Office Flirts! 5 Romantic Short Stories

by Scott, Lisa

  “It’s different.”

  “I bet. Today Chuck and Chaz were riding pogo sticks up and down the hall. One time Jillian hired a masseuse for us during a stressful week. We had a portable hot tub in the conference room for a while. But I think all the nonsense boosts creativity. And I think a work environment like ours keeps some overqualified people at our agency. Where else do they bring in live animals for a pitch?”

  He held up a hand. “I don’t want to talk about work anymore.”

  “Then let’s talk about you.”

  He made a face. “I don’t want to talk about me either. My mother told me to keep things to myself. I didn’t listen to her. Turns out she was right.”

  “Who was the girl who hurt you? Some cheerleader with big pom-poms?”

  Laughing softly, he said, “No. I was just sick of putting myself out there and being disappointed. Meeting my mom’s new boyfriend and his kids, letting them get to know me, then being hurt when they were gone in a month.”

  “Do that enough times and I’ll bet you stop letting yourself be vulnerable like that.”

  He looked at her with big, hurt eyes. “You do.”

  “But you’ve been open with me it seems.”

  “I know. It’s strange.”

  “So what’s the deal with Christmas? Who doesn’t like Christmas? You indicated you were a casual Catholic on the questionnaire.”

  “When you don’t have much of a family, it’s a day that sort of rubs that in. And my mom didn’t have a lot of money, so I rarely received what I wanted. I know that’s not what the holiday is about, but when you’re little and you believe in the magic and it doesn’t happen, you start to hate the day.”

  Shelby slid the ribbon out of her hair. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay. I love the ribbon on you.”

  “It must have been quite hard on you, growing up like that.”

  “It was. And sometimes she’d have a boyfriend kicking around, and maybe he even had kids. And I’d think, hey, maybe this guy will stay. But they never did.” He stared at his plate. “I’ve never told anyone that. It’s usually easier to keep that kind of stuff inside.”

  “But it’s good to know. I won’t wear Christmas ribbons anymore. We don’t have to make a big deal about the holiday. We can even skip it.”

  “Or maybe spending it with you would make it great.” One corner of his mouth turned up.

  “I bet it would. I usually improve most situations.”

  He laughed. “I hope we get to find out.”

  When the waiter cleared their plates, Shelby stared across the table at him. “So now what? The dinner went well, do we call it a night or get a drink? Usually at this point, men are either rushing to leave, or rushing to score with plans to never call me again—sometimes they change their phone numbers and screen identities. I realize I’m difficult.”

  He shook his head. “That’s not the right word. Unique? One-of-a-kind? Amazing?”

  “Yes! Amazing. That’s a good word for me.” This guy really did get her.

  “As for what’s next, I don’t want a drink, and I’m not looking to get you into bed and the run away. But I’d love to spend time alone with you.” He lowered his voice. “What’s your stance on second date kisses?”

  She drummed her fingers, thinking. “I’ve recently revised my stance on second date kisses. I think they’re a must.”

  “This is a very recent revision, isn’t it?”

  “Quite.”

  One eyebrow went up. “My place or yours?”

  “Mine. Just in case I have yet to discover that you’re very charming sociopath and have weapons and hidden cameras in your apartment.”

  He reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “I would’ve mentioned that under question thirty-two: Any deviant hobbies? I was being open, you know.”

  ***

  They were kissing before she even unlocked her door. She pulled back for a moment. “This could fall under public displays of affection. We both said no to that.”

  “Then let’s get inside.”

  They made it as far as her couch, and she was shocked how strong her feelings were for him. Her insides twisted and tingled in a way she couldn’t remember them ever doing before. And when his hand slid under her sweater, she took it off and tossed it on the floor.

  “Cobalt blue. I like it,” he said.

  That took her breath away, but it didn’t matter because he was kissing her again, and soon his shirt was tossed aside.

  Then her skirt found its way off.

  Not long after that, his pants joined the jumble of clothes on the floor.

  His hands explored her hips, and he slid them up her stomach, sliding them over her breasts where he cupped them gently. “Breast inspector,” he whispered.

  She chuckled. “You’re definitely holding something against me right now,” she said. “I can feel it.”

  Laughing, he kissed her on her neck, under her ear. Then he nibbled the same spot.

  Her heart felt as if it would bust out of her chest. It scared her. Breathless, she sat up. “I think you should leave.”

  He ran his hand through his hair. “Seriously? Did I do something wrong?”

  “No.” She pulled a blanket off the back of the couch and wrapped it around herself. “You’re doing everything right, and I want to do things with you I shouldn’t be doing yet.” She gulped. “You indicated in your survey you’d be okay waiting a while for that.”

  He gathered his clothes off the floor. “I should’ve added an addendum to that—I’d be willing to wait just as long as my clothes were still on.”

  She was about to spew some very nasty insults when she saw his playful grin. “Oh. An attempt at humor to diffuse a potentially embarrassing situation,” she said. “Ha, ha.”

