One Night

by Ramona Gray

  He leaned forward breathing wine and garlic in her face and her temper got the best of her. She had spent the last two weeks in a constant state of emotional turmoil, she couldn’t sleep, she couldn’t eat, and now she was being attacked by a slob of a man who wore too much cheap cologne, had questionable personal hygienic routines and drank too much at business functions.

  She gave him a look of pure fury. “Let go of me now, Henry, before you get hurt.”

  Henry snorted laughter before squeezing her wrist and pulling her toward him.

  “Kate?”

  She breathed a sigh of relief at the sound of Josh’s voice and as Henry glanced over his shoulder, she slammed her knee into his crotch. He made a harsh groan, his face turning the colour of old linen and collapsed to the floor. His hands cupped his crotch as he wheezed and groaned.

  “I told you to stay away from me,” she said before stepping over him and striding down the hall.

  “Jesus, Kate, what happened?” Josh said.

  “Henry was being an ass,” she said.

  She rubbed her wrist gingerly as Josh took her hand and led her down the hallway. She spared a glance at Henry as they turned the corner. He was sitting up and he continued to rub his crotch as she gave him a frosty look.

  “Come in here.” Josh led her into an empty conference room and examined her wrist. It was bright red and she made a hiss of pain when he touched it lightly.

  “Fuck. I think we need to call the police,” he said.

  “No,” Kate said immediately. “That asshole learned his lesson.”

  She laughed shakily, feeling a little sick to her stomach, and Josh pulled her into his embrace.

  “Are you sure?” He asked as he rubbed her back.

  She nodded and leaned against him. “I’m sure. I just want to go home.”

  Tears were starting to drip down her face and she cleared her throat before stepping out of his embrace. He cupped her face and wiped at her face with his thumbs.

  “Thanks,” she said.

  He gave her a solemn look. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay.” He dropped a brief kiss on her forehead. “C’mon let’s get you home and -

  “Am I interrupting?” Edward’s voice, full of anger, spoke behind them and Kate stared guiltily over Josh’s shoulder.

  “I was just taking Kate home,” Josh said.

  “Are you?” Edward said stiffly. “I need to speak with Ms. Jones about a work-related matter.”

  Josh frowned at him. “She’s had a rough night and – “

  “It’s fine, Josh,” Kate said. “Just give us a minute, okay? I’ll meet you out front.”

  He nodded and ignored the angry look Edward gave him as he left the room.

  Kate folded her hands behind her back and waited. When Edward didn’t say anything, just stared at her angrily, she sighed loudly. “What can I help you with, Edward?”

  “I’ll be in New York for the week,” he said.

  “What? Why didn’t you tell me?” She said.

  “I just found out this morning. There are issues with a few of my old files and they need my help. I’ll be emailing you some documents to work on and there may be a couple days where you’ll have to work some overtime,” he said tersely.

  “That’s fine. Have a safe trip.” She scooted past him and into the hallway.

  “I thought you and Josh had decided to just be friends.” He had followed her out into the hallway and when she didn’t reply he reached out and took her wrist, swinging her around to face him.

  She made a low hiss of pain and yanked her wrist free.

  “What’s wrong with your wrist?” He asked.

  “Nothing. Good night, Edward.”

  He grabbed her forearm, holding her steady as he examined her wrist before cursing loudly. “What the hell happened?”

  “It doesn’t matter. I’m fine, I just want to go home.”

  “You’re not fine. Tell me what happened?” Edward demanded before taking her cold hands and holding them tightly.

  “What happened?” Kate whispered raggedly. “What happened is that for the past two weeks I’ve spent every waking moment trying not to think about you or be alone with you and trying to understand how you can be so distant one moment and then so sweet the next. I have to go to a stupid party in your honour when all I really want to do is go home, and then I get sexually harassed at your stupid party.”

  She glared angrily at him. “I thought after driving over here with you that maybe we could be friends again but now you’re angry with me over something that wasn’t even my fault. I’m tired, I’m upset and I want to go home.”

