Mr. Beast

by Nicole Elliot

“Somehow, I get the feeling that I’m not the one holding all the secrets,” she said, although once again, the comment seemed to be directed more at herself than to me.

  I was just about to make a retort when we both heard movement outside of the door. In a flash, Joanna leapt off the desk, buttoning up her shirt, and I moved to the opposite side of the closet—both of us ready to pretend that we were looking for something in case someone opened the door and spotted us. But the sounds faded and whoever had been outside seemed to have moved on.

  Joanna and I exchanged glances. She placed her hand over her mouth, stifling her laughter, although her shoulders shook from the force of it. I shook my head, but couldn’t help laughing myself. The brief tension between us immediately dissipated.

  “That was close,” Joanna said, making her way back over to me.

  I slid my arm around her waist again. “Looks like it emboldened you though,” I said, noticing the way she tilted her head upwards, reaching for another kiss. I leaned down to her, happy to oblige and feeling that I would never get enough of the taste of her lips. I ran a hand through the silky curls of her hair and before I knew it, we were leaning against a wall, lost in each other all over again.

  She ran her hands down my back, and then along my waistline, gripping the front of my belt buckle. I let my hands trail down to her hips. She palmed my erection, feeling me.

  “You’re killing me, you know that?” I muttered, pushing into her hand. Her fingers gripped me, and my precum soaked my boxers. I was sure that if she kept doing this, I would cum in no time. “I wish I can fuck you right here and make you feel good…”

  I covered her breast over her blouse and kneaded it, kissing her earlobe. Her scent was alluring, and I was dying to get a taste of her…

  “This can’t happen here,” Joanna said breathlessly and removed her hand from my crotch.

  “I know,” I said, kissing her again while begrudgingly noting that I had been away from the meeting for too long. Any longer, and my absence would surely raise suspicion. But no amount of logic seemed capable of pulling me away from Joanna. She felt too good.

  My mind went blissfully blank with every wet kiss we shared, and I felt that I could have stayed in the closet with her forever.

  We both jumped at the sound of my phone buzzing at my hip.

  “Shit,” I muttered, finally stepping away from her and accepting that our rendezvous was officially over. I looked at the phone, seeing Tobias’s angry text message urging me to hurry the hell up and get back to the meeting.

  Joanna sighed, running a hand through her hair and then over her clothes, smoothing them back into place. She was breathless, her dazed eyes and flushed expression like an invitation to go all over her, but we couldn’t take chances at the moment.

  “Gotta go,” I said reluctantly. I gave her one last quick peck on the lips and then hurried out of the closet, trying to recompose myself and push aside the fevered thoughts of Joanna on my way back to the meeting.

  CHAPTER 16

  Joanna

  “See you later, Joanna,” Libby said as I signed out of my computer for the day. I turned around and waved at her before zipping my jacket and heading out the building.

  “Joanna!”

  I turned around just before reaching the door to see Tobias heading toward me. He was slightly red in the face, which I recognized as a sign of his agitation about something. I swallowed nervously, thinking about what had transpired between me and Anderson just hours ago in the supply closet. Terrified, I started thinking about security cameras, wondering if any had caught us in the act. I tried to recreate that particular area of the building in my head, trying to recall if there were any surveillance cameras somewhere near it that we’d had the misfortune of overlooking. Neither of us wanted to tell Tobias what was going on between us yet, so the last thing we needed was for him to find out by accident, courtesy of unsuspecting surveillance images.

  But Anderson should have known better if that was the case. As long as he’d been working with my brother, he should have known the building inside and out just as much as Tobias. If we had been in danger of being caught by a surveillance camera, certainly he wouldn’t have let us fall into such a trap.

  “Yeah,” I said, gripping the handle of my briefcase so tightly that my fist began to ache. I stared into Tobias’s eyes, trying to determine just how upset he was and if it really had anything to do with me.

