One Night

by Ramona Gray

  “Yes,” she moaned again when he grasped the flimsy material in his fingers. Before he could undo the clasps, his cell phone rang and they both jumped.

  “Fuck!” Edward muttered before leaning away from her and looking down at his phone.

  “It’s Melissa,” he muttered and stepped away from her, answering the phone with a low growl.

  “Edward speaking. Yes, Kate finished the typing for us. No, I’ll have to pass on meeting you for drinks. I still need to finish a few other things if we’re going to make the filing deadline by tomorrow morning.”

  Kate slipped off the desk and shrugged her way back into her dress, struggling to zip it up. She collected the hair pins he had dropped on the desk and as he finished up his conversation with Melissa, he slipped into his shirt but didn’t bother with the buttons.

  “Yes, I’ll meet you here at the office tomorrow at eight. See you then.”

  He set his cell phone on the desk and stared at Kate. She had backed away from him, putting the desk between them, and was staring at him with large shocked eyes. He stared at her for a moment. Her pale skin was flushed, her nipples still hard and aroused against the outline of her dress and her generous mouth was red and swollen from his kisses. Her red hair fell in waves to her shoulders and he stared at the flame-coloured locks before taking a deep steadying breath.

  “Kate, I…”

  “Nope.” She shook her head. “This never happened. It was a moment of insanity, that’s all.”

  She was talking rapidly with a mild note of hysteria in her voice. “I won’t say anything to anyone, you won’t say anything to anyone, and it’ll be like it never happened. Right?”

  She stared at him, mouth trembling slightly and he nodded. “Yes. It was a mistake and I apologize.”

  She looked almost hurt for a moment before glancing at the clock on his wall. “I have to go. I’m supposed to be on a da – I’m supposed to be meeting someone in half an hour.”

  He watched as she tried to gather her hair back into the twist. Her hands were trembling too much and after a few moments she gave up.

  “I have to go,” she repeated herself. “I - I’ll see you Monday, Mr. Turner.” She turned and left his office without looking back.

  Chapter 3

  Kate, her heart thudding in her chest, grabbed her purse and jacket and fled the building. On the train to the restaurant she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the window. She was horrified by what she saw. Her hair surrounded her face in a red cloud. Her lips were red and swollen and the paleness of her skin only emphasized the burning patches of red on her cheeks. Edward’s late evening stubble had left red marks on her exposed cleavage and her breasts felt heavy and swollen. Her lower body ached and throbbed with need and she couldn’t stop thinking of what would have happened if Melissa hadn’t phoned. She knew that if they hadn’t been interrupted she would still be back in his office with Edward’s hardness taking care of that deep aching want. She shivered uncontrollably at the thought of the two of them connected in the most intimate of ways, Edward whispering her name as he made her his. She balled up her fist and hit her thigh in frustration. She had to stop this. She was almost at the restaurant for her date with Josh and she needed to get herself under control before then.

  Hands shaking, she attempted to fix her hair, tucking it behind her ears and smoothing down the back. She pulled a small compact from her purse and quickly powdered her face and chest, trying to minimize the redness before closing her eyes and taking deep breaths, willing her racing heart to slow down. She concentrated on taking one breath after the other, pulling the good air in and pushing the bad air out. Twenty minutes later, as she stepped off the train and started walking the few blocks to the restaurant, she felt more in control, more like herself. Josh was waiting for her outside the restaurant and he greeted her with a warm kiss on the cheek.

  “You look wonderful.” He smiled appreciatively at her. “That’s a beautiful dress.”

  “Thank you,” she said before taking his arm. He led her into the restaurant and she took another calming breath. She could do this.

  * * *

  Josh sipped at his coffee as the server cleared away their dinner plates. “So, is it just me or are you really distracted tonight?”

  “I’m sorry,” Kate said. “It’s been a long day, I had to work late and I’m a little tired.”

  “Do you often work late?” Josh asked.

