Blind Date with my Billionaire Boss (Blind Date Disasters Book 5) Read online

  I got out of my seat, and we walked towards a large cabinet in the hallway that held everything I could possibly need, including pens, notepads, and other office equipment. She glanced around and then lowered her voice. “So, how do you know Easton?”

  “What makes you think we know each other?” I kept my voice quiet so the others wouldn’t hear. We were in the hallway, and everyone’s doors were open. “Did someone tell you that?”

  She shook her head. “No, but I’m good at picking up cues, and Easton has never personally hired anyone before.” She leaned in closer. “I heard him stop by your office and say he’s available if you need anything. Figured you must know each other for him to do that.”

  Her observation made me uncomfortable since the last thing I wanted was to be seen as receiving preferential treatment. She didn’t come across as nosy per se. Just curious. And something told me I could trust her not to jump to conclusions. She had this friendliness about her that made me want to spill everything. I thought about not saying anything, but giving her a small detail would hopefully explain Easton’s attentiveness. “I know his sister. I’m not trying to hide that, but please don’t mention it to anyone else.”

  “I won’t,” she said. “And don’t worry, I’m glad you’re here. It’s nice to have someone around my age to talk to.” She gave me a genuine smile, and I relaxed. She pressed her lips together, her eyes dancing with mischief. “Tomorrow is April Fool’s Day. Maybe you’ll be my partner in crime and play a prank on Easton with me.”

  “A prank?” My eyebrows flew up.

  “Yeah. Last year a few of us pranked George, but no one had the guts to go after Easton. But since you already know him…”

  “Uh…I don’t know him that well. That’s not a good idea.”

  “Oh, come on, it’ll be fun to loosen him up. He’s so serious and complex all the time. Just think about it. I have this great plan we can discuss over lunch.”

  I leaned in. “What does everyone do for lunch around here?”

  “Some like to eat out while others prefer to stay in the break room. A few lunch trucks stop by at noon, and the food is pretty good.”

  “What does Easton normally do?”

  She glanced up at the ceiling as if thinking. “He stays in his office. Occasionally he joins the staff in the break room, but he only does that once in a while. I have a feeling he does that to make an appearance.” She hesitated. “I wish he’d be more social. I’d love to get to know him better.”

  Interesting. Easton had always had a lot of friends in high school, so I wouldn’t peg him as shy, but I was quickly learning I didn’t know the man very well. Maybe he just didn’t like people. That was probably closer to the truth.

  “We shouldn’t discuss my plan for April Fool’s around others,” she said. “Let me take you out to lunch since it’s your first day. My treat.”

  “Oh, you don’t have to—”

  “But I want to.” She winked and then headed back to her office. She glanced over her shoulder. “I’ll come by to pick you up at noon.”

  I got the feeling I didn’t have much of a choice as far as lunch, but I wasn’t going to allow her to push me into pranking Easton. He was the last person I wanted to upset right now. When I returned to my new office, Bruce leaned back in his chair and snapped his fingers. “Now I know who you remind me of.”

  “Who?” I sat down at my desk and slid the employee manual closer so I could continue reading.

  He placed his hands behind his head, and I wondered what was going through his mind. “Leighton Meester, the actress who played in that TV series, Gossip Girls.”

  I hadn’t seen the show, but I pulled out my phone and did a search using her name.

  “Your eyes and hair are the same. You could be her doppelganger.”

  Leighton’s face came up in my search, and my eyes widened as I studied her. “She’s pretty. I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  Bruce flashed a boyish grin that was a little too friendly, but I didn’t feel like he was hitting on me exactly. “It’s definitely a compliment. You’re both gorgeous.”

  “Well, thank you.”

  He smiled and then went back to work, and I was thankful he didn’t say more than that.

  For the next thirty minutes, I read through more of the employee manual and then Deanna stopped by. “Are you ready?”

  Bruce narrowed his eyes when she walked in. “Are you leaving? Can I come?”