  “How far did you guys go today?” he asked. I raised my eyebrows, taken off guard by the question. Tobias sighed in frustration and snapped his fingers in front of my face. “Come on! I’m working a ton of extra hours here. How are the new set of numbers going? When will you have them done?”

  “Oh!” I said, breathing a sigh of relief and having to keep myself from laughing. “They’re coming along well. Should be done in another day or two.”

  “Let’s shoot for another day,” Tobias said, already turning on the spot and heading back to his office. “The sooner the better.”

  “Got it,” I said. “I’ll work on them some more tonight.”

  He briefly glanced backwards, flashing me a thumbs-up.

  Relieved, I headed on my way, afraid that if I stuck around any longer, Anderson and I would somehow get exposed.

  Once I made it outside, I tightened my jacket around myself against the cool breeze. It was in such contrast to the weather earlier in the week. But that was Chicago for you; every Chicagoan knew it was plausible to experience all four seasons within a single week.

  Suddenly, a chill went down my spine that had absolutely nothing to do with the weather. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, and I froze on the spot defensively.

  It felt like someone was watching me.

  I looked around the parking lot. Rows of empty cars surrounded me, their windshields each looking like prying eyes. My own eyes darted from one car to the next, looking to find an occupant inside one of them. But I saw no one. Nevertheless, I couldn’t shake the feeling and knew in my gut that someone was there. And judging from the way dread steadily coursed through my system, there was one person in particular standing out in my mind…

  No. Don’t be stupid. It can’t be…I thought to myself.

  But I knew better than to not trust my gut instincts.

  I took a deep breath and reached into my purse for my phone. My first thought was of calling Anderson to ask if he would mind escorting me home. However, I knew there was a chance he was with my brother. With the exception of the brief break Anderson and I had shared together, today had been a busy day for him, and he’d been at Tobias’s side for the majority of it.

  My fingers flying across my phone’s screen, I hurriedly called Tobias instead. As I listened to the rings, I scanned the parking lot again, the feeling of being watched growing by the second. Shakily, I walked backwards, heading back to the building in case I needed to dash back inside.

  “Yeah?” said Tobias’ voice on the other line.

  “Tobias…” I said, my voice quivering in ways I wished it wouldn’t. If I was truly being watched by—I couldn’t even bring myself to think the name—I didn’t want him to hear and see how frightened I was.

  Tobias, on the other hand, instantly knew something wasn’t right. “Joanna, where are you? What’s wrong?”

  “I’m in the parking lot. I was about to leave, but…I think I’m being followed. Someone is watching me.”

  “Okay, relax. Calm down and come back inside. Who’s watching you?”

  Without wasting another second, I rushed back into the building, feeling close to hyperventilating. Standing behind the safety of the door, I closed my eyes and rested my hands on my knees, forcing a series of deep breaths to slow my speeding heart. Now that I was no longer out in the open, the feeling of being watched dissipated and my ability to think logically returned. I also was no longer afraid to think his name.

  Zander.

  He couldn’t have been out there though. He just couldn’t. I had b
een so sure it was him, but now, the thought seemed preposterous—or at least I hoped it was.

  I stood up straight, having successfully gotten my breathing and heart rate back under control. Just as I was about to head farther into the building and up to Tobias’s office, I heard the ding of the elevator around the corner. Mere seconds later, Tobias was rushing down the hall.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  I shook my head as he waved me over toward him. We met each other halfway, standing in the middle of the hall. “Uh…never mind. It’s nothing,” I said.

  “What do you mean nothing?” Tobias demanded. “Joanna, who’s following you? I know you’ve been holding something back from me. Enough is enough. Tell me what’s going on.”

  I sighed and took another deep breath. “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to seem like I was overreacting,” I prefaced, “but Zander called me last week.”

  Tobias’s eyes widened. “And what happened?” he asked.

  “He sort of…threatened to come after me…”

  Tobias swore. “You mean to tell me this happened last week ago and you didn’t tell me, Jo? What the hell is wrong with you? Why didn’t you say something?”

