Chapter 36: The Schedule

“I haven’t logged into my computer yet. I will notify you of when the meeting is when I am signed in along with your other appointments,” she said softly. “I... I won’t stop noticing either. But we have to remain professional even if it is difficult,” she added, but at the same time she leaned her body back against his, sighing softly. Oliver’s body tensed momentarily at the sudden contact, his breath catching in his throat. The soft weight of her pressing against him was a start contrast to the sterile professionalism of their surroundings. For a heartbeat, he stood perfectly still savoring the sensation of her body against him. Then, with a low groan that was equal parts pleasure and frustration, he spun her around to face him fully. His hands came up to rest firmly on her hips, pulling her flush against him so there was no mistaking the evidence of his arousal pressing insistently into her stomach. “This is torture,” he growled softly, his forehead dropping to rest against hers. “Having you here in my office, smelling like coffee and temptation, and I can’t do a damn thing about it.” His thumbs stroked along her hip bones possessively as he spoke.

“If we had to stop and indulge in our fantasies every time we felt like this, we would never get anything done,” Harper said softly. Oliver let out a frustrated sigh, his hands tightening on her hips for a moment before he reluctantly loosened his grip. The logical part of his brain knew she was right, but the primal instincts coursing through him were proving harder to ignore. “Easy for you to say,” he muttered, stepping back just enough to create some breathing room between their bodies. His icy blue eyes were dark with barely contained desire as they raked over her face. “You are not the one stuck sitting in here thinking about how perfect your ass looks in that skirt every five minutes.” He ran a hand through his messy black hair, attempting to regain some semblance of control. “Fine. Professional distance established.” The words came out clipped and sharp. He moved back towards his desk chair but didn’t sit down immediately. Instead, he leaned against the edge of the furniture, crossing his arms defensively over his chest. “Just… try not to look too tempting when you walk past my office later.”

Harper nods and turns towards his office door, but then she hesitates. “How about we eat lunch together, that is a normal couple thing isn’t it?” she asks unsure. Oliver’s defensive posture melted away instantly, a genuine smile replacing the frustrated scowl on his face. The suggestion seemed to catch him completely off guard, but in the best possible way. “A normal couple thing?” he repeated, pushing off the mahogany desk to approach her again. “Absolutely. That sounds perfect.” His steps were slower this time, less urgent than before. The tension in his shoulders eased as he considered the simple normality of sharing a meal together. “I know this great little Italian place downtown,” he offered, his tone becoming warmer and more enthusiastic. “They have private booths where we wouldn’t have to worry about being overheard by anyone from work.” He stopped just short of crowding her personal space again, giving her room to breathe but keeping the intimacy alive in his icy blue eyes. “Or if you would prefer somewhere more casual, there is that sandwich shop near the park where we could sit outside” he suggested easily. “Whatever makes you comfortable.”

“A sandwich shop?” Harper repeats. “That sounds perfect. How about we save the Italian place for dinner?” Oliver’s face lit up at her suggestion, clearly pleased by the idea of stretching their professional lunch into an actual date later that evening. “Dinner sounds fantastic,” he agreed enthusiastically. “I will make reservations for seven o’clock at Ristorante Italiano. It has got excellent reviews and private dining options.” He pulled out his phone to send a quick text message confirming the reservation while speaking aloud to her. “Now about lunch– sandwich shop it is.” His fingers flew across the screen with practiced efficiency before pocketing the device. The transformation in his demeanor was remarkable– gone was the frustrated boss from moments ago, replaced by someone who genuinely seemed happy just discussing plans with Harper.

“Good, I look forward to it,” Harper said with a soft smile and exited his office. She went to her desk, sat down and took a sip of her cappuccino. She then logged onto her computer and started reading her emails. Oliver watched her walk away, his icy blue eyes tracing the confident sway of her hips as she returned to her desk. He lingered in his office doorway for another moment, drinking in the sight of her settling into her routine– logging into her computer, sipping that cappuccino she had bought for herself. With a final glance in her direction, he retreated back inside his office and shut his door firmly. The click of the door echoed in the suddenly quiet space. Leaning against the wood, he ran both hands through his black hair again, exhaling slowly as if trying to reset his internal system after that brief but potent encounter. “Lunch is at one o’clock,” he reminded himself under his breath, picking up his take-away coffee cup and taking a long swallow. The bitter liquid provided some grounding effect, but it did little to erase the image of her smile from his mind. Forcing himself to sit down at his mahogany desk again, Oliver grabbed a pen and attacked the stack of quarterly reports with renewed vigor.

After half an hour, Oliver received an email from Harper, outlining his daily schedule:

To: [e-mail]

Subject Line: Daily Schedule

Dear Mr. Williams,

Please find below the schedule for the day:

10:00 – 11:00 AM: Planning and Strategy meeting with the senior team (Conference Room 135)

12:00 PM: Meeting with Mr. Knox (Design and Layout)

1:00 – 2:00 PM: Lunch

2:00 – 3:00 PM: Meeting with Tanja Brooks (HR)

3:00 – 5:00 PM: Financial Reviews

6:00 PM: Meeting with Andrew (Accounting)

Please let me know if any adjustments are needed or if you’d like additional details ahead of these meetings.

Kind regards, Harper Miller