It had been a long morning for Rob in the office but the call to the parking bays downstairs about his car alarm had been the last straw. In a fit of temper he tore through the empty desks of his employees and slammed the door of his office behind him. Falling roughly into his large, comfortable leather office chair he put his head back against the headrest and rubbed at his tired eyes. Oh to be home and in bed with Mary... Or on a boat fishing with Mary... Or, well, anywhere but here with Mary! Instead though he had missed half of the lunch break he allowed himself and now he had no time to pick up some food from outside, once again he would go hungry.
Pulling himself together, Rob decided to get on with the work he still had to complete that afternoon -- reports, spreadsheets and all manner of person who wanted 'five minutes' of his time, yet invariably seemed to take up so much more. Would the frustration never end?!
Opening his eyes and moving his head forwards from the headrest he spotted the neat pile of food boxes standing in the centre of his desk. 'What the hell?' Rob thought, how had he missed those? And where had they come from? It was then that he noticed the small white piece of paper half-hidden under the bottom box. Pulling it out gently -- in order not to send the entire pile tumbling down -- Rob opened it and immediately recognised Mary's writing:
Sorry about the alarm sweets, I needed you out of your office for a few minutes.
Sit, relax and enjoy.
I love you.
Yours, Mary.
A soft smile lit Rob's face as he looked at the note. Propping it against one of the piles of paper nearby, he brought his chair close in to the desk and started sorting through the boxes -- she had thought of everything! Proper cutlery and a napkin, a steaming hot jacket potato with a pork steak. In a separate box was a salad and a choice of dressings. In another box an enormous slice of cheesecake -- too much for one person, surely!
Spreading the napkin on his lap, Rob tucked into the hearty meal, wondering how on earth he'd managed to find someone like Mary -- even if she did resort to tactics like setting alarms off. His temper calmed, he focused only on his food. At least until he felt something crawling up the leg of his trousers...
Yelping and pushing back from his desk -- narrowly avoiding turning the entire desk over, papers, food and all -- Rob looked to see what manner of mouse, rat or creepy-crawly had invaded his space. It was a surprise therefore to see Mary, kneeling on a blanket in the large well under his desk. How long had she been there and what was she planning?! Well, the final question was answered easily with a single look at her disappointed yet eager face... afternoon delight indeed.