This series is a prequel to "Making Amends." It recounts the affair that led to the consequences in "Making Amends."
The Affair: Chapter 1 -- Flirtation
Walter stood up from his desk and stretched his lanky 6 feet tall frame. He needed to clear his mind for a few minutes so that he could finish the monthly report before tomorrow's deadline. He liked to walk over to the small conference room and gaze out the window at the view of the city whenever he felt that his brain was about to overload. The panoramic always helped to reduce his stress and focus his mind. As he approached the conference room, he noticed through the textured glass wall that someone was sitting there.
As he opened the door to the conference room, a beautiful woman looked up at him from her laptop computer. He did not recognize her. She had a gorgeous face with piercing blue eyes and a bright smile. Her dark brown hair was shoulder length and slightly curly. "Hello, I'm Walter. I do not believe we have met."
The woman rose from her chair and extended her hand. "Hi, I'm Veronica, but everyone calls me Ronnie. I just started last week. I'm the new statistician." Veronica was about 5 feet, 3 inches tall and petite. She appeared shapely, although it was hard to tell because of the loose floral print dress she was wearing.
"Oh great. It's nice to meet you. I was wondering if I could just sit here for a few minutes and relax. I find the view of the city from this vantage point captivating and it helps me focus my thoughts and recharge my brain."
"Of course. Feel free. I'm just finishing up the remainder of my new hire paperwork. I think the HR manger must have majored in tedium in college." Ronnie chuckled as she said that. "And I agree with you this view is magnificent."
"Thanks. And I agree with you. HR paperwork can be tiresome," Walter replied while stifling a laugh himself. "I'll just sit over here and let you finish up. I promise not to disturb you."
"Oh no, you're not disturbing me. I could use a break from trying to fill out these monotonous forms. Come sit next to me. I have so many questions about how this office functions."
They sat together and Walter explained the ins and outs of the office politics. The whole time rather than gazing out the window to take in the cityscape, Walter was staring at his newfound colleague. He was enchanted by her lilting voice and enthralled by her beauty.
"You seem to be enjoying the view," Ronnie said.
Walter realized he had been caught gawking at her and blushed. "Oh, sorry. My apologies. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. It's just that you are quite lovely," Walter stood up and turned toward the door to leave. "I should really get back to work. I've taken up too much of your time already."
"Why, thank you. Please don't be embarrassed. I was only teasing you. It feels good to be appreciated," Ronnie replied. "I hope to see you again. And soon."
Walter used her response to turn the discussion back towards work. "And you will, I am sure. I have a project that is backed up because the previous stats person left over a month ago and I haven't been able to have my results verified. I'll definitely be calling you once you are settled in." Walter felt better ending their interaction on a work-related point and went back to his office.
"Well, he is an interesting, and attractive, fellow," Ronnie thought to herself. "This new position could turn out better than I expected."
Over the next ten days Walter kept ruminating about meeting Veronica and their brief conversation. She was a stunning woman. She had an outgoing personality and was easy to talk to. He wanted to get to know her better, but he didn't want to seem too forward. He was married after all, and he didn't want to compromise his marriage. Although, he had to admit that his relationship with his wife, especially their sexual relationship, had started to become perfunctory, and frankly boring. He did need the assistance of a statistician in the project he was working on and she was the new one. So, he had to work with her. But he was conflicted. He could imagine himself getting involved with her. Sexually. Romantically. "This is probably just me having the typical midlife crisis," he thought. "Just an innocent fantasy. I can, I will, control myself and work with Veronica in a professional manner."
Walter finally got up the nerve to seek out Veronica. He needed to finish this project and he needed her expertise for the projections. He knocked on the door to her office, opened it slightly, and poked his head in. "Hello there. I hope I'm not disturbing you but I need to finish up this project and I need a stats guru to corroborate my projections. Can I leave this thumb drive with you? I don't need the final results until next week."
Veronica looked up from her desk and smiled. "I can get to it later today. Why don't you come back at the end of the day and I'll give you my impression then."