One Mad Night by Julia London

now that it was here, they were going to pass her over again . “I’m confused and mad and…and crushed ,” she admitted.
    Ian didn’t say anything. He rested his chin on the top of her head.
    â€œI feel so used .”
    â€œWhat are you going to do?” he asked.
    â€œI honestly don’t know,” she said.
    â€œChelsea, look, I—”
    The front door alarm sounded, and Chelsea jumped. Ian quickly ushered her around to his back.
    â€œI’ll go look,” he said, but before he could get very far, a security guard appeared in the hallway. He saw Chelsea and Ian through the windows and gave them a wave.
    The security guard walked into the conference room and looked around. “How you folks doing tonight?”
    â€œWho are you?” Ian asked.
    â€œNight security,” the man said. “Walking the floors to see if anyone was stranded by the power outage. Found four down on the twenty-first floor. Everyone in here okay?” he asked, leaning a little to his right to see Chelsea.
    â€œWe’re fine,” Ian said. “What’s going on out there?”
    â€œThe elevators are working again,” the security guy said. He hitched up his pants and looked around the room. “A couple of the subway lines are up and running too.”
    â€œYou mean we can get out of here?” Chelsea asked, popping out from behind Ian. She needed to be as far from Grabber-Paulson as she could get. She needed some time to think and digest, to prepare for whatever it was she would do tomorrow.
    â€œDepending on where you’re going—”
    â€œBrooklyn,” Chelsea said.
    â€œI think you can get there,” the security guard said. “Anyone else in the office with you?”
    â€œJust us,” Ian confirmed.
    â€œWell then, I’m going to go on and see if there is anyone else stuck inside.”
    â€œThank you,” Ian said. He watched the guard walk away and looked at Chelsea.
    She thought that he wanted to say something, but Chelsea didn’t want to talk. It had been a fantastic night with Ian, but now it was ruined. She was looking at the face of the man who would be sitting in her office, managing her account. She didn’t blame Ian. But it wasn’t okay.
    â€œI’m getting out of here,” she said, and she hurried past him to gather her things before he could stop her.

Chapter 8
    Chelsea didn’t say much as they made their way to the subway, but then again, the wind was blowing and they were trudging through big drifts of snow.
    Ian walked down into the subway with her. She stopped outside the turnstiles. “I’m going to Brooklyn. Where are you going?”
    â€œUptown,” Ian said. His station was another two blocks up.
    â€œOkay, well…” She brushed snow from her hat. “I guess this is where we part for now.” She tried to smile, but Ian could see how wounded she felt.
    â€œChelsea, I’m sorry,” he said. And he was, profoundly sorry. He could kick himself for it. “Should I have told you?”
    She sighed. “Yes, you should have told me.” She smiled at him then, and she touched her mitten to his hand. He hated to see the disappointment brimming in her eyes. It made him feel helpless. It also made him angry on her behalf.
    â€œIt’s bad for me but great for you. Congratulations, Ian. It’s not that I can’t accept defeat. I just…really do not like my employer right now.”
    â€œSure,” he said, because he didn’t know what else to say. He only knew he’d spent an incredible night with this woman, and he had felt things he’d not felt in a long time. Exuberance. Passion. Hope for nebulous things he really hadn’t known he hoped for until tonight. And that had all been ruined by the games Grabber-Paulson had played with her.
    â€œSo…I’m going to go now,” she said, pointing to her station. “I’m