As was his habit, Kirk arrived at his office at about 6:30 AM on Monday. He'd generally use the hour or so before anyone else arrived for catching up or planning ahead. He had just settled at his desk when he heard Carmina's determined staccato 'take no prisoners' footsteps heading in his direction. He'd grown used to hearing them when she was intent on meeting a tight deadline ... or when she was upset. Hmmmm ... because there were no deadlines looming ...
He heard her footsteps slow as she was approaching his door. Then silence. Thinking that she had stepped from the hardwood hallway into his carpeted office, he glanced towards the door but she wasn't there. She'd stopped.
"Now what Carmee?" she asked herself as she slumped against the wall. A thousand 'What ifs?' were racing through her mind. A thin sheen of perspiration was emerging on her upper lip. "You need an answer so get a grip!"
After about a minute, he again heard her footsteps but she was now walking quite slowly.
When she arrived at his door, she stepped inside closing and locking the door behind her. She turned back towards him, her eyes squinting, her face a serious mask. Resuming her 'take no prisoners' gait she strode across the room, rounded his desk and stood over him.
Kirk's "I'm surprised to see you here so early!" comment was ignored as she glared down at him, fists clenched at her hips. Then she finally spoke, or rather, hissed.
"You've always be straight with me and I demand that right now! I have two yes/no questions for you."
Looking up with a bit of trepidation recalling her demeanor as she drove away on Friday, "OK, what do you want to know?"
"Number one, am I just another notch on your bedpost?"
He started to respond but was stopped by her sharply uplifted hand. And;
"And number two, are you sleeping with anyone else that works for the company?
Assuming his best poker face to not betray the flip flopping of his stomach --
"The answer to the first question is NO!" then pausing slightly;
"And the answer to the second one is "NO!"
She visibly relaxed. Her face softened, her eyes showed more of the Monday morning sparkle that he'd grown used to and her hands unclenched and fell away from her waist. She then turned on her heel, walked back around his desk and then took a seat.
"Thanks for answering me honestly." pausing and taking a deep slow breath, "Now I have a third question."
Relieved that she seemed to have stepped off her soap box, "OK, what else do you need to know?"
"Is my parking spot available this evening at around 6:00?"
"Sure ... why?"
"We can talk about it when I get there?"
She smiled, he heard the swish of her uncrossing her legs and she stood.
"OK, let's get the day started! I'll get my notepad and I'll be right back!" She strode to the door, unlocked and swung it open. Kirk sat bemused and somewhat curious as her shapely legs disappeared from view.
With no hint of their earlier interrogation, they whisked through the day. Status updates and meeting schedules were reviewed, all correspondence was signed in time for the morning pickup, incoming mail disposed of and a walkthrough of an upcoming speech done in only two passes. By mid-afternoon everything was either on or ahead of schedule. Kirk took a few minutes to reflect on their earlier exchange, the shifts in her demeanor on Friday and today and wondered what it was that she might want to talk about. The rest of the day he watched her closely for any hint of what might lie ahead. She was neither mysterious, nor agitated, nor overly exuberant. She was simply ... herself.
At around 5:30, he buttoned up his office, tucked a few documents in his briefcase and headed home. After checking his voice messages (nothing special there), retrieving his mail (bills and junk mail) and opening the garage door, he decided to pour himself a drink.
"Wine or Scotch?" he mused not knowing if he needed to brace himself for another onslaught. He decided to steer the safer course, went to his wine chiller and selected a Petite Syrah. "I might as well have something that is assured to be pleasant." he thought as he removed the cork and poured the opaque nectar into a decanter. He'd usually strip off his clothes and put on a tank top and shorts but decided to keep on his suit and tie. He did shrug off his jacket, draped it over the back of a dining room chair and loosened his tie. He slipped in Grover Washington's
Winelight
CD into the player and kicked off his shoes as mellow sax tones swirled throughout his home's surround round system.
Just as the cool '
Let it Flow
' track started to play, he heard Carmina's car door closing and the whir of the garage door sliding shut. He resisted the urge to walk down to greet her and remained seated, taking a pensive sip from his glass and awaited whatever was to come.