chapter 5

Kathy

The sexy stranger that I met in the bar last night was my boss. The longer that fact settled inside me, the more I wanted the ground to open up and just swallow me whole.

“Are you okay?” Caitlyn asked, eyeing me suspiciously. “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”

That was an understatement. If she only knew what was going on in my mind…

“I know we scared you with how difficult he is to please,” Jeff said, amused by my reaction. “But at least he’s not bad to look at.”

“Um… I, uh—” I stammered, feeling lost for words.

What were the odds of something like this even happening?I mentally kicked myself for having the worst luck possible. I could feel the blood draining from my face. I hid out of view behind one of the doors, hoping he wouldn’t see me as he walked in. The last thing I wanted right now was to have to speak to him. Not before I’d gotten my tumbling thoughts and emotions in check.

Jeff and Caitlyn chuckled at my theatrics. They must’ve thought I’d lost my mind.

“Hey,” Caitlyn came up behind me. “I feel bad now. Maybe we shouldn’t have told you all those things. He’s really not that bad. I’m sure you’ll do just fine.”

“No, it’s not that,” I said quickly. “I just think I should get to work instead of standing around.”

I began to plot all the possible ways I could get away with not having to face Dylan right now. He had stopped talking to Marsha and was not looking in my direction.

This was my chance. I took the moment to make a beeline for the office bathroom where I’d have a chance to clear my head. But just when I thought I’d dodged the bullet, I heard Marsha call out my name.

“Kathy, can you come here for a second?” she asked. “I want to introduce you to Dylan.”

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. My heart hammered in my chest, threatening to rip clean out of me.

“Sure thing,” I quickly opened the washroom door and plastered on a smile, even though I was freaking out on the inside, and slowly walked over to where the two of them were standing. My eyes were trained on the floor.

“Dylan, this is Kathy, our new hire,” Marsha said. “She started just today.”

I couldn’t avoid it any longer. I mustered up all the courage I could manage and finally looked up at him.

He smiled at me, seemingly unfazed. The corners of his eyes crinkled and he cut the most dashing figure I’d seen. Well, since last night, that is. Jeff was right about one thing—he wasn’t bad to look at. Not bad at all.

“It’s great to meet you, Kathy,” Dylan said in a strictly professional tone.

I had expected him to have a totally different reaction. Or at the very least, I expected to see some kind of recognition in those dreamy eyes. But there was none.

I nodded at him, tongue-tied. What was I even supposed to say?

Sorry, I snuck out of your place without saying anything. But I had a great time last night. Excited to work together, Boss!

He seemed to notice how my cheeks had turned bright red. Still, even then he was the picture of calm and collected.

“You seem nervous,” he remarked pointedly, meeting my gaze.

Instantly, flashbacks of him bending me over the windowsill in his penthouse flooded my mind. I blinked a few times, trying to snap myself out of the trance I was in.

“No,” I croaked. “It’s just that this is my first day.”

He nodded, his expression giving no indication of him having met me before. According to Dylan’s reaction, we were total strangers.

“Good luck. I have some important calls to take, so I’ll be in my office,” he said and then turned to his heel to leave, ending our conversation abruptly.

I was left staring at his retreating figure and wondered if he remembered me. Surely, it hadn’t been long enough for him to just forget someone he slept with the night before.

But with the way he was acting, I was left doubting my own memory about whether last night had happened at all.

∞∞∞

“Kathy!” an excited figure called out by name from afar, rushing over to me.

I had decided to use my lunch break to meet up with an old friend, Sarah, at a cafe close to my office. After what happened that morning, seeing a familiar face felt good. We hadn’t seen each other for many years but I recognized her straight away.

She came over and hugged me tightly.

“God, I missed you too much,” she said, taking her seat at the table. “I haven’t seen you in forever.”

“It’s been a minute,” I smiled. Her energy was infectious, and I instantly felt my mood lifting.

“You have no idea how excited I was when you told me you were moving to New York,” she gushed.

“Me too. I’m so glad you’re around,” I said sincerely. “This city can be a lonely place and I’m happy to have a friend here.”

“Uh, friend?” she shot me a look.

“Sorry,” I chuckled. “Best friend.”

“That’s more like it,” she grinned and then leaned over the table. “So, tell me everything. How’s the new job?”

I groaned loudly, burying my face between my hands. “Don’t even get me started.”

“Is it that bad?” Her tone was immediately clouded with concern.

“The company is great,” I said. “It’s just my luck that sucks.”

“Come on. I know you’re exaggerating. You’re working at one of the best companies in the city, in a role that people admire. How can you say that your luck is terrible?” she questioned, narrowing her eyes at me.

“Well, I met my boss today,” I said. “Turns out, it wasn’t the first time we’ve met each other.”

“Oh, did you two get a chance to meet before? At a work event or something?” she asked curiously.

“Not quite,” I gulped down the lump that formed in my throat just by thinking about what had happened this morning. But I had to get it off my chest. “I met a wonderful gentleman at the bar last night, and we really hit it off. One thing led to another, and we ended the night at his place.”

“And?” Sarah prodded.

I sighed heavily. I’d hoped she’d fill the rest of my story in by herself. “Well, I walk into work this morning, and guess who I see?”

Sarah’s eyes widened, the penny finally dropping. “You’re kidding!”

“I wish,” I replied flatly. “But no. I’m dead serious.”

Sarah burst into a fit of laughter. “Oh my gosh, Kathy. This is hilarious,” she said in between her laughs.