Brazen Bossman: A Hero Club Novel

to do things before I’m ready?” I lean against the counter.
“Cross my heart. Give him a chance. He’s a sweet boy and he’s quite the looker.”
I raise one shoulder in semi-agreement.
I’ve seen photos of him, and of course I’ve stalked him on social media like any good millennial, but I’ve never felt that… spark… when I looked at him.
My mother, however, is clearly already planning the wedding.
“Fine. You can give him my number, but I’m not making any promises. Okay?”
“Just give him a shot. That’s all I ask.”
“I’ll be sure to give you every single detail of every single conversation.” I tease her then lean over to give her a hug. “I love you, Ma.”
“I love you too, Piper. With my whole heart.”
Nathanial
“Is there a reason we are still waiting for the mock-up of full jacket covers from creative?” I ask that particular department’s manager, Dylan.
“We are working through them and trying to make them as quickly as possible, but…”
“I hear you preparing to feed me some kind of excuse as to why they are not on my desk, a full day after the deadline, but I suggest you save the effort. I don’t care what the excuse is, they need to be on my desk within forty-eight hours. One missed deadline causes a domino effect and I am not willing to deal with that bullshit.”
Dylan clears his throat and makes a note in his phone. “Yes, sir, and I emailed Piper the full cover collection for Danielle Grace’s series. That’s set to release this fall. I think she has left for the day, but you should have those in the morning.”
The mention of her name is enough make my skin heat with a heady combination of frustration and desire. She has an uncanny ability to make me feel both of those things simultaneously; unlike anyone I’ve ever met in my life.
“At least that’s timely,” I say with a twist of snark. I know I’m being a fucking asshole because I’m in a bad mood, but I’m not in a place to apologize for it.
“Is there anything else you wanted to discuss before I head out? Kesha isn’t feeling well today and I’d like to get home to her.”
Ah yes, the pregnant wife.
“That’s all. You can go.”
He scurries out like he was itching to leave the minute he walked in, and hell, he probably was. I’m a hard motherfucker to be around lately. Ever since I took over for my father, I have been in a perpetual bad mood: hard to work with, hard to please, and everything in between.
Honestly, the only sense of light in my dark moods is when I see Piper and she decides to push back against everything I’m dishing out.
Pushing her buttons is the highlight of my day.
***
I leave my office shortly after he does and pass by Piper’s desk, which is situated just around the corner from my door.
Against my better judgment, I pause in front of it and really take in the contents of her area.
A small fan is nestled in the corner that she rarely uses, but when she does, the air whips her hair around and sends the scent of her shampoo around her vicinity. It’s a scent I have ingrained in my mind like a fucking stalker.
She has a few pictures hanging on the wall just opposite her computer. I step closer to gaze at them and find one of her and an older woman, who I can only assume is her mother because she is the spitting image of her. There’s another of her and our receptionist, Kate. I’ve deduced from paying close attention that they’ve been friends for quite some time.
Then there’s a picture of a man, he’s young, strapping, and based on the color of the photo and the clothing he’s wearing, I know this isn’t a modern photo.
Though, I don’t know who he is. Perhaps I’ll ask one day.
She has a small, pink orchid on the edge of her desk and a glass, lidded jar with chocolate candies inside, and just beside that there’s a framed photo of a quote that reads Do what you want. Chase the excitement. Live High. Live Free.
She’s a conundrum, this one. I shouldn’t want to know about her. Hell, I shouldn’t even be looking this closely at her personal things, but I can’t seem to stop myself.
Honestly, I’m not sure I would even if I could.

Chapter 3
Piper
“So, what time are you meeting Ryan tonight?” Kate asks from her perch on the corner of my desk. She came through to bring a package that was dropped off in reception and took some time to talk my ear off for some gossip.
“Happy Friday to you too.” I laugh. “You’re very eager for my date… that I’m not even sure how you found out about.”
“Ryan told his mom, his mom told your mom, your mom told Oliver, and Oliver told me.”
“You all are worse than a sewing circle.” I pause and hold my hands up. “Whoa, hold on. Why were you talking to my brother?”
“That’s…” she hesitates, “…neither here nor there.”
“You can’t just say something like that and expect me to gloss over it.”
“Pipes, we ran into each other in the park. We were both going for a run. We ran together, had coffee… talked like old friends, because we are. You forget I’ve known him as long as I’ve known you.” She adjusts the sleeves on her top then crosses her arms over her chest.
I narrow my eyes at her suspiciously, but I let a small smile appear on my face. “Fine. I’ll accept this, because it makes sense, but just know that I’m watching you.” I use two fingers to motion to my eyes then turn to motion toward her.
“Good. Now if we can get back to more pressing matters. When are you meeting Ryan and where is he taking you?”
“I’m meeting him tonight at 8:30 at the NoMad on Broadway.”
“Damn. He’s really laying it on thick,