Page 12 of A Bossy Roommate
“Yeah, well, looks can only get you so far.”
“He doesn’t give a very good first impression, but you’ll get used to him.”
This is the second time she’s mentioned “getting used to him.” People like Carter speak the way they want and do what they want because no one tells them otherwise. I’m not about to be that person. Also, she has no idea that I have a vastly different first impression of him than she did.
“I can handle it,” I say. “Besides, I’m only here for six months. I’ve worked for stricter people much longer.” Me talking about my sister like that is a clear sign of frustration, not because I don’t love her. I love her dearly. When I’d started working at the firm she’d taken over from Dad, she had been strict, even difficult at times—it was as if she’d been preparing me for this crazy venture my whole life without knowing it—but she had at least taught me the importance of words like “please” and “thank you.”
Gretchen gives me a sympathetic look and slides her arm around mine. “Come on. There’s a little café about five minutes from here that me and the girls like to go to. My treat since it’s your first day.”
Gretchen has just become my new best friend. We take a brief walk to a small café where the other two assistants have already saved us a table. They wave us over when we come in.
“Eden, this is Jaylin and Lexi. Ladies, I’d like you to meet Eden,” Gretchen introduces us as we join their table. “She’s Mr. Bancroft’s assistant for the next six months.” Gretchen clarifies that Jaylin and Lexi serve as assistants to the two vice presidents here in NYC at Legacy Builders. Jaylin assists the VP of Human Resources, while Lexi supports the VP of Marketing.
Both women say hi and we shake hands. Jaylin is a spunky, plus or minus forty-year-old African American woman, with her hair slicked back from her face into a natural elegant ponytail. She’s enjoying a large Cool Wrap with a tall glass of iced tea. Lexi is just shy of thirty with a thin face, classic rectangular glasses, high cheekbones and straight brown hair that falls midway downher back. In front of her is a veggie salad with a bottle of seltzer water.
Gretchen turns to me. “What can I get you?”
I eye Jaylin’s plate. “That Cool Wrap looks good.”
Jaylin gives me a thumbs-up. “It’s today’s lunch special. It even has avocado.”
“Oh, yeah, definitely that. Thank you, Gretchen. Oh, and an ice water.”
Gretchen smiles. “Coming right up.” She looks at the other women. “Don’t spill the tea until I’m back.”
“Welcome, Eden.” Lexi gives me a cheeky smile as soon as Gretchen wanders off. “Happy to have you join our little group. Too bad Gwen couldn’t be here.”
“Gwen is our friendly front desk manager you met this morning,” Jaylin explains.
“Maybe she’ll join us later. She’s always too busy with who knows what. We don’t typically eat out for lunch, but we figured we’d make your first day a special one.”
“Thanks, I’m excited to be here.” Something about both women immediately puts me at ease. I’m not one to be anxious, but being in a new city surrounded by new people is enough to rattle anyone. And yet, the ladies give off nothing but positive, chill vibes. They seem genuinely happy to have me here.
“So, Mr. Bancroft, huh?” Jaylin asks in a cool, smooth voice, leaning forward. She waggles her eyebrows. “What do you think?”
Oh, we’re in way too public a place for me to tell these women exactly what I think of Mr. Bancroft. Also, I don’t want to risk unleashing a juicy tidbit that could morph into a wild rumor, eventually reaching my boss’s ears and ending up in a hilarious “let’s fire her” rendition. So, instead, I answer, “He’s certainly something.”
“That’s one way to put it.” Lexi grins. “We all had to fill in over the last couple of weeks, and he’s very…demanding.”
“That’s putting it lightly,” Jaylin says and sips her iced tea. She leans in and whispers, “Bosshole.” She returns to her former position. “Not my words, girls. That’s what his former assistant called him.”
Lexi laughs. “As in boss asshole,” she explains to me, and I make an “ah-ha” expression, as if I’m not familiar with the term and calling him a “Bosshole” would never have crossed my mind.
“It definitely has a ring to it,” I agree.
“But a hot bosshole.” Lexi makes swoon-eyes at us, then adjusts her glasses. “Like, stupidly hot. Panty-wetting hot. I swear, the first time I met him, I lost my train of thought, and then I had to go change my underwear.”
We laugh. She’s not wrong.Been there, done that.Last night I, too, had lost my train of thought when I’d seen that man sitting in the corner of the ice cream shop. He stood out like a sore thumb amid the comfortable place with his black helmet, tattooed arms, that sad black coffee in front of him, and that intense gaze of his when our eyes met. The whole panty-wetting thing came later. Like two seconds later. The image of him underneath me with those intense eyes, guiding me with his rough controlling hands and his controlling cock, groaning and watching me ride him, circling and teasing my clit with his thumb as I did, start flashing in front of me.
Luckily, Gretchen joins the table with our drinks, distracting me from taking any trips to forbidden territory.
“Food should be out in a minute,” Gretchen announces, handing me my ice water. “What are we talking about?”
I quickly grab the glass and take a huge sip of the cold drink. Aaah. Better. Much better. “Thank you. We are talking about?—”
“The hotness of Eden’s boss,” Lexi jumps in before I can finish my sentence.
“And about wet panties,” Jaylin adds.