One Night

by Ramona Gray

  “Well, you came awfully close then. Go ahead – deny it.”

  “We didn’t….”

  Kate trailed off as a hot blush rose in her cheeks.

  “Uh-huh,” Olivia said smugly. “I knew it. We’re going for sushi at lunch today and you’re giving me all the dirty details.”

  “Fine,” Kate sighed. “Now shoo, I have to get those changes done.”

  * * *

  “I think you two just need to do it,” Olivia said around a mouthful of sushi.

  Kate glanced around nervously. The restaurant was full and she searched for any sign of their coworkers before sighing. “Could you try and give me some helpful ideas? Honestly, be serious.”

  “I am being serious,” Olivia said earnestly. “Obviously you’re attracted to each other and if it really is because you both haven’t had sex in a while, then this might be the solution to your problem. You have sex once, get it out of your system and boom you’re both able to concentrate on working again instead of what colour each other’s underwear is.”

  Kate shook her head. “If anyone found out, I’d be fired.”

  “So be discreet,” Olivia replied.

  “It’s a very bad idea.”

  Olivia shrugged. “It might not be the best idea but the sexual tension between you two is off the charts. People at work are going to start noticing, Kate.”

  “No, they’re not.”

  “Yeah, they are. I noticed it right away this morning.”

  “You’re more perceptive than most.”

  Olivia rolled her eyes. “What about Josh? Are you still going out with him tonight?”

  “Yes,” Kate replied.

  “Really?”

  “Really, really Olivia,” Kate insisted. “Even if I went ahead and did what you suggested with Edward, it’s not a relationship. Josh is a nice guy and I have an actual chance of having a relationship with him.”

  “But are you sexually attracted to him?” Olivia asked with one raised eyebrow.

  “I barely know him. We’ve been out on one date, and I don’t know if I’m sexually attracted to him yet. These things take time,” Kate said.

  “Oh really? Because all it took was Edward looking at you with those pretty blue eyes of his and you wanted to jump his bones immediately. Don’t give me that, ‘get to know him crap’, Katie pie. It might work with someone else, but not with me.”

  “Subject change!” Kate said brightly. “How is that handsome husband of yours?”

  Olivia laughed, “Fine, we’ll change the subject but you know I’m going to bring it up again sooner or later.”

  Kate sighed “I know, Olivia. I know.”

  * * *

  At ten to five, Kate ducked into the bathroom and changed into her jeans and a dark green t-shirt. She hurried back to her desk and logged out of her computer before grabbing her purse.

  “Hi, Kate.”

  She twitched and stared up at Josh standing next to her desk.

  “Josh, uh, hi,” she said.

  “Hello.” He smiled at her. “The receptionist sent me back. I hope that’s okay.”

  “Of course,” she said with a nervous look at Edward’s door. “Just give me a minute and I’m ready to go.

  “Sure,” Josh replied.

  She closed her laptop, her heart sinking when Edward emerged from his office.

  “Kate, can you scan this document and email it to - ”

  He stopped, a scowl flickering across his face when he saw Josh.

  “Josh, this is Edward Turner, one of our partners. Edward this is Josh Dumont.” She watched a bit nervously as Edward and Josh shook hands. There was a moment of awkward silence that Kate hurried to break.

  “We’re um, we’re just heading out for a quick dinner and a movie,” she said uneasily.

  “I know a place that has great Chinese food. You should take Josh there,” Edward replied.

  Her face red, Kate reached for the paper he held in his hand. “I’ll just scan and email this before I leave.”

  “No,” Edward said. “I can do it.”

  “I don’t mind,” Kate protested. “It’ll only take a minute.”

  “It’s fine, really. Josh, it was nice to meet you.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Josh replied.

  “Okay, well, have a nice weekend, Edward,” Kate said before she and Josh walked toward reception. Edward didn’t reply and she couldn’t stop from glancing briefly over her shoulder. Edward was standing by her desk staring at her, his expression unreadable.

