I’m expecting him to laugh or tease me but his face darkens.
“Who were you avoiding?”
My heart starts to beat harder as I see the seriousness of his question. Something in the air has shifted from playfulness to concern. I don’t know how to answer. I don’t want to tell him about my troubles last year, or the amount of fear and paranoia that I was living with.
All I want to do is enjoy this moment, and enjoy our time together. I want to feel this intimacy with him and have a lazy morning tomorrow. I want to have sex again and again and again until I have to go back to my regular job and Zachary Lockwood will go back to being my elusive boss.
“Harper, answer me.” His voice is hard. “Who were you avoiding?”
“Greg Chesney. He… I…” my voice trails off. I don’t know what to tell him. “I had to lodge a complaint against him but HR took over. It’s just awkward now, it’s not a big deal.”
I feel Zach’s body tense on top of me. His eyes are burning brighter than I’ve ever seen them.
“Greg Chesney from accounts?”
I’ve never seen him speak like this. His voice is hard and low, almost a growl.
“Yes,” I reply slowly. “Do you know him?” My heart is still pounding in my chest and I wonder what Zach knows.
“I do now.” He glances at me and I can see something shift in his eyes. There’s an edge to them that I’ve never seen before and it almost scares me. Suddenly he jumps ups and goes to his closet. He’s rummaging around for a few minutes and I prop myself up onto my elbows to watch.
After a few moments he reappears. He’s completely naked, holding something out in front of him. I frown and sit up completely.
“Is that my ring?!” He hands it to me and my heart starts thumping. “How did you get this?!”
Zach says nothing, just sits on the edge of the bed and puts his head in his hands. He sits up and turns to me. I look from him to my ring and back to him again before slipping it onto my finger.
“Zach, answer me,” I say again. “How did you get this?”
25
Zach
My voice catches in my throat as Harper stares at me. It’s her ring. The warning was to stay away from her! There’s a deep uneasiness inside me. I can still see the way Greg looked at me with such hatred before his face went blank at the Christmas party. He looked like a psychopath.
“I got the ring delivered to me in a box with a note.” I uncrumple the note from my hand and hold it out towards her. “What happened, Harper? How do you know Greg?”
“Greg sent this?? How did he get my ring? He must have gone into my office, looked through my stuff…” I can almost feel Harper’s panic rising as the seconds tick by. Maybe I shouldn’t have shown her the note.
“I don’t know who sent it. All I know is it was sent to me yesterday.”
“And he’s disappeared…”. She shakes her head. “No. I’m not going to let fear rule me. I’ve spent too many months looking over the shoulder. It’s in the past now. HR were very clear that they did everything they could, and then I got promoted and I don’t have to see him anymore. They said I had no evidence. And what kind of evidence is this?” She holds up the paper. “It doesn’t have his name on it. It could be from anyone. Anyone could have seen me.”
“Harper, who else would send it?” I ask gently. I put a hand on her leg and she looks at me, her eyes pleading with me.
“What am I supposed to do?”
I nod and lay down beside her, pulling her into my arms. I roll onto my back and stare at the ceiling as she rests her head on my chest.
It was her. He was stalking her. Harper, of all people! MY Harper!! A wave of rage starts building inside me. I can feel the heat of my anger gathering in my stomach, constricting my throat as I think about his weasel face. I didn’t even know he existed until a couple days ago! How can I not know what’s going on in my own company!
“I’m going to get to the bottom of this. That little fucker didn’t even show up to work this week and no one knows where he is. I’m going to find proof and fire him, and then I’m going to the police.”
“Zach, no!” Harper exclaims. Surprised, I turn to face her. Her face is drawn with worry. “If it ever came back on me, if he ever found out that I was the one to lose him his job…” she trails off, staring at me. I can see the fear clouding her green eyes.
She closes her eyes for a second. “I’m scared,” she whispers. “He knows where I live.”
