Just One Night

This one is for the

ON THE JOB 2022

Challenge

.

As always, your votes and comments are very much appreciated.

This is a bit of a slow burn, but they get there...

NIKKI

I stood back and squinted, studying my reflection in the bathroom mirror, wondering if I'd gone a little overboard with the smokey eyes. Then again, not every night I had a date, especially with a hottie like Marcel. Figured I might as well highlight my pale blue eyes, and compliment my long auburn hair, if I was going to get his motor revving hard enough to make my night out worthwhile.

I still wasn't too sure about my dress. It was a little on the daring side, at least for me, showing off way more cleavage than I'd ever shown. Though I could already imagine Marcel's reaction when he saw me, all dolled up in this slinky black number, my legs looking like they went on for miles in my sexy come-do-me heels. Yeah, I grinned to myself, knowing he'd get off on seeing me looking a little more vampish, at least for as long as my dress stayed on me.

Feeling buoyed at the thought of finally getting out for some fun, I was just touching up my lipstick ready to head out, when I turned my head and frowned, wondering what the heck the strange sounds were that seemed to be coming up from the street.

Normally, this time of night, our building and the whole area were so deserted you could almost hear a pin drop in the carpet. Something was definitely going on out there though, and I thought I'd better take a look.

Tucking away my makeup in my purse, I strode out of the ladies' room and into the darkened boardroom, wondering why there were so many flashing lights shining up from the street. Obviously, something bad had happened, and I just hoped it wasn't an accident, and that no one was hurt.

When I stepped closer and took a look out the window, I could hardly believe my eyes. It was like something out of a movie. For as far as I could see, all kinds of trucks were snaking through the streets, surrounded by police cars with their lights flashing.

"Pretty wild, huh?" Startled, I looked over and realized that I wasn't alone. Chase Shaw was in the boardroom looking out another window.

"I wonder what's going on?" I asked him.

"I'm not sure. But I just got a text from Denny in security, telling anyone who's still in here not to try and leave building. By the looks of what's going on I'm not even sure it's safe to walk on the street, at least until the cops sort it out."

Just my luck. I could feel my shoulders sag, as I realized I'd have to call Marcel to let him know I wouldn't be coming -- probably in more ways than one. I looked over at Chase, hoping he had some answers, and there still might be a chance that I could meet him. "Did Denny mention how long we're supposed to wait in place?"

He shrugged. "Don't know. Could be all night. Doesn't look like they're going anywhere anytime soon, though."

I looked back out and realized he was right; traffic was at a standstill.

Dammit!

First date I've had in months, and this crazy thing had to happen, leaving me stranded at work.

Chase stepped back from the window, flashing me a teasing smile as he looked me up and down. "Wow! Looks like somebody's got a hot date lined up for tonight."

"More like somebody

had

a date, before I got stuck in here," I muttered more or less to myself.

Although, I had to admit, the thought of spending an evening stranded with Chase Shaw was something I'd only ever dreamed of. He was one good-looking guy, kind of a dead-ringer for Kevin Costner in his heyday. Same blondie hair, same bright blue eyes, and in amazing shape, too, especially for his age.

But I didn't I think stood a chance with a guy like him, and wasn't even sure if he was attached. Added to the fact that he was an Account Manager, where I was working my up, and was only an assistant. I didn't think he'd ever notice someone like me.

"So, I'm guessing you were going out for dinner?" he asked.

Feeling more than a little disappointed, I just nodded and told him, "Yeah, I had plans."

He shrugged. "Well, maybe I can scrounge around and find us something to eat."

Dinner really wasn't top of mind, when all I could think of was finally getting out and getting laid. Still, I just nodded, when he said, "Be right back," and went off to hunt us down some food.

While he was gone, I took another look outside and cringed, wondering what the hell the noise was now. Sounded like all the truckers had decided to blare their horn at once. It was so jarring, I just hoped someone would make them stop.

Digging my phone out of my purse, I had to step back from the window, just to hear myself think. Heaving a deflated sigh, I decided I'd better call my date, and let him know what was happening. "Marcel?"

"Hey, gorgeous. Where are you? I got us a table, and already ordered us some wine."

"Sorry, but it looks like I won't be able to make it. I'm stuck at work."

