One Night

by Ramona Gray

  “So you used to live in New York?” She asked casually, hoping to glean a bit more information about her new boss.

  “Yes,” he replied. When he said nothing else, only stared at her with those disconcerting blue eyes, Kate shifted the recycling box again. Her arms were beginning to shake from the exertion of holding it.

  “Okay, well, uh, I’m going to take this to the filing room, my desk is right outside your office so if you need anything you can just holler or my extension is 819.”

  She walked awkwardly toward the door, hugging the heavy box to her chest. As she stepped around Edward, he surprised her by reaching out and taking the box from her. As he slid his hands around the cardboard box, the back of his hand brushed up against the soft swell of her breast and she gasped and stepped back quickly. Without a word he turned and carried the box out of the room.

  Kate stared dumbly at the floor. She could still feel the soft brush of his hand against her breast and her breath quickened in her throat. What was wrong with her? An accidental brushing of his hand on her body and she was acting like some horny teenager. With one last deep breath, she walked out of the office to her desk. It was going to be a long morning.

  * * *

  “What are the odds that the handsome devil from the train would be your new boss?” Olivia said.

  After eating their lunch in the staff lunch room, they had decided to take a walk in the park adjacent to their building so Kate could fill Olivia in on the details of the morning in private.

  “It would be just my luck,” Kate said glumly. “This guy is worse than Gerald.”

  “No one was worse than Gerald,” Olivia said. “Besides, he’s been your boss for less than four hours. You can’t tell anything about him yet, and it sounds like you had a connection on the train.”

  “We didn’t,” Kate said. “And he is worse than Gerald. I can feel it in my bones, Olivia. Half an hour after I met him, he insisted that I rearrange my entire desk so that I’m facing his door when I’m working. Is he expecting me to just sit and watch his door all day in case he needs something? Plus, I heard him on the phone talking to his previous company and he came across as an arrogant dick. I thought Gerald was bad with his ‘bring me my coffee’ and ‘change my voicemail’ but I can guarantee you Mr. Turner will be even more high maintenance.”

  “One,” Olivia replied “you shouldn’t speak ill of the dead and two – this arrogant man also caught you on the train, examined you for injuries and,” she grinned impishly, “apparently makes your underwear wet just by looking at you.”

  Kate gave her a sour look. “You keep that to yourself or I’ll super glue your stapler to your desk – I swear it. Besides, he was completely different on the train. He was warm and friendly, maybe a little too familiar, but not arrogant. I can’t believe I’m saying this but I actually miss Gerald’s crusty old man attitude.”

  “Don’t worry, Katie-pie,” Olivia said. “You’re just having a bad day. I’m sure Mr. Turner will be just fine and if he isn’t, remember how rough the first year was with Gerald. You can handle whatever Mr. Turner throws at you. Now, let’s stop at the Starbucks on the way back. I need a hit of caffeine.”

  * * *

  Olivia is right, Kate thought to herself as she sat down at her newly-arranged desk. She was just having a bad day and acting like her new boss was an asshole without any real reason wasn’t like her. There was just something about Edward Turner that set her nerves on edge and she was already hating that she was attracted to him. The law firm had a strict no-dating policy between employees and besides, the secretary dating the boss was a horrible cliché and it always ended badly.

  It seemed to work out for Lina.

  Yeah, her baby sister was happier then Kate had ever seen her but she had literally just started dating her boss. Kate was happy for her but she was also worried that this Aiden guy would break Lina’s heart.

  She sighed and took a sip of her coffee as her phone rang.

  “Hey, Rose. What’s up?”

  “Mr. Turner’s things are here, should I send the couriers back with the boxes?” Rose asked.

  “Yes, please.” Kate hung up the phone and walked to the door of Edward’s office. Knocking lightly, she said, “Mr. Turner, the couriers are here with your things. Should I have them put the boxes in here?”

