Crashing at the Office

"Well, you know I would have helped you out, if you had called me."

"I figured you would. But since I'd picked her up at her hotel, I felt like I had to drive her back. So, I just sat there nodding while she carried on about what type of fertilizer she uses, and how often her babies need watering."

"She called them her babies?" Wow.

He nodded, and told me the rest. "Yeah, can you believe that? And when I finally drove her back, she invited me up to her room for a cocktail. But I lied and told her that I had an early meeting, because no way was I going to spend even another minute looking at her flowers."

"Could be she was just nervous."

"It didn't seem like it, from the way she was eating off my plate, like we'd been married for years."

I tried to keep a straight face as I reminded him, "Well, you did say that she was quirky."

"That's one way of putting it. Anyway, I ordered us some breakfast, so it should be here soon."

"Stewart, you don't have to feed me."

He shrugged. "I don't mind. At least I know you're eating. And this way, we don't have to eat alone."

"Well, then thanks."

I don't think very many bosses would care one way or the other if their employees missed a meal. I guess since he knows that I haven't got anywhere to cook anymore, he's been wondering how I often I eat. Which I thought was awfully sweet.

We were enjoying some delicious egg and melted cheese breakfast sandwiches at his desk, when he asked, "Do your parents live in the area?"

Nodding, I used the napkin to wipe my lips, before I answered. "They've got a hobby farm, about two hours north of here."

"I imagine that would be a fairly long commute if you were staying with them."

"Oh, I could never stay there."

He looked confused. "Why not?"

"Well, my step-father is fairly strict. And he told all of us, including his own two sons, that once we moved out, none of us were allowed to go back home, no matter what happened. He said that we're all adults, we all have good educations, and we should be able to stand on our own two feet and make our own way, without relying on them for anything."

"Does your mother feel the same way?"

"I would never tell her. But I've got a feeling if she knew that I'd lost my apartment, she'd be frantic. I don't want to make waves and cause any problems between them, so I haven't told anyone in the family about what's happened."

He looked across at me for a moment, before he said, "I've never had any kids, but if I did, I'd like to think that they could come to me if they ever had any problems, or for anything, really."

I smiled as I reached for my tea. "Then I think they'd be lucky to have a dad like you."

We finished our breakfast, and thankfully let the subject drop.

That afternoon, we were going over a few bids together. Some of the larger home builders were looking into adding some of our storage solutions in their new homes, as upgrades in the kitchens, bathrooms and closets, since we're the biggest supplier in the area.

No surprise, they were to trying to get the cheapest price they could.

Before I showed him the different bids, I did some number crunching. Then pointing out our profit margins, I told him that it would hardly be worth our while to sell to them. "We could make a lot more selling direct to the consumers. Even the increased volume dealing with these big builders, wouldn't make up for how little they're willing to pay."

"I think you're right. I'll send them an email, and try and get them to negotiate. And if they don't like it, they can go somewhere else."

I had just got up and went back to my office, when I noticed a woman standing in the doorway. A very prim looking lady, with short brown hair and dark brown eyes in a brown suit, wearing, what my grandmother would describe as 'sensible shoes.' Brown, of course, to match her suit.

"Hi. Can I help you?" I asked, before she walked in.

She gave me awkward smile, as she looked me over and stepped inside. "Hello. I'm Ruth Brown, and I'm here to see Stewart Hutton. I think we have a dinner date for tonight."

Oh, no. This had to be the begonia lady. And I knew he wouldn't be too happy to see her.

I pointed her at the two chairs in front of my desk. "If you'd like to have a seat, I'll let him know you're here."

I hustled back into Stewart's office and closed the door behind me, and leaned against, just to make sure she stayed on the other side.

When he looked up and saw the panicked look on my face, he said, "Riley, what's wrong?"

Trying to keep my voice down, I hissed, "She's here!"

"Who's here?"

"Ruth, the begonia lady."

He shot to his feet; eyes wide. "You've got to be kidding. Why the hell would she come here?"

No idea how she found him, I just shrugged and watched him pace.

"Damn! My sister-in-law's sister must have told her where I work." He finally stopped and looked at me. "Did she say what she wanted?"

I winced, hating to be the bearer of bad news. "She said she has a dinner date with you for tonight."

