P.S. You’re Intolerable (The Harder They Fall)

THE FIRST SIGN SOMETHING was off was the bright light streaming through the window near the bed. I’d closed the curtains when I’d put Joey to bed, but even if I hadn’t, my girl was up at the crack of dawn when the light was still watercolor fuzzy.

The second sign was the hard lumps on my chest. Why were my breasts so full?

I cracked my eyes open, drowsy yet deeply rested.

This wasn’t my room.

This wasn’t my bed.

Where was my baby?

I shot up, horrified to see it was nine a.m. I should have been up three hours ago.

“Elliot?” I raced from the room, trying not to panic. “Elliot, are you here?”

I heard his voice saying my name in barely a whisper, coming from my bedroom, and with my heart in my throat, I rushed through the door.

“We’re here,” he whispered.

And they were. Elliot was sitting on my bed, my sleeping daughter snuggled on his shoulder, his laptop on his stretched-out legs. I must’ve looked a fright because his mouth was hooked in a crooked grin as he swept his gaze over me.

“What’s going on? Why is it so late?” I was still muddled, trying to come down from the shot of adrenaline coursing through my veins.

He held his hand out, beckoning me to him. Walking over, I slid my palm into his, and he tugged me to the side of the bed.

“Think I can put her down?” he asked.

Joey’s mouth was hanging open, and her bones seemed to be made of jelly. “Yeah, she’s conked out.”

Elliot got up and carried her to her bassinet. Bending in half, he carefully laid her down, rubbing her tummy to soothe her. She was swaddled in her little sleep sack, so she squirmed around a little but quickly settled.

Once she was good, Elliot took my hand and led me back to his bedroom. Clicking the door shut, he tossed the monitor on his bed, tugged me into his arms, and placed a lingering kiss on my lips.

“You slept so well.” He stroked my hair off my face. “Ten hours straight.”

I shook my head. “I haven’t slept ten hours straight in my entire life.”

“You did last night. You passed out with my head between your legs and didn’t stir, not even when I was tucking you under the covers. Feel good?”

I squeezed my eyes shut in disbelief. “I’m so confused. What about Joey? She was all by herself?”

“No, of course she wasn’t. I knew you weren’t ready for her to be alone all night, so after I tucked you in, I took the monitor and slept in your room. You were still out cold when she woke up at six, so I gave her one of the bottles you left in the refrigerator.”

The back of my eyes burned, and I clutched at his shirt, overcome. I’d never had such thoughtfulness directed at me. I was having trouble accepting he’d done this for no other reason than he wanted me to rest. It was too much. My instinct was to fight it, to pick his motivations apart until I understood them.

“Elliot…what about work? Freddie? I—”

“Shhh. We didn’t have any meetings scheduled this morning, and Freddie’s coming in late. It’s all handled. You got a good night’s sleep, and the sky didn’t fall.”

I opened my eyes and sighed. “I don’t know what to say.”

Taking my chin between his fingers, he opened and closed my mouth like I was talking. “Thank you, Elliot. I’m so well rested I’m going to make out with you for a while.”

Laughing, I jerked my chin out of his grip. “I would never say that last part before I brushed my teeth. The rest, yeah. Thank you, Elliot.” I crashed my forehead into his chest. “You’re so good to me. Too good.”

“I disagree.”

I raised my head, frowning. “What?”

“I disagree that I’m too good to you. I treat you how you deserve to be treated. It’s unfortunate you’re not used to that, but I’ll see to it you come to expect to be met with kindness and generosity and never accept less.” He trailed his hand down my spine and squeezed my bottom. “If I can’t make out with you until you brush your teeth, you should go do that now. Time’s wasting.”

I snorted. “It’s a workday, Elliot. We can’t spend it making out.”

He arched a brow. “Your point? I’m the boss. If I want to kiss my assistant instead of showing up at the office on time, I will, and no one can tell me otherwise.”

“Not even said weary assistant?”

