I was in my own little world as I walked into my office. It was 5:30 and everyone else had already gone for the day. I was looking over some home office reports that I'd just picked up from the mailroom as I walked. I sat down at my desk and continued reading the reports for another minute or two when I suddenly got the feeling of being watched. I looked up across my office and, through the open door to the next room, saw Kerry sitting at the conference table.
Kerry nearly split a seam laughing when she saw me jump about two feet out of my chair and grab my chest in shock.
"You shouldn't be so jumpy, old man," she said with tears of laughter streaming down her cheeks. "Someday you're gonna have a heart attack, if you're not careful."
"That's not nice at all, young lady. I should take you across my knee and warm your little ass," I said, finally able to chuckle about it.
"Ooh. That could be fun. Should I pull up my skirt, Daddy?" She stood up as she said this and sensuously slid her hands up and down her hips.
This had become the typical tone of our flirtation β her calling me "old man" and me calling her "young lady". I guess with our age difference, this seemed to add a new dimension β maybe more taboo β to our teasing innuendoes. This "Daddy" thing was a new one, though. I let it slide without comment β mostly because Kerry had just made me aware that she was wearing a skirt and that, suddenly, was all I could think about. I don't think I've ever seen Kerry in a skirt. She works in the coffee shop a couple of doors down the street and usually wears jeans and a T-shirt or, sometimes, a blouse.
Actually, the coffee shop is where I met her. Being a coffee fiend, I stopped in frequently. Her presence there definitely contributed to an increase in my caffeine consumption. I go in on my way in to work every morning and again mid-afternoon. As you might expect, we got to know each other pretty well and frequently flirt back and forth.
When I first met Kerry, I thought she was about 17. Generally, I'm not all that attracted to younger women (I'm 41), but with Kerry I found myself thinking that if she were 10 years older, I'd definitely make a play for her. Even then, though, she'd still be 14 years younger than I am.
From what I could tell, she seemed to be attracted to me, as well, so I decided that I'd need to be very careful. I'm not sure why, but for some reason I seem to attract the infatuation of young ladies that are very good-looking and mouth-wateringly sexy. The problem is that they are always under 18 years old. Because of this, I'm quite accustomed to being careful and not succumbing to temptation.
Well, as it turns out, Kerry is not 17 years old, but would soon turn 23. Okay, so I'm 18 years older than her. Okay, so I literally could be her father. So what! She's not 17. That seems to be the only important thing at this point.
It's a little strange how it worked out. Shortly after learning her true age, I started to get the feeling that maybe she wasn't as attracted to me as I originally thought. Maybe she was just a very nice and friendly young lady. I reeled in my imaginative ego and resigned myself to the fact that flirting was as far as we would ever go. And that's how it's been for the last 2 or 3 months. Now here she is sitting 30 feet from me laughing hysterically at having nearly scared the life out of me.
I watched her hands sliding up and down her hips. I couldn't take my eyes off of her. It took a minute for her remark about pulling up her skirt to register.
"Well, you wouldn't have to pull it up very far," I finally managed to stammer out. "That's quite the skirt you're wearing, Kerry. In fact, your entire outfit is quite ... provocative. You look very nice, though. Are you going out?"
"Yes, I am. Do you really think I look nice, Tom?" She asked, becoming serious.
Her skirt was black, came to about mid-thigh, and was very snug. She was also wearing a yellow, silk blouse. She has full, but not huge breasts and, with the caress of the silk against her nipples, it was obvious that she was getting away without wearing a bra. Being a dancer (I later found out), she has very nice, muscular legs that were pleasantly accentuated by the high heels she wore. I couldn't believe the lack of confidence that I sensed in her last question.
"Kerry, you look absolutely beautiful. Who's the lucky guy?"
"I'm glad you approve, because you are the date that I'm trying to impress."
"I'm not sure I understand," I answered lamely.
"I've decided to take you out for your birthday, and since you're always wearing a suit and tie, I thought I'd dress up, too."
"But my birthday was last month."
"Yeah, I know. Surprise. I didn't know when your birthday was until that day last week when you were out of the office. Your secretary, Jen, came in to get everyone's coffee since you were out, and we talked for a while. I forget how it came up, but she told me that your birthday had just passed. I know we tease each other a lot about our ages, but there isn't anybody I'd rather help celebrate their birthday than you."
"Well thank you Kerry. I can't imagine a more beautiful companion with which to celebrate. What did you have in mind?"
"Dinner to start. Then ... who knows? We'll see," she said with a wink.
"Kerry, could I ask a favor before we go out?"
"Of course, Tom. What is it?"
"Well, you may find this strange coming from me, but I'd appreciate it if we could refrain from teasing and flirting tonight."
"Yeah, sure," she chuckled. "Let's go."
"No, Kerry. I mean it."
"You're really serious, aren't you?" She said, surprised.
"Yes, I am."
"Well β um β okay β I guess. But why? I thought you liked all that stuff."
"Normally I do. But normally it's more or less public. I mean, sure, we talk in hushed tones so nobody will hear us, but there are always people around. It kind of makes sure that we won't get carried away."
"I see," was all she said.
I thought I saw her eyes well up, and then she turned her back to me. I thought I overwhelmed her. She probably wasn't ready to hear an old man's confession like that. I walked up behind her, took a chance and put my hands on her shoulders.
"I'm sorry, Kerry. I shouldn't have ..."
"No. I'm sorry, Tom.