the Leathermines

For many years, Jackie had ignored her birthday.  It had once been important to her, but with age and responsibility, it just became a day on the calendar.  Her age became something to remember to change when filling out forms.  It wasn’t just the youth-centric society that seemed to push her age in her face after she turned 35, it was just uncomfortable remembering how many years she had lived, and been alone.

Jackie had an o.k. job, one where she could blend in with the other people in cubicles.  She had few personal items in her space, but just enough to keep it from looking like it was empty.  Generic knickknacks kept people from stopping in and talking with her when she was trying to get the paperwork done.  There was always paperwork.

There was someone new in HR.  Jackie could tell because there was a rash of cards that went through to be signed right before ‘impromptu’ parties in the conference room.  This always happened for about a month before the ennui and budget caught up with them.  Jackie winced when she saw a card get passed round about a week before her birthday, but she did not get a chance to sign it.  She checked her calendar.  Yes, her birthday was the next week.

Such things were put to the back of her mind as she tried to finish the reports on the demographics they needed for the next meeting.  There was always another report, and always another meeting.  Jackie liked the flow of that, the deadline not an obstacle or hurdle, but a goal and guidepost to the next.

One of the managers dropped off a printout of the statistics or demographics she needed most mornings, even though he could have just emailed it to her.  It was often that she thanked him and smiled up at him from her desk.  He had a nice smile, a dimple showing before he looked up and left, going through the cubicle maze before one of the supervisors went through after him.  Jackie shook her head as she watched the short skirt on the young, skinny Miss Levit go by.  It was a ritual that happened most mornings and Jackie looked forward to the statistics meetings with Mr. Hancock most afternoons.

The morning of her birthday, Jackie woke early for no apparent reason.  Not too early, but even half an hour was different.  She turned on the T.V. and set about making breakfast as usual, starting with heating up coffee left over from the day before.  She overate.  Jackie knew that.  She had gone from a modest 12 to a 20 in about six years.  She went shopping once a year to get things that fit, donating what didn’t.  She liked to cook, and with no one else to cook for, she ate what usually was for two people.

Being up early, she was able to make a peach crumble for breakfast.  She had the canned peaches her sister had sent her in the summer in the back of the refrigerator.  Jackie smiled, thinking that canning should have kept it safe, but her sister didn’t always seal things right.

Oatmeal, butter, turbinado sugar from 20 little packets...  Jackie had to raid the coffee making supplies for the sugar.  She stood at the counter by the window into the kitchen tearing the packets until she filled the measuring cup to the level she needed.  Jackie pulled the curtains slightly closed but a gap still was there letting in some light.  She had to go shopping at some point to get more staples for the pantry, but the cane sugar was excellent tasting in the crumble, even if it was slightly sandy with the large crystal sugar.

The extra was packaged up in a Chinese take-out container.  Jackie looked at the collection she had stuffing her cabinet and shook her head at herself.  At least it wasn’t the Tupperware that her mother insisted on collecting from every thrift store and garage sale she came to.  The Chinese take out plastic was meant to be microwaved, unlike the tuppers, but she knew that she needed to either use or recycle the containers before they spilled out every time she opened the cabinet door.

Coffee, crumble, juice.  Not a bad breakfast, and with the extra in the fridge, she had snack for when she got home.  She closed the windows and turned off the TV, hearing a slightly loud clank coming from outside.  There had been clanks like that most mornings recently.  Jackie thought it was someone trying to work on a car before work as she usually didn’t hear it while she was on the street or when she got home.

The ride into work was uneventful.  The sky was clear and the traffic was as crowded as ever.  At least she had the bus driver to find the path through the other crazy drivers.  She watched out the window as she was certain the same Porsche was alongside the bus for most of the trip.  Jackie used to have a car but the first time gas went above $3.00 a gallon, she sold it to a neighbor and used public transportation.  Not as convenient for somethings, but she found she spent far less on that than she had the car.  And she walked a bit more, making her think her legs had firmed up and stayed pretty good.

Jackie sighed as she stepped down the stairs off the bus near her work.  No one had seen her legs other than herself for several years.  Well, there was the usual pool party at her sister’s in summer, but that was about it.  It was that pool party that forced her to go shopping for clothes once a year.  The secret to the bathing suits was to get separates.  Her top had balanced out a few years back so she just needed a new bottom each year.

She smiled at that.  Getting a new bottom, like changing out the bumper on a car.  If only it were that easy, like for at least one of the women in the office.  Since she went through the trouble of finding new bathing gear each year, she spent a little more to supplement her wardrobe at the same time.  Layers were always in for larger women and no one seemed to notice when she changed things out.

The office was busy when she got to her floor.  The Annual Stockholders Meeting was coming up and everyone had their little piece to do for it.  Jackie was hoping that she was going to be overlooked that day, but with the rash of cakes and overly sweet punch that had been showing up over the last month or so matching up with many of the birthdays, and one anniversary, in the office, she knew that she was going to have to endure it.

Lunch came and Jackie started towards the conference room, expecting the usual hoopla.  There was no one there, no cake, no punch.  She had a flash of sadness, but then smiled.  The budget had caught up to the HR person.  Jackie went to lunch and thought nothing more about her birthday.

The mail cart came around about 1/2 an hour before Jackie was going to leave for the night.  The new kid still didn’t know everyone and had started to get on most people’s nerves.  Jackie didn’t mind it.  It let her know what she had to deal with the next day instead of piling stress on her first thing.  There were the usual inter-office envelopes.  A few client letters.  A memo about a new office project to start after the Annual Stockholders Meeting.  And a small card envelope.

Jackie smiled when she opened it.  It was the one that people had passed around the week before.  Most of the office had signed it.  She left it out on her little shelf above her computer, displaying the flower and butterfly motif to the cubicle opening, leaning against her alpaca doll.

She was about to throw the envelope into the paper bin when a folded piece of paper fell out.  It had not been in the card and Jackie had not seen it before trying to throw it out.  It was a sheet from the company note pads everyone had on their desks, the unintelligible squiggly lines that were supposed to represent the company name across the top.

Hand written.  A hand written note asking her to meet after work for a drink to celebrate her birthday.  No name, but there was a place listed.  No time.  Jackie almost threw the note out, remembering the last time she had drinks with someone from the office.  It had been disappointing, mostly because he had been there at the bar with several drinks already in him when she arrived, and then had turned his back on her when one of the pretty girls from the office slithered up to him.

Jackie looked at the clock and thought ahead.  She had about an hour between busses.  One drink, even if it were by herself, wouldn’t take long and she would be able to get home before 10.  The nosy woman in 1b seemed to wait at the door and would open it a crack to watch people as they went by if they came in after 10.  She never seemed to complain, but it was just...creepy.

Several people had already left for the day when Jackie packed her tote bag and headed out.  The clouds had come in since lunch, but the day was still warm, more so with the pavement radiating the heat it had collected under the clear skies.

The place was found, only a few blocks from the office.  Jackie went in and looked around.  Modern-ish with dark red and purple for most of the decor.  Not really her style, but the few people who were there seemed to belong.  Jackie looked around and did not see anyone she recognized.  She sighed and went to the bar, ordering a cranberry juice as she sat.

She sat.  She drank her juice.  She looked around when the door opened, letting in a little more light and a few people as the work day became evening.  Jackie finished her drink and left a small tip under the empty glass.  It was about an hour on the bus, so she went to the bathroom.

It was a nice bathroom.  She used the toilet and then poked around the basket of things on the counter when she had dried her hands.  She put a few tampons in her tote, used one of the small nail files and put that in her tote and then looked at the eye shadow samples under a badly photocopied promotional sign.

Little paper folds with a dab of color.  That is what they looked like.  Jackie looked at herself in the wall-sized mirror and shrugged.  She picked out a beige that matched her suit and tried it, smudging it on with her finger.  It wasn’t bad and blended in, but made her eyes just a little more interesting.  She used the comb she kept in her tote and  a little of the hairspray that was with the other things on the counter.

Not too much different, but Jackie liked it.  Once a year.  Might as well do something slightly different.

There was a large group standing near the door as she came out of the bathroom.  She did not recognize any of them.  She started to make her way through when she thought she heard her name.  She looked but did not see where it could have come from and continued out.

She was a block away before she heard her name again.  She turned, and saw one of the company managers coming towards her.

“Jackie!  I’m sorry I was late.”

She was not exactly stunned, but had not expected...  Jackie had not really expected much of anything.  “Mr. Hancock?”

He shook his head and stepped out of the way of some people trying to get by on the sidewalk.  “Jackie, call me Mark.  We are out of the office and, well-”

Jackie saw his eyes go down and to the side a little.  He was embarrassed.  She shrugged and said, “I have a bus to catch.  I’ll have the demographic report to you and Mrs. Fr-”

He scrunched up his eyebrows and shook his head again.  “Work?  It’s your birthday.  I know I don’t seem like it but I really appreciate the work you do for us in the department.  We have worked together for years and I realized a few weeks ago when the new Human Resources girl came to me with the birthday cards that I hadn’t really told you that.”

Jackie smiled, she couldn’t help it.  She hadn’t seen the HR person, but had pegged that there was a new one.  And then she blushed as Mr. Hancock took her arm and started to walk with her down the street.  “Mr., um Mark.  Thank you for not having the cake and punch thing today.  I...”  She looked up and saw that he was looking at her as they slowly walked down the street.  “I actually really dislike those things.”

He nodded and she saw a little dimple as he smiled.  “I mentioned that you didn’t seem to like the gatherings, even when they were for other people.  She said we had run out of budget and the card was going to be it.”

Jackie laughed.  He looked confused and laughed along with when she said, “Every time we get a new HR person this happens.  Next month there won’t even be cards.”

He slowed them down and looked at the signs in front of the restaurants on the street.  “They always are so enthusiastic when we get them from the schools.  It is sad to see them beat down so soon, but that is the way of the corporation.”  He let go of her arm and motioned to one of the storefronts.  “Sushi or Pizza?”

She almost called him sir before she said, “Mark?  I’ve never had sushi-”

He made a definitive nod and opened the door for her.  “Then sushi it is.”

The place was bright.  White walls with small waving cats on shelves and fake sake barrels.  The sushi chefs at the counter looked up briefly and said something unintelligible in a happy yet bored way.  Mark led the way to the bar and they sat, Jackie’s seat right in front of the cooler section with the octopus tentacles.

She pointed and he laughed when Jackie said, “Last time I saw something like that, it was consuming a ship in a movie.”

He would not let her see the paper as he was marking off things from the list.  She did see a few of the prices on another of the photocopied strips of paper and mentally counted how much she had in her wallet, and then her bank account.  She tried to smile as the paper was laid on the top of the cooler, the man with the paper hat looking at it and putting it next to his cutting board.

