AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m very hygienic,” I said, handing over the shorts and shirt.
“Turn around. And if you peek, I swear to God I’ll make sure today is your last day here.”
Honestly, I’d probably take that trade any day of the week. But I guess Adrian did have a point when he said Mrs. Glass could potentially get us thrown in jail. That meant I had to take this operation somewhat seriously. I turned around, folding my arms.
I strained every muscle I could in my ears to listen to the sound of Elizabeth taking off her clothes. There were a few little swishes of fabric, the sound of her heels clicking around as she maneuvered out of her outfit, and some grunts of effort.
“Want me to help?” I asked over my shoulder.
“No,” she said quickly. “Don’t turn around.”
“Are you naked right now?” I asked.
“Don’t ask me that. And normal people don’t go commando, so no.”
“Bra and panties, then. Are you a thong type of girl? Hmm,” I mused aloud, tapping my chin. “I think you are.”
“Shut up.”
I heard some more movement, and eventually she went silent. “I can’t wear this. I look ridiculous.”
I turned around and saw my t-shirt and shorts looked enormous on her. Elizabeth might’ve been five feet eight inches on a good day. My shirt draped off her shoulders and the hem came down almost to her knees. The shorts were halfway down her calves.
I laughed.
She reached down like she was about to yank the shirt off in frustration but seemed to realize how unwise that would be and settled for folding her arms.
“Here,” I said, moving to her side. I pulled the shorts up so the waistband was above her belly button, then fished a hair band out of my pocket and tied the slack off.
“Why do you have a hairband in your pocket?”
“I think you’ll like me more if I don’t answer that.”
“Watch it,” she warned when my fingers brushed the soft skin of her stomach as I pulled the shirt up and tucked it in.
I took a step back from her, taking in the sight. She still looked ridiculous, but maybe if she really tried to own the look and walk with a little confidence…
“Well?” she asked. She lifted her arms and let them flop to her sides. Her cheeks were red, and I wondered if it was the embarrassment or the annoyance this time.
“You look like a beautiful woman wearing a man’s undershirt and shorts. You also smell like coffee.”
She jutted her lower jaw out like she was about to punch me or strangle me.
I held up a finger. “But if I create a subtle distraction, I’m sure you’ll be able to get to your office without being seen. Then all you’ve got to do is stay put until I get back with the dry cleaning. Sound like a plan?”
I grabbed a bag of popcorn and set it in the microwave, then turned the timer to twenty-five minutes.”
“You have a way of making even the dumbest options feel like the only option.”
“Thank you.” I pressed my palm to my chest, genuinely touched by the kind words.
“That wasn’t supposed to be a compliment. Nevermind. And what are you doing making popcorn? I don’t have all day.”
“Trust the process,” I said.
“Fine. Just get on with your subtle distraction.”
“Got it,” I said. I gave the air a few sniffs. Not quite there yet, but it’d have to do. I unlocked the door, walked out, and promptly yelled “Fire in the break room!”
13
ELIZABETH
Ever since the disaster last week, I’d dramatically increased my anti-Travis precautions. I avoided the break room entirely now. I didn’t even walk through the half of the office where his little closet was. And yes, I had HR convert a janitorial closet to an office because I claimed Travis had anxiety issues and needed a calming, closed-in space. He wasn’t the only one with dirty tricks up his sleeve.
There were a few close calls. I nearly got trapped in an elevator with him once but managed to get the doors to close before he could rush inside with me. The other night he’d almost caught me on the way out of the bathrooms, but I was saved when Addie rushed up and tried to hug him from behind.
I ignored the irrational jealousy I felt when I saw her fawning over him. The truth was that Travis’ addition to the office started like a small brush fire and was quickly growing to wildfire proportions. There wasn’t a woman in the building who didn’t gossip about the man. Worse, nobody gossiped to me about anything, so the fact that I was hearing as much as I was meant it was widespread.
Even the men seemed to be competing for his approval. He’d show up to the office, disappear in his little closet, and occasionally emerge to charm and weasel his way into the hearts of every last person on the staff. It wasn’t unusual for me to have to hide in my office for half an hour because he was making his way around the office floor, leaning over computers, telling jokes, or tapping on someone’s keyboard.