"Hey, you know I went out of my way to see you tonight. And I thought you said you were caught up enough to take the night off. Shit! Now what am I supposed to do. Go back to my hotel and twiddle my thumbs?"

Though I didn't appreciate his tone, I didn't want to start anything. "Well, something's going on downtown. The streets are full of trucks, and the police are surrounding the area. And we've been told to shelter in place. By the looks of it, we could be here all night."

I looked up and Chase was standing in the doorway with his hands full. "Sorry, Marcel. You go ahead and enjoy your dinner. And I guess... we'll catch up another time."

"Yeah, sure,"

he muttered, sounding annoyed, and I noticed, not even bothering to ask if I was in any danger.

Once I'd hung up, Chase nodded his head for me to follow him, saying as we went, "We should go to my office on the other side of the building. It might a little quieter, facing away from traffic."

Frustrated with the whole situation, I didn't argue. All I could think of was getting away from that horrible noise.

With his office door behind us, thankfully, it helped muffle the sound.

"I don't know what's going on out there, but I hope they're not planning on keeping it up all night," I said as he walked around his desk.

"We'll probably find out about in the morning. You're right though, they could be out there for a while."

"Terrific. And we'll probably be stuck in here having to listen to it till morning."

Chase shrugged. "How about I put on some music to try and tune it out?"

Nodding, I took the seat across from him at his desk, as he put everything down and went through his playlist on his phone.

Glancing around, I noticed his office was a lot bigger than mine, and even had room for a long leather couch. Though he didn't have a window, like I did, it was pretty spacious. He kept it tidy, too. Of course, he was so well-groomed, I imagined he'd be just as meticulous about his personal space.

Considering the noise going out there, I was actually glad he didn't have a window, or it would have been that much louder.

Then I looked up at him surprised, when the classic,

Something,

by the Beatles started playing on his phone.

We both smiled as they sang:

"Something in the way she moves

Attracts me like no other lover..."

I wondered if this was his way of flirting, trying to get us in the mood with a romantic song.

Flashing me a disarming smile, that made him look about ten years younger, he explained. "I got into the Beatles watching that new documentary, 'Get Back,' and kind of rediscovered them. But I can put on something else, if you're not into it."

"No, this is good. I've always loved this song." Smiling into his eyes, I sat back and lost myself in the beautiful lyrics.

Chase had a beige throw blanket tucked away beside his couch. Curious, I watched him roll it up tight, wondering what he was up to. I nodded, when he tucked it against the bottom of the door. "That should help," he said, jamming it into the crack.

Back at his desk, he opened a container, tipped it towards me and let me have a look. "This is a chef salad I got for lunch, that I didn't have time to eat. So, it's still pretty fresh."

Though it did look tasty loaded with veggies, shredded cheese, ham and cooked egg, I nodded and waited to see what else he'd found. Hoping to leave work at a decent hour, I'd worked right through lunch today, on the same ad campaign he'd been working on. Now I was getting pretty hungry, and hoped he'd found something more than just a salad for us to share.

The way he smiled, he looked pretty pleased with himself as he showed me that he'd also found us a box half-filled with some pretty scrumptious looking individually wrapped gourmet sandwiches. "I managed to score these in the kitchen off the main boardroom. Looks like one of the departments had a catered lunch today."

He playfully waggled his eyebrows, nodding at the pink and white stripe cake box, from one of the best bakeries in the city. "Lucky for us, I also found us something sweet. Not sure if you heard, it was Melanie the receptionist's birthday today. I didn't have time for a piece when she cut it, but she put it in the fridge, and said,

"If anybody wants it, go ahead and help yourselves."

"Said she was watching her weight and didn't want to bring it home." He showed me there was still half a cake left in the box. "Black Forest, and it looks pretty good. And I do love chocolate," he said with an adorably boyish grin.

Right on cue, my stomach started rumbling, and we both laughed. "Guess I shouldn't have skipped lunch today."

"Well that makes two of us, 'cause I'm starved."

I was also pleased to see that he'd gone to the trouble of finding us some real plates and cutlery, so at least we'd be dining in style. Best of all, he'd managed to score us a nice big bottle of chilled white wine along with some wine glasses, so we wouldn't have to drink out of plastic cups. I was so glad to have something to drink, considering how lousy my evening was turning out, that I didn't really care if he'd pinched it out of someone else's mini fridge or not.

