Losing His Shirt (An Enemies to Lovers Office Romance): Wall Street to Broadway, #1

By Linda Fausnet

As her boss, I was a jerk. 

 

Rosemary was my personal assistant, and I treated her like my personal slave. 

 

I'd been rich my whole life, and now the money's gone. I had no clue what to do or where to turn, so I turned to her. 

I found Rosemary starring in a musical, and I could hardly believe my eyes...and ears. My God, she sang like an angel. She's Broadway-bound for sure. I had no idea she was so talented. 

 

I guess I never knew she had a life outside my office.

 

I asked for her help, and she took pity on me. Now my heart pounds when she's near, and I get chills when she sings. Rosemary is the most sensual, sweet, talented woman I've ever known. 

 

I'm flat broke and in love with my former secretary. How can I convince her I'm not the arrogant jerk she used to know...and despise?

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Linda Fausnet
• Release date: Dec 22, 2017
• ISBN: 9781944043254

Linda Fausnet

Linda Fausnet is the author of several genres of books, including romance, LGBT fiction, chick lit, and middle-grade. She has also written numerous screenplays of various genres. Two of her scripts have been optioned by production companies in Los Angeles; Mega Films, Inc. and Runaway Productions. She runs a fan club for romance book lovers called Romance Novel Addicts Anonymous on Facebook and other social media platforms.

Book preview

1

Affluent Accents Accessories, I can’t wait to help you!

I felt like an idiot every time I had to say that ridiculous phrase. It was bad enough that the luxury car accessories company I worked for had such a stupid tongue-twister of a name, but then I had to tell people I simply couldn’t wait to help them! Ugh, and it sounded so fake. Customers knew damned well I was being forced to say it.

Oh yes, Mr. Matthews. I’ve got you confirmed for lunch with Mr. Creel tomorrow. Mr. Matthews indeed. He was one of my boss’s college frat buddies. I highly doubted any real business would be conducted at that liquid lunch.

The front door to the office opened, and I looked up to see Cody, our eighteen-year-old stock boy, walk in. I smiled and waved at him, and he blushed as he waved back. It was obvious he had a crush on me, which was adorable. Since I was twenty-four; he knew I was too old for him, but he was sweet. I did my best to draw him out of his shell and make him feel more confident. I often asked him to lift moderately heavy boxes for me – ones I could easily carry myself – since he was always eager to help. I liked making him feel strong and useful.

I hung up the phone and looked up to see Clara, our financial manager, standing in the doorway. Rosemary, I’m heading in for my meeting with Tony, Clara said. Give me a heads up when Creep gets here, ‘kay?

She grimaced, which made me laugh. In her mid-thirties, Clara was smart and kind, yet she had little patience for our boss. Johnny Creel – known as Johnny Creep by the staff – was the owner of the company. Lucky me, I got to be his executive assistant. It was beyond ridiculous to think that spoiled, overgrown frat boy needed an executive assistant. It wasn’t like he did any work.

I’ll warn ya! I said with a laugh.

Rosemary? Cody asked. Do you, you know, need any help with anything?

My heart melted when I looked at him. I just wanted to pinch those cheeks of his, though I knew that wasn’t exactly the kind of attention he wanted from me. My coworkers loved to tease me about his schoolboy crush, especially the way Cody couldn’t always hide his frequent erections around me. I pretended not to notice them. I made it clear to my fellow workers that they could tease me all they wanted, but if they ever embarrassed Cody, there would be hell to pay.

Actually, yes, I told him with a smile. We just got in a new shipment of car covers. They’re by the back door. Can you put them away?

Sure! Cody said, his eyes lighting up. The place was pretty busy now; Christmas season was here and there was no shortage of luxury car owners wanting toys and accessories for their precious vehicles.

Tony walked by my desk with a quick smile and a wave as he headed into his meeting with Clara. Morning, Rosemary! Let me know when Creep gets here.

I giggled. Tony was the office manager, a distinguished-looking man with salt-and-pepper hair. Ugh. I didn’t envy Tony or Clara. They always had meetings together before our weekly office meeting with Johnny. It was their way of planning exactly what to tell him about how business was going. Johnny fancied himself a savvy businessman, but all he really wanted was yes-men – and women – to tell him what he wanted to hear. The truth was, Johnny’s father, a prominent bank attorney, had launched Affluent Accents Accessories. Daddy gave the company to Johnny like it was a toy for him to play with. Tony and Clara really ran the business; they told Johnny the bare minimum he needed to know while still making him feel important.

