Diana

I swept through the door, hair ruffled, blouse slightly awry, and puffing like a distance runner before sitting in my seat and trying to pretend I hadn’t run up a flight of stairs.

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who had missed the message that had been posted three hours ago on the app we used for office communication. The message that had said there would be a meeting… five minutes ago now. Meetings were usually announced days in advance, with possibly the least notice that I could remember being twelve hours.

Three hours wasn’t much time. Any employee in this building could easily focus on something for three hours without opening the communication app on any device, especially if they muted their phones.

As a result, I was late - but I wasn’t the latest. People continued to trickle into the room for the next fifteen minutes, some finally noticing the message and others informed by office phone or personal visit. None of the higher-ups sitting at the front reprimanded anyone, likely realizing that the short notice meant they needed to cut us a bit of slack.

Finally, everyone was present. I assumed so, anyway, since the meeting started. First, the head of commercial sales stood up and began to congratulate us for being part of the company as we hit a milestone. What milestone? I wasn’t too sure because I kept forgetting to listen and instead admired the strong curve of Cameron’s jaw where he sat at the front and slightly to the side of the room.

When I did manage to tear my eyes from a contemplation of the fit of Cameron’s suit jacket, I noticed two things. First, a new speaker had taken the stage - if you could call the three-inch raised platform that - and I recognized him as the head of Finance. Second, none of the higher-ups actually looked happy about hitting a milestone. They would have brought donuts or something to such a meeting ordinarily, so this was about something entirely different. Then, there was the short notice and the unreadable faces of many of those sitting at the front.

Finally, Cameron stood up and moved to face the waiting attendees. “You’re probably all wondering why this meeting was called so suddenly. I’m sure you’re all aware of our newest business venture. Our agents are representing a successful southern company looking to expand east. This deal was - is - going to be great for the company.” Cameron’s eyes swept over us all, lingering on me just a tiny bit longer than anyone else. “Part of this deal is that we get the properties ready for the company to move in.”

I waited for the but. This was all common knowledge in the company. I’d handled reports from this deal and talked to representatives of the mentioned company, which was a beauty product seller looking to expand to more locations and markets.

“Somehow, funds that were supposed to go to the plumbing contractor we hired have… disappeared. The money was there, available, and then it wasn’t. Finance haven’t been able to provide an explanation.” I couldn’t have been the only one who spotted Cameron’s dark glance at the head off finance. “So, I’m asking all the departments to look into the matter. This was a substantial sum, and it doesn’t make sense for it to just vanish. The plumbing contractor is threatening to sue for lack of payment. We’re called Pinnacle because we’re at the top of the property management food chain. We can’t afford to lose our reputation, and this unfortunate situation could affect us all.”

That was a clear message. The company loses money, the employees lose money. More worrying, at least to me, anyway, was the worry disguised behind the pep talk. Cameron had enough on his plate with his ex-wife trying to take custody of Noah. He couldn’t afford to have a situation arise in the company that required his full attention and time… not with a looming court date next week.

So, find out what happened to the money. An easy solution, if only I could find it. Money didn’t up and disappear. There were documents, records - digital and physical - withdrawals, deposits, something. Anything.

Cameron provided a little more information, including the exact amount of money - a sum that made me gulp - then brought the meeting to a close and dismissed us back to our offices or other jobs.

During the hubbub as everyone got up to leave, I saw Cameron speaking in low tones with Chloe, his shoulders hunched forward tiredly. I wished I could massage them with my hands, feel them relax while he leaned into me and I told him we would find the money and everything would be okay-

“Excuse me.” I blinked rapidly and stepped aside for a woman who couldn’t get through the door because I was standing in the frame, taking up the entire passage. Blushing, I ducked my head and returned to my office a little less rapidly than I’d left it.

Money. Find the money. What could have happened?

There was always the chance that the plumbing contractor was lying about receiving their payment. That made very little sense, though. Finance would have a record of the deposited check or a funds transfer. I assumed finance had checked all the accounts and spreadsheets, not just the ones pertaining to this project.

Still, it wouldn’t hurt to check, and I did have a sort-of-friend in the Finance Department. So, I picked up my office phone and dialed his number. “Hi, Rob? Yeah, I’m just trying to look into the plumbing contractor situation. I know your department is doing everything they can, I just wanted to make sure I was too. Yeah, I wanted to ask if all Pinnacle bank accounts had been reviewed.” I listened to the indignant reply, scratching at the desk with a fingernail. “Yes, I’m aware the balances and recent transactions would have been the first records you looked at. Again, just wanted to ask to make sure.” I hung up.

This is why I said sort-of-friend. Rob could be… well, an ass. Although, I suppose if someone was accusing me of not doing my job, I might be on edge too.

So, not the bank accounts. What else? A large withdrawal in cash would have been noticed, so that was out. And it should still have appeared in a bank account history.

In fact, the more I thought about it, the more I wondered about what Rob had said. All the money in the company should have moved through a bank with no exception.