He patted my ass and grinned. “You’re not weary. You had ten hours of sleep. You’re rested and ready to face another week of working for your intolerable boss.”

Rising on my toes, I slid my palm over his chest to the side of his neck. “You’ve become extremely tolerable lately.” I touched my lips to his. “Likable even.” Another kiss. “I’d even say sweet.”

He scoffed. “You were selling it, then you went too far.”

“Don’t argue with me.”

My ass was treated with another squeeze. “Go shower. You’re late for work.”

I was still smiling while I was washing my hair, but something niggled at the back of my mind. Something Elliot had said. I couldn’t quite grasp what it was, though. I felt like I should have been worried, but I didn’t know what to worry about.

So I decided to let it go.

The rest of the day could crumble to shit from here on out; this would still be one of the best mornings I’d had in years.

Hi!

It took two letters and one stupid exclamation point to spoil the fun.

Although Elliot and I hadn’t arrived at work until ten, by noon, I was sitting with Davida and Raymond at our favorite café, having lunch and hashing over the text Liam had the audacity to send me today.

“That’s really all he had to say?” Raymond punched his palm, which was funny because there was absolutely nothing tough about him. He even winced slightly at the contact. “Fuck that guy.”

Davida pushed my phone back to me. “Absolutely, darling. Do not reply to him.”

“Oh, I wasn’t planning on it.” I rubbed my temple, wishing I could have basked in my blissful night of sleep a little longer. “I’ve only just stopped being angry at him.”

Ray waved a fry at me. “He probably sensed it and decided he needed to remind you of his putrid existence so you didn’t get too comfy.”

“Or he’s bored,” Davida offered.

“Most likely that,” I agreed. “He’s not sensitive enough to have some type of Jedi awareness of the Force.”

Raymond cocked his head. “Are you sweet-talking me with nerd speak? You don’t need it, you know. I’ll babysit my girl for free any time you ask.”

I laughed, a drop of my good mood returning. “I know you will. She told me she missed Daddy Ray. We’ll have to hang out this weekend if you’re free.”

He and Davida exchanged a glance. A loaded one.

“At your place?” he asked, but the way he’d said it, it sounded like he was asking something else entirely.

I should have known this was coming. They’d both asked, more than once, to visit us at my house. At first, I obviously kept them away because I lived in a hellhole. And now…well, I lived in a castle with my boss and wasn’t ready to face their disapproval.

“I was thinking the park,” I hedged.

“I don’t know.” He scratched his chin and hummed. “I think Joey wants me to see her room.”

Davida patted his hand. “Cut the shit, darling. Ray and I want to know what’s going on with you and Elliot.”

I blinked at her, heat rising up my chest. “What do you mean?”

She peered at me down her nose. “You arrived together almost two hours late and he’s been smiling at you so much, I wondered for a moment if he’d been body snatched. You’re fucking, aren’t you?”

I fell back in my chair, slowly shaking my head. “No. Not yet. I’m staying with him temporarily.”

Raymond groaned, and Davida’s shoulders slumped. I’d disappointed them, and it made my bones feel far too big for my skin.

Raymond’s face scrunched in discomfort. “You’re staying…in his house?”

“I am.”

“That’s a terrible idea,” Davida stated. “You know this.”

I nodded. “I know it is.”

I could have explained he’d been helping me. That they didn’t know him the way I did, how sweet and gentle he was with Joey. That he’d let me sleep for ten hours while taking care of my daughter for no other reason than I needed it. The closet full of clothes, shoes and bags. The iced coffees and notes, dinners together, his mouth on mine…

And they would still tell me getting involved with the man who held all the strings was a wretched, awful decision.

“So stop,” Raymond urged. “Pull back. Get out of it before it’s too late.”

“I know this is difficult to hear, but we’re looking out for you,” Davida added. “Selfishly, I truly don’t want to lose you as a coworker, and I would loathe for this to ruin your professional reputation.”

“I do hear you,” I told them. “I’ll think about it.”

