Being the Boss

18

I know it's short, but I just wanted to get something out. Thanks so much for sticking with Mary and Johnathan, even though I'm a crap uploader! Hope you enjoy!!!

Mary stared at Johnathan's outstretched hand, a million thoughts crossed her mind. Nothing had prepared her for the thought of a cease-fire with the Knightly's and she didn't understand what being friends with Johnathan would entail because she wasn't one to have a lot of friends.

"Mary, it's just a handshake, it's not like we're getting married or anything. I just want to be friends," Johnathan quipped.

"I know that," Mary snapped back, shooting a glare at Johnathan, "I'm just doing a quick cost-benefit analysis of what this friendship could require."

This caused Johnathan to chuckle, he'd met a lot of people, a lot of women. But never had he met a woman like Mary, her business drive literally leaked into every aspect of her life. It was something he admired about her, of course, she would never hear him admit it.

Knowing that he needed Mary onboard with their faux friendship, he stepped a little closer to her. Regardless of what Mary said, he knew that he had an effect on her.

"I'm a person, not expenditure. You can't just marginalize me if things don't always go the way you want it to, so let's just shake hands and turn a new leaf," Johnathan said with a smile, "You need to live a little, take risks. Some you'll win, some you'll lose."

Mary rolled her eyes, it was things like that she expected of Johnathan. If she had taken unnecessary risks, she wouldn't be where she was right now. However, something in her heart tugged when she looked up to see Johnathan's emerald eyes trained on her.

Shocked, she blurted out, "Don't look at me like that!"

Johnathan cocked an eyebrow, "Like what?" he asked, laying on the charm like a blanket, purposely trying to get Mary flustered.

Frazzled Mary tucked a lock of her hair behind her ears, "I don't know, but I don't like it. So stop."

Johnathan leaned over, placing his lips dangerously close to Mary's ear, "Just say yes," he murmured.

If Mary's heart was beating before, it was now trying to pound its way out of her chest. She drew in a shuddering breath and tried to control herself, showing weakness was never an option, especially when people as cunning as Johnathan were involved.

"Mary?"

Snapped out of her reverie, Mary thrust her hand into Johnathan's while saying, "Friends don't try to seduce each other."

Johnathan released a throaty chuckle into the air, "I wasn't trying to seduce you Mary," he resorted.

"No? Then what was all this?" Mary asked, gesturing to the two of them.

"With trying, there's a chance of failure, I wasn't trying to seduce you. I was one hundred percent sure that I would seduce you, therefore I wasn't trying, I was just doing." Johnathan replied with a wink.

Mary grumbled something under her breath along the lines of violent strangulation and death.

"What was that?" Johnathan asked innocently.

Mary shot daggers, "I hate you."

Johnathan threw his arms around Mary and crushed her body against his, "No you don't," he laughed.

"What are you doing?" Mary asked as she stood limply in Johnathan's arms.

"It's called a hug, friends do that you know."

"I know what a hug is you dimwit," Mary replied, regretting that she ever even considered seeing anything beyond arrogance in Johnathan.

Johnathan smirked, even though he knew she couldn't see it, "Really? Because the way this hug thing works is you're supposed to put your arms around me too. It takes two to hug Mary," Johnathan patronized.