Mark saw that Jackie was uncomfortable.  “I chose easy stuff.  And anything you don’t eat, I will.”  He smiled and motioned to the waitress to order drinks.

Jackie looked at him.  He had never been unkind at work.  There had been a few meetings where he had been fierce with the staff.  Never biting or used office politics to get what he wanted.  Mark had not really approached her before and Jackie was wondering why he was now.

He was right.  They had worked together for several years.  He had been there when she first was hired, though he wasn’t a manager at that point.  A good worker.  He had done something with one account that had caught the notice of higher-ups and he was soon in management.  Jackie remembered the announcement, and the overly sweet cake that had been brought in to celebrate it.  She smiled as she remembered that they had put, “Congratulations! below put You are a shooting star and Mark,” on the cake.  There had been free cupcakes the next day from the bakery to make up for it.

Jackie sipped on the tea Mark had ordered.  He stood and took off his suit jacket before putting it over the back of the chair and sitting again.  He had also put on a few pounds since working at the office, though it looked like most of them had been in his shoulders.  He always wore the suits, modestly tailored and nicely kept.  Without the jacket, she saw the size of his neck, the biceps that seemed to put strain on the shirt.

She smiled, but didn’t feel it.  She felt very plain and fat.  And old.  He must have been ten years her junior.  Jackie turned to watch the hands of the sushi chef as he put their order together, seeing the precise movements and the way he used the knife.

“Did you know we missed your five year plaque?”

Jackie looked at Mark and shook her head.  “Have I been there five years?”

He smiled.  It was a nice smile.  “Six.  I’ll see what I can do about that.  With the meeting coming up-”  He stopped himself and put his hand over hers as she held the handle-less teacup.  “I’m sorry.  No work talk.  You deserve better than that.”

She blinked.  She wasn’t sure what to do.  Being casually touched was almost shocking enough.  Having the concern in his voice, in his eyes as he looked at her was disconcerting.

“Jackie, what do you do, other than work?”

She took a sip of the tea, breaking contact with him, and giving her sometime to think.  “Not much.  The bus ride in and out takes time, so I read.  I don’t have pets, though I walk the dog for Mr. Tourney on five on the weekends.  I only travel once in a while...”

He was attentive.  He didn’t seem to be drifting or critical.  Jackie was critical of herself and saw how boring her life really was.  She stopped talking and took another sip of the tea.

Mark waited a moment before saying, “Don’t make me use what I found in your HR folder to keep the conversation going.”

Jackie looked at Mark and then had wide eyes.  “You didn’t-”

He nodded.  “Your trip to Peru.  You never said anything about it, even though you used the company resources to take the vacation.”

Jackie put the tea down and wasn’t sure what to say or do.  “I had three weeks of vacation and over two weeks of comp time saved up.  There was the conference down there and I just thought...”

He was smiling.  “There are still consultants who were there who mention you.”

Jackie’s hand went to her mouth.  “I didn’t know-”

He laughed.  “Nothing bad.  They liked how you tried to learn the language.  And how you stood out with your suits and American stature.”

Jackie looked down at her stomach.  “I was there on business for the company before I took the vacation.  I didn’t know that most people were going to treat it as vacation.”

Mark’s hand was on her shoulder.  She looked up and saw humor and a little concern.  And something else.  “You made it possible to keep the PanaColumbia account.  If you had been in management, you would have had that account.”

She smiled and felt her cheeks turn red.  “I think I remember them.  Ro... Roberto.  He tried to feed me all sorts of weird things.”  She looked down at her stomach again and her smile faded.

“Then this should be a breeze.”

The first of several small wooden platters were presented to them.  Jackie knew how to use the chopsticks but had some problems taking the rice pads off the platter while keeping the strips of fish on top long enough to get it to her little plate.  Mark smiled when she poked at the green stuff and left it alone.  The first piece was salmon and she was able to eat it with little more than a confused look on her face before she smiled around the mouthful.

They did not talk while they were eating.  There were two of each kind of pad, enough slices of the rolls to be able to share.  There was one that Jackie took a bite of and did not take another piece, leaving all the spicy tuna for Mark.  The ones he thought she would balk at she loved, almost taking both of the flying fish roe pads and going for extra on the mackerel roll when he was finishing off the spicy tuna.

Jackie was full.  It had been delicious, and he was right, he ate everything she didn’t.  She looked at the stack of empty wooden platters and felt embarrassed at the five that were there, and the one they still were working on.  She sat back and watched as Mark dipped his piece of roll into the soy sauce and tapped the chopsticks on the side of the dish three times.  He did that each time.  He reached for another piece while still chewing and looked at her.

He put his hand over his mouth and said through the rice and seaweed, “I think you have two left.”

Jackie smiled and shook her head.  “I am stuffed.  I did not know I could eat that much.  Finish it.  If you want.”

He smiled and transferred the remaining pieces to his little plate.  He was enjoying the food and didn’t mind others knowing it.

Jackie watched as Mark had the last piece, clearing his mouth with some of the cool tea.  He sat back and put his hand over his mouth again, this time covering a burp.  There was a smile and nod from the chef on the other side of the counter as he was preparing another order for someone else in the restaurant.

Mark seemed happy.  They hadn’t said anything for almost half an hour as they ate.  Jackie liked that.  Conversation over food could be not just tiresome but had to be light in nature and she would rather not talk at all than try to talk about the weather or baseball scores.  He was looking at her, the smile changing slightly as he did so.

He leaned forward and was about to say something when there was someone standing behind them.  “Mark!  I didn’t know you were still here.  And who is this?  Your sister?”

Jackie knew who it was, and Beverly knew who she was.  One of the women in the department who had clawed her way up to a supervisory role, which she took seriously with as little work she produced.  Mark’s face flashed a concerning look before he smiled up at Beverly and shook his head.

“This is Jackie, Bev.  You used to have the cubicle next to her.  For two years.”

Beverly leaned on Mark’s shoulder and was very obvious in her intentions as she said, “Oh!  That’s right.  It is great that you are taking care of her, Mark.”  Jackie turned away when Beverly’s blouse fell open slightly, her perfect skin on her perfect C-cups showing on her toned chest.  “You know, I have a few things to discuss with you about the new office project.  I’m not sure everyone is up to speed on it...”

Mark cleared his throat before standing.  “Could I have a word with you, Bev?”

Jackie felt embarrassed.  The boss who had come down to her level to seemingly celebrate her birthday walked out of the restaurant, his hand on Beverly’s shoulder.  Jackie felt a tear at the corner of her eye and wiped it away on the cuff of her jacket’s sleeve.  She looked at that pile of wooden platters and knew she didn’t have enough to pay for all that food.  It had been nice, just being there with him, having something new and not having to feel like she had to explain or make excuses.

Jackie had just brought out her wallet, deciding which of the cards she was going to put the meal on when the waitress came to her with a dish of green ice cream with a candle in it.  She started to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ and half the restaurant joined in.

Mark stood behind the waitress, singing as badly as everyone else.  He was smiling and the dimple was back.  Jackie took the ice cream and blew out the candle, the short-lived applause loud.

“Happy birthday, Jackie.”  Mark sat back down and watched as she took the candle and a few waxy bits out with her spoon.

She felt self-conscious.  They had eaten together, but having someone watch her eat was different.  “I... Am so full.  I think I will explode if I eat this.”

He shook his head and picked up the other spoon the waitress had left.  “No excuses.  Here.”

As Jackie opened her mouth to object again, he scooped up some of the green tea ice cream and shoved it into her mouth.  She couldn’t object, much, with the spoon and cold stuff in her mouth.  He drew the spoon back out, slowly.  She let the ice cream melt in her mouth as she watched him look at her, look at her mouth after the spoon was gone.  She swallowed, but before she could say anything, he had another spoonful of the ice cream poised for her to take.

His eyes were not leaving her.  He waited until she opened her mouth and he slid the spoon in again.

Jackie liked it.  She wasn’t sure why Mark was feeding her ice cream on her birthday, but it was...more than nice.  He smiled as the spoon came out of her mouth again.  A real smile that showed that dimple.

Before he could do it again, Jackie had wiped off the spoon in her hand and held a bite of the ice cream up for him.  It made him blink, but he took it, his eyes closing slightly as she drew the spoon out.  They smiled at each other as they finished the ice cream, just a little of the melted stuff left on the bottom of the fish-design bowl.

Jackie felt warm.  Not because of the embarrassment she still had from Beverly coming in, and just generally for being at a restaurant with her boss.  She felt warm all over.  She was happy.  It was good to have dinner with someone, and Mark seemed to like the food...

Mark motioned and the waitress was there with the check.  He didn’t even look at it before putting a card down on the plastic tray.

“We talked a little about business, right?”

Jackie nodded and then smiled.  “On the company card?  I thought the budget for celebrations-”

She jumped slightly when he put his hand on hers.  “Office parties.  This is different.”

He didn’t remove his hand from hers.  He looked into her eyes.  She looked into his.  She wasn’t sure what was going on, but she suddenly felt nervous.

“Thank you for dinner, Mark.  I-I really should be going...”

There was a small frown.  “I can drive you.  You don’t have to take the bus.”

Jackie felt herself blush again.  “Thank you.  I-I don’t know.  I live a ways out and it would be out of your way...”

It was his turn to blush.  “Well, I used to live East, but I moved about a month ago.”  He had a sideways smile as he said, “I think I can find the way to your place.”

The waitress came back with the bill, a pen in hand for him to sign the slip.  He smiled up at her and signed after putting a tip on the line.  Jackie saw how much the tip was and her eyes went big.  $50 just for a tip meant...

“Would you like to walk a little?”  He had stood and held his hand out to her.

Jackie nodded.  She held his hand in one hand and her tote in the other.

Mark opened the door for her, again.  It was different than before, but it wasn’t.  Before, he was being polite.  Jackie saw something as he held the door, the dimple coming out with his smile again.

They walked down the street.  Jackie was not sure why she was letting him drive her home.  Not even sure why she was walking down the street with him.  She looked over at him and saw that he was searching the street.  For something or someone?  Jackie looked ahead and saw one of the city’s paid parking structures.  She thought that perhaps his car was in there.

He stopped and opened the door into someplace for her.  Jackie stepped in and looked around.  It was not what she was expecting to step into.

It was a grocery store.

Mark looked around and seemed a little nervous.  “I have a few things to pick up before heading home.  I thought...  Well, if you need anything, it is easier than taking things on the bus.”

She liked his smile.  “Thank you.  I do need to get a few things.  Meet you up here in a few minutes?”

