An Office Surprise

Click. Ugh.

Amanda put down the phone with an audible sigh. Another dead-end phone screen done, with a candidate who would be progressing any further. The call had been forty-five long minutes of a one-sided conversation, peppered with monosyllabic, stammering answers. Poor kid. He was clearly nervous but wasn't going to fit in here. And she was still here, hunched at her desk, wrapped in a company hoodie on a Wednesday night, trying to find the next superstar intern, one phone call at a time.

She took a deep breath, arching her back and stretching, rolling her shoulders to try and work out the tension.

"Getting a bit stiff?" she heard someone say behind her.

It was Rohan, the Recruitment Manager. He was usually working late but was often in meetings or interviews. It was rare to see him up and away from his phone or computer.

She smiled reflexively, holding the stretch just a little longer than she needed to, knowing he was taking in her lengthy, lean limbs. The curve from her hip to fingertip was smooth, her chest pushed out, chin up and neck extended. She was an easy woman to look at, and she knew it.

She turned, swivelling in her chair to face him, legs crossed as her arms came down from the stretch.

"Yeah, too much desk time. I wish the Facilities team would fix my desk so I could use it as a stand-up again."

She rocked her neck from left to right, finishing the stretch, her long straight hair flicking from side to side.

Rohan laughed. "Yeah, the Facilities guys are always overworked. Do you need a break? We can go up and get a snack or something from upstairs."

She smiled, white teeth peeking from behind neatly-lined lips. '"Yeah, let's go up for a bit. My next call isn't for another fifteen minutes, and I could use the leg stretch."

They walked past the lifts, around the central atrium of the building. This late, the place was mostly empty, just a few analysts working late on their spreadsheets. He stopped at the lifts, but she kept walking, heading for the big staircase. She looked over her shoulder at him with a smirk. "Come on, you can't skip leg day! Up the stairs!"

It was two floors up to the kitchen level, winding around a series of right turns. A few steps ahead of him, Amanda was chatting about the last phone screen - his desperation-fueled nervousness, and his evident discomfort talking to a woman. Rohan was listening, interested in the candidate, but distracted by the way her pants pulled tight with every step upward. Normally quite loose-fitting, they briefly hugged the curve of each buttock as she climbed the stairs. He was finding it hard to concentrate, not used to the distraction of her body as they made their way up to the top level.

Once upstairs, they each got a plate of snacks. She had various pieces of fruit, and Rohan had a boiled egg and some crunch snacks from one of the jars. They sat at a table, across from one another, chatting away about the candidates, and then branching into other topics.

"Hey, thanks for helping with the phone screens. I really appreciate it," said Rohan. "The team's a bit all over the shop, and there's a lot to get through. And some of them," he smiled "are a bit more focused on Instagram than they should be."

She laughed. "You mean your new admin? I think she hates me. "

He frowned. "Why do you think that? She's pretty pleasant, from my few interactions with her. "

Amanda chuckled and did a head-check to make sure no one was near them.

"I had to give her some guidance last week about proper attire in the office. Last Thursday, when she was looking after the interns, she wore a short dress that wrapped in front and no bra. One of the interns came to me flustered because she'd leaned forward and he'd seen her entire breast. Poor guy," she said with a laugh, "I think he was a bit revved-up to see so much unexpected cleavage on day one!"

Rohan blinked and did a half-chuckle, half- grimace.

"That's not okay. "

"Yeah, it's not the first complaint either. She often wears short skirts, and a couple of people have mentioned that sometimes they can see underwear, and sometimes they can't. Which is worse. No one needs to see that at work!"

"What did you say to her?"

"I told her that she could wear what she wants, but we need to maintain a standard. And the standard is that I shouldn't be able to see your nipples during work hours! I think she took it a bit personally."

Rohan wasn't surprised. The new admin had been a bit of a surprise hire, and he'd noticed the outfits already. Without thinking, he said 'Well if anyone can teach her to balance professionalism and sex appeal, it's you."

A moment or two later, his brain caught up with his mouth, and he looked up from his plate, embarrassed.

Amanda smiled, surprised by the little voice in her head that said 'He likes you'.