The glass door swung open and Johnny breezed in, clad in his usual designer jeans and button-down shirt. He was a good-looking man to be sure. Tall, broad-shouldered and muscular, he worked out frequently and it showed. He had gray eyes and a square, masculine jaw. Most of my friends thought he was super hot, but that’s because they didn’t have to work with him. All they really knew about him was what they read in the tabloids about the Johnny Creel. Playboy, big spender, party guy. Objectively, I could see he was handsome, but he was so goddamned smarmy and spoiled that I couldn’t possibly summon any attraction to him. I had no respect for him whatsoever, so he could never be hot to me.

Hey, hey, hey, everybody! he called out.

My stomach clenched involuntarily like it always did when the boss man showed up. Just the smell of his cologne was enough to make me feel nauseous. Thankfully, Johnny only bothered to show his face in the office one or two days a week. I brushed my long, red hair out of my face, took a deep breath, and plastered on a smile.

Good morning, Johnny.

As usual, he glanced at my cleavage before looking up into my eyes. I usually wore lower-cut blouses when I knew he would be here. I wasn’t proud of it, but Johnny was nicer to me when I wore stuff like that. I did what I had to in order to get through the day. Of course, Cody stared at me a lot when I dressed like this, too, but that was different. I never felt like a piece of meat when he looked at me. His gaze was more innocent: affectionate, even. He didn’t only stare at my body. He also knew and liked me as a person.

Heyyy, how’s it going? Johnny said, high-fiving Cody like a complete dork. I was sure Johnny thought he was a cool boss because he wore jeans to the office and let us call him by his first name. He wasn’t fooling anyone. No matter how friendly he seemed, he didn’t give a damn about any of us. I’d never seen him do anything that wasn’t entirely self-serving.

I discreetly texted Tony and Clara to warn them that the Prince had arrived.

Okay, everybody ready for the morning meeting? Johnny asked, though it wasn’t really a question. It was a thinly veiled command: code for get into the conference room now.

There was a loud knock on the warehouse door. Oh, that’s the FedEx guy. I’ll be right there, Johnny. I promise, I said, feeling the stress ball in my stomach get bigger. Since Johnny had no clue about working in the real world, he’d probably blame me for being late to the meeting even though I was just doing my job. Johnny nodded grimly, clearly annoyed.

I dashed to the warehouse door and Johnny followed me. I wished he would just go to the conference room already. I’d be there as soon as I could.

I lifted the steel warehouse door and greeted our regular FedEx guy with a smile. Hey, Robby. How’s the family?

Good, pretty good, Robby said, returning my smile. He looked tired, but happy. His wife had just given birth to their first child, a girl. He pulled three heavy boxes from the truck and set them on the warehouse floor. While he was doing that, I grabbed the Tupperware box full of mini-chocolate bars I kept aside for delivery people. He grinned at me. I handed him the box of candy and he handed me the electronic box to sign for the delivery.

Hey! Johnny protested. Why are we giving out this stuff to delivery guys? That ain’t cheap, you know.

How would you know? I thought. Johnny had probably never paid for a thing in his life. Everything he owned came from Daddy Creel.

I forced myself to smile. It’s okay, Johnny. I bring these in myself. They’re not paid for by the company.

Oh, okay, Johnny said, placated for the moment. Then he grabbed a handful of the candy for himself.

Robby and I exchanged Can you believe this guy? looks.

Thanks, Rosemary. You have a good one! Robby said as he headed back toward the driver’s door of the truck.

You too. Give that baby a kiss from me! I turned to Johnny. Okay, I’m ready for the meeting.

He nodded, still looking slightly put out from having to wait. He walked ahead of me; I’d have to move quickly. I knew he expected me to get his coffee prepared just the way he liked it, yet somehow miraculously make it to the conference room before him. I ducked into the kitchen and grabbed the pot. I poured coffee into his favorite mug, which was gold-plated and had the company’s logo on it. I put seven teaspoons of sugar in the cup. He certainly acted like a petulant child, so it made sense that he drank coffee loaded with sugar like a little kid would. I had to get his coffee to him before it was too cold for His Majesty; I couldn’t microwave the cup because of the ridiculous gold trim.

