My Ruthless Boss Wants to Be My Husband

When my younger ex-boyfriend called me on video again, putting on that needy act, my boss, Ethan Blackwood, finally snapped. “Disgusting! Get out. Right. This. Second!” Following the golden rule of office survival—never piss off the boss—I grabbed my phone and scrambled to leave. “Mr. Blackwood! Calm down!” But just as I tried to go, Ethan pinned me against the wall. “After all this time listening in on you, isn’t it my turn to get some hands-on experience?” I stood at the head of the long conference table, presenting Sterling Group’s latest overseas acquisition proposal. Only after I finished the very last word did I let myself breathe. I looked at Ethan Blackwood, seated at the opposite end. His features were sharp, his long fingers folded together. His tailored suit made him look effortlessly distinguished. Catching my gaze, he gave a slight nod. Only then did the knot in my stomach finally loosen. I returned to the seat beside him. The faint upward curve of his lips told me he was in an excellent mood. Even after we returned to the office, I couldn’t contain my excitement. After several years at Sterling, I’d handled a project this important on my own. Of course I was thrilled. “Claire, that presentation was incredible! You really made Sterling look good!” “Claire never lets us down! You’re buying us coffee to celebrate, right?” “Absolutely!” I said, just as excited as they were. “Order whatever you want today. My treat!” Amid my coworkers’ cheers and congratulations, I returned to my office. The internal line rang the moment I sat down. I quickly composed myself, switching into model-employee mode. “Mr. Blackwood, what can I do for you?” There was a brief silence. “You’re buying everyone coffee except me?” “Huh? Don’t you hate that stuff? You called it junk food.” If this hadn’t been the internal line, I would have thought I’d answered the wrong call. Was this really our resident tyrant? A low chuckle came through the receiver. “You did very well today. I’m keeping my promise.” “Really?” “Yes. We’ll go grocery shopping in a bit.” Then he hung up. Now that got me excited. While I was preparing the proposal, Ethan had promised that if he couldn’t find a single flaw, he’d personally cook me a celebration dinner. I calmed myself, stood, and stretched. Looking down at the bustling city through the floor-to-ceiling windows, I knew perfectly well that I owed much of my success to Ethan. I’d joined Sterling at twenty-one, fresh out of college, and fought hard to land the position of executive secretary. Back then, Ethan was already a force in the business world at twenty-six. Next to him, I’d been a clueless kid. I’d gone from wearing flats to walking effortlessly in heels. From getting torn apart by Ethan and hiding in my office to complain about him on my private Instagram, to having him trust me with entire projects. We’d developed an unspoken understanding. I was glad that, in three years, I hadn’t disappointed the man who had guided me—or myself. A knock sounded, followed by his cool voice. “Let’s go.” I snapped out of my thoughts. “Coming, Mr. Blackwood.”We’d finished buying groceries and were almost at his apartment when Ethan’s phone rang. My secretary instincts kicked in, and I reached for his bags, but he moved them away. “They’re heavy. Get my phone.” “Of course!” Worried the call would end, I fumbled around so much that it probably looked like I was feeling him up. Ethan’s expression shifted. “You’re hopeless. Inside pocket.” Great. Now it really looked like I was taking advantage of him. I pulled out his phone. It was a video call from his younger brother. The moment Noah Blackwood saw me, he piped up. “Well, look who it is! My future sister-in-law! Where’s my brother?” “Noah! Stop calling me that!” His complete lack of a filter never failed to amaze me. Teasing each other in private was one thing, but hearing that in front of Ethan made me strangely shy. I was about to turn the phone toward Ethan when he leaned down first, bringing his face level with my shoulder. The sight of his brother’s stony expression instantly straightened Noah out. He cleared his throat. “Ethan, where are you? I’m back in the country. Why didn’t you pick me up?” “Just got home. I’m cooking for her.” Noah’s eyes nearly popped out when he heard that Ethan was cooking—and at his own apartment, no less. He actually started stammering. “Y-you and… Claire are together? You’re living together?” “No, no!” I rushed to explain. “Today’s project went really well, so Mr. Blackwood promised to cook me a celebration dinner.” Seriously, this spoiled younger brother just said whatever came into his head. Did he want to get me fired? “What? Ethan’s cooking himself? Then I’m coming too. I’ll be right there!” He hung up before either of us could respond. I looked at Ethan awkwardly, wondering if I should explain. He merely gave me a cold glance and walked ahead. For the first time, I felt uncomfortable standing at his door. It wasn’t as if I’d never been there before. But after years of working with him, I knew that look meant he was unhappy. Why, I had no idea. We