“You must have mistaken me for a lenient boss, Ms. Hayes. Let me remind you that I donottolerate errors. This is a law firm where everything must be perfect the first time around. If you can’t do something right, then there’s no room for you here.” Venom dripped from his every word. He cocked his head and dropped his gaze down my body like he was sizing me up. Raising his eyes back to my face, his lip curled in disgust. “Mess up again and Iwillpunish you.”
My smile fell, and I forgot how to breathe. Did Mr. Volkov really say he’d punish me? So many ways he could teach me a lesson went through my head, and none were appropriate for a boss and his assistant.
Mr. Volkov redirected his focus to his laptop and settled his right hand on his wireless mouse. Watching him, I concluded he was cruel. But there had to be some part of him that was soft and caring. There was no way someone who sat by my hospital bed and brought me home when I was discharged could be so full of hate. He had called me sunshine! I didn’t understand why he said that, but there had to be a reason.
Because there’s a sweet side to this man. I just have to bring it out of him.
Tucking a stray lock of hair behind my ear, I smiled and nodded. “It won’t happen again, sir. I pinky promise.”
Mr. Volkov skeptically peered at me as I held out my pinky for him to hook with his. “What are you doing?”
“I’m making a pinky promise.” I grinned and leaned closer to him while wiggling my finger. “Oh, don’t look at me like that, Mr. Volkov. It’s just a simple pact.”
He glared at me. “Knock it off.”
Lowering my hand, I pouted. “Okay.”
Mr. Volkov returned to his work, and I sighed. He peeked at me again from the corner of his eye, and a memory popped into my head. We were in a meeting room. He sat beside me while sipping his coffee and glared at me like he was doing now.
I swallowed hard, backed away from his desk, and sat on the black leather couch. It creaked under my weight, and I shifted awkwardly, averting my gaze from my grumpy boss.
I wasn’t sure what the plans were for the day and was too nervous to ask, so I sat there and pulled my laptop from its bag. Glancing at the law firm’s system, along with the calendar, I noticed a little note to myself about reserving a venue for the Christmas party in December. Looking at the date, I realized it was the end of November.
So much time had passed from what I last remembered.
The reality of it sank in and took root in my mind. My heart pounded faster, and a clammy sweat slicked my palms. I couldn’t think about it too much or I’d start panicking.
Taking deep breaths, I read through the notes until one stood out.
Buy Dimitri something nice for his birthday. Hereallylikes aged whiskey, but also bath bombs.
I scrolled down the note.
Confirm the reservation with Oak Day Spa. Appointment is on Saturday, December 2nd at 8:00 am.
I double-checked the date—even though I just looked—because I’d already forgotten. It was November 29th. So his appointment was in two days. It was by a stroke of luck that I checked the calendar and notes. A little smile came to my face as I reread the message.
It was nice to know that my boss liked to pamper himself with a bath bomb. It wasn’t every day I’d heard about a man liking that kind of stuff.
See! There’s a soft spot in Mr. Volkov. I just have to poke around until I find it.
He would love the spa treatment—at least, I hoped so.
I mentally high-fived my past self for thinking of something clever like that. Now I just had to get him to go to the appointment without saying no to me.
Peeking at him from beneath my lashes, I watched as Mr. Volkov sipped his coffee while he stared at the computer screen, scrolling through something with his mouse.
“Um, Mr. Volkov?” I called.
My boss tensed and slowly turned his head to look at me with a pinched expression.
I licked my lips. “Will I be staying with you for long?”
He scowled at me and set his coffee cup on the table. I could see the question in his gaze, unsure what I had meant.
“I mean, will I stay at your home much longer, or can I return to my place?” I rushed to explain.
He stared at me for fivelongheartbeats before he said, “You’ll be staying with me until your memories return.”