  “No, but I have a new boss and he’s a - a little demanding,” Kate said. Unbidden, the memory of Edward’s rough kisses popped into her mind.

  Swallowing hard, Kate smiled at Josh. “I’m having a really great time though, honest.”

  “Maybe we could try this again next Friday,” he suggested.

  “I’d like that,” Kate replied.

  They finished their coffee and when Josh offered to see her home, she declined politely. He walked her to the train station and she didn’t object when he took her hands and leaned in to place a soft kiss on her lips. She closed her eyes and tried to enjoy it. Josh’s lips were warm and his kisses were sweet but she couldn’t help comparing his soft, gentle touch to the rough demands of Edward.

  Stop it, Kate!

  She pulled away and gave Josh an apologetic smile but was saved from trying to explain by the arrival of her train.

  “Next Friday?” Josh asked as the doors opened.

  “Yes,” Kate said. “Call me, okay?”

  “I will,” Josh said. He squeezed her hand and she smiled again at him before ducking into the train and finding a seat.

  Well, you really fucked that up, Kate. If Josh calls you for a second date, it’ll be a damn miracle.

  She rubbed at her forehead before leaning it against the cool glass of the window. Within minutes she was thinking of Edward again, of the way he said her name in that low voice of his, and the feel of his mouth, and slow waves of lust were rolling through her lower body. She shifted in the seat and rubbed at her forehead again. What the hell was happening to her?

  * * *

  Just over three years ago Kate had purchased a modest bungalow twenty minutes outside of the city. It was small and cozy and Kate thought it was perfect for her and Chicken. On a normal Saturday she loved sleeping in and puttering around her house in her pajamas with a cup of tea in one hand and a book in the other. On this Saturday, after tossing and turning for most of the night, Kate carefully eased past Chicken who was sleeping peacefully on the bed and headed into the kitchen to make a cup of coffee. It was just after five and she sighed wearily and looked out the window over the sink into the darkness.

  She thought briefly about calling her sister, Lina. Lina had just started a relationship with her boss and she thought ironically about their conversation last week when Lina was visiting her. She had teased Kate about what would happen if her new boss had been young and attractive and Kate had flatly stated she would never date her boss.

  She groaned loudly and took a sip of coffee. She didn’t need to talk to Lina about dating her boss. She had no intention of doing anything that wasn’t work related with Edward. She’d be fired if she slept with him and she had bills and a mortgage to pay. No, it was best to just simply forget what had happened last night.

  That afternoon, Kate was trying to immerse herself in a book when the doorbell rang. Olivia was standing on her doorstep, a coffee in each hand.

  “Hello, Katie pie. Jon was tired of me talking about what could have happened on the date and sent me over here to get all the gory details.” Olivia’s smile faltered as she took a closer look at Kate’s face. “Honey, what’s wrong?”

  “I did something incredibly stupid, Olivia,” Kate said as Olivia stepped past her.

  “Uh oh,” Olivia said before handing her the coffee. “Tell me all about it.”

  An hour later, Olivia sipped thoughtfully at her lukewarm coffee. “God, Katie, you sure know how to pick the exact wrong guy for you. It’s like your damn super power.”

  “I
didn’t pick Edward,” Kate protested. “I just – I lost my mind for a few minutes.”

  “Well, I can’t blame you. Edward is a handsome devil but still, you’re playing a dangerous game.”

  “I didn’t mean to do it,” Kate said. “It just sort of happened. But it totally ruined my date with Josh.”

  “How do you feel about him?” Olivia asked.

  “Josh is good looking and a nice guy. Not a lot of chemistry, I guess, but – “

  “Not Josh,” Olivia interrupted. “Edward.”

  “I don’t feel anything for him. I don’t even know the man. I know nothing about him and I can’t believe that I…”

  Kate trailed off into silence.

  “Jumped your boss in his office like some love-starved sex monkey?” Olivia piped up helpfully.

  “You’re not helping, Olivia.”