"No fucking way. I did my duty last night. I can't sit through another night with her."

Wow, I rarely heard him swear, so I knew he had to be upset.

"Well, she's sitting in my office waiting to see you."

Shaking his head, he followed me out.

The way Ruth's face lit up the moment she saw him, I could tell that she was totally smitten. Not that I could blame her, considering how incredible he was to look at.

"Ruth, this is a surprise," he said, though not exactly sounding pleased about it.

"Well, since we'll only have a few days together, I went ahead and made us a reservation in the restaurant in my hotel."

I was a little surprised when Stewart came up beside me, slipped his arm around my waist and said, "I wished you'd have phoned first, Ruth." Then he looked at me, smiled and said, "We've got plans for tonight, don't we, sweetheart?"

Sweetheart? As it dawned on me that he was pretending that we were together, I knew I had to provide a story that hopefully she'd believe.

I smiled up into his eyes. "That's right honey, dinner and a movie." Then I explained to Ruth, "We're going to see that new comedy everyone's talking about with Tom Hanks."

"Oh, I just love comedies," Ruth gushed, smiling back and forth between us, looking hopeful.

Holy shit, could the woman not take a hint?

"Well..." Grinning at me, Stewart pressed a kiss to my cheek. "We're actually celebrating our anniversary tonight."

Ruth's face fell as what he said registered, and she realized that she wouldn't be joining us. "Are you saying that you're married to your assistant?"

"Oh, no, we're not married, but we started dating last spring," I said, slipping my arm around him and giving him a little squeeze as I smiled adoringly into his eyes. "So, this is our six-month anniversary."

"And you're both living here?"

I could see the amusement in his eyes, when he actually told her the truth. "Yes, we both live here."

Only thing was, he lived up in the clouds in his condo, which she probably knew, from what her sister would have told her. While I was crashing down here on his couch.

She looked kind of crestfallen as she muttered, "My sister never mentioned that you were involved with anyone."

"We've sort of kept it to ourselves," Stewart explained, flashing me an appreciative smile.

Obviously wishing that she was the one he'd fallen for, she sighed and said, "Well, I think Claire and Mac will be surprised, because I know they'd been hoping that you'd meet someone."

He pressed another kiss to my cheek and told her, "Well, I found her, working right here with me."

Once she finally took the hint and left, we pulled apart, and we both heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank you so much for playing along, Riley. I just couldn't take another night like last night. And sorry if I got a little... touchy feely."

I laughed. "It's okay, I didn't mind." And I really didn't. Even if it was only for show, it still felt pretty nice to be giving each other hugs, and finally feeling what it would be like to have him kiss me. Even if it was only on the cheek.

"Guess I'd better get back to work," I said, turning to leave.

I was just heading back to my desk and I couldn't believe it when Stewart came up behind me and said, "How about we go out for dinner and see a movie tonight? You know there's a nice steakhouse and a Cineplex right downstairs."

Turning around, I looked at him. "You know that was just an excuse, right?"

"I know. But since neither of us are seeing anyone, it might be nice to have dinner together, and see that comedy you were talking about."

I grinned at him. "Okay." I was kind of tickled that he asked me, even if he was only paying me back for helping him get the begonia lady off his case.

After we saw the movie, that we both thought was hilarious, we took the escalator up to the restaurant, that was surprisingly stylish, especially for being on the ground floor of an office building. Now I was glad I took a chance and wore my sexiest little black dress and killer heels. And Stewart seemed to appreciate it too, from the way he was looking me over, with a kind of broody look in his eyes.

Over dinner, we talked about everything under the sun, and I couldn't believe how much we laughed. I noticed he seemed so much more relaxed out of the office. Of course, working alongside him, I also knew he had a lot on his plate. So, it was nice to see him kicking back and enjoying himself.

Our waiter suggested the surf and turf, and I was glad he did. It was definitely the best meal I'd ever had, especially since I was sharing it with my sexy boss, who seemed to be smiling a lot more than I'd ever seen him smile, as our eyes met across the table. I couldn't believe it when he actually reached out and stroked his hand over mine.

I think both of us, feeling a little reluctant to leave, decided to share a dessert sampler with some Irish coffee. When he finally signalled for the bill, we'd been having such a good time together I really hated for the evening to end.