  Deanna laughed. “Not today. I’m taking Maya out to lunch, and it’s only us women.”

  “You’re already hogging the new girl? I should get first dibs since she’s my office mate.” He grinned, and it was kind of cute, but I could tell he was just teasing.

  Deanna tilted her head to the side and smiled at Bruce. “Next time we go out, we’ll invite you to come, Brucey.”

  He chuckled. “Look at Deanna, calling the shots.”

  It was obvious these two got along well, and I liked their easygoing banter. I left with Deanna, and she took me to a place a few blocks away that had salads and sandwiches. I ordered a turkey sandwich with chips, and she ordered a chicken salad. It was nice outside, so we opted to sit at a table covered with an umbrella.

  “So, my idea involves buying a bunch of helium balloons and pushing them into Easton’s office.” Deanna picked up her fork, and stabbing a piece of chicken, lifted it to her mouth. After chewing, she finished her thought. “The plan is to have so many balloons that he won’t be able to move around.”

  I laughed. “That would be a sight to see. How will you get the balloons into his office without him knowing?”

  “We’ll wait until he goes home, of course.”

  I loved how she used the term “we” as if I had already agreed to her plan, but I wouldn’t do anything that would get me in hot water with my new boss. “Doesn’t he lock his office?”

  She nodded. “Yes, but that’s where you come in. Call his sister and see if she has a key.”

  “I doubt she does.”

  Deanna frowned. “You won’t know unless you try.” She put down her fork and gave me a pleading look. “Please. Tell me I can depend on you.”

  I opened my small package of potato chips, and after taking one out, bit into it and chewed. “Why is this so important to you?”

  She shrugged. “It’s not. I just think it would be fun.”

  “It won’t be fun if Easton doesn’t find it amusing.”

  “I guess I’d like to be on his radar once in a while. He barely notices me.” She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye. “You have to admit, as bosses go, he’s pretty hot.”

  Did she have a crush on him? All the more reason to stay out of this. “Count yourself lucky, Deanna. You don’t want him to notice you.” I didn’t comment on his hot status as there wasn’t much to say without incriminating myself. It was obvious to anyone who had eyes that Easton was extremely handsome, but that didn’t mean he was a catch. I would rather have a man with a heart who wasn’t pleasing to the eyes than end up with someone like him.

  “Don’t tell me you didn’t melt when you met him,” she said, giving me wide eyes. “All the women in the office talk about how good-looking he is.”

  Since Easton and I met as kids at a time when I thought all boys had cooties, I could answer truthfully. “I didn’t melt.”

  I got the vibe that Deanna was trustworthy, but I didn’t know her well enough to share that Easton and I had gone to school together from the time we were in grade school. He’d been two years ahead of me, so he wasn’t in any of my classes, but everyone knew who he was, including me. I didn’t want that information circulating through the office and getting back to Easton, so I opted to keep it to myself for now.

  Deanna smiled slightly as if pleased that I didn’t have a special interest in Easton and then nudged me with her elbow. “So…will you call his sister?”

  From what I knew, Charlotte rarely stopped by the office, so the chances of her having a key wer
e slim. “Fine.” I was only calling because it would put this discussion to rest when Charlotte said she didn’t have a key.

  I pulled my phone out and clicked on her name in my favorite’s list. The phone rang twice, and she answered. “Hey! How’s the new job going?”

  “It’s going well.” I smiled at Deanna and winked. “Just so you know, you’re on speaker. I’m at lunch with my coworker, Deanna, and she has this crazy plan to prank Easton for April Fool’s Day tomorrow.”

  Charlotte squealed, seeming delighted by the idea. “I love it.”

  I chuckled. “Well, Deanna thinks you might have a key to his office, but I told her that’s highly unlikely.”

  “I do have a key, actually. He was sick about a month ago and asked if I would stop by to pick up some of his paperwork. He gave me his extra key, and I forgot to give it back to him.”

  “See,” Deanna said, “I knew there was a strong possibility she’d have one.”

