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They could see the door to the third floor and were about to reach it, when the handle was pushed down by someone on the other side and they both halted their step, staring as the door began to swing open.
Chapter 12 - Anna
The door swung towards them, and Zeke moved her to the side, pressing her against the wall behind it as whoever had opened it moved through it, heading down the stairs without a single look back. The door silently slipped closed, shutting with a soft click. Zeke remained where he was, their breaths mingling as their mouths hovered less than an inch apart. It was like a drug, his closeness. She was already addicted to it.
Her whole body was trembling, but she didn’t think he could feel it. His scent was all over her, the hardness of him like an imprint on her hand. She was aching for more, mind ablaze with want, but there was a voice of reason amongst all the urges that said they couldn’t forego this opportunity.
His idea had proven sound. They couldn’t afford to squander it.
“Let’s go,” she whispered.
He nudged her nose with his, getting a smile out of her before he did as she’d suggested, opening the door, walking through it ahead of her, holding it open. She followed.
The third floor wasn’t as elaborate as the ground floor, but it still spilled its wealth with little abandon. The paint on the walls probably cost more than Anna would make in a year working at the city aquarium, and if she knew this kind of people—which she did—they most likely had the hallways repainted once a year to boot. She felt disgusted by the waste, but they weren’t there to judge.
They moved down the broad corridor, tables with fresh flowers in vases placed at even intervals and between every new set of doors, most of them leading to bedrooms or day rooms.
“Who needs this much space?” Zeke asked, taking her thoughts right out of her head.
“It’s crazy,” she agreed, their eyes meeting, their mouths two breaths from crashing together again when they both got a hold of themselves. “Where do you think he’d have his office?”
“Probably somewhere he might have a private entrance and exit.”
She nodded. “Like a separate staircase? Wasn’t there a turret on the east wing?”
“Leading straight to the garage out back,” Zeke filled in.
Their eyes widened.
The east wing was somewhere beyond whatever corridor they were in, so they hurried their step down it, unsurprised when it suddenly turned sharply to the right. They were on the right track and their shared excitement made them both chuckle, keeping quiet as there was a new sense of purpose in their steps. Every time the corridor took a new turn, they slowed their step, pressed themselves to the wall and listened for any noises. There were none. Everything was eerily quiet. So quiet it was easy to forget, should they be discovered, they could be in serious danger.
Anna felt worry like something sticky begin to cling to her insides at the thought of anything happening to him.
“Excuse me,” a voice said behind them. “What’re you two doing up here?”
“Oh, my God,” Anna said, putting her forehead against the wall, adding to Zeke, “I told you.”
She laced her tone with aggravation, hoping he’d take the hint.
He did.
“Yeah, yeah, you told me. You’re a genius,” he shook his head.
They both turned to the guard, his weapon on full display, his dislike of even having to confront them displayed in the frown he was wearing.
“I told him we’d get caught,” she said. “He insisted we go up here anyway. Find a room or whatever.”
“Or whatever? Two minutes ago you were ready to give me a hand job in the staff corridor!”
She almost drew her hand back and slapped him for that, but instead fisted her hands at her sides, channeling her anger into her eyes instead. She hoped they were blazing with the insult, hoped they were enough to distract the guard from asking any harder questions.
“How dare you?” she exclaimed. “You put my hand there.”
“You wanted your hand there.”
The guard finally cleared his throat. It was working. He was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the topic.
“I did not!” she raised her voice a few more notches.
