Read Online TiedtotheBoss by Sierra Summers - Free Book Online Page A

went to see Brian.”
    Her eyes closed and when she reopened them he knew he was
losing the argument. “How is it any different? The fact that you’re not her
boyfriend? Maybe, but it’s still not appropriate. Even if she didn’t have a
problem with it, someone in the office will. There would always be some kind of
talk. People would always wonder if I’m getting special treatment or more money
because we’re sleeping together. It doesn’t really matter—things like this
don’t work. I need my job and I can’t work in a place that is going to be
filled with rumors and derision. Nobody except Kale knows what happened and it
can stay that way if we stop it now.”
    He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs that he didn’t
give a damn what others thought. He wanted to tell her he’d leave, break his
contract with the company and walk away. “Don’t do this to us, to what we’ve
started.”
    “I’m sorry. I can’t.” Her voice cracked as she quickly
stepped around him and ran out of the office.
    Leaning back against his desk, he pressed his hands to his
eyes. He couldn’t fucking believe this. He was helpless to do anything at the
moment. Fuck!
    * * * * *
    Penny sat at her desk. It had been two weeks since the
blowup in Dante’s office. Andrew had convinced Kale not to leave and she’d
never once mentioned what happened that day.
    Their once easy friendship was now strained at best. Penny’s
heart was shattered into a thousand pieces. She couldn’t eat nor sleep and
Dante was never far from her thoughts. He’d reached out to her a couple times,
but never at work. Andrew tried to get through to her but she wouldn’t allow
it.
    She was so torn up she didn’t know which way was forward. So
she did what she was good at—keeping her head down and doing her job. It did
nothing to lessen the constant ache in her chest but, like a good girl, she
forged on.
    She’d had to face a difficult truth about herself—she was
weak. A stronger woman probably wouldn’t give a damn what Kale thought.
Certainly wouldn’t care what others in the office might think. But Penny did
care. Dante had never indicated he loved her, never promised anything more than
the sexual relationship they had.
    “Penny, I need to see you,” Kale called from her office.
Penny sighed. She prayed Kale didn’t want to have what would surely be an
awkward conversation concerning their boss.
    She went in to the other woman’s office. “What can I do for
you?”
    “Please sit down.” She pointed to the chair opposite her.
Cautiously, Penny sat and waited. “I owe you an apology.”
    She didn’t want to hear Kale’s apology, she only wanted her
life to return to normal.
    “It’s none of my business what you or Dante do in your
personal lives. That day, I was angry and hurt and took it out on you. I hope
you know how sorry I am for my behavior.”
    The apology should have lifted her spirits but it only added
to Penny’s heartbreak. “I understand. But you were right. Relationships like
that don’t belong in the workplace. It causes way too much strife for everyone
involved.”
    Kale shook her head. “Penny, I made a mistake. I shouldn’t
have compared what I heard to what happened to me. Penny, he’s miserable
without you.”
    “I can’t talk about this. I’m all cried out and all I want
to do is go back to my normal life.” She stood and walked to the door.
    “So you’re over him just like that?”
    Penny looked over her shoulder. “I never said that.” She
walked out of the room and kept walking until she reached the elevators. She
couldn’t take it anymore. Coming to the office day after day, pretending that
everything was okay. She wasn’t putting herself through it. Quitting was her
only option.
    Her cell rang as she stepped from the elevator. She
answered. “Hello.”
    “Penny. I need to talk with you.”
    Dammit, it was Andrew. “Andrew, I can’t deal with this
anymore. I don’t want to talk about Dante or