"I know," she said, sliding closer as she moved her hand lower on my arm. "You don't have to be so defensive with me, Jack. I understand what it's like to live with a difficult parent. I know they have the nice side that they show other people which is so different from the one we get."
I nodded, but the tenderness in her voice and the feel of her touch were almost more than I could stand. I knew that if I were going to stop anything from happening, now was the moment to stand up and walk out the door. I felt frozen in place as her thigh pressed against mine and her fingers gently caressed my forearm.
"Leah …" I began as I looked down into her deep-blue eyes. I couldn't stop myself. The dam broke as I reached out and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her body against mine as I sought her lips. I kissed her hard at first, as all of the things I'd imagined flashed through my mind. I pulled her onto my lap and ran my fingers through her hair as I felt her responding to my kiss. She moaned softly as I undid the clips that were holding her hair away from her face and slid both hands deep into the soft, beautiful curls.
"Jack …" she groaned as my hands began to move lower. "We shouldn't …"
"I can't help it," I whispered into her lips. "I can't help wanting you…"
She moaned again as I ran my fingers down her back. She put her palms against my chest and pushed herself up off my lap and out of my reach. Her eyes were as wild as her hair, and she quickly walked to the door and turned the knob only to find it locked.
"What the hell?" she said looking down and flipping the mechanism before trying the knob again without success. "We're locked in!"
"No we're not," I said trying to hide my disappointment. "I'm sure it's just caught."
"Jack, we're locked in this room," she said trying the door more forcefully. She turned and looked at me suspiciously, "Did you do this on purpose?"
"What the hell?" I shot back. "No! Why in the hell would I want to lock us in this office?"
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because it's the one place we could be alone, and you thought I'd give in to your seduction," she said in a voice that gave away the fact that she was more than a little irritated.
"Are you kidding me?" I said, stunned that she'd think this mistake was intentional. "You have got to be fucking kidding me!"
"Don't get mad at me," she warned. "I didn't set this up so that we'd be trapped together here."
"I didn't either!" I shouted as I strode over to the door and tried unsuccessfully to force it open. "Well, we'll just have to call someone to come down and let us out."
"I don't have my phone on me, so you'll have to call, Mr. Big Shot," she said dryly. I reached in my back pocket and realized that I had left my phone on my desk upstairs.
"Shit," I muttered as I walked to the desk and picked up the receiver, only to find that they hadn't yet connected the line. I looked at Leah and said, "We're locked in."
"You are kidding me," she said as she turned to the door and began pounding on it yelling, "HEY GUYS! WE'RE LOCKED IN THIS DAMN OFFICE! COME OPEN THE DOOR!"
We both listened for movement outside of the door, but when no one responded, Leah slumped against the door, looking defeated.
"I didn't do this on purpose," I said a little defensively.
"Oh, I know you didn't," she replied. "No one is that stupid
."
"Hey, there's no need to get mean," I said, realizing that she was really upset. I looked at my watch and said, "I'm sure that someone will come looking for us in a bit. It's only … six thirty."
"What if everyone's gone home for the night?" she asked.
"Then the cleaning crew will find us," I replied trying to sound certain of the fact that a cleaning crew would be coming in tonight. I cursed myself silently for the tenth time for leaving my phone on my desk. I looked at Leah, who was now sitting on the floor with her back against the door and her knees drawn up to her chest. "What's really going on?"
"Nothing, I'm just upset about being locked in an office with my boss!" she shot back.
"Leah, look at me," I said as I walked over to her and held out a hand. She looked up, hesitated, and then took my hand so I could pull her off the floor. "At least sit on the couch or somewhere more comfortable, and tell me what's going on."
She sat down on the couch and dropped her head into her hands as she massaged her forehead. I could tell that she wanted to say something, but the words refused to come. I decided to be patient and wait for her to tell me what was going on.
As the minutes ticked by I could feel my anticipation—and my worry—growing.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Leah