Then… had someone in finance made a mistake? Rob hadn’t said who was actually doing the audit, only that there was one. Did just one employee in their department go through and search for discrepancies? Or was it a general consensus that all the funds had been properly allocated and payments made?

I needed to check, mostly to satisfy my own curiosity. I had a feeling Rob wouldn’t be very helpful, so I headed down two floors to the Finance Department.

The secretary at the desk hardly glanced at me. Apparently, I wasn’t the only person to visit her department today. “Can I help you?”

“I hope so. I know the company bank accounts were examined but I was wondering - how were they audited? By a specific person, or generally by everyone?”

“Al Cordero did the audit. He’s been here longest aside from Matt, the Finance Department Head, and Matt trusted him with the job.”

“Is Al in his office?”

“Let’s see.” The woman picked up the phone, lounging unconcernedly in her chair as it rang and I stood anxiously, the fire of discovery and hope making me antsy. “Hi, Al. Got a moment? Someone’s here to talk to you.” She set the phone down and eyed the pack of gum beside her keyboard. This was probably the first time she’d had to actually worry about anyone of significance coming down here who would remember anything unprofessional like chewing gum. “He’s in office five two three. To the left.”

“Great, thanks.”

Al was indeed in his office, looking tired and worried. “Can I help you?”

“I was told you were the one who audited the company bank accounts,” I started, but he cut me off.

“I was, and I examined them three times against all the documents, instructions and information I have.” The poor man looked like he might throw his hands up and scream at any moment. “I’m going to get fired over this.” His voice was nothing short of mournful. “There must be some record in some account as to where the money went.”

“Hold on,” I said slowly. “What about our subsidiaries? Have they been contacted or checked?”

It was like the sun was rising and Al’s face was directly in the first brilliant rays. “No,” he said just as slowly. “And… and now I remember something. I got instructions to send funds to one of the subsidiaries, and I thought it was a lot of money to be sending there… Let me show you.” He spun his chair toward his computer and produced an email from the head of finance.

“That’s exactly how much money was supposed to go to the plumbing contractor!” I exclaimed, leaning close to Al to ensure I was reading right.

“And I didn’t even think of it, because it says right there in the instructions to allocate the funds to the subsidiary.” Al gripped the mouse so tightly I thought it might break. “The money’s still available, it just got sent somewhere no one would think to look, and I was the only person who could have noticed - and I missed it because I thought the money belonged there.”

“You’re right, it does say to send it to the subsidiary,” I agreed, pointing for emphasis. “Better make sure to save that email and send it to Cameron right now-”

“-Oh no, no. You found this, somehow. You should definitely take the credit. I’ll forward you the email right now and you can take it to Cameron’s executive assistant to review.” Al rubbed his hands together gleefully. “Maybe Matt will get fired over this. No one likes him, honestly.”

I laughed, then gave Al my email. I practically sailed back to my office and snatched up my office phone. Cameron’s executive assistant? No way. This news would go straight to the man himself. “Hi, Cameron? Can you come to my office? Or I can come to yours, of course, it’s just that I have some information on my computer you might want to see.”

“Information?”

“About the funds for the plumbing contractor.” Those words got his attention, and he knocked on my office door within a minute. I already had the email pulled up for him to examine, complete with the amount of money and the proof that the exact amount was sent to a subsidiary. “And the guy - Al Cordero - didn’t notice the amounts were the same because Matt sent this email with instructions to send the money there,” I summed up the information. “The money is still available. The funds were just misallocated, instead of-”

Strong arms pulled me out of my chair and onto my feet in a warm embrace. “You found it!” Only the tones of extreme relief told me exactly how thrilled Cameron was. “That project was already going over budget, and we couldn’t afford to lose that much. How on Earth did you figure out where the money had gone when finance couldn’t?”

“I, uh, I… I…” Cameron’s praises and his arms around me, holding me tightly in his excitement had left me far too flustered to do something like using my tongue to speak words.

“That’s incredible!” He laughed delightedly, spinning me around. I saw the exact instant when he realized exactly what he was doing - holding his employee’s waist, practically dancing with her, pulling her much too close… The strength in his fingers faltered, and I melted into his touch, wanting to feel as much as I could before he let go and became my boss again, wanting this moment to last just a bit longer…

He didn’t let go. He moved in closer and placed a kiss on my lips. His lips tasted like everything I felt - lingering relief, excitement, nervousness - but when I sneaked a glance through half-closed lids, his eyes were closed, lost in bliss. They opened slowly and I immediately turned a little pink at being caught staring, but I couldn’t bring myself to look away.

I knew that look. Cameron had it whenever he looked at Noah.

“You’re so beautiful.” The back of his hand brushed a curl of hair against my face, gently and softly as though he were afraid of damaging it. “So beautiful and confident.”

“C-confident?” I echoed, shocked. “Confident” had never been a word I could use to describe myself. Cameron… Cameron thought I was confident?

“Confident,” he repeated. “It’s why Noah likes you so much. And it’s why I respect you so much.”

Cameron thought I was confident. So… that meant he wouldn’t be surprised if I used that confidence and took something I wanted, right?