  “Yes,” he replied without bothering to look up from the computer screen he was staring intently at. Under Kate’s direction, the couriers placed the boxes in the far corner and left. Kate hovered for a moment at the office door, waiting to see if Edward had further instructions for her but when he continued to stare at his computer screen she returned to her desk.

  The afternoon passed slowly. Edward remained at his desk in front of his computer and with little else to do, Kate kept reliving the incident on the train this morning. While not a classic beauty, her thick red hair, full breasts and generous smile could and did attract attention from the opposite sex but before this morning she’d never been so affected by a man simply looking at her. The way Edward had stared at her mouth and breasts and that brief tightening of his hands on her hips had left her wondering what it would be like to have him in her bed. Would he be gentle or rough? Would he be slow and tender or –

  Enough, Kate!

  She placed a shaky hand to her warm and flushed cheek. This type of thinking was madness. Lusting after her boss was a sure way to be fired.

  At five, Kate peeked into Edward’s office. “I’m leaving for the day, Mr. Turner. Have a good evening.”

  Still absorbed in his work, he nodded distractedly. “See you tomorrow, Ms. Jones.”

  Chapter 2

  By the next morning Kate’s mood had not improved. After eating a light supper and doing laundry, she had gone to bed early with a book but couldn’t lose herself in the story. She had clicked off the light and stared at the ceiling as Chicken curled up comfortably beside her. Hours later she had fallen into a restless sleep that never quite deepened.

  Now, freshly showered and dressing in her bedroom, she chatted grumpily at Chicken, who was stretched out on the bed and lazily grooming her face.

  “The thing is, Chicken, why was he even on the train in the first place? He’s a partner in a law firm, he should be driving a fancy car to work. And another thing - I’ve thought a lot about my reaction to him on the train and it’s obvious to me now that it has nothing to do with Edward despite what you might think. It’s exactly like Olivia said – I just need to get laid. Any woman who hadn’t had sex in over a year would have reacted the same way. Right, Chicken?”

  She glanced over at Chicken who lifted her leg over her head and licked her own ass.

  “Nice,” Kate said. “Stay classy, Chicken.”

  * * *

  “Good morning, Kate.”

  Kate shifted over on the bench seat as Josh squeezed in beside her.

  “Josh! How are you?”

  “I’m good. I missed you yesterday.”

  “Sorry, I was stuck in the middle of the train.”

  “No problem.” Josh gave her a smile that yesterday would have brought a flush of warmth to her cheeks. “Listen, I was wondering if you’d like to go to dinner this Friday?”

  Kate cleared her throat nervously. Josh was handsome with his dark hair and hazel eyes and seemed like a great guy. They had been chatting on the train for a while now and he was finally asking her out. She had been waiting for this moment so why was she suddenly so disinterested? Josh was waiting patiently for her answer and she cleared her throat again.

  “I, uh - yes, of course I do,” she stuttered.

  “Great!” Josh grinned enthusiastically, the dimples in his cheeks deepening. Kate smiled at him as they exchanged cell numbers. Josh was a very nice guy and she wasn’t about to turn down the chance to get to know him better just because she had a sudden case of the ‘wet panties’ for her boss.

  * * *

  When she arrived at work, Edward’s office door was closed and she
dropped her stuff at her desk, turned on her computer and wandered to the kitchen. She poured herself a cup, adding a generous dollop of cream, as she grinned to herself. Olivia would freak out when she told her about her date with Josh on Friday.

  Coffee in hand, she turned and bumped into Edward who was standing directly behind her. She stumbled backward and gasped in pain as the hot coffee sloshed over the top of the mug and splashed onto her hand. Edward immediately seized the mug and, setting it on the counter, put one hand on the small of her back and propelled her toward the sink. He turned on the tap and guided her hand under the cool water.

  “Ouch,” Kate muttered.

  “Are you always this accident prone, Ms. Jones?” Edward asked with a hint of impatience in his voice.

  “No,” Kate replied, “You surprised me. I wasn’t expecting you to be standing so close. Have you heard of respecting someone’s personal space?”

