“I picked these up before. I put them on the table in a stack right before we…” She looks between me and the plates, standing up slowly. “I thought I heard someone, or something fall over.”
She holds up the plates and then looks back up at me and I can see the worry in her face. I close the distance between us and take the plates gently out of her hands, putting them on the table.
“They could have fallen when we were out here,” I say. “We weren’t exactly careful when I had you on the table. Maybe they were on the edge and fell off the table on their own.”
She doesn’t look convinced so I continue.
“No one was here, Harper. Don’t worry.” She flicks those emerald eyes back up at me and smiles weakly, nodding her chin down once.
“You’re right,” she says with a sigh. “I’ve just worked hard to get to where I am I’d hate something like this to ruin it.”
She waves her hand dismissively when she says something like this. For some reason it stings, the way she waved it away. As if sleeping with me was a mistake and she’s already trying to forget about it.
I push the feeling down. What do I care? Of course this isn’t anything serious! I’ve never wanted anything serious with anyone, ever. If she’s thinking of it as a casual fling then that’s the best thing for the both of us. The worst thing either of us could do is get attached.
“Don’t worry Harper, this won’t ruin anything. I should tell you, I’m not looking for anything.. serious.” I tell her. She holds up her hand to stop me.
“Zach, please. We’re adults. We wanted to sleep together and we did. I think that we can agree that it stops there, and we can go back to being professionals.”
I nod, but I can’t help but feel disappointed at how eagerly she agreed. Why did that sting? It’s what I want!
Harper sighs and smiles at me. “That’s settled then. Let’s go downstairs,” she says. “We can see if the bar has any Christmas trees that need to be tipped over.”
She grins and nods her head towards the elevators. Her eyes glimmer and I resist the urge to lean over and kiss her. I nod back and the two of us head down to join the rest of the staff.
9
Harper
The whole pub cheers when we walk in. My cheeks turn bright red immediately, and I curse my genetics for making me so quick to blush. I lift my arms up and the cheers get louder, and suddenly I’m surrounded by my coworkers who are clapping me on the back and congratulating me.
“Best office party entertainment in years, Harper! Well done!”
“I wish was filming it!”
“You couldn’t have done it better if you’d planned it!”
I roll my eyes and laugh, looking beside me to glance at Zach only to realise he’s left my side. I scan the crowd and frown for a moment before seeing him at the bar. He has his back turned to me and is talking to the pretty girl behind the bar. I feel a sting in my chest before Rosie materialises beside me and grabs me by the elbow, pulling me away from the crowd.
“What took you so long?” She asks, staring at me intently. “You guys were up there for ages.”
There I go blushing again. I shrug.
“Just talked and then cleaned up a bit. The office is a mess, we’re going to have to get cleaners in.”
Rosie stares at me, narrowing her eyes. “You look different.”
I roll my eyes in an exaggerated motion before patting my hair down nervously. “I’ve just done the most embarrassing thing of my life, Rosie. Give me a break!” I laugh. “And maybe get me a drink!!”
She grins and nods, raising her hands slowly. “Alright, alright.”
“Here,” comes a deep voice behind me. I turn to see Zach, holding two glasses of wine. He hands me one and winks and suddenly I feel silly for being jealous of the barmaid. My head is spinning between the tree and the sex and just the overall thrill of being next to Zach for so long. Rosie is looking at me with her eyebrow raised so I bury my nose in my glass of wine and take a sip.
“Thanks,” I say to Zach.
He nods his head and looks towards our coworkers. “I’d better go make the rounds. Glad you’re feeling better.”
His voice is different. It’s more official now, the way it sounds when we’re at work. I nod and he slips away.
“What was that about,” Rosie breathes. I glance at her and she’s looking at me, eyes shining bright as she searches my face. “What happened up there? I’ve never seen him buy a drink for anybody!”
“Rosie, stop,” I say. “Can you just give me a break?! It’s been a rough night.” I try to laugh it off but it sounds forced even to me. Her eyebrow shoots up even higher and she smiles slightly.
“Rough night, hey?” She says pointedly. I stare at her until she grins. “Fine. But this conversation isn’t over. I’ve known you long enough to know when you’re hiding something from me.”
I don’t respond. I’d rather deal with the ridicule from my coworkers than Rosie’s piercing stare. She’s known me for years, and she can always tell when I’ve got something on my mind. I steal a glance towards Zach just as he looks up towards me. For a second our eyes meet and then he looks back towards the man he was talking to.
My heart is suddenly racing. I don’t know what’s going on! This isn’t like me! I’m not the type to have casual sex, let alone casual sex with my boss at the office Christmas party! The way he looked at me just now sent a thrill straight through my chest. I can feel my heart pounding against my ribcage and suddenly I remember the way it felt to have his hands all over me and his cock buried deep inside me. I close my eyes and breathe in deeply, trying to remember the sensation of his body against mine.
Rosie clears her throat and my eyelids fly open. She’s staring at me, her eyes searching mine. Suddenly her eyes widen and she takes a step back, her hand flying up to her chest and her jaw dropping to the floor. She takes a step towards me and leans in.
