Who knew knowledge could be a bad thing? (Closed)

[Wolf Vixen]

Angela opened the front door to her apartment, a bottle of wine in one hand and a bag of Chinese in the other. Kicking the door shut with her heeled foot, she kicked off her heels by the door to save on the wear and tear on her carpet. She had just replaced it not two months ago and was still making payments on it. Smiling at that thought it would be paid off soon, she moved her nylon covered feet over the soft fibers on the way to the kitchen. The news she got today was some of the best news she had gotten in years. She was being promoted from her simple job as a phone receptionist to one of the top executive’s personal secretary. Angela had mentioned to her manager the interest for the new position, but after being there 3 years and not moving anywhere within the company, she really didn’t think she would get it.

Stepping onto the cool marble tilted floor, she cautiously made her way to the counter to set the bag and the bottle of wine down. Turning she retraced her steps to the front door to grab her heels and head upstairs to her bedroom. Upon entering the bedroom she headed straight for her closet, tucking away her heels into their place before starting to undress as she replayed the day in her head. At first Angela thought she was in trouble for something she couldn’t remember, but within 5 minutes she knew this was going to be a great day after all.

Stripping down to her bra and thong she moved over toward her dresser and pulled out a big baggy shirt. Slipping her bra free she tossed it on the dresser before slipping the shirt over her head. Pulling her long dark brown hair free of the shirt she reached in the drawer and pulled free a pair of lounge pants and slipped them up her legs. Feeling much more relaxed she started to head back down the stairs and into the kitchen once again. Angela smiled as she remembered the words that were said to her, “Congratulations Ms. Jones, you have been selected to fulfill the vacant secretarial spot that is opening up. You will be replacing Ms. Young as she is moving to support the new executive opening. You will start tomorrow in your new position.”

Angela pulled the Chinese box from the plastic bag as well as the chop sticks before turning toward the cabinet to pull down a wine glass. After setting the glass on the counter she turned and opened up the drawer behind her, finding the corkscrew quickly. Sliding the drawer shut she turned back to the bottle of wine and took her time opening it. She couldn’t wait until the morning arrived, she knew who Linda worked for and he was one of the nicer executives at the company. Pouring herself a glass of the white wine she had purchased, she set the bottle back down and wrapped her manicured hand around the glass and taking a small sip of it. Sighing contently Angela grabbed the box and chopsticks before heading into the living room. Setting the box down as she took a seat on her plush sofa, she grabbed up the remote and started the movie she had left in the night before.

Angela settled back to finish the movie as she ate her dinner. It wasn’t long before the movie had ended and so had her dinner. Collecting the wine glass and Chinese box she moved back into the kitchen. She tucked away the leftovers in her almost bare fridge before quickly washing the glass and setting it in the drainer. Angela made a mental note to head by the store after work tomorrow to pick up a few things for the week. She moved quickly, cutting off the lights and locking the front door before heading back up to her bedroom.

Setting the alarm Angela pulled back the covers on her full size bed. Sliding in between the covers, she pulls them over her before getting comfortable. She was more than excited for her alarm to sound, her morning ritual done before heading off to her new position; she just hoped she could get some sleep tonight as her mind raced with anticipation.

 

[TheVoiceWithout]

It had been a long day for Tim, and hours since his last cup of coffee. The sun had slunk its way down behind the far horizon what seemed like ages ago, though it couldn’t have been more than an hour or two, at most. Looking at his watch, he realized it was still relatively early, though it had been such a long and trying day he felt dead on his feet.

Barely moved into his new ‘home’ for a week, this had been his first day of work at the new office. Nothing like what he’d come from, judging from the outside, but that’s what came with advancement. An office with a view, a new apartment, a bigger salary, all the trimmings for the low low price of moving across the state, leaving all the people and places he’d known behind, breaking off what had looked to be the start of a decent relationship; everything except his soul, basically. It had been a very long day, and it looked to be drawing to a close, finally. He’d met all the old hands that morning, been introduced around to what seemed like more people than he’d known thus far in his life. They took him out to a nice place for lunch, ‘nothing fancy,’ as they put it, though it was a far cry from the homemade sandwiches and over-brewed coffee he’d grown used to at the old place. He’d returned to meet a group of people he’d be working closely with, all shielded in offices much like his own, everyone with a secretary on call, though he couldn’t imagine what for. Supposedly he would have one as well, who most likely be there to greet him in the morning with messages and memos and the like.

Such a long, long day, and yet Tim kept telling himself it would get easier, given time. He would settle in, find his place, and everything would get easier from there. The names would match more easily with the faces, the work itself would begin, he would figure out what exactly they expected of him, and (hopefully) the streets and addresses would become a little less foreign, given time… Everything would get better…

He glanced around the modest apartment he now called home; all his belongings looking somehow tarnished and shabby among the new appliances, lush lighting and spotless hardwood floors. Slipping out of his shoes, he placed them atop the rug by the front door. It wasn’t that he was afraid to scuff up the floor, not in his own home, it was just an old habit he’d picked up from his father when he was a kid. His pants dragged along the floor with a soft rasp, complimented by the still-crisp new shirt he’d purchased for his first day. The woman working the men’s department said the shade of blue made his eyes stand out, and blue went rather well with the black pants. Catching a reflection in a pane of glass as he passed, he drew a hand across his long, angular jaw, feeling the rough stubble against his fingers. Drawing his fingers through his freshly cut dark brown hair, he let out a long sigh and headed for his bedroom. Time for a shower, and then off to bed… It had been such a long, exceedingly long day...

 

[Wolf Vixen]

As the alarm sounded the next morning Angela sighed and rolled over to shut it off. Slipping from the bed she turned and made certain that the covers were pulled back up and there weren’t any signs she had even slept in the thing. Angela’s mother had always made sure that she made her bed before she started the day and it stuck with her through the years. Now it was just a normal step in her morning ritual.

Stepping into the white bathroom, Angela switched on the lights and headed straight for the stand up shower. Turning the faucets on she moved back to her bedroom where she slipped from the lounge pants and shirt. Folding them up, she set them on top of her dresser before heading back into the bathroom. Opening the small closet and pulling out a freshly laundered towel, Angela moved to the silver ring beside the shower door. Sliding the towel over the ring, she slipped from her thong, tossing it in the hamper before opening the shower door and stepping inside. She sighed as the warm water woke her up even more.

Angela never lavished herself in the shower, though there were those rare moments where she took longer than she normally did. Once she finished she shut off the water and stepped from the shower to dry off. Making quick work, she wrapped the towel around her body and stepped back into the bedroom. Fishing out a new thong and bra she shed the towel and quickly slipped them on. Back to the bathroom she blow dried her dark brown hair and watched as the light caught the auburn tints in it. Brushing through her hair before switched to the light dusting of makeup she wore every day. Nothing fancy, just a dash of blush and eye shadow to compliment her dark blue eyes.

Quickly moving back into her bedroom, she headed for the closet where she pulled out a black dress skirt and a lavender silk button up blouse. Grabbing her 2 inch black heels she moved back into the bedroom to finish dressing.

Angela moved to the full length mirror once dressed and looked at her reflection, turning quickly to make sure everything was in place. She grabbed the heels and headed downstairs to the front door. Glancing around she remembered she left her purse in the car, but it was parked in the garage so she wasn’t worried. After living here for what seemed like forever she could say it was probably the safest place she knew of. Grabbing her keys, she opened the front door, slipped on her heels and headed out.

The morning commute was like any other weekday, slow and boring. Angela turned on the radio just to keep some kind of noise around, besides the sounds of cars and horns at least. She arrived at the office and took the same spot she always had. Slipping from the car, she made sure to grab her purse and head inside. She was excited about the new position and she couldn’t wait to get started. Grabbing the elevator she headed up, passing by the floor she normally stopped on. The smile on her face grew as the doors opened and she headed for Linda’s old desk. Slipping her purse into a desk drawer, Angela moved around the desk and headed toward the new executive’s office. She wanted to get some tips from Linda before the executives started to arrive, especially Mr. Henderson, her new boss of sorts.

Finding Linda at the desk Angela smiled brightly, “All settled in?”

Linda glanced up and smiled to Angela, “Yes, this should be a breeze. How many of these executives have I coddled now?”

Angela couldn’t help but laugh, “A few, maybe even all of them by now.” Angela liked Linda, she was one of the few secretaries up here that came down and mingled with the bottom of the totem pole. Angela had known her the whole 3 years she had worked there and knew that Linda had been there for what seemed like a lifetime before that.

“I wanted to get some tips on Mr. Henderson, if you have time,” Angela asked.

Linda nodded her head, “Sure, easiest tip I can give you for him, coffee and lots of it; black. Gary is easy to work for, he is the least demanding of all of them, but then again I don’t know about this new guy,” glancing down at her notes, “Tim…Tim Stone.” Linda looked back up to Angela, “You will be fine.”

Angela nodded with a smile as Linda glanced behind her, she suspected someone was walking up their way, maybe another secretary, but she doubted it since they were known to be rather stuck up even to Linda. Angela turned around, her smile faltering just slightly as her blue eyes landed on what had to be the best looking guy at the company. Surely he had to be lost, looking for direction or even a delivery guy, but then he was wearing what the company considered proper attire. Angela heard Linda whisper to her, “There he comes now, isn’t he a dish?” Angela could only nod in response.

Her eyes moved over the dark brown hair, noticing what appeared to be a light dusting effect of lighter shades that hinted every now and then in the light. But what caught her attention more than anything were his eyes. Blue in shade but something held in their depths she couldn’t quite put her finger on. She tried not to gawk at the man, but she did notice he fit well in the pants and shirt he was wearing. Quickly Angela turned her gaze back to Linda, “I should go.”

She saw Linda’s smile grow before turning and heading back the way she had come. Only problem with that was she had to pass right by him. As she did, Angela gave him a soft smile and a friendly hello in passing. She fought herself not to turn around to get another glance at him; instead she walked quickly to her desk, taking a deep breath of thanks that she didn’t have to work with him every day.

Collecting herself, Angela turned her attention to making Mr. Henderson’s coffee before he arrived.

 

[TheVoiceWithout]

When Tim awoke the first time, the entire room was pitch black. The sheets were cool and soft against his skin, and the air was still, beyond anything he’d ever known before. He could hear the faint rumble of a garbage truck somewhere out on the streets below, but after it passed, everything fell silent. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d experienced quiet like that. Back home, or, back in his old home at least, there had always been a hubbub, no matter the time of day or night. Granted, before, he’d lived in a rather old building where the walls were paper thin in places, and only marginally thicker everywhere else. Here, in his new home, everything was ‘state of the art,’ or so they’d told him when he’d moved in. Something about sound canceling this and density that; it had all been a little over his head at the time. The silence was lulling, though, he had to admit, and before long he managed to drift off back to sleep.

The second time he woke it was with the blaring of an alarm in his ears, the shrill tone sounding again and again until he managed to shut it off and roll slowly out of bed. It had been warm enough when he’d gone to bed the night before he’d only worn a pair of boxer shorts and a tank top, but in the cool of morning he felt a sudden chill, and padded across the soft carpeted floor towards the kitchen to make coffee. As the smell began to waft through the apartment he moved slowly down the hall towards the bathroom, turning on the hot water in the shower and letting the clouds of steam slowly build and billow, fogging the mirror and causing his reflection to slowly blur, and then vanish before he stepped in. The water itself was surprisingly hot, and he was tempted to spend as much time there languishing under the spray as possible, even though he knew he shouldn’t… It would be easy to forget that today was only his second day at his new job, simply hide away from everything in his home and pretend he didn’t feel like it was all a big mistake… He heard his father’s voice in the back of his mind, reminding him of all he’d worked for up to that point, telling him everything would work out in the end, everything in that calm, deep voice he always had.

