Page 42 of Little Did You Know

The color drained from Rachel's face, her perfectly lined lips pressing into a bloodless seam. Her nail file clattered to the desk, and for once, she didn't reach to save her precious manicure. Her nod was so slight it barely disturbed her structured curls.

"Then I'm going to ask you one more time: where did they go to lunch?"

"The cafeteria."

"Thanks." I bolted for the elevators.

The ride to the first floor stretched like pulled taffy, each floor's gentle chime marking time I couldn't get back. The scent of coffee and reheated leftovers hit me before the doors opened, along with the steady hum of afternoon conversation. Through the glass doors, the cafeteria spread out like a chess board of white tables and dark suits. But my eyes found Olivia instantly as if they'd been searching for her all along, her laughter carrying across the room.

I glanced around to see what or who was the cause of that smile when I noticed the two men sitting across from her engrossed in every word she said. My jaw clenched, my fists curling at my sides as I watched them lean in closer. She pushed to her feet and they followed her every move. I stepped forward, then forced myself to stop, uncurling my fingers. Instead, I left and headed back to my office.

By the time I got back, Rachel was gone for lunch. Stepping into my office, and realized I wasn't alone. Turning around, I groaned at the naked woman lying on my couch. "Kaylee, what are you doing here?"

"It's Monday. Did you forget?"

Fuck, I had forgotten. Every Monday, Kaylee met me at lunchtime.

"Look, I'm sorry, Kaylee, but I can't do this today." I ran a hand down my face. “Or actually, I can’t do this anymore.”

The leather couch creaked as she rose, all six inches of her stilettos carrying her across the carpet. Her perfume—too similar to Victoria's—filled my lungs as she pressed against me. Cool fingers traced my tie, and drifted lower.

The door handle's metallic click pierced the silence.

"Nick—" Olivia's voice died in her throat. Her portfolio slipped from her fingers, papers scattering across the threshold. "Oh my god. I'm sorry."

"Olivia—" My hands shot to my belt, shoving Kaylee back hard enough to make her stumble. But Olivia was already gone, the door clicking shut with devastating finality, leaving only the ghost of her shocked expression burned into my retinas. "Get dressed and get out, Kaylee." I tossed her coat toward her and ran out after Olivia.

I wasn't sure what my problem was. I'd been frank with Olivia that I would be sleeping with other women, but I didn't want to rub it in her face either. I noticed the door to the stairway was open and took off after her. She wasn't that far ahead of me, thanks to her heels.

"Olivia, stop." My voice echoed in the stairwell, bouncing off concrete and steel to return to me distorted and foreign.

She took the stairs faster, the click-click-click of her heels on metal creating a frantic rhythm. "It's fine, Nick." Her voice was carefully controlled, not matching her hurried steps. "Go back to her. I need to get back to work anyway." The last word wavered.

Three steps brought me to her level, my longer stride eliminating her head start. I caught her elbow, gentle but firm, the silk of her blouse cool beneath my fingertips. She stilled but didn't turn. "Olivia," I said again, softer. "Stop. Please."

She turned slowly, her gaze fixed on my collar as if the knot of my tie held answers. Her hands fidgeted with her bracelet, twisting the delicate chain until I feared it would snap. "Another friend?" The question hung between us, deceptively light.

"Yes." The word tasted bitter, like coffee left too long on the burner. I swallowed hard. "Olivia, I'm sorry." My thumb brushed against her arm, an unconscious movement I couldn't stop.

She smoothed her skirt with trembling fingers, the charcoal fabric bunching beneath her palms before settling. "You don't have anything to be sorry about." Her voice steadied with visible effort, professional mask slipping back into place. "I should have knocked. It was my fault." Her eyes remained fixed on a point just past my shoulder, never quite meeting mine.

"Olivia." I stepped closer, close enough to catch the scent of her perfume—something light, floral, nothing like Victoria's. Nothing like Kaylee's. "I didn't know she was there. She caught me off guard when I came in." I searched her face for understanding, for forgiveness I hadn't earned.

"Nick, it's fine." The words emerged clipped, contradicted by the way she bit down on her bottom lip, teeth pressing into the soft flesh until it whitened beneath the pressure.

My pulse thundered in my throat, the sound of rushing blood drowning out the distant office noises. Her teeth released her lip, leaving tiny indentations that my thumb itched to smooth away. The mark of her anxiety, of my failure, branded into her skin

The space between us crackled with electricity, charged like the air before a summer storm. My body swayed forward involuntarily, like a compass finding north, like gravity pulling me into her orbit. Her breath hitched, a small sound that shot straight through me, settling low in my stomach?—

And then Hannah's voice shattered the moment like breaking glass, shards of possibility scattering at our feet. "Everything okay?"

I dropped my hand from Olivia's arm, the warmth of her skin lingering on my palm. "Yes."

Hannah's heels clattered against the concrete stairs. "Mr. Pearson, there's a Mr. Walker on the phone. He said he needs to speak with you now."

I leaned close to Olivia, my breath stirring the wisps of hair by her ear. "We'll talk about this later."

She tucked a strand behind her ear, nodding once before disappearing through the fire door.

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