  “I’m patient. I told you that in question ten.” He came over and kissed her head. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  “Can you be more specific?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Like when are you going to call? I’ve got a lot to do tomorrow, and I’ll be checking my phone all day to make sure the volume’s up, make sure the battery’s charged. But if you give me a window during which you’re going to call, I can be more efficient with my time.”

  “I’ll call you at two.”

  “I’ll be in spinning class at two.”

  “Four?”

  “If we’re going to make last minute plans to do something tomorrow, we should talk before four.”

  “I’ll call you at noon.”

  She opened her mouth to say something, but he kissed her so she couldn’t protest.

  ***

  Jared went home, surprised by how wonderful his night had been with Shelby. He hadn’t expected to end the evening with her half-naked. But that’s not even what he enjoyed the most. He loved talking with her, loved being surprised by the blunt comments and interesting observations she made. He couldn’t stop smiling.

  He logged onto his computer and saw an email from Randall Clark, his contact at Dunner’s corporate offices, looking for an update on his investigation. Jared’s smile fell. Randall had sent it just after five, and Jared had left the office a few minutes early.

  Jared stared at the screen for a good ten minutes wondering what to report. Was he really going to tell him about the pranks and jokes and goofing around that went on there every day? From what he could tell, work was getting done, and while their expense account receipts were questionable and higher than the other branches, their billing hours were at least twenty percent higher than the other branches, too. Why punish them when they were getting the work done? Maybe Shelby was right. Maybe their unorthodox ways really did lead to higher productivity and greater inspiration.

  Normally he’d be excited to relay such information. It meant he was doing his job, solving the company’s problem. But this time he was reluctant to pass on what he knew. He needed some time to figure out how he was going to handle this. Dunner was hi
s biggest client. But what would Shelby say when she found out the guy she “had dibs on” had been spying on them?

  That’s when he realized her opinion mattered more than Randall Clark’s. He dropped his head back and swore. He wasn’t just having fun with Shelby; he was falling for her.

  He typed a message to Randall before he could change his mind. “I’m still gathering my information, but so far I feel they’re a very effective group, occasionally using unorthodox methods.” He cringed, thinking of the picture of some guy’s naked ass he’d found on the copy machine. “It seems to bolster confidence and productivity. It’s an unusual case. I’ll keep you updated when I have more information.”

  He stripped off his clothes and climbed into bed. He had a hard time falling asleep with thoughts of Shelby taunting him and worries about his final report for Dunner nipping at his conscience.

  He woke at eleven and wanted to call Shelby, but remembered he promised her he’d call at noon.

  “Screw it,” he thought, dialing her number.

  She answered right away. “Jared? Is everything all right? You’re calling early.”

  “Everything’s fine. I just didn’t want to wait until noon. And we didn’t set a date to get together again.”

  “Tonight,” she quickly said. “Or now. We could have lunch. I could skip spinning class, I’m in great shape as I’m sure you noticed last night when you tricked me out of my clothes. You seem to get me out of my clothes often. First with the coffee, then last night with your magic hands.”

  He laughed. “I can meet you in an hour at your place.”

  ***

  “It’s noon exactly,” Shelby said, opening her door.

  “Punctuality is important.”

  “My grandmother had a cross-stitch that said that.” She took him by the hand and led him to the couch. A plate of walnut chocolate chip bars sat on the coffee table. “I’ve been busy since you called.” She picked up a bar and brought it to his mouth.

  He took a bite and moaned.

  “Hot out of the oven.” She stood and unbuttoned her shirt, letting it slide to the ground. Her bra went next. She wiggled out of her jeans, and then her panties.

  He felt his jaw drop.

  “And look at me, hot out of my clothes.”

  Jared said nothing. Even if he was capable of cobbling together words at the moment, he didn’t know what they would be. Just last night she had said it was too soon. And given the conflict with his consulting job, he was thinking so, too.

  Her smile fell. “That didn’t do it for you? Because I worked it out in my head several times and thought it was quite clever and seductive.”

  He leaned back on the couch and pulled his hand down his face. “No, that was very…wow. I don’t know what to say.”

  She snatched her shirt off the floor and pulled it back on. He could still see the curves of her breasts through the front opening.

  “I know I said it was too soon, but I couldn’t sleep last night,” she said.

  “Neither could I.”

  “My brain says it doesn’t make sense to do be physical so quickly. But it’s the only part of me that thinks so. Maybe I’m sick of being practical.” She looked at him with wide blue eyes that just about cracked his heart in two with their honesty.

  Now he definitely couldn’t take this further with her. Not when she didn’t know who he really was and what he was actually doing. “Shelby, there is nothing I’d rather do right now than take you to your bedroom and spend the next few hours—no, the next few days with you. But I think it might be inappropriate given our work situation right now. I’m not going to be consulting at Dunner much longer. When I’m gone, then we can move things further with nothing work-related between us.”

  “Consulting? I thought you were an accountant. From Dunner.”

  He pressed his lips together to hold back the flood of swear words that were ready to tumble out. “I’m a consulting accountant. And I don’t work for Dunner directly. They hired me.”

  “Is there a problem at the office?”

  “It’s not anything I can discuss.” He laced his fingers in hers. “And I don’t want it to come between us. So let’s keep things where they are for another week or so.” He sighed. “You don’t know how hard that’s going to be.”

