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Marrying the Boss
Wife Project
Nothing makes me happier than helping my serious, reclusive boss…but his next project requires a wife!
I’m a meek little mouse of an assistant who calls my boss “Mr. Newton Smith” more often than not, but when I overhear that Rufus’s business partner is bent on embarrassing him for making up a fake fiancée, I know I need to reinvent myself—as his wife-to-be.
I only expect a single night of playing pretend. I don’t expect every detail Rufus has told people about his fake fiancée to be me. Now there is new meaning in every careful look he gives me, every quiet lean against my desk, and the way he rumbles that I’m a good girl.
The truth is, though, that I don’t feel good. I feel deeply wicked for how far I want to take this game of make believe. I want Mr. Newton Smith to consummate our fake relationship and make it very, very real, and take my V-card while he’s at it.
Wife Project is a short, spicy novella about an innocent assistant and the big man who has been waiting for her his whole life.
I’m a meek little mouse of an assistant who calls my boss “Mr. Newton Smith” more often than not, but when I overhear that Rufus’s business partner is bent on embarrassing him for making up a fake fiancée, I know I need to reinvent myself—as his wife-to-be.
I only expect a single night of playing pretend. I don’t expect every detail Rufus has told people about his fake fiancée to be me. Now there is new meaning in every careful look he gives me, every quiet lean against my desk, and the way he rumbles that I’m a good girl.
The truth is, though, that I don’t feel good. I feel deeply wicked for how far I want to take this game of make believe. I want Mr. Newton Smith to consummate our fake relationship and make it very, very real, and take my V-card while he’s at it.
Wife Project is a short, spicy novella about an innocent assistant and the big man who has been waiting for her his whole life.
79 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 7, 2023
708 people are currently reading
615 people want to read
About the author
Chloe Maine
42 books497 followersChloe Maine has written other books before, but none of them as purely id-driven as Before He Was Her Headmaster. She delights in the fantasy of bending big men to the craven desires of supposedly innocent women. When she’s not writing, she’s probably reading. She lives in Canada with her own big man, raising the babies they made together.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 195 reviews
September 12, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️
''You're my little helper, my sweet little sunshine''
Safety warnings:
- H 36 / h 23
- No cheating
- No OW/OM drama
- Boss/personal assistant
- HEA
Quick read about two oblivious people who are madly in love with the other and have no idea.
It was a fun and easy to get through, the two MC's were likable and I enjoyed their chemistry/banter. It was funny when she showed up to save him from any embarrassment.
''You're my little helper, my sweet little sunshine''
Safety warnings:
- H 36 / h 23
- No cheating
- No OW/OM drama
- Boss/personal assistant
- HEA
Quick read about two oblivious people who are madly in love with the other and have no idea.
It was a fun and easy to get through, the two MC's were likable and I enjoyed their chemistry/banter. It was funny when she showed up to save him from any embarrassment.
September 14, 2023
Chloe Maine always delivers 😌🥂 I loved this.
-=- 3.5 stars -=-
-=- 3.5 stars -=-
“You’re such a sweet little thing, Clover.” The words drag out of him, his voice a rasp. “And you were the best girl tonight. Do you know that?”
September 7, 2023
3/5
TROPES:
~instalove
~forbidden: boss x employee
~age gap
~size difference
Clover works as Rufus' assistant. They've worked together for a year now and both have feelings for each other but are scared to make a move. Rufus' business partner is a menace who wants to embarrass Rufus. One day, Clover and Rufus start a fake dating scheme that ends up exploding in their faces. But can they make it work in the real world?
This was my least favorite out of this series by Chloe Maine, Cassie Mint, and Evie Rose. It was boring in places and I really struggled to finish it. Chloe always brings the heat, but I just wasn't feeling this one.
SAFETY:
Ages: 23h, 36H
Virgin/celibate: virgin heroine, not a manwhore hero
OM/OW drama: none
Cheating/sharing: none
Kinks: praise/"good girl", breeding, dirty talk, face sitting, rough sex
HEA?: yes!