Stepping from the shower, the cold assailed him again, but he fought against it, moving quickly through the apartment in search of clothes; finally settling on a charcoal grey suit and a pair of black pants, a color scheme that seemed to be very popular with the higher ups which he’d copied in hopes of not standing out as much. A pair of dark leather shoes, a cup of coffee, and he was out the door.

He probably could have driven, or taken a cab, but he preferred to walk, at least initially. It helped orient him with the city, the streets, and the people, though it did take a bit longer to get to work. As he walked he went over the names of people he’d met the day before, trying to match them up to the pictures in his mind. The last thing he needed was to make a fool of himself in front of one of his bosses, or even worse, send something to the wrong person. During lunch the previous day a few of his new co-workers had regaled him with horror stories about the guy he’d replaced, his follies and accidents, and Tim sorely wished to avoid making the same mistakes. By the time he arrived, the office looked busy indeed, a hub of activity already. Making his way up and towards his office, he smiled and nodded politely at the faces he remembered, mumbled quick hellos here and there, and generally did his best to remain invisible. Sooner or later the stress would lessen and he would be comfortable… Almost there, he thought, just a little further and he would be safely ensconced in his office, and could begin sorting things out, hopefully speak with his secretary and see what was expected of him get a better lay of the land. He saw a face he recognized, one that actually seemed glad to see him, a woman named Linda he believed. The woman beside her he didn’t recognize, but as he saw her face his breath caught in his throat and he felt his chest tighten a little. Whoever she was, she was stunning… Breathing quicker as she approached, he tried to sound confident, mumbled a little hello in passing, and kept walking. Smooth, he thought. Brilliant eyes, a gorgeous smile, she even says hello to me, and what do I do? Mumble. Real smooth…

Finally making it to his office, Tim cracked open the door and settled down in the chair, furrowing his brow in frustration and rubbing his temples. That face kept sticking in his mind… A knock at the door cleared it away quickly, though the eyes remained, half hidden and alluring in the back of his mind. The next two hours passed in a blur as he was introduced (and re-introduced) to higher ups and given a stack of things to accomplish. Henderson came in at one point, mentioning that a group would be gathering down in the lobby for lunch, to which he quickly acquiesced, noting the time on a small notepad which had sat entirely blank and untouched up until that point. With a good few hours under his belt, he decided it was time to vault the next hurdle, calling in his secretary. “Umm… Not to be blunt, but… Never having had a secretary before, I’m frankly a little unsure what to ask of you, and… Well, what do you do exactly?” She laughed easily and flashed him a smile. And who was that woman from this morning…? He couldn’t exactly ask that of her, though. For one thing it wasn’t professional, and for another it probably wouldn’t earn him any points with his secretary, either.

 

[Wolf Vixen]

Linda smiled softly, “Mr. Stone, I am here for you. If you need to write up a letter but don’t really have time, I can certainly take dictation and type it up for you. If you need me to sort through papers, put together presentations, email or call others...I can do that as well. Just think of me as another extension of yourself. As I have told many of the other executives, just think of it as anything you can make someone else do while you give yourself time to breathe….that someone else is me. “

Linda paused a moment to let that sink in before she continued, “Eventually they will be utilizing you for the skills in which brought you here. You won’t have time to get a cup of coffee or call up a girlfriend or wife to make plans for dinner. You accomplish your task, but not have time to put it together in a presentation to the other executives or even answer the phone…that is where I come in. I am here to help lighten your load so you can focus your attention on the meat of your position.”

Linda had done this more times than she could count, but every time it was interesting to try and word what she does to someone new. If she could really put it bluntly then she may offend some of the older executives she worked for in the past. That might not win her points with the one she is currently working with, much less how quickly news would spread about what she said.

Linda waited to see if Mr. Stone had any other questions about her position or even his own. After 10 years at the company, Linda knew the ins and outs of every position, even the executives. Being an older woman also had its advantages; most executives weren’t distracted when she worked for them. She wasn’t hideous looking, but she wasn’t the hot young secretary you see on television. Linda enjoyed her job, though at times not who she worked for, but either way she made sure that the executive she worked for ranked high with the company. Guess in a way she was mother hen, corralling in the overly active boys to make sure they did their work. Linda tried not to chuckle at that thought, she didn’t think Mr. Stone or any of the other executives would appreciate it.

*************************

Angela met Mr. Henderson and even had a short meeting with him where he detailed what he expected of her. He did mention that filling Linda’s shoes would be a bit of a challenge, but he had faith that she would pull it off, not to mention Linda’s own recommendation for her. Angela made a mental note to thank Linda for helping her move up into this position. It was a good thing to have friends in high places after all.

Angel worked on a few letters for Mr. Henderson, impressing him in the process. She sorted her own desk, making sure she had everything she needed within close range. It was actually a pretty easy day, but she knew eventually it would get busy. She watched Mr. Henderson leave a few times, assuming he was visiting the other executives or meetings she didn’t know about for that day. Angela also went through the notes Linda had left for her on the computer, helping her associate herself with the software that the secretaries used.

The day moved by fairly even for Angela. She wouldn’t say it moved by quickly because for most of the day she was getting herself acquainted with her new job. As lunch slowly came around she checked with Mr. Henderson to see if he needed anything before she left. Not needing her until that afternoon, Angela made her way down the hall toward Linda’s desk. She was going to check to see if Linda wanted to go to lunch since it seemed as if the ‘guys’ had plans. At least that is what she was telling herself as she made her way toward Linda’s desk, it had nothing to do with the new executive or the fact Angela was starting to wonder if she had imagined what she saw earlier that morning.

Seeing an empty desk, Angela paused and glanced down the hall to see if maybe Linda was elsewhere or coming back from something. She picked up on mumbled voices and realized she was in the office with….what did Linda say his name was…oh right…Mr. Stone…Tim to be more precise. Angela moved over to one of the ‘waiting area’ chairs and took a seat, crossing her legs and waiting for Linda to emerge from the office. She hoped it wouldn’t be too long since she wasn’t sure if Mr. Henderson expected her back at any certain time.

 

[TheVoiceWithout]

Tim sighed softly under his breath, trying his best to keep it quietly to himself as Linda explained the dynamics of their relationship, nodding when she paused and soaking it all in. When she’d finally finished she smiled at him expectantly and he nodded again, feeling a little calmer and more comfortable. Soon enough his real work would actually begin, at which point he’d be able to focus more clearly and all the little nagging details would fade to shadows at the back of his mind… And rest beside that pair of haunting eyes he’d seen earlier…

“Uhh… That is to say…” He began, the cleared his throat before continuing. “Thank you. That’s what I meant to say. It’s been more than a little rough adjusting, to everything really, and I’ve never had a secretary before. The last place… Well, the place I came from was much smaller, in scale and in size. There were maybe twenty of us in the entire place, and everybody kind of congealed into a big family of sorts, so the whole system here is a little alien.” Standing and coming around the desk, he took Linda’s hand and gave it a grateful squeeze. “Thanks for clearing that up. Hopefully I won’t have too many other stupid questions for you. I think I should be able to grab my own coffee, though” He nodded towards the half empty cup atop the desk. “And as for outside calls, well… There was someone, back home, errr, where I used to live; but she didn’t come with me, so I that shouldn’t be a problem. I don’t like the idea of you, or anyone really, ‘waiting on me.’ I don’t know how it is for the other secretaries, but hopefully we can be a little more egalitarian.” He gave her a soft, hopeful smile, some of the tension in his chest finally beginning to release, and he no longer felt like a migraine was coming on. They chatted for a moment, idly, before turning back for their respective places. Time sank into the office chair, far nicer and more comfortable than anything he’d ever owned or used before, as Linda opened the door and slipped out.

After that, it was only a brief time before Henderson came to collect him for lunch. After meeting the others down in the lobby, they moved out into the bustling streets of downtown. Tim felt more than a little outclassed, everyone else dressed in suits and ties while he had come out only in his shirtsleeves. Everyone else fell into an easy rhythm of back and forth about golf swings and car payments, everything that Tim had come to expect as stereotypical of an executive lunch outing, which left him rather in the dark as he’d never had an interest in golf and felt rather removed from the conversation in general. The other execs had chosen another rather ostentatious restaurant, bringing back the sour feeling of intimidation to Tim’s stomach. The conversation began to revolve almost entirely around figures and projections as they settled into a table and pored over the menu. Everyone ordered salads, dressing on the side, no bread; it was all very health conscious and made Tim feel a little further removed. Perhaps he should have declined the invitation and found something on his own… Maybe asked Linda, she would most likely know of something a little more mainstream…

He carried on through lunch as best as he was able, picking slowly over his plate and adding whatever details he could to the conversation, though it seemed to flow perfectly well without him, until everyone had finished and they began the slow trek back to the office. Wending his way through the office felt much easier than it had earlier that day and the day before as he walked Henderson back to his office. A desk sat beside the closed door, rather sparsely populated with typical office supplies and a computer. Tim wondered who Henderson’s secretary was, as the only one he’d met up to that point that he could remember was his own, Linda. Shrugging it off, he exchanged pats on the shoulder with Henderson and went back to his own office, noting that Linda was also absent. No matter, I can fend for myself. I’ve got to figure this out sooner or later, anyway… Sitting down at his desk, he began poring over the stack of files that had already accumulated, most of them files from the previous tenant of the office who’d left in the middle of several projects. He wrote himself a note, a reminder to ask Linda if she knew anything about whoever he’d replaced and what the specific progress had been. It seemed much easier starting there than asking another of the executives, though Henderson was personable and polite enough, perhaps he’d ask him as well, later in the day or the next…

 

[Wolf Vixen]

Angela smiled brightly as she saw Linda slip from the office. Standing up she moved to Linda’s desk just as Linda glanced at her with a smile of her own, “I was wondering what you were doing for lunch. Mr. Henderson told me you recommended me for the position and I figured I would treat you to lunch.”

Linda blushed a bit, “Now he wasn’t supposed to tell you that! But sure, Mr. Stone is probably going with the rest of them so he should be okay without me.”

Angela glanced at the door, still wondering if maybe she had seen things this morning. After all, it wasn’t likely a good looking guy was working at this place. She knew they had some in other locations, but never here. Linda must have caught her looking, “He had someone back where he came from, but I don’t think they are an item anymore.”

Angela turned quickly to Linda as Linda grabbed her purse and moved around the desk, “What? I didn’t need to….,” Angela was saying as Linda cut her off, “Please, I saw you this morning. Don’t even try to pretend with me young lady.” Linda laughed and grabbed Angela’s arm, “Come, I will introduce you after lunch.” Angela was stumbling over her words, trying to tell Linda she wasn’t interested when in fact she was.

They headed back to Angela’s desk so she could pick up her own purse before catching the elevator and heading out of the office building. It was such a beautiful day they decided to walk; not to mention the place they always went to was just around the corner. They chatted about the job, which of course lead to Linda teasing Angela about Tim. Angela was afraid that Linda was going to try to set her up and she really didn’t need that. Angela didn’t have time to really date anyone. She was more worried about her new position and making good on Linda’s recommendation than she was doing out on dates with men who literally just did it to get your panties. Angela started thinking that maybe she should just get a cat instead, at least then she would have company in her place from time to time.

As they entered the little pub they frequented, Linda waved at some of the other girls from the office. Before long the two of them ended up being a group of them, but it just looked like a normal work day for Angela. They laughed and joked about life in general and also rehashing old funny stories of things that happened in the office. Linda, of course, just had to bring up what a cutie the new guy was and so for the next 30 minutes she was describing him to everyone else in that office building. Angela just sat back with a sigh until Linda winked at her and whispered to her, “Well if you aren’t interested, someone might as well be.” Angela rolled her eyes at Linda and the older woman’s antics. She loved Linda to death but sometimes that woman didn’t know when to quit. Yes she got Angela’s attention, hell seeing the man that morning got her attention, but other things were way more important to her than a guy, even if that guy floated in and out of her thoughts all day today.

