My bosss stalker spoiler.., p.1
My Boss's Stalker: Spoiler It's Not Me, page 1
my boss’s stalker
SPOILER IT’S NOT ME
ADRIAN J. SMITH
EREKA PRESS
Copyright © 2024 by Adrian J. Smith
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
one
THE WINERY
Zoe sipped the red wine, its musky flavor lingering on the back of her tongue. The glass was warm against her lips. She liked it, mostly. Small vials of different flavors were spread out in front of her, and she mixed another concoction, hoping this one was better. She’d been at it nearly three hours already and hadn’t found the right flavor yet.
Her boss, the infamous and brilliant Ms. Gwen Fudala, marketer extraordinaire and ruthless businesswoman, had sent Zoe there to create the star flavor for the party they were in the midst of planning. Zoe had no idea why, but when Gwen had leaned against the doorframe and told her she was leaving in ten minutes to make the appointment, Zoe had been so distracted by her long legs and curves that she’d just agreed without thinking or asking questions.
Little did Gwen know, Zoe wasn’t an avid wine drinker and didn’t fully understand the finer points of what made a good wine. But the event was supposed to be a spectacular one, and Gwen insisted on having her own flavor. Just what exactly was Gwen’s flavor?
That question took Zoe down a whole different line of thought—one she’d been on before and one she’d fastidiously trained her brain away from for years. Or tried to, anyway.
Mixing up another small glass to try a new flavor, Zoe hummed as she swallowed the dark liquid. This one was amazing. At least from what her numbed tongue could tell. How much wine had she had in these last three hours? Scratching her head as she tried to remember, she gave up and went with her gut.
This one was the one.
Zoe wrote down what she’d added and how much and handed it to the worker who had been in the room with her on and off for the last few hours. Was his face blurry? She blinked a few times to clear her vision before pushing the chair back.
Whoa.
The room spun slightly, her head felt funny, and she hated to admit it, but she might be a bit drunker than she’d originally thought. Crap. She was on the clock. She’d been sent there for work, and now she was drunk at work. Zoe slapped a hand to her forehead. How much more of an idiot could she be?
Heading for the door, she tried to keep the extra sway out of her hips as she made her way toward the front of the winery. She stepped into the main entry area, a place built for extravagance—high ceilings, large glass windows, rustic in feel but modern in touch. Zoe had loved it when she first arrived.
Zoe reached into her purse to snag her car keys, when a gentle, confident, and oh-so-familiar seductive chuckle greeted her.
Fuck.
Gwen stood at the main desk, her thin hand with its perfectly manicured nails flat on the smooth varnished wood. Zoe’s heart stuttered. What was Gwen doing there? Did she screw up the entire assignment already? Had Gwen said she was going to join later when she sent Zoe? For the life of her, Zoe couldn’t remember.
Panic etched into Zoe’s chest. She had to fix whatever she had screwed up. Her voice came out in a rush, her tongue still felt bigger than it should be, slightly numb, and her cheeks burned. “I didn’t know you were coming.”
“I wanted to taste.” Gwen’s thin eyebrow rose, her stare intense, and she dropped her gaze from Zoe’s eyes, down her body and over her breasts, to her hips, and her toes, and then she slowly dragged her gaze back up.
Zoe could never stop the heat that rushed to her cheeks when Gwen looked at her like that. There was absolutely nothing going on between them. There never would be. Gwen would definitely not be interested in someone like Zoe. Hell, Zoe didn’t even know if she was a lesbian or bisexual or liked women or whatever. They never discussed the personal, and Gwen had never mentioned dating anyone. Swallowing the sudden lump in her throat, Zoe folded her hands tightly together and hoped the heat that kissed her cheeks wasn’t obvious. “Oh. Um… I just finished up.”
Gwen eyed her carefully, her lips slightly parted, and the tip of her pink tongue peeking out before retreating. She may have been the top marketer at Gruzska Publishing, and Zoe may have worked for her for three years as her personal assistant, but that had never stopped her from daydreaming about just what those lips tasted like. And right now, all Zoe wanted was to lean in and find out just where that tongue had gone.
