I look at the short list of names in front of me and take a deep breath. If that’s all the people that are working, then so be it. I’ll work longer hours starting today. Nothing will stand in the way of me delivering this project, not deadlines or holidays or understaffed teams. And definitely, definitely not Greg Fucking Chesney.
18
Zach
I flick off the lights to my office and close the door as I walk out. Everyone is gone and the office is deathly quiet. I let all the air out of my lungs. It’s going to be a long couple of weeks. As I cross the big room towards the elevators I see one light still on.
Harper’s office. Her door is open.
I change my direction and knock on her door frame. She looks up and I remember what it’s like to stare into her green eyes. It sends a thrill straight between my legs.
“You’re here late,” I say.
“So are you,” she shoots back with a grin.
“Slave to the job,” I reply as I walk in and take a seat across from her. “Surely you have better things to do than to stay here?”
“Just finishing up a couple things. I want to be able to hit the ground running tomorrow with the team. I’ve put together a program and I actually think the January deadline is achievable. It’ll be tight, but it’s doable.”
I make a sound in response but truthfully, I’m not listening to a word she’s saying. I’m watching the way her dark hair frames her face and makes her skin looks like porcelain, and the way her eyebrows knot together slightly as she looks at her computer screen. She turns it towards me.
“Here, look,” she says, pointing to the screen. I clear my throat and sit up, looking at the schedule she’s put together. My eyes shoot up as I look at the work she’s put into this. She’s incredibly smart.
“That’s clever,” I say, pointing to her logic on the screen. “Good work.”
“Thanks,” she says simply. She doesn’t seem flattered or flustered by my praise, it’s almost like she didn’t hear it at all. I watch as her chest rises and falls when she takes a deep breath and then she glances at me with those emerald eyes again.
“I think it’s time for me to go home,” she says with a smile. “Come back fresh again tomorrow.”
“Thanks for volunteering to work, Harper. You’re a huge part of the team.”
She smiles sadly. “I appreciate that, Zach. There were definitely times when I felt like my voice wasn’t being heard. It’s better now. It’s good to hear that from you.”
I frown. “What do you mean?”
“Oh, nothing,” she says, waving her hand and getting up. She grabs her bag and starts packing her things into it.
“Did you know Greg Chesney?” I ask suddenly. I stare at her, looking for any sign that she was his victim. I’m studying her and I can feel my body go rigid even from a few feet away. If he threatened her I swear I could wring his neck right now.
I watch as she freezes, her hand perched in mid-air above her purse. After a second she keeps moving but she never looks at me.
“I used to work with him when I was still in accounts, why?”
“He’s disappeared.”
“I heard,” she says, finally looking at me. “Listen, I don’t mean to be rude, but I really don’t feel like talking about Greg Chesney right now. He gets way too much airtime already.”
I laugh. I can’t help it. She speaks her mind and she doesn’t let anyone push her around. The thought makes me relax. I can’t imagine Harper being the victim of a stalker, she’s too strong. Surely it wasn’t her. I stand up.
“Let me walk you to your car,” I say.
“Oh, I take the subway to work,” she replies, smiling. “The environment and all that.”
“Well then let me drive you home.”
“You don’t need to go out of your way. It’s fine, really.”
“Please,” I tell her. “It’s no problem at all.”
“I… alright. Thanks, Zach.” She smiles at me and I try to ignore the throbbing in my cock. I don’t know if her smile is friendly or professional. I don’t know if she’s accepting because it’s convenient or because she wants to spend more time with me.
Honestly, I don’t care either way. Harper is a mystery to me. I never know what she’s going to say or do, if she’s going to come up with a brilliant business plan or pull down the sixteen-foot office Christmas tree on top of her.
“You’re a very interesting person, you know that Harper?”
She glances at me sideways. “Interesting how?” she asks with a grin. “That doesn’t sound quite like a compliment.” Her grin widens. “You’re pretty interesting yourself.”
“That didn’t sound quite like a compliment either,” I laugh. I resist the urge to put my hand on the small of her back when she walks out of her office beside me. Every part of me is screaming to touch her, to get closer to her, but I keep a healthy, professional distance. She was clear that she thought sleeping with me was a mistake and it was definitely a one time thing. She’s right, anyways. We work together.
But that doesn’t mean I can’t just steal one glimpse of her ass in that pencil skirt, does it?
19
Harper
“This is me,” I say as he pulls over in front of my apartment. “Thanks for the lift.”
“No worries,” he says as he puts the car in park. I turn to look at him and the breath is almost knocked out of my body when I see his dark brown eyes. Maybe it’s the dim light of the car, or maybe it’s my own imagination but I see the same look that I saw on Friday night.
Desire.
We’re silent for a second. I can’t look away. All I can hear is the roar of my heartbeat in my ears. My mouth goes dry and my eyes flick to his lips as they part slightly. He’s not moving, one hand on the stick shift and one hand on the steering wheel but he’s looking right at me, right through me.