worked together seamlessly, but his personal moods remained a mystery. His apartment was all clean lines and black, white, and gray. The floors gleamed. Ethan was a germaphobe, so I waited by the entrance for him to change his shoes and hand me shoe covers. “There are slippers in the cabinet. Help yourself.” Without looking back, he headed into the kitchen.I opened the cabinet. Among rows of custom-made leather shoes sat a very out-of-place pair of pale pink slippers with cartoon sheep. Why did he have slippers exactly like the ones I kept at the office? I sat at the kitchen island and watched him put away the groceries before disappearing into his bedroom. Eating ice cream, I silently counted to sixty. Right on cue, I heard the faint sound of running water. Sure enough, he was taking a shower. Seriously, he had to shower the second he got home. I moved from the chair to the couch and curled up with my phone. A while later, I heard movement. When I looked up, I froze. Fresh from the shower, Ethan had let his hair fall over his forehead. He looked less severe than he did with it swept back at work. A gorgeous man straight out of the shower really was hard to look away from. I didn’t recover until he stopped in front of me, apron in hand. “Tie this for me.” He sounded almost amused. “Huh? Oh… sure.” Very smooth, Claire. Ethan’s good looks were common knowledge. There were even people online who said he should have become an actor like Noah. But I’d spent years working beside him. How was his face still doing this to me? He turned his back. Just as I reached for the apron strings, the doorbell rang. I jogged over, opened the door, then came right back to finish tying his apron without looking behind me. Noah’s energetic voice rang out from the doorway. “Ethan! I’m here! I brought food—and a friend!” Sunglasses, a mask, a baseball cap. The standard uniform of a rising star. As Noah changed his shoes, he saw me tying his brother’s apron. Where I couldn’t see, he shot Ethan a look that practically screamed, I ship it. “Ryan, this is my brother, Ethan Blackwood. And that gorgeous woman is his secretary, Claire Bennett.” “Ethan, Claire, this is my friend, Ryan Hayes.” Ethan nodded and went into the kitchen. Noah set everything on the coffee table, then looked up to find Ryan still standing at the entrance, staring at me. “Ryan? Why are you just standing there staring at Claire?” Getting no response, Noah went over and looked between his friend and me in confusion. “Wait. Do you two know each other?” “No,” I said. “Of course we do,” Ryan said. We spoke at the same time and gave completely different answers. Even Ethan stopped chopping vegetables and came out of the kitchen. He walked over to me. “What’s wrong?” “Nothing.” I smiled. “Why don’t I help you in the kitchen?” Ethan looked toward Ryan. Their eyes met, and his brow tightened. Watching his brother’s expression, Noah seemed to realize that even if there hadn’t been a problem before… there certainly was now.“Why did you say you didn’t know me?” Ryan crouched in front of me, one knee on the floor. “We broke up ages ago. Why would I say I do?” Honestly, I was annoyed. I didn’t like running into exes. The feelings had been real, which was exactly why a clean break was best. That shut him up. He lowered his head and stayed silent for a long time. He was too close. I tried to stand and put some distance between us, but Ryan caught my arm, pulled me back onto the couch, and wrapped his arms around me. Before I could push him away, he spoke, his voice thick with tears. “I know I messed up… I won’t do it again. Please forgive me?” “No. You’re a celebrity now. Watch how you behave.” His eyes were red as he lifted his head, unwilling to accept that answer. He lowered his voice. “Why? I never agreed to break up!” Another voice cut him off. Ethan’s. “Claire Bennett. Wash your hands. Dinner.” Ethan had taken off his apron and was sitting at the head of the table. His brows were drawn together, his lips pressed tight. He’d used my full name. His fingers tapped steadily against the tabletop… Crap. He was in a terrible mood. I washed my hands at lightning speed and hurried to the seat at the far end of the table. His frown deepened. “Sit over here.” “Sure thing.” What employee would dare refuse? Ethan swept a glance over Noah, who immediately wilted. His brother was the one person he was truly afraid of, and he was clearly furious… Noah hadn’t known Ryan knew me. Otherwise, why would he have brought him? Knowing me was one thing, but coming back from washing his hands to find his friend hugging his brother’s secretary? Nobody was more shocked than Noah. Apparently, a thousand possibilities had flashed through his mind. Ryan was a public figure. This wasn’t something he could do lightly. Then he’d felt a chill down his back and found his brother staring at him with ice in his eyes. If looks could kill, Noah would already have been reincarnated. Noah cleared his throat. Ryan was still on the couch with his head lowered. Noah looked like he wanted to kick him for keeping something this huge a secret. Through gritted teeth, he said, “Dinner, Ryan.”