  As Kate and Josh walked away, Edward felt a streak of jealousy rip through him when Josh put a possessive hand at the small of Kate’s back. She looked back briefly before they turned the corner to reception and he hoped the jealousy he was feeling didn’t show. His hands tightened on the paper he was holding and he forced himself to relax. The paper was crumpled and he smoothed it out on Kate’s desk, sighing harshly to himself.

  It is ridiculous to feel this way about a woman you hardly know and even more ridiculous to feel this way about your assistant. You will not find excuses to walk by her desk, you will not stand close enough to touch her and you will not, under any circumstances, remember what it felt like to be between her legs.

  Chapter 5

  Sunday afternoon, Kate took another look at her reflection in the mirror before grinning at Chicken, who was currently weaving between her feet and purring loudly.

  “Damn, Chicken, I look good.”

  Yesterday morning when Olivia had phoned to invite her to an impromptu get together for this afternoon, she had decided to splurge and buy a new dress for the occasion. The moment she had put on the dress she knew she was going to buy it, despite its hefty price tag.

  “I probably shouldn’t have but I couldn’t resist. I look fantastic in it.” She struck a pose for Chicken, throwing her shoulders back and tossing her hair. Chicken stared at her for a moment and with a loud disgruntled meow, turned and stalked from the room.

  “Everyone’s a critic,” Kate called after her and turned to look at herself again. She was wearing a light green, sleeveless empire waist dress. The dress fell to just below her knees and accentuated her curves and creamy white skin. The silky material felt wonderful against her skin and she twirled once, enjoying the way the material billowed softly around her bare legs.

  “I’m leaving, Chicky-Chick, Chicken” she called as she headed to the front door. “I shouldn’t be too late. Try and stay out of trouble while I’m gone would you?”

  As she drove to Olivia and Jon’s she thought about her date with Josh on Friday night. She felt like it had gone better than the first one. After dinner and the movie, they had gone for coffee. Josh was funny and sweet and, she thought wryly, perfect. Too bad she felt zero chemistry with him.

  He had driven her back to the office to get her car and as she was unlocking the door, he had leaned in for a soft and thorough kiss. She had tried to concentrate on the feel of his mouth on hers and when he had lightly traced her lips with his tongue, she had opened her mouth and let him deepen the kiss. His mouth was gentle and his hands warm around her waist but as hard as she tried, she couldn’t get lost in the moment. Thoughts of Edward and the way he made her insides weak kept intruding. If Josh noticed her hesitation, he made no mention of it. Instead, he had invited her to go to a local art exhibit on Wednesday night. She had accepted despite the lack of spark she felt for him.

  She parked on the street, the driveway was already full of cars, and made her way to the back yard. Olivia’s idea of an impromptu get-together usually consisted of about fifty of her closest friends, and this one was no different. She rounded the corner of the house and, spotting Jon at the barbeque, she weaved her way through the crowd, waving at Rose and Sheila from the office and at Leslie, one of the members of the book club she and Olivia both belonged to.

  “Hello, handsome.” She smiled at Jon and gave him a quick squeeze around the waist. Jon was handsome with his blond hair and brown eyes and l
ithe, swimmer’s body. His easy going nature and good sense of humour fitted Olivia’s personality perfectly and Kate was envious of the obvious love they had for each other.

  “Katie-pie!” Jon exclaimed delightedly. “You look great, darling.” He gave her an enthusiastic one-armed bear hug, placing an affectionate kiss on her forehead.

  “You’re not too shabby yourself,” she said. “Where’s that hot wife of yours?”

  “Check the kitchen, last I heard she was on the look-out for more potato salad.” Jon waved to an older gentleman who was crossing the lawn towards them. “Better go find her before Jim gets here. Nice guy, but he’ll talk your ear off about golf if you let him.” He winked at her as she escaped toward the house. She was a few feet from the house when Rose and Sheila caught up to her.

  “So, how was the Friday night date?” Rose grinned at her.

  “We want all the details,” Sheila said.

  Kate laughed and shook her head. “Sorry, girls, but a lady never kisses and tells.” She looked over her shoulder at them, “I need to have some secrets.”

