Page 67 of One Midnight Kiss

He quickly told me where they were meeting. I walked into my office, both looking forward to the drinks with friends and dreading it. It meant I would have to pretend to be happy and thrilled to be hanging out with them. That was the part I wasn’t looking forward to. But it was better than sitting alone. The proverbial double-edged sword.

I didn’t bother going home to change before going to the meet everyone. It was on the top floor of our building. That was why it was so convenient. The rooftop bar was decked out in festive decorations: twinkling lights, garlands, and a massive Christmas tree that dominated the corner.

I found Aaron and the group gathered around a high table, with drinks in front of them. As I approached, Mary spotted me first, her hand shooting up in the air in greeting. “Natalia! Over here!”

The group made room for me, passing down a glass of something amber-colored—whiskey, maybe? I took it, nodding my thanks as I settled into the small gap they had left for me. The conversation was light, filled with the usual office gossip and plans for the holiday season.

When the waitress came by to get our orders for the next round, I switched to red wine. I was barely paying attention to the conversations around me. Instead, I absently scrolled through my phone, clicking on news articles about car accidents and plane crashes. What if something had happened to Fox? I knew it was dark, but I couldn’t stop myself.

I was so lost in my own head that I didn’t notice Aaron slide into the seat next to me until he cleared his throat. “You’re awfully quiet tonight,” he observed with an insufferable smirk on his face.

“Just tired. We’ve all been running full steam ahead.”

He leaned closer. “I know your secret.” He said it in a whisper so only I heard him.

I stiffened, glancing at him. “Excuse me?”

Aaron’s smirk widened. He obviously had too much to drink, his breath heavy with the scent of liquor. It disgusted me but I managed to keep from curling my lip in disgust.

He pulled out his phone and showed me the screen. My stomach dropped. It was an old profile of mine from a hookup app I hadn’t used in years. The profile picture was from college. I knew the photo very well. The original photo was me and Christa, but I cropped it so it was just my face.

“How did you get this?” I hissed, panic bubbling up inside me.

He shrugged, looking far too pleased with himself. “I have my ways. You’re not as careful as you think, Natalia.”

I wanted to snatch the phone out of his hand, but I forced myself to stay calm. “What do you want?”

Aaron chuckled, leaning back in his chair. “Come on, Natalia. We’ve known each other for years. I’m just curious about those preferences you listed.” His gaze was predatory, raking over me in a way that made my skin crawl. “I’m sure we could have a lot of fun together.”

“I’m engaged,” I snapped.

He laughed outright. “Engaged? Please. You’re as engaged as I am. I’ve heard people talking in Fox’s office. It’s all a marketing sham, isn’t it? A little publicity stunt. He really should get his people to sign NDAs.”

My pulse raced, a mix of fear and fury. He was holding this over my head because he was a jealous prick. I got it. I was younger than him and Dave passed him over and gave me the Marketing Director position. Aaron was bitter about it, and about the fact that his charms didn’t ever work on me. He’d been making passes at me since I first stepped foot into the firm.

“Delete that picture,” I demanded.

Aaron just grinned. “You know, if word got out about this little arrangement of yours, it would ruin Fox’s reputation. Clients wouldn’t trust someone leveraging his personal life for business. And you? Well, you’d lose all credibility. It would be a shame.”

I snatched the phone and quickly realized it was a screenshot from the website. I deleted the picture before he could pull it back. He glared at me before breaking into an evil smile. “You’re such a stuck-up bitch at work. I always thought you were a prude, but after seeing that list of kinks, I can see I was wrong.”

I stepped closer, lowering my voice so only he could hear. “Listen to me, Aaron. If you ever get into my personal business again, I will ruin your life. You won’t just lose your job—you’ll never work in this industry again.”

He was drunk, literally and metaphorically. He thought he had power over me. I supposed he did. For the moment.

He scoffed, but I saw the flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. “You’re bluffing.”

“Try me,” I said, turning on my heel and leaving the bar.

I was shaking as I made my way to the elevator. When I stepped outside, I saw it was snowing a little. I would have thought it was pretty if I wasn’t in such a shitty mood. I should’ve gone to the parking garage to get my car, but I couldn’t face the enclosed space right then. I needed air. I needed to walk and burn off some energy.

I ended up walking down the street, my heels clicking against the pavement. I didn’t know where I was going until I found myself standing in front of Fox’s apartment building. He had given me his address after we decided to go through with the fake engagement, just in case. I never thought I would actually want his address or need it.

But here I was.

My heart hammered in my chest as I knocked on his penthouse door. What was I even doing here?

The door opened, and there he was. Fox was dressed in an old Stanford shirt and light gray sweatpants, his hair mussed like he’d been lying on the couch. He leaned against the doorframe, studying me with a raised eyebrow. “Natalia? What are you doing here?”

“I need your help,” I blurted out before I could stop myself.