He seemed relieved.  “Sure.”

Jackie bought a bag of sugar and a few other things and waited up front for Mark.  It was slightly disconcerting to wait for someone else in a store, but she saw him come up an aisle and liked his smile as he paid for his stuff at the register.  It seemed to be just a few little boxes of something, the bag held tight in his hand as he led the way out to the street again.

The sun had been down for quite some time.  The clouds that had come in were low and Jackie was happy that she was not going to have to walk the several blocks from the bus stop in the rain she could smell.  Mark found his car in a self-park with a guard, a Porsche that Mark drove up to where Jackie was standing at the entrance.  It was a nice car, several years old but with a little work having been put into it.

 

Mark didn’t even bother to ask where Jackie lived.  He got into the evening’s traffic and started driving.  He was slightly aggressive, but seemed to know his car and what it could do.

The rain started with just one large splatter of a drop on the windshield.  Mark swore and slowed down.  Soon, the wipers were keeping up with the rain but Mark seemed unhappy.  Jackie didn’t like the glower he had while he was mouthing curses that he didn’t say outloud.  Jackie thought and could not remember a time when he had sworn in front of her or the other employees, until that night.

“Shit.  I was afraid of that.”

Jackie looked and saw what he was talking about.  He had made it to her street, her apartment building up just a block.  In front, people had not parked well and the spaces that should have held five or six cars held three.  People wanted to park and get inside, not caring about the next people down the street.

“I can just get out here...”

He looked over and shook his head.  “I don’t dump and run.  Anyways, I need to find a place to park.  Wait...hmmm.”

He did a little maneuvering and the space that looked like it was just a little too small was just right.  About half a block away from the apartment, but Mark seemed happier.

“Hold on-”  He got out and fished around beside his seat.  The door closed and he opened her side, a folding umbrella trembling from the rain over their heads.  She took his hand and steadied herself on him as she picked up her bags.

He held the umbrella over them, mostly over her, as they went down the slick sidewalk to her front door.  The front door of the apartment house, at least.

Jackie had not been on anything like a date in over ten years.  It had been at least five since she had been out with casual friends.  She did not know how to handle being walked to her door by her boss after having a nice... no, an amazing dinner with him.

“Jackie, I hope this was a good night for you.”  He looked at her in the green glow of the outside lamp, Jackie not sure if she saw something different in his nice smile.

“Thank you, Mark.  I wasn’t expecting anything today.  It was...  It was great.”

They stood in the small shelter of the front door alcove looking at each other.  He reached over and wiped a little rain from her face.  Jackie closed her eyes and swallowed, hard.  It felt good to be touched.  It had been a very long time.  She opened her eyes again and nodded a little, indicating that she really should go inside.

He sighed.  “I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow.”  He stepped back and turned around, the umbrella not doing a good job of keeping the rain off, but at least it was something.

Jackie didn’t want him to go.  She had to watch as he went back towards his car.  His shoulders were not covered by the umbrella, the sleeves of the suit jacket getting soaked as he went back up the sidewalk.  He had a nice stride, and Jackie had to admit that he had a nice ass in that pair of slacks.

They both heard the truck at the same time.  He tried to move away from the splash, but the rooster tail that the truck made from the puddles was impressive.

Jackie ran out into the rain and pulled at Mark.  He tried to resist and then smiled as she pulled him into her building.  The umbrella was broken and left outside as Jackie looked at her boss, soaking and laughing.

“What is so funny?”

He shook his head, making Jackie raise her hands to keep some of the water off of her.  “The whole situation is funny, Jackie.  I take you home and now I am dripping in your foyer.”

Jackie looked and saw that the door to 1b was open just a crack.  It was too late to try to sneak past.  “I have towels and stuff upstairs.  I feel like it is my fault.  You should have just dropped me off-”

He shook his head again, not so much water coming off his hair.  “The trucks fault.  Those towels?”

It was up to the third floor.  Stairs, no elevator.  Jackie was happy that she had not walked in the rain with the groceries.  It was hard enough going up the stairs when it was dry, with wet groceries would have been really bad.  Mark followed and even took one of her bags for most of the trip up.

Keys.  Door.  Tote on the table.  All usual things.  It was the dripping man in her hall that was different.

Jackie kicked off her shoes and headed for the bathroom to get the towels she knew were clean.  She came back to find that Mark had taken his jacket and shirt off, wringing the shirt out over her kitchen sink.  She stopped in her tracks and could not make her feet, or her eyes move.

Shoulders.  Muscles that tensed and moved against each other as he tried to get the water out of his shirt.  He not only worked out, he did it a lot.  His stomach was not a six pack, it looked like eight or ten.  Jackie was sure there were extra muscles tacked onto his frame just so that he could have that shape.  She tried to speak, and couldn’t.

He seemed at home in her kitchen as he reached for one of her kitchen towels to use on his hair.  He turned and saw her, his smile a little shy.  He went to her and took one of the big towels from her hand.  She watched him unfold it and start pressing it against her.  She felt the strokes of the terry cloth on her neck and face.  She felt him drape her shoulders with the towel.  She felt his arms around her.

Jackie didn’t know when their lips met.  He tasted of the sushi and tea.  He was gentle with his lips while his arms were strong around her.  One of his hands went up to her wet hair, holding her head as he kissed her.  The other was around her waist, but the hand started to travel down to her-

She pushed him away.  He looked confused and then ashamed.  He started to go for his shirt on the kitchen counter, his own bag from the store falling to the floor.  He knelt to get the bag and looked up at Jackie.

“I’m sorry.  I shouldn’t have pushed-”

Jackie found she was kneeling on the floor next to Mark with her hand on his chest.  “I haven’t had any one...  I mean, it’s been so long-”  More water was on Jackie’s face, but because of tears, not the rain.

The package was forgotten.  Mark took Jackie in his arms as they were on the floor, holding her as she started to cry in earnest.

Mark started to press his face into her neck through her wet hair.  She wanted him to hold her.  She wanted the kisses he was giving her.  It was so different and scary.  Jackie felt a flush of something she hadn’t felt in years go through her. His lips had found the sweet spot below her ear and her crying changed to gasps.

They were on the floor for a while.  His lips went from her neck to her lips and they kissed.  Jackie’s hand was holding Mark’s neck, feeling the little ripples of his muscles as they slid their tongues in and out of each other’s mouths.  She felt his breath quicken, become hotter as he pulled her close and became forceful with his kisses.

She liked the feeling of his skin under her hand.  He was warm, his hair drying from their heat.  His shoulders were big and strong but his hands were gentle.

They both needed to catch their breath.  Mark held her head as he looked into her eyes.  “Can we get you out of your wet clothes?”

A flush of shame went through Jackie, but she found she was saying, “Yes.”

Her jacket was on the floor and her blouse was mostly unbuttoned.  Mark pushed slightly and Jackie was laying on her kitchen floor with Mark’s fingers undoing the last buttons.  He pulled the tail out of her pants and started to go for the button in the waistband.  Jackie’s hand went to his and she shook her head.

“I’m not ready for that, yet.”

He smiled.  His lips were on hers again before he started to kiss down her throat.  His hands were on her breasts, her bra overly full trying to keep her 40DD’s in 38DD’s.  It was not easy for him to pull the covering aside, but he did it and Jackie felt her hands holding him to her as he sucked on her nipple.

It was as if he were hungry for her.  He bit slightly, sucked softly and then hard, Jackie’s breath stopping until he became gentle again.  Mark’s hands roamed on her skin, pushing the shirt back until his arms were around her again.  It seemed effortless in the way he picked her up and held her against him.  Their skin caught and rubbed together, the moisture making their skin sticky.

His hand started to push the blouse off her shoulder as he held her.  His lips went to her neck again, kissing his way down to where the shoulder strap of the bra cut into her.  He pushed a finger under the elastic and forced it down her arm.  He rubbed on the redness and kissed it, the flare of pain she always had going away with his touch.

Both straps were off and Jackie could see the concentration he had when his hands went to the closure.  He had a pained expression as he could not undo the hooks.  Jackie started to giggle and put her hand over her mouth.

“I just can’t seem to undo this.  I’ll have to turn my Guy Card in for this.”  There was humor in his voice as his face relaxed.

Jackie laughed.  “Guy Card?  You mean, you have one?”

He shook his head and laughed, holding her against his bare chest.  “No.  It’s something I heard in a movie once.  You know, Girls seem to have their club and Guys have to, too.”  He kissed her on the cheek and looked into her eyes.  “I would really like to go further, if your armor can be taken off.”

A double shiver went through her.  She wanted him.  She wanted him to do what ever he wanted to do with her.  She also could not stand the thought of someone seeing her naked.  Her face turned from him and she drew her arms from around him, covering her mostly exposed breasts with her hands.

“Oh, Jackie.  I’m doing it again.  I have wanted you for so long and now I have you in my arms and I’m making you uncomfortable.”  He held her and rocked slightly, not trying to kiss her or fondle her.

She relaxed and looked into his eyes.  She saw concern and hope.  He was handsome and she had to close her eyes.  She couldn’t think straight when he looked at her.  He didn’t have that effect before, but now being held against his bare chest in her kitchen, Jackie couldn’t think of anything but what might come next.

“I...”  She opened her eyes and looked up at him.  “I want you, too.  But this is so sudden and we work together and I’m fat and old-”

His lips were on hers, quieting her as he pushed his tongue into her mouth.  She tried to push him away, but she didn’t really want to.  She relaxed and kissed him back, trying to raise her arms to go around him again.  The bra straps were holding her arms in and were painful if she tried to raise them.

Mark relaxed when Jackie did.  He pulled back when he felt her stop struggling.  “We should get off the floor.  I know it isn’t doing my back any good.”

Jackie smiled.  She nodded and started to move, finding that she didn’t want to let go of Mark.  She did and eventually they both were standing, leaning against the counter.

Mark’s finger was gently going up and down Jackie’s arm.  It was sending shivers through her.  Her eyes closed and she let the feelings go through her, trying to imprint the feeling into her somehow because she knew that it wasn’t going to last.

“Jackie, I know this is weird after all that sushi, but...”

She smiled and looked at him.  “I could eat a little something myself.”  She pushed her bra straps back into the dents that were in her shoulders and turned to the fridge.  The crisp from that morning was in the front, it was taken out along with some orange juice.  Jackie closed the door to the fridge and found Mark was bringing down a few plates from the cabinet.

“I’m glad you didn’t open the other one.  We would have had a container avalanche.”  They both laughed as the crisp was portioned out and the juice was poured.

