It Only Took Twenty Years Pt 02

Chapter 5: Friday, July 15, 2016

I spent a very distracted morning behind a closed office door collecting paperwork and notes in preparation for a directors' meeting. I tried several times to get through to Dawn, but each call went to voicemail. I fought the urge to try more, lest she think I was as desperate to talk to her as I actually was. It was eleven o'clock Friday when Ell called through to my office.

"Mr. Richards, Ms. Vo would like a few minutes. Are you available?"

"Shit! She's here?" I muttered to myself as I closed the folder of papers I was reading, strode to my closed office door, and opened it. Dawn was standing next to Ellena's desk and appeared very agitated.

"I need a word with you in private. Can we talk in your office?" she asked.

I waved her in and closed the door. When I realized her seriousness wasn't a ruse as it had been the day before, I asked, "You okay?"

"I am so embarrassed, Will. Last night I enjoyed way too much of that awesome whiskey you brought, and I do stupid things when I'm drunk. I can't believe what I did, and I hope I haven't disgusted you or anything."

She was blushing and talking

very

fast. "I've never done anything like that, and I said and did some things and I'm afraid⁠—" she continued rambling.

Luckily, the wood blinds in the window between my office and the anteroom were closed. I cupped Dawn's face in my palms and planted my open mouth right on her still-speaking lips. It quieted her. I traced her upper lip with the tip of my tongue. As it approached her center, she puckered against it and suckled it into her mouth, pushing the flat of her own tongue against it.

She tasted so unbelievably delicious. I was glad to be stone-cold sober so I could cement her flavor into my memory. We kissed softly for a few tender moments. I was careful not to smear her lipstick. I straightened myself because her much smaller frame meant kissing her while standing required a bit of a stoop. I held her body tightly to mine. The embrace felt right, and I also wanted her to feel what her kisses did to me.

I placed a hand gently against her back to hold her to my chest. Turning her head up to look at me, I kissed her again. I motioned toward the couch and Dawn took a seat. I twisted the handle on the blinds, opening the slats.

"Sorry, Dawn. I've gotta do this or Xena out there will come in here and do it herself."

It took me only a few seconds. I sat in one of the chairs opposite the couch.

"Dawn, I have to ask you a question. Did you mean what you said just before you closed your door last night?"

"You mean when I said I'm in love with you?"

I nodded.

"Good," she continued, "because that's the last thing I remember saying to you, and like I said, I was pretty toasted last night, and I wasn't sure if I'd done or said something else⁠—"

I cut her off. "Dawn!"

That froze her for a few seconds, mouth agape.

"Yes. Yes, Will, I meant it, and though the utterance was definitely made easier by the alcohol, the sentiment was not induced by it at all. Please don't be upset with me or feel you have to say it back⁠—"

"Devo!" I interrupted her again.

"Yes. I am most definitely in love with you."

Her words became focused and more organized.

"After I closed the door last night, I watched you through the peephole. You looked scared. Shocked. I don't want to damage our friendship, Will. I apologize if I have."

"You haven't," I assured her. "I wasn't scared. I was definitely stunned but I was also … euphoric? I can tell you that I've been head-over-heels in love with you for a long time, too," I responded quietly.

Her posture softened. Her eyes watered. She captured a tear with the pad of her thumb before it could smudge her makeup. She smiled back at me.

"Oh, thank god. Jeez, Will. I was pacing out there in the hall for probably fifteen minutes before I worked up the nerve to come in here. I can't tell you how relieved I am to hear what you just said.

"I swear. When I came out of the restroom last night at the hotel, I really thought you would be gone." She paused, staring out the windows into the tree line.

"When you weren't, I got

this close

to inviting you into my room," she said, making a small gap between her finger and thumb, "but I decided I was too drunk to be making wise choices."

She paused again, then continued, "Why have we wasted so much time? Imagine where we might be right now if I had just jumped you in Houston like I wanted to all those years ago."

I white-lied when I said, "I don't want to imagine," because I'd done exactly that, many, many times.

"Dawn, everything that's happened, as well as everything that hasn't, might have brought us to what …

finally

happened last night."