They chatted for a few minutes more, Rohan trying nervously to wallpaper over his Freudian slip with work talk. Amanda, now paying a lot more attention to his body language, finally stood up and said 'I've got one more phone screen to do. You hanging around?"

Rohan stood up too, just a little too hastily for his big frame. "I've got a call, and then I was going to get changed and head to the gym. But I'll be around."

"Okay, thanks for the snack!" said Amanda. She walked back to the stairwell, the faintest glimmer of an idea sparking in her head.

Back at the phone screen, Amanda was more than a little distracted. She idly typed notes, recording verbatim the answers from the candidate. At the same time, this sudden realisation was turning over in her mind. Rohan, she thought with a gleeful giddiness, was into her. He'd always seemed so, well, aloof. Maybe that wasn't the right word, exactly. It was more like he maintained a distance, a gap between personal and professional that meant he came off reserved, almost endlessly distracted and unfocused. It was hard to pin down just why his comment had hit her so. She realised the candidate has stopped talking and said 'Can you tell me a bit more about that?' while she typed in the last few notes.

She thought back to the company retreat last year. It had been a tropical getaway, with the whole company staying at a resort. She remembered the team games, watching everyone run around with a focused, competitive spirit, trying to win challenges and score points. And she remembered the sight of Rohan vividly, effortlessly lifting one of the other guys in his team, his big arms straining against the sleeves of his shirt. He was one of those guys who cultivated strength for its own sake. And she remembered looking just a little too long, and the thrill of imagining idly what the power in that body must feel like.

Thinking about the trip brought back another memory. The team had been at the pool bar, having some afternoon cocktails in the sun. Flick had been in the water already, swimming around, chatting to some of the others when Rohan had arrived. She hadn't really noticed he was there until she'd climbed out of the pool to grab a towel. She'd heard a sound behind her, a mix of a sort of involuntary grunt and groan. She turned around, seeing Rohan there, his head turning to look away just a little too obviously. She hadn't thought about it like that, but she could understand it now. She knew how she looked in her swimmers.

To be fair to herself, she hadn't thought about being attractive to anyone in a while. Her ex had been a handsome, cruel man, whose years of put-downs and control had culminated in an explosive revelation of his cheating. She'd financed him, supported him, and been proud to be his woman. And once it had all fallen apart, she'd seen his pettiness, immaturity, and callous disregard for her. It had been gut-wrenching, the knowledge that she'd invested so much in a lie. She'd been happy to get away from him, and men in general. In the six months since then, she'd focused on herself, working hard to build a professional career path. And she'd worked to rebuild her sense of self since the breakup had crushed her. She hadn't realised how much she missed the idea of someone to be with until now. She hadn't thought about wanting to sleep with someone, to be explored and enjoyed, to be discovered by a new hand and mind. Her only relief had been her own hands, and that was more about stress relief than eroticism. This tingle, this sudden thrumming in her chest, was new, and yet also something she had long forgotten.

She heard the candidate finish a sentence, and hurriedly made some notes, looking at the clock. Not long to go now.

About fifteen minutes later, she hung up the phone, done with the final phone screen. She looked over, to see Rohan's head still at his computer monitor, the faint sounds of typing echoing through the open-plan office. She stood up, stretching again, deliberately not looking at him, and picked up her gym bag. She had to walk past him to leave and stopped by his desk for a chat. He was also logging off, and she said 'Hey, I'm going to head to the gym too. Want to walk down with me?'

'Sure,' he smiled 'let's head down.'

They stood waiting for the lift together, chatting about her last phone screen, making occasional eye contact. She found herself looking him over - the broad shoulders, the heavily-muscled biceps, the V-shape of his torso leading down into his jeans. She was uncharacteristically breathless all of a sudden, imagining his shirtless chest over her.

Rohan glanced at her and said "Are you okay? You're looking a bit, well, unlike you to be honest. Big day?"

She smiled "Yeah, just a lot of desk time. Need to work out the kinks a bit."

He laughed, eyes widening slightly at the word 'kinks'. "Yeah, me too. Too much work for one day. Time to throw some weights around!"