  “Hi, Deanna,” Charlotte said. “I think it’s awesome that you want to prank my brother. What did you have in mind?”

  Deanna smiled and leaned closer to my phone. “Thank you. I want to fill up his office with helium balloons.”

  “I like it,” Charlotte said, “but I know of something even better.”

  “What?” Deanna and I asked at the same time.

  “Easton is a dog guy. He doesn’t care for cats, so I think we should flood his office with cat pictures.”

  Deanna giggled. “I like it. Will you help us?”

  “Of course. You couldn’t keep me away.”

  “I don’t want to get on Easton’s bad side on the second day of work,” I said, “so count me out.”

  “You’re overthinking it,” Charlotte said. “We won’t get caught.”

  I bit down on my bottom lip, not liking this at all. “This isn’t a good idea.”

  “Yes, it is, and you need to join us,” Charlotte said, laughing.

  “Fine, but if he catches us, I’m blaming this on you.”

  “Go ahead,” she said. “I can take the heat.”

  “Great.” Deanna clapped her hands together. “What time should we meet?”

  “At eight this evening,” Charlotte said. “And Maya…you’d better be there.”

  Chapter 8

  Easton

  “Good morning, Easton,” Verity said as I walked by her desk and headed towards my office. She glanced at me and did a double take. “You okay?”

  “Morning.” I pulled out my keys, and it seemed to take forever to find the right one. “Yeah, just tired. Didn’t sleep well last night.”

  “Why is that?”

  I shrugged. “Don’t know. Too much on my mind, I guess.” Truth was, Maya Anderson had been in my thoughts, and it took every ounce of self-discipline I had to think about something else.

  I used the key to open my door and stepped into the office holding a briefcase in one hand and a sack lunch in the other. Cat pictures immediately assaulted my vision, and my eyes widened.

  There were tons of them. All over the place. On my desk. Covering the walls. There had to be at least a hundred photos cluttering the space around my work station. The screen saver on my computer even had a huge fluffy gray cat that looked as if someone stole his milk, and he was not happy about it.

  I belted out a laugh, taking in the ridiculousness of it all.

  Whoever did this went through a lot of trouble.

  There was a laminated desk-mat under my keyboard with cats and kittens of all shapes and sizes, and they all stared up at me with crazy eyes. Unbelievable. Who would do something like this? I didn’t know anyone who had the guts.

  I set down my briefcase and put my lunch in the small refrigerator next to my desk and then scanned the room, stopping on a large poster-sized picture of a cat plastered on the wall. The caption underneath said: The awkward moment you realize the person you’re making fun of is right behind you.

  Without thinking, I turned around as if expecting to find the culprit there, but of course, there was no one. The light reflected off of something on the floor, and I bent down and picked up a blue-green earring. It belonged to Maya. She’d worn the earrings yesterday. I didn’t typically notice small details like that, but I noticed everything when it came to Maya.

  So, she was the one behind all this nonsense. I could see Charlotte’s influence as well since she knew I disliked cats. I wouldn’t put it past her to jump at the chance to play a joke on me. I tried to get angry but couldn’t work up enough irritation to make an impact on my mood. A grin pulled at the corners of my lips, remembering it was the first of April, which meant it was April Fool’s Day. It wasn’t uncommon for the staff to play jokes on each other, but no one had ever played one on me before. I laughed again, rather enjoying the attention.

  Two could play at this game…

  I made a quick call to the building janitor and then took several pictures with my cell phone, capturing all the cat lunacy. The rest of the day went by slowly after that until noon finally rolled around. I took my lunch out of the refrigerator, along with a bottle of water, and headed for the break room.

  A few people were laughing when I strode down the hall, but the laughter stopped the moment I walked in. Everyone sat up straight.

  I hated that. Hated that people felt they couldn’t be themselves when I was around. My eyes immediately landed on Maya, but she was looking down at what looked like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. There was an empty space next to her, so I grabbed it and plopped down beside her.

  “How’s it going?”

