One Mad Night by Julia London Read Free Book Online

pass out. Oh, I know! Ron Early always has some food in his desk.” She started out of the break room.
    She was right—Ian had seen a loaf of bread on Ron’s shelves. He had some food account that was always sending over samples.
    Chelsea walked into Ron’s cubicle and made a sound of delight at seeing the bread on top of his bookshelves. “Eureka!” she said. “There has to be some peanut butter here.”
    â€œWait,” Ian said, and he took the loaf of bread from her. He pointed to the signs of mold through the packaging, barely visible in the dim light.
    Chelsea squinted at it. “ No ,” she groaned. “Okay, we’ll just tear the bits of mold off—”
    â€œI’ve got a better idea,” Ian said. He thought he could help—he thought he needed to help, or this was going to be a very long night. “Will you promise to chill out a little if I show you where some food is? And I’m not talking candy bars from the vending machines or moldy bread. I’m talking real food.”
    â€œWhat kind of food?” she asked suspiciously.
    â€œLean Cuisine.”
    Chelsea’s eyes sparked with delight. “Really?” she asked, her hand going to her belly. “You’d better not be kidding me right now, Ian Rafferty. Because if you are kidding me, I will karate chop you in the neck. I am starving.”
    He laughed. “I’m not kidding. I know where there is a virtual cornucopia of Lean Cuisines.”
    That actually earned a smile from Chelsea. A sparkly, happy smile that struck Ian as unusually pretty. “Then we have a deal.”

Chapter 5
    Chelsea followed Ian across the suite and down a corridor to the partners’ offices. He walked right into Brad Paulson’s office as if it were his and went around the desk and through a door. Chelsea hesitated before stepping across the threshold. She wasn’t exactly comfortable with the idea of walking into the office of the man who would probably decide her fate tomorrow.
    She paused to look around at Brad’s office. She’d been in here three, maybe four times. Through the big plate-glass windows, she could see that night had fallen, and the snow was a lacy curtain between their offices and the world. It looked entirely staged, like a Christmas ad where the family comes trooping home in the midst of a holiday snowfall, dragging a tree behind them, ready for their cocoa.
    Ian’s head popped out from the door. “Are you coming?”
    â€œWe shouldn’t be in here,” she whispered loudly.
    â€œWe shouldn’t be stuck inside these offices without a key, either.” His head disappeared.
    Chelsea walked deeper into the office and looked around at the contemporary furnishings, the shelf with the various awards, the large, flat screen TV on one wall. There was a small conference table surrounded by thick leather chairs. Brad’s desk was oversized, and with the exception of a few files neatly stacked in one corner, it was clean.
    This was exactly how Chelsea pictured her new office would look. A bit smaller, of course. And with a few touches to make it a little warmer. Maybe some flower arrangements. And definitely a more casual desk—
    â€œTuscan chicken or vegetable lasagna?” Ian called out.
    Food . Chelsea darted across Brad’s office, careful not to put her tennis shoes on his rugs, and peeked in the door Ian had gone through. She was surprised to see a kitchenette. The few times she’d been in Brad’s office, she’d assumed this door led to a bathroom. There was a bathroom—she could see the sink through a door at the other end of the room. But fifteen feet from that, on the other side of some cabinets and counters that looked as if they were used for storage, there was a kitchenette with a small fridge, a sink and cabinets, and a microwave.
    â€œWow. He could live in here,” she said in wonder.
    â€œYep,”