Mitch closed his eyes and held her. “Sara. You know that’s not true.” When she didn’t answer him, he held her tighter. “Honey, you have to believe me. It’s not true. I could never be ashamed of you. And I won’t even grant credence to that other accusation with a response. God, I wish I knew what to do to make you see how amazing you are. How I see you. I wish I could explain to you how you make me feel.” He drew her away and looked deep into the depths of her eyes. “You know why she did this, don’t you?”
Sara shook her head as he held it in his large hands. “No.”
He grinned. She really was naïve about some things. “Honey, she’s obviously figured out about us. Think about it. She’s been hitting on me since I got here, and you and I’ve had sex twice in my office. She might have heard us. I think she’s just a spiteful bitch who’s angry that she didn’t get her way.” He brushed his thumbs against her cheeks. “I shouldn’t repeat this, but she’s slept with a lot of the men at the firm. Even some of the married ones, if the talk in the proverbial boys’ room is to be believed.” He shrugged. “I was probably going to be her latest conquest, and she’s just pissed because I want you instead.”
Seemingly breathless and full of panic she asked him, “You don’t want to be with her then?”
Mitch smiled, glad he was finally getting through to her. “No one. I don’t want to be with anyone else. Just you. Look, honey, I need to be honest with you. There’s something happening here with me that I’ve never felt before, so it’s a little confusing for me. But when I thought I might lose you, there was a horrible pain right here.” He thumped his fist on his chest. “I’ve never chased after any woman in my entire life.” He kissed her now, needing to show her as much as tell her.
Moments later, they heard a voice come over the intercom of the elevator announcing that the manual override would be complete in two minutes and they would be on their way again. They laughed at the announcement. The idea that as they had intentionally locked themselves in here while someone was trying to fix the problem as though the faulty was elevator was too funny.
“Mitch, I’m sorry.” She put her arms around him, holding on tightly.
He clenched his eyes tight and held onto her, not willing to give into the emotions that were swarming over him. “It’s okay, honey. I know it looked bad when you walked in. Just don’t walk away from me again, okay?”
“Okay. I’m sorry. I should have listened to you and let you explain.” The elevator started to move. He walked out with her and draped an arm around her.
Sara turned to him, “Mitch, someone might see us.”
“I don’t care. I thought I did. But when you ran out on me, I realized I didn’t give a damn who knew. You’re more important than some stupid rule that only applied to my past relationships. It’s different with you.” He hugged her closer to his body as he walked outside with her.
“Mitch, where are we going? I can’t go back in now, but don’t you have work to…” She was silenced with a kiss as they stood on the sidewalk outside of their building.
“We’re going home. I’ll call them from the car. I’m playing hooky for the rest of the day with my girlfriend.” He walked her to her car first and held her door open for her. Leaning in, he said, “I’ll see you at your place. Think about where you want to go to dinner tonight. Anywhere you want, okay?”
Sara whimpered. “Mitch, no.” She reached for her keys and took a key off the ring. “Take this. I’ll meet you there later. I want to pick up a few things at the store.”
“Sara, I can go…”
“No, Mitch, please let me do this. I want to cook you dinner tonight. Let’s not go anywhere, okay? Let’s just stay in and be alone.” She sniffled from the remnants of her crying.
“Sure, honey. Whatever you say. I’ll see you there.” He leaned in and kissed her before closing her door.
He waved her off and headed to his car. The gigantic ball of misery that had been in his gut for the past hour had suddenly evaporated. It was stupid to try to deny it any longer. He was falling in love with her. He was a thirty-year-old, self-proclaimed bachelor for life, who had fallen completely in love with a twenty-three-year-old secretary in the matter of two days. He should probably be mourning his bachelorhood, he thought. But he had absolutely no remorse for the loss of it. If this was love, then he was one lucky son of a bitch!
Chapter Eight
Riding up in the elevator the next morning, Mitch tried to reassure Sara. “I don’t want you to worry about her. Claudia is just a poor excuse for a lady. She didn’t get her way, so she had no recourse but to be nasty.” Wrapping his arms around her, he reiterated what he had told her a dozen times the night before. “If she tries to bait you, I want you to ignore her. Okay, honey?”
“Mitch, I said I’d be fine, and I will. I realize now that I overreacted to what she said. However,” she clarified, “if I walk in on you and her like that again, you better be very, very afraid because Claudia will not be who I’ll be focusing my anger on.” She gave him a quick kiss before the elevator doors opened.
Mitch opened the door to the office and held it for Sara. Once they were both inside, they saw Claudia standing there talking to Larry. The icy stare that she threw their way left no doubt how she felt about Sara.
Surprising Mitch , Sara walked past her and said, “Good morning, Claudia. It’s a lovely day, don’t you think?” She didn’t wait for a response. She just continued on to her desk.
Mitch gave Sara a wink and a smile before he headed back to his office. He turned on his computer and waited for it to boot up. While he was going through the paperwork that he had abandoned the day before, he thought of Sara.