After lunch, the girls from the office building started to leave, but Linda put her hand on Angela’s arm keeping her there. Once they were alone again Linda turned to her, “You know I have my ways of showing you what you should be going after right? Well take it from this old woman, he is a catch, don’t let one of those bimbos get their claws into him.” Linda watched Angela a moment, “I am not going to force you to join me tonight, but I planned on inviting him out for a drink after work. Being that he is in a new town, at a new job, I thought it would be nice for him to spend some time with some normal folks. He doesn’t strike me as the kind to hang out with the guys, at least not the top guys at the office. “

Angela didn’t know what to say, here was this older woman whom she had known for the past 3 years now talking about asking the new executive out for drinks and she wanted Angela to join them. It wasn’t like she had any plans after work, in fact she rarely did, but to be ‘hanging’ out with this guy and Linda…she just didn’t know. “Let me think on it okay,” Angela asked. Linda nodded before releasing her arm and moving to leave.

They walked back to the office building, catching the elevator once more. Linda didn’t say too much on the walk but as they stepped out onto their floor she smiled and waved to Mr. Henderson, “I’m going to steal her for a few more minutes, I hope you don’t mind.” Mr. Henderson laughed, “Not at all.”

Angela wasn’t sure what to make of the exchange, but she did know that Linda had been close with Mr. Henderson. Linda tugged her down the hallway, back toward Linda’s desk. As they got to her desk Linda didn’t even stop, she went straight for the door and knocked. Angela was about to say something when she heard his voice calling them in. Taking a deep breath she fought just a little as Linda pulled her into the office where he sat in the big lush office chair. When he looked up at them Angela’s breath caught, those eyes seemed to speak to her, she just wished she knew what they were saying.

Linda’s voice broke through and Angela pulled her eyes from him to look at a safer subject, Linda, “I wanted to introduce you to Mr. Henderson’s secretary, this is Angela Jones. Angela this is Tim Stone.” Angela had to turn back to him at the introductions and even held out her hand to him to shake. Her voice was soft, “Pleasure to meet you.”

Just as their hands met Linda continued, “Angela and I were going to have drinks after work and wanted to know if you wanted to join us.” Angela’s eyes widened a bit before turning to Linda with a ‘WTF’ expression in them.

 

[TheVoiceWithout]

Tim had managed to bury himself in the stack resting in what he’d discovered had been an ‘in-box’ of sorts. At least, it had been a small wooden box holding a very large stack of proposals, data clusters, results and polls and a whole host of other things, none of them very well organized. He’d already written himself a note, a reminder to have Linda perhaps take a look at them with him and see what was current and what was out of date, what could be shelved and which ones needed to be taken care of more immediately. Taking care of the back log would take him who knew how long, but it would keep him busy and give him a reason to feel less useless in the new office. It might even give him a chance to get to know the people he worked with better. Whoever his predecessor had been, they hadn’t been terribly fond of computers as storage devices; everything had been printed out and bundled into various folders and files, and he hoped to transition it all into digital eventually. The items that proved to be worth keeping, anyway. Perhaps that had been part of the reason they’d brought him in, as he was deemed to be young enough and forward thinking enough to not rely on the old methods as some clearly still did… The thought didn’t bear much thinking on, and he quickly returned to the stack which had begun to slowly spread across his desk since his return from lunch perhaps a half hour previously. A knock at the door jarred him from his thoughts and brought him back to reality. “Come in,” he said, lifting his eyes from the sea of bone white, butter yellow and sky blue paper. I really should find a doorstop or something, I hate having that door closed like that… He thought to himself as the door swung open and in walked Linda and… her.

His breath quickened and his chest tightened again, just as it had earlier that morning when he saw her. There was something about her, nothing he could place his finger on, something haunting and distant in the back of his mind that spoke to him, though it must have been in a language he couldn’t understand as it wasn’t a sensation he could clearly place. Whatever it was about her, she was entrancing. Who knew how long he looked into her eyes before Linda finally broke the silence, He reached out to take her hand in what he hoped was a genial way, hoping like never before that his hands weren’t sweaty. “Angela… It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Understatement of the century…

Linda continued as though nothing odd were happening, though fireworks were already firing off inside his brain. Her hand was soft and warm, and he had to fight the urge to clasp it a little tighter, caress it with his own, and instead let it go, shaking his head softly and turning to Linda as the two women shared a look he couldn’t quite understand. Probably something he’d missed; it wouldn’t have been the first time. He’d never been much for reading facial or social cues. “Drinks… Well, sure, actually, that sounds good. I don’t exactly know anywhere around here, though there is a pretty decent little place on the ground floor of my building. My apartment, I mean. It might be nice to go someplace new, though, especially with people who’ve lived here for a while, and know a decent place to eat. I’ve been eating takeout since I got here, hehehe…” He trailed off with a soft, uneasy chuckle, watching a wry smile creep across Linda’s face while the new woman, Angela, continued to look at Angela in that curious way.

“Sounds good, Mr. Stone. Shall we meet in the lobby downstairs when we’re all finished for the day?” Linda asked, cool and easy as anything. Tim nodded with a smile, “That sounds great. I think a drink might be just what I need after staring at these papers all afternoon.” He gestured towards the pile that had accumulated across the desktop. “I could also use some help with these, if you’ve got some time later…” Linda nodded knowingly, as if she had already seen that coming. Probably, she had; he’d heard she had been with the company for more than a few years and seemed to know more of what was going on than anyone else.

Suddenly the phone on his desk began chiming and ringing, dragging his attention from the two women still standing just inside the office door. “Uhhh, I think I’d probably better get that…” Turning from the phone to the two of them, he gave his brightest smile. “Linda, perhaps I might come find you in a little bit, if you aren’t busy, and maybe get some help with this? And, Angela, it’s been a pleasure already. Sorry we don’t exactly have time to chat… Hopefully tonight, though?” Reaching to take her hand once more, he gave it a gentle squeeze, letting the warmth of her skin wash over his as a shiver ran up his spine. Those eyes… What was it about those eyes?

 

[Wolf Vixen]

Angela was too shell shocked by Linda’s question that she didn’t even notice his hand in hers until it was gone. The brief touch barely registered in her mind as she was too busy trying to figure out what Linda’s end game was. His acceptance actually pulled her back to the conversation and her eyes turned back to him just as his phone started to ring. Angela didn’t know what to even say to him, but the feel his hand in hers once more just clouded her brain even more. It wasn’t until Linda touched her arm did she realize they were leaving.

As Linda pulled her back to Linda’s desk, Angela was shaking the cob webs out of her mind. That was real smart of her, she could only guess how much of an idiot he thought of her, just standing there not saying anything. When reality set back in Angela looked at Linda, “What the hell was that?”

Linda smiled brightly, “Well I figured since he was new to town we could at least welcome him properly, right?”

Angela glared at Linda, “One of these days woman, I am going to get even with you.” Linda just laughed softly as Angela turned and went back to her desk. Shaking her head as he got there, she peeked in on Mr. Henderson who was also on the phone. He nodded and she slipped back out. Angela couldn’t believe that little stunt that Linda did. Laughing to herself at how easy it was for that woman to try and set everyone up before she even knew if they were a match or not.

The day moved on at a snail’s pace, probably because Angela was actually looking forward to drinks after work. She was interested in learning more about Tim Stone. It did worry her though just a bit to be interested in someone she worked with. The what if’s started to float in her head as she tried to get some work done. Thankfully Mr. Henderson wasn’t asking much of her that day.

Eventually Linda stopped by, purse slung up on her shoulder, “Ready?” Angela glanced down, not even realizing the time, “Yeah, give me a second.” Angela went about shutting down her computer before pulling her purse from the desk drawer she kept it in.

As she moved around the desk Linda beamed at her, “What is that look for?” Linda just shook her head and turned for the elevators.

As they stepped from the elevators and headed for the lobby Angela was starting to worry that Tim would cancel at the last minute. She never did have much luck when it came to friends trying to hook her up, much less just meeting guys on her own. The thought of buying that cat came to mind again.

Angela didn’t see him, but then again she may have seen him if he left, which she didn’t. She turned to Linda who still looked like the cat that ate the mouse, “What are you up to?”

Linda smiled brightly, “Who me? Nothing, waiting like you are.”

Angela nodded but didn’t believe her for an instant, her eyes turning to the elevators just in time to see him emerge. She couldn’t help but stare this time around, watching him move toward them. She smiled softly and hoped that the stupidity streak she had earlier had finally left her. Again, his eyes spoke to her and she was still unsure what they were saying, but she could imagine herself just staring into them for hours. Shifting her stance a bit she stopped the train of thoughts that were trying to follow the last one, none of which would do her any good this evening.

As he got closer Linda stepped forward, “I’m going to have to take a rain check, but Angela here should keep you company.” Before Angela could even voice her disagreement with Linda, Linda was walking away, leaving her there with Tim. She glanced to him, “I’m sorry Mr. Stone...,” before she could get any further in her apology he stopped her, “Tim, please.” Angela nodded, “I had a feeling she was up to something. If you want to cancel I would completely understand.”

Angela hoped he wouldn’t, but then she would understand if he did. After all, he got duped into this as badly as she had. Angela tried to salvage the disaster that Linda left her with, “I do know of a good place, we can even grab dinner if you want.” Angela could feel the rambling bug fall upon her, but she didn’t want to leave Tim completely out to dry after what Linda did. She looked to him, expecting him to decline.

 

[TheVoiceWithout]

The rest of the day seemed to pass in a blur, though Tim attributed most of that to the workload. He was glad he’d found something he could finally sink his teeth into, as it assuaged away the feelings of uselessness and guilt he’d been harboring. The afternoon proved to be productive, and he made a decent dent in the pile of papers and files and folders, though there would still be much much more to deal with in the coming days, and he would probably have need of Linda for some of it. That made him feel better as well, finally having found a somewhat more comfortable place with regard to her. The thought of a personal secretary still felt odd, but perhaps it would grow on him, given time. His thoughts began to drift, wondering what it would be like to have Angela as a secretary instead… He probably wouldn’t get anything done, he’d be spending too much time with his foot in his mouth or staring…

She swam through his mind again and again, though every time he pushed her away and returned to his work with renewed vigor, focusing his concentration on the tasks at hand. He could still see those eyes in the back of his mind from time to time, though the work kept him busy enough that the day was still over before he’d even realized. When he did finally notice the time he mumbled a curse under his breath and pushed everything into the most organized piles he could, vowing to make a better show of it in the morning, then making his way towards the elevator as quickly as he politely could. It wouldn’t do to look like he was rushing to get out, but he didn’t want to keep Linda and Angela waiting, lest they might think he was just blowing them off.

Meeting up proved easier than he thought, though Linda turned out to be the one beckoning off. Tim felt a little confused at first, though excited at the prospect of spending a little alone time with Angela, and then a tinge of guilt. He didn’t know if she had a boyfriend or girlfriend or whatever, though he was fairly sure she wasn’t married, given the lack of a ring. Still, she seemed rather amenable to drinks and maybe dinner, and the exuberance returned. “Actually, that sounds good. A drink still sounds good, though that lunch today… Well, not to speak ill of my colleagues, but that wasn’t exactly what I was expecting, so food would be quite welcome.” Out of force of habit he held out the crook of his arm for her to take, only realizing the gaff after it happened, letting his arm fall as a flush crept up his cheeks. “Oops, sorry. Here, after you.” He gestured, taking hold of the door and holding it open for her, then following out into the brisk evening air. “I hope it’s not too far, I’m still not terribly used to this city and these streets…” Giving her a tentative smile as they set off, he had to force himself to tear his eyes away from hers before walking into someone or something in their path.