The futon was the only thing to sit on.  Jackie had not had anyone over for so long, she did not see the need for a kitchen table in her small apartment.  The two sat and started eating the cold peach crumble by the light in the kitchen, Jackie liking the mmmm sounds he was making.  They finished the crumble, again not talking while eating.

There were communications.  Mark would touch Jackie, putting a hand on her knee or her arm between bites.  She started doing the same, looking into his eyes and seeing the dimple when he smiled at her.  They finished at about the same time, both downing the last of the juice in their glasses.

There was silence.  Neither seemed to wish to speak.  Neither seemed to want to be the first to say something, though they both had things they wanted and needed to say.

Jackie stood and held her hand out for his plate.  He handed it up to her and watched her as she put them in the dishwasher, not scraping because neither of them had left even a crumb on the dishes.  She picked up their clothing from the floor, hanging his over the coat hook on the wall, dumping hers in the basket around the corner in the bathroom.  She picked up the bag of his that had fallen, making him jump up off the couch and come into the kitchen with her.

“I’ll deal with that.”  He wrapped the bag around the boxes of things inside and put it next to the fridge, blocking Jackie’s view.

That made Jackie want to see what was in the bag.   And then she was scared to see.  Jackie wasn’t sure what would scare her about two small boxes from the grocery store, but it did.  She turned and nervously pulled the curtains a little more closed, even though they had been open just a gap.  She normally left the curtains open, but it felt odd being semi-dressed and letting others be able to see in.

Mark was behind her.  She could feel his heat against her skin even though he wasn’t touching her.  She leaned back and found his arms around her, holding her, caressing her.  His breath was hot against her skin as he breathed on her shoulder.  He moved to be closer and she could feel a hard spot in the middle of her back.  She smiled and felt a wave of pleasure go through her with the thought that he was hard because of her.

A wave of self doubt made her go cold.  She was too easy.  She didn’t know what he really wanted.  She now knew what she wanted, something that she had stopped trying for when she had turned 35.  Too old then, way too old now and twice the size she used to be on top of it.

Mark felt her tense, and not in the way he wanted.  He held her, just held her, as they stood in the kitchen of her apartment, his eye going to the curtain over the window.

“Mark...?”

He loosened his embrace and she turned to face him, still within his arms.  His hands started to travel down, but he stopped himself from holding her by her ass.  His hands stopped at her waist just above the roundness below and tightened slightly.

“What?”

She looked at his chin and back up to his eyes.  “Mark, what do you want to do?”

He smiled.  She smiled back.  “Anything you will let me.”

There was a nervous giggle.  Jackie closed her eyes and fully laughed at the childish sound she had just made.  “Here I am, ten years older than you and I am acting like a teen.”

Mark’s hand went up her back, past the bra clasp that had thwarted him and around to her cheek.  He held her face in his hand, his thumb stroking her cheek.  “If I wanted a bony assed teen, I would have taken Bev up on her offer a year ago.”

Jackie blinked.  He never swore, and he never seemed to favor or dislike anyone in the office.  Beverly was obvious in her wanting to use the men in the department for her own gains and Jackie was not surprised that she had gone after Mark.  She was seeing more of him that night than she had ever thought she would.  It wasn’t just his nakedness...

Jackie looked down.  He had taken his slacks off.  He was down to long-legged briefs that seemed to have been painted onto him with how tight they were.  His cock made a bulging line in the briefs, up and to one side.  The tailored slacks had not let any of his shape show.  She was impressed and then turned red as she felt embarrassed for having her boss in her apartment mostly naked and she was not entirely dressed, either.

He drew her out of the kitchen and back to the futon.  They sat, her hands in his.  He looked at her and gently said, “I don’t want to go, but if you want me to, I will.”  Jackie shook her head and squeezed his hand.  He smiled and said, “I took the opportunity to meet you tonight because I have wanted to for a very long time.  It has been hard to work with you and not say anything.  My mentor in the company has always stressed that management cannot have personal relationships with the staff.  We can encourage and we can point people in the direction their career might take them.  But that is all for the company.”

Jackie blurted out, “Am I getting fired?”

He laughed.  “No.”  He raised her hands to his chest and moved slightly closer.  “I was tired of not being able to tell you how I feel.  Things changed in my life and I now know that I can’t wait to do what I want.  Except-”  He put a hand on her shoulder and started to make little circles with his fingertips on her skin.  “I will wait longer for you, if you need me to.”

Jackie felt tears again.  She looked at Mark and let the tears flow down her cheek.  He wiped some of them away and looked into her eyes.

It was a moment, but it was a long moment.  Jackie felt her bodies need grow as the man next to her was opening up.  She felt the mental need for the closeness he was offering.  She had to decide right then if things were going to go further, the blood through her pounding in her ears as the tears slowly came from her eyes.

Jackie drew her fingers down his chest.  He moved and she saw his eyes close slightly, and then a worried look as she took her hands from him.  He watched as her arms went around her and she was able to unhook her bra with ease.  She paused but did push the sturdy garment off of her shoulders and breasts.  She took one of his hands and put it on her breast, a slight gasp coming from him as he held the full weight in his hand.

They were kissing again.  Jackie found that her hands were going up and down his body, grasping him and pulling him into her.  His hands were on her breasts, kneading them as their kissing became stronger.  He pushed at her and she was partially laying down on the futon couch as his mouth went down her and found her breasts again.

His hands slid over her as he was nuzzling into her breasts.  He was able to undo the button and zipper of her pants before Jackie knew he was doing so.  She had a shock go through her as his hands went under her ass and lifted her, pulling on the waistband across her back to try to get it off.  She wanted him and she lifted herself up, his fingers taking both her pants and her panties down and to her knees.

Mark lifted himself off her and looked down.  Jackie closed her eyes and did not see the smile and want in his face.  She moved her hands and tried to cover herself so he could not see her fat roll on her lower stomach.  She felt his hands on her wrists, trying to gently move her hands before she felt him move and start kissing around her belly button.

Jackie squeeked.  She wiggled and tried to push his head away.  He laughed and made some of the same mmmm sounds as when he was eating her crumble.  Right before he moved further down and was face first into her crotch.

It had been so long, Jackie wasn’t sure if she had felt anything like what he was doing to her before.  He was using his fingers and tongue, pinching and licking and finding that she was slick once her lips were parted.  He put a finger into her and she wiggled.  He liked that and started to stroke in and out of her as he pushed his face into her belly to be able to lick at her slit.

The pants were getting in the way.  Mark finally pushed them down past her ankles to be able to move her legs.  Jackie had twin flashes of pleasure and self-consciousness go through her, the hot and cold making her wiggle and squirm as much as Mark was.  It encouraged him and he put more into what he was doing, kneading her belly fat like he had her breasts just a few minutes before.

He climbed up her again and tried to kiss her.  She wasn’t sure about tasting herself and turned her head.  He went for her neck and pressed himself into her.  A good shock went through her as he kissed and bit her neck as his confined cock pressed into her crotch below.

“May we go to your bed?” he whispered.  He continued to kiss her while he waited for her response.

Jackie blinked into the semi-darkness of the apartment.  She wanted him.  Her body wanted him.  “Yes.”

He lifted from her and waited until she turned to look up at him.  “I’ll meet you in there.”  He got off the couch and went to the kitchen, filling a glass with tap water.

Jackie liked looking at him.  He did have a nice ass and the rest of him was not bad, either.  In a muscle magazine cover not-bad way.  She rolled up to a sitting position and took a moment before standing.  It wasn’t just because she was not sure she wanted to have him turn around and see her naked, her legs didn’t really want to work.

Jackie went to the bathroom and used the toilet, finding that she was sensitive when she wiped.  It was unexpected, but good.  She used a washcloth to make sure everything was clean and was glad of it.  The washcloth went into the laundry basket as she left the bathroom, on top of her wet blouse and jacket.

Jackie wasn’t sure what to do.  Sit on the bed?  Pull down the covers?  Put on a nightshirt?

She shook her head at herself.  She went to the bed and crawled in, pulling the covers up until she was comfortable.  Mark came in and smiled, a small chuckle came out as he saw she had her knees up and the covers almost to her shoulders.  He put a glass of water on her nightstand before going to her window to open it slightly.

Jackie smiled, though she was confused.  She often slept with the bedroom window open a crack, even when she lived downtown for a while.  It was funny that he would open the window a little before crawling into bed with her.

He had put a glass of water and something else on the TV tray on the other side of the bed before moving to be under the covers with her.  He still had his long briefs on.  Mark put his hand on Jackie’s shoulder and pressed back, making her lay on her pillow.

“Jackie, you are beautiful.  I want you to know that.”  His hand started to roam up and down her as he talked.  “You have been distracting me for as long as I can remember.  You make my day just by being at the office.  Please, I want to be with you.”

She smiled.  “You’ve come this far and you are in my bed.  I guess we have to.”

He kissed her before saying, “Only if you want to.”

Jackie was surprised at herself as she said, “Hell yes.”

There was no turning back.  He pulled the covers down and knelt between her legs, putting his face between her breasts.  He grabbed her hips and ground into her through his briefs, making them both gasp.  She could feel how hard he was and wanted it.  All of it.

Jackie’s hands went down his back but couldn’t reach his underwear.  She tried using her feet to hook the elastic, but wasn’t that limber.  She pushed at his shoulders until he sat up a little.

“Shouldn’t you be naked, too?”  He smiled and nodded.  The briefs were tugged at and it was her turn to swear.  “Oh, fuck.”

He smiled.  His hand went around his cock and he stroked himself a few times.  With little more than muscle and skin at his crotch, nothing was hiding what he had between his legs.  Jackie was not good at judging size, but she knew she was going to have some problems if he was going to stick that into her.  She felt a flush go through her.

Her hand was on him.  His head went back as she took up the stroke his hand had started.  It was warm in her hand and she could feel a little pulse in his cock.  He was cut and she saw a difference in the color between the shaft and the head, the dark red of the head making it look angry.

It had been years.  Jackie’s nakedness was forgotten as she looked at the cock in her hand.  She sat on the bed in front of him, and watched her hand go up and down the shaft.  She leaned over and could smell him, a musk that wasn’t from a bottle with a leathery scent that was.  He had tasted her, it was only fair she tasted him.

“Oh!  Fuck, Jackie!”

There was something in the way he moaned, in the way he swore that was exciting.  She had the head of his cock in her mouth and was gently running her tongue around the underside of the head.  His hand went to her hair, but he let go and leaned back instead of pushing her further onto his shaft.  She moved slightly and found a comfortable position to take his cock into her mouth.

Mark leaned further back until he had to move his legs to straighten them.  His head was almost off the foot of the bed as Jackie explored the cock in her hand and mouth.  She didn’t want to rush.  In the back of her mind, she still had the possibility that  Mark would suddenly come to his senses and walk out.  She wanted to remember everything.  By doing so, she was bringing out feelings in Mark that he was not expecting.