After he'd poured us both a glass, and we had some food on our plates, Chase surprised me when he leaned across his desk and touched his glass to mine, and said with a grin, "To putting our guards down, even just for tonight."

I couldn't help it, our eyes met and we both started laughing, surprised that he knew that I'd always felt a more than little intimidated around him.

For a few minutes, while Paul McCartney's voice filled the air with the hauntingly beautiful,

"Black Bird,"

we ate in companionable silence, exchanging smiles as we enjoyed our meal and the classic simplicity of the song.

Chase cleared his throat, and I looked at over at him and waited to see what he'd say. "I know this wasn't exactly what you had planned for tonight. But at least we've got something to eat, a nice glass of wine, and some music."

He was right, and I knew he was doing his best to cheer me up. "Yeah, this is nice," I had to agree. "Thanks, Chase."

"The crab sandwiches are pretty good, too, huh?"

I nodded. "Yeah, they're delicious. And so's the roast beef with the spicy horseradish mayo."

He flashed me a grin. "You like things a little spicy, do you?"

Eyeing him coyly, I smiled back. "Oh, yeah, I can take a little heat."

I could clearly see the heat in his gaze as he slowly let his eyes roam over me.

When he wasn't in work mode, he seemed a lot more approachable, and definitely had my interest piqued. Now that I'd seen this other side of him, I couldn't help it, and I kept sneaking little peeks at him as we ate, deciding he really was a good-looking guy, and wasn't the tight ass I thought he was.

We seemed to be getting along, even laughing and joking a little. Especially when he told me that I had a dap of cream cheese on the end of my nose, then shocked me when got up, wiped it off with his finger, and licked it clean, making me roll my eyes and laugh.

Then his cell phone chimed.

The way his face lit up, when he looked at the call display, I could tell it was someone special. As he answered, he whispered to me, "Sorry, I've got take this."

He turned in his chair, so he wouldn't be facing me while he talked, but I could still hear the smile in his voice when he grinned and said, "How's my girl?"

I'd been wondering if he had anyone in his life, and now I knew. Oddly, not even sure why, I felt a little disappointed.

"You did? Well, good for you! Sounds like you had a good day, then, didn't you?" The way he gushed, had me wondering how immature she was, if he was praising her like that, over whatever it was she'd done. With his looks, I pictured him with some uber sexy, heavily endowed blonde, that was such a knockout he wouldn't give a shit if she were dumber than a bag of rocks.

Studying his profile as he talked with his lady friend, I imagined he had to be somewhere in his early forties, with the little laugh lines he had around his eyes. Which meant he probably had at least fifteen years on me. Not that it mattered, because as soon as we could, obviously, we'd both be getting out of here and heading home.

Chase leaned across the desk and offered me another sandwich, smiling from ear to ear as he listened to his lady love, no doubt, still babbling on about the wonderful day she'd had. After nodding my thanks, I plucked my phone out of my purse, and decided to check to see if I had any messages.

Noticing that my brother had texted, I thought I'd better call him back, considering what was going on out there. At least talking to Jimmy would keep me from listening in on Chase's call, and the way he was gushing.

Jimmy must have been waiting, since he picked up on the first ring.

"Hey, sis. I saw the news about the big bottleneck downtown. Thought it looked pretty close to your building, and wondered if you got home okay."

"Actually..." I grimaced, realizing I could still hear the noise, though it was a lot quieter back here away from the street. "I'm still at work. Security advised us to shelter in place, just in case."

"You're not there all by yourself, are you?"

I heard Chase end his call, murmuring, "I love you, too," as he hung up.

I looked over at him, shrugged and told my brother, "No, I'm with a friend."

When he heard that, Chase's face broke into a smile, and his expression softened.

"Well, I'm glad you're not on your own,"

Jimmy said, sounding a little worried.

"But I still don't like the idea of you being stuck down there."

Rolling my eyes, I muttered, "Yeah, that makes two of us."