I rushed into the conference room and set Johnny’s coffee down in front of him.

Thanks, he said with a wink. I half-expected him to add the word doll.

I forced a smile and sat down at the conference table, picking up my notepad. Tony and Clara wore the same fake smiles I did. This weekly meeting was, by far, the worst part of our jobs. We just had to get through it, knowing Johnny would leave the office soon after.

Okay! So, how’s it going, everybody? Nobody answered because we all knew he didn’t care how it was going, and he wouldn’t wait for an answer anyway. "The first item on the agenda is I need to give you all a friendly reminder that the Internet is for company use only, and not for surfing on company time. He waggled a finger at us and said with a smile, Don’t think I don’t see when you switch screens when I walk by your desk."

I blushed and looked away, remembering that I recently had CNN News up on my screen when Johnny walked by. God forbid I spend two minutes catching up on the news. My muscles tensed with anger and stress as I scribbled on my notepad, pretending to care what Johnny was saying. The guy worked for no more than two hours a week, and he was gonna complain about us being on the Internet for a few minutes during an eight-hour workday?

And I’m pretty sure sales are down, Johnny said. Seems like we’re not as busy as we were last holiday season.

Johnny had no idea what our sales were; I doubted he could even read a sales spreadsheet.

Actually, we’re holding pretty steady, Tony offered. Few ups and downs here and there, but overall just as good as last year.

Do we really want to settle for ‘just as good,’ or do we wanna be better? Come on, people! Johnny said with that infuriating smile. We need more sales if we’re going to remain a viable business. You’re the manager, Tony. Manage this place!

Well, what we really need is a good sales rep, I told Johnny. I mean, Tony’s responsibility is to manage, and he does a great job. But he’s got his hands full with handling the inventory, putting out ads, interviewing people, training, and handling all the HR stuff.

Tony smiled at me. It felt good to defend him.

I mean, it’s my job to handle all the administrative stuff. Answering phones, processing online orders, preparing invoices and all that, so I don’t have time to drum up sales. Clara’s got her hands full with payroll and all the finance matters. We don’t have anyone dedicated to sales and bringing in more business. If we hired a sales rep, that would be a huge help, I explained.

Rosemary, Johnny said, like he was actually considering my proposal. Get me a blueberry muffin, would ya?

You’ll get fired if you punch him, I reminded myself. Just get him the muffin. Maybe he’ll choke on it.

Wordlessly, I got up and walked into the kitchen. The first step was getting his muffin. The hard part would be resisting the powerful urge to mash it right into his smarmy face. Knowing Johnny, he wouldn’t even eat it. God forbid Mr. Carb-Conscious did anything to mess up his precious physique. He really did have a great body. His muscles bulged under his clothes and he probably looked great shirtless. I didn’t care; he still looked hideous to me.

Sure enough, Johnny barely ate two bites of the muffin. He was chugging his sugar-laden coffee, though. No carbs in sugar, right Einstein?

Come on, guys. I need ideas here! What can we do to boost sales? What am I payin’ you guys for? Johnny looked accusingly at Tony and Clara.

My stomach tightened. I really liked my coworkers, and I couldn’t stand to see Johnny treat them this way. I wanted to do something to placate him so he’d wrap up this torture session and get out of the office.

I guess maybe we could try another mailing. You know, do a brochure of our products like we did a few years back, I suggested. That would be a long-term project where we could all take our time getting the photos, writing the copy, and finding a printer. If we gave him updates now and then on the mailing, he would feel like we were doing something to boost sales. Might get him off our case for a while.

"Good idea, Rosemary! You put something together, and make sure it’s ready for the Christmas rush. Get it done by the end of next week. At the latest. With that, he drained the rest of his coffee and stood up. He wiped his mouth with a napkin and tossed it on the table. Okay, that’s enough for today. Let’s all get back to work."

Johnny dashed out of the room. Tony and Clara let out deep sighs at exactly the same time.

We’ll all help you, Rosemary, Clara said. Don’t stress about it, okay?

I’ll try, I said with a weary smile. My body felt heavy with dread and I barely had the energy to get up, but I knew I should hightail it to my desk. Johnny was still skulking around and would expect to see me hard at work.

The second I got to my desk, the phone rang. I picked it up immediately and said, Affluent Accents Accessories, I can’t wait to help you! and my soul died a little more. I took the customer’s order as quickly and efficiently as I could with Johnny standing at my desk, watching me critically.

