Autumn - In Love With My Boss (An Office Romance)| Completed

Prologue

I'm screwed. I'm so screwed. I really don't know what to do. But maybe I should start from the beginning to fill you in, so you can understand just how screwed I am. Okay. My name is Autumn. I'm quite the ordinary girl. In my twenty-six years on this earth I haven't done much that would make me special or stand out from the crowd. I had a normal childhood, finished high school, went to college, got a degree in Business and found a job with an event management company. So far, so boring, right? But now, let's get to the point where I'm seriously screwed.

You see, I share an apartment with my boyfriend, and I should be thrilled about it. But I'm not. Before we moved in together, everything was perfect. Or, as close to perfect as a real life relationship could be. I stopped comparing my love life to all those cheesy movies and books early on because they're just, well, fiction. And fiction is always more pleasant and perfect than real life, am I right? It's got nothing to do with what we all have to face day to day. There is no Mr. Right who knows exactly what you need and when you need it. So, instead of waiting for that fictitious man to enter my life, I just decided it would be best to choose a guy as ordinary as me. That's Mike.

Mike is a good guy. I met him in college. There were at least three other girls who wanted him but he picked me. Why? I honestly don't know. I'm not particularly tall like Danielle, the pretty brunette who stubbornly pursued him, nor do I have long, soft, golden hair like Tammie, his roommate's sister, nor do I have a body to die for, like Clarisse, the gorgeous cheerleader every boy lusted after. No. As I believe I said before, I'm quite the ordinary girl. Long black hair with bangs, I'm somewhat short, and every time I look into the mirror I see a girl staring back at me who definitely doesn't look my age; she seems much younger. And yet, Mike preferred me for some inexplicable reason. So, I'm rather lucky, am I not?

He is handsome with his blonde, wavy hair and green eyes that make you feel comfortable in an instant. And he is kind; he doesn't yell or treat me badly. Ever. He is patient and understands when I have a bad day and want to be left alone. Well, or so he did until recently. See, this is where we get to the part where my ordinary life starts to break apart.

He is a cheater. After five years of being with him, I accidentally read his text messages on his cell phone. Oh wait, stop right there. I know what you're thinking. Accidentally? You spied on him, took his phone and read the text!

No, I didn't. He had left his phone on the nightstand, on my side of the bed. In the middle of the night the freaking thing woke me and, out of habit, I grabbed it to check the message. That's what I do with my phone, too. Don't you? So, here we go.

Mike, I can't stop thinking about our lunch break. Your hands are amazing, Baby. Let's meet up again soon. XOXO

And? After reading this, wouldn't you have gone through all his other messages, too? Yeah. I thought so. So don't judge me. The texts were all the same. You are so hot, let's repeat that sometime, your kisses drive me wild.. blah blah. The usual cheater conversations. I guess you're wondering now why I'm still with him, and I have to admit that I don't have an answer for that. I'm hurt, deeply. I can't look at him without feeling a dagger being pushed right through my heart. And yet, I can't leave, I'm not ready to let him go. Yes, I'm pathetic like that. But wait, it gets even better, I can top that. Oh boy, can I top that. Little old ordinary pathetic me doesn't only hang on to an already broken relationship, no, she also has those ridiculous butterflies messing up her stomach whenever she is at work. Before you ask, Mike is not the reason. Mike and I don't work for the same company, although we have a similar job. No, it's not unfaithful Mike. It's my boss.

Didn't I mention I was pathetic? If you needed any proof, there you are. Handed to you on a silver platter. The funny thing is that he is so out of my league it isn't even funny. Normally, men like him don't phase me a bit but there's something about him that ... Oh I don't know how to describe it. Unique? Special? Those words don't seem to even come close to describing him. The first time I saw him I thought he was a client - one of those incredibly successful models the company often caters to. I think I don't need to mention that he is gorgeous, do I? Well, just in case you don't get the picture - he is. He is beautiful. Never in my life have I seen eyes like this. Blue. And not just any blue. Steel. Ice. His looks pierce right through you. He can be in the opposite corner of the huge conference room, sitting behind you, but you will still know when he looks at you. You can feel it. And when he enters the office in the morning, the entire atmosphere shifts. He has that kind of presence.

It's not just me. Of course not. A man like him doesn't go unnoticed. Sandy from finances makes big long-lashed moon-eyes at him, and Carla, the receptionist, has changed her wardrobe drastically since he took the position of CEO a little more than a year ago. Her clothes underwent a dramatic, um, cut, if you know what I mean. I think he noticed; at least, he's been awarding her candor with rather approving glances. No wonder. She is stunning, her legs have got to be every man's dream. And the way she presents her daringly low-cut necklines... Oh, how I hate her.

Wait. No, actually that's not true. She's a nice person, she's always been friendly and helpful. And she is so beautiful. If I'm completely honest with you, I have to confess that my animosity towards her is nothing more than jealousy. I want to be like her, I want to be the sexy girl at the reception desk catching the boss's flattering gazes. But I'm not. I'm his plain, mousy assistant who for the most part is invisible to him. He never talks to me longer than necessary, and when he does, he barely even looks at me. To him I'm almost nonexistent. And don't say I'm exaggerating because more often than not he confuses my name. He's been calling me Miss Curtis for the past few weeks, even though I reminded him that my name was Lewis on countless occasions until I just gave up. He can't remember my name. He just can't remember me. Who can blame him, though? He is incredibly attractive and can have any woman he wants, which he does by the way, so why would he waste his precious time with someone like me? Well, but dreaming about it doesn't hurt, right?

Yes, I have a crush on him. A huge crush. I've fallen so hard I don't think I can ever get back up.

I know I'm a hypocrite for still feeling betrayed by the one person I'm sharing my bed with when my thoughts are with another man. Believe me, I don't want to be like this. I don't want to have that fluttery feeling in my gut whenever my boss is in the same room with me, whenever I hear his voice, whenever someone says his name. I'm no better than Mike. Although I have to add that my... should I call it infatuation ... happened after I found out about Mike's flings. However, that doesn't make it right. I should leave him, tell him to move out. After all, it's my apartment. But I can't. I know I can never have a man like my boss and God knows I'm not the type of girl turning heads. If Mike leaves, what will I have left? That's right. Nothing. And, moreover, he and I have a bond. We share so many memories, he is a big part of my life and I don't want to say goodbye to this. He is all I have, he is all I know. I have to be realistic and hold on to what I have instead of dreaming my life away, even if that means that I have to tolerate his escapades. He's a man, after all. If he needs this, then be it. I'll deal with it. What I cannot deal with is the effect my boss has on me.