“Dominic’s gaze was fixed on me, torn between a look that seemed to suggest he was contemplating dismemberment and a desire to passionately pull my hair and engage in a French kiss.
Dominic had caused her dismissal. Admittedly, it was a result of a particularly rough day, and his frustration was unfairly vented on an innocent customer at a pizza shop. However, Ally Morales was anything but innocent. This fact became evident on her very first day at her new job—right in my office—having been hired by my mother.
Perhaps it was her vibrant, vexing, and oddly captivating demeanor that injected a burst of color into the magazine’s workspace, which had felt like a confining prison for the past year. Maybe I secretly relished the moments she challenged me openly in front of the editorial team. And yes, my late-night fantasies were tainted by thoughts of those deep brown eyes and that sharp-tongued wit.
But this doesn’t equate to me becoming another Russo man exploiting his authority. While I might share some traits with my less-than-ideal father, I refuse to follow in his footsteps.
Ally was tirelessly juggling several dead-end jobs, her reasons known only to her and not shared with me. I’m determined to resolve her predicament, though don’t mistake this for compassion. She’s simply a puzzle I’m intent on solving. Should I succeed in coaxing her to resign, I can finally peel back the layers surrounding her. Then, I can return to restoring our family reputation and erase all memories of the dancing, beer-serving brunette.
Ally’s response? A smirk. “Hold my beer, Grumpy Grump Face.”
Author’s Note: Prepare for a sizzling and heartwarming workplace romantic comedy, featuring a boss with a sour demeanor on a mission to be the hero, and a spirited heroine who’s beginning to wonder whether beneath her boss’s dapper waistcoats beats an actual, caring heart.”