"Ugh. Speaking of which, what did you do with my … things?"

"Don't worry about it. But, jeez. I'm dying to know, Devo. Just how … turned on

were

you?"

"Do we really have to talk about that right now? Isn't that a little personal?"

"Yes, it's

very

personal, and you brought it up."

She sighed and cracked a slight smile.

"Will, I was turned on more than I have been in a very long time.

"When I touched your hand and brushed your leg with my foot … and, when you stroked my arm, and then I kissed you? Well. The first time I remember being so heated up was on a flight from Houston to Dallas when I was sitting next to someone to whom I had really, really,

really

taken a liking."

She stared at me as the realization of what she'd said dawned on my face. I couldn't suppress a smile.

"I'm going to be as straight up and honest with you as you just were with me. What you gave me last night was so intimate. So … usually

hidden. Personal. Private.

I looked at the pictures you took on my TV, and, well … I had to use a mop to clean up afterwards," I admitted to her, straight-faced.

"Seriously? I made you⁠—"

I nodded, not taking my eyes off hers.

"Me, too. Except … I was in the shower."

It surprised me we'd both just admitted we'd masturbated to thoughts of each other.

She continued, "Will, I mean it. I do love you, and not just platonically."

"I love you, too, Devo."

I hoped my face reflected my honest reply. I let my words be heard before continuing.

"But here's the thing. I don't want that to be front and center. I mean, I

do

, but I had

so

much fun being teased and enticed by … you know,

playing

with you and discovering this so quickly, I would really like it if we can continue to climb each other's ropes. Do you know what I mean?"

"Yeah. I do."

"I have a question," I said. "How did you know what you were doing would pull my trigger?"

She sat back comfortably into the leather couch.

"When you said what you said last night right there at the end, when I wanted to leave, it actually freaked me out for a second. It wasn't that I was offended. I was just …

stunned

for a bit. But when what you said bounced around in my head, I decided to take a risk and give you an answer to your question and see what happened."

"Mop."

She chuckled. "This totally sucks. My plans here in Lexington got redirected first thing this morning. Instead of a train-the-trainer thing here, I have to fly to Sacramento in a few hours to prep for a conference for the west-coast folks. I'm not sure when I'll be back, but I'm hoping by Wednesday. I need to finish two more training programs with the local teams here before next weekend."

She paused for another long moment and her tone became more serious.

"Will, I have to ask you something, and if I sense any doubt or equivocation in your answer, I'll think differently of you. Are you … interested⁠— Are you interested in continuing this … whatever this is?"

Not one second elapsed before I answered. "Yes, Dawn. Absolutely, yes."

I nailed her to the back of her seat with my stare. I wanted her to have absolutely no doubt of the authenticity or sincerity of my answer.

She appeared to be slowly evaluating my words and body language.

"

Gah

! Why do I have to leave

today

? Best-laid plans of mice and men, huh?"

"They oft go awry. We'll just have to pick up where we left off."

After a long pause, staring out at the trees again, Dawn said, "Do you have your phone handy?"

"Of course." After adjusting myself, I walked over to my desk and fetched it.

"Unlock it. Open the ESFS app, log in, and give it to me."

I was curious what was about to happen as I was about to commit a major violation of security policy.

"Give it here, and leave the room," she commanded.

"You're kicking me out of my own office?"

"Yeah. Close the door behind you."

I obeyed, left the room, and followed her instructions.

"Is everything okay, Mr. Richards?" asked Ellena when she saw the blinds to my office closing again. We both heard the door lock.

"Oh, that? Um … yeah. Everything is fine. Dawn … uh… said she, um … she said a button came off her blouse and she needs to resew it before she heads to the airport."

"Oh, the poor woman! I have a little sewing kit right here for just such an emergency. Maybe I can help her."

She opened her lap drawer and removed a small transparent plastic case. When she rose, I stopped her.

"No! It's okay. She's got it."

Ell just stared at me quizzically but didn't challenge me.

About ten minutes later, Dawn came out of my office, neat as a pin, and said, "Time to head out. Will, would you mind walking me to my car?"

"Not at all," I answered.