  She snuggled next to him. “Okay. It sounds very prudent. Prudence is good practice. That’s another cross-stitch of Grandma’s.”

  “I’d like to meet her.”

  “She’s on my mother’s mantle. Thus the question on burial plans. It was a horrifying thing when I was twelve.” She shivered.

  He kissed her head. “Why don’t you get dressed and we’ll go to lunch? You can tell me more about this fantastic grandmother of yours.”

  As she stood, he held onto her hand for a moment. “I’ve never told a woman to go get dressed before. You must be something special.”

  She grinned and he grabbed another cookie. It was delicious, but a lousy consolation prize to what she’d been offering moments ago.

  ***

  Monday morning, Shelby joined Jared for coffee.

  “Talk about taking things too quickly,” he joked. “Are you sure you’re ready to trust me with hot beverages?”

  “I’m willing to give you another chance.” When they finished, she went back to her office to plan out her week, and Jared went to his office to…to do what? She still wasn’t sure why he was here.

  She poked her head out the door and saw that Jillian was in. Surely she would know what was going on. She rapped on the open door and walked in.

  “What did you spill on yourself now?” Jillian asked.

  “Nothing and it was Jared who spilled the coffee on me.” She sat. “What do we really know about what he’s doing here?”

  “I think you’d know more than me. Corporate said they sent an accountant for an internal audit. No biggie.”

  “He told me he’s an accounting consultant who was hired by Dunner.”

  Jillian stiffened. “Seriously?”

  “That doesn’t sound good, does it?”

  “Let me make some calls. I’ll tell you what I find out.”

  ***

  Jillian disappeared for the rest of the day. Shelby left her a few voicemails looking for an update, but she didn’t hear back. Then, Jillian was out of the office the next two days.

  “Where do you think Jillian’s been?” Shelby asked Jared Thursday morning as they shared coffee. She liked this new routine of theirs.

  “Does she always take off like this?” he asked.

  “Sometimes. But even for Jillian this is a long time to go without hearing from her.” She took a sip of coffee. “When are you finished working here? Not that I’m rushing you or anything. Well, yes I am. I’ll miss seeing you at work, but I’m ready to move things along. Very, very ready.”

  He laughed. “A few more days.”

  Just then, Jillian burst into the office with three guys in tow. One pushed a dolly piled with empty boxes. The other guy carried bubble wrap. She pointed at the third guy holding a glass jar. “You get the fish in the reception area, but careful you don’t kill it. I’ve kept that thing alive since I was twelve.”

  The office fell silent. Heads popped up from cubicles and people stepped out of their offices, including Shelby and Jared. “You look like you’re moving out or something,” Shelby said.

  “Or something is more like it. I’m quitting. I got a new job,” Jillian answered without looking their way.

  A few people let out gasps. Others said, “No!” Jillian could be a diva, manipulative, and wildly inappropriate, but everyone at Dunner knew they had it good under her watch.

  “Why would you leave?” Jenny asked.

  Jillian snapped her head and looked right at Jared. “That’s a good question for Mr. Jared Smith, freelance consultant.”

  “What? What does that mean? Why would you know why she’s leaving?” Shelby asked. Her palms felt sweaty and the coffee was suddenly no
t agreeing with her stomach.

  “Oh? Your little boyfriend hasn’t told you yet why he’s really here?” Jillian stared at Shelby, waiting for an answer.

  “Not exactly. Not in detail,” Shelby said in a small voice.

  “Jillian, you haven’t seen my recommendations. You might be surprised—”

  Jillian cut him off. “Oh, I’m surprised all right that corporate would send a consultant,” she made air quotes around the word, “to spy on us.”

  The place started buzzing.

  “That’s right. He’s been watching everything we do, going through our expense reports, ready to tattle to corporate on the way we do things here.”

  Shelby struggled to swallow. “Is it true?” she finally managed to ask Jared.

  Jared’s face was pale. “Well, I…it’s complicated…”

  “And I wasn’t going to wait to be fired. So I found myself another job. And I’d suggest you all do the same before Jared turns in his report.” Jillian slammed her office door behind her.

  People dug out their phones while others shut their doors and Shelby stood there frozen, a million thoughts swirling through her head. “All those things I told you about Dunner. They’re going in your report,” she said flatly.

  “Yes, but—”

  She swallowed hard. “So, you were using me. And you didn’t want to take our relationship further until you left Dunner because you never intended to take it any further.” She started to walk away but he grabbed her arm.

  “Shelby, no. That’s not how it is.”

  She looked down at her coffee mug and threw its remains at him. “You deserve a hundred degrees hotter than that.” She grabbed her purse from the office while kittens mewed in the dead silent room.

  Lizzy fumbled at her keyboard and turned off the cat videos just as Shelby ran out the door.

  ***

  For the first time in his life, Jared understood what it felt like to have the blood drain from one’s face. Jillian glared at him from her office, and heads popped up from cubicles like vicious groundhogs ready to attack. He held up his hands, hoping he could keep the situation under control. “It’s true I was brought here to compile a report.”