God. I had been putting this off because I only felt powerful in my mind. Each night before sleep, I would talk myself up and roleplay how to steal what I needed from Sawyer. That confidence always melted away by the time I turned up to work in the morning.
Now, I had no choice.
Sawyer’s office was empty.
I had been in here hundreds of times but for some reason, this felt like the first. Each step I took sent nerves pulsing through my stomach and the nausea worsened. Forcing a swallow, I made it to Sawyer’s desk and then hesitated.
Was I really doing this?
I glanced down at my phone, clutched tightly in my fist.
Yes. I had to.
Perching on Sawyer’s chair was strange. The leather was molded to his perfect ass and I slotted right into the grooves. It was almost like sitting in his lap. His computer was already logged in, and countless documents filled the screen before me.
I had no idea where to look. I didn’t even know what I was looking for. So much of this was kept private and I didn’t have access to anything beyond the basic legal things and whatever Sawyer had needed me to send to Kane, and vice versa. The important stuff?
I didn’t have a clue.
Closing a few tabs, I began my search while keeping one eye on the door. I had no idea where Sawyer was, but he could reappear at any moment.
Getting caught wasn’t worth thinking about. I had to succeed.
I clicked through countless folders and documents, getting myself into a tangle about what I was even looking for. The longer I looked, the worse my nerves grew and I became so focused on the computer that I forgot to keep an eye on the door.
In some twisted stroke of luck, I finally found something. It talked about patents and the drug, and had a few signatures. This had to be it. My heart beat so fast that my head throbbed and my stomach knotted into a ball.
It took a few painful minutes to email the documents to myself, then I deleted all traces of evidence just as the door creaked.
“Callie?” Sawyer’s voice reached me and I nearly retched there and then.
I stood up abruptly and forced my widest smile.
“Sawyer!”
“What are you doing?” His attention darted between me and the monitor as he walked closer.
I was frozen in place, sweat pouring down my back and my mind blank. I couldn’t think of an excuse. I could barely breathe.
“Why are you on my computer?” Sawyer stopped an inch away. The scent of his aftershave wasn’t enough to soothe me like normal. Under his gaze, I felt smaller and smaller as my heartbeat echoed around my skull.
“Uh… I was making sure your calendar was clear, silly.” Where the strength of those words came from, I had no idea. “It wouldn’t do good for you to end up busy on your birthday and I don’t want any of my carefully laid plans to get screwed up by you adding extra meetings that you don’t need.”
I held my breath, waiting for the excuse to land. Sawyer’s eyes drifted from my face to the monitor, but there was nothing suspicious on the screen. Finally, he smiled.
“What would I do without you?”
“Uhh, miss out on all the fun things in life?” My smile remained plastered to my face as he slid his hand around my waist. I didn’t even care that he could likely feel how damp my shirt was. I just needed him to buy the lie.
“It’s hot,” Sawyer said in a low voice, bringing himself close to my lips. His breath ghosted lightly over my lips.
“The July heat is dry,” I whispered, cupping the side of his neck. “Breaks are important.”
“Mhmm.” He pulled me close to his body. The heat pouring off him seared right through my shirt, burning my skin. His mouth closed over mine and he kissed me so deeply that, without air, my lungs were sure to implode.
My head spun and my stomach churned. Bile clawed up my throat but I kissed him back desperately.
Suddenly, the phone on his desk yelled into life, and we were forced to break apart. Sawyer held my gaze as he answered the phone and pressed the receiver to his ear.