When Peggy left, Don thought about staying home for the rest of the day. It wasn't like it would be the first time he didn't bother to show up. But he knew they were pitching Folgers in a few days, and he wanted to be sure the team was prepared. That didn't stop him from canceling the morning meeting, though. He didn't have it in him to sit in a room with Peggy and Ted. He felt far more comfortable hiding behind his desk.
Don was leaned over Stan's Folgers' storyboards when he realized that he had been reading the same line for the past 30 minutes. He rubbed his eyes and stretched his arms over his head, threading his fingers together and placing them behind his head. His encounter with Peggy consumed his thoughts. Every inch of him knew that what he had done was wrong. That he had taken advantage of her vulnerability and uncertainty. But the longer he sat there the harder it became to resist marching down to her office and kissing her again. There was something about Peggy that he couldn't quite pinpoint. She was sexy in an untraditional way. She was in almost all ways his equal. The only person who was ever willing to stand up to him, to put him in his place. He needed her, but not in the way he had needed or wanted Megan or Betty or any of the other women he had been with. It wasn't a purely sexual desire. It was deeper.
Don stood up from his desk and walked down the hall to her office. As he approached, he heard Ted's voice and hung back to listen to their conversation.
"Can I take you to dinner tonight?" Ted asked lightly, approaching Peggy's desk.
Peggy looked up and sighed. "Ted, I can't. Not tonight."
"Is everything alright? You seemed out of sorts when you left this morning."
Peggy opened a notebook and began writing, in hopes that Ted would recognize that she was busy and leave. "It's nothing, I'm just trying to get this work done for the pitch this week."
"Of course," Ted nodded. "I know that you are a very busy young lady."
Out in the hallway, Don bristled at the comment, knowing Peggy would do the same. There was something about the way Ted spoke to her. It wasn't intentionally demeaning, but it certainly came across that way. He thought about his own conversations with Peggy and knew that he had made the mistake of doing the same thing early on.
"Do you want to stay over tonight?" Ted asked, trying not to sound too eager.
Peggy lowered her voice, and Don leaned closer to the door. "Ted, I told you. You can't do this in the office. I'm not going to be someone that everybody is gossiping about."
Don chuckled. There was something incredibly gratifying about seeing him put in his place. He decided to step into the office.
Peggy looked toward Don, grateful that he was there to get Ted out of her office, but nervous about what he might say.
"Peggy, a word?"
Peggy looked at Ted as she said, "Of course. I believe we're finished here. Ted?"
"Of course. I'll let you know if there is anything else I need." When he reached the door, Ted turned toward Don. "Do you need me to close this?"
Peggy looked up. "Yes."
Ted nodded and closed the door, momentarily reminded of seeing Peggy and Don sharing drinks the week before.
"What can I help you with?" Peggy said, turning her chair to face Don, and trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.
Don leaned up against her desk. "Did you take a look at Stan's storyboards?"
Peggy leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs. "I did."
"And?"
"And I thought the tagline was bad. The art was good."
"It was Ted's line."
"I know."
Don stood and walked to Peggy's window, pouring them each a drink. He handed her a glass and took a sip from his own. "So what do you have that's better?"
Peggy thought for a moment, and took a drink. She saw Don watching her out of the corner of his eye. "What about 'Coffee: Not as good as booze, but warmer."
Don smiled, and it relaxed Peggy. This is about work, she thought to herself. Maybe we can just ignore what happened this morning. They pitched terrible ideas back and forth until Peggy could barely breathe she was laughing so hard. "What about….Coffee. Better than sex. Oh, no wait. Nevermind." Don tipped his head back and laughed. He smiled down at Peggy who was still seated. He had missed doing this with her, working with her and letting her be creative, even if it was just for fun.
They smiled at each other until Peggy's phone rang.
"Yes?"
"Is everything okay in there?" Stan asked on the other end of the line.
Peggy smiled. "It's fine. Just pitching some taglines to go with your storyboards."
"I thought you already saw Ted's."
"I did. Don and I are trying to come up with something better."
Stan chuckled and dropped his voice. "Oh I see what's going on. Look Peg, the walls are pretty thin…"
Peggy cut him off. "Goodbye, Stan." She put the receiver on the hook and stood up.
Don took that as his cue. "I should go." Peggy shrugged her shoulders and walked with Don to the door. She put her hand on the knob to open it, but Don pushed his hand against the door. Peggy's heart raced. They stood in silence for a moment until Don spoke. "Do you want to have dinner tonight?" Peggy stood motionless, not sure of how to respond. "We could finalize the Folgers presentation…and…" Don trailed off.
"Yes," Peggy said curtly. "That would be a good idea. Make sure that we have everything prepared," she was searching for the right words. "Look, Don. About earlier…"
Don leaned down close to Peggy's ear and whispered, "Tonight." His lips brushed her cheek as he straightened up, sending a chill down Peggy's spine. Don opened the door and walked out, leaving Peggy dumbfounded in the doorway.
