The doorknob turns and I shove the door open with my shoulder. Dani sits on the couch facing me with a large, knowing smile on her face.
“What?” I ask as I throw the keys and my phone down on the kitchen counter.
“Oh nothing,” she replies with playful sarcasm. She lets a giggle slip, and I roll my eyes. “I saw that little kiss in the car.”
My stomach drops for a moment.Shit…she saw that? So much for keeping it hidden.
I feel the blood leave my face as I stare down at her. But her smile lets me know that she isn’t about to scold me on how it’s wrong or that I’m being stupid, so I relax and start uncontrollably laughing.
With everything being pent-up, it’s all coming out at once as I take the seat next to her. If she already knows, then at least I have someone to confide in or get advice from.
“Okay, fine,” I admit after getting the laughter to stop spilling out of me, something that happens when I’m uncomfortable. “But you can’t relay this to anyone.”
“Fine. Now tell me everything!” Dani shrieks as she grabs the bottle of wine off the coffee table and pours me a glass. “And don’t skip the dirty stuff.”
Her eyes are wide, and her attention is attached to my every word as I go into detail about exactly how my last twenty-four hours with Jon went.
Even down to us making love in the most romantic setting I could ever imagine. She sits and drinks in every little detail as if getting hooked on a good book. I can still feel his touch on my skin as I relive the previous night.
“Whoa…” Dani remarks. “Remind me to apply for your job. Hell, the only men at my work aren’t interested in the parts that I have.” We both laugh, but I soon find my mood shifting from excitement to sadness.
“It does sound great, but it’s not all glamour. I mean, we can’t even be happy publicly, you know?” I start again and takeanother drink of red wine. “We have to keep this quiet for a while…maybe even forever. And what happens after he doesn’t need my help anymore? Is he just going to drop me?”
Dani sets her glass down and rests a supportive hand on my shoulder. “You’re thinking too far ahead, girl. Just take your time and have fun. When do you ever just let loose and do something exhilarating?”
She’s right. I’m overthinking, something I do quite often. I should just take things day by day and enjoy the time I get to be with Jon. No one has ever made me feel so alive, so free.
“Although I have to poke fun a little,” she continues. “This is a total office romance cliché.” She laughs again and raises her glass for me to cheer. “To Lizzy, the office scandal.”
Laughing, I clink my glass against hers and take the last bit of wine into my mouth. It’s high time I start living for myself for once, and Jon is just the beginning of the new me.
The air freezes me through my thick winter coat as I run outside and climb into Jon’s car. We decided it would be for the best to head into the office early so there wouldn’t be any raised questions by the other employees.
Luckily, once we arrive, my car is the only other vehicle in the parking garage. “Alright, ready to get back into the groove?” Jon asks before exposing ourselves to the chill that awaits us the moment the car doors open.
“I suppose so.” I smile back at him, and the moment my eyes meet his, all those familiar emotions come flooding back, andall I want to do is kiss him and feel his hands on me again. Unfortunately, the parking garage is not the place to be perilous.
I grip the handle, bracing myself for negative weather conditions, and walk quickly inside the building. Jon immediately goes into his office to check messages and emails while I turn on all the lights and get the coffee started for the day.
It doesn’t take long for everyone to pile into the office and the day to start. Things seem even more chaotic today as Chase, Jon, and I are all in the conference room, sorting out who to contact next for a meeting.
During downtime, Jon goes over the details of the meeting with Mr. Goldman. While they talk, I’ve been typing up a contract for Jon to look over before printing and sending over a copy for him and his lawyer.
“So it was a done deal before you even got there?” Chase asks, and Jon nods.
“Yep. And it’s all thanks to this gem.” Jon points toward me, and I smile, shaking my head but not looking away from my screen.
As the conversation continues, the doors open and Sherry bursts in with a fresh carafe of coffee. “Here. Figured you could use a refresher.” As she sits it down in front of Jon, her hand runs up his arm and to his shoulder.
The moment she touches him, anger and jealousy fill me. Although she doesn’t know what’s going on, I have a feeling she is the type of woman to do it anyway, not caring about the repercussions.
She shoots me a harsh, condescending look before turning and leaving the room. This is the third time in less than two hours she’s come in and interrupted. Her little advances toward Jon slice right through me, getting my blood boiling.
Jon and Chase are too far into their conversation to notice anything. Although Jon often turns a blind eye to Sherry’s advances. Now that we are involved, it’s not something I can just brush off. She needs to be confronted.
Clearing my throat, I catch both men’s attention. “Excuse me, I’m going to use the restroom. Be back in a second.” They nod, and I push my chair away from the desk and leave the room, only to find Sherry by herself at the front desk.
Something takes over me, something that is only fueled by my anger toward her, and I storm up to her, cornering her behind the reception desk.