A surge of emotion rushes through me. Harper looks so small, so powerless, so scared. I don’t remember the last time I saw real fear in someone’s eyes, and seeing it in hers makes my stomach curdle. I simultaneously want to jump up and smash a window and wrap my arms around her and never let go.
Harper makes a noise and I look down to see a tear rolling down her cheek. A dagger passes through my chest and then my arms are around her and I’m pulling her into me. I’m cooing and shushing into her ear, saying whatever comes out of my mouth to make her feel safe.
“Don’t worry,” I say. “I’m here, you’re safe. Don’t worry.” I don’t know how this has happened, how it is that I have Harper in my bed, in my arms right now but I don’t want to let her go.
She pulls away slightly. “Promise me you won’t do anything rash. You can look into him, but please don’t fire him. Not right away. Not until I figure out the best move. He’s not stable. If we set him off…” She doesn’t finish her sentence but the words hang between us.
I want to say no. I want to tell her she’s being ridiculous, that if this guy was stalking her to the point that a year later she still feels uncomfortable around him then I can and I will fire him on the spot and do everything in my power to get him arrested. But she’s looking at me and her eyes are begging me, pleading with me to listen to her.
I nod, and then place a soft kiss on those intoxicating lips of hers. I can’t pretend to understand, but I can tell she’s serious. She’s shaking, and I pull her in closer to me.
This is strange, this feeling. I can feel her fear as if it was my own and all I want to do is make it go away. All I want to do is put a smile on her face and see her eyes light up. Every time a cloud passes over her I feel it in my chest as if it were a red hot blade searing through my flesh. I can’t explain it, I don’t understand it, but somehow I care more about Harper than I’ve cared about any woman before.
Harper leans her head against my shoulder and trails her fingertips ever so gently along my collarbone. I close my eyes and lay into her, wrapping my arms around her a little bit tighter. Right now, I know that I’ll do anything in the world for this woman.
I’ve had plenty of women in this bed, but I’ve never wanted one of them to stay. But here, with Harper, I don’t think I’ve ever been this comfortable. There’s something different about her. She can laugh and banter, and then she can turn into the most sensual, erotic woman I’ve ever encountered.
I’ll get to the bottom of this Greg Chesney thing. I won’t be able to let it go until I know what happened and I know Harper is safe. Before the anger has time to flare up, Harper starts grinding her body ever so gently against mine.
More important than anything else right now though is the beautiful woman in my bed with her arms wrapped around my body. My cock is done thinking about anything except Harper Anderson and the way her naked body feels when it’s pressed against mine.
26
Harper
Zach is different from what I expected. I’ve heard all the stories: womaniser, playboy, commitment-phobe. Every time I’ve seen him he always has a new woman on his arm. I thought sex at the office would bit it, but here I am waking up next to him in his huge king-sized bed. Even last night, there was no question about me going back to my apartment. We fell asleep with our bodies intertwined as if they belonged together.
I watch him as he sleeps, his face completely peaceful, and I remember the look of anger that clouded his brow when we were talking about Greg Chesne
y. Was that anger on my behalf? How much does he know? Was he angry because he cares about me or because it’s bad for the company?
He’s been so… affectionate. I can’t wrap my mind around it. It’s so easy to be around him but at the same time he’s my boss, and all evidence points to him being a total player. I thought I’d be sleeping alone tonight, replaying our first time in the office over and over in my head like every other night since it happened and instead I’m here, in his penthouse, replaying our first time, and our second time, and our third time…
He inhales sharply and snorts and I try not to laugh. I don’t want to wake him. I slip out of the bed gently and find my clothes. I saw a cafe just on the corner when we drove up last night, and for the first time in over a week, coffee sounds amazing right now. The minute the thought crosses my mind I get an incredible craving for it. I’ll get us both a coffee and a pastry and we can have breakfast in bed together, and then hopefully we can give me some more daydream material with our fourth and fifth times. Maybe sixth time, if I’m lucky.