“Zoe?”
“Huh?” Zoe flicked her gaze right up to Gwen’s pale blue eyes. She had so been caught. She wasn’t going to be able to get out of this one no matter how hard she begged. Oh, begging, that could be—shut up, Zoe!
“Are you drunk?” Amusement swam behind Gwen’s intense stare for a brief moment before she steeled her look again. Or maybe Zoe just made that up in the hope that Gwen would understand. She’d been sent to a winery for God’s sake! Gwen couldn’t expect her not to drink anything, could she?
Zoe flushed, embarrassment hitting her hard. She hadn’t been able to hide it, and she was sure Gwen had seen everything that flashed through her mind written across her face. All the attraction, all the pent-up sexual energy that she’d managed to hide for the last three years. Zoe pursed her lips and answered, resigned to her fate, “Probably.”
Gwen leaned in, her lips inches away from Zoe’s ear. Zoe straightened her back immediately and held herself perfectly still, her mind racing to try and figure out what was going on.
Gwen’s breath was hot against her face, down her neck. She lowered her voice so it was barely above a whisper, “Silly girl.”
Stepping back, Gwen’s gaze dropped from Zoe’s head to her toes, slowly dragging upward again. A shiver of pleasure coursed through Zoe. If only Gwen meant it and it wasn’t all in Zoe’s head.
Zoe blanched. She had no idea what to say to that. What did Gwen even mean? Her heart raced as she stood stiffly in front of her boss, hoping that she hadn’t revealed too much. Gwen turned to the front counter, her perfect hand still flat on the top of it, and nodded at the worker there.
“Let’s taste this wine you’ve created.” Gwen walked confidently to the small room Zoe had just vacated after spending hours there.
What was happening right now? She wasn’t fired—yet. So that was a good thing. Zoe had witnessed Gwen firing others, ousting them for small infractions. Somehow, Zoe had managed to stick around for three years—Gwen’s longest standing admin so far, and she wore that badge with honor.
Zoe followed dutifully, her chin tilted toward the ground in shame that she had gotten herself drunk while on the clock. She would never let Gwen down if she could help it. She’d worked her ass off for three years to make sure that she was valued and needed.
They brought out the sample of wine that Zoe had mixed in a glass for Gwen to taste. With a single nod, Gwen dismissed the worker and sat on the edge of the table, her hand at the side, and her gaze locked on Zoe’s face. Gwen swirled the glass slowly, staring at Zoe over the edge for what felt like forever. The stare was intense and intoxicating.
Zoe wasn’t sure how long she would be able to stand there and not fall over. The alcohol running through her system was much stronger than she’d originally anticipated, and it made her head spin—or maybe that was the amused and curious look Gwen had aimed in her direction.
Wait, what?
That was wrong. Gwen wasn’t amused or curious. She was probably annoyed that Zoe had gotten drunk, that she had taken so long. Why was she even there? Gwen was supposed to be back at the office, working, which was why she’d sent Zoe to the winery in the first place.
“What are you doing here, Ms. Fudala?” Zoe asked with an undertone of fear, which she was pretty sure she hid with a good dose of happiness. Gwen often chided her for always being happy, but it wasn’t quite true. She just used happiness as a cover.
Gwen said nothing as she stared right at Zoe, lifting the wineglass to her deep red lips. Her tongue dashed out against the glass, licking up the lingering drops of wine on the edge before pulling back into her mouth. Zoe had to suppress the groan that wanted to escape her lips. She clenched her jaw and fists, using the tightness of muscles and slight pain to remind herself that this was her boss. This was the great Gwen Fudala, chief marketer, who ran the business as if she had her finger on everything.
