My Boss, His Cat, and Me

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A cat suddenly jumped into the boss's lap during the video conference. Everyone's eyes collectively shifted to my screen. Because a minute ago, this exact same cat had been sound asleep in my camera frame.

I opened my mouth, desperate to explain.

Alaric's long fingers casually massaged the back of the cat's neck. His dark, intensely intimidating eyes stared straight into the camera, his voice low and gravelly. "Be a good boy. Go find your mommy."

I wanted the ground to swallow me whole.

Chapter 1

Moving in with my boss, Alaric, was a complete accident.

I was just a newly hired, full-time assistant in his company's project department. The kind of nobody whose name wasn't even worth taking up space in his brain. But I had a side hustle. Pet sitting.

It was a regular weekend. I took a job on the app, hauled my carrier to the client's place, and had just finished giving the cat a bath when the front door clicked open behind me. I turned around and locked eyes with Alaric, who had just returned from a business trip.

My entire body went rigid.

Of all the apartments in the city, I had to be pet-sitting for the CEO. I forced myself to keep breathing.

He doesn't know me. He doesn't remember me, I chanted in my head. I dropped my gaze, pretending to be extremely busy blow-drying the cat.

The second I flipped off the dryer, Alaric stepped right beside me. He was wearing a dark silk shirt with the top two buttons undone, faintly outlining the firm lines of his chest. His towering frame closed in on me, carrying a heavy, intimidating presence. The scent of cedar mixed with high-end custom cologne instantly wrapped around me.

I didn't have the luxury of admiring the view. I quickly tilted my head, letting my hair fall forward to hide my face.

"Was it you the last few times, too?" he asked.

I gave a stiff nod. My nails dug into my palms.

I had been here multiple times and never realized it was the boss's penthouse!

"You do good work," he stated. A brief assessment before dropping the bomb. "Are you open to a long-term arrangement?"

"Excuse me?"

"This cat is difficult to handle. If it weren't" He paused, cutting himself off.

"Forget it. Simply put, I need someone to take care of him full-time."

"Preferably a live-in situation. Name your price. Are you in?"

My brain short-circuited. "Like a live-in nanny?"

A low chuckle rumbled in his chest. "If you want to frame it that way, sure."

I bit my lip. "But I already have a job."

"I know you do," he said smoothly. "You're Connor's assistant in the project department, aren't you? I remember you, Josie."

My lungs forgot how to work. Hearing my name drop from his lips hit me like a physical blow.

The absolute shock left my limbs entirely numb.

He continued, "You'll go to the office during the day as usual, and stay here at night to take care of the cat. It won't interfere with your schedule."

"But but" I stumbled, desperate for an out.

Alaric stepped slightly closer, his tone turning dangerously casual. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but company policy strictly forbids moonlighting, doesn't it?"

Reality slapped me in the face.

The whole reason I dreaded running into him was that I couldn't afford to lose my newly permanent position.

It was half-threat, half-seduction. "Stay and take care of him, and I'll pretend I never saw you on that app."

I had zero leverage. I nodded. And just like that, I moved in with Alaric.

Or rather, with his cat, Waffles.

Chapter 2

His cat's name was Waffles. According to Alaric, Waffles was arrogant, completely antisocial, a midnight howler, and a vicious scratcher. He pressed down hard on that last word. Clearly, there was some deep-seated resentment there.

I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from laughing. It reminded me of a rumor going around the office during my early internship. For a while, Alaric had been coming in with suspicious scratches on his neck and forearms.

A guy like himpowerful, perpetually stern, and unapproachablesuddenly sporting what looked like wild love marks? The entire office was losing their minds in private group chats. People swore his secret girlfriend was aggressively marking her territory, sending a physical warning to everyone else to back off. Others were just amazed he had the stamina to go at it all night and still crush meetings until midnight.

The gossip had been relentless.

Turns out, the ruthless CEO was just losing turf wars to a cat.

Before I could fully compose my face, Alaric spoke. "I have a video conference tonight. Keep him out of my way."