I decided to take that chance. This time, I initiated the kiss. Gentle and slow had been nice, but it wasn’t enough. The kisses I rained on Cameron were rough, passionate, and driven by the sway of my hips and motion of my shoulders.

And he responded. Oh, he responded. His lips matched mine and then one-upped me with tongue, then I found myself against the desk. The wooden edge of the top pressed a line right where my butt and thighs met, and something else was touching the tight rear of my skirt too - something that squeezed and cupped my two round cheeks.

“Cam - ” My tongue sprang into action to ward Cameron’s tongue away long enough to speak. “Cameron, the door’s still open!” I protested. The growing patch of dampness in my underwear groaned when he took away his hands.

But he didn’t take them completely away. They rested on my hips, just low enough to be suggestive. “What’s wrong with that? Is there some reason you would want it shut? Or something you want?”

“N-no- yes-” If any of my coworkers walked down the hall right now and saw me standing here, the CEO’s hands on my hips and my makeup and lipstick smudged, I’d die of embarrassment… “I-I want - something,” I managed. Was what I was about to say confidence? Or insanity? “I want - I want someone with… experience… someone to love…” But not to have sex in the office, right here, right now! Heat rose to my cheeks and my mind skipped and skidded with panic. I literally just asked for sex, but I meant somewhere else, some other time-

“-Then...” Cameron deliberately strode to the door, shut it, and locked it. “I think I can help you.”

My legs were Jell-O and the rest of me was clay to be molded by his touch as he took my arms. He kissed me backward - but not into the office chair or the desk as I had expected. Instead, I felt my back hit the back wall of the office, next to the window that I also kept blinded because of the glare against my computer screen, thank God-

No, I didn’t want to have sex yet, not here! I opened my mouth to tell him exactly that, but his tongue crept through the opening I’d given it and silenced me. Wait… he wanted to have sex like this? Standing up against a wall?

Cameron backed off, still holding me but giving me enough space to breathe, and whispered, “I don’t… I don’t do sex in the workplace. It’s not….”

He trailed off, but my relief spurred me to finish his sentence. “It’s not right. Not the right place or time.”

“Exactly,” he breathed into my ear, sending me twitching against him. “But… I want to feel you.”

He didn’t stop kissing me, but I quickly realized he didn’t mean he just wanted to feel my lips. His hands slipped down to my hips and then down some more, resting gently - almost questioningly, as though he wanted permission to go further - on my ass.

I gave him that permission. I leaned into him, feeling a hardness I was pretty sure wasn’t a belt buckle against my thigh. I’d never liked my thighs. They were too big, even for my curvy butt, but… they looked perfect with Cameron’s hands holding them.

Those hands didn’t stop there. Sliding from my ass to the outsides of my thighs, then to my hips, back to my thighs again, but this time the soft, sensitive inner thighs that he could just touch despite the tightness of my skirt..... He explored everything I hadn’t allowed anyone to touch for so long.

Except one place… but a shiver of nervousness and excitement zipped up my spine as I realized that place wouldn’t stay untouched for long. Suddenly, my once-tight skirt felt far too loose as Cameron, almost without seeming to notice, worked a hand between it and my waist.

His fingers ghosted across the sanctuary of privacy between my legs. Instinctively, my knees came together, trapping the foreign touch. Cameron stopped moving his fingers immediately, kissing his way down my neck and back up again to my breathless lips. Hesitantly, shyly, I pried my knees apart, giving him just a little room.

Fingers wrapped in the bush that I only trimmed, and immediately I wanted to shrink into the carpeted floor of the office. What if Cameron only liked women who shaved?

The softest touch against my still-hidden sweet spot accompanied even softer, sweet words. “You feel beautiful,” he whispered. “Perfect.” That touch followed my wetness down, down, down….

He put a finger inside me. Just one single finger. My hips jerked and I wanted to push them forward, take that finger a little further inside of me. Instead, I tried to relax a bit. One finger couldn’t feel this good, make me feel this wild for more…

The finger pulled away, taking my wetness with it and bringing it up to moisten my clit. It began moving in slow, gentle circles beneath my panties and skirt.

I forgot how to kiss. All I could do was melt into Cameron’s chest, both of us still standing in each other’s arms against the wall of the office, letting him take some of my weight as I rode the pleasure high from that single finger.

Then, the finger was gone. Cool air seeped through the warmth from my panties and leggings, calming the fire in my loins that Cameron had set.

“I should… I should go,” Cameron said, his actions defying his words as he pulled me close.

“Yeah.” My own breathlessness startled me, and I was glad for the thick stability of Cameron’s chest as I clung to him to get my bearings. “I still - I still have work.”

He held my shoulders as I readjusted my skewed panties and pressed the wrinkles out of my skirt with my palms. “Then… next time, Diana.” His touch lingered at my hips, then his hands pulled away to unlock the office door.

Then he was gone, and so was any self-control I’d had over a rising, deep blush.

Wow. That was… wow. I didn’t know what to think and by the sound of footsteps outside my office, I didn’t have time to think about it right now. But...

What was I going to do about my makeup?