Note: This is best read from the beginning of the series for full context. Otherwise, the storyline so far: Amelie, a sensible, professional PA, is asked to work late by her boss, Karl. For the past two evenings in the office, Amelie's secret fantasies have been coming true as Karl has initiated sex. This chapter also properly introduces the man in the lift, who has appeared in the first two chapters.
I'm always looking to improve my writing so feedback is welcome and appreciated.
I hope you enjoy it!
*****
"Good morning."
Amelie heard the voice as she backed into the door, juggling cups of coffee as usual. Glancing around, she saw the suited man as she entered the bustling lobby. She greeted him in return, and they walked together to the lifts.
"My name's Jack, by the way," he said as he pressed the call button on the lift.
"Amelie," she replied.
He would have preferred to offer his hand in their proper introduction, but she always carried those damned takeaway cups on a morning. And he hadn't been able to catch her on an evening, yet. It wasn't that he liked the formality of shaking hands. His frustration came from being forced to miss the opportunity for physical contact as he suspected that her skin would be soft and warm. He would've liked to have known her grip, feeling her fingers around his own. It would have lent to his imagination of what else she might wrap them around.
He nodded at her name. He already knew but wasn't about to admit that he'd asked around. Watching her speak, he focussed on the sheen of moisture along the inner edge of those lips and wondered what she tasted like.
The ping of the arriving lift pulled him from his trance. Stepping aside, he invited her to board first but fellow workers quickly descended upon the lift and Jack had to manoeuvre through the bodies to be near her again. The pushing of bodies into the cramped car forced them into the corner and Jack ended up facing her. Clearly within her personal space, he reached to hold the metal bars either side of her as she held the two cups against her chest. Standing a few inches taller than Amelie, he bent his head to speak.
"Sorry," his lips twisted into a wry smile as his voice dropped.
"It's fine."
Being nudged from behind, Jack shifted slightly. He saw her awkwardness but didn't attempt to move. The flush on her cheeks, her averted eyes, and unsteady breathing told him that perhaps she was enjoying this more than she was prepared to admit. The lift came to a stop on a lower floor and several people departed. The extra space gave Jack reason to step back, yet he remained still.
"You can move back a little now," Amelie pointed out quietly.
"I know," he murmured.
Amelie's gaze locked with his and saw the meaning in his eyes. Her breath caught. Averting her eyes again, she felt her cheeks warm further. Focussing instead on his shoulder, she registered the mint on his breath; the cologne he wore. Standing so close, he filled her senses. She'd never really noticed how men smell before now. She hadn't understood all those fawning women on television adverts. She'd scorned at how mesmerized they had acted just from the smell of a man. Now, a shiver ran down her spine.
Jack continued watching her. She gave a little frown before her chest rose in a slow, deep breath. Her eyes fluttered closed for a moment and Jack's own chest thumped hard. The hunger to kiss her right here, right now, almost overwhelmed him. He had to make this happen.
"I was wondering..." he started.
The bell pinged again, and Amelie's eyes darted to the digital display above the doors.
"My stop," she breathed.
He stepped back and followed her into the corridor. He wanted to try again but Amelie was already walking away. He watched as she strode several paces then stopped to glance back at him. The flush still lingered as a smile curved her lips.
"See you later."
Without waiting for him to respond, she hurried to the office. Confusion crept in with each step she took. She'd found herself physically responding to being cornered. Almost trapped. She would've thought that she'd have felt panicked. Instead, her skin had prickled, and her heart raced. Because of Jack. She'd wanted to kiss his neck, taste his skin. The thought of his hands sliding behind her and pulling her hard against him had filled her mind.
As she hung her coat and stowed her bag, she could hear Karl talking through the open door. Taking his cup, she entered his office. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him. His eyes swung from the computer screen to her. He continued to talk on the telephone, but he gave her a small smile before returning his attention to the monitor.
