Undersold(19)

12.


I didn’t see Shane much for the next few days. We still had to work together on my project, but it was mostly through email and IM. During the two very brief one on one meetings we had, we met in an open office with glass doors, and things were tense but professional between us. We didn’t talk about our relationship.

After that dinner, I spent all night thinking about him. I read and reread his texts, over and over, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was embarrassed of me. It was the way he was so insistent about not being seen with me in public. Maybe I misinterpreted what he had said, but it was how I felt. I know he said it was for my own protection, but I could make my own decisions. I was an adult now. Plus, why would a man like him, who could have anyone he wanted, break his rules for someone like me?

It didn’t make any sense. I could feel myself starting to convince myself that he was seeing other women, and I didn’t know how I felt about that. Well, I did know, and I was jealous. But I didn’t own him, and we weren’t exclusive, so what could I do? If he wanted to see other people, and was ashamed of me, then I’d have to back off.

Despite my reservations, I still looked forward to every conversation, even if it was about work. We had chemistry and neither of us could deny it, which actually made working together easy. He often finished my sentences, and I was predicting what he would want next and doing it before he even had to ask. Tension aside, he was by far the easiest person to work with I had ever met.

“Been seeing a lot of Mr. Green, haven’t you?” Linda poked her head around our partition and made me jump. I don’t know why I was on edge, and I hadn’t gotten used to the open office vibe yet.

“Ah, yeah, well, it’s because I’m a new project.”

Linda gave me a knowing look. “Yeah, sure. He doesn’t actually give this much attention to new hires, you know. A meeting here and there, that’s usually it.”

That made me pause. Was it true? “He told me he does this for every new person.”

Linda made a face. “Well, he does. Sortof. He usually checks in once a week. You two are meeting almost every day.”

It was a little strange that he wanted to devote so much time to such a small part of his company. I was the only person working on and developing my app so far, and in the grand scheme of things it was almost nothing. And yet he never acted like it was something strange. There was a tension between us, but he kept everything strictly professional, at least ever since our date. He was commanding and serious, but never strayed into inappropriate territory, no matter how much I wanted him to.

I gave Linda a shrug. “I guess he really believes in the app.”

“Could be it. Or maybe he just really believes in you.”

“Oh stop. I’m just a small part of his company, programming away.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, Amy. You’re a catch. I could see him being into you.”

“Really? You actually think that?” I realized I sounded too eager.

“Oh somebody’s interested.” Linda laughed. “You are cute, but who knows what his type is. He could be into mutant frogs for all I know.”

I laughed. “I doubt it’s mutant frogs. Maybe flying squirrels.”

Linda grinned. “That’s the spirit. Trying to guess Mr. Green’s sexual habits is something of a game for us ladies of the office.”

“Seems like a pretty fun game to me.” Although, I had an unfair advantage stored in my phone’s text messages.

“Alright, back to the salt mine for me. Goodbyeeee....” She drew out the ‘e’ as she was wheeled back to her side.

“Good one,” I said.

“Thank you!” she replied.

Speculating about Shane’s sex life may have been a game for everyone else, but it was like a full time job for me.

As I found myself daydreaming about his strong, broad chest again, my desk phone rang.

“Hello, Amy Woodall.”

“Hi Amy, it’s Janice. How are you?” My heart skipped a beat. A call from Janice usually meant Shane wanted something.

“I’m good, just working hard. What’s up?”

“Mr. Green would like to see you in a few minutes. No rush. Bring your things.”

“Should I come now?”

“Sure, if you’re available this second. He has the next hour free and wants to look over your project.”

“Okay, sounds good. I’ll be there soon.”

He wanted to see me in his office. I hadn’t been there since....well, since he pulled off my panties and gave me the best orgasm of my life.

I saved my work, closed my laptop, and hurried over to his office. My heart was beating hard, and I had to remind myself that we were only coworkers. More than that, he was my boss, and the owner of the company. I couldn’t get my hopes up.