  “Well. We’re enjoying lunch.” She smothered a smile and then took a bite of her sandwich. She covertly glanced at the woman beside her, and I saw them exchange a look. The woman was Deanna, the human resources admin, and she was a good worker from what George had said, but we’d had very little interaction.

  Deanna flashed a grin my way, and I returned it. “You ladies look especially happy today. Any reason for the lighter mood?”

  “George was just telling us about the April Fool’s joke his wife played on him this morning,” Deanna said breezily. Her eyes trailed my face and landed on my lips briefly. Her eyes sparkled with a hint of flirtation, almost as if she were testing the waters to see how I’d respond. I glanced away, not wanting to encourage anything there. I’d never dated an employee and wouldn’t start now. My gaze fell to Maya, and I stiffened. I couldn’t seem to shake my attraction for her after all these years, but it didn’t matter now since she worked for me. Even if she hadn’t agreed to this job, she would never consider a future with me, and I didn’t blame her.

  “She told me she was pregnant,” George said, interjecting.

  I took a sip of water and glanced at him. “That would make your fourth kid, right?”

  “Yep, but there’s more.” He paused and waited until he had my full attention. “She said she was going into labor.”

  I barked out a laugh. “No way.”

  “Yeah, she’d stuffed a small pillow underneath her shirt to make her claim seem more credible, though I couldn’t figure out how I’d missed the bigger tummy.”

  “That’s a good one,” I said, biting into my turkey sandwich. “That must have gotten your heart pumping fast.”

  “You bet it did,” he said, chuckling.

  I glanced around the table at everyone eating. “Someone played a little prank on me this morning.”

  The room grew quiet as everyone’s eyes widened, and I sensed Maya’s refusal to look my way. I turned my attention to her. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you, Maya?”

  She lifted a shoulder and blushed, still refusing to meet my gaze. The pinkness of her cheeks reminded me of flowers in the Spring. She’d always had a creamy complexion, but I resisted the urge to stare at her.

  “Me?” Maya brought panicked eyes to mine for one fleeting second and then she glanced away. “It would be crazy to play a joke on my boss when it’s only my second day.”
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  “You might be right there.” I sensed Deanna’s gaze, but a gut feeling told me not to return her glance. “I got a good laugh out of it though. Someone put cat pictures all over my office.”

  George was in the middle of sipping a soda and nearly blew liquid out of his mouth. He swallowed and then coughed. “Cats? Are they still there?”

  “Nope, but I took a few pictures as proof.”

  Maya slid down in her seat slightly as if trying to make herself less noticeable, but I sensed every inch of her next to me just like I had when we were teenagers. I’d thought it would be no big deal to work in the same office as her, but now I was starting to doubt that. I had a giddy feeling whenever I was around her, and that wasn’t good.

  She and Deanna exchanged another glance, and Deanna mouthed something to her I couldn’t understand.

  “Do you have any idea who did it?” George asked.

  “I know exactly who the culprit is,” I said, a smile tugging at the corners of my lips.

  Maya stiffened, and I resisted the urge to look her way. If she had anything to do with that prank, and I knew she did, then it meant she didn’t hate me as much as she’d led me to believe.

  It wasn’t a spiteful kind of prank. Just lighthearted and fun. The impulse to reach over and place my hand on her back was so strong it hurt to resist, but touching her would be inappropriate, and I couldn’t allow myself to step over the line. I had to stop my thoughts from venturing in that direction.

  Suddenly, the room felt too hot, and it seemed as if the air wasn’t circulating well enough. “I should return to my work.” I stuffed the rest of my turkey sandwich into my bag and stood up, glancing around the table. “Enjoy your break, everyone.” I sounded like an idiot. Like someone who couldn’t make up his mind about whether he wanted to eat lunch or not.

  “Leaving all ready?” Deanna asked, her brows creasing.

  “I have a lot to get done.” I couldn’t help glancing at Maya. She looked confused but didn’t say anything.

  “Happy April Fool’s Day,” I said, and then I walked out of the room.