“Stop!”

Jackie sat up and looked at him, her hand still around his shaft.  “Did I hurt you?”

He propped himself up on one elbow and shook his head.  His smile was huge and Jackie was certain she saw two dimples on his face.  “I don’t want to cum that way.  You are good.”

They smiled at each other, bit a little lopsided and uncertain.  Jackie heard something come out of her that she was certain was too corny.  “So...Where do you want to cum?”

He chuckled and sat up.  “I would like to make love to you.”

Jackie’s mind flashed a warning to her and she sat back.  “I don’t know.  I mean, I don’t have a rubber.”

He went off the side of the bed, getting the underwear off his ankle.  He took a sip of the water and then picked up the thing he had placed on the TV tray.  “I was hoping and planned ahead.”

Jackie nervously giggled.  She watched him tear the condom open and roll it onto his cock.  The wrapper went back on the tray and she saw there were more there next to the water.  Mark leaned over and kissed Jackie and followed her down to the bed.  He laid on top of her, one hand on his cock and one next to her head.  He kissed her and she felt him position himself by running the head of his cock along her slit.

It was not like when she had sex the first time.  The pain of being entered and having her hymen ripped was painful, but she got over it because it was Bobby Nesmith.  There was pressure and a little pain as unused areas suddenly were stretched, but as Mark moved in and out, Jackie found she was moaning and trying to grab ahold of him as he moved.

Her legs went up and back, going further than she thought she could stretch.  His head was beside hers, his breath ragged on her shoulder.  It felt great and then it felt wonderful.  Mark started to try to hold his breath as he was moving inside of her.

“Jackie.  You feel too good.  I’m going...  I’m-Ahhhhhh.”

She felt and heard him orgasm.  His cock was thrust as far into her as he could and it seemed to pulse as he called out.  She held onto him and tried to wrap her legs around his waist and meet her feet on his back.  It almost worked and kept him in her for a little bit longer than if he had been allowed to relax on his own.

He caught his breath and moved.  He lay next to her and looked at her.  His hand was trembling as he stroked her cheek.

“I’m sorry.  I wanted to last longer.  You didn’t cum.”

Jackie burst into tears.  Mark moved and was holding her, cradling her and petting her hair.  He whispered things to her to try to get her to calm down, or at least tell him why she was crying.

She looked up and didn’t bother to wipe her eyes or nose.  “No one has ever thought of me like that before.”

“Oh, baby.  You deserve more than I was able to give you.”

Facial tissue was found and the condom, stuffed in it’s wrapper, was disposed of.  They sat in bed, a thick comforter around them as Mark held Jackie.  They listened to the slowing rain, the cars in the streets below splashing through the late night.  They talked a little, some about what had just happened, both good and bad, some about the meeting coming up, some about the weather.

Mark kissed Jackie on top of the head and sighed.  “I don’t like being that guy, but I have to get home.  The cat is still adjusting and I don’t want to think of where she has pooped this time.”

“You have a cat?”  He nodded and his arms seemed to get tighter around her.  “I would peg you as a dog person.  A german shepard or doberman.”

He laughed.  “I’m allergic to most animals, but when my Mom died...”

There was a quiet moment.  Mark held Jackie and seemed to not want to let go.  “You inherited the cat?” Jackie said in a low tone.

He nodded.  “I was the only one of the family who would take her.  Which is why I had to move.  My last place found out and my lease was taken out from under me.”

Jackie didn’t want him to leave, either, but he had responsibilities.  “Mr. Tourney on five had the same problem.  Not too many places allow cats and dogs at this point.”

It took a few more minutes to make Mark move.  Jackie looked at the clock and stared at it, thinking she was seeing wrong.  Mark picked up his things and started to put his mostly dry clothes on and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“It can’t be almost two.  Can it?”

Mark looked at the alarm radio cock and nodded.  “It is.  I hope I didn’t keep you up too late.  I know how much of a bastard your boss is.”

She laughed.  “I think I will be able to muddle through the commercial statistics report meeting tomorrow.  It’s the boss that has to do the presentation.”

He closed his eyes tight as he laughed. He stood, his pants on but not fastened. Jackie liked how comfortable he was around her.  He sat back on the bed and took Jackie by the back of the head and kissed her, gently.  “At least I know I will wake on time with a smile on my face.”

Jackie looked confused, but melted into his kiss again.  She found a robe and helped him to find one of his socks as he dressed.  There was one last kiss as the door was open to the hall before he left.  Jackie listened while leaning against the door until she heard the front door to the apartment building open to the street and close again.

 

Jackie was certain she was not going to be able to sleep.  She woke as usual when the alarm went off, the beeping clawing through her dream and making her sit up before she slapped at the thing.  She wanted to just go back to sleep, but then she remembered the night before.  She looked over at the TV tray and saw the glass and condoms, knowing it had not been a dream.

Jackie drank the water on her night table.  Mark was thoughtful to bring it.  She was usually not that thirsty in the morning but Jackie drained the glass in just a little time.

She turned the TV on and sat on the futon couch.  She needed to get a new cover for it, now that she saw it in the morning light.  She smiled, thinking of what had happened the night before.  She had flashes of feelings go through her as she thought of Mark.  It was nice and she hoped she would remember the night for a while.

Coffee was heated from what she had made while she was baking the morning before.  There wasn’t enough time to bake-

Mark’s bag was still on the counter.  It was open, the condom box torn open and missing the several that Mark had brought into the bedroom.  The box below it was still sealed and turned so she couldn’t see what it was.  She thought to just put the bag with the boxes into her tote, but trying to give condoms to her boss at work seemed...  Jackie laughed at the notion.

She heard a slight clanking coming from outside.  The weather had been nice enough to leave the windows open while she was home that summer and into fall.  She had noticed the clanking sound recently, the rhythmic sound a little disturbing first thing in the morning, but she got used to it quickly.  She went to open the curtain in the kitchen to let in more light and her hand caught on the grocery bag.

She picked up the condoms and stuffed them into the box.  She reached for the other box and saw it was sugar.  Sugar packets.  It was a box of the little white sugar packets like she had the brown ones for coffee.  That, she could bring to work, though she didn’t remember him ever drinking that much coffee at work.

Jackie looked at the clock and swore.  She had been wandering around her apartment, not getting ready and the bus was going to be going past in a little less than fifteen minutes.  She bolted her coffee and chewed on a dry piece of toast as she dressed.  She could not wear the outfit from the day before like she had been planning.  She had to throw a different outfit together and she was certain that it looked like it came from the bottom of a clowns’ closet as she picked up the tote from the table in the hall and hurried down the stairs.

The bus came around the corner as she remembered the box of sugar packets.  She did not have time to run back for it.  She would have to try to get it to him on Monday.  At least before the Annual Stockholders Meeting.  She was just glad she had picked a much better bra for running in that day.

Jackie found the chopstick wrapper from the place the night before in her tote as she looked for her comb.  It made her smile.  It also made her sigh.  The food had been good, but the night with Mark had been amazing.  Jackie just wished she had not been such a basket case.  She looked out the window, watching the forms of the cars beside the bus.  The whole night had caught her off balance.  It made her want to cry thinking of the care Mark had taken with her, and that he knew she hadn’t orgasmed.  Even the guy she had dated for a year never seemed to care that she didn’t orgasm.  And that was when she was young and thin.

A familiar looking car went past the bus as Jackie was thinking of the night before.  She was not sure what she was going to do or say when she got in.  Thinking about Mark made her stomach flutter and that was not good for a business environment.

The office was busy as usual when Jackie stepped off the elevator.  There were a few groups talking, a few people trying to look busy if one of the higher-ups seemed to turn their way.  Jackie made her way to her cubicle, smiling at the little card that was still on her shelf.

She worked on a data mining report for a while, but she found that she kept thinking of the night before.  She looked up and saw that the department meeting was going to start in about a half an hour.  She could not concentrate on what she was working on, so she decided to get ready for the meeting.

Jackie went to the bathroom and still felt her hips were slightly sore.  She couldn’t help but smile as she sat on the toilet, thinking of her time with Mark.  Her smile went away when a gaggle of the office bitches came in to primp themselves before the meeting.  She wiped, gasping slightly as she went across sensitive places.  She was glad that the other women were chattering loud enough that they could not hear her.

“...with Henry, you know, from internal security?  I swear, if he didn’t have the keys to the VP pool, I wouldn’t even consider him.”  There was a pause and then a burst of laughter.  “I swear, it even strains to make a crease in his shorts!”

There was more laughter.  Jackie stood and tidied herself up before flushing.  The bathroom went quiet until they saw that it was Jackie.  There were a few relieved faces, grateful that it had not been Mrs. Francis.

“Well, don’t you look dolled up today, Ja-ckie.”

Jackie pushed past and to the sink to wash her hands.  She ignored Beverly, the ringleader of the mob.

“I guess thinking you caught Mark’s attention makes you want to pretty yourself up.”

Jackie washed her hands without looking into the mirror.  She thought the red of the shirt was too much under the navy of the suit jacket.  But it had been in the front of the closet and easy to put on.  She turned and was not able to get past Beverly without looking at her.

“The things the underlings will do to get a raise.”  Beverly pulled on the bow at the collar of the red blouse, untying it before laughing in Jackie’s face and going into one of the stalls.

Jackie was not going to let the bully get to her.  She went past the other women, ignoring the looks and the thoughts Jackie knew they had.  She went to her cubicle and took the birthday card down, putting it in the paper bin before sitting and starting in on the data mining again.

“Hey.  Miss Delany.”

She smiled.  She sat up and had a bland look on her face as she turned around, saying, “Yes, Mr. Hancock-  What happened?”  She lost her composure and was almost touching his chin as they stood in the doorway into her cubicle.

He shrugged and took her hand, holding it against his chest.  “The cat.  She swung at me when I got home.  But she sniffed me up and down before I took a shower and it was the first time since she’s been at my place that she slept with me.”

Jackie was about to say something about how nice that was when there was a snide remark from outside her cubicle.  “I knew it.  Sleeping with Mark to get a raise.  I knew it couldn’t be anything else when I saw-”

Jackie couldn’t take it any more.  She pushed past Mark, having to drop his hand as she growled out, “His cat!  Did you know he has a cat?  He inherited it from his mother, you sniping, bony assed bitch!  Not that anything with a pulse would try to sleep with you since you would poke their eye out with your half-priced boob-job!”

Beverly stepped back and pointed at the front of the office where the elevators were.  “That is it!  You are fired!  Insubordination!”