Zoe’s breathing came in short rasps when she finally managed to relax, her gaze still locked on those pale blue eyes as if her entire world depended on this one woman, which she supposed it very well might. Gwen lowered the glass and cocked her head to the side, her lips twitching in the corners before she was able to school the look. Or was that also in Zoe’s mind? She didn’t even know anymore.
“Is something wrong, Zoe?”
“What? Oh, no, nothing is wrong.” Heat kissed her cheeks again, and Zoe found herself unable to look away from Gwen’s intense stare.
“Are you sure?”
Zoe couldn’t tell if that was fake concern, genuine concern, or amusement. She was going with the latter for now. How often was it that anyone dared to be intoxicated in front of the great Gwen Fudala? Zoe was willing to bet never.
“Zoe?” Gwen stayed evenly in place, that gaze surreal.
Zoe couldn’t figure
“Are you sure nothing’s wrong?”
Shaking her head, Zoe cleared her throat. Her voice was so soft when she answered she wasn’t sure Gwen would even be able to hear her. “No, nothing is wrong.”
“Hmm.”
Gwen lifted the glass to those kissable lips again and finally took a sip, the line of her throat long as the muscles moved while she swallowed. Sweat littered the small of Zoe’s back and her palms as she watched Gwen take another small sip of the blended wine. If only Gwen would drink her up like that.
When Gwen settled the glass onto the table and eyed Zoe up and down, Zoe was pretty sure she could come just from that look alone if given enough time.
“How drunk are you?” Gwen asked, her tone precise as always, and any hint of amusement was gone if it was ever there to begin with.
Cold washed through Zoe as she blinked and tried to clear her mind from the arousal coiling in the pit of her belly. “Oh, um, well, I’ve been here for three hours.”
Gwen eyed her again, and Zoe realized too late that she hadn’t actually answered the question. Her embarrassment aside, claiming she was intoxicated was probably a good way to get out of anything stupid that was about to leave her mouth—which if Gwen kept looking at her like that, it likely would.
“I’m drunk. I’m really drunk,” Zoe confessed, the words rushing out of her mouth before she could stop them.
Gwen drew in a sharp breath as she grabbed the glass again and took another sip before leaving it alone and standing. She stepped to Zoe’s side, bending low so her breath washed against Zoe’s cheeks. “You’re not supposed to swallow.”
Zoe clenched her legs together against the pool of wetness that dampened her underwear. Heat from Gwen’s body reached hers because they stood so close, the line of Gwen’s arm matching with hers as they faced in opposite directions. Zoe’s lips parted, but she had no answers. She knew she was supposed to spit, but she’d decided to swallow a few of the flavors when they were good and had forgotten all about it in her distraction over this gorgeous woman.
“I know,” Zoe murmured.
“Then why didn’t you follow the rules?” Gwen’s voice was barely above a whisper, the deep tone of her voice so seductive even though Zoe knew she hadn’t meant it that way.
Tilting her chin up in a single act of defiance, Zoe looked directly into those deep light-blue eyes. So many people thought Gwen was cold and aloof, but after working for her for three years, Zoe knew it was exactly the opposite. She had passion underlying everything she did—deeply controlled passion.
If she were a braver person, Zoe would lean up on her toes and kiss Gwen senseless. If she were a braver person, she wouldn’t be hiding this massive crush on her boss. She would have quit and left and found a place she could work that would be better for everyone. But she was so weak. She didn’t have the gumption to leave and save herself, so she suffered in her attraction in order to stay close to the one person who ruled her world.
“I don’t know,” Zoe answered, maintaining eye contact until she couldn’t stop herself from dropping her gaze to those beautiful red lips. “Maybe I don’t like rules.”
Gwen hummed again, lingering where she stood only a breath away, her fingers gripping Zoe’s wrist and tightening slightly before she let go and released Zoe’s arm. “Come along. I’ll drive you home. We’ll send someone for your car this afternoon.”
“Uh…what?” Zoe blinked wildly as she turned around to watch Gwen’s perfect ass as she walked out.
“I’ll take you home.”