“So…” he began, as all the words in his vocabulary began to drip and run away like rainwater through a sieve. “Hehe… Sorry. Long day, I guess. That thought just kind of took off on me.” Chiding himself over and over in his mind, he gritted his teeth and forced himself to simply walk, focusing on following at Angela’s side as they made their way down the street. Hopefully he’d manage to unwind a little over a drink and some dinner. Otherwise this would make for a very one sided conversation, indeed. “So, is that pretty typical for Linda? I mean, uhh, she seems like a great person and all, but… umm… Is she prone to that sort of thing?” The thought reminded Tim of a friend from his old firm who had a similar habit, though he’d never managed to set Tim up, thankfully. Still, if Linda had done this intentionally, he might actually have to thank her in the morning for giving him an excuse to talk to Angela a bit more… “You two seem like pretty good friends, and I don’t mean to disparage her or anything at all. Second day jitters still, I guess…” He chuckled softly to himself, hoping it didn’t sound too nervous, as they came upon the restaurant. Tim opened the door for the two of them and followed Angela in, feeling as nervous as if he were on a blind date as they looked for an open table.

 

[Wolf Vixen]

Angela was a little shocked that Tim still wanted to go out. Usually when friends did this to her the guy would find some excuse to leave too. When he crooked his arm out to her she couldn’t help but smile at him. She was even tempted to take his arm, but then he lowered it with an apology.

As they made their way from the building, he held the door for her. She passed through the threshold out into the city before pausing for him to catch up. “The city you can’t seem to get lost in. It is just outside the city you have to be careful. Those back roads will get you so lost you will be begging to see the city again,” Angela laughed since it was hard to imagine wanting to see the city when you are stuck out in places of fields and woods. Maybe that was her preference though and his was something different.

Hearing Tim voice again as he tried to start a conversation and yet stopped had her looking directly at him. She certainly enjoyed what she saw, but it didn’t do either of them good if she ran into something or lead them down the wrong road so she pulled her eyes back from him again, “It is okay, first days can either be stressful or relaxing, sometimes a bit of both.” She glanced up at the sky, noticing the stars out but it also allowed her a chance to catch sight of him as well as keeping an eye on where they were going.

Just the feel of him beside her had her skin tightening and even tingling in some parts, but then that could have been the cool breeze of the evening as well. It was too early to be too cool though so it had to be him. Angela quickly glanced to him as he asked about Linda, laughing softly she turned her attention back to the sidewalk, just in time to come to the restaurant, “I think she is trying to set us up. She has watched out for me since coming to the company three years ago, but there are times I have watched her get devious with some of the women at the office. Everyone seems to owe her favors of some flavor or she knows something about you that you don’t wish everyone to know, and she certainly uses it to her favor. “

Angela paused as they took a seat at their booth. Settling into the seat she glanced at him, “One of these days I am going to find some dirt on her so she will leave me alone. Want to join forces on it, then we can get her to leave us both alone,” laughing at the thought, “I’m just picking, I don’t expect you to get involved in this with Linda. She means well, but sometimes a bit too much.” Angela opened up the menu, “I do hope you like steaks, but they have chicken and even some seafood if that is more to your liking,” taking another quick glance of him before her eyes settled on the items in the menu.

The waitress came, taking their drink order before leaving them once again. Angela picked out what she wanted and closed the menu, clasping her hands on top of it as she looked at him for a moment again before turning her eyes away to the other patrons. The closing of his own menu brought her attention around to him once again just as the waitress reappeared with their drinks. The waitress took their order and headed off once more, leaving them alone or what could be considered alone in a restaurant. Angela smiled softly to him, trying not to allow herself to fall into the feeling that this was a date, “So where do you hail from? Linda did tell me a little bit about you, how you moved here, but not much.”

That was the simple start of it and before long they were talking like they were long lost friends. He told her of his father and where he grew up and she told him of her mother and where she grew up. She found it amusing how more and more people her age were coming from broken homes. Neither of them said much about the other parent, which she assumed just meant there wasn’t much to say. She offered to show him around, just trying to be courteous is what she was thinking to herself, but she knew the real reason for it; she wanted to spend more time with him.

They laughed and she even found them reaching across the table to each other’s hand at some joke or to emphasis some story point, but each time it happened she felt her chest tighten that much more. He had a great smile and she loved to hear him laugh; mix that with his handsome good looks and those eyes of his and Angela felt herself falling into dangerous ground with him. She was beginning to really like him and even found herself taking longer than normal to eat her dinner and drink her drink. She didn’t want the night to end.

 

[TheVoiceWithout]

The restaurant had proved to be rather enjoyable, though he found himself more pleased at the company than the surroundings or the fare being offered. When the waitress had come by asking about drinks, he’d still been feeling a little nervous and so had ordered a gin and tonic. The combination would hopefully ease his nerves and his stomach, or so he’d hoped. However, by the time they’d gone through the ritual of perusing the menu, hemming and hawing and finally ordering, he’d grown comfortable enough that the drink hadn’t really been needed.

During the course of their dinner conversation it began to slowly work its way through his system, though, or perhaps it was simply the lack of nervous energy that made him feel ebullient. Chatting with Angela came as easy as anything, certainly easier than trying to maintain pleasant conversation with the other executives during lunch. They ranged across the usual topics, though he found himself speaking more at length than usual in such a situation. He told himself it was because she was the first real person he’d met since moving in and starting his new job. In the previous week or so he hadn’t really had much chance to meet anyone until starting at the office, and at that point every conversation had been almost solely work related. This had proved to be a pleasant surprise, and though Angela seemed to resent Linda’s ‘setting them up,’ at least slightly, he was coming to be rather grateful for it.

When the plates had finally been cleared, the desert menu landed at the edge of the table. Tim glanced at it, and then up and slowly around the restaurant. It had been lively when they’d entered; not terribly busy, but there definitely seemed to be far fewer people around than previously. An idle niggling thought stuck in the back of his mind, wondering what time it was. He pushed it away, ignoring the impulse to check, picking up his drink and giving it a casual stir before downing the last sip. The rational part of his brain told him it was time to leave, to head home and to bed, as he had a very full day the next morning. The irrational part shouted back that he was having too much fun to call it a night, that they should stay for another drink, or perhaps head somewhere else even. Tim could feel his teeth grinding together as the two sides pushed back and forth, and he stared at the desert menu in frustration.

This had only been a casual night, a drink with a friend from the office, or so he’d thought at the beginning. From the sound of it earlier, on the way to the restaurant, Angela had believed much the same. There was some part of him that truly wished it weren’t, that it had been an actual proper date, but he supposed there was always hope for the future…

When the waitress returned again, this time with the check in hand, Tim instinctively reached for it, placed a card inside the fold and handed it back with a practiced motion. The waitress, equally practiced in her own movements, had already darted back away with it when Tim realized the error of his ways. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to presume anything… That’s to say.” He could feel his collar beginning to heat up as a flush crept up the back of his neck, just as it had done countless times during the previous two days whenever he’d embarrassed himself. “Tonight is my treat, for taking me out and showing me some place new.” She laughed good naturedly and he felt some of the tension in his back ease, joining in as the waitress returned. Signing the slip and tucking the card back away, he rose and reached out to take Angela’s hand as she stood. Her skin was warm and soft, and though they’d touched several times already during the night, it still sent a little thrilling tingle up his arm and drew a soft smile across his lips.

The chrome handles on the front door shone in the mood lighting as they neared them, every step drawing them closer and closer to the end of the evening. When they pushed out into the night, the air was cool, a brisk breeze moving down the street past them sending a different shiver up Tim’s spine, and he clenched Angela’s hand a little tighter, only then realizing he was still holding it. “Oh, sorry, hehe… Force of habit, I guess.” Grinning sheepishly, he let go and turned to look around, getting his bearings. Never before had he felt as homesick as he did then. Not for his hometown, at least, but for the last one, where he knew where everything was, where he could feel confident and self assured. Still… Looking at Angela again made him feel better, her eyes shining brightly in the yellow light of the streetlamps. They both seemed to come to the same realization at the same time, as they both began talking at once, he saying “Well, I guess this is probably a good place for goodnight…” Whatever she said was lost in the mix, and they both laughed it off easily, hemming a bit more before Tim finally leaned in and gave her a hug, another old habit he meant to break himself of…

She was warm, and comforting, and the feel of her in his arms sent a whole host of tingling sensations up and down his spine. Realizing that he was probably holding on a little bit too long, he disengaged with a soft chuckle, “Heh, sorry. Old habit. So! I’ll see you in the morning, I guess…?” Exchanging final pleasantries, she showed him the easiest way back to his place, while he kicked himself mentally, setting his lips into a thin, firm line as he turned to head towards home. Letting his irrational side out on one of those spur-of-the-moment tangents, he turned back, “You know, this was a lot of fun. We should do this again soon. Are you free this weekend?” Suddenly his heart was in his throat and he could acutely feel the passing of every second…

 

[Wolf Vixen]

By the end of the evening Angela found herself thankful on a few fronts. While Linda has set her and Tim up, she did have a good time with him and it was looking as if it could be more with him. Angela wasn’t banking on it but little things were pointed out to her, like his taking care of the check out of habit and the feel of his hand in her own even after she got up from her seat.

Stepping out into the evening chill made her shiver just slightly, the feel of Tim’s hand leaving her own made her realize just how long they had been holding hands. That thought warmed her inside, chasing the chill away. Her eyes took notice of Tim’s demeanor as he glanced around, he looked lost and yet when he looked at her it was almost like he didn’t mind being so lost after all.

“Do you need directions….,” Angela paused as they had both deemed that moment to speak. Laughing softly for a moment before it was abruptly cut off as Tim stepped closer to her and wrapped his arms around her. He was warm, chasing more of the chill away and it took her a moment before her hands slid up his back. She felt him begin to move away and felt like it was all too soon, but he apologized, speaking about old habits. Angela started to tell him it was fine, but he spoke first, telling her he would see her in the morning. Angela smiled and after getting a good idea of where his apartment was, she proceeded to give him directions.

They said their good byes and he turned to leave just as she remembered she needed to pick up her car from the office which was in the same direction he was going. Angela got a bit excited seeing as their evening wasn’t totally ended just yet. She started to move toward him, but he turned toward her, she paused in her step hearing his invitation. Well wasn’t quite an invitation, but Angela liked to think it was since he did say they should do it again.

Smiling even brighter than before she walked closer to him, “I would love to Tim and I just remembered my car is at the office so if you don’t mind my company, I’ll walk with you.”

Angela didn’t want to presume that she saw anything of the sort, but it appeared as if Tim was really happy to hear that bit of news. Again he crooked his arm and before he could reprimand himself she slipped her arm around his, laying her free hand on his forearm to let him know she was fine with it. The linking of their arm pulled her closer to him than their first walk to the restaurant and yet Angela wasn’t about to complain about it. She quickly ran through the night in her mind and found herself landing on the hand holding and the hug. Glancing to him, she gave him another soft smile, “Before long you will know your way around like the back of your hand and thank you.” She tried to comfort him and sneak in her thanks for making the evening an enjoyable, much less a memorable one.

Why Angela thought she could sneak that bit past him, she didn’t know, but when he asked what for she glanced down a moment before looking at him again, “I don’t know, I guess I expected a pretty boring evening about work and it was much different. I enjoyed it and look forward to when we can do it again.” Angela didn’t want to seem desperate, but she found herself wanting to have every evening like this with Tim.

