Page 35 of Grumpy Boss's Secret

I saw Ian step into the foyer just before the doors snapped shut. He’d been looking in my direction – had he seen me?

“It doesn’t matter, Jozi,” I told myself as the elevator carried me downstairs. “You’re allowed to work late, too. It’s not like he caught you in the broom closet.”

Yeah, but if he caught up with me on his way out, he’d see the decorations the broom closet had left all over my pants.

When the elevator opened, I scurried out into the downstairs lobby. I wasn't about to waltz out of this building and have Ian observe me as I walked down the road. I turned a sharp left and hurried down a hallway to the restrooms I'd found on my first day.

I paused halfway. There was a large potted plant resting on top of a black marble stand, which was tall and rectangular, almost like a small pillar. I could hide behind it and ensure Ian had really left this time. Sneaky bastard.

No, that was me. I was the sneaky bastard. I crouched down behind the pillar, silently praying that no one came down the hall behind me. I watched a man with blond hair wearing a navy suit step out of the elevators. I'd just barely made it to my hiding place in time.

He walked into the lobby, glancing around as if looking for someone. My heart sank. Me. He was looking for me. He must have seen me. I winced and bit my lip, scared he might turn around and explore the area. I was majorly, royally screwed. He looked around for a few moments, craning his neck as if suspecting I might hide behind a piece of furniture. Really, the audacity. Then he left, swinging his briefcase in his hand, with a light-hearted spring in his step.

What was that all about? Had he seen me in the breakroom, somehow? Or in the hallway before I made it to the breakroom? I pressed my forehead against the marble stand, groaning internally.

“Are you all right, Miss?”

I nearly jumped five feet in the air. I whirled around and came face to face with an elderly gentleman wearing a yellow bowtie with blue polka dots.

"Yes, yes," I said, standing up and touching my forehead to appear light-headed and hide my face. I was turning beet red. "I'm fine."

He held a concerned hand, preparing to catch me if I fainted.

I took my hand down before my face, smiling at him. "I'm fine," I reassured him. "Just felt a little…overwhelmed for a moment."

"Would you like me to order you a taxi?" he asked, his eyes two saucers of concern.

“No, no,” I said, beaming at him. “It’s passed. Thank you anyway.”

I turned and hurried down the hall away from him, hoping he didn't notice the dust smeared on my pants. I stepped outside, my sense of humor coming to my rescue. I laughed audibly as I walked away from the building.

“Hands down, the absolute weirdest day of my life,” I murmured.

It was about to get weirder. As I started down the sidewalk, I saw Ian walking ahead of me. Slowly. Leisurely. Glancing up at the sky now and then as if he was the actor in a music video featuring a pleasant, happy-go-lucky tune.

“Does he know?” I muttered, slowing down to watch him. “Does he know I did everything I did?”

What if he knew I'd looked at his book? Oh, he couldn't. Not that. Unless his computer hadn't gone to sleep and he saw me go into the broom closet, then walk down the hall and into the breakroom, leaving the building over two hours later.

I felt myself blush crimson.

“Oh man,” I muttered.

I should tell him. I should tell him everything: I was Zee and loved him. Okay, maybe not that. But I should say to him that I was Zee, and I sneaked onto his computer, and yes, I'd been hiding in the broom closet. It would be so much less embarrassing if I confessed. Owned up to it.

“Yeah, but you don’t know that he saw you, ever,” I reminded myself.

Yeah. I wanted to. Ian was just a tiny figure at the end of the street now, but I saw him turn left. I would follow him. I'd catch up with him and tell the truth. Along with wanting to deal with my embarrassment head-on, I was swept up in m longing to see him. To be close to him. Touch him. Look into his eyes and think about all the worlds he'd created inside his mind.

I hurried down the sidewalk and turned left where he had. I could see him down the sidewalk as far away as before. I picked up my pace, but it was challenging to walk rapidly in heels. I followed him down a few more streets. I started to become confused, wondering where he was going. We entered a residential section of beautiful townhouses with immaculate front gardens and black metal fences.

"Does he live here?" I wondered, surprised. It was a gorgeous neighborhood, but it didn't look like billionaire-quality housing.

Ian unlatched the gate of one house and stepped through it. I followed him cautiously, wondering if I should turn around and go home. I could talk to him tomorrow. My feet kept walking slowly as I argued with myself. It was growing dark, and Ian was unlikely to recognize me from a distance even if he turned, but I didn't want to get too close.

He walked up to the front door of the house. It was opened by someone before he even knocked. I frowned, starting to walk faster as the door closed behind him and the unrecognized person who had opened it.

“Go home, Jozi,” I told myself.

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