"Whump!"
The sharp sound of a hand slapping my desk snapped me back into the real world, and nearly into the ceiling...I hadn't heard anyone come up behind me.
"Heellloooo....Earth to Meaghan...what are you still doing here? Quitting time was over an hour ago!" The raspy voice of the shift supervisor grated into my ears, accompanied by the vile smell of stale cigarette smoke and poor oral hygiene.
Mentally pulling my nails out of the tiles above my desk, I swiveled my chair to address my odiferous boss, Bernie.
"Got a last minute call from the Carter's about their account, and they want to switch which week they are coming in. Oh, and Mr. Lude needed an update on the monthly financials for a short notice meeting in the morning..." I trailed off, seeing the wry look twisting the super's face.
"Meaghan, let me explain something to you...AGAIN. You are taking this job too seriously. You don't take a lunch break, you won't take a vacation unless forced to, and I can't get you to let go of the damned phone. You are of no use to us if you continue to burn yourself out. Leave a note for the morning shift to accomplish any last minute stuff that comes up. Your work ethic is commendable, but you need to learn to let go, ok? Oh, and you are now off for the next three days."
Gaping at my supervisor, I felt a moment of panic. Three days?!? But I haven't had time to plan anything, and there was that meeting on Thursday....quelling my racing thoughts, I smiled weakly at him.
"That's ok Bernie, I am headed out now, it's not really necessary..."
"Nope, three days...and hand over the cell."
Damn...I had hoped he would forget about the on-call phone.
Reluctantly, I placed the small silver device into his outstretched palm.
An odd feeling of nakedness crept over me...what am I supposed to do now?
Bernie waited with the patience of a mountain while I shut down my computer and gathered my things. He then escorted me to the door, and grinned at me as I stepped out onto the stairs.
"Take some time for yourself, have a little fun!" he said, and shut the door firmly.
"Chunk!!" the sound of the deadbolt seating sounded disturbingly final as I stared through the glass at Bernie. He shot me a grin, and a wave before turning back to walk to his office.
Shit.
Grumbling to my self, I turned away from the doors, and nearly jumped out of my skin for the second time in less than 10 minutes.
"You're late; Meaghan...let me guess, last minute "emergency" with the Carter's again?"
The laughing baritone voice preceded my friend Matthew from the shadows gathering around the building.
"Holy crap, Matthew, you scared the hell out of me!" I stammered, stuck between wanting to hit him and grateful for his presence. Matt was an old friend of mine from college, and always seemed to know when I was feeling out of sorts. Like now...
Grumbling, I fell into step with him as we headed towards the subway. "And what exactly am I late for? You know me; I am never late for anything..."
Whisky colored eyes twinkled at me as he smirked "Um, hello? Your birthday? Today? Remember? You promised me you would have dinner with me?"
Thinking back, I did remember the promise made weeks ago at a coffee shop on a weekend out. How could I have forgotten my own birthday?!
"Um, yeah, I remember"...I mumbled, "but I'm not ready to go anywhere!"
Matt threw an arm around me and gave me a bolstering hug. "I know, hon, and that's why I went and had Jerry get some stuff for you!"
Jerry was a mutual friend of ours from collage. He lived with his partner Gary not far from me, and was constantly urging me to go with him to pick out some newer clothes...more specifically, ANYTHING not work clothes.
"You didn't!"
"Oh, cherie, but I did...and you should have seeeen his eyes light up!" Matt was now snickering at the dismay on my face. Its not that Jerry had bad taste, quite the opposite...it's just that his personal quest since our freshman year has been to help me "girlie" up. Not only am I not a "girlie" person, but I refuse to compromise my comfort. If I can't fight, jump, run, and get down on the floor in it I refuse to wear it, simple as that.
Seeing the growing alarm in my eyes, Matt rushed to set me at ease.
"Hey, I made him swear upon his highlights that it would be comfortable and "you"."
Matt made small talk with me for the rest of the tube ride, making me laugh and forget the stress of the day. When we arrived at his apartment, he told me to have a seat of the sofa and he'd grab us some drinks.
Sighing, I sank into the sofa with delight. I swear this couch needed a warning sign on it..."Warning! This couch has its own gravity field! Sit at your own risk!"
Matt came in from the kitchen with the drinks and handed me an amaretto and diet coke, strong and sweet...perfection.
Sitting across from me, Matt took a sip of his drink and smiled.
I felt my stomach flutter at the warmth in his gaze...the gentle curve of his lips...
"So, here are the rules..." dragging my attention back to the here and now.
"Rules? What for?"
"To enhance your enjoyment of tonight, of course! To keep you from drifting into "work mode" on me!" Matt responded, rolling his eyes at me. Flushing, I couldn't help but feel a bit ashamed...he had me pegged on that observation.
"Rule one: No shop talk. At all. Rule two: you are NOT to pay for anything, suggest that you should, or offer to pay me back. Rule three: you are to enjoy yourself to the utmost, no holding back." A small chill traced up my spine at the odd note in his voice as a slow sexy grin stole over his features for a moment.
"Rule four: if you start feeling...overwhelmed...just say "Purple"..."
With that, he got off of the couch and went back into the kitchen, leaving me to feel like I just missed something.
"The shower is ready to go for you...why don't you go freshen up? Your clothes for tonight are in the spare room!" Matt called from the depths of the kitchen.
Finishing my drink, I put the glass on the coffee table and headed for the bathroom.
Inside the black and cobalt tiled sanctuary I found fluffy towels, shampoo and conditioner, and wonderful shower gel and lotion set that smelled of vanilla and sandalwood...my favorite.
Turning up the hot water I lathered myself, breathing deeply of the heavenly scented gel.
Climbing out of the shower, I reveled in the softness of the towels, still warm from the dryer. Slathering my skin with the lotion, I felt nearly intoxicated by the sweet smell, and marveled at how soft it made my skin. Wrapping Matt's robe around me, I inhaled a whiff of his scent...patchouli and sage. A surge of warmth surged through my body, shocking me with its intensity. I admit that I found Matt VERY attractive, but I didn't really think he saw me as anything other than a friend. How I saw him, though....
Sighing to myself, I let myself out of the bathroom and into the spare room.
* * * * *
Shaking my head, I had to admit defeat. Jerry knew me too well, and had to have used the spare "emergency key" for my apartment to pull this off...
