Under My Boss's Direction: Office Romance Collection With New Novel by Jamie Knight (most recommended books .TXT) 📗

I had to sign in like usual, you never knew when an enraged citizen, pushed over the edge by the trash pickup policy might try and take a shot at the mayor. Not as regular as assassination attempts at the higher levels of government it had been known to happen. Never in our town but it was better not to take the risk.

It was like second nature. I’d been to his office so many times before the lockdown it felt like I had a map in my head, taking me directly there. Shifting the weight of the surprisingly heavy bouquet, I knocked upon my master’s door.

“Come in.”

The door opened to Ryan, looking gorgeous as always in his best tweeds, light blue Oxford cloth shirt open at the neck, standing at the large bay window of his office in the historic City Hall.

“Right on time, Candide, please put those on the desk. You can pick them up when you leave.”

“I’m sorry, sir? I mean, Mr. Owens.”

“Please, I must insist that you call me Ryan,” he said, giving a grin that nearly knocked me down.

“Ryan,” I said, trying it out.

“Come, sit,” he said, tapping the folding chair set up next to him.

I did as he requested, putting the flowers onto his desk and going to take up the seat by his side.

“I’m not sure I understand, Ryan.”

“The flowers were for you. You probably thought they were for the person I mentioned before, but I have a confession to make. It was you. It has always been you. Oh, here they come.”

I looked where he did and nearly cried when I realized what was happening. The St. Patrick’s Day parade. Rolling past city hall, following the same route it always had before, there for anyone who could see it, even if they were stuck in side. The participants all wearing masks and keeping six feet apart for safety.

“I know how much it means to you, and with all the work you were already doing I didn’t want you to have to worry about planning the parade too. The flowers were mostly a ruse to get you here to see it with me, as well as to make sure you were clear, which I am as well. I’m going to ask you something and hope it isn’t wildly inappropriate.”

I was so overcome with joy, I couldn’t give a damn if it was inappropriate, I would do anything he asked, I was just so happy to know he felt the same way I did.

“O-okay.”

“I want you to quarantine with me. I’m heading up to my vacation home after the parade. It has everything we could want but is also secluded, so there’s a lot of freedom too. You could go outside whenever you wanted with no risk. It’s next to a beautiful lake and lots of hiking trails if you’d like to do that.”

“Yes,” I blurted, not actually sure he was done, “I would love to quarantine with you.”

“Great, we can leave this afternoon.”

He put a hand on my shoulder, clearly not sure if it was okay. I put my hand on his to let him know it absolutely was. It felt great for him to touch me, even if it was just on my shoulder and through my clothes. I wasn’t about to complain, though.

When the parade drew to a close, the last of the procession disappearing around the corner, to delight people in other parts of the city, Ryan took my hand, guiding me up to my feet. I felt like a princess being asked to dance by the heir to the throne. Retrieving my flowers, which I was starting to like more and more, Ryan led the way out of his office.

In a building as old as city hall, there were bound to be a few secrets. One was a hidden elevator I doubted many knew about. How Ryan had discovered it, I wasn’t about to ask, despite the curiosity tugging at me like an impatient toddler.

It was a bit rickety, but I felt safe with Ryan holding my hand. With an audible whir, the ancient elevator took us down to the underground parking, where only the mayor and other such higher ups were allowed to park. On that occasion I didn’t much mind, as it avoided us coming into contact with anyone else on the way to his car which, by all appearances, he was planning on driving himself.

It would be a nice, worry free trip from his office to his secluded vacation home, where we would spend the next two weeks. Even more than the notion of being able to go out whenever I wanted, I liked the idea of being alone with him for two weeks. There would be no chance of us getting caught. If people even cared about such silly things anymore.

No one was forcing me, he’d asked, and I’d gone. Neither of us were married, or even already in a relationship as far as I knew, bringing the potential for scandal down to a bare minimum. Still, that could be enough with him running for re-election soon. I was touched he was willing to take such a risk, but if anything it showed how much he honestly cared for me.

“Shouldn’t I pack?”

“No need, the house has everything you’ll need, including a computer if you insist on doing work, as well as clothes.”

“You know my size?”

“Of course I do, I know everyone’s size, I apprenticed as a tailor on Savile Row. My folks might be rich, but they still insisted that I try to get a job.”

“So you chose to be a tailor?”

“Trained to be a tailor. Actually did it for a while before politics came calling. I made all my own tweeds and shirts. Shoes