TROPES:
~instalove
~forbidden: boss x employee
~age gap
~size difference
Clover works as Rufus' assistant. They've worked together for a year now and both have feelings for each other but are scared to make a move. Rufus' business partner is a menace who wants to embarrass Rufus. One day, Clover and Rufus start a fake dating scheme that ends up exploding in their faces. But can they make it work in the real world?
This was my least favorite out of this series by Chloe Maine, Cassie Mint, and Evie Rose. It was boring in places and I really struggled to finish it. Chloe always brings the heat, but I just wasn't feeling this one.
SAFETY:
Ages: 23h, 36H
Virgin/celibate: virgin heroine, not a manwhore hero
OM/OW drama: none
Cheating/sharing: none
Kinks: praise/"good girl", breeding, dirty talk, face sitting, rough sex
HEA?: yes!
September 8, 2023
If you want a fun romance novella about an assistant and her boss pretending to be engaged to help him out, read this!
This was such a quick read, but I truthfully enjoyed it. I have never read anything by Chloe Maine, but I saw the book at the back of Husband Skills by Cassie Mint - I think they're all in the same series (books written by diff authors in the same series), so I decided to download it too. It's def very quick and there's really no angst or issue between the couple so it's so smooth until the very end. I feel like I needed a bit of "maybe they don't feel the same way" angst, but tbh it was great either way.
This was such a quick read, but I truthfully enjoyed it. I have never read anything by Chloe Maine, but I saw the book at the back of Husband Skills by Cassie Mint - I think they're all in the same series (books written by diff authors in the same series), so I decided to download it too. It's def very quick and there's really no angst or issue between the couple so it's so smooth until the very end. I feel like I needed a bit of "maybe they don't feel the same way" angst, but tbh it was great either way.
May 5, 2024
2 stars
Not my kinda read.
It was weird.
The premise was good: a grumpy boss and his assistant, both secretly longing for one another.
I did like that part.
But...
The heroine was childish and kinda annoying.
And after 3 chapters the book did a sudden one-eighty and from a sweet fake date it went straight to a hardcore porn and then to a very OTT ending.
And I was like:
And wtf happened with the romance/love story?
I dunno if this book, Baby Proposal and Husband Skills are connected as a series or not but out of these 3, Cassie Mint beats the other two hollow.
And Mint's is the only one I can recommend from this series.
Not my kinda read.
It was weird.
The premise was good: a grumpy boss and his assistant, both secretly longing for one another.
I did like that part.
But...
The heroine was childish and kinda annoying.
And after 3 chapters the book did a sudden one-eighty and from a sweet fake date it went straight to a hardcore porn and then to a very OTT ending.
And I was like:
And wtf happened with the romance/love story?
I dunno if this book, Baby Proposal and Husband Skills are connected as a series or not but out of these 3, Cassie Mint beats the other two hollow.
And Mint's is the only one I can recommend from this series.
August 16, 2025
Liked it.
Read 2: reread this one since I was going back through most of the series. Still think it’s a 4 star read. It’s good.. just missing a certain something I can’t put my finger on.
Read 1: I liked the concept, I liked the dirty talk. For the most part, I liked the book overall. I was just totally confused by their conversation after she showed up pretending to be his fiancé. It was just kind of weird and didn’t make sense to me. Maybe I’m just too tired tonight but it went around in circles and touched on weird things that I didn’t understand and didn’t matter. Other than that it was good.
Read 2: reread this one since I was going back through most of the series. Still think it’s a 4 star read. It’s good.. just missing a certain something I can’t put my finger on.
Read 1: I liked the concept, I liked the dirty talk. For the most part, I liked the book overall. I was just totally confused by their conversation after she showed up pretending to be his fiancé. It was just kind of weird and didn’t make sense to me. Maybe I’m just too tired tonight but it went around in circles and touched on weird things that I didn’t understand and didn’t matter. Other than that it was good.
September 7, 2023
2.5 ⭐
MCs:
- Rufus, 36, boss
- Clover, 23, assistant
Book info:
- Novella
- Age gap
- Workplace romance
- MCs are in love with each other for the last 11 months. I think since they first met.