He had to shake his head and laugh. He was a man obsessed. She had made a simple dinner the night before. She broiled some fish, made some wild rice, and steamed some asparagus. They watched T.V. before going to bed, and once again, she fell asleep in his arms.
Of course, that was after they had completely burned up the sheets. But it seemed perfect. After only a couple of days, Sara had managed to fit into his life like they were the only two puzzle pieces that fit together.
His computer beeped, signifying that it was up and running. He ran through his emails before returning any necessary phone calls. After reading the first two, it was obvious that he was going to have to work late. The work he had missed the day before would not be without a price. The Jennings case was set to go to Arbitration next week. He had two depositions to prepare for the following week. And not to mention a brief that he was behind on.
Normally, he would stay late everyday to avoid getting behind like this. But the past few days, his main focus had been on spending time with Sara. No matter how much he hated the idea, he would have to spend more time working and less time having the most amazing sex. The world seemed suddenly very unfair.
Mitch opened a new email and began to type.
Sara,
I just checked my work load for
the day. I’m way behind on
quite a few things. I’m going
to have to work late tonight.
Just wanted to give you a
heads up.
Mitch
He hit send on the email, and for the first time in his life, hated the fact that he had a solid and stable career. Sara made him so horny all the time, he was like an eighteen-year-old boy. Hating the fact that he would be spending his evening with briefs instead of her, he decided there would be one way to make sure that he didn’t drift far from her mind.
* * * *
Sara was having a great day. Two of the other secretaries had congratulated her for her chipper demeanor with Claudia. Word had gotten around the office the day before, and people were aware that Claudia had done something to upset her. Although they didn’t know the details, they knew it stemmed from an altercation in the copy room. Claudia, who loved to be loved and worshipped, was suddenly not the most popular girl.
Sara wished she could feel
sorry for her, but she didn’t. The things she had said to Sara the day before were downright hateful. Not to mention the fact that she obviously knew there was something going on with her and Mitch, and then she threw herself at him, anyway.
While Sara had been grocery shopping the day before, she had silently chided herself for trusting in every word that Mitch had given her in explanation. She knew the unwritten rule that women followed was that men were slime and not to be trusted. At least, that was what all of the magazines claimed.
But she couldn’t ignore the most apparent piece of evidence. In the short time that she had known Mitch, he had never given her any reason to doubt him or mistrust him. But Claudia, on the other hand, was a different story. She had known Claudia for over a year, and Sara could count at least a dozen dishonest and hateful things that she had done to people. After analyzing that, it was clear to her who deserved her trust.
She had just come back to her desk with a fresh cup of coffee and was prepared to start her dictation when she heard a voice behind her. She turned around and looked up from her desk at the floral deliveryman standing before her.
“Oh my, those are absolutely beautiful. Who are they for?” Although, she knew they were probably for Claudia. The girl got more flowers than the ICU wing at the hospital.
Looking at his clipboard, the guy squinted in an attempt to read it. “I can’t even make out this writing.” Shaking his head, he gave it a try. “It looks like maybe Sara Col – Cul – heck, I can’t tell. Do you have a Sara here that has a last name that begins with a C?”
“Um, yeah. I am Sara Collins. I’m the only Sara at this office. Are you sure it says Sara?” She couldn’t believe they were for her. Claudia’s last name was Soto. She thought maybe they had the names reversed on the delivery manifest or something.
The driver squinted again before nodding. “Yep. I see it now. Sara Collins. Sign here.”
She reached for the clipboard and was about to ask if he was sure, but it definitely looked like Sara Collins. She wasn’t sure why he had such a hard time reading it. He obviously needed glasses. “Here, thanks so much!”
Grabbing the vase, she was surprised at the weight of the arrangement. The vase itself was a frosted blue glass which flared at the opening like a trumpet. Inside it were the most beautiful white Casablanca Lilies she had ever seen. There were well over a dozen of them surrounded by lush greenery. It looked like something you would see near an altar at a wedding. She sat back down in her chair and pulled the card out of its teeny envelope.
Sara,
Work is stupid. Let’s quit and go live
on a tropical island somewhere. We
can live off of lots and lots of hot sex,
and we’ll eat bananas and coconuts
for nourishment.
Anyway, I’m sorry I have to work late.
Think of me when you go to sleep.
M.
Sara’s huge grin was plastered across her face when Claudia walked by, taking a sip of her coffee. Sara’s grin only intensified at the sight of Claudia choking on her hot beverage from the shock of seeing the bouquet. While Claudia walked away in disgust, Sara thought silently how nice it would be to literally watch the woman eat crow.
* * * *
Mitch was typing on his keyboard when he heard one of the secretaries walk by raving about the gorgeous lilies that Sara had gotten from a mystery man. As their voices trailed off, he heard the woman condemning Sara for being so secretive over his identity.
He had gotten so busy the time had flown in the past couple of hours. He picked up his coffee cup and decided that an impromptu trip to the break room for a refill was just what the doctor ordered. And if he happened to walk past Sara’s desk and see her and her bouquet, well then, all the better.