“You fucked him,” she whispers forcefully. “You fucked him, didn’t you!”
I can’t say anything, I just feel the redness spreading over my cheeks. Rosie’s eyes widen some more and she bursts out laughing.
“No!”
I shrug.
“No! Harper!”
“Oops?” I suggest as I start to chuckle. She grabs me by the elbow and guides me towards the corner of the room.
“Tell. Me. Everything.” She says into my ear as she leads me away from the crowd. “Everything.”
10
Zach
I’m scanning the room for her and I can’t see her. There’s deep disappointment welling up inside me as I realise she’s gone and I hate myself for it. Women don’t have this effect on me! I’m the one who’s in control! I glance back to my employees, a ring of three of them around me all vying for my attention. It’s exhausting. Even Becca, my assistant who usually entertains me with a bit of a flirt seems so boring and vapid now. Her tight top just seems overdone. She’d never pull off a light-up Christmas sweater from the thrift store.
Shaking my head, I try to focus on what they’re saying. This isn’t like me. We slept together and that’s it. She left the party without saying goodbye, so that says it all. It’s better this way, anyways. People would talk if they saw us speaking to each other too much. It would just be more Christmas party rumours.
Still, I find myself wishing she was here. I keep looking around for her, wanting to see those eyes of hers.
It must be lust. That’s the only explanation. She was so wild in bed—ahem, on the sofa—and I’m just wanting more. Why else would I be looking for her like this? I’m just reeling from my orgasm is all. Nothing more.
“So you took care of Harper up there, hey,” says a man’s voice from behind me. I frown. He has a high-pitched voice and there’s a hint of an edge to it. I turn around slowly and see a short balding man with a big beer belly. His beady black eyes are staring at me and I don’t know if I’m imagining the fury burning in them. He blinks and his face loses
all emotion. It’s like he wilfully rearranges his features to hide something. Am I imagining things? I’m just as paranoid as Harper now!
“Yes, Harper is feeling better. She was lucky she didn’t get injured when the tree fell,” I respond, keeping my voice steady.
The man says nothing, just stares at me with those small black eyes. His hair is plastered to his forehead and he looks like he has a permanent sheen of sweat on his face. He stares at me so long it starts to get unnerving. What did he mean by ‘take care of Harper?’ Finally he speaks again.
“You seem to know her pretty well,” he says, his voice flat and emotionless. I frown. He’s staring at me like there’s more to his words than he’s letting on.
“I’m sorry I didn’t catch your name?”
“Greg,” he says slowly. “Greg Chesney. From accounts.”
I nod and give my usual answer when I have no idea who one of my employees is. “Of course.”
We stare at each other for a few moments and I’m scrambling to find something to say when without warning, he spins around and weaves his way through the crowd and disappears.
“What was that about?” Mitch asks as soon as the man walks away. I take a deep breath and turn towards him.
“I’m not sure. It was fucking weird though.”
“Fucking nutcase if you ask me. Does he work for us??”
“That’s Greg,” says Becca. “He’s a creep. He was totally stalking one of the women at the office last year, I don’t know how he kept his job.”
I glance at her and frown. Suddenly my heart is beating a little bit faster. “Stalking?!”
She nods her head. “Secret admirer kind of thing. She’d get letters delivered to her house and phone calls with just heavy breathing. I think he showed up at her house a couple times. So creepy.”
“Who?” I almost shout. “Who was the woman? Why didn’t I know about this!” My heart starts hammering in my chest and I remember the fear in Harper’s eyes when she heard something outside, and the way she stared at those plastic plates. Was it her?? Did she have a stalker and then had to keep working with him for a year?! Why wouldn’t someone fire the bastard!
Suddenly Becca seems uncomfortable. She wrings her hands. “I… I don’t know. It’s confidential, Mr. Lockwood. I’m not even supposed to know about it. HR handled it last year and I never heard the details. You could ask them?”
I stare at her for a few seconds, trying to see if she’s telling the truth. Suddenly it looks like her face breaks and she brings her hands up in front of her.
“Please don’t tell them I told you! They’ll never forgive me for it. They could make my day a living hell.”
I soften my look and shake my head. “Don’t worry, Becca. Nothing is going to happen to you.”
The room feels stuffy. I feel like I’m being smothered, like every breath is a struggle. I excuse myself and head for the door. I keep my head down and weave through the crowd in the bar, not pausing to talk to the people who call out my name. They all just want me to notice them, to move up the ladder in any small way they can.
I walk outside and the cold winter air hits me like a wall. There’s snow falling lightly and I know it would be a beautiful winter evening if I didn’t feel like I was suffocating. I catch a glimpse of Harper climbing into a cab with her friend Rosie. I watch as they drive away and I feel a punch in the gut. The taillights are bright in the dark night and I stand there until the car drives out of sight. She was serious, when she said it was a one-time thing. She left without saying goodbye.
I spin around and start stomping down the street in the other direction. Usually it’s me who leaves the women hanging! How dare she just toss me aside like I’m some piece of meat! I stuff my hands into my pockets and try to walk off the frustration inside me. This isn’t how the night was supposed to end! She was supposed to be mine! The cool winter air fills my lungs and calms me down as I walk away from the bar, away from the office, away from her.