- HEA with epilogue (married and pregnant)
Okay read. For an inexperienced FMC, Clover is really bold and way too forward with Rufus. Sometimes this attitude works for me, but reading her inner thoughts made her look like desperate, imo. Idk what it is, but she also comes off as immature. When she overheard Rufus having a "fiancé" her first thought was to run away and resign cuz she won't be able to handle seeing him with someone else. 🤷♀️ The whole novella happened within 3 days I think, nothing new since this is short but it just didn't do it for me. Maybe other readers might love this.
MCs:
- Rufus, 36, boss
- Clover, 23, assistant
Book info:
- Novella
- Age gap
- Workplace romance
- MCs are in love with each other for the last 11 months. I think since they first met.
- HEA with epilogue (married and pregnant)
Okay read. For an inexperienced FMC, Clover is really bold and way too forward with Rufus. Sometimes this attitude works for me, but reading her inner thoughts made her look like desperate, imo. Idk what it is, but she also comes off as immature. When she overheard Rufus having a "fiancé" her first thought was to run away and resign cuz she won't be able to handle seeing him with someone else. 🤷♀️ The whole novella happened within 3 days I think, nothing new since this is short but it just didn't do it for me. Maybe other readers might love this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 15, 2024
I have a thing with gentle giants. Plus he's your boss. And they were both secretly pining for each other.
Gosh, I need more of these kind of books!
Gosh, I need more of these kind of books!
September 19, 2023
Good enough.
January 11, 2026
2,75⭐️
September 9, 2023
I normally dislike fake dating, or more like it's just way too common/popular and I'm over it. This was technically fake dating but the fake part was super short and cute so it did not bother me.
Boss/office romance. Age gap. The mutual pining was adorable. Spicy. Short. Honestly I have zero complaints about this book, I loved it! He wasn't officially a pleasure/soft dom but he sure acted like one! Lots of praise and giving.
Boss/office romance. Age gap. The mutual pining was adorable. Spicy. Short. Honestly I have zero complaints about this book, I loved it! He wasn't officially a pleasure/soft dom but he sure acted like one! Lots of praise and giving.
September 8, 2023
3.5 STARS
When assistant extraordinaire, Clover, overhears a plan to humiliate her boss, Rufus Newton Smith, she jumps into action. Queue spontaneous makeover and crashing a dinner as his fake fiancée.
This was a cute quick boss/assistant romance. Clover and Rufus have been secretly pining for each other but neither wanted to risk alienating the other with their secret crush so they hid their true feelings behind a loyal and 100% professional relationship instead.
But when that is threatened, they both jumped in to save the other and finally voice their love for each other. There is insta-love, secret pining, humor, romance and plenty of sexy times!
The overuse of the Mister title didn't click so well for me but I loved Rufus using baby girl and little girl for Clover. What can I say, I have a little thing for praise kink and Rufus was not shy about praising his lady every chance he got.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
SPOILER-Y EXTRAS:
When assistant extraordinaire, Clover, overhears a plan to humiliate her boss, Rufus Newton Smith, she jumps into action. Queue spontaneous makeover and crashing a dinner as his fake fiancée.
This was a cute quick boss/assistant romance. Clover and Rufus have been secretly pining for each other but neither wanted to risk alienating the other with their secret crush so they hid their true feelings behind a loyal and 100% professional relationship instead.
But when that is threatened, they both jumped in to save the other and finally voice their love for each other. There is insta-love, secret pining, humor, romance and plenty of sexy times!
The overuse of the Mister title didn't click so well for me but I loved Rufus using baby girl and little girl for Clover. What can I say, I have a little thing for praise kink and Rufus was not shy about praising his lady every chance he got.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
SPOILER-Y EXTRAS:
February 10, 2024
❣️ Super quick, super steamy, super swoony. 1st person, dual POV. No breakup!
𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗼𝘄 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗱𝗼𝘂𝗯𝘁, 𝗜 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗿, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘂𝗽 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗻𝘀 𝘀𝗼 𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗹𝗮𝘇𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲.
Chloe Maine is my goto palate cleansing author. Her age gap romances are to die for! Alpha, possessive men and the sweet as pie women who steal their hearts.
“𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆.”
Clover is 23 and the assistant to Rufus Newton Smith, a 36 year old beast of a man…who has it bad for his good little girl. Ugh, the dirty talk was SO GOOD. Their chemistry and feelings were quick and fun and sweet.
A little bit of plot and a whole lotta smexiness, y’all.
𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗼𝘄 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗱𝗼𝘂𝗯𝘁, 𝗜 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗿, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘂𝗽 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗻𝘀 𝘀𝗼 𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗹𝗮𝘇𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲.
Chloe Maine is my goto palate cleansing author. Her age gap romances are to die for! Alpha, possessive men and the sweet as pie women who steal their hearts.
“𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆.”
Clover is 23 and the assistant to Rufus Newton Smith, a 36 year old beast of a man…who has it bad for his good little girl. Ugh, the dirty talk was SO GOOD. Their chemistry and feelings were quick and fun and sweet.
A little bit of plot and a whole lotta smexiness, y’all.
February 23, 2024
Uhmm, NO!
This was straight up bad plot and everything. No chemistry. Hero and heroine were attracted to each other from the very beginning they two met and professed their feelings at the very onset of this book. So what could possibly happen in the next 100 pages or so?
Nothing. Absolutely nothing. No climax. No issues. No problems. Definitely no angst.
Boring to the core.
This was straight up bad plot and everything. No chemistry. Hero and heroine were attracted to each other from the very beginning they two met and professed their feelings at the very onset of this book. So what could possibly happen in the next 100 pages or so?
Nothing. Absolutely nothing. No climax. No issues. No problems. Definitely no angst.
Boring to the core.
August 17, 2024
It is unabashedly what it is: age-gap, boss-assistant, fake fiancé, instalust/love. And sometimes that’s what you need in a novella.
May 8, 2024
Sweet and delicious and amazing spice 🔥
August 8, 2025
It was a cute quick read with a Happy Ending. Not to mention an Age Gap!! So if you like ‚Age gap stories‘ this might be just the thing for you.
However when the book started and they were already in love with one another it felt like there could have been a little bit of a backstory. Anyway I loved their scenes together but he was a bit too bossy even in private for my taste.
As to the audiobook, I found it to be refreshing that it was narrated by a man and a woman and very well done at that.
Thank you to the Author for this ALC. All opinions expressed above are my own.
However when the book started and they were already in love with one another it felt like there could have been a little bit of a backstory. Anyway I loved their scenes together but he was a bit too bossy even in private for my taste.
As to the audiobook, I found it to be refreshing that it was narrated by a man and a woman and very well done at that.
Thank you to the Author for this ALC. All opinions expressed above are my own.
September 18, 2023
STOPPPPP I ABSOLUTELY DEVOURED THIS OMGOMGOMGOMG this was everything i needed and more
September 8, 2023
This novella is about Clover and Rufus. She's his assistant and have been working together for about a year. Though they do have feelings for each other, they've never acted upon it. Not until Clover catches on that Rufus has made up a fake fiance and she sounds a bit like her. Clover shows up to dinner with his friends, unexpectedly, as his fiancé before Rufus can even make an excuse as to why his fiance couldn't show up.
Tbh this one was a bit more tame than Chloe's previous novellas. Clover was pretty bold for an inexperienced girl. I think that brought a bit more spunk to the book. It was an enjoyable read. They explored what they could have as best as they could in a novella. They do have a HEA.
❀•◦𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒔+𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒔◦•❀
• age gap (h23/H36)
• boss x employee
• fake dating
• grumpy x sunshine elements
• mutual pining
• office/workplace romance
• praise
• virgin/inexperienced heroine
September 6, 2023
Cute little story about forbidden crushes on the part of both Rufus and Clover.
Rufus is Clover's boss and untouchable. Clover over hears Andrew the co owner of BNSE telling Heather is fiancee that he doesn't believe that Rufas has a fiances named Jane. So she shows up at the restaurant pretending to be Rufas's fiancess. Little does she know that she is the inspiration for his fake one.
After calling out Andrew they leave and go back to Rufus's apartment after realizing they have
major feelings for each other and act on them now. Wild weekend of passion happenes.
Rufus isn't happy with the way his company is going he decided to go in a different direction and start a new company with Clover.
Partnership in business and partership in life .
Thanks again Chloe for another wonderful book.
Rufus is Clover's boss and untouchable. Clover over hears Andrew the co owner of BNSE telling Heather is fiancee that he doesn't believe that Rufas has a fiances named Jane. So she shows up at the restaurant pretending to be Rufas's fiancess. Little does she know that she is the inspiration for his fake one.
