Chapter 26 - Harper

Zach is different from what I expected. I’ve heard all the stories: womaniser, playboy, commitment-phobe. Every time I’ve seen him he always has a new woman on his arm. I thought sex at the office would bit it, but here I am waking up next to him in his huge king-sized bed. Even last night, there was no question about me going back to my apartment. We fell asleep with our bodies intertwined as if they belonged together.

I watch him as he sleeps, his face completely peaceful, and I remember the look of anger that clouded his brow when we were talking about Greg Chesney. Was that anger on my behalf? How much does he know? Was he angry because he cares about me or because it’s bad for the company?

He’s been so… affectionate. I can’t wrap my mind around it. It’s so easy to be around him but at the same time he’s my boss, and all evidence points to him being a total player. I thought I’d be sleeping alone tonight, replaying our first time in the office over and over in my head like every other night since it happened and instead I’m here, in his penthouse, replaying our first time, and our second time, and our third time…

He inhales sharply and snorts and I try not to laugh. I don’t want to wake him. I slip out of the bed gently and find my clothes. I saw a cafe just on the corner when we drove up last night, and for the first time in over a week, coffee sounds amazing right now. The minute the thought crosses my mind I get an incredible craving for it. I’ll get us both a coffee and a pastry and we can have breakfast in bed together, and then hopefully we can give me some more daydream material with our fourth and fifth times. Maybe sixth time, if I’m lucky.

I grab his keys and wrap myself in my jacket before taking the elevator down. He lives on the thirty-seventh floor, and the view of Manhattan is insane. It’s even better than the view from the office. The whole wall of the elevator is made of glass, so I can see the ground rushing up towards me. It’s a perfect bluebird day, with clear skies and bright sunlight. There’s a fresh layer of white snow on every surface.

It’s only a short walk to the cafe. The bell jingles as I walk in and the young man behind the counter greets me. He has a low ponytail and a moustache, and the carefully dishevelled look of a true hipster. The smell of coffee beans is almost overwhelming, and I feel a wave of nausea hit me. What is wrong with me?! Every morning I feel like I’m going to be sick. I take a deep breath and steady myself against a chair. In an instant my nausea turns to craving. I don’t know what is wrong with my body these days.

“One Americano and one large latte with no sugar, please,” I tell the barista. I’m pretty sure I’ve heard him order a latte before, but I can’t be certain. Either way it’s what he’s getting. I pick out a couple pastries and pay.

When the coffee is ready I grab them with the paper bag of warm baked goods and try to balance them in my hands as I push the door open. The bell jingles and I see something, or someone out of the corner of my eye. The man jumps up from a bench and turns towards me. I try to look but the bright sunlight reflecting against the snow blinds me for a second. My eyes adjust a second too late.

A man walks right by me and I swear I know him. He jumps into a car and drives off. I spin around and stare into the car as it passes me, but he had his head turned and the brightness is still piercing my eyes. I squint, trying to read the license plate number but it’s too late. He’s gone.

I didn’t know that car, but a cold chill passes down my spine. I could have sworn I recognised that slouchy walk, that height, that build. He was wearing baggy clothes and a hat, looking away from me so I never got a look at his face. My heart is thumping in my chest as my eyes finally adjust to the light.

I stare down the street, looking up and down as the people mill past me. The world tilts on its axis and I struggle to stay standing. I feel like I’ve just sprinted down the street but I’ve been standing still, the hot coffee slowly warming up my hands.

Surely it wasn’t him, right? What would Greg Chesney be doing here?

The earth slowly shifts back to it’s normal position and I glance up and down the street. Everything looks normal. I’m just freaked out. I’ve been looking over my shoulder for a year, and we were talking about him last night, that’s all. With the ring, and the note, I’m just on edge.

It wasn’t him. It couldn’t be him!

I take a deep breath and turn towards the building. It wasn’t him. Now that I think about it, it looked like this guy had curly hair under his hat, and Greg’s hair is very straight. It was just some other New Yorker who was in a rush to get somewhere. I’m just extra jumpy from yesterday. It wasn’t him. It wasn’t him. It definitely wasn’t him.

I say these things to myself over and over, all the way back up the elevator and into the apartment. By the time I open the door and put the drinks down to take my jacket off, my heart rate has gone back to normal and the prickly feeling at the back of my neck is almost gone. I’m back here, with Zach. I’m safe.

Taking a deep breath, I grab the coffees and food and head into the bedroom. I need to forget about Greg Chesney and focus on where I am. I don’t know how long this is going to last, so I might as well enjoy every second of it. I’m with the man I’ve been fantasising about for the past two years, and he’s sexier than I could have imagined, and he wants me.

My stalker is in the past. The fear and paranoia is in the past. Greg has been disciplined and dealt with. It’s over.

It’s time I enjoyed myself, for once! I deserve some good sex and a little bit of office romance. I push the bedroom door open and walk in just as Zach opens his eyes. He smiles sleepily.

“That smells good,” he breathes.

“Large latte, no sugar?” I ask. He opens his eyes and nods, sitting up in bed.

“You are unbelievably good, Harper. Did you know that?”

“I have many talents,” I say with a cheeky smile.

“I’m discovering that,” he replies as he takes his coffee. Instead of taking a sip, he puts his hand around the nape of my neck and pulls me in for a deep kiss. I lean into him and kiss him back, loving every single second we have together. I pull away and smile.

“First, coffee and croissants. Then we do that.”

He grins. “You drive a hard bargain, Harper. Deal.”