Chapter seven! The words echoed silently through the hallway, reverberated in his ears, rolled down the marble, or was it granite, stairway. Chapter seven accompanied him as he walked through the lobby, his shoes squeaking on the polished floor. He listened to the squeaks and noticed the accompanying sharp clicking high heels beside him.
She walked beside him now, just like she had stood beside him, worked beside him and finally failed beside him as the papers were signed and initialed and notarized, authenticated, registered, stamped, filed and whatever else that happens with this sort of thing. It was odd, he'd failed before... two failed marriages, before that several colleges had asked him to leave, but this, this was different, this one hurt, burrowed into his soul.
"...do now?"
He stopped walking, turned his head and stared blankly. His secretary looked at him, waiting. "Excuse me, did you say something?" In the instant before her response he saw her, not just her face, her eyes, her hair, he saw her and recalled. Her first day, the way that dark curl fell teasingly onto her forehead, the bit of red on her prominent cheekbones, the gentle curve of her jaw as his eyes descended.
"What are you going to do now?" she asked.
As he opened his mouth to reply he let his eyes gently roll down her neck and over the gentle curve of her breasts. Then, as he had each time over the last, what was it, ten, eleven years, he returned his gaze to her eyes. "I don't know... lunch?"
"I meant... but lunch is good."
They walked together into the parking garage to his car, his company's car, the late model Mercedes he'd be returning as he downgraded to a Chevrolet, or Honda but still, for at least until the end of the day, his car. He slid onto the cool seat, feeling the smooth support of the leather as he reached to press the start button. Feeling a light sensation on his thigh he paused.
Her hand had innocently brushed against his thigh as she fastened her seatbelt. It had innocently brushed his thigh, but then it remained there. He looked over to her, saw the dark brown eyes looking at him with an intensity he had never noticed from her before.
Smiling, he reached out and gently touched her cheek with his fingertips. She seemed to jump slightly as she quickly drew in a hiss of air. "Claire, all these years... ah, all these years and you've always been there. I never dared... I always wanted, but never..." His fingers slid upward into her hair, "I've always wanted to touch, to run my fingers..., but I couldn't, it wouldn't have been..."
He leaned forward and lightly touched his lips to hers. As he began to back away after the gentle kiss, she leaned toward him, pressing her lips back onto his, her tongue brushing against his lips as if pleading for more. He obliged parting his lips and touching his tongue to hers before pressing into her mouth.
As they kissed he felt her hand move up his thigh and wrap intently around his erection. In response he moved his hands to her breasts like he had longed to for so many years. Gently squeezing them he felt her hand move from his cock to begin fumbling with his pants. Before he could even think to reach for her bra clasp or perhaps slide his hand downward, she had his pants open and he felt the sensation of her fingers on his soft flesh.
