I’m jostled awake by warm hands, and files fall off my lap onto the floor in a disorganized mess. Shit, I fell asleep. I scramble to my feet in a panic. Tobias watches me; dark eyes widening at my disheveled appearance. Tobias pinches the bridge of his nose, shaking his head. I fight the urge to yawn and stretch like a cat. Woken up or not, that had been a great nap. No seat belt digging into my hip, no hard seat beneath me, just pure comfort. I feel like a new woman after one night.
“You were supposed to head home, have you been working all night?”
“Shit.” My hands fly to my mouth at the language I use in front of my boss. “I must have dozed off. Just give me a minute and I will get cleaned up for the meeting.”
Theo steps into the office, looking gorgeous as ever, in his gray suit. He takes in my appearance. My shirt is wrinkled, and my hair is a mess, god knows what my face looks like, but I know it can’t be pretty. I've seen the drool a good sleep left plastered to my face, and I probably look like a raccoon from my eye makeup. He raises an eyebrow at Tobias.
“She fell asleep working,” Tobias states, clearly not happy that I was asleep yet again at work.
If only they knew I slept here every night, just not in the office. I smile to myself at the thought. If they thought this is crazy, they would completely freak out if they knew the car garage is my current residence.
Moving towards me, Theo grips my blouse. I squeak at his closeness and lean back. Theo reaches for me again and grips the bottom of my blouse, his fingers brushing my stomach as he pulls my blouse off over my head. I quickly cover up my purple lace bra, trying to hide from his lingering gaze on my chest. I have great tits, but that doesn't mean I want to show them off to my boss!
Tobias doesn't even blink. He moves away from me, opening a door that appears to be a closet of sorts. No matter the amount of time I have spent in this office, I never knew there was a closet in the wall. Inside a couple of men’s shirts hang, their crisp lines as perfect as the men who wear them. How have I never seen that the wall has a cupboard in it? Are there other hidden compartments? What else is hiding in here, and is Theo's office the same way?
Grabbing a white shirt off the hanger, Tobias walks over to me and stands in front. Theo moves to my side and watches. Tobias reaches to pry my hands away from my chest, but I pull back and scoot out of reach, refusing to uncover myself. Tobias' eyes grow darker under the lighting, making me squirm under his intense gaze.
“We have a meeting in five minutes, and you can’t go in there like that.” He reaches for my wrist again.
“I can dress myself,” I hiss, reaching for the shirt with one hand, the other still firmly across my chest. Instead of giving me the shirt, he shoves my arm through the arm hole and pulls the other half around me, working around the confines of the couch I continue to sit on. I give up and let him finish dressing me. I’m not their type. It isn’t like they would be gawking at my breasts.
“Suppose it isn’t like it matters with you both being gay,” I mutter to myself. I’m being childish about being half naked in front of them. I need to focus on the meeting, it’s my fault for falling asleep.
Tobias' hands freeze at my cleavage where he’s doing up the buttons. His brows knit. Theo comes over and starts rolling up my sleeves leisurely with a silly grin on his face. I can tell he’s trying not to laugh. I watch silently, they seem to be amused by something. I raise an eyebrow at Tobias, who still has his fingers on the button right between my breasts. He hasn't moved, just stares at it as if it’s the most interesting button in the world and can tell him life's secrets.
Theo snorts, trying to hold in his laugh, almost choking on it.
“What?” I ask, annoyed that I’m not being let in on this inside joke of theirs. I stare from one to the other trying to decipher the mood change.
“We aren’t gay,” Tobias replies with a faint smirk on his lips. I meet his gaze, and his attention drops back to that button. My entire body heats up, the blood rushes to my face and probably makes me look splotchy as hell. I have worked here all this time thinking they are gay. How have I read that wrong? I saw them kissing… didn't I?
“You’re not gay?” I ask slowly. Maybe they are tricking me? My eyebrows disappear into my hairline.