I want him. I could invite him up to my apartment and in moments he’d be inside me like he was that night three weeks ago. We could have another night together and I could finally feel what I’ve been dreaming of ever since the office Christmas party. I could lean over and kiss him right now, and I know he’d have his arms around me in an instant.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I hear myself saying. “Thanks again!”
And just like that, I look away and almost run out of the car. I fumble with my keys. There’s a movement in the corner of my eye, someone walking out from the alley beside me but I ignore it. I finally get the key into the lock and rush into my apartment without looking back, my heart still beating against my ribcage. I lock myself into my apartment and lean against the door, closing my eyes and breathing heavily.
That took all my willpower. Every single ounce of it.
It’s better this way, of course it is. It would be so incredibly inappropriate to invite him in. We’re about to go into a two-week frenzy of work. I can’t be distracted by the thoughts of his lips, or his hands, or his cock…
I shiver before turning on the heat in my apartment. I know my bed will be cold and I’ll wake up huddled in one corner of it. I wonder what it would feel like to wake up in Zach’s arms? To feel the warmth of his body against mine all night?
With a deep breath I drop my bags and take off my jacket. I need to stop this. I head to the kitchen and groan when I open my fridge door. Nothing looks appetising. I open the freezer and see a tub of ice cream.
Why not?
Looks like it’s just me, myself, and ice cream tonight.
I wake up and practically have to sprint to the toilet bowl. I cough and dry heave and finally throw up some bile as the waves of nausea crash over me. Finally, the feeling subsides and I sit down on the ground, my hand still resting on the toilet. I take a deep breath and lift myself up, running the sink to rinse out my mouth. I hate this feeling. I’m going to need to go to the doctor, this is getting ridiculous. Aren’t stomach bugs supposed to be done in a day or two? It’s been almost a week!
I sigh
and get ready for work. I take a bit more time than usual to make sure my makeup looks nice, and I wear my favourite skirt. I pause before I grab the matching blazer, seeing my red light-up Christmas sweater hanging in the closet next to it.
If everyone else is going to be off work for the holidays, I’m going to make my own holiday. I slip the sweater on over my top and flick on the lights. The tree on my chest starts flickering and I smile to myself. I check myself out in the mirror—tight pencil skirt and ugly sweater.
Perfect.
The team is already assembled by the time I get into the office. I take off my jacket and hear some laughter.
“Planning on pulling down some more trees, there, Harper?” Rosie calls out as she points to my sweater. “We got rid of the last one but I’m sure I can find one for you to topple over. In fact, I think there’s one in the Rockefeller Center that’s what, 100 feet tall?”
I twirl around for her and she laughs. Another voice joins hers and I spin back around to see Zach standing in his office door.
“I always liked that sweater on you, Harper,” he says with a smile playing in his eyes. My cheeks flush immediately and Rosie’s eyebrows shoot up towards her hairline. She gives me a knowing look and turns back towards her desk.
“It’s the holidays, isn’t it?” I respond, ignoring the flood of desire soaking through my panties. If he keeps looking at me like that I’m going to go absolutely crazy this week. I thought this sweater would be a deterrent!
I try to hide my embarrassment and my arousal by turning to my office and dropping my bag down. It seems like an instant later he’s in my doorway.
“Did you wear that on purpose?” He says in a low growl, taking a few steps towards me.
“On purpose? I mean, yes? I didn’t get dressed in the dark.”
“No, Harper,” he says, now inches away from me. I back up so that my thighs hit my desk and his chest is almost touching mine. “Did you wear that because you knew it would drive me wild.”
If my heart wasn’t thumping so hard I would burst out laughing. This is probably the least sexy item of clothing I own.
“I… no. Does it drive you wild?” My voice is trembling and my fingers are desperate to hook themselves around his neck. I watch as he licks his lips and his eyes flick back up to mine. He hesitates for a moment and then spins around and rushes out of my office. I watch as he runs his fingers through his perfectly styled hair and heads back to his own office, closing the door behind him.
All the air leaves my lungs and I sit down on the edge of my desk. I look out the door and I see Rosie, staring in with an eyebrow raised. She grins and shakes her head slowly in mock disapproval. I roll my eyes and turn around, still trying to catch my breath and slow down my heartbeat.
I should have brought a change of underwear.
20
Zach
I don’t even think it would matter what she wears. I can’t get her out of my head. When she took off her jacket and I saw that hideous sweater all I could think of was her legs straddling me in my office as she bounced up and down on my cock. Instant boner.
My office door is closed and I put my head in my hands. I shouldn’t have gone to her, but it’s like something I can’t control. I’ve been trying to avoid her for the past two weeks but now we’ll be here, working on the same project together day-in, day-out. It’s almost too much to bear.
There’s a knock on the door and Becca pokes her head in. She’s almost stopped flirting with me now, which honestly is a bit of a relief. I nod my head and she slips in, holding a box in front of her.
“This came for you,” she says as she places it down on my desk.
“Thanks Becca,” I tell her. My voice softens. “And thanks for offering to work during the holidays. I know it isn’t easy.”
