31
Monday arrived faster than Amanda expected.
She'd spent the weekend oscillating between replaying every word from her and Ericka's text exchange, and aggressively cleaning her apartment like it would somehow give her clarity.
Spoiler: it didn't.
What it did do, though, was confirm one very inconvenient truth—
She couldn't stop thinking about her.
By the time she stepped into the office, coffee in hand and nerves buried under a layer of practiced calm, everything felt familiar but slightly different. Like the air had shifted. Like the floor plan had been rearranged ever so slightly and only she noticed.
The elevator doors opened to the executive floor. Amanda walked out with her usual confidence, but her heart was doing an anxious little tap dance behind her ribs.
Her desk looked the same. Her planner was open, her inbox waiting, her favorite pen tucked neatly beside her keyboard.
Normal. Controlled. Predictable.
So why did she feel like she was standing on the edge of something again?
Ericka's office door was closed.
Amanda tapped her nails against her desk and told herself to chill. There was nothing weird about today. It was just work. A regular Monday. A reset.
Then the door opened.
Ericka stepped out, dressed in a deep navy suit, hair swept back into its usual flawless bun. She looked as composed as ever—poised, powerful, and unreadable.
But her eyes met Amanda's and held.
For just a second.
Long enough.
"Morning," Ericka said, voice smooth. "Can I get the run-down for today?"
Amanda nodded, standing and grabbing her tablet. "Of course."
She followed her into the office, stepping into the quiet sanctuary that still smelled faintly of Ericka's perfume and something woodsy and expensive.
As Amanda went over the day's agenda, Ericka listened carefully, only interrupting to make minor adjustments. Nothing unusual.
Except for the way her gaze occasionally drifted back to Amanda's face—like she wasn't just listening to her words, but studying her.
And Amanda felt it.
Every glance. Every silence stretched just a little longer than necessary.
When the rundown was finished, Amanda paused. Hovered by the door like she wasn't quite ready to step away yet.
Ericka leaned back in her chair, one brow raised. "Something else?"
Amanda hesitated. "You're different today."
Ericka didn't blink. "Am I?"
Amanda gave her a pointed look. "Not a bad different. Just... softer. Less iron-wall Ericka. More like... throw blanket Ericka."
That earned a laugh. A real one—low and quiet and completely unguarded.
Ericka shook her head. "Careful. I have a reputation to maintain."
Amanda smirked. "Your secret's safe with me."
Ericka studied her for another heartbeat, then nodded once. "Good."
Amanda turned to leave, but paused with her hand on the door.
"Oh, and Ericka?" she said without turning around.
"Yes?"
Amanda smiled to herself. "I think you like me more than you're willing to admit."
She walked out before she could hear the response.
But she didn't need to.
Because behind her, in that quiet office full of sharp lines and careful control...
Ericka Matthews was smiling.
__________________________________
Amanda returned to her desk, heartbeat still tapping away in her chest like it had something urgent to say. She sat down and took a long sip of coffee, trying to mask the giddy little smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.
She didn't usually play it bold—especially not with Ericka—but something about this morning felt different. Like the dynamic between them had shifted in a way neither one of them could ignore.
And honestly?
It felt good to tease her.
To drop a truth Ericka wasn't ready to say out loud but definitely felt.
Amanda opened her inbox, hoping for distraction, but barely ten minutes later, her phone buzzed beside her keyboard.
Ericka: Careful, Amanda. Confidence like that can be dangerous.
Amanda smirked, fingers already flying over her screen.
Amanda: Only if you let it be.
A pause. Then another message.
Ericka: I'm starting to think you like testing me.
Amanda: Only because you never flinch.
There was no reply right away, and Amanda was halfway through typing something else when Ericka's office door opened.
She looked up just in time to see Ericka leaning slightly against the frame, one hand resting casually on the handle, eyes fixed on Amanda like she could see straight through the casual way she held herself.
"Lunch is clear today," Ericka said. "You're coming with me."
Amanda blinked. "Oh? Was that on the schedule?"
Ericka shrugged. "It is now."