  “Okay, so let’s recap,” Olivia said. “You had a date with the guy you’ve been mooning over for months, nearly had sex with your boss in his office, and you – owch! Goddammit, Chicken!”

  She glared at the fat tabby who hissed at her and swatted again at her bare leg.

  “Chicken, get out of here, you rotten cat!”

  She flinched and tucked her legs up under her as Chicken hissed again and growled quietly.

  “That cat has serious anger issues.”

  “Tell me about it,” Kate said as Chicken glared at both of them and then sauntered out of the living room.

  “Where was I?” Olivia asked. “Right – nearly sleeping with your boss. What are you going to do, Katie?”

  “Do? I’m not going to do anything. I’m going to pretend it never happened and be a professional. I don’t even like Edward. He’s arrogant and kind of a jerk.”

  “Your hooch seems to like him just fine,” Olivia said.

  Kate threw the pillow from the couch at her. “Yeah well, my hooch makes bad decisions. We both know that.”

  “True,” Olivia conceded. “But you really haven’t known Edward for that long, so at least promise me that you’ll give him more than a week before deciding he’s rude and arrogant.”

  “Fine,” Kate said. “I’ll try.”

  “Good.” Olivia stood and held out her hand. “Get your shoes on. You’re coming back to our place for the afternoon. Jon’s barbequing and there’s more than enough for three.

  * * *

  Monday morning Kate squeezed her way onto the train. It was a particularly busy morning and there wasn’t a seat to spare. She resigned herself to standing the entire way and, as she held on to the small strap that hung down from the metal bar running across the upper section of the train, she stared blankly out the window. A familiar smell assaulted her nose and she turned to look behind her, groaning inwardly. Henry Dobson was slowly pushing his way through the bleary-eyed crowd in her direction. Henry was a partner for one of their biggest competitors and often took this particular morning train. He was well known for both his ability in the courtroom and his horrible taste in cologne. Today was no exception and as he drew closer Kate took shallow breaths through her mouth.

  “Good morning, Kate!” He puffed enthusiastically, “How’s my girl this morning?”

  “Fine,” Kate replied shortly. Henry had hit on her once at a lawyer/banker function and she hadn’t trusted him since. His idea of hitting on her had been to corner her in the coat room and offer her a new job with more pay if she’d go home with him after the party. The man was shameless in his pursuit of women and she knew he would stand close and bump up against her on the train ride. Sure enough, he had only been standing beside her for less than a minute before he was standing uncomfortably close, the smell of his cologne making her feel a little nauseous.

  At six feet Henry was only a little taller than her but he used his slight height advantage to loom over her. His face only inches from hers he said, “So listen, Kate, I think you really should consider coming to work for us. You know we have a great benefits package.”

  He dropped a lecherous wink at her and keeping a polite smile on her face she edged backward, trying to gain some distance. Just one more step and she might actually have a little fresh air to breathe. As she took that last step, she stepped solidly on someone’s foot behind her.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry.” She looked over her shoulder to see Edward standing behind her.

  “We meet again,” he said with a large grin. “Have you noticed that every time we’re on the train together, somebody gets hurt?”

  Shit, he’s gorgeous when he smiles, Kate thought as tingles of warmth traveled down her spine. She gripped the strap tightly as the train came to a jolting stop. The doors opened and as more people piled in behind them, Edward stepped closer until she could feel the solid warmth of his chest against her back, his body both protecting hers from the jostling of the crowd and preventing Henry from moving closer.

  “Henry, this is our new partner Edward Turner. Edward, this is Henry Dobson, he’s a partner over at Russell, Dobson,” Kate said as Edward’s crotch brushed against her ass.

  Edward nodded to Henry. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Same here,” Henry replied. “Your reputation precedes you. I’ve heard you stop at nothing to get what your client wants.”

  “I do my best,” Edward said. “We like to make our clients happy.”

  “Of course,” Henry agreed, “and I was just telling Kate that her presence at our office would make both me and our clients happy. You’d better be careful. I’m determined to steal her away for myself. I’ve got the perfect position for her at Russell, Dobson.”