Leaving his cup beside him, she exited the office feeling annoyed at herself. The past two days with Karl had been amazing and she didn't want it to end. She knew it was Karl she wanted, there was no competition in that. So, why has she been lusting after another man only minutes ago?
Because you like the attention
, she taunted herself,
you're a slut
.
She winced at her own use of the label. She'd never considered herself a slut before. Yes, she'd engaged in mutual sexual fun without being in a serious relationship, though never one-night stands. Those occasions had been more of a friends-with-benefits situation. And never had she had more than one friend at a time.
But she couldn't deny the urges that had consumed her in the lift. She wasn't interested in knowing Jack's favourite meal or what music he listened to in the car. She just wanted to quench a thirst. To satisfy her curiosity of what his cock looked like, tasted like. To know if he felt as good inside of her as Karl did. She had enjoyed the clear message that he wanted her and considered the possibility that she was becoming hungry for the power of arousal. The thought of being able to toy with their lusts. Maybe she wanted to test it.
With a bemused sigh, Amelie willed herself to box her thoughts for now. Hearing Karl finish his call, she collected her notebook ready to meet him but before she could stand, he strode out of his office. With case and coat in hand, Karl informed her that he needed to attend a last-minute meeting at one of their backers. Together, they checked that he had their most current projections and then he was gone.
**
Amelie had barely come up for air when Jack appeared. Leaning against her doorframe, arms crossed, he watched as she typed. She used all her resolve to complete her sentence before stopping to look up at him.
"Hi," Amelie smiled.
She refused to acknowledge her heart beating faster purely because her imagination was already stripping his well fitted suit.
"Busy morning?" He asked.
"Always."
"Is he in?"
"No, meeting."
"You need a break."
"As long as it's not an all-night break."
"What?"
"Oh," Amelie blushed, "Dirty Dancing. You know? Erm, no, you don't know. It was a quote, it doesn't matter."
She felt her face burn and shook her head as she begged for the ground to swallow her up. Jack paused then moved to perch on the corner of her desk.
"You're cute when you blush."
"Oh, shut up."
Jack laughed and Amelie felt herself relax again.
"So, what are you doing for lunch?"
"She's busy."
The stern words came from across the room. Amelie and Jack simultaneously looked to see Karl standing in the doorway. Jack stood while Amelie felt a sinking in her gut. Karl did not look pleased.
"I am?"
"Yes, you are, a working lunch."
"Oh, of course."
Amelie sighed inwardly at the prospect of yet again sitting at her desk eating in between typing. She knew that this week's demands on her lunchtime were an exception, but still, the idea of lunch away from her desk had appealed.
"Hi, Mr Wallis, my name is Jack Herd and I work on the fifteenth floor for Abram and Co."
Jack offered his hand. Karl looked at it for a moment then politely took it. In the seconds that their hands gripped, they silently measured the other and each drew their conclusions.
Amelie noticed that Karl didn't proffer the use of his own first name. As he walked through her workspace towards his office he looked at her.
"I need to have a word with you in my office, Amelie."
Karl disappeared, leaving Amelie to follow.
"Wow," Jack stage-whispered, "he's rather arrogant, isn't he?"
"No, he's confident and focussed."
Amelie scowled at Jack as she followed Karl's path. She threw him a goodbye and disappeared into Karl's office. Jack frowned and walked out, not understanding why his words had been so wrong.
Closing the Karl's office door, she left Jack behind. Karl stood staring out of the window in almost the exact spot where last night she had stripped for him. Her body ached at the memory of it. As the latch clicked, Karl turned to face her.
"What the fuck was that, Amelie?"
"What do you mean?"
"Are you kidding me?" he retorted, "yesterday you were angry that Jessica came on to me but here, today, you're more than happy to be flirting away with him."
"Karl..."
"Is this how you think it will go? That you can have double standards like this?"
"No..."
"No?"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure," Amelie whispered, "I want you, Karl."
"Good," he responded, "now, prove it."
"What?"
"I want you to prove that we're on the same page."
"How?"