  “Sexually harassed?” Edward said in a dangerously soft voice. “Who, Kate? Was it Josh?”

  “No,” she said. “It doesn’t matter who it was. I have to go – Josh is waiting to give me a ride home.”

  He let go of her hands but before she could walk away, he pulled her into his embrace and rested her forehead against his. His big hands rubbed her back and he pressed a light kiss against her mouth.

  “Tell me who did this to you, Katie,” he said.

  “Edward, I – “

  “Tell me. I’m not letting you go until you do.”

  “You have to promise not to do something stupid,” she said.

  “I won’t do something stupid,” he said. “Who hurt you?”

  “Henry Dobson,” she said. “He grabbed my wrist and tried to kiss me because he’s completely plastered. Josh showed up, I kneed Henry in the groin, and we left him on the floor outside the men’s room.”

  “Okay,” he said.

  He stepped away from her and she grabbed him by the arm. “Edward, where are you going?”

  “To find Henry. I’m going to teach him to pick on someone his own size,” he said with an odd calmness that frightened her badly.

  She stepped in front of him and pressed her hands against his chest. “He was drunk. He probably won’t even remember it in the morning. I don’t want you going near him, okay?”

  He glanced at her and she could tell by the blank look in his eyes that he was only partially listening.

  “Edward, please.” She gave him a little shake. “Don’t do this. Please.”

  The blank look in his eyes disappeared and Kate breathed a sigh of relief as he glanced over her shoulder. His nostrils flared and he gave her a brief smile before cupping the nape of her neck with his hand and slanting his mouth over hers. He kissed her deeply, sliding his tongue into her mouth, as she moaned and clung tightly to him. It was a mistake to kiss him but after nearly two weeks of dreaming about him, she couldn’t help herself. He pulled her closer, his hand rubbing the small of her back as their tongues tasted and teased. Much too quickly, he released her and she touched his jaw lightly.

  “Everything’s good, right?” She asked.

  “It’s good,” he replied before stepping around her. She turned to see Josh and Olivia standing at the end of the hallway staring wide-eyed at them and she closed her eyes for a moment.

  “In fact, everything will be more than good as soon as I have a brief chat with Henry,” Edward said in a low voice as he strode down the hallway toward Josh and Olivia.

  “Josh, Olivia, stop him. He’s going after Henry,” she said as she chased after him.

  Josh put a hand on Edward’s arm and pulled him to a stop. “He’s not worth it. Besides, I just saw one of his colleagues loading him into a cab a few minutes ago. He’s gone.”

  Kate caught up to them and placed a hand on Edward’s back. “I really want to forget this happened and just go home. Please, Edward. We’ll talk more about it when you’re back from New York.”

  He reached for her, but she stepped back with a warning glance and a little shake of her head.

  “I’ll drive you home,” he said roughly, “Just give me a minute to talk to Arthur.”

  “No, I’ll be fine. You can’t leave your own party. Josh has offered to se
e me home and you know how it will look if we leave the party together,” she said softly.

  Edward’s eyes narrowed and he glared at Josh. “Get her home safely.”

  “I will,” Josh replied.

  “Don’t touch her. Do you understand?”

  “Edward,” Kate said. “Enough, please.”

  “Don’t touch her,” Edward repeated.

  “I heard you the first time,” Josh said.

  Edward scowled but before he could say anything, Kate took his hand and squeezed it tightly. “I’ll talk to you later, Edward.”

  “It should be me driving you home,” he said bitterly before walking away without looking back.

  Olivia leaned against the wall. “Please remind me never to make Edward angry.”

  “No kidding,” Josh replied.

  “Katie, are you okay?” Olivia asked.

  Kate nodded. “Yes. I just really want to go home.”

  “Let’s get you home then,” Josh said. He reached for her hand before hesitating and dropping his hand to his side.

  “Probably a smart idea,” Olivia said solemnly. “Hell, at this point, even I’m afraid to touch her.”

  A grin crossed Josh’s face and even Kate managed a small smile.

