Thanks to Cheer_Smartie and LarryInSeattle for the help editing and developing the story. I hope you enjoy it.
*
Clara stood up and glanced nervously over the top of the cube farm. Her normal departure time was thirty minutes ago. After a few moments of prairie dogging, she sat down again and scrolled through her email. When she heard someone stop in the doorway of her cube she turned. It was her co-worker Trisha.
"You're here late and I know it's not crunch time," Trisha said.
"Whatever," Clara replied.
"I heard they just finished up, so he should be by any minute," Trisha teased.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Clara said flatly.
"You don't have to be like that. We all know it's Max's last day here. I was betting on you two hooking up weeks ago. He's a hottie, you go girl." Trisha said.
"It's not like that. I just wanted to talk to him a bit and say goodbye," Clara protested.
"Ah, 'talking'. Is that what you kids call it these days? Well, you have a nice, long 'chat'," Trisha said as she walked away.
Max shut the door to the server room, checked that it was locked, and then turned and began to walk out. It had been a long assignment. The installation of new equipment had gone smoothly, but a few of the upgrades of the old machines had taken longer than expected. He didn't mind; the project was completed within the estimated timeline. It had just meant a few late nights. The extra time spent was well worth it, and completing the job on time would assure that he received at least a bit of a bonus.
One of the full time employees waved at him. "Hey, we're going to grab some wings and beer, you want to go?" Tom, one of the engineers, asked.
"No, I've got a few more people to say goodbye to, then I'm headed back to the hotel to make sure everything is packed for the flight out," Max replied. He had already shipped most of his stuff back with the equipment. It meant doing without a few things for a day or two, but the equipment was shipped back in secure containers, and being able to skip baggage claim at the airport was nice.
Max meandered through the maze of cubicles, saying goodbye to some of the friends he had made. He had one last stop, Clara's cube. Clara was the impossible girl. Somehow she was able to resist every pickup line he tossed at her, but never seemed to tire of his company. She seemed sweet and innocent, but could hold her own in telling dirty jokes.
Max had signed a lot of NDAs and other legal documents that prevented him from talking about what he did. It wasn't until he met Clara that being deliberately vague began to bother him. She seemed quite interested in what he did. He could not tell her that he installed sophisticated encryption technology. Almost nobody at the company knew how powerful the equipment was and what monitoring systems were in place to ensure the company was not using it to mask illegal activities. He was one of the few people in the field that understood how all the parts worked together and he was paid well for that knowledge.
As much fun as configuring the new systems had been, Clara intrigued him even more. She was one of the women on the company's project management team and had caught his eye. They had developed a friendship. She did not seem interested in taking it any further and it did not seem to bother her when he started going out with other women at the company. It'd been a long time since Max had found himself in the friend zone but he found with Clara, it was especially frustrating. He wanted to take their relationship a further, but she seemed happy with the status quo.
"I just wanted to drop by to say farewell," Max said.
Clara turned around and her mouth turned down in an exaggerated frown, "Are you leaving right now?"
"I'm on my way We can hang out in the lobby after I turn in my badge," he offered.
Clara followed Max to HR where he dropped off his badge and signed a few final forms. Diane, the HR generalist did her due diligence and escorted him to the lobby. She gave him a hug and then smiled at Clara as she turned and walked back to her office. Max sat down in one of the chairs in the waiting room, and Clara sat across from him.
"You went out with her, didn't you? " she asked.
"Yea, once or twice," he replied, trying to sound nonchalant. Having a fling with someone from HR seemed a bit odd, but it had been fun.
"I heard you two hooked up," she said.
"I cannot confirm or deny that statement, it would be ungentlemanly of me."
"I will take that as a yes," she said.
"It's a free country," he said, looking into her eyes.
"Why are you staring at me?" she asked.
"Because you are the one that got away," Max replied.
"Really, me?" she asked, astounded. She had always imagined Max as being out of her league. She was quite aware of what kind of women Max went out with, and she was certainly not anything like them.
"Yes, you."
"Can we go somewhere a little more private, I feel a little strange having the conversation in such a public place," she said.