Johnny glanced at the phone as I hung it up. That reminds me. The last time I called into the office it took you three rings to pick up the phone. We really can’t have customers waiting that long.

Cody walked into the room just as Johnny was criticizing me. His soft brown eyes darkened a bit. Well, you know, sometimes it’s hard for her to get all the way to the phone that fast if she’s working out there in the warehouse. Cody gestured toward the warehouse area, where he had just come from.

I smiled gratefully at Cody. It took serious balls to speak up to the boss like that. I was honored, yet worried that he would take such a risk to defend me.

Yeah, exactly! I said. That’s why I was telling you that I need a headset for the phone. Then I could answer it right away, no matter what part of the office I’m working in.

Well, you know, Johnny said, eyes narrowing in Cody’s direction. If you were doing your job, Rosemary wouldn’t have to help you in the warehouse, now would she?

My anger bubbled over, reaching a dangerous level. It was getting harder and harder to hold my tongue where Johnny was concerned. It infuriated me when he was mean to Tony and Clara, but seeing Cody blush deeply and hang his head with embarrassment nearly pushed me to the edge of my self-control.

"Cody always does his job. Always. And with a smile on his face and without complaint. I took a breath to steady myself, then smiled at Cody. Hey Cody, Robby dropped off a bunch of boxes this morning. Could you unpack them please?"

Sure, Rosemary, Cody said with a grateful smile. He turned and quickly returned to the warehouse.

All right, well I’m off to work from home for the rest of the day, Johnny announced.

I dug down deep into my well of patience and summoned the strength not to laugh or roll my eyes. I don’t know who he thought he was fooling. Nobody knew what that man did with himself all week, but it certainly wasn’t work.

Okay, Johnny. See ya later!

I left a stack of bills on your desk for you to take care of. Thanks! Johnny called as he sailed out the door.

I sat down at my desk, wanting to cry. I had company work to do, so paying his personal bills was going to have to wait. I waded through all the orders on my desk as more phone calls came in and more online orders popped up in my email inbox.

I ended up having to stay late to finish Johnny’s personal stuff. I reflected on the injustice of it all as I paid his water, electric, and cable bills, as well as his ridiculous luxuries like his yearly gym membership, his housekeeper/chef, and his grocery delivery bill. I worked myself to death just to make ends meet while he barely lifted a finger and had all the luxury in the world thanks to his billionaire father.

Just as I was about to leave, my desk phone rang. I usually let the night answering service get it after hours, but I could see by the caller ID that it was Johnny. I figured it best to get it over with rather than be faced with a voice mail in the morning.

Affluent Accents Accessories, I can’t wait to help you! Johnny was too dumb to realize we had caller ID on the business phone.

Oh cool, you’re still there, Johnny said. There was a lot of noise in the background; it sounded like he was at a bar. Knowing him, he was throwing his money around and looking for a hot hookup for the night. Ugh.

I really, really need your help, Johnny said, sounding genuinely worried. It’s about my mom.

Is she okay? I asked. Johnny’s mother was as snobby and spoiled as he was, but still, I hoped nothing was wrong with her. I met her once or twice, and she was nice enough. I had visions of her lying in the hospital after having a stroke or something.

"She has a really important function coming up, and she has to get her fur coat cleaned. I put it in the hall closet at the office. I totally spaced and forgot to ask you to drop it off at the dry cleaners. She’s got to have it by tomorrow night."

Johnny, it’s already dark out. I’d have to walk it over, and I’m already working late. I was just about to leave.

Then you can do it on your way home. Just drive over real quick and drop it off. Please, Ro?

I closed my eyes. I hated when he called me Ro. I hated when he spoke. I hated when he breathed. After having worked for him for three years, he should know I didn’t have a car and I take the D.C. Metro to get home. It would be a cold walk to the dry cleaners.

I’ll take care of it, I said.

Thanks, Ro. You’re the be—

I hung up on him. I couldn’t stand the sound of his voice one second longer.

I had to work for a living. I needed a full-time job, but it didn’t have to be this one. I knew I had to start looking for a new job immediately. Working for Johnny was crushing my very soul. I knew I had to get out of here. As soon as humanly possible.