Her eyes moved up to the sky again before lowering back to sidewalk, “Can I be honest with you Tim?” When he nodded, she continued, “I really don’t want to go home. Is it bad of me not to want this to end just yet?” Laughing again, Angela tried to hide the heat that was rising up her neck to her cheeks. She wasn’t one to take risks, but something about him made her want to tell him her every thought. Maybe that was what she kept seeing in his eyes, an urging to tell him everything. It certainly seemed that way through dinner, she couldn’t seem to put the brakes on her mouth or thoughts that flowed from her. He probably knew more about her than even Linda did by that point.

As the office building came into view she found herself walking a bit slower and either Tim had to slow down or drag her down the sidewalk. She knew the moment they made it to the office building that it would be over and she would have to go home, “You know I just bought a nice bottle of wine last night, if you want…,” she let the thought drift knowing it probably wasn’t the best idea, at least not with the late hour.

 

[TheVoiceWithout]

The additional company proved to be a boon in more ways than one. First of all, he didn’t have to stumble along under the street lights, fumbling for directions at each street he passed until finally wending his way home. It had happened that way several times upon first moving there; the last time he’d wandered for almost twenty minutes, not knowing he’d only taken a left instead of a right and had come within a block of home before turning and venturing further and further out… Luckily, he hadn’t made the same mistake since, having figured out the area more or less, though the specifics still eluded him at times, so a knowledgeable companion made a big difference. Second, though, and more importantly, Angela had been pleasant company all evening and he hadn’t really wished to end the night at all, let along right then…

The walk back to the office proved to be good and bad at the same time. On the one hand, walking along under the streetlamps, watching the stars peaking down through the city skyline above, Angela’s arm linked with his, it was a wonderful feeling and he felt ecstatic over her nearness. On the other hand, each step they took brought them closer to the point where they would have to part ways, and even though it was only for the time being, it still wasn’t a prospect he enjoyed thinking about. He wondered if she were thinking the same, as they both seemed to slow their pace, the closer they drew to the office. When it finally wove into view it was still all too soon for his liking, though he was glad that it was now recognizable. The randomness of the thought drew a queer smile to his lips, which grew even more at her suggestion. Wine. At her place. That could mean any number of things, considering how little their situation and relationship had been defined thus far. Did it mean drinks with a friend, or a co-worker? Perhaps it was just that, and he had been reading more into things than there had actually been. Then again, what if she felt the same way he did, and wanted to see where things led, he certainly didn’t want to put on the brakes…

He was about to give her his best, most confident look, something that hopefully said everything that needed to be said without words getting in the way; to slide in close and give her a devil-may-care grin and tell her ‘Sure, why not?’ He was about to, but then, he began to hear a familiar chime. It rang louder than a passing ambulance’s siren in his ears, though it couldn’t have been much louder than a whisper, as it was muffled by the fabric of his pants, coming from his pocket as it was. The vibration kicked in, an annoying buzzing that provided stern counterpoint to the needlessly chipper melody. It was the last thing he wanted to hear at the moment and it derailed his train of thought and deed completely, leaving him looking somewhat stupefied and ashen faced, looking straight ahead at nothing.

Angela reacted before he did, pulling away slightly so he could fish out the offending phone and presumably answer it. Tim let out a resigned sigh and pulled it out, deliberated for a moment about ignoring it completely, and then realized that he’d better not. It could be important, given that his father was calling… “Umm… I… I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I can’t tonight. It’s my dad calling, and he wouldn’t phone this late unless something was up. Rain check, maybe?” He gave her a hopeful look, clutching the phone so tightly with his free hand his knuckles had begun to turn white and he could feel the plastic digging into his palm. He knew he would be kicking himself for this, probably wouldn’t stop kicking himself for a good long while, but that didn’t change what he knew was the right thing to do. She seemed to take it well enough, though she might have just been hiding it and playing it cool. They made their goodbyes for a second time that night, though this time he felt a little less awkward about hugging her, and a little more hopeful about the future. Nothing was certain, but he could still hope…

When they finally broke apart and went their separate ways, he began the long, slow walk back home, gritting his teeth and still clenching the phone tightly in his fist, though it continued to chirp away in its merry sing-song tone. He wanted to toss it into the street, turn around and dash after her, hoping the offer would still be open. That would be crass, though, and he would probably look beyond desperate, and that would surely ruin his chances with her in the future… Instead, he answered the phone with “Hello, Dad, what’s up?” in his calmest voice. It turned out to be nothing in particular, he was simply concerned after his son, not having heard from him since the move. Tim felt guilty for not being in better contact, but silently cursed the timing. The conversation carried him the rest of the way home, alleviating some of the guilt and the pent up frustration and worry the past week had caused, though he still couldn’t keep his mind from wandering, wondering what might perhaps be happening at that very moment had he silenced the call instead and taken the chance. Angela’s face slid past his mind’s eye every time he paused or stopped paying particular attention, even after the call had ended and he’d made it home, undressed and crawled into bed. She was particularly present then, as he drifted off to sleep, wondering what the next day might bring.

 

[Wolf Vixen]

Angela heard what sounded like a phone ringing, but it didn’t seem like Tim wanted to answer it. She smiled inside, but pulled slightly away so he could get to it. When he asked for a rain check she just nodded, understanding how life can seem to get in the way of other things. She tried to ignore the voice in her head that it was for other reasons, after all that has been her luck lately.

When he hugged her again she hugged him back and was saddened when they parted once more, but understood it was something he had to take care of. She moved toward the door to the office building, but before she went in she paused to watch him walk off. He seemed a bit upset and she couldn’t tell if it was because of the phone or something she had done. When he finally pulled the phone out she could guess by his reactions that it was the phone and not her.

Going through the door Angela moved down to the parking garage where her car was left. Sliding into it, she started it up and drove from the garage, hoping to catch another sight of Tim, but by that time he was gone. She huffed silently at her luck and drove home. She kept running the evening through her head trying to see if there was anything she may have missed. Angela found herself smiling time and again at the different things that happened through the night. Though it was cut shorter than she would have liked, maybe it was for the best.

When she got home, she did her normal routine getting ready for bed. Slipping under the covers she again let her mind turn to Tim and with a smile on her face she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

The next morning the alarm rang loud like usual. Getting up she had a bit more spring in her step as she got ready for work. Angela didn’t spend any extra time on one thing or another, but she did find herself picking out a blue top, something that reminded her of Tim’s eyes. Looking at herself in the mirror she found herself actually looking forward to going into work.

Leaving the house, she took her normal route to work and got there a bit earlier than the day before. Stepping into the elevator she felt her heart beat picking up with anticipation of seeing him again. Her mind even turned to what it would have been like if she was his secretary. In a way it may have been for the best that she wasn’t. What if this didn’t work out between them? Then she would be stuck working for an ex and that wouldn’t have been bad.

Stepping from the elevator, Angela moved to her desk, dropping off her purse and heading down to see if Linda was in. When she saw the woman she couldn’t help the smile that came across her lips. Linda caught sight of her and smiled in return, “So how was it?”

Angela stepped up her desk, “You are an evil woman you know that. You had that whole thing planned didn’t you?”

Linda grinned while nodding, “Yep I sure did. So how did it go?”

Angela laughed, “It went well. We are going to try to do it again, but don’t get your hopes up woman.”

Linda shook her head, “Never. I rarely have a bad impression anyway, so I know it will work out.” Linda smiled, “Besides, if he was to date anyone here, it should be you. You are classier than the other women in this office and you know it.”

Angela shrugged, “I guess, but thank you. It may have been an evil thing to do, but I did enjoy myself. I best get back though, see you at lunch?” Linda nodded as Angela turned to leave.

Angela made her way back to her desk wondering if Tim was in yet as Linda didn’t mention it, but seeing how they were talking she guessed he wasn’t. She turned her attentions to starting up her computer and starting her work before Mr. Henderson made it in.

 

[TheVoiceWithout]

The morning came too early, and Tim slapped lazily at his alarm clock, knocking it from its perch atop the bedside table. It clattered to the floor and continued to chatter away noisily at him, dragging him groggily from bed in order to finally calm and silence it. He’d been having the most wonderful dream…

A short while later, a strong cup of dark, hot coffee and an even hotter shower saw him almost ready to leave for work. The day had gotten off to a slow start, but he had felt rather spry as he prepared to head out for the day, genuinely happy about the prospect of work for the first time. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy his job, more that he simply had a new reason to look forward to it, above and beyond his actual duties. When he did finally make his way out, he was clad in a pair of warm grey trousers and a jacket to match, a simple white oxford style shirt underneath, and a bright blue tie the woman at the store said ‘complimented his eyes.’ He hadn’t quite understood, never having much of an eye for fashion, usually going with whatever clashed the least and was most comfortable, but he hoped that Angela would like it.

The actual walk to work took even less time than usual, though whether that was due to his newly accumulating sense of direction or more the fact that his mind was elsewhere it was hard to say. Regardless, upon entering, he happened to meander slowly through the office, rather than making his way straight to his office, passing by Henderson’s along his way. The chipper smile that had held steady upon his face faltered when he didn’t see Angela at her desk, but he shrugged it off and continued, remembering the massive amount of work that still lay ahead of him. Linda entered shortly after he did, and though he was sure she had questions about the previous night, she kept them to herself, the only indication a sly smile that didn’t change or falter the entire morning.

Some time shortly before lunch, while buried under a seemingly endless pile of old papers, files, and the like, Tim settled back in his chair, pushed the keyboard away and turned to Linda with a gentle sigh, clasping his hands behind his head. “I think it’s about time we took a break. I don’t know how much more of this I can take right now…” She nodded in agreement, the smile becoming more of a smirk as she glanced his way. “Alright, let’s have it. What are you smiling about? Yes, your little plan worked, Angela actually explained it last night, though it was more than a little obvious in retrospect.” Either she didn’t wish to pry, or she planned on getting her details elsewhere, as she simply shook her head and made a rather noncommittal noise before standing and moving towards the door.

“I’ll just go get us some coffee.” Even her tone had a certain smirk about it, and he sighed again as she left, though he couldn’t keep the smile from his own face as the door closed with a soft click. The previous night replayed in his mind for the twentieth time, and for the twentieth time he regretted the way it ended, furrowing his brow and muttering to himself that next time he would silence his phone or else leave it completely behind. Still, just because he had been so ebullient about the previous evening, that didn’t mean Angela was, and a pang of insecurity began to gnaw away in the back of his mind. Perhaps he’d check on her… No, that would surely look needy, or desperate, or something like that and that wasn’t how he wanted to come off, at all. Instead, perhaps after lunch, he’d simply walk Henderson back to his office and casually bump into her there. Yes, that would work much better. Speaking of, it was about time for the daily lunch with the executives, which was sure to be as bland and awkward as the previous day’s, though he had to make the effort at least during the first week or so. After that, his options would open up, his place among his fellows more secure, and perhaps he’d be able to pick his company a little more easily.

As he headed down the twisting artificial corridors of the office, he passed Linda traveling back to the office, mug of coffee in hand. “Sorry, I hadn’t really realized the time. Hopefully that won’t go to waste. Maybe just leave it in on the desk? I’ll be back… Hopefully soon. There’s still a lot I want to get done today, though I think this is going to take the rest of the week, and maybe more.” Sighing softly, he turned and began to trudge off to his lunch appointment before turning back, “Oh, and, one more thing… Could you, ahem… Say hi to Angela for me?” He finished with a soft chuckle and what he hoped was a strong, confident smile.

 

[Wolf Vixen]

Angela came back from the restroom and peeked in to see that Mr. Henderson had already left for lunch. Walking around her desk to grab her purse, she quickly walked down to Linda’s desk. Glancing at the office door as Linda emerged she must have looked hopeful because Linda responded with, “He has already left for lunch.”