  “Like you respected my personal space yesterday on the train?” Edward asked.

  “That was an accident. And you were the one who wouldn’t let me off your lap,” Kate said hotly.

  “Indeed. I suppose I wanted to make sure you weren’t going to pass out on me. Speaking of which, how’s your head today?”

  She didn’t reply, suddenly distracted by how close Edward was to her. He was standing directly behind her, one hand resting on the counter beside her and his other hand wrapped lightly around her wrist, forcing her to keep her hand under the cool water. She was trapped between his body and the counter and she could feel the light pressure of his chest against her back. Despite her own height, Edward still towered above her and she glanced up at his face. She could smell the clean scent of his skin and see the small nick on his jaw where he had cut himself shaving. His closeness was heating her skin, bringing a flush to her cheeks, and staring at her pale hand being held firmly by his large one was giving her a fluttering sensation in her stomach.

  “Ms. Jones? How’s your head this morning?” He repeated.

  “It’s better, thank you.”

  “Good. And I see the chicken scratch is healing nicely as well.”

  Kate blushed as he let go of her wrist and turned off the tap before stepping back.

  “Let me see your hand,” he said.

  She turned to face him, holding out her hand obediently. Plucking the dish towel off the counter, he dried her hand gently and examined it closely.

  “Looks like you’ll be fine.”

  “Thanks.” Her voice was husky and low and she could almost hear the lust in it.

  Get it together, Kate!

  He was standing close to her, too damn close, and she struggled to clear her thoughts and control her breathing. Determined to act casual, she forced her gaze to his. He was staring at her mouth and, as though they had a mind of their own, Kate’s lips parted. She watched in fascination as his nostrils flared and his hand tightened around hers. She couldn’t breathe as his head dipped down.

  Do not kiss your boss in the office. I repeat – do not kiss your boss in the office!

  Ignoring her inner voice, Kate tilted her head and leaned forward, her heart beating wildly in her chest.

  “Am I interrupting something?”

  Edward immediately released her wrist and turned toward the doorway of the kitchen. She peeked over Edward’s shoulder and groaned silently. Melissa Saunders, one of the lawyers in the firm, was standing in the doorway. She and Melissa had been at odds since Melissa had been hired last year. The combination of Kate’s quick temper and Melissa’s obvious disdain for and poor treatment of the admin staff had led to more than one argument between the two of them.

  “You must be Edward Turner.”

  Edward strode towards Melissa, extending his hand. “I am, and you are?”

  “I’m Melissa Saunders. We’ll be working on the Johnson case together.”

  “Nice to meet you, Melissa,” Edward said.

  “Likewise,” Melissa answered. Her gaze drifted down Edward’s body. “I’m looking forward to working with you.”

  Hidden behind Edward’s back, Kate rolled her eyes and picked up her coffee. Melissa was tall and slender and had a cold type of beauty. Her porcelain skin was flawless and her light blue eyes were framed by long lashes. She radiated confidence and her ruthlessness in a court room was well known.

  As Kate slipped by them Melissa said coolly, “Good morning, Kate.”

  “Melissa,” Kate replied and left the kitchen. She dropped off her coffee at her desk and headed to reception to check her mail slot and pick up any messages for Edward.

  What just about happened, did not just about happen. You absolutely, positively were not about to kiss your new boss in the kitchen.

  Pushing the image of Edward’s mouth out of her mind she turned the corner into reception and came face to face with a large man in a uniform with “Hank’s Moving” on a small patch on his breast pocket.

  “Mr. Turner’s furniture has arrived, Kate,” Rose said.

  Kate smiled at the mover. “Let me show you where the furniture goes.”