I heard Chase's phone chime again. Curious, I kind of listened in while my brother was going on about how worried my mother would be if she knew where her daughter was. Mom was a born worrier, worried about everything under the sun, so I asked him not to tell her that I was stuck at my office, so she wouldn't be up all night, stressing over me.

"Hi!" Chase answered his phone, sounding excited again. "Yeah, I was hoping I could come see you tonight. I was really looking forward to it. Unfortunately, I'm kind of tied up at work." He nodded his head, smiling, as he listened to whatever she was saying. "I know, I really enjoy our time together, too." Then he laughed at something she said. "Well, you tell the other ladies that I wish I could be there, and I promise, I'll see you all soon. And I love you, too."

Holy smokes! I could feel my eyes pop. I assumed he was a player, with his looks and charm, he had it written all over him. But I never imagined he'd have an actual harem of women, who apparently didn't seem to mind getting busy with him in a group.

After I'd said goodbye to my brother, and both Chase and I had hung up, I guess assuming I'd been talking to Marcel, Chase remarked, "Guess your boyfriend's pretty disappointed about being stood up."

I wrinkled my nose thinking about Marcel, and how moody he could be, imagining he'd be royally pissed now that he was eating dinner on his own. "Actually, I wouldn't exactly call him a boyfriend. He's just a friend with um..." I smiled at him, wondering how to phrase it.

"Benefits?" he supplied, his eyes glinting with amusement.

I laughed and decided to tell him the truth, not like I had anything to hide. I really wasn't seeing anyone, at least not seriously. "Yeah, my friend and I only see each other every now and again. Being a commercial pilot, he travels a lot. I haven't seen him months. And I don't have to tell you, working in a place like this, I work late so often, it's not even worth trying to have a relationship."

Nodding his head, looking like he was mulling that over, Chase reached across the desk to top up my wine, drawing my attention to his hands. Never having been close enough to notice how strong and firm they looked, with little blond hairs on the back of his knuckles, I could just imagine how they might tickle, depending on how he used them of course, and where.

"I hear you," he said, drawing me back to where we were, as he shrugged, looking around his office. "The crazy hours we work in here makes it almost impossible to have a social life, much less any kind of love life."

I had to fight to keep a straight face, knowing that somehow, at least from what I'd heard, he managed to keep a few women in his life pretty happy from the sounds of it, especially since he'd told them all that he loved them. Though, I wasn't about to bring up the fact that I'd been listening in on his conversations with his posse of lady friends.

Not sure why, I just couldn't stop focusing on his hands, as he leaned back in his chair, and folded them over his muscular abs. As my mind wandered off, I felt a little shiver go through me, imagining how good it would feel if he were to run those long, lean fingers all over my body, starting with my tingling breasts, of course.

I realized then, I had to be pretty desperate to be fantasizing about getting it on with a playboy like Chase.

"Probably why so many people hook up in here," he remarked, breaking into my thoughts, while I was busy imagining what he'd look like out of his clothes. Judging by the way he wore his perfectly-tailored suit, I'd bet he'd look like a million bucks.

My head snapped up when it dawned on me what he was saying, and I wondered if I'd heard him right. "Are you kidding, people actually fool around in here?"

Smirking, he nodded. "Yeah, believe it or not, they do. I know of at least four of our co-workers who've uh... gotten busy with each other after hours. One night, a few weeks back, I even caught two of them in the act in the boardroom. Luckily, they were going at it pretty hard, and didn't notice me walk in, so I just backed out and left as quietly as I could."

Ew.

That was something I'd rather not think about, especially being the youngest one in the office, at twenty-five. I couldn't imagine people like Maureen and Ed in Accounting going to town on each other, considering the fact that they were nearly old enough to be my grandparents. Though, come to think of it, they did stay late most nights, and seemed awfully friendly with each other...

Then my eyes flared and I gasped as an even more unsettling thought hit me. "Please don't tell me Bruce is one of them."

Chase threw back his head and laughed, obviously finding that notion pretty funny. When he finally pulled himself together, he said, "Our boss? You gotta to be kidding. No way. I don't think he even got it on with his wife, which is probably why they split up."

"Oh, I didn't know they'd split. I met her wife at the Christmas party, and thought she had a terrific sense of humor. We had a lot of fun together, and laughed all night."