Don't Tell Anyone

Don’t Tell Anyone Copyright © 2023 by KA James All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the author’s imaginations. Any resemblance to actual person’s, things, living or dead, locales or events is entirely coincidental. Developmental Editing by: Allie Bliss from Blissed Out Editing Copy Editing by: Jade Church Proofreading by Sophie from Iris Peony Editing Don’t Tell Anyone BREAKING THE RULES BOOK ONE KA JAMES Meghan and Cooper’s Rules 1 - Don’t tell anyone. 2 - We’re exclusive. 3 - If either of us meets someone else we want to date, this ends, effective immediately. 4 - No dates. 5 - No intimacy at work. 6 - No sleepovers. Dedication This book is dedicated to everyone that has supported me throughout the process of writing this book. But also, to you, the reader, I hope you love Meghan and Cooper’s story as much as I loved writing it. * * * P.s. If you are a member of my family or a friend, thank you for supporting me but don’t make it awkward when I see you next. In fact, better yet, just put the book down and walk away. Contents Trigger Warnings Playlist Prologue – Meghan 1. Meghan 2. Cooper 3. Meghan 4. Cooper 5. Meghan 6. Meghan 7. Cooper 8. Meghan 9. Cooper 10. Cooper 11. Meghan 12. Cooper 13. Meghan 14. Meghan 15. Cooper 16. Meghan 17. Cooper 18. Meghan 19. Meghan 20. Cooper 21. Cooper 22. Meghan 23. Meghan 24. Meghan 25. Cooper 26. Meghan 27. Cooper 28. Meghan 29. Cooper 30. Meghan 31. Meghan Epilogue The First Time – Alexandra Afterword Acknowledgments About the Author Trigger Warnings To help you decide if this book is for you, I have included a trope and trigger warning outline below. Rest assured, there is a happy ending but to make it interesting for you, there has to be some turbulence on the journey. Tropes: Contemporary Romance, Accidental Pregnancy, Office Romance, Boss/Employee, Secret Baby Triggers: Parental Death, Pregnancy, Separation, Sexual Harassment Playlist Listen Here Gold - Kiiara Desire - Meg Myers Don’t Give Up On Me - Solomon Burke A Change Is Gonna Come - Otis Redding Stronger - Kanye West Rules - Doja Cat Confident - Justin Bieber, Chance the Rapper Body - Sinéad Harnett Do It To It - ACRAZE, Cherish Your Love (9PM) - ATB, Topic, A7S Don’t Forget to Breathe (feat Yebba) - Stormzy Birthday Cake - Dylan Conrique Only Love Can Hurt Like This - Paloma Faith Honest - Kyndal Inskeep, Song House Tennessee Whiskey - Chris Stapleton Prologue – Meghan The day I met Cooper Jackson will forever be ingrained in my mind. I remember how my breath caught in my throat, how my mouth went dry, and the way my skin tingled at the contact of his skin on mine as he shook my hand. It was a simple introductory meeting at a job interview. I certainly didn’t think it would be something that would change my life forever. But I should have known, and maybe deep down I did, that it was the start of our story, of how Cooper Jackson and I would come to be more than boss and employee. So much more. * * * It’s a cold and wet January morning, and I’m racing down the sidewalk on my way to an interview with the Human Resources Manager of Jackson and Partners. In typical Meghan Taylor fashion, I’m running late. The position I’m interviewing for is Assistant to the Managing Partner but I’m not holding my breath on getting it, not with my lack of experience. I’m very aware of the fact that I’m only being interviewed because of my best friend, Alexandra–or Alex as she prefers to be called–and that my prior waitressing and bar work experience will not help me here. She put in a good word for me and all but begged for her friend—who’d just moved to the city on a whim—to be interviewed. “Have you got your warm coat on?” My mom worries down the phone to me. “Yes, mom. I’m wrapped in layers upon layers.” I chuckle as I dodge the never ending stream of commuters. Why does it feel like I’m a fish swimming up stream? Although my mom says she understands my desire to move to New York, she still worries that her twenty-seven-year-old daughter is going to get hurt or worse—I guess it’s her maternal instinct. My mom is the biggest worrier I know and, even though she sometimes forgets that I’m a grown woman, I don’t know what I’d do without her. “I just don’t want you to get sick,” she clucks. “I won’t, Mom. I promise I’m looking after myself. If I wrapped up anymore I’d be rolling down the sidewalk like the Michelin Man.” I laugh lightly and my smile stays on my face when she joins in. I could understand her worry if this was my first foray out into the world, but when I left home to go to college to study business—which I ended up not finishing—I found my own place and got a job to cover my bills. I know I can make this work, even if New York is a billion times more expensive. “Good. Did you prepare enough? Have you been eating enough? I worry about you sometimes. How is Alex? Is she looking after herself?” She reels off a list of questions not giving me the chance to respond. I pull in a deep breath–slightly flustered at her barrage of questions–and repeat to myself that she’s just being my mom as I continue to navigate through the throng of people. It’s in her nature to