Too Close

Evan Carter - First Person

The media storm broke loose within twenty minutes.

Phones on the entire executive floor were vibrating non-stop as messages flooded every screen within the building.

Assistants rushed through the halls with printed messages, security guards talked frantically on their radios, and someone from the finance department yelled about the stock market plummeting.

I stood inside Adrian Wolfe’s office and observed the mayhem through the glass walls.

Apparently, becoming the center of a billionaire’s lawsuit had side effects.

Adrian was calm.

He was behind his desk studying documents and occasionally typing short replies on his phone.

The situation didn’t seem to faze him at all, which was impressive given that half the financial media industry had declared me the villain of the week.

"You're staring," he said without looking up.

"I'm observing."

"You've been standing there for ten minutes."

"I'm making sure not to make things worse."

His mouth curled up slightly. "Relax, Carter."

"That's hard to do when a corporation just put a fifty-million-dollar price on my head."

"That's for proof of sabotage."

"And they're sure someone's going to invent it."

Adrian finally looked up. "They can try."

Then he stood. "Come here."

I hesitated. "Why?"

"Because if you stay near the window any longer, everyone on the entire executive floor is going to think you're planning your escape."

I moved towards the desk slowly.

Adrian scattered a few printed financial reports across the surface. “Look at this.”

I leaned forward to take a closer look. It took about five seconds to comprehend what he wanted to show me.

“They’re shorting our stock.”

“I can see that.”

I straightened up. “That’s illegal.”

“Only if we can prove intent.”

Things were getting worse.

“If they leak the lawsuit to the press, the market will react poorly to the news, our stock value will go down, and they’ll buy up our shares at a cheap price.”

Adrian studied my reactions. “Exactly.”

“So we’re not dealing with revenge.”

“Not that I can think of.” His eyes narrowed. “This is a perfectly planned strategy.”

I leaned forward to take a closer look at the numbers on the reports scattered across the desk.

As I scrolled through the reports with the mouse, I accidentally knocked something.

Adrian’s coffee.

The coffee cup teetered, spilling its across the reports.

“Damn—”

I grabbed a stack of reports to stop the coffee from spreading.

In doing so, the coffee cup slid across the desk.

Adrian’s hand shot forward at the same time.

Our hands touched.

The coffee stopped spilling, but my balance didn’t.

I slid a little on the polished floor while leaning forward across the desk.

In the next instant, I found myself halfway across the desk.

Adrian’s hands shot forward. One hand caught my wrist. Another hand caught my waist.

I stopped myself from falling.

At the cost of being pulled closer to Adrian. Too close.

My palms rested against the desk.

Adrian’s hand held tight to my waist to steady me.

For a moment or two, we stayed like that.

Then I realized just how close we were standing.

My chest was almost against his.

His hand was still wrapped around my waist. I had unknowingly placed my knee between his legs as I attempted to balance myself.

Great. Just great. What a perfect situation to be in?

I gulped.

“Careful,” Adrian said quietly.

His voice was calm but his hand didn’t release mine.

“I noticed,” I muttered.

I attempted to move back but my foot slipped again. And it got worse.

Because my knee was now pressed against him slightly higher.

Adrian sat still.

My mind finally processed the situation. Then my eyes widened slightly.

Because the situation made one thing very clear. Adrian was not immune to the situation.

I immediately moved back. A little too fast, causing my elbow to knock the coffee cup over. Again.

This time it rolled off the desk and shattered on the floor.

We both looked down at the mess.

Adrian chuckled. It was the first real laugh I had ever heard from him.

“You’re incredibly clumsy,” he said.

“This is your fault.”

“How?”

“You grabbed me.”

“I was falling.”

Since when did he become so talkative?

I argued back. “It's still partially your fault.”

His eyebrows went up. “My fault?”

“You were standing too close to me and it startled me.”

His mouth curled slightly. “That excuse doesn’t sound very good.”

I finally managed to move back.

My heart was racing much faster than it should have been.

The fact that my boss had just caught me in the most compromising position possible.

Adrian looked at me again for another second, moving around the desk.