As we walked, we passed numerous people shuttling back and forth between offices and conference rooms. Any time the halls were vacant, Dawn playfully bumped me with her hip. When we boarded an empty elevator and the doors closed, she said, "I'd kiss you right now if it weren't for the camera. Now, seriously. What did you do with my gift?" She punched my arm playfully.

"It's under my pillow," I said with a wide grin.

"You cad," she said, shaking her head in mock disdain, neutralized by the smile on her face.

We exited the building and walked across the drive to the parking structure. As we negotiated the stairs, I let her climb several steps ahead of me so I could watch her lovely skirt-covered rump move just in front of me.

"You're staring at my butt, aren't you," she said.

"How'd you know?"

She stopped abruptly and turned around on the stair step. I stopped where I was.

"Because I'd be doing the same thing if I was following you. Come here. Three steps up."

I climbed to the step one lower than hers. That made the difference in our heights barely six inches. She grabbed my head, planted her tongue on my lips, and licked. I captured her tongue and sucked it, exerting a tiny bit of force with my teeth.

"Oh, yeah, you're so yummy." She sighed. "Go back down two steps."

I retreated as instructed. She turned back around but didn't climb.

"You may not paw, pet, or squeeze, but you may touch it if you like."

Good lord, Dawn's playfulness was fun! I studied the terrain, looking for the one place which, since it was my first opportunity, would provide the greatest reward. Though Dawn's bottom was small, it had perfect proportions and plenty of shape. I listened intently for the faintest sound of any approaching footsteps. Hearing none, I selected the most inviting spot, extended my arm and forefinger.

I gently poked a cheek. "Boop!"

She laughed loud enough at my misappropriation of the meme that anyone in the structure would have heard it. She continued climbing the stairs. When we arrived at her rental, she unlocked it with her fob, and climbed into the driver's seat. I watched her back out of the stall, and when she was alongside me, she opened her window.

"The password is 'pineapple'. See you in a week!" she said before she drove away toward the exit spiral.

Password? Huh?

I pulled out my phone and unlocked it. The ESFS (Extecha Secure File System) app was still active. In an open folder were six JPEGs and one text file. I selected the first picture. When prompted for the password, I entered

pineapple

. Denied. I tried the second. Same thing. Same for all of the pictures.

I selected the text file. I entered

pineapple

one more time and the document unlocked.

Will: You've no doubt discovered the six photos are password-protected. I will text you one password every night I am away. I hope you enjoy them. Don't send me any texts. Don't call me. I want tension to build. I'm climbing a rope. I could, of course, have done this while on the road, but now you know what I was doing behind your locked door. Oh, and because you're such a good guy, I'll give you the first password right now: junebug. Enjoy!

Photo 1: Password

junebug

.

It opened, and I smiled broadly, then laughed. It was simply a selfie of Dawn with a humorous expression. She'd stuck out her tongue through puckered lips. Her eyes were comically crossed in a "Fooled you!" expression.

Dawn was wise to use the app. Everything shared via the app was encrypted. Even our own IT group wouldn't be able to decrypt the contents without the private keys associated with the passwords. The only thing they could observe would be the activities, not the contents. Yeah, a simple password could be easily brute-forced, but there'd be no reason to need to try with what Dawn had done. She could have securely added the files from any of our connected systems, but I guessed she used my phone instead of hers for expedience.

I was still smiling when I returned to my office to polish off the day's work.

It was 9:30 that night when I received the text.

squirrel

.

I quickly selected the second photo and entered the password. She had taken a photograph of her torso. Her silk blouse was unbuttoned to the middle. I could see the inner triangular shape of the cups of a sensual black brassiere. Her skin looked flawless. I zoomed in and traced the lace edges of a cup with my eyes. She led off with a cute, humorous portrait. The idea that her second picture would be so sensual and sexy made me wonder what would be coming in the next few days. It gave me plenty to think about as I climbed into bed for the night.

Chapter 6: July 16 ⁠– 19, 2016

Saturday was a simultaneously frustrating yet relaxing day of golf with three buddies followed by a few beers over a barbecue dinner. That's when the text came in.

"Excuse me, gotta deal with this." I walked to the corner of the dining room, sat in an unoccupied booth, and opened the message.

twizzlers

.

