All characters in this narrative are fictional and well over the age of 18.
Prologue
I have known Lana for more than 2 decades--nearly her whole life. She was the daughter of my friends and neighbors, Diana and Pete Richards. They lived just a few streets away from me. We shared common interests and friends, so we ran into each other frequently at cocktail parties, benefits, summer cookouts, and all the other social gatherings that suburbanites tend to gravitate towards.
Lana was now 23 and I haven't seen too much of her since she graduated high school. She went to a large university a few hours away and was majoring in nursing--at least until recently.
I ran into Diana and Pete at a house warming party in the neighborhood a couple weeks ago and they updated me on Lana's recent change in course for her degree. Apparently she was quite unhappy with her studies in nursing and had decided to pursue a degree in marketing. Her parents seemed a bit frustrated at this hairpin turn in her trajectory as it would tack on an extra year for her to complete her coursework, making her 24 years-old at graduation.
Seeing their frustration, I offered to help. I was a partner in a fairly large marketing firm here in town and we were always taking in college interns. Diana and Pete appeared both surprised and relieved that I had offered my services. I gave them my business card for my company and told them to pass it on to Lana. She could apply for an internship directly on the company's website. They thanked me profusely and we went our separate ways, mingling with our new neighbors and old friends alike.
A few weeks later, I received a bottle of Cabernet in my mailbox with a "thank you" note attached. It was from Diana and Pete. Lana had applied for a marketing internship with my firm for the fall and was accepted. She would start in a few weeks. I immediately texted Pete to congratulate him and thank him for the very unnecessary, but at the same time, kind gift.
"She's so happy!" Pete texted back.
"I'm glad! She'll do great," I replied.
"Please.....no special treatment, Trevor! Treat her like any other intern," he pleaded.
"No worries. I might not even see her much since I tend not to have many projects with interns. But I promise to keep at least a distant eye out for her!" I added a stupid happy face emoji.
"That's fine. Thank you," he answered.
"I am not even sure I would recognize her. It's been so long. Though I am sure her red hair will tip her off," I joked.
"Yes, there's only one Lana!" Pete replied.
The weeks passed very quickly as I had lot of "deliverables" with my firm in the late summer that occupied nearly all my waking hours. When things finally started to calm down in late September, I was catching up on emails and I saw an invitation for the annual welcome reception for the fall interns. I pulled up the invite list and saw "Lana Richards" on the list. I was about to send her a personalized welcome email but I remembered what Pete said about special treatment, so I refrained. The reception was in a few days anyway so I would be able to welcome her in person.
The reception was Friday after work at a local restaurant.
It was a beautiful early fall evening. The venue had a terrace that looked over a park below. The leaves were just starting to change. The view was gorgeous.
I started to scan the crowd of new interns. They all looked very similar--early 20's, good looking, spunky. As my eyes went from one to the other, there was one who stood out: Lana Richards. It had been years since I last laid eyes on her. What was long, dark, straight red hair that went to the middle of her back was now a stunning bob that went to a couple inches above her shoulders. She wore a conservative short sleeved navy blue dress that went to just above her knees. A pair of tall brown leather boots completed the outfit--and concealed the rest of her legs. She had light blue eyes that complimented the dark navy of her dress nicely.
As I stood there on that terrace, nearly gawking, she looked away from the group of interns she was chatting with and spotted me in the crowd of faces. Our eyes met and she smiled. We met in the middle of the terrace. I wasn't sure if I should shake her hand like a proper professional or hug her so I kept it at the handshake.
"Mr. Peters! It's so great to see you!"
"Lana, I can't believe you're here! Welcome! This is great! Your dad texted me a few weeks ago, but he was pretty adamant about...."
"No special treatment. I know. He's being annoying about that," She replied, shaking her head.
"I get it. I told him I would keep an eye out for you. He seemed ok with that. Dads can be weird, right?"
"Totally!"
