One Temptation (ManxMan)

Midnight Madness

Xavier

It's late at night and I'm finishing closing the coffee shop. Nobody but me and my co-worker, Luke, are in the area. Most of the office workers from the tower have already gone home. Luke and I are good friends and we have known each other since middle school. I've been distant with him lately, but I mean no harm. He wears a blue hat over his brown crew cut hair and peers at me over the pastry case.

"So you're not gonna tell me what else happened?" He scowls at me.

I throw up my arms, "Nothing else happened! We haven't done anything more than kiss."

He scowls, "I know you, Caine. You are not that restrained."

I move around the late machines and faucets, cleaning them with soap and water. My face is flushed and I'm glad he can't see me from where he stands.

"Well, this time its different." I say with confidence.

As we continue closing the store, I have been messaging Ren. He's still at work in his office. It's unusual for him to work so late, but I know he has a lot to do. I haven't been able to see him for the past few days due to how much he's been working.

I open our messages and send him a text.

X: It's late. R u still in ur office?

His response is almost instant.

R: Yes, I have a lot of work to do.

I'm tempted to see him. I bite my lip, debating my responses. I've never been in the tower and I've certainly never seen where Ren works. I have never been past the first floor of the building.

X: Are you alone?

R: Yes, most of the building is empty.

X: Can I come see you?

He takes longer than usual to respond so I use this time to finish cleaning the tables and putting up chairs. The second my phone dings, I rush to the screen.

R: Yes... Elevator 4 floor 40 then take a right

I smile, giddy with excitement. Luke stands at the end of the counter watching, as he has been for the past 15 minutes. I look at him and he smirks, raising his eyebrows.

"It's different this time huh?" He adjusts his cap.

I shoot him a death-glare, "Shut it."

Luke just laughs, "Go see him, you can't stop watching your phone anyway. I'll take care of the rest and lock up."

I thank him profusely and store away my apron before finishing pouring two drinks. My body can't move fast enough. I move up to the second floor of the building using the central steel and glass staircase. This is the entrance to the offices which leads me past security and into the elevator hall. I've never even been up the glass stairs, and now I'll be going to the executive floors... The decor is warm and inviting and I make my way to elevator four. The doors open and I step into the elevator and, even here, the interior is welcoming. The soft dark wood is accented with frosted glass and stainless steel.

When the doors open on the 40th floor, I'm not sure what to expect. I step out into a grey hallway, lit with dim recess lighting. It's quiet except for the sound of air circulating from the ceiling vents. To my left, I see signs for a conference room and another hallway branching off to other rooms. Everything looks dark down that hall, nobody is in that wing of the building. I move down the hall to the right and enter a lobby.

There's warm woody tones, but the space keeps it's modern appearance. There is a sleek desk with a mosaic of light blue tiles across the front. There is nobody at this desk, I assume this is where Ren's secretary would work. On the left wall there's a closed door with frosted glass. There's a small sign beside the door.