  “Because I never told him where I was going, and he doesn’t know anything about you or this company, so he has no way of finding me.”

  “How do you know he isn’t tracking your cell phone?”

  “Because I blocked him.”

  Tobias shook his head. “You’re not making sense. And besides, if you blocked him, how did he call you?”

  I swallowed nervously and averted my gaze, looking down to the deep burgundy and tan carpet lining the floor. “He didn’t call my cell phone. He called my office phone. Here.”

  Tobias was silent for so long that I had to look up at him. He simply stared at me in disbelief. “How did he find out your office phone number, Joanna?” he finally said at the long pause. “I just gave you that line. No one should have it.”

  “I know… And I don’t know,” I said with a sigh.

  Tobias looked toward the exit door behind me as if he had suddenly developed x-ray vision and could see right through it. The grimace on his face made it seem like he was looking right at Zander, ready to smash him to smithereens. “I can’t believe you waited this long to say something, Joanna.”

  “Because it’s not important!” I said, growing defensive.

  “Is he out there now?”

  “No! How could he be? He doesn’t know where this place is, I just told you that. I just…I don’t know. It’s been a long day. I’m tired and I must have been imagining things. My imagination got the best of me, but I’m fine now, so I’m going to go.”

  I turned around, but Tobias called after me. “Not so fast,” he said. “And stop being so stupid, Jo. If he found out your office phone number, stop acting like he can’t find this place. You don’t underestimate crazy people like Zander. I wouldn’t put anything past that bastard. We need to file for a restraining order against him.”

  “Tobias, you’re overreacting.”

  “No, I’m not,” he said, his voice firm and final. “I’m not going to have my little sister getting terrorized by a creep. Not under my watch. So we’re filing a restraining order, and you aren’t leaving here without me. You don’t need to be out there by yourself with that asshole possibly lurking around.”

  “Tobias, stop it!” I said, my temper flaring. “I’m not a child anymore, and you can’t tell me what to do! I said it was no big deal. I just want to go home and lie down.”

  Tobias sighed in exasperation. “Joanna, I’m just concerned about you.”

  “Well, don’t be.”

  “I’m your big brother. That’s not possible,” he said, his voice so sincere that it was hard for me to stay upset. My temper began to settle down again as I folded my arms across my chest. Tobias looked me in the eyes. “Okay. Fine. I know you’re grown now and I have to respect your decisions. So just look me in the eye, Joanna. Do you want a restraining order against Zander? Would it make you feel any better? Just to be on the safe side?”

  I shook my head. “No, I don’t want a restraining order against him,” I said, ignoring his latter questions. Deep down, I wondered if I was being stupid. But again, the thought of putting a restraining order on Zander made the danger feel too real. It would force me to admit that he was still a problem in my life, and I just didn’t want to face that realization. I didn’t want him to have that kind of power over me. If I put a restraining order on Zander, he would become the boogeyman in my mind that I couldn’t free myself from. I needed to get over him on my own. It was the only way for me to officially move on.

  “Well, do you at least want to hang out in the office until I can leave with you, so you don’t have to be by yourself?” Tobias asked.

  I could hear how desperately he wanted me to say yes, but again, I shook my head. “No. I’m fine,” I repeated.

  “How about Anderson?”

  I raised my eyebrows. “Huh?”

  “Anderson is about to leave in a few minutes. I could ask him to follow you home, just to make sure you got there safely. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.”

  I shook my head again, but much too quickly this time. “No.”

  “Are you sure?” Tobias said. “It wouldn’t be a problem.”

  “Tobias, I’m fine. Just let me go.”

  He held his hands up in surrender. “All right. Fine. Just be careful. I’ll see you later.”

  I nodded. “Yeah. Bye.” And with that, I headed back for the door, putting on an act of appearing much braver than I felt.

  Fortunately, this time when I stepped out into the parking lot, I did not get the feeling of being watched.

