Free Quitting the Boss by Ann Victor Page A

her mother do it so readily with too many men in her lifetime.
    As Alec withdrew from her body and moved to release her ankles, Jenna tried to shake off the reality she’d just acknowledged. Continuing to avoid the conversation they needed to have would only cause more drama in the end. The purpose of getting a new job was to open the door to pursuing more with Alec. Falling in love with him wasn’t something she’d planned and that new realization couldn’t stop her now.
    Alec took his time releasing her, massaging her ankles and wrists and leaving warm kisses on her skin. He tossed the straps onto the bedside table and pushed the blankets down, forcing Jenna to scoot up and then under. He tucked them in, moving his body against hers.
    It had surprised her the first time Alec had held her like this. He was the last person in the world she would expect to spoon after sex, but he almost always did.
    “You’re tense,” he said across her ear, his hand caressing her arm.
    “I want more, Alec.”
    His laugh told her he thought she meant sex. “I thought now that we’d gotten through this new job bullshit your insatiable desire would settle down a little.”
    Jenna turned to face him. “I’m not talking about sex. I want more for us.”
    Alec stopped his affectionate petting, tension stiffening his body. Jenna braced herself for the argument that was sure to ensue.
    “Is that what this new job is about?” he asked, his voice cold and harsh.
    “Yes,” she said, trying to sound confident but coming up short as her voice was barely a whisper.
    He eased away from her and slid off the giant bed, gathering his clothes. Jenna opted to stay in bed and let the soft sable blanket caress her naked body as she watched Alec’s bare skin disappear beneath athletic pants and a sweatshirt.
    When he was dressed and slipping into the ragged flip flops he favored when he was lounging around the house, his gaze locked on her in a torturous hold. “I told you when this started I wasn’t interested in marriage or children.”
    “Neither am I.” That hadn’t changed. Her mother had found husband number eight and Jenna had no interest in following in those footsteps. She didn’t feel emotionally equipped to raise a child, so that also wasn’t in the cards.
    Alec stood like a cobra, his eyes assessing, his posture ready to strike. “Then what exactly is the more you want?”
    Jenna sat up, letting the blanket fall to her waist. Usually it was sexy watching Alec was cling to his control, but since he hadn’t even bothered to spare her bare breasts a glance, Jenna feared this conversation was taking the express train to hell. “I want an evening out where we don’t have to worry about being caught. I want you to touch me in public. I want you to sleep in my bed and have dinner at my apartment. When Elisa asks who put the smile on my face, I want to tell her it was you.”
    Alec just stood there, his gaze revealing nothing but making Jenna feel as though she was being studied under a microscope. She knew Alec would have trouble accepting her proposition, but she suspected there was some underlying incident from has past that made him skeptical of relationships. His jealousy was an indicator of that. Assuming she wanted to fuck her new boss proved it.
    “No,” Alec finally said, abruptly turning and leaving the room. She heard him stomp down the spiral staircase and the front door slam before the engine of his BMW roared to life and he skidded out the driveway.
    “Excellent,” she said to no one, blinking back the threatening tears. No way was she going to cry over this. She knew going in it was a risk. If things ended because Alec had underlying commitment issues he wouldn’t own to, that was his problem, not hers.
    Jenna flung the sable blanket away and went into Alec’s master bathroom to splash some water on her face. She was a hot mess, her hair tangled from the marathon sex they’d had. Unlike the nights leading up to