Angela sighed softly before Linda added, “He did want me to tell you hi though.” Linda smiled brightly at Angela, “I knew my intuition was right about you two.”

Angela shrugged slightly, “Come on sneaky woman; let’s get to lunch before all the tables are taken.”

Linda grabbed her own purse and they headed to the elevator. Angela was waiting for the twenty questions and yet Linda didn’t pipe in with a single one. The ride down was eerily quiet and when they emerged Linda mentioned going someplace new, away from the other women of the office. Angela agreed and followed her out the door.

They walked down the sidewalk and before long the silence was getting too much for Angela, “Yes he is nice.”

Linda glanced at her, “Who,” she asked before smirking lightly.

Angela glared at the woman before starting to laugh, “You know who. I had a great time last night. And yes I am looking forward to doing it again. Your plan worked, okay?”

Linda just chuckled, “Like I had any doubt that it wouldn't.”

Angela just shook her head as they rounded the corner and Linda pointed to the restaurant. They entered and while waiting on a table Angela glanced around. Grabbing Linda’s arm, Angela glared at the woman again, “Please don’t tell me you planned this too.”

Linda glanced to where Angela had been looking before starting to laugh, “Actually no I didn’t.”

Angela turned her attention back to the executives of their office building and there within the seated line of them was Tim. He was making small talk, but in her opinion he wasn’t enjoying his time; certainly not like he had the night before by the looks of it. Her eyes moved over him trying to get a good look at him before she was seen. Linda startled her by touching her arm, motioning for her to come along as their table was waiting. Angela turned her attention to where they were headed.

At the table Linda pointed to the chair, “You take that one.” Angela at first didn’t understand why until she sat down and directly behind Linda was a direct line of sight to Tim. She groaned and even bit her tongue a bit so she didn’t say something mean to Linda, but the woman was becoming persistent.

Taking the menu, Angela opened it up and started to look through it. Every time she glanced up to something Linda said, she found her eyes wandering over to get a look at Tim. She noticed he was wearing a blue tie, it even matched her top and she felt the heat rising in her cheeks. Pulling up the menu, she tried to figure out what she wanted without thinking about him. After all, she didn’t want to seem desperate or anything, much less a stalker by staring at him.

Once the waitress came back and took their order, the menu was gone, her one tiny wall between her and what she had been thinking about off and on all day. Angela tried to keep her attention on Linda, but found herself glancing at Tim from time to time, hoping to catch his eye. After awhile she started to doubt that he had the same kind of experience she had had the night before. He seemed immersed in the conversation and wasn’t really looking around. Maybe she had read the signals all wrong, maybe he treated any co-worker the same way that he went out with. Although, Angela didn’t see him hugging any of his male counterparts, but then he did say it was habit for him, so maybe he did it to any female co-workers.

The food came and Angela turned her attention to what she had ordered. Making slow time of the meal she heard Linda laugh softly. Glancing up at the woman, “What?” Linda laughed a bit more before shaking her head, “You young people are funny. He likes you and you like him, but the look on your face is like you lost your favorite puppy. Why are you waiting for him to ask you out? Isn’t it the way these days for the woman to take on that responsibility too?”

Angela shrugged again, but Linda was right. If she wanted to spend more time with Tim, maybe she needed to take the risk and just ask him out instead of waiting around. Angela was never the kind of person to just walk up to a guy and ask them out though, so finding a way in her mind was proving quite difficult. Taking a sip of her tea she made up her mind to go to his office when she got back and ask him to dinner, maybe even at her place. Angela felt her nerves kick in about that time, reminding her that maybe; just maybe he was being nice and wasn’t really interested in seeing her again. Taking another sip of her tea before setting it back on the table, she forced her mind to make a plan of action that she would stick with. She just prayed that he didn’t turn her down.

 

[TheVoiceWithout]

Lunch with his fellows would clearly forever be one of those experiences Tim would simply have to endure. The restaurant they’d decided on for that day was closer than the last, though the selection had still proven to be somewhat more… health-oriented? He couldn’t exactly say what the specific style was, though it seemed the type of place that catered to the business crowd almost exclusively during the day, those with dietary restrictions or grandiose ideas about the latest fads and trends in dieting. He did know, though, that it wasn’t his scene and certainly not a place he would return to on his own.

The conversation had proved to flow in a very similar vein to that of the previous lunch outing. Tim attempted to make small talk, asking after Henderson’s health and Johnson’s car trouble. He wondered briefly if he should ask about the executive he’d replaced, whether this would be a proper time or place for that type of conversation. When the food arrived, it already seemed too late, as everyone had moved on to lighter conversational fare. Tim cleared his throat, looked down at the meager salad upon his plate and sighed softly to himself before letting his eyes slowly begin to rove across the table and up around the restaurant. As they passed along the myriad other tables his breath caught in his throat as he caught a familiar sight.

It looked as though Angela and Linda had actually taken lunch at the same place… Immediately two thoughts ran through his mind, tied together as they raced and danced and fought for space at the forefront of his thoughts. On the one hand, he was thrilled and a little giddy about seeing Angela again, and he strongly wished to go say hi personally, though he knew it would be bad form to leave his fellows in the midst of their lunch. On the other hand, though, the presence of Linda reminded him of Angela’s curious warnings of the previous night as well as the smirk she’d had plastered across her face all morning. Was she still plotting and scheming? He didn’t know her well enough to say for sure, though the odds of the two of them coming to the same restaurant at the same time seemed… well, if not insignificant then still quite small. Still, scheme or no, he couldn’t help a grin from creeping across his face and settling in to stay.

During the rest of their time there, Tim drifted in and out of the conversation, attempting whenever possible to catch Angela’s eye down the way, but to no end. If she noticed him, she wasn’t about to come up and say anything or interrupt, which he understood completely. It was entirely possible she hadn’t noticed him in the first place, though, and it had all been coincidence after all… As the others drew back their chairs, stood and turned to go, he cast one last look at the other’s table, reaching up and waving in what he hoped was a genial manner before turning and accompanying the others back to the office.

Walking Henderson back to his office, Tim thought briefly about leaving a note for Angela when she came back, but decided against it at the last minute. He didn’t wish to seem desperate, after all, and the wave upon leaving hadn’t exactly helped his cause there… The familiar nerves and tension began to creep up his limbs once more, a cold feeling settling in the pit of his stomach as he mumbled a goodbye to Henderson and headed back to his own office. It wasn’t the job he was anxious about this time; that he felt he had finally come to grips with. Instead, it was the haunting eyes that floated past his mind’s eye, the bright smile that flashed behind his eyes, not to mention the way she moved… When he reached his office, Tim sank down into his chair, hand clasped across his eyes in an attempt to blot out the headache he could already feel coming on, though the somewhat dopey grin still remained firmly attached despite it all. “Tonight. I’ll get her number from Linda and call her. Or meet her after work. That’ll make up for last night, right?” Tim sighed and glanced down at the desk, a soft chuckle passing his lips. “Sure, and talking to myself while alone in my office doesn’t make me feel crazy at all…”

 

[Wolf Vixen]

Angela’s attention was drawn up from her food at the noise of a group of people leaving. Her eyes quickly moving to where Tim was but he wasn’t there. She didn’t have to search far and caught the end of a wave that put a smile on her face. He had seen her, but then she glanced around wondering if maybe he was waving to someone else in the restaurant.

Linda’s laugh brought her attention back to the older woman, “He hasn’t been in town that long girly.”

Angela blushed; not liking that Linda could read her thoughts or seem to read her thoughts, but then how did the woman know what he did that caused her to look around. Before asking her, Angela turned around and behind her on the far wall was a mirror. So Linda had been keeping an eye on what was going on in her own little way. Angela turned back to the older woman to catch her beaming a smile at her. Angela shook her head with her own smile and went back to her lunch.

Linda, in her own way, was trying to help Angela and Angela knew it, but sometimes the whole ‘setting you up’ didn’t work out. Angela was willing to take a risk, but only because of the dinner last night, not because Linda wanted her to.

After lunch was done and they were on their way back to the office, Angela found their conversation about work and Linda’s children a bit easier to deal with than her own love life. They entered the office building and quickly caught the elevator up to their floor. As the door opened Angela could feel her heart racing in her chest. She excused herself to the ladies room while Linda looked to be checking in on Mr. Henderson. Angela wasn’t sure what she was going to do, on the one hand she could march herself down to Tim’s office and ask him out, risking being let down that he wasn’t interested in her. Or she could just go back to her desk and act like none of this was happening, that her mind wasn’t filled with thoughts of him and the night before. She looked at herself in the bathroom mirror and tried to settle her heart rate down as well as the lump that seemed to have formed in her throat thinking about asking him out. Why was this always so hard to do? Maybe because of the very possible part about being rejected, but then everyone felt rejection at some point in their life, this shouldn’t be any different, but it was. Angela liked Tim. Sure he was handsome and those eyes of his held her captive many times, but last night as she got to know him, she liked him even more. She opened up to him in a way that had never happened before. She felt at ease with him, but she was a wreck now. What was it about him that had this affect on her?

Collecting herself she ran her hands over the black skirt, made sure the blue silk blouse was straightly tucked and not running in funny lines down her body. She was stalling and she knew it. Finally Angela took a deep breath and headed back out of the restroom toward her desk. She dropped off her purse, hearing Linda making small talk with Mr. Henderson. She checked in on him before Linda smile and nodded to her, almost like she knew what Angela was about to do. Angela turned from the office and started walking towards Tim’s. Every step she took seemed to hike up her heart rate another notch. She felt like she was sweating by the time she made it to his door. Her hand fisted and rose to knock, but paused a moment. Could she really do this? Really open this door, walk inside and ask a very good looking man out to dinner, at her place? Her hand started to lower before Linda’s voice flitted in her head about taking a risk. Her hand rose once more and before she realized it she had knocked. Her breath held for that long moment before she heard his voice telling her to come in.

Her hand shook just a little as she opened the door. Her eyes were downcast as she entered the room. Her hand moved to the door handle on the other side so it wouldn’t slam, even though it wouldn’t without her help. Angela couldn’t seem to let go of the door as her eyes rose to meet his own. Her heart was racing at near top speed in her chest as she tried to smile at him. Her breathing was a bit faster as well and she knew if she didn’t get this over with she was going to pass out from hyperventilation.

The look in his eyes took her breath even more from her; the color of the tie complimenting them and making them stand out even more from his chiseled face. Angela slowly licked over her lips trying to find her voice even as her eyes moved down to his own lips, wondering for the first time what they would feel like pressed to her own. Quickly her eyes rose back up to meet his again, pushing out the words before she lost her nerve, “Will you come to dinner at my place tonight?” Just so happen though that the silence was too much for him, for whatever it was that he said was lost in her own question, let alone the beating of her heart in her ears.

 

[TheVoiceWithout]

The stack had only shrunk slightly since the previous night, Tim realized. He’d made a dent, to be sure, but it was going to be a project measured in days, possibly weeks, rather than hours as he’d hoped. With help it would be manageable, and Linda could probably handle the entire thing on her own, leaving him time to start on something else. He didn’t like the idea of foisting it off on her, though, especially since he was the one who’d begun the task. It felt a little like cheating, and a lot like passing the buck, something his father had taught him very early on never to do. When the knock upon the door came, he was glad for the opportunity to speak with someone besides himself, answering immediately to come in before letting his eyes slowly fall and roll across the piles on the desk.

