Beneath the Boss: Omnibus (The Complete Collection) Read Online Free PDF Page A

best employee, and if he was being honest, the only person he trusted implicitly.
    Had trusted implicitly.
    The memory flooded through him in wave, heating his skin and making his heart race. She was going to leave him. Cared so little about the business, about him, that she was moving on to another job like it was nothing.
    “Damn it,” he yelled and slammed the decanter he’d been holding against the door, his earlier concerns about Layla shattering like the glass.
    He knew better than to trust anyone, but he’d let her get under skin, seep inside him a little bit day by day, until her presence became a comfort, a necessity, he couldn’t imagine being without. And now he was stuck. He dropped down on the love seat in his office, the stress of the day finally getting to him.
    Then it hit him.
    He’d been foolish, weak, but no more. He’d fuck her, try to get her out of his system. But he wouldn’t, couldn’t, let her go.

Book Two

Chapter One
    L ayla snuggled into the covers, clinging to the last vestiges of sleep. She knew it was a futile task, but she was going to try anyway. Just a few more minutes . Then she’d face whatever challenge Leighton had in store.
    Leighton!
    She bolted upright, memories of last night flooding her all at once. She leaned back slowly, resting against her pillows, wanting to hide underneath them and never come back out. She lay there for long moments, contemplating her circumstance. As best as she could tell, she had two choices. First, she could move, change her identity, and hope the relentless man she wanted to avoid wouldn’t hunt her down. Second, she could pray he’d been in a fugue state last night and had no recollection of what had occurred. Both options lived somewhere in Slim-to-Noneville, so she was on her own. She didn’t know if she could face him after last night, but she was sure it was better to get it over with.
    Decision made, Layla climbed out of bed and began her morning routine. She had pulled out her standard attire of a pantsuit and shirt, and stalled for a moment when she saw the skirt in her laundry. She’d never even worn the damn the thing before, only had it because some magazine article said a lady always needed a skirt. Though, she supposed, if skirts led to hot sex, she’d been missing out. The thought made her laugh and gave her the extra push to get going. By the time she’d had her coffee and was heading out the door, she almost believed everything would be okay.
    ••••
    “G et me Smythe on the line,” Leighton said to his secretary Dawn through the intercom.
    A few moments later, she responded, “Yes, sir, I have Mr. Smythe on the line.”
    “That will be all, Dawn,” he said and put the phone on hold.
    Let the bastard wait .
    Leighton hadn’t slept much the night before, thoughts of Layla and Smythe plaguing him. He knew two things to be true: Layla had betrayed him, and he was going to keep fucking her. He recognized the incongruity of those two facts, hadn’t yet figured out how to balance them, but the thought of never feeling her wet heat gripping him was more unpleasant than the thought of keeping a viper in his midst. He still couldn’t quite grasp it. That he’d underestimated so much about Layla, how good it would feel to touch her, her capacity for deceit, shook him. He leaned back in his chair and picked up the phone. He couldn’t figure Layla out, but Smythe was easy.
    “You’re losing your edge, Smythe,” he said without preamble. “You knew I wouldn’t let your little stunt slide, yet you tried it anyway.”
    “I lost my edge a decade ago. It’s just taken this long for everyone else to realize it. And what stunt, Mr. Means? I simply offered a talented young person an opportunity.”
    Leighton sneered at the phone and waited a moment before speaking to make sure there was no hint of emotion in his voice. “I don’t have time for your games. Call Layla and rescind the offer.”
    “And why would I do