I’m admiring Richard’s naked chest—he’s wearing only sweatpants—when my fit watch sends me a pulsing notification I’ve been lying down for too long. A pretty common occurrence in the past two days. Out of habit, I check the time. Already so late. I wish I could stay in Richard’s apartment wearing only one of his T-shirts forever. But I can’t. I drop my empty mug on the coffee table and sigh. “Chevron,” I say, patting her head. “Time to go.”

“Already?” Richard protests. “It’s only five!”

“Yeah, but by the time we get to Manhattan it’ll be late, and tomorrow is going to be busy. If you haven’t noticed, we made quite a splash Friday.”

“Stay longer, I can give you a ride…”

As tempting as the offer is…

“We’ve been in bed for two days,” I say, blushing. “I could use the walk. And you’ll see us both tomorrow morning at the office, anyway.”

“Speaking of the office.” Richard’s expression switches from a relaxed smile to a slight frown. “It’d be better if we kept this quiet, at least for now.”

A chill runs down my spine. Sure, I’d had the same thought. Not wanting to have everyone else at work involved in my private life and gossiping seems like a good idea on the surface. But hearing Richard voice the same concern sets off a million alarm bells in my head. Why does he want to keep it quiet? To protect our privacy? To give us time to figure out our feelings before anyone else gets involved? Or would keeping the relationship hidden only make it easier to break off?

I want to reply that it’s okay. Tell him I understand. I want to, but find I can’t. After almost forty-eight hours spent naked, I’m less lost in a whirlwind of lust and able to pause long enough to question what’s happening.

“Why keep it quiet?” I ask.

“It’d be awkward if the others knew about us.”

Us. What does that even mean? I know I’m supposed to play cool, not make demands after such a short time. To let things evolve on their own, so as not to scare him away. It’s acknowledged dating wisdom. Yet, there’s a new fire burning within me that simply won’t let me play by the rules.

I fold my legs and sit straighter. “For them, or for you?”

Clinginess taints my voice and I hate myself for it.

“For everyone, including you.”

“Come on, Richard. We don’t work in that kind of place. Everyone would just be happy for us.”

The afterglow vaporizes from his face, replaced by a tense grimace. “Maybe, but what if I’m not ready to share my private life with all my employees?”

“Indira seems to always know who you’re dating.”

“Yes, but this is different.”