Though I reminded myself, even as we walked out with his hand at the small of my back, that this wasn't an actual date. Since I knew he was just paying me back for playing along and pretending we were involved, so the begonia lady wouldn't try and drag him back to her hotel.

I almost laughed out loud as I pictured him tied to her bed. But instead of her trying any kinky moves on him, she'd probably have her phone in his face, forcing him to look at even more pictures of her precious flowers.

As we waited for the elevator to take us upstairs, Stewart stroked his hand over my back and said, "I had such a good time with you tonight Riley, it's almost too bad that we have to go home."

Home. I guess his office was the closest thing I had to a home right now. At least I felt safe there, knowing that he was here nearby if I needed him, only about twenty floors up.

When the doors to the elevator opened, he got off too, and walked me to his office, unlocked the door and followed me inside.

I could feel my heart pounding like a drum, wondering if anything might happen, now that we were alone.

Then he surprised me. After he'd flipped my desk light on from the door, he slipped his arms around me, looked into my eyes, and ever so gently touched his lips to mine.

After whispering, "Goodnight," against my lips, I felt more than a little disappointed when he turned and left to head upstairs to his condo.

Oh well, after the wonderful night we'd shared, at least I knew that I'd be falling asleep with a pretty big smile on my face. Even if it wasn't really a date, I had a feeling it would still stay with me forever. Especially since he decided to end the night with that sweet little kiss.

Next morning, though we were back in work mode, there was a definite buzz in the air between us. Like something had changed. Probably because we'd enjoyed a night out together, we were more relaxed around each other.

Since he was facing the door, I noticed Stewart narrow his eyes when we heard the shrill distinctive voice of the head of HR, Irma Berg, walk in and curtly proclaim, "Good morning!"

Before either of us could respond, she turned her attention on me. "Riley, one of our employees mentioned that something peculiar is going on. It seems that no has seen you coming in in the morning anymore, or going home at night, though obviously you're here every day. I just wondered if you had an explanation."

Not sure what to say, before I could think of a plausible excuse, thankfully Stewart piped up. "We've been really swamped lately, with all the contracts we've got coming in, especially with the Home Show in a few weeks. And thankfully Riley has been kind enough to come in early, and often stays a little later, so we can get everything done."

"I see," she said, though she didn't look entirely convinced, as she carefully looked back and forth between us. "The reason I'm asking, is someone suggested that she might be staying here in the office, which of course would never be allowed. But if you say that she's coming in early and leaving late, because you're busy, I guess that would explain it."

Once she'd turned and left, Stewart muttered, "That woman is like blood hound, always poking around. I never tell her anything I don't have to, or I know she'll go running to the boss."

"Thank you."

"For what?" he asked.

"For saving my job. I didn't know what to tell her. But I'm glad you came up with something, that hopefully she believed."

"Well, Irma's been here as long as I have, and I've learned never to trust her."

"I've heard the same thing."

When his cell phone rang, and he smiled and answered, "Hey, Mac," I knew he was talking to his brother. Deciding to make myself scarce, I motioned that I was going back to my office, so they could talk in private.

I was looking over some emails that had just come in, when Stewart walked in and dropped into one of the chairs across from my desk.

Looking a little rattled, he explained, "I forgot that my brother and his wife said they'd be coming for a week, and they always stay with me."

"Oh, that'll be nice. You'll get to spend some time together," I said, though I couldn't help but notice that he looked more conflicted than happy about it.

"Problem is, we told Claire's sister Ruth that we're living together."

"Oh, that's right."

"I know this might sound crazy, but I was thinking, with Irma poking around, and my brother and his wife expecting us to be together, maybe you should stay at my place, at least until they're gone."

After I thought it through, I asked, "When are they coming?"

He looked at his watch. "He called on his way from the airport, so they'll probably be here any minute."

Holy crow. "Then I'd better get my things together."

He nodded as he shot to his feet. "I'll help you." I scrambled around my desk, making a beeline for the filing cabinet that held all my stuff, before grabbing my suitcases out of the closet, with Stewart right beside me, helping me pack as fast as we could.

We had just got everything upstairs, and tucked away, when we heard the buzzer from the lobby.

