Page 52 of Theirs

I walk down the long hall, passing office after office of law clerks, interns, and other lawyers until I get to the final office. I hear Alex talking with someone on the phone, and he waves me in when he sees me standing in the doorway. I walk over to the floor to ceiling windows and peer out at the city below us.

Suddenly, I’m pulled back and I yelp when I come crashing down on Alex’s lap. He spins me around in his office chair until we’re facing his desk again so he can write something down on a piece of paper.

“Thank you,” he tells the person. “I’ll have Mark look this over, and we’ll get back to you first thing Monday morning. Have a good weekend.”

Alex leans us forward and hangs up his phone, and presses a button that says ‘do not disturb.’

“Hi,” I say, smiling down at him.

“Hi,” he says back. “Are you ready for our date?”

“Yep, just kind of concerned about the fact that you told me to dress casual and comfortable. I’ve rarely seen you in anything casual, Mr. White.”

He smiles. “It’ll be fun, figured we could both let out some aggression. I just need to change, and then I’ll be ready.”

I look down at his suit and tie, and begin loosening it for him. “Sounds good.”

He places a kiss on the tip of my nose before standing up and grabbing a change of clothes from his desk drawer and walking toward the attached bathroom to his office. I sit in his office chair as he closes the door and look out the window, admiring the view.

I watch Alex’s reflection in the window as he comes out of the restroom, hanging his garment bag on the back of the door. I turn in his chair and admire him wearing a pair of tight dark wash jeans, and a black long sleeved Henley with the arms rolled up to his elbows. He reaches down and grabs his messenger bag, and puts it over his head to hang on his shoulder.

“Ready, Tea?” he asks me.

“Hold on,” I say, leaning back in his chair and pulling my phone out to snap a picture of his lean body standing in front of me. “Sorry, I just had to capture this on camera. It’s the first time I’ve seen my boyfriend dressed so casually. Well, aside from pool days and the boat trip. When was the last time someone told you how hot you are?”

He rolls his eyes, but smiles. “You’re something else.”

“But you still like me,” I practically sing as I stand up and walk over to him. “Can’t say the same for your receptionist. She gave me the stink eye.”

Alex wraps his arm around my shoulder, after we leave his office and lock up. He walks me down the hall and says goodbye to his receptionist.

“Have a wonderful weekend, Mr. White,” she says. “And you too... ma’am.”

I glance over my shoulder at her, and give her a wink as I let my hand find Alex’s butt. Her eyes practically bug out of her head at the motion.

“You’re doing that to make her jealous, aren’t you, Miss. Sullivan?” Alex asks, leaning down to whisper in my ear as we wait for the elevator to come. He’s been so playful since last weekend; I love this side of him.

“What can I say?” I ask. “I’ve gotta show the ladies that you belong to me and only me.”

“Carry on then, Miss. Sullivan,” Alex grins just as the doors to the elevator open.

***

Alex opens my door for me when we park in a mostly empty lot on a rough side of town, not too far from my old apartment that I don’t miss at all. The building beside us has graffiti all over the side of it, not the type of place I expected Alex to bring me. I’m not even sure if anything around here is actually an open, functioning business.

“What is this place?” I ask Alex, as he ushers me to the door of the rundown building.

“You’ll see,” he says, smiling. I can’t take my eyes off of Alex. I’m not sure I’ve seen him this laid back. He holds the door open and nudges me in. The second I walk inside, I hear a loud crash, and the sound of porcelain breaking, making me flinch on instinct. It sounds like someone is throwing plates against a wall.

“Hi, we’ve got a reservation for six o’clock,” Alex says to someone sitting at a computer inside the small room. “Under Alexander White.”

“Sure thing, man,” says the teenager behind the desk casually. He punches some keys into the computer, and then goes into a closet behind him, coming back with some safety goggles, and two white one-piece suits that look like something from a plague movie. It looks like they’re covered in paint.

“You’re in room B,” says the teenager, handing us the clothes. “You can wreck whatever you want, paint, graffiti, deface; just make sure to keep your safety clothes on. You can store your bags and coats in the locker right outside the room. You’ve got the place for an hour; you’ll hear a siren in the room once your time is up. Sign these waivers and we’re good to go.”

Alex and I sign the papers in front of us, but I don’t read over it enough to know what I’m getting into. I know Alex won’t let anything bad happen to me. Last weekend it felt like we both finally committed to the other. Alex clung to me the rest of last Sunday, and took care of me. The other guys gave us our space, watching on as their friend finally let his guard down. Alex accidentally fell asleep in my bed, cuddled up with me that night. He had to leave abruptly in the morning for work, but not before placing a kiss on my lips.

“Thank you,” Alex says, turning us down the hall to go to our room, it seems like he knows this place. Like he’s been here before. Alex slides my jacket off, and places it in a locker, along with my purse and his keys.

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