  Still grinning at them and not watching in front of her, she walked straight into and bounced off a familiar hard body. She gave an unladylike yelp and pin-wheeled her arms madly, trying to keep her balance as she tipped backwards. With cat-like quickness Edward reached out and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her forward against his hard chest.

  “Hello, Kate.” He steadied her against him as she looked up at him and groaned to herself.

  “What are you doing here?” She asked.

  He was dressed in jeans and a dark blue t-shirt that emphasized the muscles in his arms, and she could feel the ridges of his abs against her belly as he tightened his grip about her waist for a brief heart-stopping moment before letting her go.

  “My goodness, Kate, it seems like every time I see you you’re throwing yourself at Edward.” drawled an icy cool voice just to the left of them.

  Kate blinked in shock at Melissa before clearing her throat. “Sorry, Edward. I’m a little clumsy.”

  “It’s fine,” Edward replied as Melissa stepped a little closer to him.

  “Please excuse me,” Kate said politely before walking rapidly to the house. She found Olivia in the kitchen rummaging in the fridge and poked her lightly in the side.

  “Why on earth are Edward and Melissa here?” She asked.

  “Kate, it was a huge coincidence, I – “

  She stopped and looked her up and down. “Katie-pie, you look fantastic. Is that a new dress?”

  “It is,” Kate said. “Do you really like it? I wasn’t sure if it was a bit much or – “

  “It’s definitely not too much,” Olivia said. “I love the colour!”

  “Thanks, honey,” Kate said happily. “It was frackin’ expensive but I - wait! Stop changing the subject. Why are Melissa and Edward here?”

  “Oh right. That.” Olivia made a face. “You know Jim, Jon’s golfing buddy from way back? And you know that Jim lived in New York for ten years right? It turns out that Edward did quite a bit of work for him when he lived there. They’ve kept in touch over the years and Jim actually invited Edward to go golfing with him and Jon yesterday. It was a complete coincidence and Jon didn’t even know who Edward was until Jim told him. The next thing you know Jon had invited Edward to the barbeque. I should have called and warned you but it’s been a bit crazy around here.”

  “That doesn’t explain why Melissa is here,” Kate said.

  “You can blame Arthur for that. I was at the office for about two hours yesterday morning - you know the Wilson case is heating up and Arthur’s having fits over it - and I invited him and Sylvia to the barbeque. Melissa was in the office as well and Arthur assumed I invited everyone from the office. He brought it up in front of her and I had no choice but to invite her. I never thought she’d actually show.”

  Olivia paused. “Between you and me – pretty sure it’s because she was hoping Edward would be here too. She’s been glued to his side the minute he showed up.”

  Kate made a face. “What do you want to bet they start sleeping together?”

  A little curdle of jealousy went through her at the thought as Olivia shook her head. “Melissa has to follow the same ‘no fucking the coworkers rule’ as you do, Kate.”

  Kate shrugged. “I doubt Arthur would fire her or Edward if they were sleeping together. She’s one of his best lawyers and Edward’s the new partner.”

  “I wouldn’t worry, Katie-pie. I don’t think Edward’s interested in her.”

  “Of course he isn’t. She’s only gorgeous and brilliant and one of the best lawyers in the city,” Kate said. “Why on earth would Edward be interested in her?”

  She sighed loudly. “God, my jealousy is super attractive, huh?”

  Olivia laughed. “I have a feeling Edward prefers redheads. Besides, how do you think I feel about Melissa at my house? She’s going to be using my bathroom and probably going through my medicine cabinet. What do you want to bet that I catch her trying to sabotage my birth control in an effort to get me out of the office?”

  Kate burst out laughing as Olivia handed her the bowl of potato salad to carry. “I’d be more concerned that she finds those ‘toys’ you and Jon ordered off the internet.”

  Olivia laughed and gave Kate a playful swat on the ass. “Cork it, sister. Now carry out that potato salad while I grab more beer.”

