"Stay here with me for few minutes, please," Lola told me in her office.
It was Thursday morning - a week from my experience with Carly. I haven't met her since that day.
On Friday she called in sick. I think she was just too nervous to face Lola, me, or both of us.
On Monday she was back, but I was on a business trip abroad for the first half of the week.
"You know I want to avoid traffic," I replied as I needed to drive to another branch office to meet with the manager there.
"You have lots of time," Lola said and stood by the window scanning the parking lot from above.
"And what do you want to do?" I asked checking out Lola's figure in a business jacket, skirt and leather boots. Her office was very private. Nobody could see in from the outside. Of course it would be a bit strange to be locked in together, but in fact who cares...
"You will see, I think I have a surprise for you actually."
I joined her at the window. Carly just got out of the car walking towards the building.
My blood pressure raised as my heart sunk in my chest. What does she want to do? I suddenly couldn't stand it.
"What do you want to do?"
"Don't be nervous."
"I know you are in for something and it makes me nervous as fuck."
Lola did not say anything to that, instead she opened the door and sticked her head out into the corridor.
"Hello."
"Hi," I heard Carly's startled voice.
"Can you please join us in my office?"
"Ye-yes, but can I first drop the stuff at my table, please?"
"I don't think it is necessary, you can take it here with you."
Carly reached the office door and when she saw me she became visibly more nervous.
"It, it will only be a minute," she stammered.
"Oh god, just come in please," Lola ordered. It was the kind of situation in which it was nonsense to try to argue with her.
Carly entered the room and Lola closed the door behind her.
"Good morning," I said politely.
"Morning," Carly replied, still very unsure about the current scene.
"What is going on?" she asked looking at me for answers.
"To be honest, I have no fucking clue," I said and raised both eyebrows. We both turned to Lola with out saying anything.
Lola leaned against the office cabinet.
"I just wanted to tell you, Phillip, that I think you had a positive impact on Carly."
I opened my eyes wide and asked - "Really?" with my sight wandering quickly from Carly to Lola and back again.
"How?" I asked.
"I-I don't know," Carly stammered once more and became even more nervous again.
"I was watching you closely every day since Monday," Lola added.
It looked like tears are starting to form in Carly's eyes - "A-are you mad at me for last week?" she asked Lola fearfully.
I was preparing to step in before it turns bad, but Lola luckily played it down - "Calm down, please. I am not mad at you at all," she even laughed it of a bit.
I could almost hear how Carly dropped a huge stone from her heart.
"Well then what is the point?" I asked.
"I think you let a genie out of a bottle here, really opened the floodgates - pun intended."
Carly's face became bright red, but it was not fear anymore. Rather a mixture of shame and excitement in the same time.
"Why were you in such a rush to drop off your things at the table?" Lola asked.
"Just so I won't carry it around?" Carly replied hesitantly.
"And?"
"And nothing, what do you mean?"
"A-and?" Lola insisted on the question.
"And I wanted to pop quickly into a bathroom," Carly said with a lower tone of voice.
I was starting to like where the conversation is going.
"Oh, I bet you wanted to visit the restroom. I guess that big drinking bottle you are carrying is almost empty, isn't it?"
"There is some left."
"Hm, hm," Lola turned her head left and right, "I have never seen you have so much to drink around your commute time."
Carly just shrugged her shoulders.
"Also I think I have never seen you wear loose pants so often like you do this week."
Carly was red as a tomato as my sight inevitably fixated on her butt and crotch. Oh my god.
"But when I knew what to look for, it was obvious to me," Lola added.