He was disappointed when he rounded the corner to her desk and saw that she was speaking with one of the partners. He smirked at the bouquet. He knew that he had done a good job. They were gorgeous, and they looked fitting for her.
When he first had the idea of flowers, he had almost automatically just sent roses. But something stopped him. He went online and browsed a few bouquets and was entranced by the beauty of the lilies. They had reminded him of the way he saw Sara. Beautiful but not ordinary, striking and elegant. They were the only flower that he saw on the whole website that even seemed worthy of her.
Her eyes locked with his for a moment as he passed. He gave her his customary wink and proceeded to head to the break room. He walked around the corner and right into Claudia. He hadn’t spoken to her since the situation in his office the day before. And other than business, saw no reason to do so now. He sidestepped her in hopes to avoid any contact whatsoever, but she followed him in. He poured his coffee cup and refused to meet her leering eyes.
When he turned to leave, she blocked him. Deciding he had enough, he thought it only fair that he fight fire with fire. “Look. I don’t know what your problem is, but I don’t appreciate your inappropriate behavior. I have made it abundantly clear that I am not interested in any way. For whatever reason, you are refusing to act like a lady about the whole thing. So if you can’t be a mature adult, I will be forced to take your conduct to the partners.” He stepped around her and headed out. But not before he heard her terse reply.
“Ha! That’s pretty funny, Mitch. They can’t do anything to me. I’m untouchable. I think you know why.”
Mitch had no idea what she meant. He ignored her and kept going. Shaking his head, he wondered what the world was coming to when a woman slept around like she did without any concern for the men’s spouses and still managed to actually sound proud of herself for it.
He passed Sara’s desk once more and found himself angry. The partner Sara was talking to was Peter. One of the men who, rumor had it, Claudia had slept with. The man obviously had no morals. He had a very nice and attractive wife that Mitch had met before. Seeing the slime ball standing over Sara’s desk no longer sat too well with him. He proceeded onto his office and got back to work.
* * * *
At the end of a very long day, Sara headed for the elevators. She had stayed an hour longer to help Peter and Larry prepare exhibits for an upcoming trial. She knew Mitch was still stuck in his office working. She hadn’t even seen him break for lunch, and she hoped he would be smart and at least order himself a sandwich or something to tide himself over. The elevator door was almost shut when she saw the unwelcome appearance of Claudia as she joined her.
Once the doors had closed, Claudia turned to her. “You think you’ve won, but you haven’t.” Her tone was mocking.
Sara lifted her hand and began studying her fingernails. Holding them out to admire her manicure, she sighed, hoping it gave off a look of boredom. She would not let Claudia get to her. She had promised Mitch, and she had promised herself.
“Don’t you ignore me, you bitch!” Claudia screamed.
Do not look at her. Sara began to whistle in tune with the elevator music.
Claudia acted enraged by Sara’s casual demeanor. “Fine. Don’t look at me. But you remember this.” Leaning close to Sara, she shouted in her ear, “He’ll get tired of you. Sooner rather than later. And when all is said and done, I’ll be the last one standing.”
Sara turned to her, with a cold stare in her eyes. “Really? That’s strange. If I were to believe all of the gossip around the office, I would think you would be lying on your back.” The elevator doors opened, and Sara all but skipped out with elation. The jab had done its job. Claudia’s jaw had dropped open. Obviously, she was used to being the one to hurt people’s feelings. She never actually expected anyone to say anything rude to her.
* * * *
Mitch sat in his office and hit save on the last set of questions that he had prepared for deposition. He glanced at the time on the bottom of the computer screen and cringed when it said 11:23. At around 7:30, when everyone else had gone home for the night and he was the only one left in the office, he had called Sara. She
had picked up a roast chicken at the store and had a light supper. She had told him she was going to go to bed early, citing exhaustion due to her boyfriend preventing her from getting her full eight hours of sleep.
Mitch had laughed at her and told her he sympathized since his girlfriend was just as insensitive and kept him up constantly with her constant neediness. She had laughed hysterically when he went on to tell her that it wasn’t easy being such an amazing lover. He explained to her how it was a catch twenty-two because now his girlfriend just couldn’t get enough of his body.
They had spent fifteen minutes on the phone until he was forced to go. Knowing he would get nothing accomplished if they stayed on the phone and continued to talk about sex.
Mitch all but staggered to his car and got behind the wheel. The combination of the lack of sleep of the past couple of nights and the day he had made him dead on his feet. He drove home with the air condition on high and with the loudest rock music he could find blaring though the radio. Although he wasn’t sure he would ever get the constant banging of drums out of his head, he figured it was better than falling asleep behind the wheel.
He got out of his car and almost started to head for his apartment. But he stopped himself and went around the other way. He knew it was late. He also knew he shouldn’t wake her. But he also knew he could be a selfish bastard, and he needed to sleep next to Sara. He had barely seen her all day.
Walking up the stairs, he leaned against the door frame and knocked. He closed his eyes as he waited and could have sworn he dozed off for a minute when he heard her voice through the door.
“Mitch?” After looking through the peephole she unlocked the dead bolt. Finally, after the last lock had been disengaged, she opened the door.
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