Hold on one second. Did I just yap at my boss? Yes! I did! Could I go at it again?

Don't try it Evan. You're digging your grave.

But there's no harm in trying. Do it. Don't do it. Do it. No. Yes.

I let out a sigh. “Mr. Adrian. This conversation would be a lot easier if you would stop doing that.”

“Doing what?”

“Standing that close.”

His deep voice showed nonchalance. “I am in my own office.”

“That does not change the situation.”

Adrian’s expression sharpened slightly. “What situation?”

I hesitated. This man was clearly pushing my limits. If he made one more straight face while taunting me again, I would explode.

“You really enjoy asking questions to which you know the answer.”

“Maybe.” Adrian stepped closer again.

Ever heard of the word —space, sir. I wanted to say but I dared not.

My mind instantly came to the conclusion that retreat would be the appropriate action.

Unfortunately, there was a desk standing behind me, leaving nowhere to run.

Adrian realized this too. His eyes flicked to the desk momentarily before returning to my face. “You’re nervous.”

“I am calculating.”

“Calculating what?”

Can this man shut the fuck up one second?

“How fast I can get out of this office without embarrassing myself again.”

Adrian’s mouth curved slightly. “That ship sailed when you tried to climb over my desk.”

“I was saving your financial reports.”

“How heroic.” Adrian’s voice now clearly carried the undertones of amusement.

Adrian’s eyes scanned my face slowly.

Not fast. Not distracted. Focused.

And for a moment, I forgot what we were talking about.

Adrian realized this too. “Carter.”

“Yes, Mr. Adrian?”

“You stopped talking.”

Did you think I was a blabber mouth? I need my lips on my face.

I smiled gently. “That happens when people are staring at me like that.”

“Like what?”

I let out a sigh. I had no idea how to answer that. “You are my boss.”

“So?”

“You are engaged.”

“And?”

“And I’m standing in your office trying very hard not to make the worst professional decision of my life.”

His eyebrows went up slightly. “What decision would that be?”

I swallowed.

Do I tell him? Or…screw it. I told him.

“Kissing you.”

Holy shit. I made this more awkward. Get ready Evan. You are going to be jobless.

The silence that ensued was immediate.

Time ticked by. His eyes fixed on mine.

His voice went slightly lower. “That would be a terrible idea.”

“Yes, it would be.”

“Extremely unprofessional.”

I agreed. “Very.”

He took another slow step closer to me.

So the space between us was now almost back to nothing.

“Why are you still standing here?”

My heart skipped a beat.

“Because you’re blocking the door.”

He smiled again. “That’s unfortunate.”

“Yes, it is.”

Neither of us made a move.

And for a moment, it looked like something might actually happen.

Until Adrian’s phone rang.

Damn it. I hated that phone.

Adrian stepped back to answer his phone.

I breathed again.

“Yes,” he said into the phone.

Adrian’s face changed in an instant. “What?”

His voice turned angry immediately. “Who authorized that?”

Adrian’s face went white. “I don't care. Stop them.”

He hung up the phone immediately.

“What happened?” I asked.

His voice lowered. “Harrington Global just escalated.”

“Jesus! What happened?”

“They filed a court request to freeze your personal assets.”

I swallowed. “But, I don’t even have assets.”

“That won’t stop them.”

“And the court?”

“They’ll make a decision tomorrow morning.”

I rubbed my face slowly, groaning. “So now I’m being sued. Hunted by the financial media. And legally locked down by a billionaire corporation. What a great first day.”

Adrian spoke out. “We’re not done yet.”

“What do you mean?”

His phone buzzed again. He looked at the screen.

Then his expression changed slightly.

It was cold. “Looks like Harrington Global isn’t the only one attacking.”

My gut tightened. “Who else?”

Adrian turned the phone to me. Another breaking news headline flashed on the screen.

WOLFE CAPITAL BOARD MEMBER CALLS EMERGENCY VOTE TO REMOVE CEO ADRIAN WOLFE

I looked at the screen, then at him. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Adrian stuck the phone back into his pocket.

His voice was calm. “Looks like someone inside the company just joined the war.”