“Um-”  Mark wanted to get the tone down between the two women, but didn’t want to get in the way.  It reminded him of a Mama bear going against a hunting dog.  He smiled as he thought that he was the cub in the scenario.

Jackie’s voice did lower, but in tone, not in loudness.  “Fired?  You don’t have the seniority to fire me.  The only one here who can fire me is Mr. Damion.  He’s the department head- oh, but perhaps you should be called that!”

There were gasps and a few laughs at that.  Beverly looked around and could not back down.  “You low level, gross bitch.  If you actually did anything but eat, you would know that I have the power to do just about anything I want in this department!  You are out of here.”  She looked at Mark and said, “I want her out of here today, Mark.”

Before he could say anything, Jackie crossed her arms and said, “Go ahead and try to get your way with Mr. Hancock.  You haven’t been able to for at least a year!”

There were glances and whispers and a few more chuckles from those listening.  Beverly’s eyes went big and she tried to say something, but one of her group behind her whispered loudly, “I thought you said you had him over a barrel because of that one night-”

“Wendy!  Would you shut up?”  Beverly was bright red, contrasting with the calm blues of her tailored, short dress.

“Ladies!”  Mark had to suppress his laughter, even though he was certain that Jackie would be able to toss Beverly out of the window with little effort if she wanted to.  “Lets get this under control.  I needed to get Miss Delany to the meeting, since she is the one who made the report I am basing my presentation on-”

“What?”  Beverly’s voice almost went to a screech.  “She does nothing here!  I’m the one who started the office project.  I found the budget hole for the-”

Mark put his hand on Jackie’s trembling shoulder, feeling how upset she was.  He pulled her slightly to the side so he could see Beverly clearly, but did not take his hand away.  “That was Jason who found the budget hole, which you claimed as your own after you slept with him.”

Jackie was shaking from the adrenalin going through her.  She had never stood up for herself before.  Defending Mark seemed to just come out of her without her being able to stop it.  She smiled and could not hide it.  Someone close by said, “I was wondering why he transferred.  He was good-”

“How dare you!”  Beverly looked between the two and pointed at Jackie.  “You cow!  How dare you do this to me?”

Jackie stood.  She was quiet.  She could not say anything more.  All the anger that had flashed through her had turned to embarrassment.  She looked imposing with her arms crossed and a glare on her face.  Mark was not sure if she was about to tear Beverly’s head off or burst into tears.

There was a clearing of a throat and several people behind Beverly disappeared into the maze of cubicles.

“I thought we had a meeting, Mr. Hancock?”

Jackie could hear Mr. Damion behind them, Mrs. Francis next to him.  She looked down and lost some of her steadiness.  If it wasn’t for Mark’s hand on her shoulder, she would have run.

“Sir.  Just a little misunderstanding.”  Mark was trying to sound calm, but there was a humor in his voice that made Jackie smirk a little.

“Misunderstanding?  She called me a bony bitch!”  Beverly had regained some of her composure, and had to force the issue to try to save face.

Mark turned and Jackie moved to stand in her cubicle.  She couldn’t run, but she almost felt safe in her small space in the office with Mark there.  The department head stepped up and looked at Jackie for a moment.  She was certain she was about to be fired until she saw a smile flash across his face, leaving just a glint in his eye.

“Miss Levit.  May I have a word with you in my office?”  Beverly looked superior as she went past in her short skirt, following Mr. Damion.

Jackie sat.  She took a big breath and felt her hands tremble on her knees.  She could not look up, though she knew Mark was still there.  Mr. Hancock.  Her boss.  A tear started down her cheek as she knew she had just messed up her life for one amazing night with him.

A finger wiped the tear away.  He was right next to her, a hand on her shoulder and a quiet voice as he said, “It will be all right, Jackie.  Things will work out.”

Jackie sighed.  “I forgot your bag.”

He chuckled.  “I meant to leave it.”

Jackie looked up and saw the dimple.  “Meant to?”

He nodded.  “Unless you don’t want me over again...”

“Again?”  Her hand went over his on her shoulder.  “I would really like that.  But what about the sugar?”

He glanced around before keeling in her cubicle.  He looked her in the eye and said, “I knew you could use it.  Consider it a Birthday present.”  He moved in and they were kissing.

Jackie was bright red.  She did not want to stop, but it was unseemly to be kissing in the office.  She gently pushed at Mark and they looked at each other in the eye.  She wanted to hold him and have him hold her.  She wanted much more than that, but it was not the time or place for it.

Jackie’s eyes crinckled at the corner when she said, “Mark, you were the best Birthday present I could ever have.”  She put a finger on his chin by the cat-scratch and wanted to kiss him again.

There was a small cough.  Jackie looked up and flushed again.  Mark turned and seemed a bit sheepish as he looked up at Mrs. Francis.  “Now that you two have finally gotten together, is one of you going to do the damned meeting today?  I have had to do the presentation at the last three, and I just don’t want to do it.”

Jackie laughed.  It was all she could do.  She looked at Mark as he stood, looking like he had just been caught doing something by the teacher, but with a smile on his face.  “I’m going to do it, Mary.”  He looked at Jackie and then back at Mrs. Francis.  “Thank you.”

There was a smile and then Mrs. Francis flicked her hand away from the cubicle.  “We were supposed to start about ten minutes ago.  I think everyone is in the room at this point, since Mr. Damion has passed the word everyone in the department has to be at this one, now.”  She looked at Jackie and Jackie thought she saw a wink.  “That means you, too.”

The conference room was crowded.  All the seats were taken around the main table, the outer ring ignored as there was standing room only.  Mark had a few words with Jackie about a few of the numbers that had been in her report, smiles going back and forth between them even over the mundane business for the company.

Even though there were two doors into the room, Mark and Jackie both went in the front door.  She wanted to sneak in the back and sit so no one could see her.  She was pulled in with Mark, Mr. Damion behind her blocking her escape.

“Before we get to the meeting’s agenda, I have a few things to say.”

There were a few rumbles through the room as Mr. Damion took the attention of all those in the room.  Jackie felt a hand on her elbow which kept her from fading to the wall.  It wasn’t Marks as he was on the other side of their department head.

“A few matters were brought to my attention this morning.  One of those, loudly.”  There were a few chuckles through the room.  “I would first like to congratulate Miss Delany for sticking with this company for six years.”

There was a round of applause.  Several people looked at each other and whispered about not knowing she had been there that long.  Jackie felt her blush returning, but held her head up and smiled.

“We seemed to have missed her Five year plaque last year, as well as several other things.”  He turned to her and held out his hand.  She took it and he loosely shook her hand.  “Happy birthday, Jackie.”  There was another round of applause as Mr. Damion leaned in and said, “And congratulations.  Maybe he will start paying attention instead of mooning over you.”

Jackie felt like her face matched her blouse.  She had no idea that Mark had been that affected by her.  Having it be obvious to the management team...

“Next, there is a bit of a change up in management in this department.”  Mr. Damion still had Jackies’ hand and he pulled her to between him and Mark as he said, “There had been plans in the works for a while for something like this, but todays events pushed things along.”

Mark looked at Mrs. Francis next to him.  She smiled and flicked her eyes to their boss before nodding.  Mark took Jackie’s hand and squose it, not letting go.

“It seems as though Beverly Levit has decided that perhaps another department in the corporation would be more suited to her talents.”  There were a few snickers in the room.  “Since she was instrumental in creating a third department manager position, her leaving has created a...void.”

Jackie started feeling the tears in her eyes.  She didn’t dare wipe them away or else they would start flowing freely.  If it had been a movie she would have heard-

“Miss Delany has the most time in this department, besides myself and our managers.  Her work has been instrumental in keeping things flowing, and her work in Peru kept at least one major account.”

There were rumbles and people looked at each other.  Jackie kept to herself and few people knew that she had been working on the backbone data collection and demographic reports for over three years.  No one knew she had been in Peru.

Mr. Damion turned and held his hand out again.  “Welcome to the management team, Miss Delany.”  They shook hands, the tears coming down her face in sheets.

Tissue was passed as there were hands shoved at Jackie from those closest.  She wiped her face and was glad she didn’t use make-up.  She would have looked like a raccoon if she had.

Mark took over the meeting after congratulations had been made.  It was slightly halting as Mark didn’t like to speak in front of people, and he would turn to the white board to make a note and see Jackie standing there and smile, distracting himself and getting a few chuckles from those at the meeting.

He made it through, making people laugh at the end with a joke that Jackie had put into another report, thinking no one read what she produced.  She blushed again, but kept smiling.

Most of the people were relieved to leave the meeting.  The conference room could hold the department, but it was more than was comfortable.  The management team held back, Mrs. Francis waiving several people to leave at the end.

“Miss Delany, this is sudden, I know, but you have been with the company and doing an excellent job for quite some time.  We don’t have an office for you-”

Jackie shrugged.  “I like my cubicle.  Until now, it let me blend in.”

“We could move your cubicle to across from Mr. Hancock’s office.  That way we can keep you in the loop easier.”  Mr Damion nodded at himself at his idea.

Mrs. Francis looked smug as she said, “It should be a familiar arrangement.”

Jackie was too stunned to notice the withering look Mark shot at Mrs. Francis.  “I...I think I would like that, Mr. Damion.”

He held his hand out and they shook again, him saying, “Call me Frank.  Being professional is one thing, saving time is another.”

“Mary.  I never liked my exes last name.  Made me sound like a nun.”

Jackie giggled and then stopped.  “Wait...  When did you get the divorce?  I remember giving you something for your office shower.”

She glanced at Mr Damion and back at Jackie.  “About a year ago.  It’s not something I like to talk about, but having the ring on my finger keeps the office from talking, too much.”

Jackie nodded and looked at her bare hand.  “A little piece of metal to keep people from assuming you are trying to use...  Well, you know what I mean.”

Mrs. Francis’ hand was on Jackie’s shoulder.  “Yup.”  She looked at the men and then to one of the open doors.  She straightened up and dropped her hand from Jackie.  “Do you need to take some time to get used to your new position?”

Jackie’s head shook, and then she stopped and had to put her hand over her face as she started to giggle madly.  “Sorry!  It just-the phrasing...”  She laughed and couldn’t look at the other three.

“Cripes.  I do that without meaning to.  I mean your new job title.”  Mrs. Francis was a little pinker than usual.

Jackie leaned against the table, feeling Mark next to her and wishing they had some time to talk.  She blinked at herself and looked at the department head.  “Can I ask that Mr. Hancock bring me up to speed on the duties and such I am going to have?”

There was a nod and a smile.  “Why don’t you take yourself out to lunch, since we seem to be mostly through it already.”

