Autumn - In Love With My Boss (An Office Romance)| Completed

Chapter 1 - Autumn

He holds me close as we are slowly swaying from side to side, to the rhythm of the music. His large hands press against the small of my back, pushing my body up against his firm muscles. I can feel his heart beat in tune with mine, elevated in excitement. I lean my head back to look into his eyes. So blue, so very blue. They drown everything around us. The people, the music, the hall - everything is gone, except for us. I can feel his fingers sliding up my back to rest on my neck. His gaze grows more intense as he lowers his head and leans in.

He is going to kiss me!

A thrilling wave of emotion rolls over me as I wait in tense anticipation for his lips to touch mine.

The annoying sound of my alarm pulls me back into reality. Completely dazed and with a guilty conscience I turn my head to the side. The left side of the bed is still empty. Mike hasn't come home again. Don't wait up for me, the meeting will take a while, he said before he left. Sure. The meeting. How stupid does he think I am? But at least the guilt is gone.

Drowsy, I struggle my way out of bed and into the bathroom. Another day at the office is awaiting me. Another day with - him. My stomach tightens immediately at the thought. With a heavy sigh, I turn on the water. A shower is exactly what I need now to wash away my silly dream. But hey, no such luck. The image of this man leaning in to kiss me seems to be engraved into my brain cortex. Mumbling curses, I grab my office clothes out of the closet and throw them on. Nothing spectacular. A white blouse, a grey blazer and matching pants. Don't wait for make up, not happening. I quickly brush my hair and let it fall loosely over my shoulders. Boring? Yeah, I know. That's me, though. I don't feel like fooling with extravagant hairdos, let alone face paint. I'm not good at this. Whenever I try to put on makeup I look like a clown more than anything else. So I don't bother. I have to hurry anyway, it's already 7:33, and it takes me a good 15 minutes to get to work. Fortunately, I can walk and don't need to take the bus. I hate buses. They are always so crowded, people huddled together with no space to move at all. I'm not a big fan of physical contact. If it were his touch, though, I would not object. Oh dear, here we go again. I need to stop that nonsense and get going.

Okay, out of the house and rushing down the street. Oh, really, isn't that wonderful? Rain. Did I say rain? Hell no, it's pouring. How smart of me to leave my umbrella at home. Oh well, just a couple more blocks and I'm there.

See? Already there. As drenched as a pound puppy, but I made it on time.

"You'd better clean up," Carla advises, as I speed past her desk in the lobby.

I slow down until I finally stop and turn around. Did I miss something?

"Why?" I ask her, completely confused. "My clothes will dry."

She gives me one of her sweet smiles. Her lips literally sparkle as she speaks. Lipgloss. Yeah, she wears it for him.

"Did you forget? 8:15 conference? Mr. Hunter's art show?"

Oh dear God, I did forget! Mr. Hunter is THE art gallery owner in the city and is planning a huge event to promote his artists. Hosts need to be booked, an appropriate venue has to be located, hell, even a band has to be hired. This is a huge assignment with tons of money involved and I arrive at work absolutely unprepared and looking like I fell into a pool. Oh Lord!

"Oh," I mutter, trying to keep my calm. "Of course. I didn't forget. I have some spare clothes stored in my desk, I'll change right away."

Where did that come from? Naturally, I do not stash my belongings at the office.

"Good," Carla responds, still smiling. "And do something with your hair." She raises an eyebrow. "It needs it. Badly."

I don't bother replying to her. Instead, I head for the elevator and hop on. The door closes and I have some time to check out my appearance in the mirror that covers the back wall.

I hate to admit it but Carla was right. I look awful. Strings of hair cling to my face, the grey suit is so soaked that it now actually looks black. The water has turned my white blouse translucent and the light fabric sticks uncomfortably to my skin. I watch myself blush as I notice that you can see my lace bra. The red digits above the silver door announce the 12th floor. Almost there. My boss can't see me like that! I mean, he is used to seeing the mess I am but the way I look now is a bit much. But I cannot do anything about it. The quiet ping tells me I'm on my floor and before the door opens I hastily pull my blazer together and hold it like that while I step out. My eyes are glued to the beautiful white floor tiles as I rush towards my desk.