Arrogant Boss

“Great food by a great chef,” Denise said.

“Of course! You’re that Denise. Michael mentioned that he was bringing along two guests.”

Denise’s face flushed beautifully at being recognized and at having her new boyfriend talk about her. I cleared my throat. “Did you work on this app for long?”

He nodded and waved at a waiter to bring us something to drink. “Nearly eighteen months.”

“Wow. That’s impressive.”

Rafe grinned. “Yes, but not quite as-ah, here he is! Glad you could make it, man.”

Denise glanced past me, and I heard her small intake of breath. “No way,” she murmured. “Em, you won’t believe this.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” The voice was very deep and very familiar. I watched in shock as Julian and Rafe shook hands. He looked… just as I remembered. Tall, with dark, thick and unruly hair.

My throat went dry. It had only been five days but I realized that I’d really missed him-missed seeing the way his eyes danced or hearing whatever preposterous joke he’d make.

There was no one else quite like him.

Julian’s attention snapped to me immediately. “Emily?”

“Julian,” I said weakly. “I didn’t think I’d see you here.”

His voice was soft with pleasure. “Neither did I.”

Denise reached around me and extended her hand. “I’m Denise, Emily’s friend.”

“A pleasure. I’m Julian Hunt.”

“Let me check where those drinks are,” Rafe said. “I’ll be right back.”

All three of us watched as he made his way to the bar, only to be stopped by a group of men before he could reach it.

“And he was never seen again,” Julian said morosely. “The problem with launch parties is that they’re never enjoyable for the launchee.”

“The launchee?”

“It’s a technical term,” Julian said with a wave of his hand. “You’ll learn the jargon eventually.”

“Mhm,” I drawled. “Right.”

Adrenaline raced through me, my whole body reacting to being close to him. He was wearing a tailored suit, no tie, and the top button was undone. I was stupidly attracted to this man and the week apart had only cemented that fact.

Denise glanced between us and I could see the smile hovering on her lips. “So, Julian,” she said in a sing-song voice. “What do you do?”

“I work in tech and development as well.”

“So original,” I commented and took a sip of my drink.

“Not at all. I’m-what do they call it these days? Basic?”

I rolled my eyes at him. There was not a single thing basic about the man, and he knew it. He grinned at me. “I work with Emily here, actually.”

“Cool. Hmm.” Denise nodded, and then leaned forward, her red hair spilling everywhere. “I’m trying really hard to pretend like I don’t already know all of this, but I’m not a very good actress.”

Julian’s smile split into a wide laugh, his eyes glittering.

I shot her a glare. “Denise!”ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

“Come on, you knew what you were getting into when you offered to share your PB and J with me on the first day of sixth grade. I can’t be held accountable for my behavior. Oh! I think I just spotted Michael! I’ll see the two of you in a little while!”

I watched her scamper off in the direction of the food, fleeing from the scene, very abruptly leaving Julian and me alone. I’d have to thank her for it later.

Julian slid into the seat she’d vacated, and I was immediately hit by his cologne, the strong frame of his shoulder and his thigh touching mine.

We looked at each other in silence for a few moments.

“Hi,” I whispered.

He smiled. “Hi.”

“When did you get back?”

“About four hours ago.”

“You look good. New York agreed with you.”

“It was the same as always.” He shrugged. “Tall buildings and too many people. I missed this place.”

“Oh?” I inched closer, eliminated the sliver of space between us. “This club in particular?”

Julian smiled crookedly and gave me a very obvious once-over, eyes trailing down my neck, skimming over the tight black dress I wore, and the small glittery bracelet that circled my right wrist. I felt naked under the heat of his gaze.

“Judging by its current clientele, yes.”

I swallowed. “How do you know Rafe? Do you belong to the same ‘Titans of Industry’ club?”

Julian snorted. “Yes. We’re on the same mailing list and we go to meetings every month.”

“Complain about the estate tax?”

“Always. We compare notes for world domination.”

“My money’s on you.”

His hand reached out, fingers tracing down my bare arm. Goosebumps followed his touch. “And why are you here? Are you looking to hook up with someone?”

“And if I were?”