For the next couple of days things were busy at work, and I saw Kris only to say Hi. She didn't bring up Topic A, and I wasn't about to because I don't need to be accused of sexual harassment, even if everything was her idea. Better to let her take the initiative.
Not to mention that we'd have to find another location for our "lessons." We'd been lucky our first two times that no janitors or over-achieving colleagues had stopped by my office after hours and caught us. However, I knew we were playing with fire and eventually we'd get burned. It would be disaster for both of our jobs.
A couple of days later, I was eating lunch outside and she asked if I would like company.
She started off right away with, "We can't keep meeting in your office. Sooner or later we'll get caught, which would
not
be good." I had had her pegged as both smart and mature.
"Yeah, I know. I don't know enough about your circumstances to know what to suggest. Can you get away from where you live outside of business hours without causing trouble?" I didn't know if she had a family that watched her like a hawk.
"I live with my aunt," she said. "She's letting me stay with her while I go to college here. So it seemed logical to move right after high school graduation and be settled here when school started in the fall. Getting the job just clinched it. I really do need the money for school. Anyhow, unlike my mom, she realizes I can take care of myself. So I'm allowed to go out in the evening or come home late without going through the third degree."
"Well, you can come over to my place, if you're comfortable with that. Hopefully you realize by now that we aren't going to do anything you don't want to do," I said.
"Yeah, I know you aren't going to rape me," she said with an impish grin.
"So how about tonight? If you come over after work I can cook you dinner and we'd have some time for, uh, other things."
"I don't want you to go to any trouble," she said.
"I'm not planning anything fancy. How does Fettucini Alfredo sound? It's quick and easy. I don't have anything for dessert."
"I've never had that. I'd love to give it a try!"
So I stopped by the store on the way home to get the milk for the Alfredo sauce. I usually have microwave dinners, but I'm actually a pretty decent chef when I want to be; and, besides, this dish really is simple and quick to prepare.
Kris was waiting for me when I got home. I let her in and offered her a choice of non-alcoholic beverages. (She's above fucking age but below drinking age.) She sat at the island in the kitchen sipping iced tea as I got to work.
"You sure live in the middle of nowhere!" she said.
"Yeah. I kind of like not having my neighbors right on top of me." Not least because it keeps them from knowing about things like this evening, I thought.
"So tell me about yourself," I said. "I don't know much except your name and that you're legal."
She giggled and blushed.