Free A Christmas Proposal: A Hidden Threat Short Story by Sherri Hayes Page B

today.  
    Matthew’s line was busy so it forwarded her to his assistant, Mariana. She was nice enough but unable to help her. She offered to take a message, but Cali declined. It was five o’clock, and she needed to get out of the office. Packing up several folders for some “light” reading tonight, she hastily made her way out of her office and into the elevator. As the doors closed, she pushed the button for the thirtieth floor. If he was still in his office, maybe she could catch him. If not, the message would still be there tomorrow. 

    Matthew hung up the phone, and ran his fingers across his scalp. Looking at his computer, he still had over twenty e-mails to open. With the luck he’d had today, he’d be there all night, answering them. 
    Hand poised above the intercom, he noticed the time on the clock. Five after five. Great. Mariana would already be gone. Pulling up his calendar, he made a note for tomorrow and went back to his inbox. This was the first opportunity he’d had all day to take more than a quick glance at his incoming mail, and even that was only long enough to make sure he hadn’t had any messages marked urgent. 
    The first e-mail was the security list from the previous day he always reviewed. Of course, that usually occurred at the start of every day, not the end. Shaking his head in resignation, he saved the message and attachments to his flash drive. By the third e-mail, he knew what he’d be doing with his evening. 
    Matthew had just opened e-mail number four when there was a light knock on his door. Thinking it must be Jason, he called a quick, “Come in,” but didn’t take his eyes off the monitor in front of him. 
    The door closed softly, and footsteps too soft for his brother walked across his office. Glancing up, he found Cali Stanton standing only feet from his desk looking at bit disheveled. He felt an impulse to run his fingers through the loose tendrils of her hair and tuck them behind her ear. 
    After a moment’s silence, he realized her lips were moving. She was saying something. He forced himself to focus on her words. They were something along the lines of, “Sorry if I’m bothering you.” 
    “No, no. Not at all.” He paused for a moment and forced his palms flat on the desk. “What can I do for you, Ms. Stanton?”
    “You sent me an e-mail today.”
    Yes, he had, but he still didn’t understand her presence in his office. “Yes.” He watched her teeth worry her lower lip, and the impulse to kiss her bloomed in full force, causing him to press his fingers into his desk so hard they began to turn white. 
    She tucked one of the loose pieces of hair behind her ear before she spoke. “Apparently, what you sent me is password protected,” she sighed, and then he understood. 
    Forcing himself to relax his hands, he pushed himself back into his chair and placed his fingers on the keyboard. Giving her a little smile, “Let’s see what I can do.” Focusing on the computer, he made a few clicks on the keyboard and entered the IT systems. 
    He didn’t hear her come up behind him, but he felt her. She leaned over to see the screen. Clearing his throat, he pointed and explained. “This is the backdoor system, you could say.” He typed in a few more bits of information and scrolled down to find her security information. “Here we go,” he said. Without thinking, he turned. 
    Her cheek was only inches from him, and when he turned to face her, his warm breath tickled her skin. Cali didn’t know what to do. She knew what she wanted to do. She wanted to turn toward those lips that made a starring appearance in her dreams for the last two nights. Her body seemed to respond without her permission, and her face turned. 
    Their eyes met and held for a brief second before Matthew’s computer beeped, breaking the spell. They both jumped back quickly.  
    Giving his head a small shake, Matthew made himself focus again and quickly pressed the print button. He