Chapter 4

Under the streetlight, Ethan's comment made my ears turn red. I took two steps back to put some space between us. "Mr. Locke, this is the first time we've met in person. Let's keep things professional."

He raised an eyebrow. "First time? Last Friday, you cornered me in the elevator, saying I was cold in bed."

"That was a misunderstanding," I blurted out, almost biting my tongue. "I had no idea Fawn was you."

"Now you do," he said, stepping closer. His black tracksuit made his shoulders look even broader. "So..."

I clenched my fists. "So we should keep things strictly professional."

"Do strictly professional colleagues say goodnight to each other?" Ethan pulled out his phone and waved it. "Last Wednesday at 1 a.m., you sent me a 32-second voice message telling me you missed me."

Speechless, I turned to leave, but he caught my wrist. "Company team-building activity tonight at 8 p.m. at the Blues Bar. Don't be late."

"I'm not going," I said.

"It's mandatory for everyone," he said, letting go of my wrist and returning to his usual icy boss mode. "There's a quarterly bonus on the line."

I watched his retreating figure, gritting my teeth. Just then, my phone buzzed.

Fawn: [Sugarpie, don't be mad. See you tonight.]

He even added a cute cat emoji.

This guy was such a split personality case.

*****

At 7:50 p.m., I pushed open the door to the Blues Bar right on the dot. The Marketing Department was already having a blast. Lacey waved her glass at me. "Wendy, you're late. You have to make a toast!"

I was just about to protest when I caught sight of Ethan in the deepest corner booth. He was in a dark gray shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He was listening to the CFO speaking with an icy demeanor that kept everyone else away.

"What are you staring at?" Sophie leaned in, whispering, "Wow, Mr. Locke actually showed up for the team-building activity tonight."

I knocked back a glass of beer. "Who knows what's up with him tonight?"

After three drinks, my head was spinning. Sophie had already bailed on me to go dance. I was about to order a ride when I suddenly heard everyone saying one after another, "Mr. Locke."

I looked up and saw Ethan standing right in front of me, holding a glass of lemonade.

"You've had enough," he said, handing me the glass.

I pushed it away. "Mr. Locke, I'm fine."

He just sat down next to me anyway. "As your boss, it's my job to make sure my employees are safe."

"Since we're online friends, don't you think you owe me an explanation for your double life?" I shot him a tipsy glare. "Online, you're a sweet puppy, but offline, you're cold as ice. Mr. Locke, you should win the best actor prize for that performance."

He suddenly leaned in, his warm breath tickling my ear. "And what about you? You're an expert at the boxing gym while playing the innocent at the office?"

The faint scent of sandalwood mixed with booze washed over me, making my heart race. Just as I was about to fire back, my stomach churned.

Ethan's face changed in a flash. He grabbed a trash can and shoved it in front of me.

I puked right away, hearing him say in a helpless voice, "Can't hold your liquor but still try to act tough?"

By the time I caught my breath, I realized Ethan had scooped me up in his arms. The whole bar went silent with every single person staring right at us.

"Put me down!" I squirmed, trying to break free.

His arms didn't move an inch. "Keep it up, and I'll leak your OnePunchQueen username to the whole company in a mass email."

I froze instantly. "How do you even know about that?"

"Your friend Sophie just ratted you out," he said, striding toward the door. "She also told me you sent the school bully to the infirmary back in middle school."

Sophie, you traitor. You were doomed.

*****

The night breeze sobered me up a little, and I finally realized Ethan was carrying me toward the parking lot. The warmth of his chest seeped through his shirt, his heartbeat steady and strong.

"Can you walk by yourself?" he asked, glancing down at me.

I put on a brave front. "Of course, I can."

He made a move as if to let me go, and I freaked out, clinging to his neck. "You jerk, Ethan!"

"Call me Fawn," he teased, a smirk playing at his lips. "Last night, you called me like that in your voice message, remember?"

I was so embarrassed that I could die. "I was drunk!"

"Yeah, and you even asked for a kiss," he teased, putting me in the passenger seat. As he leaned over to buckle my seatbelt, he suddenly paused. "So, are you sober now?"

He was so close that I could literally count his eyelashes. The neon from the bar danced across his face, and those eyes that were always so cold now looked unbelievably gentle.

"I-I'm totally sober!" I blurted, shrinking back against the seat.

He let out a quiet laugh, shut the door, and circled around to the driver's seat. "Address."

"Just take me home," I said, dodging his question.

"Address," he repeated, his voice firm.

I gave him the name of my apartment complex, and the car went quiet. While we were waiting at a red light, he suddenly asked, "Why did you start boxing?"

"To beat up jerks," I muttered, leaning against the window. "My dad had an affair when I was fourteen. Back then, I figured if I was strong enough, I could've hit him."

As soon as I blurted it out, I regretted it. I couldn't believe I'd just said something so personal.

Ethan's grip on the steering wheel tightened. "And then?"

"Turns out beating people up is against the law," I said with a self-deprecating laugh. "So I just took it out on the punching bag instead."

The car rolled to a stop outside my building, and Ethan turned to look at me. "Wendy."

"Yeah?" I said.

"Starting tomorrow, during work hours, I'm Mr. Locke," he said as he unbuckled his seatbelt. "But after work, can I still be your Fawn?"

I was mostly sober. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means..." He suddenly leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss on my forehead. "I like you both online and offline."

I was totally stunned.

"Goodnight, Sugarpie," he said, sliding back into the driver's seat with a smug grin. "Don't be late tomorrow."

It wasn't until the elevator doors shut that I realized that my online crush, who was also my boss, had stolen a kiss from me.

*****

I bolted into my apartment, threw myself on the bed, and texted Sophie. [Ethan kissed me!]

Sophie replied instantly: [The whole company knows. Someone took a picture of him carrying you in his arms and posted it in the group chat.]

I opened the company chat and nearly choked. There was a photo of Ethan carrying me to the parking lot, with me latched onto him like a koala. The caption read: [Mr. Locke came to the rescue!]

The chat was blowing up.

[Are they a thing now or what?]

[Wendy, you are awesome! You've landed on Mr. Locke.]

[No wonder her proposal flew through today.]

My hands were shaking as I called Ethan. "Did you see what's blowing up in the group chat?"

"I'm looking at it right now," he replied, and I could hear the laughter in his voice. "That's a pretty good photo. Don't you think?"

"Pretty good? You've got to be kidding me!" I shouted, cranky. "You'd better clear this up right now."

"Clear up what?" he said, playing innocent. "It's just the facts, isn't it?"

I was at a loss for words.

"See you tomorrow, my girlfriend," he said, deliberately drawing out the 2 words.

After I hung up, I just lay there staring at the ceiling, totally dazed. Before I could even process what had just happened, my phone buzzed again. It was a message from Fawn.

Fawn: [Sugarpie, want a bedtime voice message to help you drift off?]

He even sent a selfie of himself lounging against the headboard in his pajamas with the collar casually undone.

My cheeks burned as I replied: [Ethan, don't think you can fool me just by switching accounts.]

Fawn: [Well then, I demand you bring me breakfast tomorrow morning.]

I: [Oh, really? Fawn, do you even realize how much I hate those overbearing CEO types?]

Fawn: [I do, so please bring me some breakfast. I'm begging you.]

I rolled around on my bed, clutching my phone, and suddenly, I burst out laughing.

This guy with a split personality case was actually kinda adorable.