As I turned the corner, I found the hallway vacant. I looked to the elevator to see what floor was indicated, but my attention was torn away the second I heard the voices.

Soft and quick. Muffled and rough. Hushed and severe. I strained my ears to locate the direction of the sound. It was definitely two voices, one a man, the other a woman. My heart jumped when I realized the man's voice was Alec's, but it only went on to plummet when my ears registered the woman's voice.

Tamara Hudson was tucked away with Alec in the supply closet. The ever so small closet that had so recently given Emily an up close and personal experience with Theo. All I could picture was the tall, strikingly beautiful woman in her designer suit and impeccable heels, pressed up against my understated gentleman, Alec.

And that's what I thought. That he was somehow mine. Yet in that moment, I realized he wasn't mine. I stood there, staring at the closet door, both trying not to hear what was going on inside and desperately trying to pick up every word. I had no reason to fear her, yet there I was, wrapped in jealousy and sick to my stomach with foolish thinking. I was hurt only because somewhere in my mind I decided Alec belonged to me when no such agreement had ever been remotely made.

I knew it wasn't right for me to just stand there, pretending not to listen. I knew I needed to regain what dignity I still had and simply go back to the Pit and wait for Alec to return. Then we could discuss my concerns about the charity and the interview, and no one would be the wiser that I had my world come crashing down around me in the hallway. If I remained, my imagination would only continue to run wild and play out, with viciously vivid detail, any manner of things unfolding in that closet.

I took a deep breath and readied myself to simply turn around and walk away. But then I heard him with crystal clear clarity.

"Dammit Tamara."

It was like a punch to the gut. I suspected it was her, but I could move on knowing that I had no proof it was that awful woman locked in there with him. It was like the universe just wanted to see me squirm as it rubbed salt into my wound.

A bit embittered by this knowledge, I found my legs less willing to walk away. I instead looked to the closet and thought about just how well sound resonates inside a hollow aluminum door. So I took a step forward, hoping that if I heard more to indicate that Alec's exclamation was coming from a place of anger, I could feel good knowing there wasn't something more intimate going on in there.

Against my better judgment, I leaned forward and got as close as I could without touching the door. It was old and clunky, I knew just the slightest pressure would cause it to shift forward.

"I thought we agreed not to meet down here."

"I'm not here to wile the hours away with you Alec. I've come down here specifically to make sure you don't screw this up."

I pulled away from the door, surprised to hear the severity in Tamara's tone. I felt so much joy in knowing that they weren't having a secret tryst, but that in turn just made me feel ugly. Jealous of a woman over a man I didn't even have a right to claim. In the end, their choice of location even made some sort of sick sense. This was the same woman who thought stopping an elevator was the best way to dig up details on our department's progress. Trying to get away from prying ears in a company that prides itself on security is not an easy thing to accomplish. Which is why I felt even worse for having listened in. I knew it was time for me to go.

"I can handle it," asserted Alec.

"Just like you handled last weekend?"

I stopped my feet before they succeeded in pulling me away. "Last weekend" certainly had to mean only one thing. They had to be talking about Emily and I breaking into the office. They had to be talking about me.

"I made a mistake and now I'm doing damage control. I've followed through with everything Quinto asked for."

"And you've done a splendid job, but you have to understand that we need some certainty that Ms. Jeffries understands the status of the charity. Which is why Travers is handling that part of the matter."

"I have her under control. You don't need to bring Colin into this."

"Do you really?" she demanded with a vicious growl in her voice. "I was starting to think maybe she had you under control."

"Tamara, I can handle this on my own. It's time you back off and let me do my job."

Emotions burned inside my gut. Fear, anger, shock. What was happening? What did Tamara want? Better yet, what did Alec mean? He had me under control?

I thought I'd heard enough, but as I resolved myself to leave, a rich purr rolled out from Tamara's throat. I wanted to go, I wanted to pretend that I didn't just hear Alec's assertions, but that throaty coo coaxed my ear back just as a car wreck pulls the eyes towards its terrible destruction. I knew I shouldn't, but I just couldn't turn away. I leaned into the door fully, pressed up against the cold metal, uncaring if they even knew I was there anymore, only because I felt certain they wouldn't notice.

"I love it when you are so assertive. I missed that about you. I've missed you."

"Tamara..."

There was a growl in his voice, but I couldn't tell if it was out of anger or desire. My head, at least, told me it was uncertain. My heart, however, had made a rather definitive decision on the matter.

"I admit, I did come down here to make sure your folly ceased to continue. However, a part of me also wanted to see you, just you. All the time we've spent together recently, it's made everything so...difficult. Aren't you feeling something too?"

"I don't have time for this," he said, his voice shaking. "I need to get back and talk to Lex before Colin gets to her with whatever line you have him pushing."

I was so lost in their words that I barely registered Alec's assertion. I was still leaning on the door, my weight dependent on it due to the slouch brought on by the sinking of my heart. So I wasn't prepared when the door swung inward.

With my support gone, I fell forward and instead of colliding with the hard cement floor of the closet, I was caught just before the ground met my lip. Two gentle hands grasped my arms and lifted me up. As I found my footing, Alec pulled me against him so I could lean on him for support. He was warm and firm, his scent rich and rugged. I could feel the beat of his heart against my cheek and I wondered if it pounded out of love for Tamara or for fear of discovery. At that point, I knew it wasn't for me.

"Lex... Are you okay?"

His voice rumbled with warmth and his hands pressed against my back to keep me steady, but I needed to only catch one glimpse of Tamara's wicked gaze to remind myself of my priorities.

"You have me under control," I said, pushing myself from him, ripping myself from his tender hold. "What does that even mean?"

"Wait, I can explain."

I shook my head as I ran my fingers through my hair. I took a couple deep breaths before turning away and walking as fast as I could back to the Pit.

***

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