  “Good night, Olivia. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

  “Sounds good. Get my Katie home safe, Josh.”

  “I will,” Josh promised.

  * * *

  Josh pulled into her driveway and shut off the car before smiling at her. “So, you and Edward huh?”

  “Um, I’m not sure what you mean,” Kate said nervously.

  “Please.” Josh gave her a wry look. “I’m not a stupid guy. The guy had murder in his eyes when he found out what Henry did to you. And I was there when he kissed you in the hallway remember? I don’t kiss any of the admin staff in my office like that. And if I did I’d probably end up with a knee to the groin like Henry back there.”

  Kate sighed before unclicking her seatbelt. “There’s – there’s an attraction between us but if we act on it, I’ll definitely lose my job and Edward might too. I’d appreciate it if you kept what you saw tonight to yourself.”

  “I will,” Josh said. “But the way he looks at you, especially when you’re around other men, are you sure he knows you’re trying not to act on it? He saw both Olivia and me standing there before he kissed you. And he was pretty clear with his ‘don’t touch her’ demand.”

  “He knows. It’s just been a difficult few weeks. We’ll get it sorted out. Thank you again for the ride home and for helping me this evening. I really appreciate it.” She smiled wearily at him as she opened the car door.

  “You’re welcome. Take care of yourself and I’ll see you on the train, okay?”

  “Yes. Good night, Josh.”

  She closed the car door and walked slowly to the front door. She let herself in and closed it behind her before sliding down the wall and sitting on the floor. Chicken appeared in the darkness to weave around her legs and she scooped her up, ignoring the way the old cat stiffened against her, and buried her face in Chicken’s soft fur.

  “I want to be with Edward, Chicken,” she whispered. “I want to be with him so much it hurts.”

  Chapter 11

  She wasn’t surprised when Olivia showed up at her doorstep the next morning. She let her in and took the cup of coffee with a grateful smile.

  “How did you sleep?” Olivia asked.

  “Terrible,” Kate admitted.

  “You look like you didn’t sleep at all. How is your wrist?”

  “Fine.”

  “Let me see it.” Olivia pushed up Kate’s sleeve and muttered a curse. “Fuck, it’s swollen and bruised.”

  “It doesn’t feel as bad as it looks,” Kate said. She tugged her arm free and pushed down her sleeve.

  “You should at least tell David what Henry did last night. David’s a good guy and I doubt he wants to have a partner in his law firm who attacks women,” Olivia said.

  “I already did,” Kate replied. “I emailed him earlier this morning and he called me right away. I thought about it all night and decided I couldn’t keep quiet.”

  “What did David say?”

  “He’s going to speak to Henry about the incident. He asked if I was pressing charges and I said no but that I thought he should know. He thanked me for telling him but whether anything comes of it – I don’t know. I’m pretty confident that Henry won’t do it again but…”

  She trailed off and Olivia gave her an evil little grin. “Probably not. Especially since his left testicle is probably still up somewhere around his liver.”

  “I told him not to touch me,” Kate said.

  Olivia laughed and took a sip of coffee. “From what Josh told me, you really nailed him. Little fucker deserves to be singing soprano for the rest of his life.”

  She tapped one long nail on the kitchen table. “I was looking for you when Josh pulled me aside and told me what happened. Next thing I know we’re in the hallway watching Edward give you one hell of a kiss. Fuck, it made me hot just watching it.”

  Kate shook her head. “He shouldn’t have done that. He only did it to keep Josh away.”

  “Well there was certainly no doubt that it was a ‘this is my woman’ kind of kiss. And if Josh did have any doubt, Edward telling him not to touch you would have ended it,” Olivia said.

  She paused and gave Kate a thoughtful look. “Did it bother you that Edward practically claimed you in the hallway in front of Josh?”

  “Well, the method was a little too caveman for me but I wasn’t exactly bothered by it,” Kate said before dropping her head into her hands. “I’m an idiot.”

  “No, you’re not. I get it, really I do, but just make sure you’re not missing out on a possible relationship with someone else just because Edward goes all caveman when another guy looks at you.”