2

It was good to be Johnny Creel, that was for sure. I woke up around 9:30am and happily remembered it was Friday. Stretching out on my huge, comfy bed, I glanced at the empty spot next to me. It wouldn’t be empty tonight. I didn’t know who would be there, but I wouldn’t be alone. My cock twitched at the mere thought.

As comfortable as I was, I figured I’d better get up soon. I always stopped by the office on Thursdays and Fridays to check up on my little worker bees. I groaned a bit as I got up. Sometimes I wished I could just stay in my cozy bed all day. Who was I kidding? Sometimes I did just that.

I hopped into the shower, which was Mindy’s cue to get my breakfast and coffee going. My housekeeper-slash-chef had service down to a science. She knew how to anticipate my every need. Mindy was always around at mealtimes or when something needed to be cleaned, yet she knew how to make herself scarce when the situation warranted. Mainly, when I brought a guest home for the night. Or for at least part of the night. The fun part.

After I showered and shaved, I headed to the kitchen. I had the best apartment in the building; the penthouse on the top floor. Being sleek and modern, it was obvious that a guy lived here. A wealthy guy. The couches were made of black leather, the tables made of glass, and the lamps were the finest crystal. The entire joint smelled like my L’eau Serge Lutens cologne. That shit cost two hundred bucks a bottle, and I was pretty sure Mindy sprayed it everywhere. I loved it.

After breakfast, I jumped in my gorgeous, deep blue Lamborghini Huracan Spyder and headed to the office. A graduation gift from my dad, that car was my pride and joy. Many a woman had spread her legs for me because of that baby. I’d fucked girls in more places than I could remember: my dad’s yacht, five-star hotels, and my own kitchen table, but one of my favorite memories was when I banged a girl on the hood of my Lambo. Women never came harder than after they’d taken a spin in that car. My dick even looked bigger because of that sleek, blue Spyder.

Growing up, I had idolized my father. The man seemed to have the entire world trapped neatly under his thumb. He’d always been like a God to me, and now I was following in his Christian Louboutin luxury shoes. I was a business owner, a boss, and a ladies man, just like he was. A chip off the old golden block.

I flipped my Dior sunglasses off as I walked through the front door of Affluent Accent Accessories. I hoped nothing important was going on today, because I wanted to hit the gym and get a little shopping done before going out tonight.

Good morning, everybody!

Rosemary smiled up at me. She was wearing one of those sexy, low-cut black blouses that showed off her amazing tits. Made me wish we had walk-in customers instead of just taking phone and online orders. A hot girl like her could really move some merchandise. Like those girls you saw draped all over fancy cars like the one I owned.

Hey, Johnny! Tony called cheerfully.

Tony was a good guy. I liked that I could trust him to run this joint smoothly, and he seemed to appreciate having a nice boss. All my workers did. They were lucky to have an easygoing guy like me in charge.

Can I get some coffee, Ro? I asked, stealing another glance at her chest.

Sure! she chirped, getting up right away.

I surveyed the place as I waited for my coffee. The warehouse guys were busy running around, so that was a good sign. Meant business was doing well, and they had lots of orders to fill. I watched that scrawny boy—Cory, or whatever his name was—moving boxes around. The kid walked around with a near-constant boner. I was the same way at his age. I couldn’t say I blamed him, what with Rosemary’s boobs hanging out of her blouse. Kid probably spent half his life jerking off.

Rosemary brought my coffee and I took a sip. It tasted sweet and hot, just the way I liked it.

I stayed late last night and took care of your mother’s fur coat for you, she told me.

Thanks, I said, not looking at her. I was still keeping an eye on the stock guys to make sure they were all working. I took a stroll through the warehouse, and everybody looked up and smiled at me.

Hey, hey! I called out to them.

Hey, Johnny, how’s it goin’? called one of the guys. I didn’t remember his name. I wasn’t sure I’d ever known it.

Good, good. It’s Friday, right? I said, and then took another sip of coffee. I grabbed a Snickers bar from the delivery-guy stash before walking back into the main part of the office.

Hey, good morning, Johnny, Clara said as she walked around, handing out paychecks.

I nodded at her. I reflected on the meeting we had yesterday. Went pretty well, I thought. I was jazzed about having a new brochure to send out to our customers.

Ro, how’s the new brochure coming along? I asked her.

She sighed and flipped her red hair out of her face. "Well, I haven’t had a chance to work on