Modern Girl's Guide to Office Romance

by Gina Drayer

  It was all too much to think about without morning coffee. She didn’t know what to do in the next hour, let alone the next weeks and months.

  What was the proper etiquette for the morning after a hookup etiquette?

  Kira hadn’t planned on staying the night. And now that it was almost five in the morning, with Jason snoring softly next to her, she wasn’t sure what was expected. So much had changed with dating over the last sixteen years, Kira didn’t know how to handle this particular situation. Were there rules about leaving? Should she wake him to say goodbye or just leave a note and slip out?

  She’d figure out something. But first, she needed to get out of bed without waking up her— her what? Boyfriend seemed like too big a commitment at this point. They’d had one date—not counting the band concert or the working dinners. Still, just one real date.

  But a hookup wasn’t right either. That was too impersonal. Something you’d do with a stranger. And Jason was far from a stranger. She had feelings for him. Budding, fledgling feelings, but they were strong.

  He was her friend. Guy friend? Boyfriend? Her mind kept coming back to the word—boyfriend.

  And she couldn’t forget; he was her boss.

  Kira let out a long frustrated breath. No matter how careful they were, this wasn’t going to be easy.

  “Stop thinking about it,” Jason mumbled, sleepily, from the other side of the bed.

  “I didn’t want to wake you.” She sat up, pulling the blanket up around her. “And how do you know what I was thinking about?”

  “Because I know how that brain of yours works, and there’s only one thing that could have you up at this hour of the morning.” He leaned up on his elbow. “We can make this work. We’re adults, remember?”

  In the dark room, she could just make out the contours of his earnest expression. Top that with his messy bed-head, and Jason was so disarming that she almost believed him. “There are just so many things we need to talk about,” she said with a sigh. “Things we should have talked about over dinner. How are we going to handle work? Do we say anything to our co-workers? Then there’s Riley. There’s your brother.”

  “We’ll figure it out. There’s nothing either of us can do about it right now. Let’s go back to sleep. Unless you have something else in mind.” That mischievous grin was back and Kira felt the butterflies take off in her stomach.

  Before she could even joke about his one-track mind, Jason tossed a heavy arm over her middle and rolled her over until he was on top of her.. It was a sexy, playful gesture, but unfortunately they’d both forgotten about the missing cake container. Cold, sticky frosting coated her bare back. Kira jumped out of bed with a squeal.

  Jason started laughing. “I guess that settles it, we’re not going back to bed.”

  “There’s cake everywhere,” Kira said, looking around. “We need to get these sheets in the wash.”

  “Later.” He hopped out of bed. “After the shower.”

  “But if we don’t get the chocolate out, it’s going to stain. It will just take a— Uff.”

  Jason tossed her over his shoulder and headed to the bathroom. “We can toss the sheets for all I care. Right now, I want to get you wet.”

  She thought about protesting, but his words had the intended consequences. In just a few minutes, they were both in his oversized shower stall, the warm water flowing over her body and Jason’s strong hands washing off the sticky mess. Perfunctory cleaning quickly turned to fevered caresses. And as Kira came with his fingers buried inside her, she couldn’t remember why she had wanted to leave.

  “I don’t mind being woken up at the ass crack of dawn if this is what it leads to,” Jason said, wrapping her in a towel. But in the same breath, he stifled a yawn.

  “Where do you keep the sheets?” Kira asked and tucked the towel under her arm.

  “Does this mean you’re not going to try to sneak out while I’m sleeping?”

  “I wasn’t—”

  “Don’t worry,” he said and pulled out some sheets from the same closet where he kept the towels. “But if you don’t want to stay, I’ll take you home. No matter the time. Just don’t be that person that sneaks out in the middle of the night.”

  “Okay.” Kira nodded, feeling slightly abashed, and took the sheets from him. She really wasn’t any good at this whole dating thing and even worse at the intimate parts.

  Certain that she’d ruined the night, Kira made the bed in silence, while Jason took the dirty sheet to the laundry room. The awkwardness was still there when he came back. She thought about asking him to take her home, but that was the coward’s way out. They needed to talk, and there was no time like the present.