I grab his keys and wrap myself in my jacket before taking the elevator down. He lives on the thirty-seventh floor, and the view of Manhattan is insane. It’s even better than the view from the office. The whole wall of the elevator is made of glass, so I can see the ground rushing up towards me. It’s a perfect bluebird day, with clear skies and bright sunlight. There’s a fresh layer of white snow on every surface.
It’s only a short walk to the cafe. The bell jingles as I walk in and the young man behind the counter greets me. He has a low ponytail and a moustache, and the carefully dishevelled look of a true hipster. The smell of coffee beans is almost overwhelming, and I feel a wave of nausea hit me. What is wrong with me?! Every morning I feel like I’m going to be sick. I take a deep breath and steady myself against a chair. In an instant my nausea turns to craving. I don’t know what is wrong with my body these days.
“One Americano and one large latte with no sugar, please,” I tell the barista. I’m pretty sure I’ve heard him order a latte before, but I can’t be certain. Either way it’s what he’s getting. I pick out a couple pastries and pay.
When the coffee is ready I grab them with the paper bag of warm baked goods and try to balance them in my hands as I push the door open. The bell jingles and I see something, or someone out of the corner of my eye. The man jumps up from a bench and turns towards me. I try to look but the bright sunlight reflecting against the snow blinds me for a second. My eyes adjust a second too late.
A man walks right by me and I swear I know him. He jumps into a car and drives off. I spin around and stare into the car as it passes me, but he had his head turned and the brightness is still piercing my eyes. I squint, trying to read the license plate number but it’s too late. He’s gone.
I didn’t know that car, but a cold chill passes down my spine. I could have sworn I recognised that slouchy walk, that height, that build. He was wearing baggy clothes and a hat, looking away from me so I never got a look at his face. My heart is thumping in my chest as my eyes finally adjust to the light.
I stare down the street, looking up and down as the people mill past me. The world tilts on its axis and I struggle to stay standing. I feel like I’ve just sprinted down the street but I’ve been standing still, the hot coffee slowly warming up my hands.
Surely it wasn’t him, right? What would Greg Chesney be doing here?
The earth slowly shifts back to it’s normal position and I glance up and down the street. Everything looks normal. I’m just freaked out. I’ve been looking over my shoulder for a year, and we were talking about him last night, that’s all. With the ring, and the note, I’m just on edge.
It wasn’t him. It couldn’t be him!
I take a deep breath and turn towards the building. It wasn’t him. Now that I think about it, it looked like this guy had curly hair under his hat, and Greg’s hair is very straight. It was just some other New Yorker who was in a rush to get somewhere. I’m just extra jumpy from yesterday. It wasn’t him. It wasn’t him. It definitely wasn’t him.
I say these things to myself over and over, all the way back up the elevator and into the apartment. By the time I open the door and put the drinks down to take my jacket off, my heart rate has gone back to normal and the prickly feeling at the back of my neck is almost gone. I’m back here, with Zach. I’m safe.
Taking a deep breath, I grab the coffees and food and head into the bedroom. I need to forget about Greg Chesney and focus on where I am. I don’t know how long this is going to last, so I might as well enjoy every second of it. I’m with the man I’ve been fantasising about for the past two years, and he’s sexier than I could have imagined, and he wants me.
My stalker is in the past. The fear and paranoia is in the past. Greg has been disciplined and dealt with. It’s over.
It’s time I enjoyed myself, for once! I deserve some good sex and a little bit of office romance. I push the bedroom door open and walk in just as Zach opens his eyes. He smiles sleepily.
“That smells good,” he breathes.
“Large latte, no sugar?” I ask. He opens his eyes and nods, sitting up in bed.
“You are unbelievably good, Harper. Did you know that?”
“I have many talents,” I say with a cheeky smile.
“I’m discovering that,” he replies as he takes his coffee. Instead of taking a sip, he puts his hand around the nape of my neck and pulls me in for a deep kiss. I lean into him and kiss him back, loving every single second we have together. I pull away and smile.
