C.E.O x C.E.O

Ch. 2 - What Tequila Does To You

James has been gone for almost an hour now. If your socially awkward boss going missing for that long isn't something to be concerned about, then she doesn't know what is.

Katherine finds herself standing in front of the men's bathroom, waiting for him to step through the doors, but other men pass her instead, and they're starting to give her skeptical glances as they did so. Her heel taps on the tile floor. Did he pass out in the middle of washing his face or something? One sip couldn't have had that much of an effect on him.

"Are you waiting for someone?" A stranger walking out the men's bathroom then addresses her. She appreciates that the look he gives her is more of concern than judgmental. "Because if so, then they've already left. Place is empty."

"Oh..." She simply could say, trying to keep her cool when in truth, a sense of uneasiness has crawled up on her. "Thank you." She walks away promptly, frantic steps that slowly turn into a jog. Where the hell could he be?

Katherine attempts to recall the times she'd find James hanging out in places he shouldn't be. Where does he normally go when he wants to collect himself? There's the rooftop, he loves stargazing, but the rooftop of this building is off limits to all without exceptions, so it can't be there. Maybe he went home? No, he wouldn't have left her without a moment's notice, as per etiquette of a boss and a friend. Or perhaps the bathroom. Oh, wait. She'd just checked.

She thins her lips. James may be a good boss, who treats her well and does his job, but his childish side always manages to get on her nerves. She wishes he could just tone it down a bit. At least not make it so obvious. Did he really have to disappear as a reaction to Dmitri's otherwise mediocre greeting?

Then, snap! She nearly trips. She hadn't realized she's been walking with such heavy footsteps. Glancing down, she then groans. Could this night get any worse?

Her heel broke. The top piece of her right heel had snapped. As if she isn't already fuming.

Huffing a strand of hair off her face, she kicks off both her heels and hooks her fingers on the straps, holding them with one hand after deciding it'd be much better to just walk barefoot.

Her feet pats on the tile floor of the corridor as she continues walking. Maybe she could find a hot glue gun in one of the storage rooms to hold her broken heel in the meantime. She probably won't find one conveniently laying there for her benefit, nor would the glue be strong enough for her to walk in her broken heel again. But a gal can dream.

Storage room one is locked. She rattles the door handle a few times and it wouldn't budge. She moves to the second room, and she's given the same result. She can feel a vein pop.

And then, she proceeds to the third room. Third time's the charm, right? She takes a deep breath to calm herself down in case the door is also locked and she couldn't find the hot glue gun she hopes to find just lying around.

She pulls on the handle. The door budges. She smiles, a sense of satisfaction rising in her chest. The room is dark, as she can see through the small opened crack. So she swings the door open to let the light in.

And her heart skips a beat. Eyes wide. Jaw slack. Her heels slip from her fingers and clatter on the floor. She cannot believe what she's seeing. She can't believe this is real.

She's found James, that's the good part. Except Dmitri is with him.

And that man has his tongue down her boss's throat.

Hot and heavy breaths against each other's mouths. Head titled for the perfect angle. A moan, and another. And restless hands. Katherine feels her skin prickle. There's no way what she's seeing is real.

Dmitri catches sight of her with a sideways glance. Instantly, he pulls away from James. "Secretary Sako!" He yelps, turning to her. He's still out of breath from... whatever he had going on there, collar much looser than before that implied they were about to go way further, and the thought makes Katherine tense even more.

She would have yelled at Dmitri to leave James alone. To get away from him and stop whatever he was doing to him unless he wants to be notified to the authorities of his blatant assault. What other explanation could there be but Dmitri forcing himself onto him? James never turned down the opportunity to express his disdain for him. He'd never want this.

But then, Dmitri speaks, "Ma'am, it ain't whatcha-"

And James grabs him by the collar, turning his attention back to him. Their lips collide again.

Katherine feels like she's short-circuiting. James wants this? He initiated? With his supposed worst enemy?

She doesn't know what to do anymore. Or what to think. She doesn't know what to make of anything happening. And James isn't looking at her, eyes closed, too enthralled in the kiss. As Dmitri presses against him.

Katherine retreats. She backs away in an instant, closing the door with a light slam. Her hand flies up to her chest. Holy shit, her heart is racing. And her eyes dart everywhere at once, unsure whether what she saw actually happened, or there was seriously something in the piece of cake she ate earlier.

She shakes her head, muttering nonsense to get the image out her mind, but she knows that'd be all she's gonna think about for the next few months.

Seriously, what's supposed to happen from here?