Chapter 3 After Hours 3

Claire's POV By nine the next morning, I had checked my reflection three times and changed my lipstick twice. I was annoyed with myself for doing either. Daniel Mercer had been my boss; one evening together shouldn't have made walking into his office feel like an examination I hadn't prepared for. I arrived fifteen minutes early, put my handbag beneath my desk, and opened his calendar. He had a departmental meeting at ten, lunch with the finance director at one, and a conference call scheduled for four. At nine precisely, Daniel stepped out of the lift. "Morning, Claire." "Good morning, Mr. Mercer." He stopped beside my desk. "Mr. Mercer?" "We're at work." "I noticed." "Your ten o'clock meeting has been moved to the conference room. The revised agenda is in your inbox." "Thank you." He walked into his office without another word. I stared at the closed door. After everything that had happened at his apartment, the man couldn't even manage an interesting good morning. I told myself that was exactly what I'd wanted. We had agreed that our private lives wouldn't interfere with work. Daniel was respecting that agreement, and I had no reason to complain. Unfortunately, knowing I was being unreasonable didn't make me feel any less irritated. At eleven, he called me into his office. "Can you check these figures against last month's report?" I collected the documents from his desk. "Anything else?" "Yes. You left something at my apartment." I looked up. "What?" "An earring." I instinctively touched my left ear. Both earrings were there. Daniel watched me with an expression I didn't trust. "Very funny." "I wanted to see whether you'd check." "You're supposed to be reviewing financial projections." "I am." "Then perhaps you should concentrate." He leaned back in his chair. "Are you angry with me?" "Why would I be angry?" "You've called me Mr. Mercer four times this morning." "Because that's your name." "You weren't calling me that last night." I glanced toward the door. "Daniel." "That's better." "Someone could walk in." "Then we should finish discussing the report." I picked up the folder before he could say anything else. By lunchtime, I was beginning to understand that keeping our relationship private would require considerably more discipline than I'd anticipated. I wasn't worried about Daniel telling anyone. He had spent the entire morning behaving professionally, apart from that ridiculous earring joke. I was worried about myself. Every time his office door opened, I looked up. Whenever his telephone rang, I wondered whether he would ask me to come inside. It was embarrassing. At one thirty, I went downstairs for lunch and bought a chicken sandwich I barely wanted. I was halfway through eating when my phone vibrated. Daniel: Have you eaten? Claire: Yes. Have you finished pretending I don't exist? His reply came almost immediately. Daniel: I thought we agreed to behave professionally. Claire: We did. Daniel: Then why are you complaining? I stared at the message. Claire: I'm not complaining. Daniel: You sound disappointed. Claire: You sound unemployed if you keep distracting your secretary. He sent a laughing emoji. I put my phone away, but I couldn't stop smiling. When I returned upstairs, Daniel was still at lunch. I spent the next hour preparing documents for his afternoon call and answering emails from clients who apparently believed every minor inconvenience required an immediate response. At three, he returned with the finance director. "Claire, could you arrange for the revised contracts to be printed before four?" "Of course." "And please confirm tomorrow's meeting with the legal department." "Already done." The finance director laughed. "I don't know what you'd do without her, Daniel." "Neither do I," Daniel replied. I kept my attention on the printer until they disappeared into his office. At five thirty, I was organizing the following day's appointments when Daniel approached my desk. "Are you finished?" "Almost." "Come into my office when you're done. There's something I want to discuss." I waited until the remaining staff had left before knocking on his door. Daniel was standing beside the window, loosening his tie. "Close the door, please." I did. "What's wrong?" "Nothing. I wanted to know how you were feeling." "About what?" He gave me a look. I folded my arms. "I'm perfectly fine." "Good." "Was that the important discussion?" "Not entirely." He approached me, stopping close enough that I could see the faint shadow of stubble along his jaw. "I enjoyed last night, Claire." "So did I." "I wasn't sure whether you'd want to talk about it today." "Considering how determined you were to behave like my accountant this morning, I assumed you'd forgotten." He laughed. "Would you have preferred me to kiss you in front of the finance director?" "Obviously not." "Then what would you have preferred?" I considered the question. "A message wouldn't have hurt." "I sent you one." "At lunchtime." "Should I have sent flowers?" "Don't you dare." He smiled. "Then we're going to have to work on your expectations." I stepped closer. "Perhaps you should work on yours." I kissed him before he could answer. Daniel rested his hands at my waist and returned the kiss. For a moment, I forgot about the documents waiting on my desk and the fact that we were standing in the same office where I'd spent almost a year working for him. Then someone knocked. "Mr. Mercer? Are you still here?" I recognized the security supervisor's voice. Daniel released me immediately. "Yes, Martin. Everything all right?" "Just checking the floor before we lock the side entrance." "That's fine. We'll be leaving shortly." "Good evening, sir." I waited until his footsteps disappeared. "That was close," I whispered. Daniel looked toward the door. "We shouldn't do that here again." I adjusted my blouse. "Agreed." He studied me for a moment. "Are you free tomorrow evening?" "I have laundry." "Claire." "What?" "I'm asking you to come over." "I know what you're asking." "And?" I picked up the folder I'd brought into his office. "Ask me tomorrow." He laughed. "You're enjoying this." "Immensely." I reached the door before he spoke again. "Claire?" I turned. "Yes?" "Would you consider spending the entire weekend with me?" I stared at him. "The entire weekend?" "Friday evening until Sunday. No office, no interruptions. Just us." I tightened my grip on the folder. "Daniel, are you inviting me over for the weekend, or are you asking me to become your mistress?"