  * * *

  “Honestly, Kate, you must try golfing. It’s the finest sport there is,” Jim said earnestly. He leaned forward and tapped her on the arm. “I’d be happy to give you a few lessons.”

  “That’s really nice of you to offer, Jim,” Kate said politely, “but I’m pretty sure I’m a hopeless case when it comes to golfing.”

  “Nonsense!” Jim bellowed. “Everyone can be taught to golf!”

  As Jim began to talk animatedly about the proper way to swing a golf club, Kate glanced unobtrusively about her, looking for someone or something to help distract Jim’s attention. His wife Marlene shot her a sympathetic wink and a grin before disappearing into the crowd. Kate had just resigned herself to another half hour of golfing tips when Olivia magically appeared at her side.

  “Now, Jim, you can’t keep my Katie all to yourself. I need her help,” she said as Kate shot her a look of gratitude. “Katie, my love, can you do me a favour and run to the fridge in the laundry room and grab another case of beer? We’re getting low.”

  “Of course.” Kate gave Jim an apologetic look and, mouthing a silent thank you to Olivia, walked rapidly toward the house.

  She sighed with relief and took a moment to savour the quietness of the laundry room. She grabbed the case of beer off the bottom shelf of the fridge and, with a small grunt of effort, lifted it and turned toward the door of the laundry room. Edward stood in the doorway and she gasped and jumped, losing her grip on the case of beer. As she fumbled with the heavy case, Edward crossed the small room and took it from her. Their fingers touched and a burst of heat blossomed in her belly. Already her muscles were tightening in unconscious reaction to his closeness, to the notion that he had been watching her. Her breath quickened in her throat as he placed the case of beer on the washer and moved back to lean against the door, crossing his arms across his chest. The bulk of his body covered the door and she felt a tingle of fear and excitement when she realized she was trapped with him.

  Edward stared hungrily at Kate. Just being in the same room with her affected his body and he grimaced at the uncomfortable tightness of his jeans. She was slightly flushed and taking quick rapid breaths. His eyes drifted to her breasts in that remarkable dress and his nostrils flared when her nipples visibly hardened against the thin material of her dress. She self-consciously crossed her arms across her breasts and he let his eyes drift lower. Her bare legs looked smooth and silky soft and he wanted nothing more than to run his hand up her leg to see if her skin was as soft as it looked.

  Kate cleared her throat nervously.
The way Edward was looking at her was making her nerve endings sing with anticipation. “Is there something you wanted, Edward?”

  He gave her a smile that made her pussy throb and she forced herself to look away for a moment. When a stray piece of hair fell across her face she blew it back impatiently and met his gaze almost defiantly.

  “Well?” She prompted.

  “How was your date with Josh?” He asked.

  “Fine.”

  “Good.”

  He took a step toward her and she automatically took a step back.

  “I like your dress.”

  “Thank you, it’s new. I bought it yesterday at this little shop on Bearn Street. I really like it.” Her nervousness was making her babble and she forced herself to stop talking.

  As Edward took another step towards her, she swallowed hard. “I need to take the beer to Olivia.”

  “Sure.” He took another step and Kate backed away until her ass hit the back of the dryer.

  Trapped!

  Edward gave her a decidedly predatory grin and stepped forward again. He was only inches from her now and she could feel the heat between them as he reached out and wrapped a tendril of her hair around one finger.

  “Do you know how crazy you’re driving me?” He muttered.

  She shook her head, ignoring the urge to lean forward until their bodies were touching.

  “I didn’t sleep at all Friday night,” he confessed. “I spent the entire night wondering if you were allowing Josh to touch you like I had touched you the night before in my office.”

  He took a small step forward so that the tips of her breasts brushed against his chest. She moaned at the contact.

  “I kept wondering if he had tasted the sweetness of your mouth or enjoyed the warmth of your bed and the feel of those long legs wrapped around him.”

  He gave her a scorching look that left her breathless. “Tried my best to not think about you moaning his name instead of mine.”

  He leaned forward and lightly brushed his lips against hers. She opened her mouth immediately for him but he pulled his mouth from hers without deepening the kiss.