Chapter Thirty-Seven
afternoon, I'd been making urgent phone calls as I steadily worked to put the pieces in place for the plan to save Baby Steps from destruction. By the time I looked at the clock, I realized I was late for my meeting with Leah.
"Darlin', you need to get a move on," Norma called from the front office. "You were supposed to meet with Leah an hour ago. Oh, and the construction foreman said Leah's office is finished, so you might want to go take a peek at it.
"I know, I know!" I said as I grabbed the folder with her employee file in it. I rushed past her desk without stopping to check my schedule for the rest of the day.
"I'm out of here in a bit. I’m having a party for my granddaughter tonight, and I still need to frost the cake!" she called after me as I headed for the back stairs. "Your schedule is clear!"
"Thanks, Norma! Have a good night!" I called over my shoulder as I headed for the back stairs. I quickly ran down the stairs to the ground floor and headed for Leah's office without stopping to see the progress the construction crew had made. I tapped on Leah's door, "I'm sorry I'm late, got hung up on a call."
"No problem," she said without turning around. "I was just running the last of the numbers so that I could show you where we are."
"While that's printing, do you want to go see your new office?" I asked. "Norma said the construction crew finished it."
"Sure. Let me say good night to the warehouse crew, and then we can check it out," she said, finally turning around. I felt my breath catch as I looked at her.
She was wearing her usual warehouse uniform of a t-shirt and cotton skirt paired with sturdy boots, but she'd done something different with her hair. It was pulled back. A few tendrils had escaped and were framing her face. Her eyes looked bluer than I'd seen them before, and I could see that she'd applied mascara and lipstick at some point during the day because both were a little smudged. I smiled as I nodded, leaning against the doorframe and waiting for her to finish.
A few minutes later, she stood up and followed me down the hallway to the warehouse floor where we talked briefly with Burt and the guys before heading to the corner where the construction crew had shaped the space to fit Leah's managerial and personal needs. I pushed the door open and urged her to go in first. I was glad I did because hearing her gasp in surprise at the finished office was worth every ounce of effort I'd put into it.
"Oh, my gosh, Jack!" she whispered as she looked around the room and took in the entire office. To the left of the door was a small seating area with comfortable chairs and a couch that could be converted into a bed should she ever get stuck in the office overnight. Behind the seating area was a conference table that could seat all of the warehouse workers comfortably so that Leah could hold meetings in her office rather than on the warehouse floor. To the right of the conference table was a desk that held a large computer screen and was connected to shelving with all kinds of storage compartments neatly tucked into the design. The whole office was done in soothing earth tones and felt calming.
But the best part of the place was the small bathroom that contained not just a toilet and sink but also a tiled shower and radiant heat flooring. I knew how dirty it could get on the warehouse floor when the orders were deep, and I knew that she'd probably want to clean up before heading home. It was a relatively small expense given the large expenditure for the warehouse update, so I'd gone with it.
"Jack, this is an amazing office!" she exclaimed as she walked around opening doors and looking at all of the features. "I can't believe I get to work here!"
"I'm glad you like it," I said as I pushed the door shut to show her the storage space built into the wall for her boots and coat to drip dry when winter finally hit.
"This is absolutely amazing," she repeated as she turned around in a circle, taking in all of the elements.
"I'm assuming that since you like this so much, you're willing to stay and continue working here," I teased as I gripped the file in my hand.
"You're nuts! Of course, I'm staying!" she laughed as she reached out and gently smacked my arm.
"All right, then we need to talk about your salary increase," I said as I showed her the file and gestured to the sitting area where I sat on the couch. I laid the paperwork on the low table in front of it. "In my estimation, you are overdue for a raise. As best I can tell, my father didn't give you a raise for over five years. Is that right?'
"No, he didn't, but he did give me benefits," she said defensively. "He wasn't a bad boss."
"I didn't say anything about him being a bad boss," I replied brusquely. "I'm talking about monetary compensation for a job you've been doing exceptionally well."
"I'm sorry, Jack," she said laying her hand on my arm. "I just feel like your father did so much for me. I don't want you to think he was a bad guy."
