Dirty Boss Read online

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Epilogue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Epilogue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Dirty Boss

  Crystal Kaswell

  Contents

  Also by Crystal Kaswell

  About This Book

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Epilogue

  Dirty Deal

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  42. Epilogue

  Tempting Teaser

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Also by Crystal Kaswell

  Acknowledgements

  Also by Crystal Kaswell

  Dirty Rich

  Dirty Deal - Blake

  Dirty Boss - Nick

  Dangerous Noise

  Dangerous Kiss - Ethan

  Dangerous Crush – Kit

  Dangerous Rock – Joel

  Dangerous Fling – Mal

  Dangerous Encore - series sequel

  Sinful Serenade

  Sing Your Heart Out - Miles

  Strum Your Heart Out - Drew

  Rock Your Heart Out - Tom

  Play Your Heart Out - Pete

  Sinful Ever After – series sequel

  Inked Hearts

  Tempting - Brendon

  Playing - Walker

  Pretending - Ryan - coming March 2018

  *more coming in 2018*

  Sign up for the Crystal Kaswell mailing list to get an exclusive deleted scene from Dirty Boss

  About This Book

  Phoenix Marlowe is a stuck-up suit. Everything is his way. His terms. His rules. And he has a lot of rules.

  Last names at the office.

  Work and play stay separate.

  And that night we spent together three months ago--the one burned into my brain--that night never happened.

  I need this job. I need him teaching me.

  I can do professional.

  In theory.

  But he keeps staring with those dark eyes. Running his fingers over my skin. Promising he’ll take care of anything I need.

  My dirty boss wants me.

  But only on his term.

  And those rules of his… they just might destroy me.

  *A full length standalone romance with a cocky alpha hero and a strong yet vulnerable heroine*

  Note from the author: Dirty Deal is included with your copy of Dirty Boss. Dirty Deal starts at 46% on your Kindle.

  Chapter One

  Today

  The elevator doors slide open. I take a deep breath, cultivating every ounce of badass I can muster. Either I nail this interview and get this internship, or I slink back to Stanford for dull classes and three thousand miles between me and everything I love.

  Here goes nothing.

  The woman sitting behind the reception desk is pure New York City cool. Slick straight black bob. Sleek red dress. Perfect makeup.

  "You must be Elizabeth Wilder. I'm Jasmine Lee, the office manager." She shakes my hand with a strong grip.

  "Lizzy."

  Jasmine smiles. "We mostly go by last
names here. It's a lot more formal than the Bay."

  She leads me through the modern office. It's sleeker than a typical San Francisco startup. Modern art hangs next to huge windows. The room glows with the soft January light.

  We stop in a corner office.

  Jasmine motions for me to sit in the leather executive chair. "I'm going to leave you with this programming test. Then Mr. Marlowe is going to come in and ask you a few questions."

  My stomach twists. Phoenix Marlowe is the company's CEO, a billionaire programming genius. How am I supposed to impress him?

  "He's excited to meet you. He couldn't stop talking about your AI projects." She points to the monitor, now displaying a programming test. "Good luck."

  She nods a goodbye on her way out the door.

  The second it clicks shut, my attention shifts to the computer screen.

  I get lost in the hard but doable questions.

  Until I hear his voice.

  That same voice I heard that night in San Francisco.

  "I hope I haven't surprised you," he says.

  That's him. It can't be possible, but that's him. I spin in my chair so we're eye to eye.

  What the hell is Nick doing here?

  "No," I say. "It's fine."

  He closes and locks the door. His gaze drifts to the résumé in his hands. It's like he doesn't recognize me. Maybe he has one-night stands all the time. Maybe it meant nothing to him.

  My head fills with the feeling of his body sinking into mine, the taste of whiskey on his lips, the smell of his cologne.

  He's wearing the same cologne today.

  His eyes flash with something. Anger, I think. He's hard to read.

  It's something. Something bad.

  He does recognize me. He must.

  His voice is rough. "Who is Marie?"

  I take a deep breath. "My middle name. And Nick?"

  "Phoenix. My friends call me Nick."

  "I didn't realize." I press my hand against the slick surface of the desk. "I'm sure this kind of thing has happened before."

  His eyes narrow. "No."

  "But you're very—"

  "I don't go around fucking college students." He places my résumé on the desk and takes a seat behind it.

  "I don't go around fucking billionaire programmers." My nostrils flare. My heart pounds. Anger fills my veins. As much as it hurts, meaning nothing to him, I need this opportunity. It's the only way I can stay near Kat. And Kat's the only person I trust. I clear my throat. "Can we start over?"

  Frustration spreads across his face. "This project means everything to me."

  "Your assistant, Ms. Lee—"

  "She's not my assistant."

  "Whatever she is, she told me how impressed you were by my board game bots. Is that true?"

  "Yes." He stares at me like he's expecting me to back down.

  I don't.

  "Your programming skills are not up to the standards of Odyssey Industries. Your code is sloppy and inefficient."

  "You didn't even look at my programming test."

  He taps the monitor.

  "You can see the test on your computer, can't you?"

