Chapter 36
thirty-six
“I can’t believe we’re almost done with the campaign,” Tripp said, pulling his office door closed. Ava and I were meeting with him to discuss the next steps of our contract now that we were one skydive away from completing the terms of our initial agreement. We also needed to map out phase two of the campaign. I couldn’t believe we’d already made it as far as we had.
“Did Seth’s team get the bugs worked out on the app?” I asked. The app had had a rough week since the rock-climbing video series. It would crash before sharing the quiz results, but we’d also managed to exceed downloads by nearly triple during the last few weeks.
“It was up and running this morning,” Ava said. “Seth’s team is confident the bug is fixed.”
“And the fundraiser? That still moving ahead smoothly?”
“All ready to go.”
With those updates sorted out, we got right into the least fun portion of the meeting. Liam joined us halfway through our deep dive into the metrics of the campaign. We spent the next four hours going over the different paths forward. It was hard to focus on anything related to work with Tripp smiling conspiratorially at me every few minutes. We had dinner plans as soon as this meeting was over. I was counting down the seconds.
“So, how do we top the Take the Leap Challenge?” Liam was asking.
I tore my gaze away from Tripp’s face and turned my attention back to the meeting. “I like the idea of a contest. We have Quest members submit videos and apply to be the next face of Take the Leap. They get to pick a friend and complete their own challenges. Maybe we can break more people out of their shells.”
“Is that what you did? Break out of your shell?” Tripp asked, leaning forward on his desk. A smirk danced on his lips.
“I think so, but I definitely had some help.” I returned his smile.
Liam made a gagging sound. “I’m requesting the lawyers add a no flirting clause to the new contract. Y’all are disgusting.”
“You’re just jealous,” Ava said, laughing, “I think we can wrap things up for now. Tomorrow, Sadie and I will get to work on phase two. Then, we’ll all jump out of an airplane. Should be fun!”
I didn’t want to rush through the work but didn’t protest. I was eager to finally have Tripp to myself for a few hours. With all the skydiving prep work, we’d spent so much time together, but every second had been filmed and recorded. We hadn’t had a chance to be alone since he’d made me dinner at his house.
I sat quietly while Ava and Liam packed up their computers and made small talk. I was far from patient and fidgeted my hands in my lap. When they finally left, Tripp sat back in his chair and stared at me. I shifted to try and find a more comfortable position but failed. I didn’t want to spend another second in this office. I stood and glanced over my shoulder; his office had massive windows that gave every employee of Take the Leap a clear view into everything that happened in his office.
“Can we get out of here?”
“What’s the rush, Ms. Barnes?” he asked.
“I need to kiss you. Now. But not with an audience. Think you can take the rest of the day off, boss?” I bit my lower lip and pouted at him. He shook his head, laughing. But he grabbed his keys and shoved his phone in his pocket. “You still owe me that hiking trip.”
“You want to go hiking?”
“No, I just want you all to myself and the longer we stand in the office, the longer I have to wait.”
“Well, then, let’s get out of here.” I followed him out of the office and to the elevator. He pressed the down button. I bounced from one foot to the other as we waited. I don’t think I’d ever been so eager for an elevator to arrive. When the doors slid open, he held his hand out and gestured for me to go first.
His breath was hot on my neck as he stepped in behind me. He reached over and pressed the button to take us down to the parking garage. He locked his eyes on me as the doors slid shut.
“Nervous? I know you don’t exactly love these things.”
I shook my head. I reached over and hit the stop button. I’d always been too terrified to ever press any button other than the necessary floor button. I avoided the open or close door buttons like the plague. It always gave me intense anxiety when someone pressed them to try and make the elevator move faster. I’d always been a big fan of just letting the elevator do its job and not trying to mess with the status quo.
The elevator stalled, holding us captive between the 40 th and 39 th floors. I drew in a slow, steady breath.
“What are you doing?” Tripp asked, confused.
I took one step forward and raised onto my tip toes as I fell into him. He caught me in his arms. I tilted my head back and reached higher, bringing my face closer to him. “Kissing you,” I whispered.
He slipped his arms around my waist and pulled me in closer, “What are you waiting for.”
“My heart to stop racing,” I admitted.
His lips inched closer to mine, but he stopped before they brushed against mine. Then, he pulled back. He released me and placed his hand over my chest. “What if I don’t want your heart to stop racing?”
“Then you should probably go ahead and kiss me.”
His hands trail down the curves of my body and land on my hips. “Or you could kiss me.” I pouted and stared up at him. A look of innocence danced in his eyes. His lips twitched into a small smile, but he didn’t move any closer. Was he trying to kill me?
I wasn’t about to wait around and find out. This elevator was eventually going to start moving again. I didn’t hesitate. I placed my hands around his neck and pulled him down to me. I grazed my lips over his as he slid his arms back around my waist. One hand dipped lower, grabbing my butt and lifting me to him. When my mouth finally crushed against his, he sighed as if he’d been waiting an eternity to taste me. His breath tickled my lips. I pressed against him, knocking us back into the wall. The elevator rocked with the movement. Tripp’s grip on my tightened as he braced against the wall. He lifted me higher, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. I parted my lips and pulled him in deeper. This was exactly what I’d needed.
But then, the elevator shifted back to life and the doors opened. Tripp quickly released me. I buried my head into his chest to stifle a giggle as a group of people joined us. Their conversation quickly silenced when they noticed us in the corner.
“What floor?” Tripp asked. He reached around me and pressed the button for the first floor.
“Thanks,” a female voice said. She sounded young and there was a hint of curiosity in her voice. “I’m sorry, this is weird, but are you Tripp James?”
“I am.” With my head burrowed in his chest, his voice was deep and inviting.
“And, ma’am, you’re Sadie, right? The one doing all the challenges with Take the Leap?”
I wrinkled my face in frustration but pulled away from Tripp. I turned and offered a shy smile. “Yup, that’s me.”
“I told you they were dating.” Another girl said with a smug smile. “We’ve been following along with the challenges. We actually just signed up for one of the new camping trips. The one in Chattanooga in September.”
“Awesome. That should be a good event.”
“We’re excited,” she said and glared at her friend, the one who’d recognized us. “Well, I am. Lauren here is terrified of camping. But I think you’ve inspired her, Sadie. So, thanks!”
“Well, I won’t be bungee jumping or kayaking anytime soon,” Lauren said as her face turned red, “but I think what you did was pretty cool. I’ve never really been the adventurous type, but you guys have shown me it’s okay to be scared and still try things.”
“Really?” I asked, surprised. “I inspired you?”
The elevator stopped at the first floor and the doors opened. Lauren smiled at me and nodded. “You’re pretty badass, Sadie.”
Her comment left me speechless, but Tripp said, “Yes, she is.”