Amanda tilted her head, a sly smile playing on her lips. "Business lunch or spontaneous delegation?"
Ericka's eyes sparkled with a hint of mischief. "Let's call it a productivity check-in."
Amanda raised a brow. "Right. Because nothing boosts productivity like expensive food and eye contact."
Ericka gave her a faint smirk. "Exactly."
And then she disappeared back into her office without waiting for a response.
Amanda stared at the now-closed door, pulse fluttering.
She was getting under Ericka's skin. She could feel it.
But maybe the most dangerous part of all—
Ericka was starting to get under hers, too.
Amanda reapplied her lip gloss anyway. Just in case.
When she returned to her desk, Ericka was already waiting by the elevator, phone in hand, coat draped over her arm.
Amanda approached casually, pretending her pulse wasn't thudding in her ears. "Didn't realize the boss did her own waiting."
Ericka didn't look up from her phone. "I make exceptions."
Amanda smirked as the elevator dinged. "Must be a lucky day."
They rode down in silence, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It was that same charged quiet—the kind Amanda had come to recognize.
They didn't speak again until they were seated at a cozy, upscale bistro just a few blocks from the office. Ericka had clearly been there before; the host greeted her by name and gave them a tucked-away table near the window.
Privacy. Of course.
The moment they were alone, Amanda glanced over the menu and raised a brow. "So... are we actually talking about productivity?"
Ericka set her menu down without even pretending to read it. "Not unless that's what you want to talk about."
Amanda studied her for a second. "You're different when we're not in the office."
Ericka tilted her head slightly. "You say that like it's a bad thing."
"It's not," Amanda said, setting her own menu aside. "It's just... noticeable. You're softer. Looser. Almost like..."
"Like I'm a real person?" Ericka offered, voice dry with just the faintest edge of a smile.
Amanda chuckled. "Exactly."
The waiter came, took their order, and left.
The silence that followed was thick but comfortable.
Amanda traced the edge of her water glass, then said softly, "I meant what I said, you know. You do make things confusing."
Ericka's eyes lifted to hers. "Likewise."
Their gazes held, steady and unflinching.
Amanda didn't look away. "So why do we keep doing it?"
Ericka leaned forward slightly, voice quiet but sure. "Because it's worth the confusion."
Amanda's breath caught.
No flirtation. No deflection. Just honesty.
She sat back, heart doing somersaults. "You really don't like playing by the rules, do you?"
Ericka's smile returned, subtle and just a little dangerous. "Only the ones I didn't write."
Amanda grinned, her chest warm, her mind spinning.
The food arrived, but Amanda barely noticed.
She poked at her roasted veggie panini with her fork, more interested in the woman sitting across from her than anything on the plate. Ericka, cool as ever, cut into her grilled salmon with the precision of someone who was never rattled.
Except Amanda could see it now—the little tells. The occasional glance that lingered too long. The way Ericka's foot lightly bounced under the table when she thought no one noticed.
Amanda leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table, her voice playful. "You always this composed on almost-dates?"
Ericka's eyes flicked up, a slow smirk forming. "Is that what this is?"
Amanda shrugged. "It's not not a date. We left the building. You're not making me take notes."
"Yet," Ericka teased.
Amanda laughed. "If you ask me to draft a follow-up email about this lunch, I'm walking out."
Ericka sat back, folding her napkin with deliberate calm. "You're bold today."
Amanda met her gaze. "Only because you let me be."
That stopped Ericka just for a second. Just enough to let Amanda see it—the shift. The opening.
"You keep surprising me," Ericka said after a beat.
Amanda tilted her head, smile soft. "Good. I'd hate to be predictable."
Their eyes locked again, the kind of lingering gaze that said way more than either of them dared to speak out loud.
There was no denying it now.
This thing—whatever it was—had weight.
And it was growing.
Amanda finally picked up her sandwich and took a bite, breaking the moment with a grin. "Okay, serious question though. Are you secretly this charming all the time, or is it just with me?"
Ericka smirked, sipping her sparkling water. "What do you think?"
"I think I'm in trouble."
Ericka's smile curved knowingly. "That makes two of us."