Oh, if only Gwen was saying that in an entirely different context. But Zoe wasn’t stupid. That would never happen. Gwen was way out of Zoe’s league. Gwen didn’t even see Zoe as anything more than an office admin who was easily replaceable.
Racing to catch up, Zoe stepped outside into the sunny afternoon and had to squint against it. “You never told me why you showed up. I thought I was supposed to pick the wine.”
“And you did a marvelous job.” Gwen’s tone was back to short and terse, all business. “But we have work to get done. This was only one step that needed to be completed.”
“Ms. Fudala.” Zoe raced to catch up, but she stumbled and twisted her ankle on the gravel road. She cursed under her breath and winced as she righted her foot. “Ms. Fudala, wait. Did you not trust me to get the job done?”
Gwen turned around, her stare gone from amused to icy. It stopped Zoe in her tracks. Gwen’s lips thinned, her cheeks tightened, and she seemed to almost pull in on herself. Zoe had never seen her look like that before.
Opening her mouth to correct her sentence, make it seem less like an accusation and more like a true question, Zoe stumbled again. Gwen caught her, her long thin fingers wrapping around Zoe’s upper arm to hold her upright.
“We need to get you home,” Gwen said, firmly.
“But I thought you sent me out here to figure out the wine. Why are you here?”
Gwen pursed her lips. “Not because of you, I promise.”
“Ms. Fudala…” Zoe trailed off, realizing far too late that she needed to shut up and accept. If she had been sober, that wouldn’t have been a struggle to accomplish.
“Don’t worry about it, Zoe.” Gwen dragged in a deep breath, her gaze flitting around as she stepped in closer, their bodies about to bump into each other. Gwen hadn’t moved her hand from Zoe’s arm. “Can you walk on your own?”
“Yeah.” Zoe’s voice broke. “Why would you think I couldn’t?”
“Because you’ve stumbled twice now.”
“I—I’m fine,” Zoe stuttered.
“Good.” Gwen locked their gazes together. “Let’s go, silly girl.”
two
THE LONELY BEDROOM
She’s so going to fire me.
Zoe sat in the passenger seat of Gwen’s new car, every muscle in her body tense. She kept her hands in her lap, her fingers wrapped around the strap on her purse, and her eyes glued to the road in front of her. Her jaw was so tight. When she realized it, she immediately relaxed it, but the ache was already there.
“What’s your address?” Gwen glanced at Zoe.
Frowning, Zoe leaned forward and input her address into the GPS in the car. She had Gwen’s address memorized. She’d been to her condo more times than she could count, but that was all work related. Gwen didn’t even know where Zoe lived, what kind of apartment she had—which was run-down and small and certainly not up to Gwen’s standards.
And now she was going to see everything.
Zoe hesitated, almost changing the GPS to another place so she could grab a rideshare from there and Gwen would still be in the dark. But she stopped herself. She shouldn’t feel bad about the way she lived. Gwen wouldn’t judge her for it because they weren’t even on the same level of existence.
Going back to sitting as tensely as possible in the passenger seat, Zoe gnawed on her lip. Her cheeks were on fire, and as much as she wanted it to be from the alcohol, she knew it was from embarrassment. She had to stop thinking about Gwen that way. She really did. Her best friend, Nikki, had told her repeatedly that she had to stop putting Gwen on such a pedestal because it was going to be her biggest downfall. Nikki was right, hands down. But Zoe had found it impossible to do that.
Zoe had met Nikki right around the time she started working for Gwen, so she’d been there through everything, including Zoe’s very embarrassing reveal that she had a huge crush on her boss. Nikki had laughed and given her a hug, telling her that it happened to the best of them.
Gwen said nothing as she continued to drive the forty minutes back to town. Zoe kept sneaking glances toward her, but Gwen never took her eyes off the road in front of them. Finally when Gwen pulled up outside of the apartment, Zoe reached for the door handle and tried to leave, but the seatbelt across her shoulder locked her in place and tugged her back inside.