I nodded, accepting the sacred mission. I figured it would be an easy gig. But right before his meeting kicked off, my mentor, Connor, texted me.

[Log into this room at 8. Fought hard to get you permission to shadow. Pay attention.]

I stared at the meeting ID on my phone, then at the peacefully sleeping Waffles on the rug. My stomach dropped.

Of course my two worlds were going to violently collide on day one.

I typed back a quick

[Got it],

dragged my laptop to the absolute farthest corner of the room from Waffles, and joined the call.

The host announced the start of the meeting.

The very next second, a groggy Waffles strutted straight into my camera frame.

The host abruptly stopped talking. Half a dozen upper-management executives looked up at their screens. Every single pair of eyes zeroed in on the cat.

Waffles stopped dead center in the frame, completely unbothered by the sudden heavy attention. He flopped onto his belly with a soft thud and went right back to sleep.

Panic spiked in my chest. "I'm so sorry, let me just move him"

Before I could even push my chair back, Alaric's voice cut through the speakers. "It's fine. Let him sleep."

When the CEO speaks, people listen. The executives quickly chimed in with awkward praises about how cute he was, and the meeting moved on.

For the first ten minutes, my eyes were glued to Waffles. Luckily, he just slept. My shoulders slowly dropped from my ears, and I started actually listening to the meeting.

Connor's turn to present came up. Suddenly, mid-sentence, he went completely silent.

I frowned and glanced at the screen.

Out of nowhere, there was a cat in Alaric's video feed.

Resting perfectly comfortably right against his chest.

Absolute silence gripped the call.

Then, in perfect unison, everyone's eyes shifted back to my square.

My breath hitched. I slowly turned my head toward the corner of my room.

The spot where Waffles had been sleeping was empty. He was gone.

He had wandered straight into Alaric's office.

My brain scrambled, frantically trying to string together words to explain this massive, career-ending misunderstanding.

The cat in Alaric's arms shifted restlessly and let out two loud meows.

My heart jammed into my throat.

Just like he always did, Alaric's large hand came down to gently pat the cat's rear. His voice was low and steady through the speakers. "Be a good boy. Go find your mommy."

Just bury me now.

Chapter 3

Dead silence smothered the call. No one spoke, but the collective misunderstanding was deafening. Two department heads who used to make my life hell were now staring at my screen with wide, apologetic eyes.

I stared a hole into my keyboard. There was no coming back from this.

Those dirty, knowing looks screamed exactly what they were thinking: So you're the mother of the CEO's cat!

I exhaled a shaky breath. Too soon. Because Waffles actually listened to Alaric. The little traitor trotted right out of his office and back into my bedroom.

The blue-and-white British Shorthair rubbed against my ankle, staring up at me with massive, innocent eyes.

My brain flatlined. Then, survival instincts kicked in. Do not let him back into the frame.

If he showed up again, I'd have to fake my own death and flee the country.

I was just nudging him away with my foot when Alaric's voice cut through the silence, casually oblivious. "Where did your cat go?"

I forced a stiff smile at the camera. "He went to sleep somewhere else."

"Hmm," he replied, perfectly deadpan. "Looks a lot like mine."

One single sentence. That was all it took to clear the suffocating tension in the virtual room.

Connor recovered first. He cleared his throat. "So, Alaric, should I pick up where I left off"

Alaric leaned back in his leather chair, resuming his usual commanding posture. "Continue."

Waffles didn't crash the frame again for the rest of the meeting. He just camped by my feet, switching between napping and batting at my socks. My stomach stayed in knots until the very last second.

The second the camera turned off, I slumped against my desk. My shirt clung to my sweat-drenched back. I glared down at the oblivious furball and flicked him gently between the ears. "You are definitely not sleeping in my room tonight."

After a quick shower, I scooped Waffles up to return him to his designated bedroomwhich was legitimately bigger than mine. The second I pulled my door open, I nearly collided with Alaric in the hallway.

