Chapter Five
Four months later...
“You can go in now, Nathan,” Dan Roe's secretary, told him.
“Thanks, Betty,” he said, getting up from the black leather armchair in the waiting area outside Dan's office.
Nathan's heart was pounding as he walked the short distance to the heavy wooden door, the letter he carried burning a hole through his pocket. He paused for a second before raising his fist and knocking.
“Come in.”
Taking a deep breath, he turned the handle and pushed the door open, entering the large, spacious room.
Dan remained seated and gestured for Nathan to sit down opposite him. “So, Nathan... you wanted to see me. Is this to do with the Moran case?”
“Uh... no. That's still all settled.”
“Good. Speaking of that case, I want you to know that your hard work on it hasn't gone unnoticed.”
“Thank you, Sir. It was a tough one but we got there in the end.”
Dan chuckled. “Can I get you a drink? Tea, coffee or maybe something a little stronger.”
“I'm fine, thanks.”
“So, if it's not about the Moran case I'm guessing it might have something to do with your relationship with Haley?”
Nathan's mouth dropped open. “How did you—”
“I'm not blind, Nathan. I've noticed the way you two look at each other when you think no one else is around. I remember a few months back, walking into your office and noticing how close the two of you were standing. There was something about it that just made me a... little curious. Your PA's cheeks flushing bright pink didn't exactly help matters,” he retorted.
“We didn't mean to break the rules,” Nathan started. “It kind of... just happened.”
“The fact that you're sitting here talking to me about it... I'm guessing that ending the relationship isn't an option?”
“No, it's not an option at all.” Retrieving the white envelope from the inside pocket of his jacket, Nathan leaned forward and placed it on his boss's desk.
“What's this?”
“It's my letter of resignation.”
“Nathan—”
“I won't give her up, Dan. As much as I enjoy working here, I'm willing to give it up for her.”
“Does she know you're here?” the older man asked.
“No,” he replied. “She'd probably go crazy if she did.”
“Why choose now to come and see me? As far as you were aware, no one knew about your relationship.”
“True, but I've watched her struggle with this. Haley hates lying and by us sneaking around we're basically lying to everyone. Luke is my best friend and Haley's gotten close to Brooke and yet we couldn't tell them about us in case it got back to you.”
Picking up the envelope in front of him, Dan looked at it and then returned his gaze to Nathan before ripping it in half. “I'm not accepting your resignation. You're one of my best negotiators and I'd be a fool to let you go.”
Nathan stared at his boss in shock. “What does this mean for Haley?”
“I'm not going to fire her or force her into resigning. Before she got the permanent position working for you, she temped for me when Betty was off sick so I know first-hand how hard she works,” he told him. “Look, that rule I put into play after the Elaine and Josh fiasco was more of a gut reaction than anything else. Their break-up caused a lot of unnecessary problems for us and so banning romantic relationships between my staff seemed a logical solution.”
“I remember what happened and so does Haley and we understood why you brought it in but—”
“It didn't stop you from becoming involved though, did it?” The half-smile Dan wore took the sting out of his words.
“Yeah, sorry about that.” Nathan tried but failed to stop the smirk creeping onto his face.
“You and Haley are free to see each other but all I'm asking for is that you continue to be discreet.”
“I don't want us to hide the fact that we're dating.”
Dan nodded. “I'm not asking you to. Just be professional which means no making out during office hours or where anyone in the office can see you.”
“Wow, I really wasn't expecting your reaction to be like this.”
“What can I say, I like surprising people,” he quipped.
“Well, you've definitely succeeded on this occasion.”
Getting up from his executive chair, Dan walked around his desk to where Nathan was now also standing. “I really appreciate you coming to talk to me, son. To be honest, I wondered how much longer I was going to have to wait.”
“You knew I'd come to see you?”
“Yeah, I was pretty sure you would. I figured you just needed some time which is why I didn't bring the matter up.”
“Thanks... for understanding.”
The two men shook hands and after Nathan had left the office, Dan shook his head and chuckled. He had known Nathan a long time due to his son having been best friends with him since high school, not to mention both their families having become close over the years. Sometimes knowing each other outside of work had its pitfalls, especially when working on complicated cases so he could understand Nathan's reluctance in opening up to him about his relationship with Haley. The younger man wouldn't have wanted preferential treatment but, unfortunately, there would no doubt be some within the company who saw his acceptance of the young couple as proof of just that. He could only hope it wouldn't be too much of a problem.
Returning to his chair, he picked up the phone and pressed the first number on his speed dial. “Hey, honey, it looks like you were right,” he told his wife, Karen. “Nathan's in love.”
* * * * *
Sitting astride her boyfriend's thighs, Haley was still in a state of shock at hearing what he'd told her he had done earlier that day. “I-I can't believe you did that,” she told him. “And I can't believe you'd tell me after we'd just had sex.”
Laughing, he ran a hand over the curve of her hip. “Well, I wasn't going to tell you beforehand. I'm not that dumb!”
“I'm... uh, I...”
“I don't think I've ever seen you this lost for words,” he teased.
Pinching his nipple in retaliation, she felt a lick of satisfaction at the loud yelp he released. “Serves you right.”
“I'm telling you, he's fine with us being together and going public with our relationship. All he asked is that we continue to be discreet. His exact words were, 'no making out during office hours or where anyone in the office can see you'.”
Burying her face in her hands, she mumbled, “Oh God.”
Her reaction was worrying him and the niggling concern he had that maybe she didn't see them being long-term was still troubling him. “Haley, look at me. Please.”
Lowering her hands, Haley saw the worry etched across his face. “I'm not angry... It's just, people are aware that you've known Dan for a long time and I'm sure they're going to think he's making an exception to his 'no employees dating rule',” she said, making the quote marks with her fingers, “because it's you and that anyone else would be fired for doing the same thing.”
“Let them think what they want to. I offered to resign and Dan refused to accept it.”
“You what?”
Pulling Haley down so that she was lying half on top of him, he turned over slightly so that they were facing each other. “I offered to resign.” Cradling her cheek in his palm, he continued. “I know the past few months have been hard on you and I've hated seeing you struggle with hiding our relationship. Hell, I've hated hiding it, too. I want us to be able to walk down the street holding hands, for us to go out to dinner or a movie without worrying about us bumping into anyone we know and it ending up being reported back to Dan.”
“Nathan, I—”
“There are other jobs out there, Hales,” he interrupted, wanting to tell her everything he'd been feeling before he chickened out, “but there's only one you.”
Haley's eyes filled with tears and before he could say another word, she sealed her mouth over his and kissed him hard; pouring everything she felt for him into it. “I love you,” she whispered long minutes later when the need for air had become too strong to ignore.
Nathan's smile illuminated his whole face. “I love you, too.” All of his previous worries and fears faded into insignificance at hearing her say those three little words.
He was just about to roll her over when the phone on her nightstand started to ring. “Ten bucks that Brooke's just found out about us and she's wanting all of the details.”
She giggled. “I'm not even going to accept that bet.” Reaching over to the phone, she turned off the ringer and the incessant ringing ceased. “Anyway, right now, I've got far more important things to do than talk to her.”
“Hmm, is that so? Like what?”
Rolling him over onto his back, she once again straddled his hips and rocked against his hardened length. “Like showing you just how grateful I am for what you did today.”
“Oh, I'm definitely on board with that,” he told her, flashing her a dirty smirk as his hands roamed all over her warm, bare skin.
He mentally patted himself on the back for finally going to see his boss and getting everything out into the open and while he knew the coming days and weeks may not be particularly easy, all he cared about was the fact Haley felt the exact same way about him as he did about her.
Everything else could wait.
Fin