Page 483 of Manhattan Bossholes

“Hold on, are you actually getting spicy with me because I didn’t immediately send you those reports? I was in the middle of something, sorry I wasn’t ready when you cracked the whip,” I shot back. “The reports are in the G drive, but if you give me three minutes, I can just send them to you.”

The line went silent for a moment, and I prepared for whatever bullshit James was about to dish out. We’d been doing okay working as a team, but there were moments when his bosshole side reappeared. Like now.

“I’m not calling about the reports,” he said in a tone I’d never heard before. “I’m calling about your text.”

I frowned. “What are you talking about? What text?”

“Does ‘eight inches’ ring a bell?”

My blood turned to ice water, and I nearly dropped my phone.

“And something about ‘my boyfriend James’?” he continued. “Care to explain that?”

Now his tone was unmistakably angry. I paced in circles and Steph came out to watch me with her eyes wide.

“James, I am so sorry you got that text! That wasn’t meant for you at all. It’s not what you think. I was sending it to… I totally didn’t mean… Uh, yeah, it was super crass and inappropriate but there’s a reason why!”

Steph slapped her hand over her mouth and jumped up and down.

“I’m listening,” he said simply.

I paced in tight circles, trying to find the right way to explain why he’d gotten a message from me about what he was packing.

“Okay, um, remember I told you about my instructor? The creepy guy? Well, he’s been amping up his creepiness and asking me out, so w—I mean, so I pretended that you were my boyfriend. And I, uh, got a little crude to sell the point that I was taken and not interested. I was hoping that if I got super descriptive, he’d get the hint.”

Another pause as he seemed to process the information.

“So, you opted to use me, your boss, as your imaginary boyfriend?”

I was so fired.

Blaming Steph felt like a cop-out. After all, I’d handed her my phone—it wasn’t like she went behind my back. There was no need to complicate an already ridiculous story with the facts.

“You and I were texting, so I guess you were sort of on my mind?” I squeaked out as an excuse. I neglected to tell him that he was also top of mind when I closed my eyes every night. And that I’d met all eight inches of him in my dreams.

“This guy is really harassing you?” James asked, his tone less scary. “He’s escalating now?”

“Yeah. It’s pretty bad. I don’t know how to handle it.” I cringed. “I guess that’s obvious.”

Steph was frozen, staring at me with a twisted smile on her face, like she was enjoying the torment I was dealing with.

“I can help you with that,” James said. “That is, if you want my help.”

“How…how do you mean?” I asked warily, because I was sure his offer would have some sort of strings attached. Maybe I’d have to promise him twenty-four-hour phone accessibility and a five minutes or less response rate?

“You need to prove to him that I’m a real part of your life and not just a fantasy or a story you made up. Why don’t I pick you up after your next class? It might help him get the message.” James paused. “And that I’ll beat his face in if he doesn’t get the hint.”

The protective growl in James’s voice sent warmth through my chest. I felt like I could finally breathe again. He wasn’t going to fire me! In fact, he was actually stepping up to help fix the problem. It was the last thing I expected after mentioning his dick in a text. Maybe he liked the fact that I said he was packing eight inches?

“You okay?” Steph mouthed to me.

I nodded and settled onto the couch, and she sat down in the chair opposite me so she could have a good view to continue observing the car crash that was my life.

“Seriously? You wouldn’t mind?” My heart swelled at the thought of James stepping up to be my knight in shining armor. This seemed like the James that Christopher had talked about—the one who really came through for the people who mattered to him. Not that I mattered to him, of course—but he did need me clear-headed and calm so I could do my best work for him.

“There’s nothing I hate more than men in positions of authority taking advantage of their power. I’m sure he thinks he can intimidate you into going out with him. I’d be happy to help you prove him wrong by squashing this bug of a human.”

I beamed at the ground, because I knew if I looked at Steph, she’d try to make me laugh. “That would be amazing. And totally above and beyond. I need to come up with a way to thank you.”