She nods and smiles shyly but says nothing before turning around and slipping out the door. I need to be nicer to my employees, and actually know what’s going on with them. I’ve spent too much time being the hot shot CEO. Where has that gotten me? Relieved that I have to work over the holidays so I don’t spend them alone?
Maybe this project is my chance to change. I can get to know this small team, and actually make an effort to see them as people and not just as employees. I always thought Harper was cold and distant and professional, but when I see her interacting with the rest of the team I see another side of her that she never showed me before. Or maybe I never bothered to notice.
Everyone loves her. She’s warm and funny and has an infectious laugh. People want to work for her. I see the way she asks more from her team and they push themselves because of it. She’s a fantastic manager.
Here I am thinking of her as an employee again. She’s not only a fantastic manager, it looks like she has real empathy, real connections with the team. She put together a great team of our best people to work over the holidays. I’m her boss but I doubt I could have convinced all of them to work. They like her. I wonder how many of them, if any, actually like me?
I sigh and grab the box that Becca left on my desk. Maybe I can learn something from Harper over the next few weeks. Or maybe this is just me giving myself permission to talk to her and hear that musical laugh of hers.
I rip the box open and find a small ring. It’s silver, with thin winding strands. It looks very old and worn. There’s a note underneath and as soon as I read it my blood runs cold.
Stay away from her.
There’s nothing on the other side of the paper, just those four words, handwritten on a scrap of paper. My heart is pounding in my ears. I flip the box over and empty the contents, looking through the packaging for anything else. There’s nothing. My breath is shallow and my mouth feels dry as I look at the empty box, the note, and the ring.
Stay away from her? From who?? I look at the ring more closely, try to see some engraving, anything that would give me a hint of whose it is.
Who the hell am I supposed to stay away from?? Who would threaten me? I flip the piece of paper over again and frown. This is so fucking weird. I haven’t even spent any time with a woman! Not since Harper. I sit back in my chair and feel my eyebrows raise.
This is the longest I’ve gone without sleeping with someone in… I don’t even know how long. The past few weeks I’ve just lost interest in chasing women and having casual sex. What’s the point in it all? And now I get this message? When I’m on my own?
I stare at the box again and rack my brain. Who would be threatening me? Is this even a threat? I slip the ring and the note into my breast pocket right as my door swings open. I glance up and meet Harper’s eyes.
“Just about to start the morning brief, if you wanted to join?”
“Be right out,” I reply in my best business voice. She nods and closes the door. I exhale loudly. Even one look from her makes my body buzz, how am I supposed to make it through the next two weeks?!
I put the box and the packaging on a shelf behind me and get ready to join the rest of the team. I’ll deal with the ring and the note later.
21
Harper
Before I know it, one day turns into the next and it’s Friday evening again and almost everyone has gone home. I know I’ll have to come in to work tomorrow but maybe it can be a short day. I finally click shut down on my computer and start gathering my things. My left hand moves to touch my right ring finger, where I always wore my grandmother’s ring. My heart skips a beat when I don’t feel it there, and then I remember I took it off at the beginning of the week.
It should be right here, in the top drawer. I pull the drawer open and frown. There’s a few pens and bits of stationary but no ring. I empty the contents of the drawer but can’t find it anywhere. I pull open the second drawer, then the third, starting to feel the familiar hollowness in my stomach when I’ve lost something.
I can’t lose this ring! It was my grandmother’s ring, and I’ve worn it every day since the day she gave it to me. I go through every drawer, move everything around on my desk, c
heck and re-check my purse.
“Fuck,” I breathe to myself as I slump down in my chair. All of a sudden I’m exhausted and I feel the tears start to well up in my eyes. Why am I so fucking emotional right now?! I’m either horny or crying or laughing hysterically these days. I look at the calendar on my desk and frown. I’m late for my period, so maybe it’s about to start and that’s why I feel like this. I’ll find the ring, but I can’t handle being an emotional wreck.
A thought creeps into the back of my mind. Maybe the reason I haven’t gotten my period is…. Could I be pregnant? All the cravings, the nausea?
I shake my head. It couldn’t be. I’ve been tested. One in ten million chance, the doctor said. Almost completely infertile. Almost. I sigh and shake my head again. I wasted enough energy hoping for that one in ten million, I’m not going down that path again. I’m just PMSing, that’s all.
I remember the way the doctor said those words. It felt like he reached inside me and tore my uterus out himself. Now the tears aren’t just welling up in my eyes, they’re pouring down my cheeks. I close my eyes and try to stop myself but I can’t stop my ragged breaths.
“Harper, are you okay?” Zach’s voice pierces through my sadness. My eyes fly open and I quickly brush the tears away. They’re still falling out of my eyes and I hate myself for it. I sit up.
“Fine, fine. I’m fine. Sorry,” I say, turning away from him. He walks into my office and comes around the desk, kneeling beside me.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay? What happened?”
I look at him and see what looks like real concern in his face. He’s staring at me so earnestly, so openly. He’s kneeling beside me and every party of my body is screaming for me to reach over and touch him.
Knocked Up- The Complete Box Set Page 7