"It's okay," I nodded, feeling my body respond to her touch almost immediately. "He's a touchy topic for me."
"I know," she said, sliding closer as she moved her hand lower on my arm. "You don't have to be so defensive with me, Jack. I understand what it's like to live with a difficult parent. I know they have the nice side that they show other people which is so different from the one we get."
I nodded, but the tenderness in her voice and the feel of her touch were almost more than I could stand. I knew that if I were going to stop anything from happening, now was the moment to stand up and walk out the door. I felt frozen in place as her thigh pressed against mine and her fingers gently caressed my forearm.
"Leah . . ." I began as I looked down into her deep-blue eyes. I couldn't stop myself. The dam broke as I reached out and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her body against mine as I sought her lips. I kissed her hard at first, as all of the things I'd imagined flashed through my mind. I pulled her onto my lap and ran my fingers through her hair as I felt her responding to my kiss. She moaned softly as I undid the clips that were holding her hair away from her face and slid both hands deep into the soft, beautiful curls.
"Jack . . ." she groaned as my hands began to move lower. "We shouldn't . . ."
"I can't help it," I whispered into her lips. "I can't help wanting you . . ."
She moaned again as I ran my fingers down her back. She put her palms against my chest and pushed herself up off my lap and out of my reach. Her eyes were as wild as her hair, and she quickly walked to the door and turned the knob only to find it locked.
"What the hell?" she said looking down and flipping the mechanism before trying the knob again without success. "We're locked in!"
"No we're not," I said trying to hide my disappointment. "I'm sure it's just caught."
"Jack, we're locked in this room," she said trying the door more forcefully. She turned and looked at me suspiciously, "Did you do this on purpose?"
"What the hell?" I shot back. "No! Why in the hell would I want to lock us in this office?"
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because it's the one place we could be alone, and you thought I'd give in to your seduction," she said in a voice that gave away the fact that she was more than a little irritated.
"Are you kidding me?" I said, stunned that she'd think this mistake was intentional. "You have got to be fucking kidding me!"
"Don't get mad at me," she warned. "I didn't set this up so that we'd be trapped together here."
"I didn't either!" I shouted as I strode over to the door and tried unsuccessfully to force it open. "Well, we'll just have to call someone to come down and let us out."
"I don't have my phone on me, so you'll have to call, Mr. Big Shot," she said dryly. I reached in my back pocket and realized that I had left my phone on my desk upstairs.
"Shit," I muttered as I walked to the desk and picked up the receiver, only to find that they hadn't yet connected the line. I looked at Leah and said, "We're locked in."
"You are kidding me," she said as she turned to the door and began pounding on it yelling, "HEY GUYS! WE'RE LOCKED IN THIS DAMN OFFICE! COME OPEN THE DOOR!"
We both listened for movement outside of the door, but when no one responded, Leah slumped against the door, looking defeated.
"I didn't do this on purpose," I said a little defensively.
"Oh, I know you didn't," she replied. "No one is that stupid."
"Hey, there's no need to get mean," I said, realizing that she was really upset. I looked at my watch and said, "I'm sure that someone will come looking for us in a bit. It's only . . . 6:30."
"What if everyone's gone home for the night?" she asked.
"Then the cleaning crew will find us," I replied trying to sound certain of the fact that a cleaning crew would be coming in tonight. I cursed myself silently for the tenth time for leaving my phone on my desk. I looked at Leah, who was now sitting on the floor with her back against the door and her knees drawn up to her chest. "What's really going on?"
"Nothing, I'm just upset about being locked in an office with my boss!" she shot back.
"Leah, look at me," I said as I walked over to her and held out a hand. She looked up, hesitated, and then took my hand so I could pull her off the floor. "At least sit on the couch or somewhere more comfortable, and tell me what's going on."
She sat down on the couch and dropped her head into her hands as she massaged her forehead. I could tell that she wanted to say something, but the words refused to come. I decided to be patient and wait for her to tell me what was going on.
As the minutes ticked by I could feel my anticipation—and my worry—growing.