At the gym, they split up, heading to the change rooms. When Amanda came out, Rohan was already at the weights, chatting with some friends. She tried not to watch him too closely, focusing on her program, moving around the machines, the other muscled bodies. Once or twice she glanced up, finding him either mid-lift, working some obscure muscle group, or helping someone else with a spot or a word of advice.

She didn't notice him nearby until she saw him walking past in a mirror, and said to him "You done?"

"Yeah, going to head back and take a shower at the office. There are so many people here, and it gets a bit intimate in the men's showers."

She sat up, brushing the sweat from her face with a towel. "That's a good idea actually. I usually have to wait for a shower here. I'll walk back up with you. "

"Sounds good. Grab your bag, and I'll meet you out front."

She watched him walk away, then got up and went to get her bag.

They walked back to work, letting themselves into the basement where the change rooms were. Rohan smiled at her, throwing her a quick glance as he walked into the men's change rooms. From inside the women's change rooms, she heard his shower taps turn on. She turned on her own shower, peeling out of her leggings and work-out top. The steam and hot water were luscious on her skin, but she didn't want to dwell too long in here. She didn't want to miss her chance. She had a quick wash, cleaning the sweat off her skin and rinsing her hair, then quickly dried and rinsed. She threw her shirt on, not bothering with a bra, and slipped her trousers back up.

She walked outside just as he did, and called out to him. "Hey," he said, nervous, "do you want to grab a drink?"

She approached him and reached up with one hand, putting it against his face. She closed her eyes. Here goes nothing, she thought.

She kissed him, pressing her lips softly against his loose, surprised mouth.

She stepped back, watching his face run through a range of emotions - surprise, delight, and an undeniable hunger. She put her hands on his chest, still vaguely damp under the cotton of his shirt. She said softly "Come with me."

She walked backward, one hand still on his chest, backing through the door of the change room. Rohan followed her in, close enough to maintain that single-hand contact but not getting closer. She backed up against the counter, between the sinks, and smiled at him.

He looked once nervously at the door, then stepped to her, their hips almost touching. Her body was angled back, so he had to lean in to kiss her. His mouth found hers, her hand climbing up from his chest to rest on his face as they kissed. His hands found her waist, and she parted her legs slightly, but not enough to let him stand between them.

His arms moved around her, one hand climbing her slender back to the nape of her neck, nestling in under her still-damp hair. The other hand rested on her hip, not pulling her closer but just holding her steady. Her fingers came down from his face, and her hands slid around his neck, clasping behind his head. His mouth was patient, a little too patient for the violence of the need that welled up in her. She needed to break his reserve a little, to make him commit to the act.

She unclasped her hands, moving one to his hand where it rested behind her head. Her slender fingers gripped his hand and guided it down to her chest, resting it over her breast. She felt the surprise in his kiss, the hesitation in his lips, and leaned back to look at him. With heavy eye contact, she unbuttoned her shirt, opening it to show her smooth, flat stomach and small, vibrant breasts. She pulled the material back from under his hand, letting out a quiet gasp when she felt the roughness of his hands on her skin. His hand rested there, palm against her skin, slowly moving to cup the curve of her breast.

His head darted forward, lips hungry for hers, finding her mouth with a sudden passion. She felt his fingers press against her skin, the other hand leaving her hip to reach up to her other breast. His tongue pushed gently against hers, tentative but questing, his hands beginning to massage her gently. She could feel the thicker skin of his thumbs rub against the edges of her nipples, rolling his thumbprints against the upraised, sensitive flesh. She arched a little, gasping into his mouth.

Rohan pulled his head back, looking into her eyes for a moment. He looked down at his hands, still resting on her skin, and looked back at her face again. The look on her face made her suddenly self-conscious - she wanted to pull her shirt closed and run from the room. Then his unreadable expression vanished, replaced with a smile that she'd never seen from him, a mix of amusement and playfulness that was startling in its newness. Then he bent his head, lowering his mouth to her neck, then her collarbone, then the top of her sloping breast, then down beneath her nipple, and then finally to the nipple itself. His hand dropped away, and awash with sensation, she felt everything - the warm swirling of his tongue against the soft skin of her nipple, the tide of his breathing on her skin, the stubble of his jaw pressed into the soft undercurve of her breast. She felt his other hand, holding in place while his mouth was busy with her, moving in slow circles, sucking her gently, exploring.