It didn’t take long for Jackie and Mark to be down on the street outside the building.  They started walking, hand in hand as they looked at the different places to eat, many of them still full from the lunch rush.  They found a little Mexican place that a large group of people were leaving and ducked in there.  They sat at a booth the waiter pointed to and looked at each other across the table.

Mark looked at their hands, almost touching around the basket of chips.  He got up and made Jackie slide over on the bench.  He sat and took one of her hands.

“This has been quite a few days, hasn’t it.”  He looked into her eyes and looked like he wanted to say more.

Jackie was not sure what she wanted to say, other than, “I feel like it is not happening.  I mean, not happening to me.  I have had such a plain life for so long.”  She looked at the table and said, “I never even thought anyone could be interested in me ever again.”

Mark put his fingers on Jackie’s chin and made her look at him.  He didn’t say anything before kissing her on the lips, a little dryly before kissing her on her nose.  Jackie giggled and shook her head slightly.  “Jackie, baby, it took my Mom dying for me to see that I wasn’t living my life.  I was going through the motions of what I thought other people wanted me to do.  I like my job, but it is not my life.  I have a few hobbies, but they are not me.  It took loosing the most important woman in my life for me to understand that I hadn’t told the next most important woman how I felt.  I don’t want to loose you, too.”

Jackie silently chastised herself for crying, again.  Paper napkins from the dispenser at the table were used to mop up the tears.  Mark’s arm went around Jackie and she felt his chest under her head as he held her.  It was nice.

The waiter cautiously approached and asked if they were ready to order.  Neither of them had really looked at he menu, but Mark could see the specials board and ordered one for them to share.  Water was brought and there was a smile on the waiters face as he turned from the table while his customers were kissing.

Mark was right in ordering just one of the specials.  The shredded carnitas was a full pound of meat, and there was all the other parts of the meal, like the rice, the beans, the fresh salsa...  They shared and ate in quiet, Mark getting most of the spicy bits and Jackie getting more of the refried beans.

They were very close on the bench.  When they ate, they sometimes fed each other.  There were a few stolen kisses, making more than each other blush.  The kitchen staff were lined up in the doorway, watching at one point, Mark and Jackie seeing it only after the waiter started to shoo them back into the kitchen, saying some ungentlemanly things about their cooking skills.

Jackie held her hand over her mouth and laughed.  She could understand about half of what was said and knew the rest was even racier.  The waiter stopped and made an ineffectual motion with his hands, saying, “ah-Lo siento, senora.”

Jackie waived it off, saying, “No es nada, de verdad?”

“I forgot you knew some.”  Mark brushed a crumb of rice off Jackie’s cheek.  “We will have to use that now that you are on the management team.”

She shook her head.  “I remember some.  And I learned European Spanish, not American Spanish.  It helped in Peru, but the guys would laugh at me with my accent.”

“Your Spanish is better than mine, Senora.”  He kissed her on the nose and she giggled.

“Now if only I can get this crying under control, things would be wonderful.”  Jackie looked into Mark’s eyes and felt more tears.  They were from happiness.

 

Back at the office, the clutches of people talking turned and nodded or smiled at Jackie and Mark as they stepped off the elevator.  They had been holding hands until the elevator doors opened, but had still been very close as they walked off into the lobby area.  Jackie started for her usual desk while Mark went to his office.

One thing with cubicle farms, they all look alike.  It is also easy to transfer from one to another without much fuss.  Jackie was confused when she went to her cubicle and nothing was in it.  Even her paper bin had been taken out.  She looked in the next cubicle and the woman there was on the phone.  She nodded at Jackie and then made motions to get Jackie to stay.

Once the call was done, she said, “They took your stuff while you were at lunch.  I tried to object, but it looked like Mr. Damion had ordered it.”

“Thanks, Miss Cruchart.”

Jackie went through the maze, being stopped by a few people to get congratulations on several of her recent changes.  One of the men even tried to use a come-on line and asked if she had lost weight because she was looking fine.  She looked at him and shook her head before going past him.

Jackie had been keeping her head in her own work so firmly she had not known how the office seemed to work.

She knocked on the doorframe into Marks office.  He looked up and smiled before a crease was between his brows.  “What’s wrong, Jackie?”

“I’m finding out how oblivious I have been.  You, and now Dave tried a really bad pick-up line.”

Mark looked past her and motioned into his office, she closed the door and wasn’t sure if she should sit or stand.  He made it easy for her and stood, taking her into his arms.  “Now that I have you, anyone else is going to have a hard time getting to you.”

Jackie looked up at him and saw the smile, but heard the seriousness in his voice.  “That sounds kinda stalker-ish.”

His eyebrow went up and he shook his head.  “Just the truth.  Unless you want to play the field...?”

Jackie shook her head and hugged Mark.  “It’s hard enough getting used to the idea that...”

He held her and waited.  “What idea?”

Her voice was quiet.  “That you like me.”

“Oh, babe.”  Mark kissed her on the forehead and made her look up at him.  “This goes far past like.  I don’t like to push, but I am hoping for more than like from you, too.”

There was a moment where Jackie felt the tears again.  She shook her head and took in a deep breath.  The tears may have still been there, waiting to pour out, but right then, she took Mark’s head and kissed him, deeply.

If there hadn’t been an office of people outside the door.  If they didn’t have the Annual Stockholders Meeting to get ready for.  If only there had been a couch...

Mark was sitting against his desk, holding Jackie against his chest as they both tried to catch their breaths.  She was a little shorter than he and he liked being able to kiss her without bending down too much.  He also liked the way his arms fit around her, a real woman’s hips leading to his favorite part of her.  He could look down her back and see her ass’s shape under the tail of her suit jacket.  She always wore pants, but he now knew that she had legs some of his trainers would kill for.

He sighed.  She nodded.  They parted, Jackie opening the door, but not leaving.  She sat in his extra chair and he brought his chair around his desk.  He grabbed a folder and they started going over statistics that had been compiled for the booklet that all the stockholders were supposed to get at the meeting.  It was something they had done before, but never with smiles on their faces.

 

There was panic in her eyes.  “9:12?  Crap!  I can’t get to the bus!”

Mark looked up, rubbing his eyes and looking at his watch.  “I guess we were at this a little long.  God, I hate the Mid-East region.  So unstable.”

Jackie was picking up her pieces of the report and looking over to her new cubicle.  “If I take the 506 I might be able to catch the-”

Mark sighed.  “I can give you a ride.  It’s my fault.  I wasn’t watching the time.”

Jackie stopped and heard the humor and saw the dimple.  “And what were you watching, Mr. Hancock?”

He stood and held his hand to her.  She stood and found they were in a tight embrace, their lips firmly together.  She had to catch her breath and put her head on his shoulder.

“If you drop me off, do you want to...park?”

He chuckled.  “Whenever I drop you off at home, I am going to park.  Before that, can I interest you in a bite?”

Jackie was feeling playful, but she didn’t say all she was thinking.  “You did some of that last night.”

He heard where her mind was going and glanced at the door.  It was open and he could hear the cleaning crew.  He had an impulse and went with it, but not as far as he wanted to.  He moved to where he could reach the door and closed it.  He pushed Jackie towards his desk and went down on one knee.  His hands went up under her navy jacket as his face was pressed against the red polyester of the blouse.  His nose was below the curve of her breasts and they jiggled as she tried to push him away, and then into her.  His hands went up and cupped over her breasts and then slid around to her back.  Her hands went down his back and pulled on his suit jacket, wanting to have him pressed even closer into her.

His hands went to her ass and she tried to object, but it felt good to have his hands press in and grab her.  She gasped as she felt his teeth through her blouse, nipping on the underside of her breast and on the top of her stomach.  He made little mmmm sounds and she giggled.

“Mr. Hancock.  I don’t think this is in the employee conduct manual.”

He shook his head, making her giggle again as his nose tickled her in places that had not been touched in far too long.  He looked up her body and said, “Might not be in the employee manual, but I think I saw it in some sort of book.”

She giggled and he stood holding her again.  “You know, I didn’t know I was such a huggy person.”

“I like being held by you, Mark.”

They kissed again.  They knew it was time to go by the loudness of the vacuum outside the door.  They each put together their papers for the next day and surprised the janitor as they opened the door, neither of them looking mussed, but both slightly flushed.  Jackie grabbed her tote and left the folders on her desk.  Mark was already headed to the elevator when Jackie looked around, seeing the conference room light was on.

She walked the long way and looked in through the glass side panels to one of the doors.  Mr. Damion and Mrs. Francis were in there, papers spread across the table.  They were moving piles, obviously deciding on something for the big meeting.  Jackie blinked when she saw Mr. Damion reach over and hold Mrs. Francis’ hand.  Mary smiled at Frank and then they went back to discussing the papers.

Mark was holding the door to the elevator as Jackie walked up.  He looked quizzically at her.  “Oblivious.  I wonder how much I have missed by keeping my head down.”

The street was full of Friday night revelers.  People still tired from the work week, but it was the weekend, so they were trying to have some fun before they had to get home.  All of the restaurants with bars were full.  The best chance to get a bite to eat was at one of the pizza places with slices ready to go.

They each had a slice in their hand as they walked towards where Mark had his car parked.  Jackie looked at the happy people around them and hoped that she seemed happy too.  She looked at Mark and saw a smile in his eyes as he chewed on the veggie pizza in his hand.  She took another bite of her sausage and mushroom and smiled back.

They leaned against the car while finishing their slices.  The guard had nodded at Mark, an appraising look at Jackie that turned into a guy ‘good’ nod.  Mark had insisted that they not eat in the car.  It was only a few bites, but they leaned against his Porsche, watching some of the people in the street before he would let Jackie get into the car.

Without the rain, the ride was much quicker.  Jackie watched out the window and saw her bus as they passed it. Her mind wandered and she found she was starting to nod off.  She smiled and liked being driven home.

Parking was much easier.  Mark was able to find a space on the other side of the street just a little down from her apartment building.  He held the door for her as she climbed out of the car, a hand over her mouth to cover a yawn.

“You didn’t get much sleep last night.  I could just go to my place.  Maybe see you tomorrow?”

Jackie shrugged.  “I don’t want you to waste a trip just to-”  She saw him shake his head.  “I would like to be with you again, but, ya.  I am tired.”

He held out his arm and they walked across the street.  They stopped in the doorway of the apartment building, kissing in the green light.  He walked her up to her door and they kissed again.  She stepped inside, wanting to invite him in, but afraid she would just fall asleep on him.  She smiled at the thought.  She listened until he had gone out the front door before closing her door.

 

The morning came a little too early.  A car alarm went off and was going for five minutes.  Jackie was certain that everyone in the neighborhood was awake.