  An hour later Gerald Thompson’s old furniture had been removed and the new furniture was in its place. Kate trailed her fingers along the rich mahogany wood of the new desk. The room was now dominated by the large desk. A black leather couch was on the far side of the room with two black matching leather chairs placed in front of Edward’s desk for clients. A matching mahogany filing cabinet was pushed up against the wall behind the desk allowing him to easily turn and access any files he might need. Two large mahogany bookshelves were placed against the wall opposite the window and four large framed photos leaned against the same wall as the couch, waiting to be hung.

  As Edward set up his computer on the new desk, Kate cleared her throat. “What should I start doing first, Mr. Turner?”

  “You could start by filling up the two bookshelves with the books from those four boxes there,” he replied tersely.

  Edward discreetly stared at Kate as she moved his books to the bookshelf. Anticipating that she would be helping him unpack she had dressed more casually today in a light pink shirt that, while not as tight as yesterday’s shirt, still clung to her breasts in a very appealing way. His groin twitched when she stretched to her tip toes to place some books on the top shelf and her shirt rode up slightly, giving him a glimpse of her pale skin above the waist band of her pants. He forced his gaze to his computer screen before he had a full-blown erection and really embarrassed himself.

  From the moment Kate Jones had fallen into his lap on the train, he hadn’t been able to get her out of his mind. The memory of her green eyes staring into his and the image of her nipples straining at her shirt had even invaded his dreams last night. And then this morning when she had burned her hand he had jumped at the chance to touch her again, to stand close to her and breathe in the scent of her hair. Standing next to her in the kitchen, seeing the obvious desire in her eyes had been more than he could handle. All rational thought was driven from his mind, he could think only of claiming that full mouth with his own, of cupping her breast in his hand and running his thumb over her nipple until she moaned.

  Edward cursed silently to himself, shifting uncomfortably in his new office chair as his attempt at preventing an erection failed miserably. He was attracted to Kate - he could admit that to himself. Her hair and eyes, the curve of her hip, the way she flushed when she was nervous, made him ache to touch her. He sighed harshly. Kate was the first woman since Tabitha to even catch his eye. Guilt immediately flooded through him at the thought of Tabitha.

  It’s been two years. She wouldn’t expect you to remain celibate for the rest of your life.

  No, she wouldn’t but it didn’t stop the guilt. Until Kate had literally fallen into his lap, he had honestly thought he would never be interested in being in a relationship again.

  Relationship? Do you think you’re ready for that? Just because you want to fuck your PA doesn’t mean you want a damn relationship. You haven’t even
slept with another woman since Tabitha. Remember?

  Yeah, he remembered. And that was probably one of the reasons he was finding it so difficult to keep his hands to himself when it came to Kate. He’d always had a healthy appetite for sex and two years was a long fucking time to go without it.

  He stared idly at Kate’s long hair as she pushed it away from her face and reached for another book. He wasn’t ready for a relationship, that was clear, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t consider the possibility of having a no-strings-attached night of sex with Kate.

  Nice. Could you be more of an asshole?

  Maybe she’d be happy with a night of meaningless sex. Ask her. No one in the office needs to know.

  He shut his inner voice down with a snap. He could only imagine the look on Kate’s face when he casually asked if she wanted to risk her job by fucking him. She’d either punch him or have him fired for sexual harassment. Hell, she’d probably do both. Just because he thought they had a moment on the train didn’t mean that she did.

  He resolved to keep his distance from her, to keep things strictly professional between them and to ignore his growing attraction to her. In front of him Kate bent over to pick up a stack of books from the box on the floor and at the sight of her ass, he groaned softly to himself. Maintaining professionalism was going to be more difficult than he thought.

  * * *

  Olivia poked her head into Edward’s office. “Hey, girlie, ready for lunch?”

  Kate blew a few stray pieces of hair from her face. She was hot and sweaty and in the last couple of hours had succeeded in filling only one bookshelf. She still had two boxes and a bookshelf to go. It was slow work, the books were heavy, her lower back was throbbing and Edward had asked for the books to be placed on the bookshelf in alphabetical order. Consequently, she had spent most of the time arranging and rearranging the books on the shelf.