Tim pushed a small stack of papers aside as the door opened, yawning slightly and rubbing groggily at his eyes as he turned to see who had come in, hoping it was Linda and not Henderson or one of the other execs. He didn’t feel up to shooting the breeze with one of them, and he’d exhausted pretty much every small-talk-topic he could think of during their lunch earlier. As he was about to speak, ask Linda how her lunch was, he realized it wasn’t her at all, it was someone he hadn’t accounted for in the least. He wanted to say hello, or even better, something witty and urbane, or cool and clever. He wanted to ask Angela about that dinner rain-check. He wanted to say something, anything at all, but the surprise of seeing her, there, in his office, had tightened his throat completely closed and dried his mouth worse than a desert wind and he simply sat there, watching her come in.

When he finally managed to speak, it was at the same time as her and everything became hopelessly jumbled. Chuckling softly, he felt a red flush creeping up the back of his neck and looked down, abashed. “Uhh, sorry.” The words slowly began resolving themselves into a sentence in his mind… Dinner… Her place… Tonight… A lump formed in his throat again, and suddenly the room was too warm. An arctic glacier would have been too warm at that moment, though. He didn’t dare look up, for fear of catching her eyes and losing the last remnants of his ability to function. Dinner. It was exactly what he’d been intending to ask her about, though she’d caught him somewhat off guard asking like this. Why not, though? Clearing his throat, Tim risked a glance up and a cautious smile. His heart felt as though it would beat straight through his rib cage at any moment, while his head was so light it might very well float away, but the expression on her face grounded him once more. She was obviously apprehensive as well, possibly as nervous as he was, he could see it in her eyes.

“Dinner sounds good.” The words slipped out unheeded, and continued to spill forth of their own volition. “Shall we meet downstairs, like before?” Whatever internal hiccups he’d been having, apparently his brain had switched into autopilot and moved ahead without him. Not that he minded terribly, as he continued to look into Angela’s eyes, the nerves now slowly calming, now that the particularly difficult hurdle had been passed. “I’ll slip out and get us a bottle of wine or something before then. Or we could get something from my place, or on the way, I mean… Umm… Yeah, sorry, it’s been a rather long day already, I guess! Hehe…” Evidently his autopilot wasn’t in great working order, and he tried to curtail the rambling with a chuckle, though it came out rather forced and unsure. What was it about her that had him so unstable and excitable? It could have been those eyes, deep and shimmering. Or those lips, soft and inviting. His eyes slid slowly down in an effort to break eye contact and regain his composure. Actually, it could have been any part of her, though the whole had him so completely rapt that he lost his train of thought.

At that moment a knock sounded upon the door, followed by a soft hush as it opened and Linda entered. Her eyes grew as large as saucers momentarily, her mouth forming a great ‘O’ of surprise as she waved and excused herself, grinning like a madwoman. By then Tim could feel his entire face begin to heat and redden, and he lifted a hand to cover his eyes, shaking his head slowly from side to side. “That woman, I swear…” The spell had been broken and his faculties had returned. He suddenly realized how it might look from the outside, and began a mumbled apology, “Uhhh, so… Meet up downstairs at the end of the day, yes? I don’t want to keep you from anything now…” Evidently they’d both had the same thought and spoke at the exact same time once more, everything becoming jumbled and confused again.

 

[Wolf Vixen]

Angela’s heart pounded hard in her chest and when Tim looked down and uttered “Uhhh sorry,” she felt the whole world spin. She had just made a complete ass of herself thinking he wanted more or was even slightly interested in her. She felt her face almost drain of color and if she had the strength she would have turned around and walked right back out of the door, but it just so happen that the door handle was the only thing keeping her upright at that very moment. She berated herself in her mind about how stupid she could be. That now it was going to be awkward working this close to one another, although, they hadn’t seen much of one another at work.

When his eyes rose once more, Angela realized that she was staring at him, like she was wishing he would change his mind. Obviously he wasn’t…..”Dinner sounds good.” Angela blinked, her brain having come to a sudden halt as well as her heart it felt like. She wondered how long it was before her heart finally kicked back in again; his words slowly bleeding through the haze in her mind; bringing her back to the conversation or rather Tim talking to her. A mention of meeting in the lobby, wine and even possibly stopping by his place for the wine replayed in her head until she finally grasped what each one of them meant. As the meaning became clear to her so did the look in his eyes, even his posture, all showing signs that he was interested and maybe, just maybe as nervous about this as she was. She felt the color rush back to her, felt her breathing start to slow as that leap of faith she just took was looking to just be another step in life instead of a nose dive off of a cliff.

She heard and felt the knock on the door a moment before it started to slide open. Angela quickly moved out of the way to see Linda standing in the doorway. The look on her face was enough to make Angela feel like she was a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar. The grin that followed before Linda quickly shut the door had Angela blushing profusely; so much so, she thought she felt feverish. Hearing Tim’s own words, the same words that floated into Angela’s mind had her turning toward him once more, uncaring if he saw her face which she could only guess was beet red. She only realized then that in her haste to move out of the way of the door she had moved closer to Tim. He was only a couple of feet from her, sitting in his chair with his hand covering his eyes and a hint of color in his neck.

Angela could only guess what he was thinking, after all it seemed like it was Linda’s life goal to try and set them up and here they were falling for it. She started to say she better go, but again they had a way with timing again and everything became confusing. She knew she needed to leave and return to Mr. Henderson but the excitement that bubbled inside of her, after having felt like the floor fell out from under her, was too much to contain. She took a step closer to him before realizing what she was doing. She smiled awkwardly to him, “See you tonight then, after work, in the lobby.” She knew she needed to go, but it was almost like she couldn’t get her body to turn and go. One last nod had her finally turning around and heading for the door. He didn’t dare look back, afraid that what just had happened would end if she looked back at him.

Closing the door behind her she smiled brightly, that is until she heard the almost giddy laugh coming from Linda’s desk. Angela’s eyes turned to the woman even as she took her first step after what felt like the most foolish thing she had ever done, “Evil doesn’t even being to cover it anymore.” Linda just beamed like Angela had given her the best compliment in the world. Angela shook her head and kept moving right past Linda and on to her desk.

Now came the test of times, could she make it through the rest of the day with knowing she was going to be having dinner with Tim at her apartment tonight? She hoped so; otherwise this might not have been a great idea after all.

Angela worked through the rest of the day, though thoughts of Tim and the evening ahead plagued her mind constantly. She even found herself daydreaming about it from time to time. When Mr. Henderson left for the day she took a deep breath and tried to keep her excitement under wraps. She shut down her computer and grabbed her purse. She didn’t see Linda, but then not every day did that woman come this way and maybe it was for the best; after all Angela was ready to strangle that woman, but in a loving way. Angela laughed softly to herself as she grabbed the elevator down and moved into the lobby to wait for Tim. She turned to look out at the evening traffic just outside of the office building to keep her excitement at bay while she waited for his arrival.

 

[TheVoiceWithout]

After Angela left, Tim simply sat unmoving for a good five minutes or more, head buried in his hands as he leaned back in his chair, willing the embarrassment to recede and his nerves to calm. He’d finally gotten a handle on the job, or at least what he expected the job to be, but it seemed the universe wasn’t through tormenting him. Life would have been so much simpler if he’d simply stayed where he was, in his old apartment, in his old town, in his old life… No, he told himself, It would have been simpler, sure, but not as good. In that life, he’d known what to expect every day, everything had started to go stale; even his relationship had been somewhat bland by comparison. The woman he’d been seeing had been fun and interesting, but she didn’t have half the spark of life that Angela had. As difficult as it would be coping with the nerves and the anxiety, the way she made him feel the rest of the time was totally worth it. Now if he could just figure out where they stood…

On the one hand, she’d invited him over for dinner. That was a good sign, he presumed. It was certainly a lot closer to a date than a casual evening with a coworker. However, what if he was just a friend? A sickening vision swam through his head; him leaning in, wanting to touch those soft, warm lips with his own, and her simply turning aside, planting a cheek in his path and laughing it off. An icy knot formed in the pit of his stomach as he contemplated it. Try, hard as he might, he couldn’t move past the idea, and it simply replayed over and over in his mind. Whoever was running the projector in his mind’s eye was proving to be a sick and twisted little sadist, and it was all he could do to turn back to work in hopes of taking his mind off of things.

The afternoon slowly crawled by, and the latest pile began to shrink, little by little. Eventually, Linda came in of her own accord, passing along a few messages he hadn’t really been expecting and taking a stack of her own to sort through during the final hour or two they had left of the day. As she was headed back out the door Tim stopped her. “Wait, Linda, please. Might I have a second of your time?” She stopped and turned around, expression equal parts helpful inquisitiveness and excited busybody as she had clearly been thinking along the same lines as he had that afternoon. “Umm, this might be an odd thing to ask, and stop me if it’s weird or out of line or anything, but… Is Angela… No, forget it.” The hot, red flush crept back up his neck and he waved it off, turning and stalking back towards his desk. Linda simply laughed,

“Oh honey, just relax and be yourself. You’ll be fine.” She gave him a wink and a cheshire-sized grin before leaving, the door clicking softly behind her as it closed, leaving him once again alone in the office with his thoughts. Sighing softly, he turned and scanned the files once more, shaking his head. It wasn’t any use, he wouldn’t manage anything productive the rest of the day. Much better to do something productive elsewhere, right? He knew he was rationalizing, but he didn’t exactly feel bad about it. Besides, there was only another hour or two left, and he could always bring this home with him, or stay late another night…

“Right. That’ll work.” He said to no one in particular, grabbing his bag and heading for the door. As he passed by Linda’s desk he leaned in conspiratorially, “Linda, I’m going to head out a bit early today. Something I forgot earlier that needs taking care of. If anyone comes by, can you handle them for me?” He gave her a warm smile and a pleading look, which only drew another laugh and a grin on her end as she waved him off. “Thanks, you’re the best.” With that, he left the office as quietly as possible, calmly, so as not to appear to be sneaking off or anything, though from whom he was ‘hiding’ he didn’t really know. Once outside, though, he took a deep, calming breath and casually but quickly made his way home. They’d talked very briefly earlier about grabbing some wine for dinner, and he knew he had a decent bottle or two at home, and considering he had no clue where a decent bottle shop was in the area, it seemed his best option for making a good impression lay with those. *Well, as long as I’m here…* he figured, discarding the slightly wrinkled shirt for a clean, crisp black one and a new pair of pants. Next came a deep, merlot colored tie and a pair of more comfortable shoes, and then he was back out the door, wine safely tucked into a bag strewn across his shoulder.

During the walk back to work he worked out the logic that had been flitting through his brain since banishing the ‘just friends’ idea earlier that afternoon. He’d make a good impression that night, hence the change of clothes, and be confident and not let his nerves get to him. Tim replayed the short meeting over in his head, reminding himself that she’d come to him, into his office, and invited him over for dinner. She’d been forward, taken the initiative, asked him. That certainly meant something, right? Of course it did. Yeah. Just keep telling yourself that… As he reached the lobby, he put on his best smile and moved off to one side, leaning as casually as he was able against the wall as he waited for Angela to come down.

 

[Wolf Vixen]

Angela stood there watching the evening traffic pass by the office building, letting her mind wander on what Tim might be interested in having this evening. Since it was such short notice she was going to have to stop at the store on the way home. She wondered if he would be interested in steak or lasagna. She loved cooking both and while lasagna took longer, she wouldn’t mind it since she would be spending it with Tim. It might turn into a late night with him after all, but it would all depend on what he was interested in eating.

She smiled thinking about how the evening would go. At first her nerves were a wreck, but after a bit of time they started to calm as she thought on the conversation they could have. It resembled the same one they had the night before, completely at ease with one another. It wasn’t every day she met someone that she was so open with that quickly. It felt like they had known each other for years and yet she knew better. Angela liked feeling like that with Tim, she liked it a lot.

