BeardLover: Hating my boss was so much easier than liking him.

I smile as I read her words. I’m glad to know she likes me, but I’m not sure why she finds it so difficult.

Me: What do you mean?

BeardLover: When I hated him it was cut and dried. Liking him means gray areas and that complicates things.

Me: I still don’t understand. Complicates what?

BeardLover: I’m only supposed to be in W. VA for a limited amount of time. I’ve lived in CA for eight years now.

Me: Are you thinking of staying?

I hold my breath as I wait for her reply to appear on the screen. Any chance of us having a relationship requires her remaining in Piney View. I don’t think long distance would work out for us. I’m too possessive to deal with only seeing her once a month. I need her to be here for this to be successful.

BeardLover: Maybe? I’m not sure. If you asked me a week ago I would have said hell no, but now I’m unsure.

Fuck. It’s not the definitive yes I was hoping for, but it’s not no either. I still have time to show Avery she belongs with me. I won’t see her again until Monday. I have two days to do some research and make some plans on how I want to woo my girl. I’m completely out of my element. I wonder if Amazon sells a book ‘Wooing for Dummies’ because I don’t know the first fucking thing about it. In the past, I’ve never cared enough to do more than stick my dick in someone.

Avery thinks not hating me is complicated, she doesn’t realize how easy she has it. I’m the wooer and she’s the wooie. My job is to win her heart. Her job is to sit back and enjoy. And women think it’s a man’s world. Ha.

Staring at my phone, I realize I’ve been lost in my thoughts and never replied.

Me: Keep an open mind and I’m sure you’ll make the right decision when the time comes.

I can only hope that means she stays in Piney View.

* * *

Monday mornings usually suck, but not this one. I’ve been at the office since seven a.m. Knowing I’ll see Avery soon makes it infinitely better. Especially after two days without her company. In only a short time, I’ve become accustomed to her being a part of my normal day. This weekend, I missed her more than I thought I would and my dick is sick of my hand. Now that it knows what Avery’s mouth feels like, there’s no substitute - except her pussy. I can’t wait to know what being buried inside her will feel like.

I smile when I hear the sounds of Avery’s arrival. It’s the same every single time. I hear the jingle of her keys, she mumbles to herself about how she’s going to drop something, but she never does and finally there’s the sound of everything in her arms thumping down onto her desk with a sigh. As I listen I picture her going through each motion. Picturing her is nice, but nothing beats seeing her in the flesh.

Rising to my feet, I cross my office and pause at the doorway to take in her extreme beauty. The sun is shining through the large front windows, bathing her in a golden glow. She looks like an angel, but as soon as she opens her mouth that illusion ends. I smirk as I think about her sharp tongue. It’s good for a lot more than sarcastic replies. She’s a spitfire and I wouldn’t want her any other way. I love the push and pull between us. There’s so much passion it even comes out during the most mundane conversations. And the chemistry between us is hot as fuck. I’ve never been so attracted to a woman before.

“Good morning,” I say, walking toward her.

She smiles, and moves out from behind her desk, meeting me halfway. “Hey, how was your weekend?”

Pulling her into my arms, I squeeze her tight against me. “Lonely. I missed you.” I bury my nose in her hair and inhale the coconut scent of her shampoo.

Avery’s slim arms wrap around me. “I missed you, too.” She tips her face up and mine automatically lowers. I capture her lips in a slow kiss, savoring the feel of her full mouth beneath mine. “Can I take you out to dinner tonight?”

“Sure. Luce is going to bring Jeremiah to see mom at rehab so I’m not needed there.”

“Does that mean you need a ride home?” My fingers trail up and down her spine.

“Yes, if that doesn’t put you out.”

“Avery, you could never be a burden. Don’t be afraid to ask me for things.”

She chews on her bottom lip. “I’m not used to having anyone to ask. I have friends in California, but I don’t really rely on others. Things are different out there.”

My hands move down to cup her round ass cheeks and pull her closer. “Well, you’re not in California now and here you have a lot of people who will do anything for you.”

“Anything?” Her eyes sparkle up at me mischievously.

“All you have to do is ask.”

“So this dinner tonight...what do I need to wear?”

“I’m taking you someplace special. Wear a dress. I want to see your sexy legs and wonder what you have on underneath,” I say, with a lecherous eyebrow wiggle.

She giggles. “What if I don’t have anything on underneath?”

Growling, I attack her neck with biting kisses. “Then we won’t be eating dessert at the restaurant.” Pushing my hips into her, I groan. “You woke up little Greg Allman.”

“Hmm,” she says, her fingers tracing the shape of my dick through my cargo pants. “He doesn’t feel little to me.”

I grab her hand and raise it to my lips for a kiss. “Baby, we need to save this for tonight. Unfortunately, I have work to do and employees who are counting on me. I have to check on a few job sites. I just didn’t want to leave before I got to see you.”

“What time will you be back here? I scheduled some job interviews for early afternoon.”

“I saw the email you sent me with their info and I already emailed them to reschedule for the end of the week. I hope that’s okay with you. This week is really busy for me and I want to make sure I can be here for the interviews.” I did reschedule the interviews, but not because I’m too busy. It’s a stalling tactic. Friday is four days away. That’s four dates to show her how much she means to me and how good things can be with us.

She nods. “Yeah, sure.”

“If I’m going to be working so closely with someone day in and day out then I guess it has to be someone I choose - someone I’m comfortable with.”

There’s a flicker of unease in her eyes before she stiffly replies. “Of course.”

“Okay then, my sexy little secretary for now,” my eyes lock on hers, “I’ll be back later. Order whatever you want for your lunch and use the credit card.” Leaning down I brush my lips over hers. “That’s all you get for now. I just got rid of my hard on and I don’t want to be walking out of here with a tent in my pants. Tonight all bets are off, though. I’m going to make you scream my name.” I kiss her on top of her head, then slap her ass, hard.

“Ow.” She rubs her hand over her ass. “That wasn’t nice.”

“It felt pretty fucking good to me.” I wink and then walk out the door.