  After they got back into bed, Kira crawled into the crook of his arm and listened to the steady beat of his heart. “I’m sorry,” she said.

  Jason pulled her in tighter and kissed the top of her head. “You don’t have anything to be sorry about.”

  “I don’t really know what I’m doing here,” she admitted. And for the first time that night, she felt naked. Exposed and bare lying next to him.

  “I thought we’d already settled that. You’re staying the night at my place.” Jason let out a deep sigh and shifted positions. He’d known from the start that Kira was a complicated woman, and honestly, he’d expected her to balk the moment they’d reached his apartment. So this uncertainty wasn’t unexpected. “But I can take you home if that’s what you want.”

  “No. That’s not what I’m trying to say. What I meant was this … us. I don’t know how to be in a relationship. I was eighteen when I got pregnant with Riley,” she said in the darkness of the room, the only other sounds coming from the Manhattan street stories below. “Cole—Riley’s dad—was my first real boyfriend. And there we were, two scared kids, facing the reality of parenthood.”

  She’d shared a lot about her marriage with Jason at the wedding, but she hadn’t talked about that part of their relationship. Jason stroked her hair as she spoke, knowing that she didn’t need him to respond—only to listen. He could do that.

  “My parents were upset, naturally. My dad wouldn’t talk to me for weeks, so when Cole suggested we get married, they supported him. I didn’t want to. I thought it was a stupid idea. I mean, who gets married because of a pregnancy anymore? Even back then. But everyone thought it was a good idea. I hoped that we could be a happy family.” She sighed into his shoulder. “I thought I could have the white picket fence with the husband and kid—maybe even another baby a few years later. I gave up college for that dream. I’d hoped it would all be worth it.”

  Kira was silent for a long time, but Jason had a feeling she wasn’t done. He brushed a thumb down her soft skin, and asked, “Was it worth it?”

  She sighed and snuggled deeper into his arms. “Riley was worth it. I wouldn’t trade that for the world. But getting married? Giving up college? I don’t know. Sometimes I wonder.” Shaking herself, she let out a little laugh. “There’s nothing I can do about it now, though, so there’s no point in having regrets. You just have to pick up the pieces and keep going. I wasn’t ready for a baby then, but Riley …”

  He rubbed her arm, coaxing her to keep talking.

  “Riley changed me. It’s cliché, I know, but you truly don’t understand how big love can be until you have a child. That’s not to say people without kids can’t love, but being a parent is just something you can’t prepare for. And then Riley was born. Sure it was hard. We were babies ourselves. I thought we were happy. For a couple years we actually were, but then we realized something wasn’t right. Her cerebral palsy diagnosis …” Her voice became hard as she said, “Cole couldn’t handle the fact that our daughter wasn’t normal. It didn’t take long for him to abandon us, at least emotionally, and then he actually left, volunteering for an overseas assignment. I couldn’t go with him. Riley had therapy and surgeries.”

  Jason didn’t know what to say. She’d talked about some of this during that night at the hotel, but hearing
it in more detail made him want to beat the shit out of Cole. If he had to resurrect the man to do it, he would. Riley was clearly an amazing kid; how could a father leave his own kid behind?

  “When he re-upped for another year, I thought about divorcing him. But then he was killed in action, and our entire life changed.” She sniffed and shook her head. “I didn’t mean to unpack all my baggage. I just want you to understand that this is new for me. I tried dating a few times over the years, but being a widow with a disabled child tends to keep the men at bay. So, I’m being honest when I say I really don’t know what you expect or how to handle all of … this.”

  “You’re doing fine,” he said, kissing her temple. “The past doesn’t matter. We all have baggage. All that matters is right now, and we can always figure out the rest together.”

  “See, this is exactly what I mean. This can’t be normal. I’m here in bed with you talking about my dead husband.” Kira shook her head, and then she poked him in the arm. “What about you?” she asked. “Tell me your life story, Jason Carver.”