She put her hand behind his head, holding it against her. Her head lolled back as her spine arched, pushing against his mouth, eager for more sensation, more attention. She felt his other hand, which had dropped away from her as his mouth took over, slowly sliding up her thigh. The fingertips trailed up the material of her trousers, his thumb pointed toward her groin, stroking upwards towards her body. As his lips pursed around her nipple, she waited, wondering if she'd have to take the lead here again. It wasn't.

She felt the pad of his thumb push against the crotch of her trousers, grinding into her. His mouth was moving, switching across to kiss and taste her other nipple. The combination of sensations from her chest and groin was building in her a little. It had been a long time since she was touched by inexpert hands, by hands that weren't hers, and she was enjoying both the sensation and the anticipation. He rubbed her through the material, his thumb making a beckoning motion, pressing against her pubis as he kissed and licked her nipples.

After a moment of this, she pushed him away, hands back on his chest. He let himself be pushed, raising his head up to look at her, thinking she was hungry for more kisses. Instead, she pushed him back further until he was standing two feet in front of her. She felt his surprised look was almost funny, and he clearly wanted to continue with the making out session.

She undid the front of her trousers, first the two buttons and then the short zip. She then reached down, slipping two fingers from each hand beneath the waistband of both her trousers and her underwear, and sliding them down her thighs. Rohan gasped as the material slid down, exposing her completely. His eyes travelled down the long, muscled plane of her belly, over the quick lift of her hips, and down the hairless delta of her sex. Her hands pushed her clothes down the tanned length of her thighs, letting them fall to puddle around her feet, and she stood up. She stood straight, hips resting against the bench, feeling the air on her skin and the full weight of her nakedness. Her shirt still hung open, framing her breasts, making it impossible to avoid the power of her suddenly nude body.

Rohan stepped towards her, and she expected to feel his fingers again between her legs. Instead, he grabbed her hips, lifting her in one powerful motion so that her pants fell from her feet onto the floor. He tipped her back a little, lifting her up onto the bench, the flat surface cold against her behind. She leaned back against the mirror, pushed by his sudden lifting of her legs, her shoulders against the chilled glass, as he ducked down towards her groin. She felt his breath on her, then instantly the warm wetness of his mouth, covering her sex. His hands lowered her legs to his shoulders, and he knelt on her discarded clothes as he began to eat her.

She whimpered as his tongue slid along her lips, running from front to back and returning up again. His hands, having steadied her legs, moved under her thighs, supporting her buttocks as he pressed his tongue against her. She could feel the warmth of his breath between strokes of his tongue, and the brushing of his lips as he tasted her. She felt pleasurably exposed, enjoying this spontaneous moment, resting on her shoulders and elbows as he continued licking her. She felt his fingers digging into her buttocks, felt his thumbs move up to either side of her sex, opening her a little before his tongue began to work inside her. Her body responded, a wave of sensitivity running along her skin as he explored her. The warm, unbearable wetness of his tongue was pushed against her inside, outside, her clitoris, her lips, her skin. She began to roll her hips, grinding a little against his face, willing him to push his tongue a little deeper inside. She bent her legs around his shoulders, pulling with her calves to force him in.

He looked up at her then, looking along the length of her body, his face buried between her spread thighs. As his tongue swiped along her skin, circling her clitoris and dipping inside her, she wanted to feel all of him in her. She waited until he looked up again, and, smiling hungrily, she said very clearly 'I want you in me.'

He looked up at her, his face shiny from her wetness, and smiled. "Which shower did you use?" Amanda pointed to the shower behind him, where the stall door is still open. Rohan stood up slowly, letting her legs fall from his shoulders to wrap around his waist and lifted her by her hips. Her arms came around his shoulders, holding onto him as he took her whole body weight in his arms, lifting her completely off the bench. The material of his shirt rubbed against her as he carried her back into the stall, their faces close but not kissing, eyes locked on each other.