The TV was on and she was deciding whether she wanted to make eggs or bake something when she started to hear the clanking from outside.  It was rhythmic.  Once she heard it and it continued for a while, she tuned it out.  Usually.  This time, Jackie stood at the open window and tried to find where the sound was coming from.

The apartment buildings were not too close, but she could tell that it was coming from one of the other buildings.  Not someone working on a car.  She pulled her robe a little closer around her as she leaned against the window frame.  It was a nice day, even with the clanking.

With having a full bag of sugar, and another jar of peaches, Jackie made a full crumble.  It was much easier to make since she didn’t have to open the little packets.  She smiled, looking at the box of sugar packets mark had gotten her.  She preferred the brown cane sugar packets, but it was fine that he had gotten her...

The clanking had stopped.  Jackie went to the kitchen window and pulled the curtain as far open as she could.  She looked across and saw an ass she would always recognize.  He was standing with the fridge door open, drinking something from a glass, but leaning on the open door as he poured more of whatever it was before drinking it again.  He put the container away and propped himself on the window ledge.  She hadn’t seen his face, but she knew that body.

Part of her mind wanted to run away.  Part of her mind wanted to close every window and never go out of her apartment again.  The part that was in control found some paper and a marker and wrote something in large letters.  She taped it to the kitchen window and went to get dressed.

About ten minutes later, there was a buzz.  She pushed the security button and waited at the open door to her apartment.  Mark looked over the bannister as he came up the stairs, a shy grin on his face.  She stepped into the apartment, leaving the door open for him.

He was wearing sweats, the wetness from a hurried shower making the knit fabric cling to him.  She had put on the only dress she had, other than the three bridesmaid’s dresses in keeper bags in her closet.  A summery sundress that was just a little snug around her middle, but with her apron over it, she was sure it didn’t make her look too much like a sausage.

Mark went to the window and pulled the paper down.  He looked at it and smiled.  “I would love to have crumble.  I don’t really do coffee, but if you have juice...?”

Jackie smiled.  He was acting like a schoolboy again.  He was shy and seemed embarrassed for being caught.  But his smile showed his dimple as he leaned against her counter.

She served up a scoop for each of them, coffee for her and orange juice for him.  They sat on the futon eating.  The quiet that seemed to be with them every time they had eaten together was a little different.  Mark was nervous and Jackie felt a little satisfaction for having figured out Mark’s secret.  At least that one.

She took the plates into the kitchen and loaded the dishwasher.  She turned and saw that Mark had been watching her as she was bent over.  He blinked and dipped his head, but did not look away.

The reason she wore the only dress she had was for her next move.  She stood in front of him as he sat on the futon couch.  She saw his eyes go up her body and a hopeful glint was in his eye when he reached hers.  She had to raise the tight skirt a little, but she knelt onto his lap, a knee to either side of him.

Mark’s hands went around her and she let her own arms go around his shoulders as he pressed his face into her chest.  She felt his hands reach for and hold her ass, not on his way to doing something else, just holding her ass.  She knew she didn’t have anything but the dress on and could feel his fingers trying to find a panty line.  It was tight enough it held her breasts up, the low neckline keeping them up at a good height for Mark’s mouth.

She felt something change under her and knew that Mark was getting hard.  She wiggled and heard him gasp through her cleavage.  He looked up at her and she bent down to kiss him.

There was a small sound and then a large ripping sound as the side seam in the dress gave way.  Jackie swore, but Mark took it as an opportunity.  His hand went through the gap, making it larger.  An arm from around her pulled and the seam went further.  Jackie was somewhat angry, but felt the need in him as he uncovered her and started to fondle and kiss what was being exposed.

Soon, she was naked, the shreds of clothing on the floor behind her.  He pulled off his sweat shirt and held her to him, skin to skin.  He kissed and stroked her, making little sounds as he sucked on her nipples or kneaded her ass.  He was very ready and she could feel that she was soaking the front of his sweat pants right over his bulge.

He surprised her.  He put his arms around her and lifted her.  He almost stood with her in his arms, but she wiggled and was set down.  He held her and kissed Jackie, his hands moving to her ass and holding her against him, pressing his covered cock into her lower stomach.

“Bedroom?”  He seemed to be pleading more than asking.

She nodded, but put her fingers into the waistband of the sweatpants and pushed down.  The thick knit pants were down and kicked off, showing that he hadn’t bothered to put on underwear, too.

Jackie’s hand went to his stiff cock.  She stroked up and down on him a few times, feeling how much he wanted her.  This time, she knew what she wanted and was going to have just a little more control than the first night.

Jackie still had ahold of his cock as she led them into the bedroom.  She had thought of the first night and had found a pitcher to put water in, two glasses empty but ready on the night table.  Mark saw that and smiled before she pulled him to the bed.

It was far too late to try to hide under the covers.  Jackie had realized that Mark wanted her, her breasts and her ass and the rest of her body.  She wanted his body, oh, she wanted it.  If she was going to see his body as they made love, he was going to see hers.

Jackie pushed Mark back on the bed.  She went between his legs and knelt on the bed.  She knew her ass was up in the air behind her as she started to suck on his cock.  She looked up his body and saw that his half-closed eyes were going back and forth between watching her go down on him and up to her ass.

There was a flash of something that went through her.  It was warm and fired her up even more.  He liked her, for her ass, not in spite of it.  If she could have smiled around his cock, she would have.

She felt his hand on her head, both seeming to want her to go further and to stop her.  She did not know how much more of her blow-job he could handle as he was moaning and his legs were tensing to either side of her.  She sat back, feeling the strain in her jaw as she slowly slid her hand up and down his spit-slick cock.

Jackie went off the end of the bed and to the TV tray.  The condoms were still there.  She was not really sure how to put one on as her last boyfriend a decade before had not liked them and would put one on only if she were having her period.  She handed the condom in it’s wrapper to Mark and sat back between his legs.

His hands were trembling.  He was able to rip the package open and unrolled the condom slightly before trying to put it over the head of his cock.  Jackie helped, getting the latex over him and then stroking down to unroll it around him.

She had a flash that was not as warm.  That she was being wanton.  That she had been able to control and suppress her urges for years.  Now that she had a very willing partner, she felt as though there was a flood poised to overflow her common sense.

Mark went up on one elbow and held out his hand to her.  “Baby, what do you want?”

She smiled.  No tears.  “You.”

She was steadied by his hand as she climbed on top of him, his cock pushing into her from below.  She was wet, but her pussy was still not used to being used.  There was a little pain as she felt her self stretch around him.  She was sitting on him, his hands holding her breasts and a look of bliss on his face.

She tried to move like she had seen porn stars do, bouncing up and down on him.  It was awkward and didn’t seem to do much.  Jackie leaned forward and found Mark’s arms around her, his face in her breasts.  He encouraged her hips to move with hands there, holding and directing.  It was much easier and something hit right in her, a gasp and a moan coming out as she closed her eyes.

It was good.  He slowed her down several times, a slightly pained expression on his face as he held his breath.  He would then thrust up, speeding her up again.  He liked to lightly bite and suck on her breasts, it didn’t seem to matter if it was her nipple or not.  His hands held onto her hips and ass while she was moving, roving up her back and to her breasts when she slowed or stopped.

He sucked in his breath and whispered, “Please stop.  I’m too close.”

Jackie leaned over Mark and was somewhat relieved.  Her back had started to tense and her legs were tired.  She did not want to stop, but the pain was starting to outweigh the pleasure.

They kissed.  It was nice, breathing into each other, holding and being held.

Mark pushed on Jackie slightly and said, “I want to be on top.”

There was a shifting and repositioning.  Mark was distracted several times by her breasts, holding them and licking them as they moved.  He was between her legs, his arm hooked behind one of her knees when he finally pushed himself back into her.

He went slow, bringing his cock almost all the way out before thrusting back in.  He wanted to last, wanted to make her orgasm.  A hand went to her mound, his thumb finding her clit and making her gasp.  He tried to work on the coordination of cock and thumb, but when he hit the right spot, he felt her tighten inside around him, her hips moving as if she were dancing under him.

He made a decision and pulled out.  He felt his own pulse through his cock and held his breath for a moment until the urge to shove himself back in her and cum passed.  Physically, at least.  He lay down between her legs and started to lap at her, sucking and biting and making her wiggle under him.  His arms went under her legs, his hands holding onto her hips as he worked at her.

Jackie lay there, moaning and wiggling as Mark gave her head.  It felt good and suddenly it felt really, really good.  She held his head to her, felt his finger go in and out of her as he sucked on her clit.  Something in the combination was working and she felt her first orgasm in quite some time start in her.

“Fuck!  OHhhh, hun.  If you keep-AHhhh!”

He went faster with his fingers and his tongue until the waves he could feel inside of her slowed down, her ass not lifting it’s self off the bed making it hard to keep up with her.  Before she had time to relax, he moved up her and entered her, his hands holding tight to her hips as he went for broke.

She had not expected the first orgasm.  When he started to pound into her, her sensitive spots didn’t know what to do and pushed her into another orgasm.  She heard herself and thought that she might be a bit loud, but she didn’t care.  She heard Mark’s breath get ragged, his hands gripping her as if he was going to loose her as he came to his own orgasm.  His own voice joined hers before he collapsed on top of her, gasping into her shoulder.

They held each other for a while.  He didn’t want to get off of her, to stop touching her.  She didn’t want to stop holding him, his face close enough to kiss.

It was his cock shrinking that made him move.  Mark pushed his hand between them and held onto the slipping condom.  There was some maneuvering as Mark made sure that the condom didn’t leak as he pulled out.

Jackie pulled the covers down and lay on the bed, listening to Mark in the bathroom.  She was happy.  She heard him cleaning himself up and then peeing into the toilet.  She smiled as he flushed and washed his hands.  It was something she had issue with before, but that was before.  Mark was different.

He opened the door and looked at Jackie.  He was smiling, but seemed shy.  She pulled the cover back and he came out of the bathroom.  Mark slid in with her and they held each other.

Jackie felt like napping.  Being in Marks arms felt safe and his breathing sounded like he had fallen asleep while holding her.  Her fingers made little circles on his chest, feeling the strength he had.

Mark took in a breath and sighed.  “Jackie, I am happy right now.  I hope I made you happy.”

She nodded into his chest.  “You have.”

It was a few more minutes before Mark kissed the top of Jackies head.  “Now for the difficult part.”

Jackie looked up and then sat up a little to be able to see him.  “Difficult?”

He nodded and smiled.  “Introducing you to the cat.”

 

Next chapter in the story of Mark and Jackie, Ex:Boyfriend