.

He presses his left palm against the window. "But I can't resist kissing you again, Pumpkin," he whispers, keeping his back to me.

I lick my lips. There is one option; he must know it, too. "We could…"

He turns. "We could what?"

I bite my bottom lip. "Keep things professional here and neighborly at home."

The furrow in his brow lessens like a kite, finally catching some wind so it can fly and be happy again.

"How neighborly?"

I glance down. "As neighborly as you are comfortable with," I suggest.

Am I really offering this? Getting cozy with my boss!

I am because the thought of kissing him again thrills me. He's the first man who has calmed the storm in my mind, allowing me a kiss without the usual panicking and the relentless bombardment of memories from my ex.

Maybe it's selfish, but the thought of losing this newfound peace terrifies me.

"Poppy," the way he says my name demands my attention. "What are you comfortable with?"

Yet again, he sees me and considers my feelings, wants and needs before his.

"I…I want to kiss you again," I admit.

He grins, but it's filled with worry.

"And I want to be good at my job. I want you to be good at your job. I've never done this, and I don't know if we can separate work and personal life. Eventually, it will spill over, Julian. What then?"

What happens if I ruin this, and he wants just to be coworkers? I'll still have to work with him every day. Or there's the hopeful ending where we grow serious and want to come forward with our relationship. We both will be labeled with the titles he fears.

He returns to sitting in his chair again, eyes low, not looking at me.

"What are you thinking?" I ask.

"I feel something for you, Poppy, something I don't want to turn my back on, even though I should. Everything in my life right now is telling me not to get involved with you."

Why do I feel like he will make the wise decision and turn his back on me?