The Boss's Unexpected Surprise

THE BOSS’S UNEXPECTED SURPRISE AVA GRAY Copyright © 2023 by Ava Gray 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. Created with Vellum ALSO BY AVA GRAY CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE Alpha Billionaire Series Secret Baby with Brother’s Best Friend Just Pretending Loving The One I Should Hate Billionaire and the Barista Coming Home Doctor Daddy Baby Surprise A Fake Fiancée for Christmas Hot Mess Love to Hate You - The Beckett Billionaires Just Another Chance - The Beckett Billionaires Valentine’s Day Proposal The Wrong Choice - Difficult Choices The Right Choice - Difficult Choices SEALed by a Kiss Playing with Trouble Series: Chasing What’s Mine Claiming What’s Mine Protecting What’s Mine Saving What’s Mine The Beckett Billionaires Series: Love to Hate You Just Another Chance Standalone’s: Ruthless Love The Best Friend Affair PARANORMAL ROMANCE Maple Lake Shifters Series: Omega Vanished Omega Exiled Omega Coveted Omega Bonded Everton Falls Mated Love Series: The Alpha’s Mate The Wolf’s Wild Mate Saving His Mate Fighting For His Mate Dragons of Las Vegas Series: Thin Ice Silver Lining A Spark in the Dark Fire & Ice Dragons of Las Vegas Boxed Set (The Complete Series) Standalone’s: Fiery Kiss Wild Fate CONTENTS Also by Ava Gray Blurb 1. Reisha 2. Aaron 3. Reisha 4. Aaron 5. Reisha 6. Aaron 7. Reisha 8. Aaron 9. Reisha 10. Aaron 11. Reisha 12. Aaron 13. Reisha 14. Aaron 15. Reisha 16. Aaron 17. Reisha 18. Aaron 19. Reisha 20. Aaron 21. Reisha 22. Aaron 23. Reisha 24. Aaron 25. Reisha 26. Aaron 27. Reisha 28. Aaron 29. Reisha 30. Aaron 31. Reisha 32. Aaron 33. Reisha 34. Aaron 35. Reisha 36. Aaron 37. Epilogue 38. Excerpt: SEALed by a Kiss Subscribe to my Mailing List BLURB My new boss had no idea that I was the same girl that grew up in his house as the hired help’s daughter… Well, surprise surprise. Our mothers hated each other. But that didn’t stop me from accepting the new job offer and working for his family. The big paycheck justified the same bad decision that my mother had made years ago. Aaron, with his piercing blue eyes, would never recognize me. Or so I thought. Aaron is way older than me, but somehow, I forget that when I let him hold me. It’s impossible for him to stop staring at my curves. I also forget that I hate his mother, and she would stop at nothing to destroy me. One bad decision led to several disasters. And another secret that Aaron would discover soon enough. I’m pregnant. Not only that… I’m also in major trouble. The only person to blame? Aaron… my baby daddy. 1 REISHA The movement in the kitchen was like a dance. Cooks and chefs moved around each other and through the kitchen. Our swirling steps were practically dictated by a barker telling us when to sashay left, and who to twirl out to the right, spin your partner and dosido. Food moved from station to station, and cooks and chefs moved around each other in the chaos. I couldn't help but think we were all choreographed. In a way we were. Chef André moved from station to station, checking on everything from the flavors to the presentations of the meals that went out in his name. If the way we moved was a dance, the way we communicated was a kindergarten playground. Chaos reigned, everyone yelled. André yelled the most. He was the star of the show, and the bully of the playground. He barked orders at me. My insides clenched. I was already doing exactly what he was telling me to do. There wasn’t time to point that out. I just did my job and responded, “Yes, Chef.” Steam bathed my face, and I flipped the filet in my pan before ladling on the special fusion blend of flavors that made Chef André famous. He continued to hover around me and direct my actions. Tonight, it felt like nit-picking. Maybe my performance was off, or my mood was dark. Perhaps André was being an ass to me because earlier in the day I suggested a change to one of his recipes, and he was pissed at me. André wanted to be known for flavor, and yet his newer recipes were somehow more bland. There was less flavor. No subtle kick of spice. It was as if he were preparing a menu for someone with an ulcer. Unfortunately, I couldn’t exactly confront him about his health. But it certainly wouldn’t surprise me if he did have an ulcer, or high blood pressure. He seemed to be under a great deal of stress all the time. If we had the kind of relationship that allowed for me to say much more than yes to everything he said, I would recommend he see a doctor, and hire a kitchen management consultant. It felt like something wasn’t working. If André wasn’t careful, it would be him not working. And that wouldn’t be good for his brand. He was overly concerned about his brand, when it seemed to me, he should be concerned with his health. Hell, with the health of his staff. But I wasn’t his mentee, and we were not friends. I was a competent chef in a busy kitchen in a popular restaurant. And right now, he was getting on my nerves. All of them. My last nerve was still untouched, so at least I had that small reserve calm to fall back on. I plated the chicken filet served over a bed of feta ravioli, all under a sweet chili pesto and slid it up under the heat lamps for the server to retrieve and deliver to the waiting patron. If the back of the house staff had a dance, the front