He had clearly just showered too. His dark hair was still damp. A few stray water droplets slid down his sharp jawline, disappearing into the collar of his shirt, faintly highlighting the hard, carved lines of his chest. He casually dried his hair with a towel, but his deep, predatory gaze felt like a physical weight as it dragged over the thin neckline of my pajamas.

I could literally see his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed.

The temperature in the narrow hallway spiked, thick with a dangerous, suffocating heat.

I bit the inside of my cheek, shifting my weight. He seemed off-balance too. He lifted his glass of water, downing it in seconds.

Reality crashed back in. I had almost ruined my day job, but I had definitely failed my night job. "I'm so sorry, Alaric," I rushed out. "I didn't watch him close enough tonight."

He paused, his grip tightening slightly on the empty glass. "It's fine. I take the blame for that one."

Before I could overthink it, he added, "It was just a slip of the tongue. Don't read into it."

He was talking about the "Go find your mommy" comment.

I shook my head. "I didn't."

The whole "mom" thing started the day I signed my moonlighting contract. Aside from Alaric, his lawyer, and me, there was a pet behaviorist present. She was there to evaluate Waffles's psychological state.

Simply put, Alaric wanted to fix Waffles. Stop the howling, stop the scratching, and turn him into a docile, manageable pet. That impossible burden fell on my shoulders. But the bonus structure was insane.

The behaviorist gave me a very serious look that day. "He's been lacking care and living in an environment without security. That breeds behavioral issues."

"But it's fixable. Smother him in maternal love. Eventually, he'll understand the effort you and Alaric are putting in."

I was ninety percent sure Alaric had tuned out everything except the phrase "maternal love." Because from that day on, he casually labeled me as Waffles's mother. Whenever the cat interrupted his work, he'd just pat his rear and order, "Go find your mommy."

The only saving grace was that Alaric hadn't started referring to himself as the "dad."

Because if he did, the dynamics in this penthouse were going to get way too complicated.

Chapter 4

The morning after the video conference, Connor called me into his office the second I walked in.

For the first time ever, my mentor looked deeply uncomfortable. He shifted in his seat. "Last night that cat You and Alaric are you guys"

I cut him off with a forced laugh. "Crazy, right? I had no idea my cat looked exactly like the CEO's."

"They're really not the same cat?"

He let out a dry laugh of his own. "Half the department has been hounding me all morning, asking what it's like to have the boss's secret wife as my assistant."

"I'm not his wife," I said flatly. "Alaric said it himselfthey just look alike."

"Thank god." Connor exhaled a heavy breath. But a second later, his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Swear to me. Mentor to assistant. Is there really nothing going on between you and Alaric?"

"Absolutely nothing."

He still looked like he didn't buy it. I threw my hands up.

"Please do your assistant a favor and kill the rumor. 'The CEO's Wife' is way too heavy of a crown for me. It'll snap my neck."

He finally nodded. I walked out of his office, the knot in my stomach finally untying. The rest of the workday was blissfully boring.

On the subway ride home, my phone buzzed. A text from my cousin.

[Why haven't you been taking any sitting jobs lately?]

My cousin was the founder of the pet-sitting app. Taking a few jobs used to help me de-stress, and over time, I had built up a solid list of regulars who specifically requested me. Alaric used to be one of them.

A thought suddenly slammed into my brain. Wait.

Alaric's penthouse was rigged with security cameras. Did he see me on those cameras during my previous visits?

If he knew exactly who I was, and still specifically requested me wasn't that highly suspicious? Was he just waiting to catch me red-handed violating company policy so he could blackmail me into being his live-in nanny?

My phone buzzed again with more texts from my cousin. I decided to just dump the whole situation on her. I typed out a quick summary.

[What do you think is going on here?]

I asked.

Her reply was instantaneous.

[Are you actually this dense? Your boss is clearly into you!]

My thumbs flew across the screen.

[You are insane!]

Radio silence. The silence dragged on for way too long. I sent a question mark.

She replied:

[Just trying to figure out which side of the family gave you negative brain cells.]

I rolled my eyes.

[He has someone else! The cat is the physical proof!]

