Chapter 59 -- Julie & Joe, Continued
Proofed 3/22/11
The next afternoon, although Joe checked at 4:00 p.m., the women didn't come to the break room. Not surprisingly, since he surmised that the only reason they went in there was privacy it afforded them to talk about Strawberry's sex life. No one else used the break room in the late afternoon; its sterile walls were too drab compared with the bright May sunshine. Most of the employees congregated in the grounds outside the building. He grinned knowingly.
If they only knew what they were missing,
he thought.
At 4:10 he went to the break room himself to grab a soda from the fridge, and surprised Julie, his temporary secretary sitting at a table, eating -- his breath stopped -- was that a raspberry pop-tart?
"Oh, sir, I... I... didn't expect to see you in here. Did you need something?" she stammered.
"No, I just came to get a drink. Do you often use the break room this time of the day?"
Somehow, he got the question out in a normal tone of voice. Could this woman be his Strawberry? It was difficult to tell, because the women spoke in such low tones during the afternoon confessions that he couldn't have picked their voices out of a line-up. But now that he thought of it, there had been something strangely familiar about her voice all along.
"Oh, yes, most afternoons about this time. You don't mind, do you? I mean, you always close yourself in the office for one of your projects..." her voice rose slightly, defensively at the end, as though to head off a reprimand.
Joe assured her that he didn't mind, and somehow left without saying anything that would reveal his suspicions. He almost staggered back to his office.
It was crazy to think that this woman, with her tightly pinned hair and oh-so-proper demeanor, could be Strawberry. But the thought grew less unlikely the longer he considered the logic. The break room storytelling seemed to have started when his secretary went out on disability to have a baby, and this temporary took her place. And, as he had a habit of holding his calls at that time of day, it was only natural for her to forward all the calls to voicemail and take a break. There was another break room on the other side of the building geared for use by most employees, with the one nearest his office designed for use by management and their staff, of which she was one.
He wondered when she and her friend had first gotten together. Was it before or after he started working on monies going to the Cayman accounts every afternoon? He swiftly calculated; she'd only been working for the company about three months.
Damn, to think he'd missed weeks, possibly months, of her sexual history!
He could now put a face and body to the voice in his wet dreams. How much more erotic these afternoon confessions would be, now that he knew her identity.
She had a great body, firm tits and a slender waist. A pretty face, glasses aside, with big eyes, nice lips and high cheekbones. He'd noticed, and been glad that she didn't wear much makeup.
****
On Saturday, he dragged around the house, fixing the leaky bathroom faucet that Val had been pestering him about. He even played with Caroline for an hour before telling Val he had some unfinished business at the bank; and that he was meeting a client for dinner. He apologized for leaving her alone on a Saturday, and promised to make it up to her. He dressed in suit and tie, and headed downtown, parked his car and began walking aimlessly through the streets, torturing himself with thoughts of two faceless men sitting in a spa, touching and stroking his Strawberry, to countless orgasms. He grew disgusted at his own thoughts. He didn't even know this woman, not really. So she looked and acted like a sweet, demure woman. Obviously it was all a facade.
He decided to eat at a favored Indian restaurant; and have an escort service provide a girl to him at his secret apartment. He cursed his luck at Bernie's unavailability on this, a Saturday, but a new piece of ass was always welcome, he thought as he parked his car in front of the restaurant.
He ordered the Curried Chicken and relaxed with a glass of wine, looking around at the other patrons. Then, almost as though his mind had conjured her up, Julie Markrop, walked in. The woman whose erotic confessions he'd been jerking off about for over a week. Her sweet face apparently belied a woman of lusty sexual appetites.
She was supposed to be living out her ultimate fantasy with Gerry and Vinnie, her lovers! Something must have happened; the planned rendezvous must have fallen through somehow.
Joe watched as her eyes automatically scanned the seated diners. For once, her hair was down around her shoulders, the rich caramel color shining in the late afternoon light slanting into the front window of the restaurant. He couldn't restrain himself. He waved at her, caught her eye, and pointed to the empty chair at his small table. He noted a brief look of surprise, followed by an embarrassed smile and slight flush. He stood up as she nodded towards him, and waved away the seating attendant. She approached a little hesitantly, her eyes flickering quickly around him as though to assure herself he was alone and really meant to invite her to sit.
He smiled reassuringly. As soon as she got close enough, he called out to her. "Hey, Julie! Come on over, sit down, and join me." He was proud that his voice sounded friendly, cheerful, and didn't betray his nervousness. His heart was pounding, his palms suddenly moist.
She gave a quick shake of her head, and sat down in the chair he had pulled out for her. Joe took in her pretty face, and the yellow and black sundress made of some kind of crinkly material that moved and flowed around her curvy body. The bodice was low, but not overly so, showing just a hint of cleavage.
She's dressed to meet someone
, he told himself, and prepared to let her leave without any protest should he, or she show up.
"Thank you for inviting me to sit down, Mr. Marcolina" she said politely. She picked up the menu, flipped open the pages, her eyes flickering back and forth between the menu and him. She caught him glancing at her breasts and hunched her shoulders slightly forward. He broke the awkward silence that had descended.
"Do you come here often?"
"No, this is my first visit. A friend told me the Curried Chicken is excellent."
He grinned in quick surprise at the coincidence, and told her that's what he had ordered. She giggled a little bit, and his cock surged at the sparkle in her dark eyes.
That was the sexy giggle he'd heard every afternoon through the wall next to his office. It was her!
This temp was most certainly the mystery woman he'd known only as "Strawberry".
He sat back, carefully concealing the momentary swell of his erection behind the cloth napkin, and casually asked, "Do you have plans for this evening?"
She looked at him somewhat quizzically, but answered, "Yes, I did. But it would appear that they've fallen through." That was all she said. He was left with a million questions, none of which he could ask. Finally he made a comment about how much he liked Indian food, and they began a conversation about their favorite restaurants and cuisines.
Their food arrived and they both dug in with more relief than hunger. She was nervous, sitting across from her boss, realizing not for the first time what an attractive man he was. It wasn't so much his looks, which many would consider average. Medium height, broad shoulders on an otherwise medium build, stubborn jaw line, deep-set eyes, and a slow smile that struggled to reveal a dimple in his left cheek. No, taken feature by feature he was no male model. But he exuded an air of authority and confidence that attracted her. It made him seem taller, broader, and more solid than his actual physical presence.
She'd heard the girls at the office gossiping about him. He was married. He had a child. He was a workaholic, He played around, or did he? That was an open question among all the girls she'd talked with. Julie smiled inwardly, and put one rumor to rest, he was a typical male; she hadn't missed his lingering glances over her breasts and legs. Then feeling slightly adventurous, she leaned back in her chair and crossed and recrossed her legs, casually glancing his way. Yes, his eyes tracked the movement of her legs. He looked up and caught her watching his reaction.
