It wasn't as if I hadn't noticed her. It wasn't that I didn't think she was attractive. She was tall, for a woman anyway. She wore her hair in a short style that just barely covered her neck. She had wide bright eyes, large breasts, and an appropriately full ass. On rare occasions she would dress herself in something other than her typical professional slacks and blouse. Oh, I wanted her, that was for sure, but I was a lonely salesman, she was an executive. Her title may have only been director but she was our in house legal counsel and ran with the CEO, the CTO, and the Senior VP of sales, a boisterous Englishman, the burly, heavy drinking, foul mouthed rugby type. It was rumored they were together, or had been together, or whatever.
I had that distinctly high school feeling she was out of my league. I flirted with sales admins and the payroll clerk who gave me a hard time about my expense reports but still approved them all. I approached the little gaggle of women with trepidation. I had been sent to collect them. Collin, the aforementioned Englishman had sent me. Deborah had told him earlier she wanted to know when the cigars were coming out. When Collin had collected a small group of the men he considered worthy he had started passing out the illicit Cuban stogies. Of the group of men on the patio outside the bar I was the least tenured, and the lowest ranking. I had no direct reports. I was tabbed to fight my way through the crowd to where Deborah sat in a circle with a group of women all managers in one group or another. It was the second day of a week long company kick-off. We had more or less taken over a winery. I was struggling not to drink wine like cool-aide. I was still for the most part sober. I was getting a little old for this. I am not a cigar fan, I would have preferred to retreat to my hotel room, have a last glass of cab and fall asleep watching whatever was on HBO.
"I mean, I like a little pinching, in the right place at the right time, but this fucking bra is killing me." she said. I had walked up just in time and now stood wide eyed and mute as I watched her twist and squeeze firmly at her breasts. "Oh, Hi" she said as she lifted her full right breast.
"Oh my god, Carson is embarrassed." Chirped one woman.
"His face is bright red." Chimed in another.
"I'm not sure I'm all that embarrassed, I just feel like I should offer to help." I offered, an attempt to defer. "Collin sent me to get y'all. It's cigar time."
"Aw-some." She sand. There was a fresh conversation as they sorted out which of them were going to brave the chill to smoke a cigar. Karen from HR was going as was the little marketing intern. Deborah wanted her coat.
"I'll see you out there." I said without much thought.
"Come with me." she said. It wasn't much in the way of an invitation or come on but it was enough. I followed her. We moved through the bar to the little entry area where there had been coat hooks.
It was crowded and we moved through groups of people in that close together frequently bumping into each other sort of way.
"Seriously, this bra is killing me." she whispered at me along the way.
"I feel for you." I suggested the next time we were close together.
"You have this problem a lot?"
"I've been married a long time. She has this problem, I have this problem."
She smiled at me. We were at the door to the entry and as I held it for her I did that silly little thing I always do. The hand to the back. I soft touch just above a woman's ass as you show her through the door. It tells you all you need to know. Does she shy away, shirk, move quickly aside, or does she lean back into it, walking slowly letting you know the small touch is welcome.
She looked at me, pausing. Was she condemning my hand as inappropriate? This was the closest I'd ever stood to her. This was probably the most we had ever talked about anything other than a customer's contract. I found myself surprised my how close our mouths seemed. It was mere inches. Had she paused a moment longer I might have leaned forward to press my lips to hers. She must have known because she stepped on through the door. I followed.
When the door closed behind us it was remarkably quiet. We stood alone.
"I am so close to walking back to my room." She said. This time I truly was stunned into silence. "You know. To change. To change my bra. Oh my god. That seemed awkward." She was the one embarrassed for a moment.
"Take it off." I suggested. It was meant to sound like an off the cuff practical suggestion. It didn't.
"Ha! You'd like that wouldn't you. In this dress!"
I looked at her critically. It was a long dress, one of those maxi dresses my wife bought but never seemed to wear. I thought of how revealing it would be.
"You'll have your coat on. Who would know."
"You know, when you put your hand on my back, I thought for sure you were going to unclasp it."
"You know, that is a skill I have." I said. I stepped closer to her. I think when I said I was sober it was an over statement.
"Uh huh."
I looked at her. Her lips were flat and serious but her eyes smiled at me. She was daring me. I smiled at her, a full smile. She smiled back.
I moved slowly but directly. It was only another half step. My arm reached around her and found that spot just below her ribs where I had touched her just a moment ago.
Her smile left her face and her eyes looked almost sad.
I moved my hand deliberately. It was only a matter of inches but it felt as though I was running my hand the full length of her body. My thumb and forefinger found the small folds they were looking for and I pressed down and together. I detected the two small metal hooks. I pressed my finger down lifting them while my thumb pressed down into her back and smoothly and quickly it released. I grinned and slid my hand down and away.
"Well then." She smiled at me. "Hold my jacket over my shoulders."
It was a mid length bright red trench coat style and I held it wrapped around her shoulder as she twisted and contorted her arms first one and then another and then turned to me to reach between her large breasts and pull a deliciously lacy black bra out of the neckline. She was right, the dress clung to her chest in way that revealed her more clearly than would any but the smallest bikini tops.
"We should go. They will be talking." She said as she stuffed her folded bra into my jacket pocket.
"You have to leave first." She said to me. She wasn't whispering, she didn't need to. It was still fairly crowded, it wasn't all that late. Collin, Steve, and Allen were drinking scotch but calling it whiskey. It was the good stuff. I was still drinking red wine but was long past keeping count. Deborah was drinking wine with me. The other two women she had convinced to join us were drinking martinis of some sort. Professionalism had been abandoned. Collin had his arm around the little marketing girl and was doing his best. My boss, Steve, a VP on the sales team had taken an aggressive pass at Deborah and I had slipped away from her to talk to the head of product management. Standing opposite Deborah across a gas powered fire pit I watched the drunken bald man two inches shorter than her take his best shot. I was sure at first I had lost my chance but when our eyes met across the flames she casually moved her hand to her hip opening her jacket and revealed a large nipple clearly defined beneath the thin black soft fabric of her dress.
She said something that sent my boss scampering away and then stood watching me talk to the little Indian man. She gave us an appropriate amount of time and then wandered towards us.
