A Dangerous Affair Chapter 62

The office are wondering about Stephanie and Tom

Much to Stephanie’s dismay, Brick read them the riot act in his office about taking too many chances and jeopardizing both his job and the newspaper with their over ambitious reporting. Stephanie was unsure whether that had meant that she should give up on her attempts at writing the report, which at last she was able to do; did he have no faith in her whatsoever? She would bide her time and approach him about it later when he had come to terms with the obvious hard time that her father had given him after the shooting incident.

Stephanie and Tom emerged back into the main office sheepishly to rejoin in the celebrations; well at least Stephanie was sheepish, Tom seemed his usual casual self and oblivious to the implications of Bricks words. He sat down at the side of her desk and grinned to himself as he glanced around the office. Then, dipping down underneath the desk, he appeared seconds later with a bottle in hand and leant over to Stephanie's desk to pour a little more wine into her glass. She looked up at him and he put a finger to his lips.

“Don’t tell anyone one. I stashed this away just for us,” he winked, hiding the bottle under the table.

She laughed; she couldn’t help it, he was so brazen!

He held up his glass to clink with her and she was forced to reach across the gap to clink back. His eyes instinctively moved to the gaping front of her blouse and hovered with fascination on the lacy edges of her bra that he could just see and the creamy curves exposed above it. He was suddenly back in her bed with her on the occasions that he could remember her allowing it, pressed againt those same curves. He tried desperately to put the two together, the feel and the sight of her, but his imagination failed him.

Stephanie’s eyes rose to Tom’s face and she sprung back suddenly when she saw the direction of his gaze.

“Tom! You could at least try to keep your eyes on my face!” she said, raising a hand to cover the front of her blouse.

He grimaced. Caught out. He leant forward and spoke in a hushed voice. “I can’t help it. You’re too much temptation. I’ve slept in your bed for god sake. I’ve had you underneath me, I’ve felt…” He was getting more aroused the more he spoke.

“Tom, shhh.”

“Give me a break here Stephie,” he appealed, looking crestfallen.

She felt suddenly sorry for him considering the look of disappointment on his face. The stupid thing was that she loved the attention she was getting from him, she just didn’t want everyone else to see it! She leant closer to him to speak, her face inches from his.

“Calm down. I just don’t want the whole office to hear.”

He wasn’t entirely listening. His eyes were all over her face, sending electric sparks into her eyes. The corners of her mouth twitched as she tried not to smile. His eyes dipped and he was looking lower again. A spurt of laughter slipped out of her and she slapped him on the arm, moving back into her seat. Why on earth was she behaving like this? He was still Tom after all. Tom the office flirt, Tom the guy who she had always avoided like the plague. Tom the guy who had excited her more than any man ever had, Tom the guy who had saved her life over and over....no! She had to calm down...stop this he was still Tom! However...

Their eyes were still on each other when they both picked up their glasses to take a sip of their drinks. Then they looked up to scan the office but both froze when they were met with a dozen or so eyes looking directly at them. Stephanie tensed when Barker approached them, closely followed by Bob and the looks of intrigue from the rest of the group.

“Are you holding out on us there Tom?” Barker asked.

Tom grinned. “Nothing to tell yet. I’m still working on her.”

Stephanie’s eyes widened. “Err, I think he was talking about the wine Tom!”

Tom looked a little shocked. “Oh.” He smiled and shrugged.

Stephanie was mortified by the giggles and whispers amongst the group.

“So you’re not dating Tom then?” Bob asked Stephanie.

Tom observed the look on Bob’s face and for once he actually felt quite sorry for him. One thing was for certain; Bob didn’t stand a cat in hell’s chance with her!

“Err…” Stephanie suddenly realised that she didn’t know how to answer that question.

“That’s classified information Bob. Did you want something?” Tom said, coming to her rescue.

Bob was always a little nervous when Tom spoke to him in that tone so he changed the conversation. “You two coming to my birthday bash tonight? You’re both invited.”

“Yes, if we aren’t working. You want to go?” he asked Stephanie, deliberately making a point of indicating to everyone that if they went, it would be together.

She gave a nonchalant nod.

“We’ll come if we can,” he summed up.

Bob looked pleased and walked away. Barker watched Bob go and then moved closer to Tom. “Psst, fill us up will you?” he said, nudging Tom with an empty glass in his hand.

Tom sighed but poured some wine into Barker’s glass. “That’s all you’re getting.”

Barker took his wine back to his desk with a smug look on his face.

Tom looked at Stephanie thoughtfully for the next couple of minutes while she pretended to show an interest in some papers on her desk. He suddenly laughed out of the blue and she looked up.

“They’re just dying to know if we’re…well, you know.”

“Hmm.” Her response was noncommittal.

“If we’re dating and…” He didn’t know how to put it. “Well, if we’re doing other stuff.” Her eyes flicked up to his. “Or if it’s on the horizon,” he finished, fishing for a response. She took in a breath as if to speak but then changed her mind and turned her attention back to the papers. He shifted awkwardly in his chair. “So is it?” he asked suddenly.

“Is it what?”

“On the horizon.” He was waiting on a knife’s edge.

Stephanie looked decidedly uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation. “I…err…On the horizon?” she eventually came out with, stalling having to answer him.

He watched the colour of her face deepen slightly and he began to smile. “Yeah, on the horizon, imminent, on the cards?” he pushed.

She hadn’t expected him to ask and she had no idea how to respond. Racking her brains for a witty reply wasn’t working either yet he was sitting there watching her with that grin, waiting for an answer. She looked down again at the papers but she was painfully aware that he knew she was paying way too much attention to them. He gave a small laugh.

“Stephie,” he called. She ignored him and blushed even deeper.

What was wrong with her? She was acting like a bloody twelve-year-old schoolgirl!

He grinned and pushed his face closer to hers. “Hello,” he called again.

She moved her face away from his to study a file further to her left. He moved his face in line with hers, forcing her to look at him.

She cracked. “Stop it!” she laughed, blushing furiously now and pushing him away.

He was grinning from ear to ear. “Well, well, well,” he said, putting his hands behind his neck and leaning back in his seat to observe her further. “The lady blushes once more. Now I wonder what that means,” he said, knowing full well what it meant and making Stephanie painfully aware of it. How the hell was she going to reply to that?

She glared at him.

“Tom, Stephanie,” Brick interrupted, watching their interaction with warily. He’d have to keep a firm eye on them! “Time to discuss the next top story,” he emphasised.

Thank god for that!

Stephanie was relieved for the moment but she didn’t miss Brick’s emphasis on ‘next’ as far as stories were concerned.

She rose out of her chair and Tom followed her, whispering as they went,

“Ooooh, saved by the boss eh.”