Harper nodded again. "Right, I never knew I could feel like this. So, alive and distracted." She bit her lower lip seductively. Oliver's blue eyes followed the movement of her teeth against her lip, a visible reaction tightening his jaw. The casual atmosphere of the sandwich shop suddenly felt charged with unspoken tension. "Alive and distracted," he echoed softly, his thumb pressing more firmly against the back of her hand under the table. "That describes exactly how I have felt every time you walk into my office wearing one of those pencil skirts that drives me crazy." He leaned forward slightly, lowing his voice so only you could hear over the restaurant's ambient noise. "I have been telling myself to focus on quarterly reports and supply chair logistics, but all I can think about is what colour panties you are wearing underneath." The confession came out rougher than intended, betraying the control he usually maintained over his own desire. He ran a hand through his messy black hair in frustration with himself. "This is ridiculous," he muttered mostly to himself before meeting Harpers blue green eyes again with renewed determination.
"It is like we are possessed by horny teenagers," Harper said with a soft laugh. "Which is so ironic because I was never a horny teenager." Oliver's lips twitched upward at her comparison, a low chuckle rumbling in his chest. "Possessed by horny teenagers?" he repeated. "That is an accurate description of how my brain has been functioning since you started working for me." He released her hand under the table only to lean across the table instead, propping his forearms on either side of his plate. "I was a late bloomer anyway," he admitted with a wry smile. "Spent most of high school buried in textbooks while other guys were figuring out how to talk to girls. Guess I am making up for lost time." His gaze dropped briefly to her mouth before meeting her blue green eyes again, a clear spark of desire igniting in their depths. "But you are right about one thing– this feels dangerously close to losing control."
"Well, we only have to stay in control until after work hours," Harper said suggestively. Oliver's pupils dilated instantly at her suggestion, the last vestiges of his corporate composure crumbling away completely. For several seconds, he simply stared at her with undisguised hunger, processing the implications of what she had proposed. "Until after work hours," he repeated slowly, as if testing the words on his tongue. "That gives us… seven hours to get through meetings and spreadsheets without touching each other." His hand slip back onto the tabletop, fingers drumming impatiently against the wood surface, the casual setting suddenly felt like a cruel joke– every second they spent discussing sales projections and marketing campaigns would be torture knowing what waited for them later. "We should probably go back soon," he said gruffly, though his body language contradicted the statement entirely. He wasn't making any move to leave or signal for the check. Instead, his blue eyes remained locked on hers as if memorizing every detail of her face for later reference.
Harper takes her phone out of her purse and turns it on to check the time. "We still got a half hour left of lunch break. Plenty of time to finish our sandwiches." She said casually and took another bite of her toasted cheese sandwich. Oliver watched the casual way she took another bite of her toasted cheese sandwich, the contrast between her relaxed eating and his own fraying composure sending a fresh wave of heat through him. Thirty minutes felt like an eternity and a blink of an eye all at once. "Thirty minutes," he repeated, his voice dropping to a husky register. "I can do thirty minutes. Barely." He picked up his hand and cheese sandwich but ate mechanically, his attention never truly leaving her face. Every swallow felt deliberate, every movement calculated to buy him more time in this precarious state of controlled anticipation. Under the table, his knee pressed against hers intentionally, a silent question about boundaries that was answered immediately when she didn't pull away. The contact sent sparks shooting up his leg directly to his core. "This is going to be the longest half hour of my life," he murmured, as he took the last bite of his ham and cheese sandwich. "I am already imagining ways to make up for lost time tonight."
"Can we go over to my place tonight? It's my turn to do the dishes, Glen will be out," Harper asked, while she took a sip of her soda. Oliver's entire demeanour shifted at her invitation, the last remnants of his professional composure dissolving completely. His blue eyes widened slightly, and the controlled mask he wore as CEO slipped entirely away, revealing raw excitement beneath. "Your place," he repeated, the words coming out as a statement rather than a question. "Yes. Absolutely yes." He flagged down the waitress immediately, signalling for the check with decisive urgency. "Chage of plans– we need to get back to the office ASAP." While the waitress was behind the front desk, printing out the bill and getting the card machine ready, Harper finished her sandwich and ate a few of the chips. Seeing Oliver all fired up like this, somehow amused her. How impatient he was to spend every second he could with her, made her feel so desired.
Once the bill was paid and they were back on the sidewalk heading toward their building, Oliver's pace quickened significantly. He kept her hand firmly in his grasp, occasionally glancing down at their joined fingers as if confirming this wasn't just another one of his fantasies. "You mentioned Glen would be out," he commented casually, though his voice carried an undertone of possessiveness. "Yeah, he is staying over at his boyfriend's place," Harper said, slightly out of breath. before they reached the gates of ThreadForms parking space, Harper stopped and lightly tugged on Oliver's hand. Oliver immediately stopped walking, his body turning toward her as she tugged on his hand. The sudden halt caused a few passing pedestrians to glance their way, but he seemed oblivious to their presence. His entire focus was on Harper. "I something wrong?" he asked, his voice dropping to a low, concerned tone.