"You are never going to guess what Eddie found in the supply closest!" Duff exclaimed, hurrying up to the group of three negotiators and his HRT boss.
"Oh yeah Duff, what did he find? A dead mouse?" Frank asked sarcastically, but still amused by his friends excitement.
"No, no mouse. A lacy purple thong."
"Whoa, what?"
"You heard me, somebody was having sex in the supply closet," he answered, clearly enjoying his gossip.
"Oh god, do people have no shame anymore?" Cheryl exclaimed.
"Evidently not. But I think you're missing the point, who in this office is screwing around with who else in this office?"
"I thought women were supposed to gossip, Frank?" Emily teased, putting on her best, Oscar-worthy performance, as someone as amused and stunned as the rest of them.
"Most of what women gossip about, isn't worth it, but a lacy, purple thong in the supply closet, that's worth it," he explained evilly.
"Well, whoever they are, if they keep that up we'll find out soon enough." Cheryl commented.
"Or she'll run out of underwear," Duff laughed.
"Flannery, why are you so quiet?" Frank suddenly asked, turning attention to the only quiet member of the group.
At the Matt moment was trying to think of anything, but pressing Emily up against the racks in the supply room, kissing her neck, feeling her nails digging into his back, and pulling those very panties off her.
"Uh, no reason. Nothing to say I guess," he lied badly.
At the same time Emily desperately praying that Matt didn't blow this by lying bad; they'd gone almost three months without being caught.
Duff broke out laughing, "Man, it was Matt! You had a girl in there last night!"
Matt grew slightly pink, unintentionally confirming his guess.
"I don't believe it, he's right. Who was it Flannery?" Frank demanded.
"I don't know, because it wasn't me."
"Give it up Matt, you can only lie well to HT's."
"Matt, was that you in the supply room?" Cheryl asked him, amused and appalled at the same time.
"No it was not."
"Frank's right, Matt, you can't lie." She laughed at him.
"So who was it? Mathers?" Frank demanded, getting a subtle glare from Duff.
"No! I did not sleep with Lia!" Matt exclaimed.
Emily bit her lip, and prayed they didn't guess her.
"Come on Matt, you've gotta tell us!"
"No." He said adamantly, giving up pretending it wasn't him.
"What are trying to protect her virtue? Matt, she snuck into a supply closet with you, I hardly think it matters." Frank coaxed.
The threat of losing her job was the only thing that kept Emily from walking up to Frank, and shoving her knee in a very special spot.
"Shut up Frank."
"Tell us, was it Rosie that hot chick in VICAP?"
"No."
"Carol, the blonde in accounting?"
"No."
"Alright Jeanie, in OC?"
"No, Frank. I'm not telling you."
"Was it Lehman?" Duff suddenly broke in.
"No!" Matt exclaimed, while Emily's eyes bugged out of her head.
"Duff, Emily's too smart for that." Frank told him.
"Good point."
Matt wasn't sure if he should be relieved or insulted.
"You are too smart for that, right?" Frank asked her.
With nothing else to do, Emily just glared at him, and walked away from the conversation.
"Alright, everybody should get back to work. But, Matt, as your boss, if this thing between you and the owner of that thong is going to interfere with your work, I need to know." Cheryl told him seriously.
"Don't worry about it Cheryl. It won't interfere." He promised, before walking away.
Ten minutes later
"Uh, that was a little close." Matt broke the silence that the two had fallen into as they rode the elevator down.
"Oh you think so?" She answered sarcastically.
"What! You're the one that walked out without any underwear on."
"You're the one that flung them across to room, to where only the janitor cleaning could find it, and by the way, the one that can't lie. If you remember, I pretended just fine."
"Right, right. How about we just agree to no more sex at the office?" He asked, trying to avoid an argument.
Before she could answer the elevator door opened and admitted Temple and Binder.
"So Matt, we heard you got lucky in the supply closest last night," Binder commented, struggling not to laugh.
"Yeah, what woman in this building where's a lacy purple thong to work?" Temple asked.
"Wouldn't you both like to know," he commented dryly.
"Spill Matt, who was it? Mathers?" Temple pressed.
"No! Why does everybody think I slept with Lia?" He demanded.
"Because she's hot."
"And she's one of the few women in the building that you wouldn't mind picturing in a thong."
"Guys, she's your colleague. Show a little respect." Emily chastised them.
Both quieted, still laughing softly. After a moment, Temple leaned and whispered something to Binder, which earned him a slap in the head from Matt.
"Owe! Geez Matt, don't tell me you don't think that on occasion." He challenged.
"Yeah, you work with her all day," Binder added, which got him an elbow in the side from Temple.
"Shut up, Binder."
"What?" He asked defensively as the elevator opened, and Tweetle Dee and Tweetle Dum proceeded off the elevator, arguing.
After the doors closed the couple was alone again, both facing forward, staring blankly at the elevator doors.
"Matt?"
"Yeah?"
"What did they say about me?" She turned toward him, watching his less-than-thrilled reaction at her question.
"Don't worry about it." Matt had also turned toward heard, but abruptly turned back as he answered.
"Matt, tell me." She moved closer to him, asking him in a gentle voice that she knew he couldn't say no to.
"Uh, fine. They said they wouldn't mind picturing you in a thong either." Matt closed his eyes, momentarily humilated for his gender.
"Oh...So you smacked him?" Emily asked amused by his defensiveness on her part.
"He deserved it," he answered with a small smile. "So on my earlier suggestion?"
"Oh, I was just going to suggest no more sex." She answered.
"What?" he sounded slightly stressed.
"Yeah, a few too many close calls, Matt."
"Oh, okay." He said, completely disappointed.
After a moment of silence, where Matt stood pouting, and Emily biting her lip to keep from laughing, she leaned up and whispered, "I was lying."
"What?"
"Do me a favor Matt, learn to lie better." She told him with a grin, leading the way out of the elevator, Matt following closely behind, grinning himself.