This is part two of "Isolated Together". It picks up about three months after the first part, just as the summer of the COVID-19 pandemic is getting under way. If you haven't read the first part, I suggest you go read that one first. If you are looking for a quick stroke, this is probably not the right story for you.
Shannon works for the Department of Transportation and was sent into a work-at-home status due to the pandemic. Hank is his neighbour who lives in the apartment across the landing. She is a CRNA and works the midnight shift in the ER. They met during COVID and are trying to figure out where their relationship goes next.
I hope you and your families are safe and healthy.
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29 June 2020
Shannon rolled out of bed and went into his home office. He put his ID card into the slot on his laptop and started the login process.
After firing up the Keurig, he heard Hank's door open and close.
He went back to his workstation to begin his morning. Work was slow. There was a morning team meeting via teleconference.
His phone buzzed at noon.
busy?
just lunch. i'm doing training in half hour
he replied, surprised that Hank was awake. She usually slept until mid-afternoon.
They had settled into something of a routine.
Shannon's life was mostly unremarkable and decidedly regular. He switched his schedule to Monday through Friday, from 6 AM to 2:30 PM. With gyms and fitness centers closed, he picked up running again and bought a Bowflex which took up half of his home office.
Hank still worked overnight shifts; from 7 PM to 7 AM on a Pittman schedule, with seven shifts spread over two weeks in two or three day blocs. They spent time together when they could.
As the months wore on, and doctors and scientists learned more about COVID, Shannon grew less fearful of contracting the virus, knowing that Hank was doing everything she could to mitigate her own exposure and the possibility of infecting him if she were to pick it up again.
Immediately after returning home from work, she stripped down and put her clothes in the washing machine. Then she showered before going to sleep while Shannon worked. Usually by the time she woke up, he was just finishing his work day. They had some time together if they wanted, and then she went back to work.
Shannon also altered some of his own behaviours. They were swimming in hand sanitizer. They wore masks with filter pockets in them using KN95 inserts when they could get them or washable filters if they needed. They got take-out dinner if they didn't cook for themselves.
Curbside delivery became standard, and they got their money's worth out of the "free" delivery from that company which shares its name with a rain forest, even though Shannon loathed the idea of enriching Jeff Bezos any more than he had to. Shannon went out of his way to tip extra when he could, and always in cash.
Their social lives migrated to an almost exclusively online presence, either through Zoom, Facebook Messenger, Instagram or Skype.
Her parents called every night around dinner time and welcomed Shannon into their lives, accepting him as fact.
They never pressed Shannon about his relationship with their daughter, but Hank told him her mother was especially giddy that she was dating someone. For real, and not just through a Match.com account that seemed to be overrun with random bot accounts and men her father's age who were having their mid-life crisis.
One night, they called his mother. Margaret-Ann warmly received the news that her son was seeing someone who not only had a good job, but wasn't an "uptight, self-righteous shrew" as his ex-wife was described. She seemed to hit it off right with Hank.
Fifteen minutes before the afternoon training was to begin, Shannon logged into the Skype meeting, set up the presentation, checked his microphone, and uploaded some documents to use as examples.
Since the volume of work was low, the director decided that training was in order. There was some complaining from the usual suspects in the office, but once they were told the alternative was furloughs, the bitching stopped; if the alternatives were being laid off or death by PowerPoint, everyone preferred to get paid.
He started promptly at 12:30. Shannon tried not to be
that trainer
who read every slide word for word and has several examples ready to show and a demonstration case from his regular work. His audience was fairly quiet; it was right after lunch and the subject was remedial for anyone who had been with the agency for more than a couple of years.
After about fifteen minutes, he heard the door to his apartment open. He glanced over to see Hank wearing a bathrobe and carrying a pillow, her still-wet hair pulled back into a sloppy bun.
Trying to keep his attention on the lesson, he watched out of the corner of his eye as Hank stopped in the door to his office and dropped her bathrobe.
She was bare underneath.
It was all Shannon could do to finish a complete sentence about the slide on the screen. He hurriedly checked to make sure the Post-It note was covering the camera built into his laptop.
It wasn't on for the Skype meeting and was angled so it didn't show the door, but he had a moment of panic anyway.
Hank smiled wickedly and blew him a kiss.
Her breasts were perky. The nipples distended. Her neatly shaved pussy glistened for him.
But it was her smile. Her wicked, charming smile. It captivated him. His heart skipped a beat.
Then she turned around, spread her legs and bent over enough to show him the faux-ruby on the jeweled end of the buttplug which was lodged up her shapely backside.
His first instinct was to drop his headphones and rush over to take her, but Shannon liked his job. And he needed the paycheck.
As he continued to talk, Hank set the pillow on the floor in the doorway and lay back, her legs spread for him to see.
Her pert breasts fell only slightly to the sides.
She indulgently cupped her breasts, drawing the nipples into sharp little points.
Shannon had to will himself not to rush through the last seven slides.
Out of the corner of his eye, he was acutely aware of Hank touching herself as he droned on and on about purchasing regulations and procedures.
Her eyes shining with lust, she circled her clit with her fingers, parting the folds of her labia, just to show off for Shannon. Her other hand cupped one of her breasts.
She pinched the rock-hard nipple just to tease him some more.
Silently, Hank brought herself to orgasm, writhing in ecstasy just feet away from Shannon, taunting him as he worked.
"Does anyone have any questions about anything I've talked about today?" he asked, trying not to use his "Everyone-needs-to-shut-the-fuck-up-and-leave-me-alone" voice.
Of course there was someone with a question. One of the dumber people in the office, who never paid attention and wondered why he was always passed over when selection for promotions came around.
It was all Shannon could do not to tell this person he was a goddamn idiot (something he did a couple of years previously, and for which he was given a verbal reprimand, although the assistant director made it clear he wished he could have told this person the same thing in as many words) and went back to the slide which showed the answer to the question in stark black and white.
Still laying on the floor, Hank suppressed a laugh as Shannon tried to rush to end the training without making it obvious he was rushing to end the training.
Just to be mean, Hank crawled across the room, her breasts swaying beneath her.
Shannon put up token resistance as she tugged at his waistband. He lifted himself off the chair enough for her to pull his shorts and boxers down.
It did not take much effort for her skillful hands to bring him to full mast.
