Chapter 48

“Welcome to Shalhoub and Sons Electronics Repair, where electronics enter broken but leave with the shine of the new and improved,” Gracie’s bored voice droned.

She had her legs propped up on the glass display case that she sat behind, and her gaming console in her hands.

At the sound of the bell hanging over the door to shop tingling, she was required to utter the standard Shalhoub and Sons welcome notice.

She said the words, all right. But she’d be damned if she actually made an effort to put some enthusiasm in them.

“What electronic device of yours needs to be reborn to the light of the twenty-first century?” Gracie continued, tapping buttons on her console.

“I kissed him.”

Gracie looked up.

Octavia stood before the counter, breathing heavily. Sweat trickled down her forehead. She looked like she had been running.

“Okay,” Gracie said, “gonna need a little more information than that.”

Octavia groaned and flopped onto a nearby chair.

“I kissed my boss, Gracie,” Octavia started. “No, actually, he kissed me. But then I kissed him back.”

Gracie pressed ‘pause’ on her game and set the console on the counter. She glanced at the clock on the opposite wall.

“Aren’t you supposed to be at work?” Gracie asked.

“I was,” Octavia said, “and then I kissed him! I mean…he kissed me first, but I kissed him back,” she rambled.

“And then I think I actually agreed to be fuck buddies with my boss. My boss who I hate. Except I don’t hate him as much now—and yeah, I actually fucking kissed him!”

Octavia bent over and dropped her head into her hands. “I left his office…and just…I don’t know…panicked. So I came here.”

“Interesting,” Gracie said. “So what do you want from me?”

Octavia’s head snapped up. “Your opinion. Was I wrong to kiss him back?”

“Probably,” Gracie said, “you both crossed a million lines in the realm of employer-employee conduct.”

Octavia groaned and buried her face in her hands again.

“Did you want to?” Gracie asked.

Octavia looked up. “Huh?”

“Did you want to?” Gracie repeated. “Did you want to kiss him?”

Octavia paused. “I hadn’t…thought about it. I mean, not seriously. He’s an attractive man, of course, so it did cross my mind what it would be like to be sexually involved with him.”

Octavia frowned. “But those were just fleeting, random thoughts. I didn’t walk into his office hoping to make out with him or something. But when he kissed me…well, I didn’t mind it.”

Octavia sighed. “He’s a really good kisser.”

Gracie picked her gaming console up off the counter. “Then what’s the problem?”

Octavia sighed again. “I shouldn’t have. He’s my boss. And for the longest time, I kinda hated him.”

“You don’t have to like someone to kiss them,” Gracie said.

“That’s true,” Octavia agreed. “I do like him. Well, that’s an overstatement. I…enjoy his company. Sometimes.”

“He is handy for when you get mugged or lost in snowstorms,” Gracie said.

“He’s also the reason I end up in places where I’d get mugged or lost in snowstorms,” Octavia added.

“Either way,” Gracie said, “we’ve established that you liked kissing him. I fail to see where the problem is.”

“You know what? You’re right,” Octavia said, “and I won’t be his employee much longer. I don’t see why we can’t be fuck buddies.”

“There you go,” Gracie said, “as long as it doesn’t turn into anything more for either one of you.”

Octavia made a sound between a laugh and a snort.

“That’s not a problem. I can admit to wanting to sleep with him—for obvious reasons. He is a man, after all. An unbelievably gorgeous man at that. And dammit, women have needs.”

“I’ll pretend those words mean something to me,” Gracie said, tapping buttons on her game, “but what about on his end? Does he really know that it’s totally casual?”

“He does,” Octavia said. “I mean…I think he does. I said as much, and he didn’t disagree.”

“That’s convincing,” Gracie said.

“I’m sure that’s what it will come to,” Octavia said with a shrug. “It’s probably just his warped sense of power that makes him think he wants me.”

“Oh?” Gracie said.

“You said something like it yourself. He wants to see me submit to him or something. Or he’s still trying to neutralize a threat.

“Either way, it’s all to get me under his control and establish himself as the dominant male. Some borderline toxic masculinity thing, I think.”

“Well, if that’s all worked out then, what do you need my input for?” Gracie said.

Octavia frowned. “Do you think I should do this?”

Gracie looked up from her game. “You want my opinion on whether or not you should fuck your boss?”

Octavia gave her a sheepish smile. “Yes?”

Gracie smirked. “Do what you want, Octavia. You’re an adult.”

Octavia grinned and stood. “And that is why we’re friends, Gracie.”

“Because I don’t really give a shit about your love life?” Gracie said.

“Precisely.” Octavia started for the door. “Now I have to make it back to the office. He ordered me to be there when he was done with his meeting.”

“That sounds like a good start to a healthy relationship,” Gracie said.

“NOT a relationship,” Octavia interjected, “it’s a…fuck-with-ship.”

Gracie smiled. “I’m so glad I don’t have to deal with things like that.”