then looked him over with a critical eye. 'Did you bring a
suit jacket today?'
'Yes. Of course.'
'Wear that. Nobody wil notice. It's a little warm, but you'l
'Wear that. Nobody wil notice. It's a little warm, but you'l
feel better.' I patted his arm, and the muscles jumped
beneath my fingers.
Paul shook his head slowly. 'Paige…'
I let him trail off and didn't offer a response. We looked at
each other. Without the harsh overhead lights, Paul looked
younger. The lines in his forehead visibly smoothed as I
stroked his arm.
It wasn't appropriate. If anyone had seen us, the gesture
could have been misconstrued. At the very least, it might
have started damaging rumors. But nobody saw us, and
Paul gentled under my touch. After working for him for so
many months, I knew what he needed.
It al fel into place. I thought of the day he'd put the
bandage on my leg. How he'd taken such care. And of his
lists, laid out in such detail to let me know exactly what he
needed and wanted. I thought of how he'd owned to being
difficult to work for, when in the end he'd made it so very
simple for me to give him everything he needed I couldn't
remember why I'd ever thought he was hard to work with.
And just then, I think we both understood.
And just then, I think we both understood.
He must have known before what he realy wanted, and
how hard it must have been for him to get it. Yesterday,
too focused on what I thought I'd needed and wanted, I
hadn't been able to see it.
'Put your suit jacket on, Paul. And go to your meeting.
And tomorrow, instead of coffee, you'd better drink water
until you can be less clumsy.' I didn't say it lightly. I wasn't teasing.
I was testing.
He closed his eyes briefly and when he opened them, I
saw relief and something else. A little shame. A little
excitement. I felt the sting and swirl of it, too, but I lifted
my chin and tried not to show it.
'Now,' I said, 'go to your meeting.'
He put on his suit jacket and left.
There was nothing overtly sexual about what had
happened. I didn't want to fuck my boss. Until today I
wouldn't have believed he wanted to fuck me, either,
beyond the fact that most men would like to fuck most
beyond the fact that most men would like to fuck most
women. Yet something had passed between us, something
charged and tense and arousing.
Alone in Paul's office I had to bend and put my hands on
his desk, my head down so I could catch my breath. I'd
fainted twice in my life, and this didn't feel like that, the