“First, coffee and croissants. Then we do that.”
He grins. “You drive a hard bargain, Harper. Deal.”
27
Zach
It’s uncharted territory for me, wanting a woman to stay with me. I can’t explain it, and I don’t understand it, but it’s true. I want her here. I want her beside me, around me, on top of me. I want her sex and her voice and her laugh and her eyes. I want to experience everything about her and learn all there is to learn about her. I want to make her laugh and make her orgasm and then make her laugh again.
The next week turns into a haze of work, overtime, takeout eaten at the office, sex, early mornings with Harper, and more work. I get a small turkey dinner catered in for Christmas, but otherwise it could be any other week. In the evenings, Harper comes back to my place for wild nights and happy mornings. I love having her in my bed every night and waking up next to her in the morning. I love the way she looks sleepy when she wakes up, and how her auburn hair looks dark against my white pillows.
I watch her working at the office and I’m constantly amazed at her skills at work. She executes the plan perfectly, pushing the team to produce some of the best content we’ve produced as a company. I don’t even really need to be here.
I’m sitting in my office and I watch her leaning over Rosie’s desk, looking at one of our advertising proposals. She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and points to something on the desk. I can’t hear what they’re saying, but she starts gesturing, explaining what she wants. Rosie is listening intently and then nods. Harper smiles and says something and then they both laugh. I can’t help but smile along. Harper glances up and catches me staring at her. She smiles and winks before walking towards her own office.
I love the way Harper laughs with her mouth wide open. It’s loud and unapologetic. She throws her head back and her laugh ripples through her whole body, making it impossible not to laugh along. No wonder everyone likes her—the minute she flashes that smile or laughs at one of your jokes, all you want to do is make it happen again. It’s all I want to do, anyways.
Glancing at my calendar, I shake my head and sigh. This is not the New Year’s Eve I’d imagined. It hasn’t been bad, quite the opposite. In many ways this holiday season has been the best I’ve had in years. I just never imagined I’d be sitting behind my desk at 4pm on December 31st, working on a proposal that was supposed to be due at the end of next month.
My computer dings and I look at my inbox.
From: Harper Anderson
Subject: Latif Proposal
I click the email and smile. She’s done it, and an entire day early as well. I open the file and am looking it over when there’s a knock on the doorframe. Harper is leaning against it with a playful smile in her eyes.
“Just sent that through to you,” she says.
“I’m looking at it now. I like the changes you’ve made to the first ad set,” I say as I glance back at the screen. I read through the document and look up again. Harper is still in the doorway. “This is very good.”
“We have a good team,” she responds, always modest about her work.
“We have a good leader,” I tell her. She smiles shyly. I turn back to my computer and pull up the email I’ve already drafted. I attach the file and take a deep breath. I glance up at Harper and grin. “Do you want to do the honours?”
Her smile widens and she practically jumps forward. “Yes!”
She comes around my desk and I present my mouse to her. With great ceremony and flourish, she places her delicate hand over the mouse and hovers over the ‘Send’ button. Before pressing it she glances at me and gently pushes her shoulder into mine.
“This is it,” she says with a grin.
“Do it!”
She clicks the mouse and my computer makes the familiar ‘whoosh’ sound as the email is sent. It’s done. Harper stands up and puts her hands on her hips. My hand drifts up and grazes the curve of her ass. She makes a soft noise before turning back towards me.
“Should we go tell the team?”
“Yes, and then we can celebrate.”
“Definitely.”
Her green eyes are shimmering and I can tell she’s happy. She should be! She’s just saved the firm a major client just in time to ring in the New Year. The two of us walk around my desk and I try not to stare at the way her hips move from side to side. I’ll have those hips between my hands as soon as I can. I’ll pull her into me and lay her down before spreading her perfect legs. My mouth waters at the thought of tasting her.
Knocked Up- The Complete Box Set Page 9
