Page 6 of Knocked Up By the Silver Fox

I took a sip of water wishing it was an energy drink and kept going. Poring over all the data made my brain hurt. I loved this job, but when fatigue visited, it made the tasks I had to do feel so tedious. I narrowed my eyes and leaned in, resting my elbow next to my keyboard and my hand on my chin as I read and reread the findings. Mr. Caldwell had a tough choice because the data told me this was a fifty-fifty.

I heard the door to his office click open, and I straightened and squared my shoulders. I was startled because I thought he'd gone home already, but he appeared in the doorway with a cupof coffee and a warm smile. I swallowed hard against the nervous response my body had.

"Mr. Caldwell, I thought you went home for the day." I looked up at him as he handed me the coffee and turned to grab a chair from the other side of my desk.

"I should have. I'm just waiting on numbers." He positioned the chair next to mine behind my desk, and I felt a twinge of guilt. I hadn't given him the reports yet because I was still agonizing. I wasn't the type of person to make any rash decisions. In fact, the research I'd done that proved Kevin wrong took me months. This felt like such high pressure, and I didn't want to fail.

His chair faced me, almost close enough that his knees brushed my thigh, and I sipped the coffee, grateful to have the warmth and the caffeine. I'd already told Rachel I'd be home late, but the way it was going I'd have to sleep here. He needed me and I couldn't let him down.

"Well, that's alright. I can wait," he said as his eyes panned over to the computer screen. I'd been doing this two weeks now, and he hadn't parked a chair by my desk before. This had to be even more important than I thought it was, which only made me more nervous.

"Just trying to do my absolute best work." I nervously pecked away at the keyboard after setting the coffee down. His looming presence felt nerve-wracking. Nobody wants their boss hovering. I worked well under pressure, but this was next level, especially when the scent of his cologne wafted around me like a warm spring breeze making me feel a little heady and light.

He was most definitely an attractive man, and tonight, with his tie undone, the top few buttons of his dress shirt open, and the five-o'clock shadow on his face making an appearance, the "Silver Fox" part of his nickname was really standing out. It made me a little flustered. Why had I let Rachel get in my head?And that dang email…I hated that I wanted to do my job well, not flounder because I got attracted to someone I couldn't date.

"Why don't you give me some of the rundown," he said, and he reached past me to move my mouse and click on the report feature of the spreadsheet I was working on. It wasn't entirely unprofessional, given he was my boss, but it brought him so near to me I could feel his breath on my face until he backed away.

The charts popped up on the screen and I started going over the numbers, but every few seconds I glanced at him. He was attentive, focused on my face for the most part, but I got a hint of whiskey on his breath. Maybe he had a bottle stashed in his desk drawer. I knew sometimes they offered clients a drink during a big meeting.

After fifteen minutes of talking and him not responding once, I looked at him directly while speaking. His eyes were not on my face at all. They were on my chest, and I felt warmth flood my cheeks. I kept talking but I swear he was drooling a little.

"Uh, sir, did you hear what I said?"

His eyes slid up over my face and the slight glaze of alcohol was evident. He smiled and nodded. "Yes, I heard it all. And I think you're on the right track…" He looked thoughtful for a moment and lifted his gaze above my head, toward the framed diploma on the wall behind me. "You graduated from Columbia?"

I smiled, thankful to be out from under that pressure. I wanted to do well, and if he thought my numbers were good then I was pleased. I just didn't know if he was actually listening or if he just said that.

"Yes, sir. Magna cum laude…" I was mere points from the highest distinction, but the secondary rank had been what got me this job. I relaxed a little. It was easier to talk about my personal life with my boss than my work life. I didn't want tofeel scrutinized, and I would always be on edge when it came to discussing work matters with him. He was the CEO after all.

"That's fantastic…That's where my daughter wanted to go before…" His eyes grew stormy and he looked down at his hand clenched into a fist. His arm was draped across the corner of my desk and he sighed. He opened his fist and closed it again.

"Before?" I asked, not fully understanding. I didn't know he had a daughter at all. I didn't know he was married or otherwise committed. He had no ring, and he spoke about no one. In fact, we'd never spoken about anything other than work.

"Before my wife died." He sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. "Abby wanted to go to Columbia, but now I'm not sure. It was Kate's alma mater, and she took her mother's death hard."

Okay, so he wasn't drunk, but he was feeling a buzz at the very least. I could tell he was a bit more casual than normal, and while I didn't mind being a sounding board for someone who needed to talk, I wondered if we were crossing a line. He was my boss, and things could be taken out of context if someone overheard us being too personal.

"I'm sorry to hear your wife died." I didn't know what to say. I pitied him, and wished I could say something to help him feel better.

"Yeah, it's okay. I'm sorry for letting that slip."

Mr. Caldwell carried himself with such an air of dominance and confidence, I'd have never known he was grieving. I touched his hand softly and felt a spark run up my arm, and then I moved away as quickly as I touched him.

"I'm sure it's not easy. I hope it gets better soon." I was an idiot. I cursed myself inwardly for being so socially awkward and realized I was going to make a fool of myself if I didn't just get out of here. "I'm tired. I think I should go home. I need to be back in here bright and early to finish this up for your meeting ateight." I pushed my chair back as I held the sleep button on my computer, and he backed away too.

"Sure, let me walk you to the subway station. It's dark out." He stood over me while I picked up my laptop bag and jacket, and I awkwardly kept my eyes from making eye contact.

"Sure," I told him, but I thought it was a bad idea. I already thought he was ridiculously hot and maybe I had dreamt something sexy about him one night last week. But tonight just took this to a whole new level. I wasn't supposed to get flustered around my boss at all. I was supposed to be a professional.

We took the same elevator down to the ground floor, and he walked me out of the building. The front desk security guard eyed us as we headed out, and I felt my cheeks get hotter. They were like molten lava, and I knew everyone could see it. Thankfully, I didn't have to hide from too many people, but just having him near me had my whole body feeling like my face.

Mr. Caldwell was a gentleman. He walked next to me without touching. He spoke about his daughter's graduation in the spring and what he would do when she left for whatever college she chose. Rain started to fall, and he took off his suit coat and held it up over my head. It forced me to walk so close to him my shoulder brushed his chest. It sent sparks through me, and I knew I was thinking things no employee should ever think about her boss.

The thing was, he was being so kind and chivalrous. This wasn't what Rachel warned me about. He wasn't some manipulative powerful man trying to get me to have sex with him in exchange for personal career growth. He appeared more like a lonely man who was mourning his wife and facing challenges with his daughter. It felt like he needed a friend, and I felt bad for crushing on him so hard. It was causing me to be less than comforting.

When we got to the subway entrance we stopped and I turned to him.

"Thanks for keeping me dry and walking me here, Mr. Caldwell." I smiled warmly and looked up at him. He had such a serious expression I paused for a moment.

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