  He laughed a little. “It’s not nearly as interesting as yours.”

  “Oh come on. I spilled my guts, so you might as well do the same. Tell me about your family. I mean, I could tell you about my parents, but that’s just another sad story about how my father reminded me for years that I ruined my life.” Her tone wasn’t bitter, simply resigned.

  He almost wished he could tell her his parents hated his guts, just to make her feel better. He shrugged. “I had a happy childhood, I guess. I liked my siblings as much as we fought over stupid things. The normal stuff.”

  When he didn’t go on, Kira poked him again. “Come on, you can do better than that,” she cajoled. “Isn’t there some secret you can share?”

  He laughed. “There’s really not much else to tell.” When she started tickling him in revenge, he caught her hands and gave in. “I surrender!” he said with a breathless laugh. “Anyone tell you you’re stubborn as hell? That must be where Riley gets it from.”

  “It runs in my family. You should meet my mom.”

  “Okay, so my family. Well, I hate to be that guy, but my parents were—and are—pretty great. With all of us. Always supportive of whatever any of us kids wanted to do, as long as it was legal. The most grisly thing from my childhood was this scar.” He quickly rubbed the pale line with his thumb. “Every summer we’d spend a month at my grandparent’s lake house. It was like a little paradise, you know? Nothing to worry about, just have fun and swim and stay outside all day long, getting so tan my mom would tell us we were her brown sugar kids.” Jason smiled at the memories. They’d swim in the lake for hours and hours until their mom called them in for dinner, and then they’d go out on the boat until the stars came out. “We got a little too rowdy one day and I fell, splitting my lip open.”

  Kira reached out and followed the path with her finger, followed by a quick kiss. “I bet you scared you mom to death.”

  “My sister was the one who was beside herself. She’d been chasing me and blamed herself for years.” He remembered doing cannon balls with Matt and getting Holly all wet while she was laying out on a towel next to the lake. Holly had gotten so mad that she’d jumped after them and tried to dunk him. She was strong for her size and always managed to drag him under. Matt had just laughed, no help at all. He wrestled himself out of her grip and then made a break for the dock, tripping over her discarded towel. “Mom tended to my wound and Dad just shook his head and packed us all into the van for the ER. A few hours, and twenty stitches later, we were back on the deck grilling hotdogs over the fire.”

  “You sound like you miss it,” Kira said in a quiet voice.

  “I miss being with family. It’s not the same now that they both have families of their own—kids, spouses. I kind of hoped I’d have one, too, by now.” He hesitated telling her this, but maybe the dim room gave him courage. Or maybe the woman snuggled next to him allowed him to speak without feeling like he was being judged. “I always wanted to have that: a happy family, summers at the lake or somewhere similar. Kids swimming all day long while I had my own fun with my wife.” He chuckled. “Although I’ll admit, catching my parents enjoying each other scarred me for life.”

  Kira didn’t say anything, but she didn’t need to. He knew, on a level he couldn’t really comprehend, that she understood what he was talking about. That she wouldn’t think him cheesy or naïve to want what his parents had.

  He turned so he was facing her, and he could just make out her expression in the low light of the room. Brushing a thumb across her cheekbone, he pressed his mouth to hers, and she kissed him back. It was a slow, easy kiss, not desperate and ravenous like their kisses just hours earlier.

  They lay in bed together for a while longer until he heard her stomach growl. He laughed.

  “We never did get anything to eat, did we?” he asked with a smile.

  “We burned a lot of calories last night.” She looked up at him, her head on his shoulder. “What time is it?”

  He glanced over his shoulder. “Almost six.” He felt his own stomach rumble, and he realized he was going to need some kind of sustenance to keep this up. Although, looking down at Kira’s nude body, he could probably not eat a bite for the rest of the day if he got to keep making love to her.

  Her stomach made another sound, and they both laughed. Getting up, he kissed her lips and grabbed a pair of boxers before padding to the kitchen.

  “What are you doing?” she called.