After a few minutes I calm down. The anger that flared inside me subsides. I’m not mad, I’m just not used to meeting a woman who’s so in control of herself. She’s right to walk away from me, we need to keep it professional from now on. I need to keep my distance from her and my attraction to her will pass. Hopefully she keeps wearing those ugly sweaters and I can forget what she looks like underneath.
11
Harper
“I don’t know what else to tell you, Rosie. It just sort of… happened.”
“Harper, come on,” Rosie says while looking at me sideways. “These things don’t just happen. You slept with New York’s most eligible bachelor! He’s rich, he’s handsome and he’s your boss!! What are you going to do now?”
I shrug. “I’ll just go to work on Monday and pretend it never happened.”
As soon as the words leave my lips I know it’s easier said than done. How can I pretend it never happened when I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it all night?? I had to stop myself from staring at him, and even when I told Rosie what happened I could feel my body yearning for him. In the end I had to run away or I knew I would do something stupid.
Rosie shakes her head. “You’re unbelievable. Only you could pull the Christmas tree down on top of you and then proceed to sleep with your boss an hour later.” She laughs.
“Half an hour later,” I correct.
Rosie laughs. “I’m so glad I met you. You make life interesting, if nothing else.”
I grin. “I’m glad I can provide some entertainment for you.”
The cab pulls up to my house.
“You sure you’re okay, Harper? You don’t want me to stay till tomorrow in case you need to go to the hospital? What if you have a concussion?”
“You’re the best friend I could ask for, Rosie, but no, I’m fine. I just want to relax and sleep.”
“Alright,” she says, putting her arm out. We hug quickly and I get out of the cab and walk to my front door.
I see a movement out of the corner of my eye and glance over. Is someone there? Rosie’s cab has already driven off and my street is uncomfortably silent. I peer into the darkness but I don’t see anything. My heart starts beating a bit faster until I finally find my keys. Once I’m inside I rush up the stairs to my apartment, I turn on all the lights and lock the door. That’s better. I shiver slightly and push the feeling away. It’s just too much excitement for one evening. With a deep breath, I calm myself down and shake my head. My nerves are shot.
I start getting ready for bed. After a few drinks and all the excitement of the evening I feel absolutely exhausted. I brush my teeth and climb into my bed in record time, knowing that I’ll be asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.
That doesn’t happen though. I get under the covers and immediately I feel wide awake. Suddenly my body feels cold, like it needs the feel of another person’s skin against it. I try to close my eyes but as soon as I do, Zach’s face paints itself on my eyelids. I see the way he looked at me when we were cleaning in the office, the way his eyes raked up my body and his desire was written all over his face.
I sigh, and let my hand drift down to my mound. Even the thought of him looking at me makes the wetness gather between my legs. I sigh as my hand starts working its way around my bud, gently at first and then faster. I remember the way his hands felt on my hips, on my ass, the way he kissed my nipples and pulled my head down towards his lips.
I remember the way my hips bucked as I rode him, almost as if by instinct. Our bodies moved together and every sound, every moan, every touch was electric. I imagine what it would be like to be with him now, if he were on top of me and our naked bodies were intertwined. I could run my hands over his broad chest and grab onto his shoulders as he thrusts his cock inside me. I could actually feel his skin against mine, we wouldn’t have our clothes on like we did in his office. We could take our time. I could touch him and feel his body against mine, feel him push deeper and deeper inside me.
God, I want
to feel that cock again. As my fingers twirl around my clit I just think of the way it felt to be filled up by him, to have him sheathed inside me as deep as he can go. I want to have him deep inside me again. I want to feel him come inside me like he did earlier.
The thought of him pumping his seed into me makes my walls contract and my wetness intensify. I can feel myself edging closer and closer to orgasm, and I just think about the way his eyes burned when he looked at me, and the way my skin sizzled with every touch. I think of the way his hands gripped me and pulled me down as his cock drove into me harder, faster, deeper.
I come at the thought of his orgasm pumping into me. I let my legs fall open and exhale as the pleasure washes over me. All too soon, it’s over. I take a deep breath and open my eyes.
I came as I was thinking of his white seed spilling into me and the thought makes me blush, even alone in my own bed. I shouldn’t want that, it shouldn’t turn me on but it does.
That orgasm was nothing compared to the real thing. Maybe now I’ll be able to sleep, but if anything it’s only made me want him more. I fall asleep thinking of the way it felt to have him inside me.
I wake up with the cold December light streaming through my open blinds. It’s not helping the headache that pounds in my skull. Too much wine.
As soon as my eyes open, I’m thinking of the same thing I fell asleep thinking about—Zachary Lockwood’s cock buried deep inside me. It’s a feeling I won’t forget in a hurry.
I sigh and swing my legs off the edge of the bed. I’ll have to forget it, because come Monday he’ll be back to being my boss, and I’ll be back to being his bumbling employee who ruined the Christmas party.
Knocked Up- The Complete Box Set Page 4