  He was gone.

  No, he was never here in the first place, I corrected myself. I have nothing to worry about. It was all just my imagination.

  I got into my car, Tobias’s car that he lent me, and got on the road, already envisioning taking a long and comforting bath to relax my mind.

  CHAPTER 17

  Anderson

  “I’m so sorry, Anderson,” Lauren said.

  I closed my eyes in exasperation for a moment and rubbed my temples. “Lauren, you’ve known this was coming for months,” I said, unable to believe she was bailing on me at the last minute. The agency’s gala was coming up, and each consecutive year, it became a bigger and more extravagant event. Lauren, a friend of mine, had agreed to be my date months ago. We did this for each other, went to the galas, the fancy dinners. We were a good date and it was strictly platonic. She was the best girl to take, but now, all of a sudden, she was claiming to have an obligation with her family that she couldn’t get out of.

  “Anderson, my sister needs me to help out with the kids. She’s going through a tough time right now and she needs me.”

  “I understand that, but do you mean to tell me she honestly can’t spare to handle things on her own for one day, just for a few hours?”

  “I wish it was that simple,” Lauren said.

  “Well, what’s making it complicated?” I demanded.

  Lauren pursed her lips and folded her arms as if I had somehow offended her. I didn’t care though, because I felt she was being ridiculous to cancel on me at the last minute like this. I had already paid for her ticket and our table was filled, so it was going to look exceptionally awkward for there to be an empty seat next to me. And at such short notice, I saw no way to remedy the situation.

  “Anderson, don’t be a jerk,” Lauren said.

  “I’m sorry, but I’m not the one being a jerk, Lauren. If you knew there was a chance you weren’t going to be able to go, you should have said something a long time ago.”

  “Well, forgive me for not being able to predict the future,” she snapped.

  I muttered under my breath, quickly losing my patience with her.

  Lauren sighed. “Look—do you want me to give you your money back for the ticket?”

  “
Forget the damn ticket, Lauren. Just…whatever. Do what you gotta do.”

  “I’ll make it up to you next year,” she said.

  I laughed and rolled my eyes. She had another thing coming if she thought I was going to consider accepting her as my date the following year. I wanted to tell her to not hold her breath, but that seemed a little too harsh.

  Lauren sighed and someone knocked on the door of my office.

  “Come in,” I said, welcoming the interruption.

  We both turned toward the door to see Tobias saunter in.

  “Hi Tobias,” Lauren said, as she began making her way to the door.

  Tobias nodded at her. “Hey Lauren. Nice job earlier today.”

  She smiled politely. “Thank you,” she said, and then turned toward me. “See you later, Anderson.”

  “Yeah, later,” I said, not even bothering to look at her as she made her exit.

  “Uh oh,” Tobias said, coming in to sit at the edge of my desk. “Trouble in paradise?”

  “Who said Lauren was anyone’s paradise?” I said, annoyed.

  “I thought she was one of your…uh…escapades?”

  I shook my head. “Nah, we were always just friends. We both agreed it was easier with no sex attached.”

  “What happened?”

  I folded my arms. “She bailed on me. Granted, she and I haven’t had much going on lately, but she was supposed to be my date to the gala. Now she’s claiming she can’t go. Some bullshit excuse about her sister suddenly needing help with her kids.”

  Tobias shook his head. “I always told you that one of these women were going to get you back one day, man,” he said and then chuckled.

  “Don’t laugh. You know how ridiculous that empty seat is going to look next to me?”

  “Well, fill it with someone else,” Tobias said, shrugging his shoulders.

  “Someone else like who?” I asked. “It’s too short of a notice to ask anyone.”

  “Is there no one else in your life? No one you could ask?”

  I’d been standing at my office window looking out at the traffic on the road when Tobias asked the question. I froze, feeling his gaze on the back of my head, but not daring to turn around. I stuffed my hands into my pocket. “No…” I said. “Why do you ask?”