  “Making us breakfast. And no, I don’t need your help!”

  He knew she’d offer to help, because that was just who she was, but he wanted to do this. Besides, his mother had made sure he was a decent cook. Kira had liked his quiche, hadn’t she? Rummaging around in the fridge, he found some bacon, eggs, and a few peppers, and he whipped up some omelets. He plated the bacon and omelets attractively, poured two glasses of orange juice, set everything on a tray, and took it into the bedroom.

  Kira was no longer naked, wearing only panties and a T-shirt from one of his drawers. He took that as a good sign. Her hair was a mess, and her lips were kiss-bruised, and it took all of his strength not to place breakfast on a nearby chair and make love to her until the sun came up.

  He set the tray in her lap. “Enjoy,” he said.

  “I can’t remember the last time I had breakfast in bed.” She took a bite of crisp bacon. “This is wonderful, thank you.”

  It made Jason sad that no one took care—no, that no one had ever taken care–of her like this. Kira was such a wonderful woman and deserved better.

  They were both so hungry, they practically licked their plates clean. Afterward, they lay back down and just talked, like they had that night at the hotel. With Kira’s head on his shoulder, her voice surrounding him, Jason couldn’t help but wish this could become a permanent part of his life.

  Chapter 12

  Do Talk to HR

  Most medium to large companies have fraternization rules. Before things get too serious, check with human resources. Breaking the rules at work could mean a transfer or even termination. Find out before it’s too late.

  * * *

  Kira spent a blissful weekend with Jason, rediscovering herself. Learning how to be more than just a mother—exploring what it meant to be a woman. When they said their goodbyes late Sunday afternoon, she didn’t think anything could ruin her mood.

  But Monday morning was rough.

  Kira was a bundle of nerves. Exhaustion, anxiety, and impatience warred with excitement, glee, and longing to make for a confusing Chex Mix of emotion. She wasn’t sure what to expect as she sipped coffee while waiting for the staff to show up to the Monday meeting, but her mind was running a mile a minute.

  The number one thought that kept repeating was: What were they supposed to do now?

  No one at the office knew what had happened over the weekend, but she felt different. Surely people would take one look at her and know. Her heart pounded, alon
g with her head, and she couldn’t seem to concentrate on even the simplest of her morning tasks.

  She wasn’t that woman. She’d never considered sleeping with anyone from work, let alone her boss. Yet here she was, after a weekend of sleeping with Jason multiple times, wondering how they were going to make this work.

  “Have a good weekend?”

  Kira jumped, her coffee sloshing onto her hand. “Mother of pearl,” she swore under her breath.

  Kim looked at her with concern. “You okay?” She grabbed some tissues and handed them to Kira. “Did you burn yourself?”

  “No, I’m fine. It wasn’t all that hot.” Kira dabbed at the coffee, now also on her pants, and hoped that this wasn’t a sign of how the rest of the day was going to play out.

  “You seem pretty tense.”

  Right at that moment, the cause of her tension walked through the door and their eyes locked. Kira could feel the blush climb up her cheeks. Jason shot her a wink and turned to greet a co-worker.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” Kim asked, pulling Kira’s focus back to the conversation.

  “I’m fine,” she said, carefully setting her coffee on the table. She took a deep breath and shook her head. “I just have a lot on my mind. The first statistics from the PowerSport campaign come in today and I’ll have to put together the reports for a team meeting.”

  “Okay,” she said, skeptically. “Just remember, if you need to talk, I’m right down the hall.” Kim gave her one last look that said I don’t believe you before taking her seat at the conference table.

  As Jason made his way around the conference room to his seat, she couldn’t keep her eyes off him. Why did he have to be so handsome and sure of himself? His lips twitched into a smile at something Liz said and Kira couldn’t help but remember how they felt on her skin. And with that thought, all the others she’d been trying to keep at bay came tumbling out; his strong hands as they cupped her breasts, his firm body above her, how he’d felt sliding inside of her. The blush crept higher up her cheeks and Kira hid behind the papers she was collating.