Claudia stretched her bare feet under her desk at home, awaiting another Zoom call. She looked out the window, feeling restless. The pandemic had upended her social life a few months earlier and deposited her into a basket of solitude. Another Friday night without dancing. At least she still had her job, she thought, as she searched for a silver lining in the cloud of boredom swimming around her thoughts.
"Hello, Claudia?" boomed Rose's voice over stereo speakers.
Lunging to turn down the volume, Claudia answered, "Hi Rose, I'm here."
"Yeah, I see you flying across the room," Rose laughed, giggling. "Nice pants. You go, girl. Just don't let Mr. Jenson see you in those."
"Oh," Claudia blushed as she was wearing a business suit top with black booty shorts. "Don't worry. I won't be getting out of this chair," she continued, tapping the contoured fabric arms of the fancy gamer's chair she'd received a month ago.
"Good. You don't want to give Mr. Jenson any reason to second-guess his decision to keep you on," Rose declared. "Not that you don't look good in those."
"Thanks, Rose. Too bad you are the only one who is going to see me in them," Claudia said with a sigh.
"Where's Alice?" Rose asked.
"She's over at Jeff's place," Claudia voiced with a rising tone of jealousy. "Some people get all the luck. Those two hooked up a couple of months before we went into lockdown. Now she's over at his place all the time."
"Doesn't he have any friends he could introduce you to?" Rose countered, trying to brighten Claudia's spirits.
"I've met them all before. Nice guys, just not my type," Claudia asserted with a hint of frustration.
"Well, I almost forgot to tell you the client, Mr. Franklin, will be on the call," Rose said excitedly. "He's hot."
"You met him in person?" Claudia prodded.
"Yeah, a couple of times," Rose whistled as she motioned a peace sign pointing to her eyes and then down towards her waist. "Fine and sexy as hell."
"You better get some ice and cool yourself down," Claudia laughed. "Being locked down is getting to the both of us."
"Good morning ladies," Mr. Jenson's serious voice chimed in, slowing down the rhythm of the conversation. "Rose will put us into one of the breakout rooms and give us a couple minutes' heads up when Mr. Franklin arrives."
"Sure thing," Rose responded, trading her giggles for business tones.
"I see you got the chair," Mr. Jenson observed.
"Oh yes. Thank you for sending that over," Claudia responded smiling. She was proud of her recent work for a large furniture chain that had recently branched out into gaming and business chairs. The furniture company had contracted with Claudia's firm to create a marketing blitz in order to capitalize on surging pandemic induced demand.
"They are really pleased with your work. Those clever social media ads have led to a bonanza of sales. They're doing so well Mr. Franklin insists on meeting you," Mr. Jenson explained.
"That's great to hear," Claudia responded. "That's not a problem with protocol, is it?"
"This is a special situation," Mr. Jenson noted. "Generally speaking, here at S & H, we like to maintain a barrier between our junior staff and our clients to prevent poaching. However, Mr. Franklin is not a typical client. He is a liaison of sorts for several businesses. We do a lot of business with him."
A message from Rose appeared in the chat window. "Mr. Franklin is in the Zoom lobby."
"Greetings, Mr. Franklin," Mr. Jenson uttered, addressing a blank screen. "We can't see you."
Claudia squinted and leaned forward, her eyes narrowing in curiosity. As the screen flickered, Mr. Franklin's face appeared, basking in the golden light of what looked like the sun's rays on an outdoor terrace. For a split second, she forgot where she was.
'Wow, Rose wasn't kidding,' Claudia thought, her pulse quickening despite herself. His broad shoulders and well-groomed beard. He was striking. And that smile, the way his eyes sparkled even through a screen, made her feel like she was the only one in the room. She had to remind herself this was still a work call, but it didn't hurt that he was handsome.
"I am with you now, I hope," Mr. Franklin announced. "Good to see you, Jenson." His eyes lit up with a sparkle as he observed Claudia and nodded slightly.
"Mr. Franklin, this is Claudia," Mr. Jenson announced. "She was one of the lead designers on the chair ad campaign."
"Nice to meet you Mr. Franklin," Claudia interjected.
"Pleasure is all mine," Mr. Franklin responded gracefully.
"Claudia, Mr. Franklin wants to discuss details concerning the social media campaign for the chair. Feel free to work with him directly. Arrangements have already been made with upper management," Mr. Jenson clarified.
"I understand you have been with S & H for two years," Mr. Franklin inquired, his voice even and professional.
