Fight or Flight

We finish dessert and settle the bill. Of course, Mr. Conti doesn't allow me to pay for my portion. Somehow, in the time it takes me to run to the ladies room, it's decided that Mr. Conti will be taking me home.

"I'll be fine. I can hail a cab," I insist, not wanting to make a fuss. I'm sure I live nowhere near him.

"You aren't going home by yourself this late at night. It's dangerous," Mr. Conti says sternly.

"I'll go straight from the taxi to my building and there's a concierge. It will be safe enough. Plus, I probably live far from you," I say, really just wanting this night to be over.

"All employees in a company apartment are close to work and so am I," he says without emotion. He turns to me and says, "Let's go."

The way he speaks leaves no room to argue. I look back at Annabelle to see her smiling ridiculously big and I know this was her doing.

Outside, Cassio holds the door open for me like a gentleman. I can't make eye contact with him as I slip into the car. I concentrate on gracefully entering the car so I don't make a fool of myself and I think I manage just fine.

I take a peak in Cassio's direction once he's seated beside me, and he seems so unaffected by my presence that I feel like an idiot.

"You did a good job today with Annabelle. Thank you for stepping up," he says, looking at me assessingly.

"Of course, I'm a team player," I say lamely.

His mouth pulls up slightly on one side in a smile and my brain almost short circuits. Sometimes he acts aloof and distant, then other times I feel like he can see my soul. It's unnerving. I guess that's what makes him a good leader. He can set boundaries but he can also focus on you and make you feel special when needed.

In the car you can cut the tension with a dull knife, but when I look over to Mr. Conti, he's still completely at ease. It’s like a superpower he has. No matter where he is, he looks like he belongs.

I'm trying to think of what I can say to dissipate the tension I’m feeling when the car lurches forward, slamming me back, then forward. Before I can get my bearings, we take a sudden turn, throwing me to the side. I feel Cassio catching me, but I don't have the time to be flustered since I'm all turned around.

"Hold still," I hear Cassio say calm and collected in my ear. The car keeps driving wildly and now that I'm secured on Mr. Conti’s lap, I can look outside to see what's happening. When I try to look behind us, Mr. Conti stops me. He doesn't want me to look behind us, which makes me think we're being chased.

"Are we going to be okay?" I ask quickly, trying to assess the situation. In fight or flight situations, I've always been fight. My senses heighten, and my heartbeat calms. I can feel everything come into focus.

"My driver will get us through this. Just hold still."

I nod and wait. With my mind focused, I can finally get over my physical reaction to Mr. Conti. It's such a relief. I've never been the girl who turns into mush around boys, and I wasn't liking how it felt. I have a whole new respect for those girls, it's completely out of their control and it sucks.

A loud bang and glass-shattering sounds through the car and Mr. Conti swears as he quickly shifts us, lying down in the back seat with him lying over me. He cradles my head protectively against his chest and whispers, "You'll be okay."

"I know," I say with conviction. I've seen, up close, how he works in the office. His undivided attention, his relentless focus and his need for perfection. His company's massive success is a reflection of his effort.

When the car hits another bump, I instinctively grab onto his arm to steady myself. I can't deny he's well-built.

We're touching in so many places and the contact mixed with the adrenaline of the chase has me very turned on.

I hear another gun shot and I look into Mr. Conti’s eyes and, needing reassurance, ask, “We aren’t going to die, are we?”

“No,” he says. He searches my eyes and I can see the moment he makes a decision before he moves. Suddenly he’s kissing me and my mind completely goes offline as my body takes over. I’m putty in Mr. Conti’s very sure hands as I completely forget we’re in a car chase.

The kiss starts chaste. I’m sure it was meant as a distraction, but we must both need the distraction more than we thought because, very quickly, we’re clutching at each other and desperately trying to get closer.

Mr. Conti groans, and I can’t stop myself from opening up to him even more. Some part of me, far off in the back corner of my brain, is trying to remind me to pull back, but it’s not getting through.

I don't know how long the car chase lasts, but eventually, the car slows to a normal pace and Mr. Conti pulls away, hovering over me with an amused expression. I feel exposed and vulnerable, not sure what that look means.

He sits up and pulls me up as well. I look around to see we are in an underground parking lot.

"We're at my place. We needed to get somewhere more secure than your place. We'll have to figure out more information about what just happened before we can let you go back to your apartment," he explains, seeing the confusion on my face.

I just nod and follow the direction I’m being given while I try to wrap my head around everything that just happened.

I follow him as he walks over to the elevators, and after he presses the button he looks at me amused as I just stare at him in shock.

"Is it normal for you to be chased like that? I thought that only happens in movies?" I ask, not sure how I should be acting right now.

"You're handling this rather well for a first timer," he says, testing me and how I will react.

With heavy sarcasm, I say, "I'm a natural. Next time I'll drive the car."

His mouth flicks up on one side, with a small smile. "I'm hoping there won't be a next time. Let's go get the glass out of your hair."

The elevator opens and we ride up to the penthouse in silence. I figure it's best to stay quiet since the shock of the situation will set in soon and probably make me say some really stupid stuff.

When I don't step out when the door opens at the top, Cassio looks back in confusion. He waves me forward and I take a tentative step into a world that I don't belong in.

We were in a car chase, he just kissed the hell out of me, and now I’m stepping into his palatial penthouse. What is happening!