We chatted for a few minutes before a colleague pulled me away to discuss one of my recently completed projects. I was a little miffed at this disruption of our lovely conversation. I excused myself and watched as Lana quickly found another group on interns. The navy blue dress, though conservative in style could not conceal what was a beautiful body. Her skin was creamy white, nearly alabaster. I found it difficult to take my eyes off her, though my colleague did his best to break my focus and shift it back to work.
As the reception was winding down, I went to grab my coat to leave and spotted Lana sitting in the lobby of the restaurant. She was on a couch by the door. Her legs were crossed and she scrolled on her phone. The hem of the dress rode up her thighs ever so slightly as she scrolled away.
"Lana, everything ok?" I asked.
"Hi! Yes! Just ordered a car service. Mine is in the shop, maybe permanently"
"What? That's silly. Come with me."
"Really. That's not special treatment?" She smiled. She was so lovely.
"Nah. We won't tell Pete. Cancel the car service."
The ride back to the neighborhood went by in a flash. Lana filled me in on the reasons behind her switch from nursing to marketing, her college experience in general (which included a few boyfriends) and what it was like living back at home with Pete and Diana--the "parental units," as he she called them.
"It's hard being 23 and under their roof again," she admitted. "But it allows me to do the internship, so it's worth it."
I agreed with her and reminded her that it was only temporary, thankfully. As the ride went on I couldn't help but notice that her dress was riding up her thighs gradually. Shortly after she got in the car, she adjusted her position in the seat and pulled the dress down, but from then on, the hem of the dress very slowly found itself traveling again up her thighs.
Out of the corner of my eyes I watched this happening and found it difficult to watch the road as her creamy white thighs were revealed to me. Her thighs were muscular and beautiful. My cock started to stiffen in my pants as I briefly fantasized about how smooth they must feel.
"That's my street," she announced as I blew past the turn.
"Shit, my bad," I could feel my face blushing.
I made a u-turn and in a moment we were back on Lana's street and then in her driveway.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Peters"
"It is my pleasure, Lana. I am glad you are working with us! Reach out at anytime if you need anything. I won't tell Pete!"
"Deal!" she replied. She smiled and exited the car. I stayed there a moment to make sure she got in safely.
Ironically, I found myself in Lana's presence often as the fall progressed. She was actually assigned to one of my new projects so I saw her almost daily at workshops. We would chat before and after meetings and even worked after hours a few times with some of my colleagues as deadlines loomed. I would always give her a ride home when we worked late as I did not want to be in a car with a stranger (though everyone did these days). I also wanted to extend my time with her as much as possible. She seemed to want to do the same. Neither of us seemed to mind if there was traffic on the way home. We just talked the whole time.
I found it hard to stop thinking about her. I imagined spending time with her outside of work--having a glass of wine at a bar or watching a movie. I started to think of other--more intimate--things as well. I fantasized about how smooth her skin must feel, how soft her lips must be. I lied in bed at night and wondered what it would be like to have her sleeping next to me.
At this point, reality would shudder back through me. I realized that my relationship with Lana would have to stay professional for both of our sakes. Plus there was the age difference. I resolved myself to enjoy our relationship for what it was. Though still I longed for her, ached for her. I wanted her--all of her.
Part I--Friday
One Friday late in October, we worked late into the evening and got take out delivered to the office for dinner. At about 8 o'clock we decided to call it a day, and my co-workers and Lana's co-interns vanished, eager to begin a much delayed happy hour. I overheard her discussing this week's choice of pub with her colleagues, and I noticed that she ultimately declined to join them.
After the conference room emptied, I felt obligated to apologize to Lana, especially since she was forgoing happy hour.
"I'm sorry to have kept you so late on a Friday."
"It's not a problem. I've got nothing going on. I really love the work I'm doing here! Besides, the folks are away until Monday so it is quiet at home."
"You didn't want to go out with your friends? Sounded fun, right?" I asked.
