Caught (almost) in the act

This story usually comes up in conversation when I've had one-too-many drinks or am spurred on by one-too-many friends who enjoy basking in my humiliation. It is a classic response to the 'most embarrassing story' subject that inevitably comes up at the end of a good party, and its subject matter is essential for any dating diary. The topic is 'dating at the office', and the event took place a number of years ago but nevertheless remains relevant to this day. That is my subtle way of making it clear to the people I work with (who read this blog) that this incident did NOT take place at my current place of employment and that they do NOT potentially share an office with my partner in crime.

So, 'the incident' took place a number of years ago when I worked in a fairly small company that had offices in a very large, high-rise building. I had worked closely with a certain male (single) colleague for a number of months, and was aware of some underlying sexual tension that could not be expressed, as we worked together and I am far too professional to consider a liaison with a co-worker. However, when he took a new position in the organization that no longer required any professional interaction with me, my stoic principles took a bit of a backslide and I found myself wondering how long we would have to wait before acting on the obvious attraction. On the one hand, the workplace is the workplace and one should not mix business and pleasure. On the other hand, chemistry is chemistry and there is only so long one can delay the inevitable.

The problem became more pressing when we met for an informal drink one day and acknowledged that the attraction was mutual. It was clear that we both wanted some 'one-on-one' time, but as we discussed the logistics of our 'get-together' we realized that finding a private location would not be as easy as one would imagine. Between us, we both had family staying at our apartments for the next month, following which one of the two of us would be traveling overseas for at least the following six weeks. So when we did the maths, we realized it would be up to 8 weeks before we could create any 'alone time'. And we were certainly not going to start 'dating' publicly when we worked in the same company and wanted our private lives to stay that way.

After some serious contemplation and some very flirty emails, we came to the conclusion one afternoon that it would not be worth waiting the required two months to get together without at the very least testing that our basic assumption was correct. What had to happen was that we had to find just a few minutes alone where we could check out the chemistry and make sure it was not a false call.

He knew a private location in the very tall building we worked in (I didn't ask how; some things are better left unsaid…). He took me up to one of the upper floors, with access only to the elevator entrance and the stairwell. It was impossible to enter the rest of the building from that zone, which ensured very little passing traffic and a perfect place for a first kiss. He led me to the stairwell on the 26th floor, we enjoyed our first kiss, and after ten minutes or so we decided it was time to make our way back to our office. Needless to say, we both looked slightly flustered while waiting for the elevator to arrive and take us back to real life, and we straightened up and shared a little giggle in the interim.

Imagine our surprise, then, when the elevator opened and two security guards came out and insisted that we present identification. I blushed like a tomato on a summer's day, and from the side of my eye I noticed that he, too, was a bright shade of red. He did ask the guards what the problem was, and they informed us that an alarm had been activated on the floor and they needed to check that we had not tried to access a high-security area in the building. Of course, we couldn't come out and declare what WE were doing there, so we must have looked like ideal suspects for breaking and entering. Just my luck, 30 floors to choose from and 30 years of playing it safe, yet on the day I decide to do something slightly daring, we got for the wrong location and I end up in a high-security zone being scrutinized by the authorities.

Luckily, my 'friend' knew a few of the people who worked in the security team, and when the guards asked us to accompany them to their main office in the basement of the building, he managed to convince them that I should be permitted to return to my own office and he would go wherever they needed him to. I returned to my office in full blush, mortified at being almost caught by security snogging in the lift shaft, and wondering how I would get into the building in the future without having to face the witnesses of my humiliation.

Close to an hour later, I got a call from 'Mr Kiss', to inform me that the inquisition was over and he'd been released on his own recognizance. He also informed me that he had good news and bad news to share regarding 'the incident'. The good news? We were off the hook and security knew we had not tried to break into any area at all in the area.

The bad news was HOW they knew. Since a high-security zone will not rely on alarms and sensors alone, the entire floor had been fitted with closed-circuit television, and the entire security team had both watched and recorded our 'chemistry test', only to re-play it with my not-to-be-next-boyfriend. To this day I check You Tube regularly to ensure nobody posted any evidence of my misdeed.