About Last Night

Elliot

I sat in my office, staring blankly at the untouched pile of paperwork in front of me. For the first time in years, I couldn’t focus. The numbers blurred together, and the graphs looked like meaningless squiggles. All I could think about was Susan.

Her laugh. The way her lips felt against mine. The softness of her skin. The way she whispered my name last night, with a mix of hesitation and desire that drove me insane.

I leaned back in my chair, running a hand through my hair as fragments of the night played over and over in my head like a broken record.

It had started innocently enough...a boss and his subordinate sharing a drink. But by the end of the night, we had crossed a line I wasn’t sure we could come back from. And honestly? I wasn’t even sure I wanted to.

Last night, I saw a side of Susan she kept hidden so well...a vulnerable, unguarded version of herself. She let me in, even if just for a few hours. And now, I couldn’t shake the feeling of wanting more.

The sound of her laughter echoed in my mind as I thought about how she teased me over that third glass of wine. She had this way of looking at me, challenging me with those sharp eyes, yet there was something softer underneath. Something that pulled me closer despite all the reasons I knew I should stay away.

And then there was the way she surrendered herself to me. That moment when all her walls came crumbling down, leaving nothing between us but raw emotion and aching desire.

I rubbed the back of my neck, heat creeping up my face. I needed to pull it together. She was probably in her office now, thinking about ways to act like nothing had happened, pretending she wasn’t feeling the same tug in her chest that I was.

A knock on my door broke my train of thought. Gerald poked his head in, holding a folder.

“You look like hell,” he said with a grin. “Late night?”

“Something like that,” I muttered, taking the folder from him and flipping it open.

Gerald smirked knowingly. “Must’ve been a good one. You’re smiling like a fool.”

I glared at him, trying to mask the grin I hadn’t realized was on my face. “Focus, Gerald. What do you need?”

He shrugged but didn’t push further. As soon as he left, my thoughts drifted back to Susan.

I couldn’t help but wonder how she was handling everything. Was she regretting it? Did she wake up this morning wishing last night hadn’t happened?

The thought twisted in my chest. I didn’t want her to regret it. Sure, it was impulsive and reckless, but it also felt right...like something that was supposed to happen.

But I knew Susan. She was guarded for a reason, and last night likely terrified her. She had let me into a part of her world she didn’t share with anyone, after ten years and that was no small thing.

I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my desk. No matter how this played out, I knew one thing for certain: I wasn’t going to let her shut me out. Not after last night.

Last night was more than just physical. It was a connection...a crack in her armor that let me see the woman underneath all the walls and sharp edges. And now that I’d seen her, I wasn’t sure I could go back to pretending I didn’t want her.

I don't need my thirty-days plan on winning her anymore, I've gotten her where I want her.

I stood up, pacing the room as a plan began forming in my mind. I wasn’t going to push her...not yet. But I also wasn’t going to let her pretend last night meant nothing.

One way or another, I was going to show Susan Hart that I wasn’t afraid of her walls, her doubts, or her fears. If she thought I was going to let her run, she was in for a surprise.

Because last night wasn’t the end...it was just the beginning.