Both of us took a deep breath, and let it out slowly, trying to calm our frazzled nerves. Smiling, with his eyes on mine, Stewart pushed the button, and said, "Come on up, guys."

I had met them before, and really liked them. But of course, the last time we'd met, Stewart and I weren't pretending to be a couple.

So, they'd obviously be wondering what had happened to change our relationship, from purely professional, to the two of us shacking up together.

As soon as she walked in, Claire threw her arms around me, and hugged really hard. Pulling back, she smiled into my eyes and gushed, "Oh, I'm so happy you two are together."

Mac laughed. "And I'm glad my brother finally noticed that he had the perfect woman, right under his nose, working for him."

Stewart and I exchanged smiles when he said that, because we actually had become pretty close lately.

We had a drink together, before his brother looked at his watch and nodded at his wife. "I guess we should be going. We're meeting Claire's sister Ruth for dinner, and of course you two are welcome to join us, if you'd like."

Before we could think, Stewart and I both held up our hands and blurted, "No!" I had to try not to laugh, as Stewart attempted to backpedal and explain our outburst, "It's just that I know you haven't seen each other in a while, so we wouldn't want to intrude."

Once they'd left, we both broke down and laughed, wondering how they'd ever get through dinner with her quirky sister.

"You should probably unpack," Stewart suggested, "if you're going to be here for a week. I can clear some space for you."

When we walked into his bedroom and looked at the bed, I think it finally hit us that we'd be sharing more than just his room. With nowhere else to sleep, we'd also be sharing his bed.

Not that it would be much of a hardship. But it would still feel a little strange to curl up every night with my hunky boss, especially knowing that nothing was going to happen.

Of course, I also had to keep in mind that as soon as his brother and his wife left, the charade would be over. And I would go back to sleeping on the pullout couch in his office, while frantically trying to look for another place to stay, before Irma caught on to the fact that I was crashing at work, and ran and told the boss.

After I'd put my things away, I was surprised when I walked into the kitchen and saw Stewart smiling over at me from the stove.

"I didn't know you could cook," I said, as I walked over to see what he was making, since it sure smelled good.

"My wife was such an incredible cook that I barely touched the stove while we married. After she died, to keep from starving, I started watching cooking shows on TV, and found a few recipes to download. Now I can at least make a meal that hopefully tastes okay." He spooned up some sauce, and held it to my lips. "Try it, and see what you think."

"Ooh, that's really good," I said, licking my lips. "And I like the little kick of spice, too."

"It's an arrabiata sauce, but I try not to make it too spicy."

I smirked, wiggling my eyebrows. "No worries. I can take a little heat."

The way he groaned shaking his head, made me laugh, as he obviously got my double entendre.

Poking around in his tidy kitchen, I found everything I needed to set the table. Then I tossed the salad while he was dishing up the pasta. And just for fun, I gave him a little hip bump while he was adding some cheese.

"I think we work pretty good together," he remarked.

"Just like in the office."

"Yeah, just like the office," he said, teasingly rubbing his nose against mine, making us both laugh.

He held my chair out for me, and once we were seated at the table, he poured us both a glass of red, and raised his glass in a toast. "To my favorite fake girlfriend."

I almost choked on my first sip when he said that. I put my glass down and asked, "Why, how many do you have?"

With his eyes on mine, he grinned and said, "Just you."

I knew he liked to tease, so I just laughed.

Then he cleared his throat. "I really appreciate you going along with this, Riley. My brother and sister-in-law have been hounding me non-stop lately, pushing me to get out there and meet someone. Which is probably why they resorted to fixing me up with her sister Ruth. But now that they think I've found someone, hopefully they'll back off and let it go."

"Hopefully," I said, as I put down my wine glass, before I carefully asked, "But don't you ever wish that you could meet someone? I know you've been on your own for quite a while."

He blew a weary breath, before he answered. "After I lost my wife, I wasn't interested in meeting anyone else, probably because we had such a good marriage. And though we'd always hoped to have a child, we were happy, with just the two of us." Then he looked into my eyes and said, "Though, lately, I have started to think it might be time to give it one more chance." When I didn't say anything, he said, "And what about you? Are you happy being on your own?"