Business for the Holidays

Business for the Holidays By Nanisi Barrett D’Arnuk They always tell you not to get involved with someone at work. I’m not sure who they are and I guess I missed that part of the orientation. It probably wouldn’t be quite as bad if she weren’t the Chair of the Department. But she was, and so it is. It isn’t that it’s illegal or against company policy, but it is frowned upon and not something to brag about in the lunchroom. Still, from the moment I saw her I knew I had to know her. One look into those eyes had sealed my fate. It became an obsession I couldn’t control. We met for the first time just in passing. She’d come into my boss’s office with a question and nodded a hello to me. But I saw her eyes then. Those deep, dark-blue eyes seemed to take in everything in the room with one glance. There were a lot of changes going on in the company and she was one of the new people brought in to turn the company around and back on an upward trend. Everyone was excited about the changes and a little fearful that another wave of firings would happen soon. Everyone prayed that they wouldn’t be one of those to go. Watching her lean over Bob’s desk to make her point about something in a report, I had a chance to assess her without looking like I was staring. Her clothing was sleek; the dark-blue serge suit hung perfectly about her thin frame; the hem of the skirt just touched the middle of her knee. Her heels were that classic look that helped emphasize the beautiful, firm, muscular calves and probably cost several hundred dollars. Hmm, I thought, where did they find this one? Then she pointed to the report again and I noticed her hands. Good Heavens! Such graceful hands with long slender fingers. My heart skipped a beat. As she walked away, her hand lightly touched my shoulder in recognition. I looked at Bob to see him assessing her intensely with warm, approving eyes. When he saw me watching him, he cleared his throat, a little embarrassed, and returned to our previous discussion.