Your boss can’t also be your friend
YOUR BOSS CAN’T ALSO BE YOUR FRIEND
Wyatt
The door had barely shut behind Brynn when Raf spoke. “Were you planning on telling me that you’d broken my number one rule?”
“In fact, I was.”
“When? Before your service with her ended, or after? Because I’m assuming this didn’t all happen after you were shot.”
His tone was even, but I knew him well enough to know he was pissed.
His tone was always curt and to the point whenever he was well and truly pissed off.
I wasn’t sure if it was from his upper-class breeding or because he’d been told to never show emotions, but it was a trait he always wielded to his advantage.
“It happened in Tahoe.” I wasn’t going to lie to him.
“That’s when we crossed the line, although feelings had been growing on both sides from the start.
” At least for me. I wasn’t entirely sure when Brynn’s feelings started.
I knew she’d been sexually attracted to me early on—catching her with my name on her lips while she masturbated had given that one away.
But it was clear in Tahoe that what we had was more than just attraction.
There was a bone-deep chemistry between us that had been impossible to deny.
“I’ll resign,” I said.
“You sure you want to give this up for her? She could drop you tomorrow and then what would you have?”
His response surprised me. “You mean, you aren’t firing me?”
He moved over to the chair Brynn had occupied and dropped down, his body seemingly weighted down with the burdens he carried.
He rubbed a hand over his face. “I should. I absolutely should fire you immediately for breach of contract at the bare minimum, but no, Wyatt. I wouldn’t fire you.
If you want to leave on your own accord, I can’t stop you.
But I do want you to ask yourself if she’s worth it.
You know what comes with being with her? ”
Yeah, I knew. I’d been living it in the background, watching the chaos she had to deal with on a daily basis. It had only shown me how strong she really was to put up with that day in and day out. I knew our relationship would bring an even more insane deluge of media coverage.
I also knew she was worth it, and that she deserved to have someone who wanted her for her. Someone who didn’t care about her money, her fame, or anything else. Just her.
Raf frowned, but before he could scold me anymore I had one critical question.
“Who was it?”
“That shot you?” At my nod, he continued. “Her name is Eliza.”
My eyes widened. “It was a woman?” While not unheard of, it was certainly rare, especially in this case. Women stalkers usually stalked men, not other women.
“She’s a crazed fan of Brynn’s ex. She didn’t like that Brynn hurt him.” He rolled his eyes. We both knew how the media had let that one play out. Despite both parties saying it was an amicable split, he’d let rumors circulate that Brynn had broken his heart.
“You got her? For real this time.”
He winced but nodded. “The fans around her tackled her to the ground once they realized what she’d tried to do. They didn’t take kindly to her trying to kill their favorite singer.”
Brynn was so much more than that, but I wasn’t going to argue about semantics. I was just grateful the whole ordeal was done. I didn’t doubt there might be others in the future, but at least this one we could put firmly behind us.
“She confessed to everything like she was some martyr standing up for a cause. Her brother-in-law is a celebrity photographer who’d been following Brynn closely.
That’s how she knew about the studio and the hotel Brynn was staying at.
But charges are being filed for attempted murder since she actually took a shot at Brynn.
With her confession, there’s no doubt she’ll serve time.
Even though there’s no longer a direct threat, Stella has requested Carmichael Security stay on as Brynn’s protection for the foreseeable future. ”
Raf stood up and brushed his hand down his already straight tie. His tailored suit was immaculate as always, but the frown on his usually neutral face was rare. “If you’re serious about this, I’ll need your formal resignation in writing for HR.”
“I’ll get it to you.” He’d said he wasn’t going to fire me, but he knew I wouldn’t stay anyway. My place was beside Brynn now, not as her bodyguard, but as her partner.
“And you’re sure?” There was a note of something in his voice, like this was the end of a chapter he wasn’t ready to close. And I suppose it was. We’d worked together most of our adult lives. He’d saved my ass probably as many times as I’d saved his.
I kept my tone soft, but my voice loud and clear. “I’ve never been more sure.”
He nodded once and clapped me gently on the shoulder. Then he walked to the door, but stopped with his hand on the handle. He turned his face back to me, a sly grin on his face. “Invite me to the wedding, yeah?”
I smiled wide. “Will do, brother.”
He opened the door and stepped back to make room for Brynn. “He’s all yours,” he said to her before he walked out without another backward glance.
Brynn stared at the now closed door before she looked back at me. “Is everything okay?”
I patted the mattress next to my leg as she came over and sat down, but that wasn’t close enough for my liking, so I pulled her down until she was snuggled next to me. The bed was a tad too small for both of us, especially with my big frame, but we made it work.
“He knows,” I said in answer to her question. She tilted her head back to look at me better, her beautiful green eyes wide and filled with worry. But before she could say anything, I kept going. “I told him I’m resigning from Carmichael.”
“What? No, Wyatt, you can’t do that. You love that job—”
“I love you more,” I cut her off.
Her eyes filled with tears. “I love you too, but I don’t want you to someday resent me because you had to quit the job you loved.”
“I won’t.”
“How do you know?”
The answer was easy, but one I’d never admitted out loud. “Because I never loved that job. It fell in my lap when I needed something, and I was good at it, so I kept doing it. But it was just a job, and I’ll get another one. Maybe I can do something with my wood carvings like you suggested.”
She smiled and then snuggled against me. Her delicate fingers traced over my chest. “So if you’re not my bodyguard anymore, then what are you?”
I smiled, and despite the pain from my gunshot wound, I felt whole in a way I never had. “I’m yours.”