  Forcing another polite smile, Kate said, “You’re very kind, Henry, but I’m quite happy in my current position.”

  “Of course, my dear Kate, but just remember my door is always open.”

  As Henry prattled on about his weekend to Kate, Edward took the opportunity to stare at her unnoticed. In stark contrast to Friday night’s cleavage-bearing dress she was wearing a plain white shirt buttoned to her throat and a blue knee-length skirt. Her hair was braided neatly but a few strands had escaped the braid and were curling around her face.

  If she had made the effort to cover up her curves for him, it had been a futile effort, he thought wryly. The image of her breasts in that black bra was burned into his head. He wondered idly if the nylons she was wearing under her skirt were stockings or if she saved those for special occasions only. He realized a moment too late that Kate had said something to him and both she and Henry were now staring at him.

  “I’m sorry?” He asked.

  “I said this is our stop,” Kate replied.

  “Right,” he said. They said their goodbyes to Henry and pushed their way off the train.

  “Kate,” he said as they started the short walk to the office, “I think we got off on the wrong foot last week and I want to apologize. And Friday night - ”

  “Can we just forget Friday night happened?” Kate interrupted. “Because I’m not in the habit of boinking my boss, despite what Henry Dobson might think or wish, and I’m horribly mortified at what almost happened.”

  Edward surprised her by laughing loudly, “Boinking your boss?”

  “Yes, boinking the boss,” Kate replied firmly.

  “I don’t believe I’ve heard the term ‘boinking’ since I was in high school,” Edward said thoughtfully.

  Kate flushed slightly. “I’m not sure if you’ve read the employee handbook but relationships between coworkers isn’t allowed.”

  “I’ve read it,” Edward said.

  “Good. Then you know what happened on Friday was a mistake. Can we start over this week? Just pretend last week never happened?”

  “Yes. I think that’s for the best,” he replied as they crossed the street to their office building.

  She sighed with relief. “Thank you.”

  She followed him into the elevator and stood against the far wall as Edward pushed the button.

  “Did you get the documents filed?” She asked polit
ely.

  “We did. Thanks for working some overtime, it really helped,” he said.

  “No problem.”

  “How was the rest of your weekend?”

  “Quiet,” she said briefly. “I went to a barbeque at Olivia’s on Saturday.”

  “You and Olivia are close?” He asked.

  “We are,” she replied as the elevator stopped and the doors opened.

  “How was your weekend?” She asked tentatively.

  “I mostly unpacked,” he replied.

  The elevator doors opened and they walked silently down the hall to the office.

  “Kate, these arrived for you not five minutes ago,” Rose gushed as Kate and Edward entered the office. She pointed delightedly to a dozen red roses in a beautiful crystal vase.

  “I guess your date with Josh went well?” She teased.

  Kate looked at Edward, the easy grin was gone from his face and he was staring at the flowers with a strange expression on his face.

  “So?” Rose asked curiously.

  Blushing a little, Kate hurried forward to take the flowers.

  “Let’s talk at lunch.” She smiled distractedly at Rose and, carrying the roses, followed Edward toward her desk. As he went into his office, she set the flowers down and opened the card.

  Thanks for a wonderful evening. Looking forward to this Friday. Josh

  Olivia passed by Kate’s desk, stopping to lean in and take a deep breath of the fragrant roses. “Ooh lovely! From Josh?”

  “Yes,” Kate said.

  “Nice. Good morning, Mr. Turner.” Olivia smiled at Edward as he walked towards Kate’s desk.

  “Good morning, Olivia. How are you?”

  “Very well thanks,” Olivia said cheerfully before leaving.

  Kate smiled nervously at Edward. She had the feeling their truce from the train this morning had already ended and was relieved when he gave her a small smile in return.

  “Nice flowers,” he said nonchalantly.

  “Thanks,” she replied briefly. “What can I help you with?”