I had deduced this after living in Alaric's penthouse for a while. The guy clearly wasn't a cat person, but Waffles got the absolute best of everything. The cat's bedroom was bigger than mine, fully furnished with top-tier equipment, and featured a massive, framed portrait of the cat on the wall.

If it wasn't the beloved pet of some woman he was madly in love with, why would a ruthless billionaire go through all that trouble to please a cat?

More silence from my cousin. I hit her with another question mark.

She typed back:

[Just Googled your boss. He's hot and loaded. If you like him, go for it. I approve.]

I let out a heavy sigh.

[But seriously, take a few shifts when you have time,]

she added, stepping back from the ledge.

[At least help me train the newbies.]

I rubbed my temples.

[Fine.]

Chapter 5

Surprisingly, when I brought up taking a gig on the app with Alaric, he agreed without hesitation. He even played the confident boss. "Leave Waffles to me. Don't worry."

Relieved, I went off to train a newbie for my cousin. I took the trainee to the client's place, drilled him on memorizing client preferences, and hammered in the app's strict guidelines. We hustled the entire afternoon.

Right in the middle of a heavy de-shedding session, my phone buzzed. It was Alaric. For the first time ever, his perfectly controlled baritone cracked with actual panic. "How much longer do you need?"

"An hour, maybe. What's wrong?"

"He won't stop howling." He kept it brutally brief.

The line went quiet on his end. Sure enough, Waffles's dramatic, ear-piercing wails echoed through the speaker.

"Grab his favorite freeze-dried treats," I instructed. "Or try pulling him onto your lap and rubbing his belly"

"He scratched me." The billionaire CEO sounded utterly defeated.

I stared at the wall for a second. I turned to the trainee. "Can you handle the rest?"

He nodded.

"Great. Emergency. I gotta run."

When I rushed into the penthouse, man and beast had resumed their fragile truce. But Alaric's neck sported two very fresh, angry red scratches.

I bit my lip hard to stop a smile. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have taken the shift."

My contract explicitly stated I needed to be on-call for Waffles. Plus, Alaric was paying me an obscene amount above market rate. Taking outside jobs was pushing it.

Alaric waved it off. "It was my fault."

He yanked at his tie, loosening the silk knot. He stepped into my space, planting his muscular forearmscratches fully visibleagainst the wall.

The move pinned me in the corner. His dark eyes dropped to my lips, burning with an undeniable mix of danger and frustration.

"I endured that little beast's temper for you. How exactly are you going to make it up to me?"

I swallowed hard, pressing my back flat against the wall. "It's still my fault. I'm done taking extra shifts."

He didn't back away immediately. "Will that mess up your cousin's business?"

"No." My voice came out slightly breathless. "I'll just text her."

I thought quitting the app would solve everything.

But I forgot the universal curse of corporate America. Overtime.

A massive issue blew up in the project department. On a perfectly good weekend, the department manager ruthlessly dragged everyone into the office. As the lowest person on the totem pole, I didn't stand a chance. I stuck close to Connor, diligently taking notes.

Mid-way through the grueling shift, the afternoon coffee delivery arrived. And so did Alaric.

He stood at the entrance of the open-plan office. Strapped to his chest was a highly conspicuous, clear-bubble cat carrier. "Good work, everyone," he announced coolly. "Drinks are on me."

The office erupted in cheers.

Alaric suddenly bent down, as if his shoelace had come untied. Conveniently, the zipper on the carrier was loose. Waffles seized the opportunity and bolted out of the bag.

It was the first time the project department had seen the CEO's infamous cat in person. Everyone stopped working, their eyes glued to the feline.

My heart hammered against my ribs. No.

Waffles padded straight toward my desk. I widened my eyes, frantically trying to communicate telepathically. Don't you dare.

Cats don't read minds. He effortlessly leaped into my lap, spun in a circle, and settled into a perfect loaf. He nudged his furry head affectionately against my ribs, purring loudly.

The massive office went dead silent.

I froze, my soul completely leaving my body.

Chapter 6