This story depicts sex at work, if this is not to your liking, please visit some of my other submissions, otherwise, I hope you enjoy it.
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"Oh dear, that's a sad face," Mark remarked to the only other person remaining in the meeting room. Vanessa had joined his organisation six months previously and was effectively one of his end users. Normally he had to travel to his customers to deliver the software and training; this time around the customer was his employer and he just went to the office, which made a pleasant change for him. Vanessa was a few years younger than him; he guessed around the early to mid-forties mark and she struggled to reach five feet two. Her chestnut hair was always worn long, piercing green eyes with a button nose and the picture was rounded off with the biggest pair of glasses that Mark had ever seen.
The meeting room door was still open and so he dropped his voice to say "Look, I appreciate we haven't had a chance for too many heart to hearts and my calendar doesn't allow me too much time at the office but I mean this most sincerely; if you need a friendly ear to listen to you whatever your problem is then I'm here for you. I always say to new customers that I'm their newest best friend and that applies to you too."
She looked up at him and offered a wan smile "Thank you" she replied "That means a lot to me. I haven't made too many confidants here since joining."
"Well," he offered "Do you have to be anywhere immediately? This room is free, I can book it out so we have somewhere private to talk if that would help." With the internal admin sorted and the door closed Mark took his seat next to Vanessa's, despite a big glass window the configuration of the room meant they could only be seen when people approached the door. He pulled up a graph on the big screen so that the casual viewer would see them discussing some kind of business. He sat silently waiting for her to start.
She gave a deep huff before saying "I don't know where to start. I said I hadn't made confidants but in reality, I have few close friends outside of work."
As she had gone silent Mark decided to reply with a soft mellow voice "That means I'm in a small select company then."
Vanessa smirked and gave a small chuckle, "I can see why the customers like you so much." He just shrugged at that one not wanting to break her train of thought so he stayed silent. After a few moments pause she looked up at the ceiling but when she returned her gaze to him there was a tear in the corner of her eyes. Another deep breath preempted her next comment "I don't think people like me here but perhaps more imposing is I think my relationship has reached a breaking point." She looked to see if Mark would run for the hills at such deep news but he remained seated, looking at her resolutely and so she continued "I never wanted children, neither of us did, but I'd like to feel wanted now and again. It just seems that we are two individuals walking around in our own cyclones that occasionally make contact." After another deep breath, she asked, "How do you maintain a relationship with you working away so often?"
Mark winced as he tried to decide how much detail to relate, especially the fact that he regularly slept with several current colleagues at their company. It was a conversation he had had several times and so he went with "I don't strictly have a single partner. Depending on the circumstance and where my work takes me, I have a small number of friends that I can 'engage with'. To dispel your earlier comment about some liking you, I include myself in the 'like you' category but we are not here to make friends, we're here to get a job done."
"Oh" was her immediate reaction "I wasn't expecting that reply" Vanessa admitted.
Mark gave a churlish smile and replied "My relationships are unorthodox I'll give you that but we are here to talk about you, not my complicated existence. Is this the first time you've confessed your breakup out loud? Have you tried counselling?"
Vanessa nodded her head "Yes, we went through counselling. It was during one of the latter sessions that it occurred to me that we had reached an untenable point." She went silent for some time before she said "I want to feel desired again" her voice sounding very defeated at this point.
Mark decided now was the point to interject in the conversation, "And what makes you think you aren't desirable anymore?" She looked confused by his question so he also asked, "When was the last time you asked a bloke if you were desirable?"
"Errr, well I... I haven't errr... I haven't asked anyone" she stumbled but then changed her demeanour to sound more confident "No one propositions me anymore; they used to but now I've put a bit extra weight on it, I just feel frumpy now. Oh god, I'm so sorry if this sounds like I moan all the time."
"Not at all" he responded immediately adding quickly, "I said I would lend an ear and here I am. Now ask me."
"Ask what?" she asked.
"If I find you attractive" he said as a matter of fact.
After a short pause, she asked, "Do you find me attractive?"