Picture 3: Opened. She had unzipped the side of her skirt, revealing the waistband of a pair of black undies, her hip, and just a tiny hint of her bottom. Further inspection would have to wait, as a family headed toward the booth. I vacated it and returned to my table, guzzled down the rest of my beer, and said, "Sorry guys, gotta run. Trouble in Sacramento."

I went home and took care of the tension while taking a shower.

Sunday night:

postcard. I miss you.

I began typing

I miss you, too

but deleted the characters when I remembered her instructions.

I opened the fourth photo of the collection. I couldn't quite grasp what I was seeing because it was taken too close to see in context. I saw black lace again. I couldn't tell if it was on her top or bottom until I zoomed in looking for clues.

I saw what looked like a cute little birthmark hiding under some lace … somewhere? I went back to the previous two photos to get an idea of scale by noting the pattern. I went back to the new one, zoomed in, and reckoned the partially exposed chocolate-colored mark would have been about the size of a nickel if it were, indeed, as circular as it appeared.

That's when it hit me. It wasn't a birthmark. It was one of Dawn's areolae. Couldn't tell which or top from bottom, nor did I care one bit. I visualized myself nibbling what was at its center.

Monday was chaotic. I was called via video conference into the board meeting to give an impromptu status report on the completion of the transition. Luckily, I had my act together, but I was given a pile of other audit items which needed addressing by the close of my assignment, including some misses during a less-than-stellar disaster recovery exercise two weeks before.

I was exhausted when I went home. I uncorked a fresh bottle of Jack Single Barrel and considered filling a highball glass full of ice with it. Better judgment stopped me, and I selected a rocks glass instead.

After about a half hour, I decided to disobey and break protocol. I texted Dawn.

I know I'm a bad boy. But I can't wait for you to get home.

Home is in Allen. :P

Crap. Of course it was. I was amused by the old-school ASCII emoticon she'd added.

Oops.

Tomorrow! pizza. potatoes. See? You were right.

Huh?

Don't be dense. See you tomorrow. :*

I quickly tabbed over to the ESFS app and selected the fifth photo. Password:

tomorrow

.

Denied.

Password:

pizza

.

How had she managed to take such a picture? What I saw made me erect in an instant. She somehow managed to take a full photo of her beyond-beautiful bottom, bent over, her cheeks encased in satiny lace-edged black fabric. Her skirt's hem was visible just across her hips. She was bent forward just enough that the seam of the gusset was squarely centered in the frame. The pooch of her sex was not simply hinted at, it was obvious between the gap in her thighs. The seat had crept (or been pulled?) into her rump a tad, as I could see the impression of the elastic in her skin a centimeter or two farther out.

My erection firmed as I recalled how I'd been invited to touch her gorgeous butt and those panties through her skirt a few days earlier in the garage stairwell but few minutes after she'd taken that⁠—

all

the photographs.

I quickly entered the password for the final photo. It was a shot of her from the front. Glossy-nailed fingertips had pulled the front of her panties to the side just enough that the faintest hint of hair was revealed. Yes, I was right. Her fur was as raven black as her beautiful eyebrows. I didn't even realize I was stroking myself through my Dockers until I began erupting into them.

After I cleaned myself up and threw my clothes into the washing machine, I sent my final text for the night.

You just made a good man go bad. Very,

very

bad.

:pd:

I removed her panties from my dresser drawer. I'd put them there because I didn't want the housekeepers to find them under my pillow. I climbed into bed, snuggled her briefs beneath my cheek, and slept the sleep of the gods.

The next afternoon, during another directors' meeting, I received a text. I viewed it on my watch:

Flight leaves SMF in 20 minutes. I'm on my way. ETA@LEX 7:45pm. Pick me up at the airport?

I unlocked my phone, checked my calendar, and replied,

I. Can. Not. Wait.

😀

The day did not move fast enough at all.

At five o'clock, another text.

You jinxed it. Stuck at "home" due to bad weather. Flight canceled.

😢

I pulled up the weather radar app, and sure enough, there was a squall line extending from eastern Kansas down through Houston. No one would be flying through that crap.