Angela wasn’t sure how long she had been standing there. She turned and looked over her shoulder at the elevators and yet they were quiet. The whole building seemed quiet and that just made her nerves begin to jump into high gear; was he standing her up? Her eyes turned back to the front of the building and she took a few steps closer to the doors just to see how much traffic had slowed, maybe that would give her an idea of how long she had been there. Sighing softly she started to turn to look at the elevators again, like she could magically make him appear.

Her eyes glanced over him standing against the wall, her breath caught and her movement completely stopped. He had changed clothes, something darker than she was normally seeing him in. It gave him an almost wicked look that sparked a fire inside of her. Angela tried to beat it back down as that ‘bad boy’ image on some men always got her into trouble. He was looking directly at her and yet she couldn’t seem to find her voice. Those eyes of his seemed to pull her toward him and before she knew it she was slowly making her way toward him. Licking over her lips, she hoped by the time she got near him that her voice would finally be found.

As she drew closer to him it seemed as if neither of them could say a word and for her that was completely fine as she didn’t think she could make any actual sense. Stopping in front of him she watched as he slowly rose from his leaning position, almost casually. Why was it he looked so calm and yet inside of her own body was a raging storm threatening to break? “I didn’t see you there,” she stated softly, surprised her own voice held calm when the rest of her certainly wasn’t. She laughed nervously, “Ummm, we never did discuss what we should have tonight. Would you like steak or lasagna?”

Angela’s nerves were back in full force and yet she was trying her best to keep a calm exterior. Tim just looked too good, ‘delicious’ came to her mind, for her to be calm about all of this. After all, men like him usually hit on the younger, blonde women of the office, never her.

His voice cut into her thoughts causing her to smile at his answer, lasagna. “Good, though we will have to stop by the store on the way to my place. I hope you don’t mind.” Angela couldn’t help how giddy she felt inside that she would be spending a rather long evening with Tim, after all her lasagna always seemed to take 2-3 hours to make, let alone the homemade bread sticks she made with it. Angela pointed over her shoulder, “My car is this way.” As Tim started to move, Angela turned and walked with him toward the garage. They chatted a little along the way and she was starting to slowly feel more at ease than before. Tim had a way of making her a complete wreck and other times so calm.

Slipping into her car she waited for Tim to get in and through normal routine she was driving them through the traffic toward the store she always stopped at on the way home. The drive there felt like an instant, but then again maybe it was because she was looking forward to this evening with Tim. As she pulled into a parking spot she smiled softly to him before getting out of the car. She waited for him to come around the car and they headed into the store. She knew that she didn’t have anything but the spices at home for lasagna, so they made their way around the store collecting what they needed. Every once in awhile they would brush each other and every time it happened Angela felt her body going up in flames even more. Something about Tim spoke to her on so many levels.

In the checkout line she smiled to him as the line slowly moved forward. Turning as she felt the line move again, Angela took a step but quickly had to take that step back as the woman in front of her dropped something. She felt the firm body behind her before she glanced back and whispered out an apology. She wondered if Tim had heard the husky tone in her voice, but quickly she stepped forward again to break contact with him. Taking deep breaths she tried to calm herself as well as her hormones so they could get through the evening.

 

[TheVoiceWithout]

The drive from the office was a little strange for Tim, not least because he’d barely ridden in a car since moving; having everything within walking distance certainly reduced the need for a car, after all. The biggest difference, though, was the fact that he was with Angela, and it was the beginning of a rather strange duality that he’d never experienced before. On the one hand, he felt completely at ease and comfortable riding along beside her, as though it were the most natural thing in the world, something he’d experienced a thousand times before and wouldn’t normally spare a passing thought for. On the other, though, it was new and exciting, and he felt a bit like a kid skipping school. She was so close, he could practically feel the heat of her body as he could smell her perfume, and more than once his hand slipped and brushed against hers as they turned or slowed or sped up.

The walk through the store was much the same. Though he’d never been there before, Angela seemed to know exactly where she was going and he trailed alongside trying to suppress what was surely a dopey grin. He hadn’t known really what to expect for the evening, but the thought of sharing a home cooked meal sounded fantastic. As did the fact that they would have plenty of time to sit and chat while everything cooked. He jokingly mentioned at one point as they approached the checkout line that he’d have to return the favor some time and have her over for dinner in return. When she seemed to agree rather than waiver or deny him outright it buoyed his confidence and he felt a little taller, a little better, and immediately began wondering what he could possibly make to impress her given the fact that he’d yet to actually cook anything in his new kitchen.

When they moved into line Tim reached out to begin unloading the items they’d accumulated and Angela suddenly backed up into him, sending a shiver of excitement straight up his spine directly to his brain. Well, his brain first, and then right back down again as he felt her warmth pressed against him. They broke almost instantaneously, both apologizing, and he felt the familiar red rush up into his cheeks and neck as he shifted and shoved a hand into his pocket, hoping to readjust casually and without being seen. “Hehe, sorry, let me help with that…”

Stepping beside her and placing everything gingerly gave him a chance to calm down, though he still felt like at that moment he could run a marathon and still have energy to burn, the way his heart was pounding. Keeping a somewhat more careful distance as they progressed through the line, he helped bag everything up and carry it out to the car. He couldn’t help but notice that while there wasn’t really a tension in the air between them, neither had looked each other in the eye since the incident in line. As they got back in and drove off he attempted to make a small joke to help break the ice, as it were. “I’m glad you were there to hold me up in line, otherwise I might have fallen over…”

He couldn’t help but slap palm to face at that point, groaning softly and shaking his head. “I’m sorry, I’ve never been good at those light, off hand jokes.” Switching topics quickly, he reached out without thinking and gave her hand a gentle squeeze, “I’m excited about dinner, though. I haven’t had a good home-cooked meal in a long while. Aside from the random odds and ends I come up with at home on my own, I mean. My dad used to call them my ‘science projects.’ Hehe…” It was only then he realized he’d grasped her hand and was still holding it. Part of him told him to drop it and slide as far towards the door as possible out of embarrassment. Another, stronger voice told him no, keep on. Be confident, remember? Clearing his throat, he smiled warmly at her as they slowed for another turn. From what he guessed, it looked like they were close.

His nerves were screaming silently in the back of his mind, reminding him of a million little things he might do wrong or that simply might go wrong, but he hushed them as quickly as they came, taking long calming breaths as they drew nearer and finally arrived. As they exited the car, he took up the bag of groceries, gesturing for Angela to lead the way. Again the odd duality struck him. He’d never been to her place before, never seen the inside of the building or anything like that, but still he felt calm and at ease, as though it were perfectly natural. Tim wondered what she might be thinking and feeling at that moment, if she was feeling the pull in two directions that he was. Hanging back just slightly in order to compose his thoughts and steady his pulse, he stood and watched her move for a moment, entranced. A large, wolfish grin crossed his face as he caught up, shrugging off the last of his jangled nerves as he held the door open for her and followed inside. “So, what can I do to help? Besides pour the wine, I mean?”

 

[Wolf Vixen]

Angela loved the idea of her going to his place later on and she kept that in her mind as her hormones slowly came to rest after their little run in. Once out of the store though she noticed that neither of them had said anything about what had happened. She wasn't about to bring it up and as they started out again to her house, Tim made a comment about it. At first it confused her and then his apology cleared up why he had said it and she couldn't help but smile. That smile stayed as his hand grasped hers and didn't let go even when she could feel that he realized what he was doing.

Angela smiled softly to him as they got closer to her apartment. The bad thing was the closer they got the more her nerves kicked in and her mind rambled with wondering if the place was nice enough for company. As she pulled into the parking spot instead of pulling into the garage space she rented, her eyes moved over to him, "We're here." She quickly turned to get out of the car thinking she was an idiot, like he didn't know they were there when she had parked and obviously this was an apartment complex. She locked the doors and started around the car, hoping that her idiocy only made a show one time tonight.

She looked at Tim, holding the bag of groceries and wanted to offer to take something from him, but he seems content as he was. Moving past him she wondered what he was thinking about where she lived. She was sure he lived some place much nicer, after all he was an executive. As she moved up toward the door she felt him come up behind her and open it for her. She mumbled a thank you as she stepped inside and like always slipped off her shoes by the table before placing her purse on the floor and her keys on the table top. Turning to him she smiled softly, "I'm sure I can find something you can help with." Her eyes widened slightly as she started quickly trying to correct herself, "I mean with dinner and all...ummm..this way is the kitchen."

Angela turned and quickly started to move toward the kitchen. As she reached the kitchen floor she slowed out of habit, "The counter looks like a good spot." Angela groaned inside as every comment she made. Maybe it was just her...she was hoping it was just her. "Give me a moment, I need to take off these hose before I slip." Turning she headed back down the small hallway toward the front door. Stopping at the steps leading up to the room she slipped her fingers under her skirt and slowly started to peel down the thigh highs she wore to work. Bending over she slipped one off before working on the next one. Once off and on the steps she turned to see a beeline directly to where Tim was standing. She looked back at the spot she was just standing in and another groan filtered in her head. She was not having a good night already with all the sexual innuendos she seemed to be voicing and now bending over and taking off her thigh highs in plain sight of Tim. Rubbing her palms on the sides of her skirt she made her way back into the kitchen with a smile or at least trying to smile.

Angela moved over next to Tim and started to go through what they had bought at the store, "Oh the cork screw is in the drawer directly behind me, if you were wondering." She pulled out the onion and remembered the oil she needed was under the cabinet. Bending over she opened the door and fished it out before standing once more. She went about starting dinner, she washed and dried her hands, she moved to this cabinet and that one to pull out the pots she would need as well as looking in this drawer and that for the knives and spoon she would also need.

Tim handed her a glass of wine and she thanked him, taking a moment to take a sip before setting it down on the counter. Angela went to work on the onion, slowly peeling the outer layer off, "Oh behind me on the counter is a candle, the matches are in the drawer beside me, mind if you light it and bring it over here?" Tim was nice enough to do as she asked and before she knew it he was placing the candle down in front of her. She smiled again at him as she started to make a criss cross pattern in the onion, "Thank you. My mom taught me that to beat an onion at the crying game you have to light a candle for it. It burns the aroma of the onion so you don't start getting all teary eyed."

Angela slowly made work of the onion, chopping it up as she needed to. Most of the time she used the food processor as it was quicker, but tonight she wasn't in any rush at all. She collected the onion she had chopped up and tossed it over into the pot to let it cook. Turning around again she moved to the sink and washed her hands once more before drying them and moving back next to Tim, "I know you haven't been here long, but how do you like it so far?" Angela was trying to make small talk with him to keep her mind from going to other places, like how good he looked and how often she glanced at his lips and wondered what they felt and tasted like.

She reached for her wine and took another sip before setting it down and moving over to the cooking onions. Stirring them up she asked him for the hamburger they had picked out together. As he was getting that ready for her she leaned over and blew out the candle. She rose back up so close to Tim, her eyes locked with his and she had one of those moments where everything seemed to stop. She felt like she had those a lot when they looked at one another. Her hand wrapped around the package of hamburger, brushing his fingers and making her breath catch in her throat. God she wanted to kiss him and yet she wasn't sure if he was THAT interested in her.

Her eyes moved back to the pot on the stove, breaking the trance of the moment. She pulled the package from his grip and started to add the hamburger to the mix. She stayed quiet, trying to sort out her thoughts of what was going on between them. He started to say something and that was when her body took the initiative. As the last of the hamburger landed in the pot she stepped over to him and turned, pressing her lips to his. It felt like forever and yet she knew it was only a second or two. She broke from him, just looking at him, not saying anything, not apologizing for it. She held her hands out as to not get the remnants of the hamburger on him, waiting for some reaction from him. Her heart was thumping loudly in her chest as she waited for any sign from him, anything at all.