Page 27 of Safer Alone
Even though I am shocked, I can feel my heart was beating quicker than usual and not because of panic. It’s what Elliot does to me, my pulse quickens when he is near. I feel light-headed and when we touch, that spark between us isn’t imagined.
I haven’t been kissed in so long, and that was incredible. The feel of his soft lips, the chemistry between us, I can’t be the only one to feel it, can I? After all, he was the one who kissed me. I try to calm my runaway heart by taking long deep breaths, just as I am preparing to leave the linen closet I hear him outside. I take a step forward and walk right in to him, dropping the tea towel. “Oh Elliot, I’m sorry. I can be such a klutz sometimes.” I bend down to pick it up, standing back up quickly.
“I was about to send out a search party for you” he laughs. Closing the linen closet behind me, I offer him the tea towel, extending it in between us.
“No need, you found me. Sorry again for running into you Mr. Sands, I seem to do that a bit don’t I?”
As I make an effort to walk past him, his arm snakes out and takes one of my hands in his, stopping me in my tracks. Was he going to kiss me again? I’d be up for that, “Angela, I would prefer if you used my first name, my friends call me Elliot, only my employees use my last name.” At his choice of words, I can’t help myself, I burst into laughter. He looks at me with questions written all over his expression “what’s funny?”
I shake my head. “Oh Elliot. Technically, come Friday I am your employee.” he looks at me for a moment and with comprehension washing over him, he joins in laughing too.
After a minute or two our laughter dies down. “I guess you are right Angela. You are technically my employee, a freelance contractor, if you will. However, you are the first employee I have ever kissed.” He turns around and heads towards the kitchen. I follow him still dazed at his confession, when I enter behind him he has already picked up one of the plates and was in the process of drying it. Fancy that, a millionaire standing in my kitchen, hand drying dishes.
I take my place beside him and drop my hands back into the warm soapy water to pick up the wine glass that had dropped. “Don’t even think about it unless you want me to wet your shirt again.” It should have sounded menacing. I’m sure he was trying to. If it had been Dylan standing here beside me, that threat would have had me cowering in the corner, but from Elliot it seemed like almost a dare. One I wouldn’t go through with, but oh how I wanted to if it led to another kiss.
“Wouldn’t dream of it, boss” I shot him a quick smile and saw that he was smiling too.
“So, you have some sort of policy preventing personal relationships with employees?” I couldn’t help myself, I wanted to know where we stood. Why did I just ask that, now he is going to think I’m seeking out a relationship with him.
“Something like that” he answered, “My father always told me to keep work at work and home at home, so I don’t mix the two.”
“That makes sense.” What did that mean for us? Would we kiss again? I couldn’t believe that my libido was telling me that I wanted to.
His next words break the silence. “I haven’t before, anyway.”
I decide to let that comment go without a retort, we finished washing the dishes in quiet, I let the water out of the sink and returned all the dried items back to their homes in the cupboards. “Would you like to have some dessert now?” hoping very much that he would stay for a little while longer. Elliot pulled up his sleeve and looked at his beautiful watch, checking the time.
“I should probably get going, let you get some sleep. We both have work tomorrow, then a flight to catch just after lunch Friday so it’s going to be a busy couple of days.”
I am shaken with just how disappointed I feel that he was heading out. “Want to take a couple of cannoli for the road?”
He nods his head, “sounds good to me” I pull the desserts out of the fridge and find a container for Elliot to carry them home in, holding it out to him once they are safely inside, his hands taking it in their firm grip, brushing my fingertips in the exchange.
Turning towards the door he follows closely behind me, “I’ll be at the house most of the day, but I might drop by tomorrow. Would that be okay with you, Angela?”
I open the door and without second guessing myself, plant a soft, quick kiss on his cheek. “I’ll be at work till 5:00 pm, but after that I should be home. Let me know.” Watching him step outside and walk down the hallway I close the door and stare at the blank hard timber surface.
Tonight did not go at all like I expected. I learned new information about his business. I opened up a little about myself and most importantly and most memorable was the part when he kissed me. I lift my hand to my mouth, running my thumb over my lips, where his lips had been such a short time ago.
I don’t know what is going to happen next. There is one thing I now know for certain; I am so excited to see where this was going, and I hope that I will see him tomorrow.
~ Chapter Thirteen ~
Work on Thursday is fairly uneventful, more than likely due to the weather outside. Instead of sunshine it’s horribly dreary. Weather that you just don’t want to be anywhere in and which meant the rain kept most people indoors. It’s unlike the normal weather for this time of year. Looking at my calendar, I am thankful that I don’t have any onsite appointments today. I am someone who doesn’t enjoy being caught in the rain, and the wind, ugh, I feel my temper flare if I’m out in the wind for even a minute. I look around my office and am insanely grateful I am in here, warm and out of the nasty weather outside.
I keep myself busy with getting up to date, knowing that I would only be here for a few hours tomorrow. I tidy up my desk, shredding some confidential information that was no longer needed. By the time lunch comes, I’m famished. I skipped breakfast this morning in order to get in early, and get a jump start on the work ahead of me.
I enjoy some tasty leftovers for lunch, thanks to Elliot’s catering for ten people last night. James pops in, no doubt after the smell of the chicken parmigiana heating up wafted out to his desk. “That smells great. what’s on the menu today, Ange?”
Smiling at him, I answer “chicken parmy, margherita pizza, and seafood marinara. I’ve got too much to get through myself. Want to join me?” I wave my hand over each of the items as I say them out loud.
Pulling out the seat beside me he takes up position. I can almost see him salivating. “I’ll help you get through it, Snow White. Don’t you worry a second about that.”
Once I have retrieved the last dish from the microwave, I set them in front of us. James makes short work of the seafood pasta. As he picks up a piece of pizza he asks the question I hoped he wouldn’t. “So with all of this food left over, you either had a party I wasn’t invited to, or perhaps, did you have a date last night?”
I almost choke on my mouthful of chicken. Reaching out for my bottle of water, I have a sip, and swallow, glad that I got through that without coughing. “What makes you think that? I could have cooked all of this.”
He snorts in response, “Ange, c’mon it’s me you’re talking to. I know you don’t have the skills to make all of this.” Pointing to his near-empty container of pasta, he had a point. I couldn’t have cooked this banquet that was in front of us, even if I wanted to.
