Free How to Kill Your Boss by Krissy Daniels Page A

male heat. Warm, spicy. Oh, so sexy.
    Damn him.
    A white to-go cup of something steamy sat on my desk, right next to a single red rose.
    Just my luck, he’d beaten me to work.
    Thank goodness Wallace was out of town. No way could I juggle his narcissistic ways as well as Franklin’s overwhelming presence. Not after the weekend I’d managed to escape.
    I swallowed the last drip of sugary heaven from my cup and moved aside the mystery drink. I pondered, but didn’t touch the rose. Wasn’t ready to process that yet. Bold move on his part. Office policy prohibited dating co-workers. How would I explain this if anyone asked? Why would he risk our jobs? We weren’t even dating. Just fornicating. I walked to the window to open the shades, lingering to enjoy the view.
    “Are you trying to make me jealous?” Heated breath tickled the back of my head. The funk of anger and male testosterone wafted off him.
    Startled, I swung around and knocked a file folder from Franklin’s hand. He didn’t look down. Didn’t bend to pick it up. His chest rose and fell. Piercing blue eyes narrowed.
    My ticker danced a jig behind my ribcage. Even angry, he took my breath away. I skirted him and shuffled to my desk, biding time. He followed, hot on my heels.
    “I wouldn’t have touched you if I’d known there was somebody else. I don’t play games, Tate.” He leaned past me and the silk of his shirt brushed my cheek. He grabbed the rose then twirled it in front of my nose. The venom I’d been eager to unleash on him melted when disappointment, or maybe sadness, flashed in his eyes.
    Wait. What? Somebody else? I snatched the flower from him. A thorn pricked my thumb. “Ouch.” I cussed under my breath, tossed the rose on my keyboard, and snagged a tissue to dab the blood. “That’s not from you?” I turned and gripped the edge of my desk for support. This was not the discussion I’d anticipated.
    With a quick glance at the door, Franklin brought our bodies flush, suffocated me in his heat and lowered his lips to tickle my cheek. “I don’t do roses. Too cliché.” He straightened and took a step back. “If I did, I wouldn’t be careless enough to give you one here and risk your job. Why would you think that was from me?” He looked honestly perplexed.
    Which only pissed me off.
    “Hmm, let’s see. For starters, to apologize, maybe?” I couldn’t loosen my death grip.
    His gaze raked my body. Up, then down, then up again. “What exactly would I be apologizing for? You kicked me out, remember?”
    Was he serious?
    “What for? What for ? Are you dense? For fooling me into trusting you. Getting me naked. Keeping secrets.” I turned to dig the evidence from my purse and shoved the photo into the palm of his hand. “For spying on me. God, how could I be so careless? How long exactly has this been going on, Mr. Reed? Don’t lie to me. I can’t take any more bullshit.”
    When I should’ve run for the door, I slumped into my chair, crossed my arms and legs simultaneously, and waited. I needed to hear his explanation.
    Franklin backed away, propped his shoulder against the wall and studied the pictures. “Is this why you threw me out?”
    “Yes.” I held my head high. “And the secret phone calls.”
    His gaze hardened. So did the knot in my gut. I wasn’t about to let him intimidate me. “Explain the photo please.”
    “This isn’t mine. I found it.”
    “Where?”
    “Next to your car, in the parking garage.” He shoved it into his pocket. “You’re right about one thing. Someone is spying on you. It sure as hell isn’t me. You can be damned sure I’ll find out who it is.”
    The angry heat that fueled my morning left my body in one swift gust, only to be replaced with ice cold panic.
    With a quick glance to the hallway, he came closer and lowered his voice. He paused and rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands. “Maybe not you. Maybe your neighbor. It makes more sense, considering the brutality of his