---THE FINAL CHAPTER---
Karla had at first been most unhappy when Jack had told her he was leaving, particularly as he did so the morning after their previous liaison, but eventually she calmed down. She understood, both on a professional and personal level, his reasons for wanting to go.
Jack worked diligently through his notice period, putting thoughts about Karla and her feet to the back of his mind and beginning to look forward to starting his new job. Karla made that more comfortable for him by lessening his involvement in major projects and ensuring their contact was kept to a minimum. Both had moved on from the raw emotions they had thrown at each other when he resigned and soon enough his final days arrived.
While Jack was keen to press on with his fresh start, he would miss working in a small team with people who he had gotten to know well. The time was right in his mind, however, to move on and make progress. He was contemplating this when Karla walked into his office shortly after lunch.
"Jack, I want you to make damn sure you don't leave tonight before saying goodbye."
"No problem." Jack looked up from what he was doing, feeling Karla moving closer to him. She placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You can give me a nice leaving present if you like." As she turned to leave, she gave him a look and a smile that left him in no doubt as to what she meant. Jack nodded and broke into a smile.
He'd said his goodbyes to all the other members of staff before they left and for the final time, he and Karla were the last two people left in the building. He entered her office. Karla had swapped the boring flats she had been wearing earlier for a pair of brand new four-inch stiletto open toe slingbacks. They were light brown with pink soles, and they looked fantastic. She wheeled her chair out from behind her desk and into the middle of the room. She didn't want to be distracted by anything.
"So, what sort of leaving present did you have in mind?" Jack asked, playfully.
She wiggled her toes suggestively and sighed. "I'm sure you can think of something."