Dean remained silent, his face tight.
The knock at the door came faster than I’d anticipated. Two security guards entered, and politely asked Dean to accompany them. I thanked them, not giving Dean a second glance. Once they’d gone, I got on the phone to Hugh and apprised him of the situation. Only then did I expel a long, shuddering breath.
Thank God that’s over.
My hand trembled as I picked up the handset again. “Fiona, could you ask Chandler Mitchell to come by my office?” No more text messages. Nothing to invite suspicion or speculation. I was not going to lose him.
“Yes, sir.”
A minute or two later, there was a knock at my door, and I smiled. Fiona stuck her head around it. “Chandler’s not here. Morgan says he left a while ago.” She held out an envelope. “He asked me to make sure you got this.”
I took it, puzzled. “Thank you.” When she closed the door, I opened the envelope. My stomach clenched when I read that ominous first line. Oh Chandler. I got up and put on my jacket, before slipping the folded sheet into my inside pocket. Then I grabbed my phone and my briefcase, and left the room.
“I have to go out,” I told Fiona. “Cancel all meetings for the rest of the morning.” Hopefully I’d be back by lunchtime, if I could sort out this mess.
I had to sort it out.
Chandler
I glanced at the bottles of alcohol on the shelf, before dismissing the idea. Coffee was a much better option. I figured Stu had to have read my letter by now. My phone was silent, however. Not a good sign.
The doorbell rang, and I gave a start. Who in the hell can that be? I opened the door and froze when I saw Stu standing there, my letter in his hand.
“What… what are you doing here? You’re supposed to be at work.”
Stu raised his eyebrows. “So are you. And I’m here to give you back your letter.” He gave me a pointed stare. “Do I get to come in?” I stood aside, and he strode into the apartment. I’d barely closed the door when he sighed heavily. “Why would you resign?”
“Because it solves everything,” I explained. “Dean has nothing to blackmail you over if I’m not there.”
“Dean has nothing to blackmail me over anyhow. And if you’d trusted me, I could have told you all that this morning, as soon as my meeting with Hugh Peters was over.”
I frowned. “Hugh Peters from HR?”
He nodded. “By the way, now I’ve told him we’re in a relationship, you have to tell him too.” His eyes sparkled. “Just so he knows I told him the truth, and I’m not abusing my position of power.”
I caught my breath. “You told him? But… aren’t there rules about—”
“Bosses screwing their subordinates?” Stu grinned. “Except I’m no longer your line manager. That is now Bev. And she’ll know about us too. Everyone will.”
Okay, that stopped me in my tracks. “Oh fuck. Dean will hate that.” Heat flushed through me. “By the way… I sort of… shoved him in the restroom. He went flying. After his jaw connected with a sink.”
“Dean?” Stu frowned for a moment, then his eyes widened. “That was you? Nice one. And don’t worry about Dean. He won’t be there. I fired him.”
“You—” My jaw dropped. “When?”
“Right before Fiona gave me your letter of resignation. See what happens when you sneak out of work? You miss all the fun. And speaking of work…” He slowly tore the letter in two. “That never happened.”
Relief flooded through me. “Okay. We back to business as usual?”
Stu nodded. “Except there will be no more sexting during office hours, you got that?”
I’d got back some of my usual sass. “What about kissing? Is that allowed? And what about fucking on your desk?”
Stu chuckled. “And there’s the Chandler I know and love.” Then he stilled. “Which wasn’t meant to be a flippant statement, by the way.”
So many emotions were in play inside me right then: elation, excitement, hopefulness… “I have this fluttering in my stomach,” I whispered.
“Me too.” Stu moved closer.
“My pulse is racing.”
“Mine too.” Closer still.
“My knees feel weak.”
“My heart is hammering,” Stu confessed. His hand was so gentle on my face. “I wonder what it all means.”
Deep down, I knew, but it still felt too soon to let the words out. Then my heart stuttered when he brushed his lips against mine, the kiss deepening as he took me in his arms.
“Chandler,” he whispered.
“Yes.”
“Lovely though this is…” He grinned. “I have a company to run. You have a job to do. And I don’t want everyone thinking we took the morning off to make love.”
I smiled. “Now that’s a lovely thought.” Then I shivered when he kissed my neck. “S-stop that. You know what it does to me.”
Stu drew back. “You’re right. This can wait until tonight, when I finally get that dinner you promised me, and you naked on the couch.”
That thought would keep me going all day.
“But later…” Stu kissed me on the lips, his hands gently cupping my head. When he broke the kiss and pulled back a little, his gaze met mine, and I shivered at the intensity of it. “I promise not to be flippant.”
My heart…
I led him to the front door. “I think I’m going to enjoy my new status. Even if it doesn’t come with any benefits.”
He frowned. “What new status?”
I beamed. “The boss’s boyfriend.”
That made him smile too. “Get used to it, sweetheart. You’re going to be the boss’s boyfriend for a very, very long time.”
I could live with that.
As I locked the front door, I had to laugh.
“What’s tickled you?” Stu asked.
I leaned in and whispered, “I’ve just realized I won’t find it difficult to get laid on a Friday night ever again.” If I had my way.
Stu smiled. “Friday night? Every night.” His eyes gleamed mischievously. “And maybe lunchtimes too, if I lock the office door.”
“In that case, I think we need to invest in a new piece of office equipment.”
He arched his eyebrows. “What, precisely, do we need?”
I chuckled. “A gag.” Then I reconsidered. “Actually, we’d better buy two to be on the safe side.” Along with a few other bits that might prove useful.
I wonder how he’d feel about being tied to his chair while I fuck him?
Work was looking more interesting by the second.
Epilogue
Three months later
Chandler
“And we’re done.” Bev smiled as she added her signature to the Performance Review form. She leaned back in her chair. “Everyone is talking about you.”
I blinked. “What have I done now?” I’d gotten used to the comments once it became common knowledge that Stu and I were dating. Some coworkers had even tried to take advantage of the situation, but word soon got around‒we were playing this by the rules. No favoritism. No unexpected promotions. Once they’d realized there was nothing to be gained from sucking up to me, things went back to normal.