Raymond puffed his cheeks and blew out a heavy breath. “Fucking him, I get. He’s mean and hot. What I don’t understand is how you ended up staying with him.”

“It’s Liam’s fault if you must know.”

“Well, of course it is,” Ray replied. “Explain.”

Since I was in for a penny, I decided to be in for a pound and spill the mess Liam had left me to wade through. It was a relief not to keep it to myself anymore and a convenient way to deflect attention off Elliot and me.

Davida eyed me shrewdly throughout the rest of lunch, but she had said her piece, so she let it go for now.

I had just enough time for a quick pumping session before I needed to be back at my desk. Before I could close the door, Elliot stepped in behind me.

The lock clicked, then he was on me, herding me into the wall and cradling the back of my head. His mouth crushed against mine, taking me by surprise. My gasping lips allowed him entry, swirling his tongue with mine.

He kissed me dirty, but his hands were chaste, combing my hair, stroking my cheek. The combination of sweet and carnal confused my system so completely I allowed it to happen, kissing him back with the same amount of fervor.

Voices right outside the room brought me back to earth. We were at work. Our coworkers were close enough for us to hear them. Anyone could have seen Elliot follow me in here. What was I thinking?

I bit his bottom lip hard enough for him to jerk back.

“What are you doing?” I panted.

“You weren’t at your desk.” He frowned down at me. “I wanted to have lunch with you.”

“Well, I had lunch with Davida and Raymond. You had breakfast with me.”

He brushed my hair aside to kiss along the side of my neck. “I wanted more. I was forced to eat alone at my desk.”

“You could have left your office.” My toes were curling in my shoes from his warm lips dragging along my skin. “We can’t do this here, Elliot.”

I should have said I wasn’t sure we should be doing this at all, but I couldn’t force the words out. If I did, he might have agreed, and I really didn’t want him to.

“I’m not going to fuck you, sweetheart. I just want to kiss you.” He slowly lowered his mouth to mine. “Let me.”

“Okay.” I barely got my answer out before his mouth was on mine again. I wound his tie around my fist, anchoring myself to him, and answered his need with my own.

He didn’t devour me this time. His lips were soft, caressing. Arms around my middle, he held my body against his. One of his hugs but more. I melted into him, my reasons for protesting this withering and falling to the floor.

He was the one to pull away. “You need to pump?”

“Yes. That’s why I came in here. I’m afraid you’ve used up all my time, though.”

“Hmm. It’s a good thing you have such a nice boss who’ll let it slide just this once.”

My lips were tingling as I grinned at him. “My boss isn’t so nice, but he understands how to keep his employees happy.”

“I’m not nice?” His hand slid down to grip my ass. “The taste of your creamy pussy on my lips begs to differ.”

That shouldn’t have sent a bolt of heat to my core, but it did. I rubbed one thigh against the other and let out a quiet mewl. Not quiet enough to escape Elliot’s notice, though. His satisfied smirk only made me hotter.

He squeezed my cheek, tilting my pelvis toward his. “Tell me how nice I am, Catherine.”

“You’re the nicest boss I’ve ever had at this company, Elliot.”

He gave me a light smack, then dipped down to kiss me again. “Take your time and see me in my office when you’re done.”

Then he really did me in.

Stepping away from me, he straightened his tie, brushed his hair with his fingertips, then slipped his hand in his pants to adjust the hard ridge pressing against his zipper. When he was done, he caught me watching, and his lids lowered to half-mast as he gave me a sly smirk.

Elliot Levy was sexy, and he knew it. Knew it.

“See you soon, sweetheart,” he crooned.

As soon as he was out the door, I flopped into one of the armchairs, covered my face, and sighed. That man…

Working with Elliot when he’d been incessantly intolerable had been a challenge, but working for this version of him—smooth, sweet, dominant—was going to be even harder.

Davida and Raymond could have reminded me that this was a terrible idea—and I knew it was—but when he kissed me breathless, called me sweetheart, and looked at me like I was an epiphany, all my common sense turned against me, whispering that this would be worth the inevitable disaster.