  Nick nods. His eyes meet mine, and his expression shifts. It's softer. "You're stubborn and overconfident."

  "I am not." Objecting doesn't help my case. But he's wrong.

  "I'd like to hire you, Ms. Wilder. You're the only candidate with any grasp of artificial intelligence." Nick stares back at me. "But there are other issues to consider."

  "I fucked the boss, so I'm shit out of luck?"

  His expression is impossible to read.

  "Are you even going to deny it?" I will myself to stay logical. This is a good opportunity. Not worth wasting over a romantic connection, not when there are three million men in Manhattan.

  It doesn't help.

  I can't look at Nick for another second. How can this be the same man I met last September? That man was calm and collected, but there was warmth in his eyes. His voice was stern and strong, but it was caring too.

  This guy is a narcissistic asshole.

  I push myself out of my seat. "I'll spare you the awkwardness of explaining it to HR." I sling my purse over my shoulder and march to the door.

  "Lizzy, wait."

  That's not happening. Not when there's a tear welling up in my eye. This opportunity is everything to me and it's nothing to him.

  There's no way I'm staying in New York.

  Dammit, I'm not crying in front of him.

  Head down, I rush to the elevator. Jasmine says a frantic goodbye, but I pretend I don't hear her.

  There are footsteps behind me. I can't bring myself to turn and find out if they belong to Nick. I duck into the staircase and race all the way to the first floor.

  I disappear into the Wall Street subway station.

  My sister, Kat, lives with her fiancé Blake Sterling on the Upper East Side. He's wealthy. If I tell him about this internship, he'll offer me the money to stay in New York.

  But I'm not accepting help from either of them. Kat spent the last four years taking care of me. For once, she's going to live her life. I'm going to stand on my own two feet. Even if it kills me.

  I collapse on the modern black couch and scan my streaming options. All the sci-fi movies make me think about Nick's project. The Haley Bot (named for Hal, the evil computer in 2001: A Space Odyssey) is a virtual assistant far beyond any of its competitors. It's an amazing AI project. It's the best opportunity I'll ever have to learn about AI.

  This internship is the only way I can stay in New York without dropping out of school.

  I can swallow my pride, apologize, and convince Nick to keep our relationship professional.

  But I'm not so sure I can be around him without melting into a pile of desire.

  Chapter Two

  Three months ago

  Happy freaking birthday.

  September in San Francisco sucked.

  Everything in the Bay area sucked. My Stanford dorm room was tiny. My roommate hated me. Some of my classmates were receptive to my let's hang out and study suggestions, but none of them got me.

  My friend from high school—the one who had moved to San Francisco to pursue a music career—was supposed to join me for a birthday dinner.

  But her cancellation text sat there on my phone. Sorry, Lizzy. I can't make it. Happy Birthday XOXO.

  Raindrops dotted my screen. I slid my phone back into my purse. To protect it. Or maybe myself. I wasn't good with feelings. Or disappointment. Code? Yeah. I could ace any test. But figuring out if the guy sitting next to me wanted to study or wanted to study? I had no idea how to do that.

  I scanned the dark city. The downtown skyline looked less impressive up close. Like some cheap imitation of Manhattan. I never loved Manhattan the way Kat did, but I appreciated its prominence. New Yorkers made sense to be. The weird combination of preppy, laid back, smug, chill, and money-worshiping—the Bay made no sense to me.

  I stepped under the red awning of a massive hotel. One with gold doors and clean windows.

  There he was, all tall, dark, and handsome, standing on the sidewalk with a wide stance, his shoulders pulled back, his gaze on his cell phone.

  Without a word, he slid his suit jacket off his shoulders and offered it to me.

  A stranger offering me his coat.

  That was an invitation, wasn't it?

  Like those guys who raised their eyebrows after they said study.

  My eyes fixed on his. They were dark. Like coffee. And just as rich and bold.

  He was the perfect way to spend my birthday.

  I could even flirt a little. In theory.

  I stared back into his beautiful eyes. "I can't take your jacket."

  "Why not?"

  I rubbed my fingers over the fabric. It was a finely woven wool. Expensive. "I don't know you."

  "I'm Nick."

  We shook hands.

  He was clearly rich and important. There was no way I
'd ever see him again. Better to give him my middle name.

  "Marie." I slung the jacket over my shoulders. It was thick. Warm. And comforting in another way. It was a way to try on a role for the night. Marie, the confident, bold girl who accepts strangers' jackets and invitations for one-night stands.

  "I'm going inside for a drink." He pulled the door open as if to invite me.

  I nodded a thank you and followed him to a booth in the corner of the lounge.

  The walls were cream, the lights were soft, the furniture was purple. It wasn't the kind of place I'd expect to see a guy like Nick.

  His deep brown eyes fixed on mine. "What brought you into the city today?"

  "How do you know I'm not a local?"

  He gave me a long once-over. "People in San Francisco rarely wear—"

  "Tight dresses and heels?"

  "Not on this side of town."

  "I got that impression." My gaze drifted to the dark carpet. "It's my birthday."

  He looked back at me. "Is it?"

  "What? You think that's a line I use to get guys to buy me drinks?"