Unforeseen desires : an unexpected encount

Unexpected Encounters at the Office

"I leave my phone on silent for the rest of the day and promise not to touch it, even though a small blue light is blinking to notify me of notifications. To avoid temptation, I keep it in my handbag. Noah finished his drink while I was talking to Carter.

- Did you take the whole day off?" my best friend asks.

- Yes, I didn't know how I'd feel after my appointment, so I decided to take the day off.

He nods and goes to settle our bill, then comes back to me and asks me to follow him.

- Can I know where we're going?

- To buy you clothes, you really need them, and underwear too.

I immediately protest; I have no desire to spend the rest of the day shopping.

- You don't have a choice, Ana.

I resign myself and follow him; anyway, no matter what I say, he always has the last word. However, if he thinks I'll be in a better mood afterward, he's very wrong.

In the first few shops, Noah selects lots of items for me to reluctantly try on: skirts, jeans, shorts, dresses, you name it. I manage to convince him to narrow it down to a few pieces I actually like. However, as soon as we enter a fine lingerie store, I completely lose my best friend.

- Look at this one; you'd look stunning in it.

Several years ago, I would have bought it without hesitation. A stunning red lace bodysuit that leaves nothing to the imagination.

"It's vulgar. Why do you need to wear that? To hit the streets?"

I avert my eyes from the piece and set them on a much more modest set, without lace, transparency; nothing about it suggests vulgarity.

- Oh no, Ana, that era is over. Don't let him have any more influence.

He's right; although I'm no longer with him, he still has a hold on me that has only grown throughout the relationship.

He counters my objections by handing me several sets to try on, making me try them on. There's no denying it; he has fabulous taste in lingerie. Each piece is exquisite. I settle on a white lace bra and thong set. I love lace; I find it very sexy.

I open the curtain to get Noah's opinion; he approves while complimenting his own choice, and he's so enthusiastic that if I didn't know he was gay, I'd think I was attracting him. I get the same reactions on the different sets I try on next. I limit myself to just two out of the six I tried, one white and one red.

I then navigate the aisles to repurchase the thong that matches my lingerie from the previous night.

- Did he rip it off you?" Noah asks with a teasing look.

- No, he kept it. I was sleeping, so I didn't see him do it. Maybe he's collecting them.

- Avoid having your future lovers keep all your thongs; otherwise, you won't have any left to wear," he mocks as we reach the checkout.

Noah surprises me by buying one of the two sets for me, even though I tried everything to dissuade him.

- Consider it an early birthday gift.

- My birthday is in October, I remind him.

- So what?

The shopping day ends around five o'clock; I'm exhausted. My best friend dragged me into no less than thirty different stores, and both of us have our arms full of bags. Fortunately for me and my bank account, Noah also indulged himself. As soon as we enter the apartment, I drop the bags on the floor and kick off my sneakers to collapse on the couch. My roommate imitates me and plops down next to me.

- Noah, you're crushing me.

- You're taking up all the space; I have to sit somewhere," he jokes.

I finally manage to get him off me - well, it's more thanks to my punches to his chest - which make him lift his butt.

- What are you making for dinner tonight?" I ask.

- Isn't it your turn to cook?

- No, I've already done it for three days; now it's your turn.

He gets up, and I hear him opening the cupboards to see what they contain.

- You have a choice, pasta or macaroni.

- Pasta," I reply from the couch.

I get up in turn to put away my new purchases in my wardrobe, well, the closet that serves as my wardrobe. Fortunately, I don't have as many clothes as the Kardashian sisters; I would need the entire apartment to store them all.

I then go through the bathroom to freshen up and notice that the hot water still hasn't returned; luckily, I was able to wash my hair last night. Images of Carter pinning me forcefully against the shower wall and penetrating me intrude into my brain. They instantly heat me up, and I have to fight them back. I take advantage of being in the room to start a washing machine since the laundry basket is full.

When I return to the living room, Noah has finished preparing dinner; two plates are set on our makeshift coffee table, made up of old wooden pallets, and he has turned on the TV with our current series, Lucifer.

I sit down beside him on the couch to eat after retrieving my phone. I have several new messages, but I set my phone aside while I gobble up my food and watch two episodes of the Devil.

I only take note of the messages once I'm lying in bed. Many of them are from Carter, who keeps saying he likes me, had a great night with me, and can't wait for it to happen again. Among all these texts, one comes from Leslie, asking me how my evening with my mysterious stranger went and ordering me to tell her everything the next day at work.

A final text message arrives at the very moment I place my smartphone on the bedside table. Its sender is unsurprisingly Carter.

"Please at least have dinner with me."

*********

- So, tell me everything," Leslie says as soon as she arrives behind the reception desk.

She gracefully sits on the second chair and looks at me with her hazel eyes. Her brown hair is tied up in a dancer's bun on the top of her head, her work outfit - a white shirt, a black blazer, and a skirt of the same color, along with a scarf tied around her neck - is perfectly pressed.

