Arrogant Boss

Julian didn’t respond.

Not as the hours passed, not as I met up with the others and we headed to the bar. Trent nabbed us the same high table as last time. The others ordered a round of beer and began dissecting the successful product launch as I tried to surreptitiously check my phone every five minutes.

Nothing. Complete and utter radio silence.

Sasha slid into the seat next to me. “Okay, you need to put that away. No more working. Do you think I haven’t seen you across the table?”

I dropped my phone back into my bag, probably looking as guilty as I felt. “You’re right. Live in the moment, and all that.”

“Exactly. People go on these digital cleanses and stuff, which I’m sure we all need. Not that anyone in this town would be able to listen, though.”

Rachel leaned in. “Sasha, are you telling Emily of our plan?”

“No, I hadn’t gotten to that part yet. Let a woman work, jeez.”

Rachel laughed, but I made a show of looking between them with mock terror. “Oh no. Is this the part where you tell me I’ve worked at Hunt long enough to be initiated? Is it all actually a facade for some weird doomsday cult?”

Sasha nodded. “Yes, tonight we’re sacrificing lambs under the full moon.”

I shivered. “I knew this job paid too much. There really is no such thing as a free lunch.”

Rachel laughed. “Weirdos. No, we have a different plan-a good plan. You’re single, right?”

Oh. Damn.

If I said no, they’d ask who I was dating. Lying wasn’t my strong suit.

Hoping they would drop it if I said yes, I gave an Oscar-worthy shrug. “I’m not really dating anyone at the moment.”

“That’s terrific!” Sasha grinned. “Here, give me your phone.”

“Not until you tell me why.”

Rachel leaned back with a winning smile. “Oh, only because Hunt has invested in a dating app that recently hit the market, and we’re about to create a profile for you.”

I groaned. “This is a terrible idea. I’m not going to meet anyone through this.”

Sasha stopped me with an earnest gaze. “If you honestly don’t want us to, we won’t. But you can’t tell me it won’t be just a little bit of fun. Let’s swipe a little, make a game out of it.”

I bit my lip, but my inner people-pleaser won. “Okay, fine.”

There was no chance in hell that I was going on a date, but I’d had enough fun playing around on Denise’s accounts not to know the potential for amusement. And technically, it was research-it was a Hunt app.

One beer and many laughs later, the guys had sidled off to play dart. I was deep into my second one and glancing at my watch when I heard Rachel’s loud exclamation.

“Bossman! Didn’t know you were coming.”

Julian approached us. My stomach clenched, like it always did when I saw him. He had a beer in hand, still in a suit but without a tie.

He didn’t look at me.

Why hadn’t he texted me back to tell me he was coming?

“Come join us,” Sasha said. “We’re playing a game.”

I slid deeper into the booth to give him space. He took a seat without so much as looking my way, but the scent of his aftershave hit me like a physical weight.

I glanced at our co-workers, who didn’t seem to be paying us much attention. I moved a tiny bit closer to Julian and was rewarded with a flick of his dark green gaze. It was like opaque glass, beautiful and impossible to see through.

“The silent treatment, huh?”

He took a sip of his beer before he answered. “I just had to gather my thoughts, Em.”

Em. Not Ace, not the nickname he had called me since the beginning. My stomach was tight, but not with excitement this time-with nerves.

“Okay,” I said. “Let me know when you’re done.”

He took another sip but didn’t respond. From my peripheral view, I saw what Sasha was doing-looking at upgrading my dating account to some form of superior plan, which would involve money-and rolled my eyes.

“Sasha, no way.”

But both she and Rachel just laughed, bent over my phone, dark and blonde hair blending together. They had amused themselves for at least half an hour over that thing.

Julian frowned. “What are you two doing?”

“We’ve created a profile for Emily on Burn,” Sasha said. “Rachel and I are being the ultimate wing-women.”

“And by that, she means that they’re using my likeness and description as a game,” I quipped. “How many guys have you passed through by now? A hundred?”

Rachel elbowed me. “More like a thousand. But you’ve already had, like, twenty matches.”

I felt Julian stiffen beside me. “Really? I didn’t know you were single, Emily.”

“It’s just a game,” I said. “They wanted to test out the new Hunt Industries app, and they were in need of a guinea pig.”

Rachel nodded. “Emily was most generous. We’re planning on rewarding her by setting up multiple dates with gorgeous, eligible men.”

I tried to play her words off with a laugh, but my cheeks burned. I didn’t want any dates. The only man I wanted was sitting right next to me, growing stiffer and colder by the second, and somehow I had managed to screw this whole thing up. A smarter woman than me would have seen this situation a mile away.

“I’m not going on any Burn dates.” My tone was decisive. “They could be serial killers, or worse, still live with their mom. No thank you. I’ll stick to dating the old-fashioned way.”

Sasha stuck my phone out to me, where Burn’s sleek interface framed the admittedly well-taken photo of a man my age. Before I could look at it, Julian snatched my phone.

He looked through the man’s photos. “Quentin. Likes to garden, works in telecommunications. Oh. He’s even written his height and favorite color here. Solid guy, clearly knows what women are looking for. A shame he hasn’t given us his horoscope as well.”Belonging to NôvelDrama.Org.

Sasha laughed and took the phone back. “Isn’t he a darling? You have to talk to him, Emily.”

I sighed and looked up at the ceiling, trying to think of a way out of this. Could I faint? Fake an emergency phone call?