"Sure, what did you have in mind" he replied.
Clara looked down at her feet for a moment, "I don't want to give you the wrong idea, but can we go back to your hotel?"
"Of course. Just so I know, what is the 'right idea', so I stay on track?""Just to talk..."
Max stood and waited for Clara to gather her jacket and purse, then led her out the door. He had some understanding of her confusion, but could not completely empathize with her. He admitted to himself that there was a temptation to seduce her, but he also knew it would be wrong to do so. She had to choose her own path right now.
"You sure you don't want to go to your place?" he asked.
"I'm sure," she replied. The conversation she wanted to have with him would not be possible in front of her roommates.
They arrived at his car, a midsized rental. Since Clara was waiting to hear the double click sound that usually signals a car's unlocking, she was surprised when Max walked up behind her, reaching down and opening her car door.
"You leave it unlocked?" she asked.
"No, when I, or rather the key fob, gets close enough the door unlocks on its own. Your chariot awaits," he said, waving her into the car. Clara giggled at his over-the-top gesture of chivalry and sat down.
Max walked around the car, the sound of Clara's laughter still echoing in his head. She was a good kid. He shook his head, she was hardly a kid. Chronologically they were not that far apart, but the gap in their life experiences was a chasm. She wasn't like most of the women he kept company with. She was quiet and demure. She had a wonderful sense of curiosity, something he delighted in satisfying whenever he could.
Max sat in the driver's seat and pushed the start button on the dash. The car's engine came to life and he pulled out on to the road. He glanced over at Clara; she appeared to be lost in thought.
"This is pretty private if you want to continue our discussion," he said.
"No, I don't want to distract you from driving and I haven't really decided what I want to say next," she replied. She fidgeted in her seat, wondering what was going through his mind. She had asked him to take her back to his hotel. Surely he had some kind of expectation of what would happen next. If she was more like her friend Melissa she would probably be rubbing his cock by now, but she could not be so bold. Her feelings for Max were a complete mess. He was a great candidate for a one night stand, he was a good looking guy, he was considerate, and he seemed to respect her. Honestly he was probably out of her league, at least until the "a two at ten is a ten at two" rule was applied. But she wasn't looking for a one night stand, or a one week stand. She wasn't sure she was looking for a physical relationship at all. But her nagging curiosity wanted to know what it would be like to be with a man. Her mind was swimming with stories from her friends about their exploits with the opposite sex, and even one or two stories about adventures with the same sex.
"So this has been a great assignment," Max said, breaking the silence.
"I'm glad you've enjoyed your visit," Clara replied.
Max continued. "I know this is going to sound a bit corny, but getting to know you has been the high point of this job. I mean I have enjoyed a lot of things, but they are all things I have done before. I guess there is some novelty to hanging out with you."
"I guess this has been a pretty boring job then," she replied.
"Not really, it's been challenging and there are a lot of great people at the office, but you are my favorite," he confessed. He figured he had nothing to lose. His work on the project was done and he was leaving the next day. It was unlikely he would see Clara again until the next time the system needed an upgrade, and that was years away.
"Here we are, my home away from home," Max said has he turned into the entrance of an upscale hotel.
"This is pretty nice," Clara observed. She had been to a few wedding in places like this, but had never been a guest. She had no idea he was at a pay grade that warranted such lavish treatment. He stopped the car at the valet stand and stepped out of the car. The valet looked less than thrilled at the chance to drive such a pedestrian vehicle. Max handed him the keys and the rounded the car to open Clara's door.
"We can hang out in a corner of the lobby or go up to my room," Max offered.
"What floor are you on?" she asked.
"The twenty second, it's not a bad view," he answered.
"Then let's check it out," she said. She felt like she was in over her head. Max had a bit of a reputation among the female employees. In clear violation of company policy, he had slept with several of the women at the office, including two of Clara's friends. They had insisted that she spend some time with him, no doubt in an attempt to get her penetrated for the first time. She had always found him to be charming, but she wasn't sure sleeping with him was a good idea.