- It was... Wow! You were right; I did the right thing to enjoy it.

- Tell me," she urges.

I check that no one is in the room and sit down as well. The reception area of the company where I work is the opposite of Carter's. The lobby is dimly lit, with yellowish lights and flickering bulbs all day long. The small waiting room consists of dark Chesterfield armchairs, and our reception desk is dark wood. It feels like we're in an American sitcom like "The Bold and the Beautiful" or "The Young and the Restless."

- I waited for an hour at the Jonathan bar. I was about to leave when the stranger arrived and ordered a drink," I begin.

I can still hear his deep and sensual voice in my head.

- We talked briefly, and he suggested we go somewhere else. He took me to a luxurious hotel and booked a huge suite ."

- Well, he didn't do things halfway!" she exclaims.

- He served us champagne, and we kissed," I continue.

Leslie gives me a smile.

- But then, he had a strange reaction.

- What?" she asks.

- He pushed me away and then told me he doesn't kiss the women he sleeps with."

- That's weird," she remarks.

She pretends to think for a moment, then shrugs, saying she has no explanation for his behavior. I don't have one either.

- After that, I won't go into detail," I add with a wink.

- Did you do it only once, or several times?" she asks with a mischievous smile.

She has always been curious and not afraid to talk about her sexuality or inquire about mine.

- Several times. I can tell you that the next day was painful," I reply.

- Yes, but when was the last time you felt so good after a good lay?"

- A long time ago.

I pause before telling her that my lover kept my underwear. She widens her eyes and looks at me with a sly smile.

- I'm sure it's just to add to his collection," I say to restrain her enthusiasm.

- Maybe, but if he wanted to keep a memento of that night, it's because you made an impression on him."

I shrug, not entirely convinced. I'm still convinced that he does this with all his conquests; I'm just one more on his long list. This realization saddens me for some reason. After all, it's just a one-night stand, I shouldn't be upset to know that he had others before me and will likely have more after.

I don't tell her about my appointment for my divorce; Leslie is not aware of this part of my life. She has never met Louis; I joined the company less than a year ago. I immediately bonded with this brunette who is fearless and absolutely adorable. I preferred to keep this part of my life out of this friendship, and even if she's not aware, she helps me a lot in getting over it.

We talk for a while about Leslie's evening. She met a man a few weeks ago, they see each other regularly, but my friend doesn't know if she wants to commit and start a romantic relationship with him or continue seeing him regularly just for fun.

- He's nice, and we get along great in bed, but I don't know if once we 'take the plunge,' it will be just as good," she says.

- It's up to you, but I don't see what you'd lose. At worst, you can tell him you preferred your relationship before," I suggest.

She takes note of my words and seems to be thinking about them.

- I'll be right back; I'm going on a break.

She nods, and I head to the small room reserved for us. It's small but has the essentials: a toilet, a small kitchenette with a coffee machine and a microwave, and a small table to sit at.

I prepare a hot chocolate for myself, which I partially drink in the room before returning to my post with my cup in hand. I barely have time to place my cup on the counter when the elevator doors open, and the voice of our boss echoes. She escorts her clients to the door; this woman, at least fifty years old, pretends to be kind and benevolent with her clients and investors, but she's a real harpy.

Her face has gone under the surgeon's knife so many times that nothing is original anymore. She regularly gets Botox injections, so much so that her face is completely frozen and devoid of expression.

Once her clients leave, she turns to us and strides purposefully in our direction.

- My lawyer should be here any minute now; have him brought up to my office immediately, and one of you accompany him," she barks before walking away.

- She could have done it herself, that cow," Leslie mutters once our boss has left.

I burst out laughing, and she joins me in a second; this fit of laughter has given me the urge to pee again. I quickly slip away and take the opportunity to calm down. When I return, the lawyer is facing away from me, engrossed in conversation with Leslie, who is batting her eyelashes and playing with a pen.

I approach to retake my seat and freeze when I discover that the lawyer in question is none other than Carter, and he's flirting with my colleague. Well, I can't blame him; Leslie is gorgeous, with a dreamy body, a slim waist, but generous breasts and buttocks.

I clear my throat to interrupt them and sit down, feeling Carter's gaze on me, but I don't turn to meet it.

- Ava!" he exclaims. I didn't know you worked here.

- It wouldn't have stopped you from hitting on my colleague if that were the case," I reply bitterly.

Damn, I should have thought twice before opening my mouth; now he'll think I'm jealous. Well, he wouldn't be entirely wrong, but I don't have the right to be, I don't have any official status that would allow it.

Leslie is completely lost, and her face goes back and forth between Carter and me, as if she's watching a tennis match.

- It will give you another piece for your collection of underwear, Carter.

Leslie quickly understands who she's dealing with and distances herself, claiming the need to take a break, which forces me to accompany her to my boss's office as requested.