“What is?” asks a deep voice from behind me.
I hear the door to the copy room click shut. “Oh, nothing Mr. Parker.”
He steps behind me. He’s so close, I can feel his body heat against my back. “It’s Gabriel, remember?” Using his hand, he moves the hair away from my neck. When his lips touch me right below my ear, I shiver.
“Wh-what can I do for you, Mr. uh, Gabriel?”
“Let me take you to lunch.” He kisses me on the same spot again.
“I… this isn’t appropriate in the office, Gabriel.” I want to turn around to see if anyone can see us through the glass window in the copy room door but he’s now wrapped an arm around me loosely; his hand is on my stomach now. The instant I feel his palm there, I flinch and suck in my gut. I’m self-conscious about my belly.
Looking at my face he smirks, “No one can see us. I shut the door.” His eyes move down my face to my lips.
When the machine beeps angrily, I look down to see I’ve got a paper jam. “Damn it.” I bend at the waist opening doors and unlatching compartments until I find the offending piece of paper. All the while, my big bottom is pressed up against Gabriel. I can feel him. You know…like he’s ‘got a gun in his pocket, and he’s happy to see me’? And trust me, ladies, it’s a big gun.
“Why are you copying the agenda and plans for the meeting this afternoon? I ask Katya to do that two days ago.”
I shrug. I’m not going to get into something between him and Katya right now. “She brought it to me a few minutes ago and asked me to make copies.”
“That’s her job,” he mutters angrily.
Oh, I know I should take the opportunity to talk all about Katya and her work ethic, but I’m not going to do it. I shrug again. “She must have been busy.”
He nods, “That’s true. I make her work hard for me. No matter. Now, what about lunch? We could go to the cafeteria on the main floor. That way everyone will see us together.”
“Uh, that’s not a good idea.”
“Why not?”
How do I say this in a way that won’t sound wrong? “It’ll just make me feel uncomfortable. Everyone will be staring. Besides, I’ve got errands to run over lunch. Maybe another day?”
“I could go with you to run your errands.” He moves his face back to my neck and breathes in, “You smell so good, baby. Like sunshine.”
Baby? Sunshine?What the heck does sunshine smell like? “Thank you, Gabriel. But, not today. These are things I need to do alone.”
“Wow, you're awfully secretive.” His palm slides up until it’s right below my breast. “Gabriel. This isn’t the time or the place for you to get handsy.”
“Oh,” he startles. Pulling away from me he runs his hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, Lex. I didn’t mean to make you feel…”
“It’s fine. I get it. It’s for show. No worries.”
“No, I…”
“Well, I’m all done here. I need to take care of these,” I say holding up the booklets, “and get going.”
“Fine. Sure. I’ll, uh, see you tonight?”
“Tonight?”
“Didn’t Katya send give you my agenda for the week?”
“Not yet.”
“I’ll ask her to do it again.”
“Okay.” Good luck with that, Mr. Parker. “See you later.”
“What? No kiss?”
I step up on the tiptoes of my heels and kiss his cheek. Using my fingers to wave, I say, “Toodles.”
I hear him chuckling as I walk back to my desk. Grabbing my purse, I drop the stack of booklets off at Katya’s, now vacant, desk and make a beeline for the elevator. The truth is, I don’t have errands to run. I just want to be alone––maybe zone out for a bit. I’ll grab a coffee and read a book on my phone in the women’s lounge on the main floor. It’ll be heavenly.