“Definitely not gay. We both like women,” Theo replies, rolling the sleeves of my shirt up. His eyes linger on my exposed chest, a hungry glint just beneath their surface.
I have just gotten semi naked in front of my bosses. What are they thinking? That’s a lawsuit waiting to happen. Not that I would sue them, I needed my job, but this entire scenario is mortifying.
“But I saw you kissing his neck,” I blurt.
Tobias raises an eyebrow at me. “Not everything you see is what it appears to be.”
Can he get away from my chest? I don't have that many buttons! But I can't bring myself to pull away, it’s all I can do to just manage to stay upright.
“Well, I’m pretty sure I didn’t imagine it, and you both live together.” I point to the two of them as if forcing myself to remember their connection.
“We share a home, but that’s not all we like to share,” Theo’s voice whispers beside me. I jump at his closeness, his breath is cold on my neck and makes me shiver. There’s that haunted feeling again.
“We aren’t gay, we like women too,” Tobias emphasizes the last word, licking his lips. Are my bosses hitting on me, or am I blowing this all out of proportion in my head?
I scramble to my feet, doing the last of my buttons and scurrying out of the office. I can swear they laugh at my escape. I rush into the bathroom and do as much damage control as possible. I still have a meeting to get through.
When I walk in, a few people’s heads turn at my shirt choice, but no one says anything. Even if they want to, I doubt they would have dared with Tobias and Theo walking in directly behind me. Whenever they are around, people seem to disappear or walk in the opposite direction. No one likes crossing their path for fear of losing their jobs, being yelled at, or having something thrown at them.
The fact that every other secretary quit under them shows how demanding they can be. Once the meeting is over, after endless hours of going through the files I've sorted, I hastily leave the room, going back to my desk, when my phone rings. It’s the hospital calling. I don’t hesitate to answer. I prepare myself. “Hello.”
“Imogen, it’s me Sally.” Her voice comes out in a rush. My heart skips a beat. I have been waiting for this call, I just wasn’t expecting it to be today. “The Medical Ethics Board ruled against you. They have decided to turn your mother’s life support off, saying it is no longer medically viable to have her remain on it.” Her words make sense, but after her first sentence I find it impossible to focus.
My lungs constrict painfully, the pressure almost unbearable. I thought I was prepared for this phone call. I've wasted a night I could have seen her, one more day holding her hand, telling her I love her. My throat gets tight, it’s hard to breathe, and I start hyperventilating. My eyes blur with unshed tears. I can't afford to pass out. Not when my mother needs me. My heart plummets into my stomach. I fight the tears from spilling over. Sally’s still talking, I need to focus on her. Grasping the phone, my knuckles feel like they are going to split through my skin. My voice shakes, I can barely get the words out, I’m surprised Sally can understand me at all. I can’t even recognize the simple word that just comes out of my mouth. “When?”
“Tonight, Imogen. I’m so sorry.” Sally doesn't sound like she’s doing so good herself. But I have nothing in me to care about others. I hang up the phone in a daze and grab my keys and purse. I’m on full autopilot. My hands shake as I try to think of what I should be doing at this moment. Gathering the last few things I need, I make my way to the elevator. My vision has gotten dark, all I can see is straight ahead. I jab the button to go down and the doors slide open, revealing my two bosses in all of their glory. But yet, none of that matters to me. I have to get out, get to the hospital and get there now.
They’re talking but stop immediately as I shuffle into the elevator, moving between them. They turn around, both staring at me. Theo speaks but I can’t hear a word he’s saying, my ears pound with my heartbeat. The only word I hear is tonight, they’re taking her off tonight. Theo reaches for me, but I put my hands up, warding off their advances as my body shakes.
“Don’t touch me, I… I need to go,” I stammer out, before slamming the button repeatedly to go down to the ground floor. They quickly step out of the elevator, concern etched on both their faces before the closed doors erase them from my sight.
I know they’re concerned, but right now I don't care to explain my current situation. Not that it involves them, or that they would care. I just need to get to her. Get to my mom and say goodbye before it’s all over.