  “I know.” Kate stood and paced back and forth. “I need to speak to Edward about his behaviour and I will. I just – it felt stupidly good to have him be so – so protective. Like, maybe for just a minute, he actually cared about me. That it wasn’t just sex he wanted.”

  “I think it’s more than that,” Olivia said. “I know you think he’s still carrying a torch for his dead wife, but I have a feeling that torch is getting dimmer by the day.”

  “I don’t think so,” Kate said moodily. “Why the hell couldn’t I just be attracted to Josh? He’s a nice guy.”

  Olivia sat back and sipped at her coffee. “That’s why. He’s way too nice. You like your boys rough and tough. I’m going to invite Josh to your birthday party and set him up with Sheila.”

  Kate laughed. “And does Sheila know you’re doing this?”

  “Not yet,” Olivia said cheerfully. “I’ll let her know on Monday.”

  “You won’t be happy until everyone’s married off, will you?” Kate laughed.

  “Trust me,” Olivia said, “Josh and Sheila are going to be a perfect match.”

  * * *

  Monday afternoon Kate was reviewing a document that Edward had emailed to her when her phone rang. She answered it, her stomach twisting when she heard Edward’s familiar voice.

  “Kate, it’s Edward.” He still sounded angry and she sighed to herself.

  “Hi, how’s New York?”

  “Fine,” he replied. “I’m calling because it looks like I have a lot more work here then I originally thought.”

  “Okay,” Kate said. “I can reschedule your appointments for next week if you’re going to be staying later.”

  “No,” Edward replied. “I’ve arranged for you to come to New York and help me.”

  Kate pulled the phone away from her and looked at it for a moment before slowly replacing it against her ear.

  “Did you hear me, Kate?” Edward said impatiently.

  “Yes, but what possible help could I give you to shorten your time there?” Kate said. “I can just as easily type letters and documentation here, as I would the
re.”

  “The firm here has had a sudden shortage in admin staff and it’ll be easier and faster to have you working directly with me.”

  “I – how long will I be there?” Kate asked.

  “Just until Friday. We’ll fly home Friday evening.”

  “But, Thursday - ”

  Kate paused. Edward wouldn’t care that it was her birthday.

  “What about Thursday?” Edward asked impatiently.

  “Nothing,” Kate said. “But is this really necessary? I mean, couldn’t you work something out there with a temp?”

  “This isn’t a request, Kate. You’re my assistant and I need your help. Your flight is booked for early tomorrow morning,” Edward snapped.

  “Fine,” Kate said. “Do you have the information for my flight?”

  “I’ll have travel services email you the itinerary and I’ll arrange for a car to pick you up at the airport tomorrow. See you then.”

  Edward hung up the phone without waiting for her reply. Feeling a little like she’d been run over by a very large truck, Kate slowly hung up and stared blindly at her computer screen. She was going to New York – tomorrow. She stood up abruptly and headed down the hall to Olivia’s desk.

  “Kate? Why do you look like that?” Olivia asked.

  “I’m going to New York.”

  “What?”

  “I’m going to New York,” Kate repeated. “Edward just phoned, they have a shortage of admin staff at his old firm, he needs my help, it’s not a request, I have no choice, and I’ll be there until Friday.”

  “Are you kidding me? You’re going to New York because Edward wants a secretary?” Olivia said in disbelief. “Why not just hire a temp?”

  “I suggested that and he just cut me off and said it wasn’t a request and that I was flying to New York. The man’s lost his mind.”

  “No doubt,” Olivia said with a small grin. “But hey, you get to spend your birthday in New York City. That’s quite the birthday present.”

  “Sure, except I’ll be sitting alone in a hotel room with nothing to do,” Kate said.

  “Don’t be silly,” Olivia replied. “Just pick the most outgoing person at Edward’s old firm, make friends with her and get her to take you dancing on your birthday. It’ll be a blast. You can do some tourist stuff, go shopping, and then hit the bars and French kiss some guy you’ll never see again.”