Claimed By My Boss

Chapter 2

I avert my eyes, taking another large sip of my wine. I pretend I'm engrossed in the boring crowd, scared to glance his way again. But curiosity gets the better of me and I drag my eyes back to the railing above. Except he's not there anymore. Only the ladies remain, looking a lot sadder and much less animated than before. I breathe a sigh of relief, my shoulders visibly dropping. Forgetting the crowd and not bothering to socialise, I turn back to the bar and perch myself on a high stool. I will remain here until I've had my fill of wine and then I'll leave.

"Whiskey on the rocks," I hear the demand to my left.

Oh f**k! I know that grumpy, raspy voice. Play it cool, he's nothing but a miserable sod, who cares if he's mad at me, anyway? Taking another sip of my wine for courage, I turn towards him, planning on wishing him a Merry Christmas as my mother suggested. I immediately lock onto his dark eyes. They were already staring in my direction. But as I open my mouth to speak, my stool is spun in the opposite direction. I almost yelp at the surprise, reaching out for the bar to balance myself.

"Sophia!"

"Surprise!" She holds out her arms and I dive into them.

"Thank God you're here! I thought you couldn't make it?"

"Found a new babysitter, girl. So, how many drinks am I playing catch up on?" She asks excitedly.

"Only one, well two if you count the one I had at home."

"Well I had two at home, so I guess we're even then." She winks. "Oh, hey, Mr Kline, Happy Christmas."

I look over my shoulders and see him nod his response before walking away with his whiskey. His eyes find me once more before he disappears into the crowd.

"I'll get him to smile some day, I swear!"

Sophia has never cared about how grumpy Elijah is. She's always cracking jokes with him. Knowing that she will get absolutely nothing in response doesn't deter her. In fact, I think it eggs her on more. Almost as if she enjoys making him uncomfortable. Come to think about it, she's a genius.

"I'm not sure he's capable of smiling," I reply. "He's been frowning since I got here."

"Been frowning since he was born, girl. But as the mother of triplet boys, Mr Kline seems like a fluffy kitten."

I laugh at my friend's comment. Her boys are eight years old and totally crazy little balls of pure energy. I honestly don't know how she handles it as a single mother. She's superwoman in my eyes. She never complains and is always working on making other people smile. She orders herself a wine and another for me, and drops into the stool beside me. Having her here makes me forget where I actually am and I start relaxing, allowing myself to have fun. We talk for what feels like hours, I lost track of our wine count. I excuse myself to go to the bathroom, Sophia opting to stay and keep our spot at the bar. Smart move.

Feeling a little more merry, I actually talk to some people as I travel to the other side of the room. They don't seem so intolerable when I'm half drunk. I stop in my tracks just before I reach the restroom. Elijah is perched against the wall. Those eyes seeming to gaze into my soul. It must be the wine, but I gather myself and blurt out, "Merry Christmas, Sir," with a cheesy grin. I'm taking a page from Sophia's book.

It's only when I'm almost through the door that I hear him reply, "Merry Christmas, Grace." That didn't sound half as miserable as usual. That whiskey must be working the same magic as my wine.

I realise, only when I'm in the restroom alone, just how tipsy I already am. I giggle to myself. After washing my hands, I fix my lipstick in the mirror, kissing the glass to leave my mark. I laugh some more to myself as I leave. A hand is on my wrist just then. I swallow the last giggle that was trying to escape when I see that it's Elijah touching me. Elijah is touching me. I look down at his large hand. It's firm but gentle on my delicate wrist. I look back up to his face and he looks...nothing. Stoic. Lost in thought.

"Umm..." I try to free myself.

"Aren't you cold, Grace?" He grumbles.

"No."

"It's snowing outside." His brows furrow as if he genuinely thinks I didn't know that.

"Well, I'm inside." I pull my wrist away from him forcefully.

"Look after yourself, Grace," he says after me as I walk back to the bar.

What the hell? I don't bother to respond. Further proves my point that he is weird. I rub my wrist. It doesn't hurt, but it's as if I can still feel his touch on my skin. I dare to look back over my shoulder and see that he is watching me still.

"I got us some shots!" Sophia announces happily upon my return.

"Brilliant! Here's to us, and here's to hoping that we don't end up like everyone else here!" I say that last part loudly, holding in a laugh.

We knock back our shots and I enjoy the burn in my throat. My weird encounter with Elijah is already forgotten. Sophia grabs my hand and pulls me from my stool. "Let's dance!" I don't argue. The music isn't too bad, I guess. I do have the ability to dance to any song that's playing though. For a long while, we let our hair down, we let loose. We are the only people dancing, but we don't care. Some watch and smile, others stare in disbelief, and I did notice Elijah glaring too. f**k him though. f**k them all. This is what having fun looks like.

Only when my feet are on fire and I'm actually sweating do I stop. I feel dizzy now. Wine and dancing.

"I need some air!" I shout.

"I need to pee!" Sophia replies just as the song ends, earning her a few laughs from the crowd.

She wiggles over to the restroom and I scan the perimeter for some doors to an outdoor area. I see some people coming inside from down at the back of the hall. The cold air outside is glorious on my hot skin. I lean against the cold brick of the building and sigh. There is a cover, thankfully, but I can see that it is still snowing. The outdoor area is covered with holly and fairy lights and mini Christmas trees. Maybe I do love Christmas. If only for the aesthetic. I lean my head back and close my eyes.

"Did you enjoy yourself in there?"

I jump at the voice. I didn't hear the door opening, didn't hear any footsteps.

"Elijah, you scared me."

"Did you have fun?" He asks again, demanding.

"Did it look like I was having fun?"

"Perhaps too much."

"Is there really such a thing?" I roll my eyes discreetly. I'm sure too much fun exists for him.

"That depends," he states simply. "On who is watching." He adds when I don't respond.

"Dance like nobody is watching. Haven't you heard that one?" I move to go back inside, but he grabs my wrist again. There goes that buzzing sensation. I barely register when he pins me back against the wall and pushes himself against me. I have no time to stop him or react at all when he slams his lips onto mine. My mind tells me to push him away, to object, but my body...my body receives him. It buzzes and sings as his tongue grazes my lips. My legs wobble. I almost whimper when he pulls away from me. I suddenly feel the cold.

"You really shouldn't drink so quickly, Grace."

He disappears back inside before I can say a word. I stand wide-mouthed for some time trying my best to make sense of what has just happened. Elijah wishing me a merry Christmas was out of character for him. But this... this is pure alien. He must be drunk, has to be. I roll my eyes once more, suddenly realising that work is going to be even more agonizing than usual. At least I'm not the one who forced myself onto him. I go back inside to find Sophia. I've had enough of this party now. I see her talking to Bernard, probably the oldest old fart here. Though she does seem to be having a good laugh.

"Grace, there you are. You know Bernie, right." She says.

"Sure, hi, Bernard."

"Grace. A very Merry Christmas to you and yours this year. I was just saying to Sophia here how dazzling you girls looked on the dance floor.” He places his hand on my back and I immediately shrug it off.

"Mm-Hmm. Look, Soph, I think I'm going to head home."

"What, already? It's only 11 o' clock!"

"I know, but I'm feeling tired all of a sudden," I drawl.

I am tired, but mostly, I just want to get out of here now and pretend that little kiss never happened. I can't tell Sophia about what just happened. As much as I love her, she is too much of a chatter box to keep a secret.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, if I could have your attention please..." a strong voice announces into a microphone.

The three of us turn to the voice and see Elijah commanding the room. So much for getting away quickly.