After calling out Andrew they leave and go back to Rufus's apartment after realizing they have
major feelings for each other and act on them now. Wild weekend of passion happenes.
Rufus isn't happy with the way his company is going he decided to go in a different direction and start a new company with Clover.
Partnership in business and partership in life .
Thanks again Chloe for another wonderful book.
July 26, 2025
I went into this one completely blind BUT as a long time Chloe Maine fan, I KNEW it would be spicy and I knew there would be an age gap!
And I genuinely loved it! This was so quick, dirty, spicy, hot, heavy, sensual…all of it! Now be warned before you even get into this: this is a short novella, insta-love that gets right to the point! I would highly recommend this as a palate cleanser or to help yank you out of a slump.
I listened to the ALC of this book and I would HIGHLY recommend listening to the audiobook…you know, for a hands-free experience 😏 Shout out to Kai Kennicott and John York for narrating this one!
And I genuinely loved it! This was so quick, dirty, spicy, hot, heavy, sensual…all of it! Now be warned before you even get into this: this is a short novella, insta-love that gets right to the point! I would highly recommend this as a palate cleanser or to help yank you out of a slump.
I listened to the ALC of this book and I would HIGHLY recommend listening to the audiobook…you know, for a hands-free experience 😏 Shout out to Kai Kennicott and John York for narrating this one!
October 3, 2023
2.5⭐️ Age gap/Office romance
Clover who is 23, works as an assistant to her boss Rufus who is 36. A fake fiancé situation lands clover a hot husband and baby daddy in real life. Now while I will normal be “oh what a hot little romcom”, with this absolutely not and I just could not with these names and no offence to anyone but good lord I though she wanted to get it on with an old bald man anytime I read his name… which kinda ruined it for me🥴🤢
Oh and did I mention she was a virgin?
Yeah it’s a lot!
⭐️⭐️.5/5
❤️🔥/5
🌶️🌶️/5
Clover who is 23, works as an assistant to her boss Rufus who is 36. A fake fiancé situation lands clover a hot husband and baby daddy in real life. Now while I will normal be “oh what a hot little romcom”, with this absolutely not and I just could not with these names and no offence to anyone but good lord I though she wanted to get it on with an old bald man anytime I read his name… which kinda ruined it for me🥴🤢
Oh and did I mention she was a virgin?
Yeah it’s a lot!
⭐️⭐️.5/5
❤️🔥/5
🌶️🌶️/5
September 29, 2024
This one started out slow for me for some reason. Which isn’t good because it’s a novella and there’s not a lot to it to begin with! But this is another mildly bonkers, over-the-top, kinda ridiculous “Call me Mister”, steamy story. As long as you’re not expecting Pulitzer Prize-winning writing, you’ll be entertained. This author knows what she’s writing and doesn’t expect her readers to take things seriously. So on that front, mission accomplished!
September 30, 2024
loved this boss employee wife project
Wonderful happy fun filled boss employee love story. Loved Rufus and Clover. They’ve wasted a year when they could be together. Host sexy steamy times great read great trope great HEA. Loved it.
Wonderful happy fun filled boss employee love story. Loved Rufus and Clover. They’ve wasted a year when they could be together. Host sexy steamy times great read great trope great HEA. Loved it.
September 9, 2023
Horny as hell, daddy kink with a dusting of submissive and breed-able.
💯🔥
💯🔥
September 27, 2023
Loved it!/
I love a fake fiance situation, then make it a stern boss that lied about it. Sign me up!! Rufus and Clover may have been an unlikely pair but they worked on the page. Definitely will be reading more from this author.
I love a fake fiance situation, then make it a stern boss that lied about it. Sign me up!! Rufus and Clover may have been an unlikely pair but they worked on the page. Definitely will be reading more from this author.
October 29, 2023
we do love people that go right to the point and communicate, loved this!
January 17, 2024
Spicy novella with 2 characters that are already head over heels for each other. Low angst. Fun smut.
June 22, 2024
I'm speechless pero no por algo bueno
los yankees en serio son... así?
los yankees en serio son... así?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 195 reviews