"Yes, I got the position right after getting my degree," Claudia confirmed, her eyes focussing on the corner of her screen where his face was framed by sunlight, his posture suggested quiet and abundant confidence. She couldn't help but feel a little warmth creeping up her thigh.
"That's impressive," Mr. Franklin said. There was a slight pause. "I've heard good things about your other work. It's clear you have an eye for detail." Mister Franklin then gave Jenson a slight nod.
"I have to go," Mr. Jenson announced. "Let me know if you need anything."
"Sure thing, Jenson," Mr. Franklin declared as he flashed Jenson a thumbs-up.
Claudia waved 'laters' to Mr. Jenson and continued her conversation with Mr. Franklin. They got along well. Mr. Franklin was very interested in how Claudia approached the social media components of the ads for the chair. He appreciated how she integrated a changing color scheme into the ads to make them more dynamic. He mentioned he had some other products that he thought would benefit from a similar treatment. While they talked Mr. Franklin couldn't help noticing how Claudia's flair for using color in design extended to her appearance. His eyes bounced from her blonde hair with red highlights in high pigtails to the dark lipstick on her plump lips.
Claudia's eyes sparkled as she took in Mr. Franklin's handsome features; his five o'clock shadow blended nicely with his tanned face. They kept the conversation light and upbeat, agreeing to meet again on a weekly basis. Claudia continued to feel the weight of the pandemic-induced isolationism. She found her mind wandering. Her weekly meetings with Mr. Franklin were a tremendous break from loneliness. She enjoyed his humor and support. While Claudia found it easy not to get too personal with most of her clients, Mr. Franklin was a bit more challenging. He was commanding and funny at the same time. He always seemed to sense when she was most stressed out and he somehow got her to relax with his stories.
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Claudia was in the bathroom applying lipstick while getting ready for a call from Mr. Franklin. She was still trying to steady her breath as she noticed a sudden bout of nervousness, but Alice's voice pierced the moment.
"Look at you," Alice teased from the doorway, coffee mug in hand. "I didn't know lipstick could be that important."
"Oh jeez!" Claudia shrieked, fumbling with the lipstick as it fell to the floor. "When the hell did you get home?"
Alice chuckled as she leaned against the doorframe, eyes twinkling. "Last night. You're jumpier than usual, girl. Everything alright?"
Claudia forced a laugh, bending down to grab her lipstick. "I'm fine... just a lot going on today."
The change in tone was subtle, but Claudia was suddenly more conscious of her surroundings. There was an exciting tension lingering in the air, the anticipation of what could come next with Mr. Franklin. He had hinted at some big news this week. Her mind briefly wandered back to their upcoming call, wondering if it would really lead to something more.
Alice took in the amazing view of Claudia's nice full breasts as she bent forward. "You sure are fine, girl," laughed Alice with a smile as she raised her eyebrows. "It is a shame you won't let me set you up with one of Jeff's friends."
"Will you stop it?" Claudia giggled as she picked up her lipstick. "Thanks for the offer but his friends just aren't my type." Claudia went back to the mirror to fix her lipstick. "I have an important call in a few minutes."
"Mr. Jenson, eh?" Alice muttered, smiling in a joking manner. "Glad someone turns you on. I guess you like older men. Jeff's friends are really cool." Alice paused and switched to a very sexy voice, "You are missing O-U-T."
"No, not Mr. Jenson," Claudia replied, "but I do like older men. Men in their thirties or forties." Claudia's mind drifted to her thoughts on Mr. Franklin. She wondered if he was as handsome and well-mannered in person as he was over Zoom. She then looked at Alice as she mouthed O-U-T again. "Alice, are you trying to tell me something?"
"Maybe," Alice replied with an 'oh no you caught me' look on her face.
"More wild times at Jeff's place?" Claudia quizzed, knowing Alice was hoping she caught on and was only too happy to spill the tea. "Who did you guys corrupt this time?"
"Your question should be whom," Alice responded. "Just doing my part to relieve some anxiety caused by the pandemic. You think his friends are too young but they are big."
"They?" Claudia queried. "I thought you guys only messed around with one other person at a time. I thought you had some pretty strict rules."
"We do. Still, no touching, no penetration," Alice stated, sounding disappointed. Then her face brightened. "However, the rule about only one other person was ditched. Best part... it was all Jeff's idea."
"Well, you haven't told me what his idea was yet, but him talking you into something sounds like progress," Claudia commented. The thought of her cute roommate being coerced into a sexual situation was a big turn-on.
