Note: This is the 4th of 5 Chapters. As usual, it's best read from the very first chapter, none are long so it's easy to catch up. This chapter does, however, contain a kind of summary though from Karl's perspective if you want to dive right in.
Thank you also for feedback to date, I continue to appreciate your opinions.
I hope you enjoy it.
*****
The lift was, as usual, empty at this time of the morning. The quietness of the building was one reason he enjoyed arriving at work so early each day.
As Karl unlocked the office door, he glanced at Amelie's desk. She'd not been with him long, only a matter of weeks, but she'd made one hell of an impact on him. He recalled the interview with her. Watching her enter his office; being amused by her attempts to be confident despite her skittishness. Her qualifications had been no more or less impressive than other interviewees but there'd been something he couldn't put his finger on. She had intrigued him. If he were being honest with himself, he hadn't been entirely convinced that she would be the PA he needed. So, despite his wanting to hire her, he'd prepared himself to become frustrated and disappointed within a week or two.
Instead, she had settled his uncertainty within the first day. She was able to channel her enthusiasm into focus, her energy into problem-solving. He knew from the outset that he made her nervous. He wasn't sure if it was his reputation or something more personal. Regardless, he'd made conscious efforts not to watch her. He'd been captivated by her neatly manicured fingernails from the moment he'd encased them in his own as they shook hands. The lack of colour painted on them, the natural shape and trimmed length. Those fingers had crept into his fantasies. He hadn't realised until then how used he was to high maintenance females around him. Amelie had been a breath of fresh air to him.
As he reached his own desk he reflected on the past week. Had it really only been a week ago when this began? Only seven days ago when he had arrived at work to find that he was about to battle against the tide of misfortune? Only seven days ago, when he'd been so caught up in frustration at the sudden threat to his business, that he'd found himself directing his pent-up energy towards Amelie?
After nine weeks of her curves unwittingly teasing him, he had slipped. Nine weeks of her fingers smoothing down her skirt each time she stood. Nine weeks of trying not to watch her, trying not to acknowledge that she was watching him. A week ago, he'd barely glanced at her hand placing his coffee down. But it happened, nonetheless. He had glanced. And in that moment, his mind had emptied of everything but one captivating thought: to have her touch him.
On Monday, he believed that he was simply alleviating stress. And what he still didn't understand was how it snowballed so quickly. Despite the hundred and one fantasies that stirred his imagination, he'd believed that he'd managed to reign himself in again.
That was, until she'd stressed that she was there to help in any way. He knew what she'd meant and still his mind exploded. And then the gift came. That one act of thoughtfulness. When he'd seen the tie, he'd immediately pictured it wrapped around her wrists as he fucked her in all kinds of positions. He didn't believe for one minute that she wasn't experienced, but her nervousness fuelled his desire to give her something she'd never had before. And her playful use of 'Sir' gave him the perfect approach to explore her in ways beyond the usual bedroom antics.
He began stirring and the all too familiar feeling of hunger grew. Scorning himself, he sat at his desk and commenced the ritual of booting up the computer system. Watching the monitor flicker, he thought back to before he'd made the big move. His sexual appetite had exploded since she'd first teased him with 'Sir'. This led him to jerk off more in those couple of days than ever before. He knew even then that he should stop this before it got any further. Fucking his PA, a great PA, was a bad idea. He'd never put pleasure before business, and he didn't like that he'd crossed his own line.
Losing control on Wednesday night had been bad enough, but when Amelie had walked out on him that Thursday night, he couldn't pretend that he'd not been gutted. Standing at the lift, fearing that was the end, he knew then that he'd never wanted anyone more. And since then, he'd felt like he was stumbling around in the dark. He knew he was a good fuck and didn't doubt his ability to make Amelie cum. But something continued to niggle.
And then Friday happened. He didn't want to acknowledge it but dark jealousy had claimed his rational thinking and pushed him further. Even now, after the restaurant, the car, the flat... Karl still couldn't shake off the image of Jack making her smile, of seeing their attraction.
He wanted to be the one who she laughed with. But he feared that their carnal intensity meant exactly that; that their connection was purely sexual. He'd been criticised by previous lovers that he compartmentalised too well. He might be successful in business, but had never found the winning formula in his personal life.
And so, he'd forced space between them over the weekend. He needed to figure out how to handle this better than any previous relationships. Relationship. One word that caused as much confusion as anything else. He wasn't stupid, he knew he should be talking to Amelie about this situation. But until he sorted his own head out, he didn't think it was worth it. He wasn't ready for her to see how lost he was under her spell. Friday night's miscommunication had proved that already.
It had taken him every ounce of willpower to not message her over the weekend. He could have easily found a work reason to message, to meet. He felt shitty for leaving her flat the way he did on Friday, and for the message. But it had been for the best, so he kept telling himself.
Karl glanced at the clock. Seven-twenty am. It would still be another forty minutes before Amelie arrived. Forty minutes to spend re-living the past week, or forty minutes getting a head start on the day, he told himself.
With a self-derisive snort at even contemplating wasting valuable work time, he ran his fingers through his hair and shuffled more upright in his chair. Forty minutes to do one final check of Friday's deal with Mr. Davison. This was the key to his Company's security; he'd worked on it by himself all weekend and now it was ready to be signed and sealed.
**
The distant noise of the outer office door closing brought Karl's attention away from the final few sentences of the document he was proofreading. He'd become accustomed to ignoring the brief lunge in his chest whenever he heard that door for the first time each day. He refused to note the change in his breathing. It was habit now to force a long, slow rhythm that soothed any unsteadiness.
He knew it took less than three minutes between the door closing and the coffee being placed on his desk. Up until last week, he'd remained professional during working hours and he was now determined to reset it that way. He would greet her as usual, then carry out their day as normal. He could control himself until this evening. He had done it thus far, barring the lunchtime incident of course. He could control himself today. He could.
Eyes glued to the screen; Karl heard Amelie enter. He registered the movement in the corner of his eye. The words on the screen faded to nothing as a sharp scent filled his nostrils. Not her usual perfume. Not that he could have said what the usual was like, but this was certainly new and intoxicating.
"Good morning, Karl," Her voice wavered, causing Karl to look directly at her.
First mistake. His eyes narrowed as they took her in. She looked the same as usual. But something was different, and he couldn't put his finger on it.
As she moved to sit opposite him, he studied her more carefully. Her hair was pinned in a toothed clip that he'd not noticed before. Perhaps that was new. Her makeup, what little there was, looked the same, although the flush on her cheeks added to the colour rather nicely. Karl's eyes lowered to her outfit. The blouse she had unbuttoned for him on Monday. The skirt seemed shorter than the one he'd bunched up at her waist. Vivid memories of tasting her for the first time filled his mind.
Was this why she looked nervous? Because she knew that she was wearing the same kind of outfit? Did she hope he would remember? He watched her take her seat. Something was definitely different. He hadn't previously noted how she usually sat but he was sure it wasn't the stiff perch with knees tightly closed as it was now. A tremor unsettled her fingers as she clumsily opened her notepad.
Karl paused. He wanted to question, to address whatever was happening. She clearly wasn't fine. Fine. He hated that word, especially drawn from a woman's mouth. It rarely meant what it was supposed to mean. Torn between wanting to address her tenseness and not wanting to upset her, Karl decided to take Amelie's lead.
