Chapter 5
Just as Marshall had
requested, Vanessa was in the office in casual dress a few minutes before ten am.
After she had woken up that morning, she had promised herself to make
more of an attempt to get along and be friendly with her boss. The day before, she hadn’t acted like a
professional; her behavior was that of a child’s, and that
was unacceptable as she was first an employee and second a person.
Soon after she had arranged her belongings on her desk, Marshall
had walked into her office.
“Good morning, Marshall,”
she said happily; disheartening, though, was that she was able to sense his
presence by feel alone.
“You seem to be in a better mood,” he remarked.
“I am. What do you have
for me today?”
“Not much. It’s a Thursday, we don’t get too busy until tomorrow. There’s an employee meeting, however, in a
half hour.”
“All right. Anything
else?”
“You’re being very accommodating.”
“I am your secretary, and that is my job—to be accommodating.”
“Don’t go getting too professional on me, now!” he teased.
She smiled. “I won’t.”
Damn, she’s beautiful when she smiles. “Oh, could you order lunch for us?”
“Us?” she croaked.
“Well, you do need lunch, right?”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“Hm, order whatever you want. There’s petty cash in the drawer. Oh, yeah, here’s the key,” he handed the key
to her and nearly jumped as the brief contact electrified him.
Vanessa also felt the shock and looked away desperately. “Thanks. Anything I want?”
“Nothing too adventurous!
But yes, anything. I’ll see you
at the meeting,” he said as he walked back into his own office.
The meeting was rather uneventful; Marshallstatistics and delegated work. As lunch approached, she dialed up her
favorite restaurant and ordered a few dishes that she was craving—a smile
crossed her face as she wondered what his expression would be when he saw what
he was eating!
She knocked on the door, as it was slightly closed, but instead,
heard him yelling.
“Damn it, Kim, don’t you get it?
I don’t want to speak with you!”
A moment lapsed, where she assumed Kim was responding.
“I’m so fuckin’ tired of the games you
play; don’t pretend like you care. I
know what you’re after. Bitch, please,”
he yelled and slammed the receiver down.
“God damn that woman knows how to piss me off.”
Feeling safer, she knocked a little louder.
“Oh, yeah, come in.”
“Lunch’s about ready,” Vanessa said. She wasn’t sure whether she should pretend
that she hadn’t heard the conversation, so she acted naturally instead.
“What’d you order?”
“Wait and see,” she replied with a sexy smile.
“Am I going to like it?
Hell, am I going to be able to recognize it when I see it?”
“Depends,” Vanessa said coyly.
“It better be good.”
“I think it is.”
“Yeah, but women are weird.”
“I’m not pregnant, so my food tastes aren’t that ‘weird’.”
“I’ll try it. But it
better taste damn good.”
“You’ll live, I promise.”
The phone rang in Marshall’s
office, and he reached for it but was intercepted by Vanessa leaning over and
getting it first.
“It’s for me,” she mouthed.
“Ah, yes, send it right up. Thank
you, Steve,” she kept her tone light and flirty as she chit chatted with the
security guard.
Marshall tried to avert his eyes from her cleavage—really he
did—but failed miserably as the v-neck top cut dangerously low and was
stretched taut across her chest; his mind was wandering straight into the
gutter as he realized she was braless.
As if her body had taken notice of his watchful eyes, her nipples reacted
and hardened beneath his hungry gaze.
“Yes, we’ll have to do that sometime,” she replied to something
the guard had said while rolling her eyes.
“Talk to you later.”
She glanced everywhere but at him as she became aware of her
body’s traitorous reaction. Slowly, she
folded her arms across her chest. His
eyes were gradually raising to hers; eyes full of
need.
“I wonder where your mind is,” she taunted.
“Same place your body’s at,” he tossed back.
Unable to come up with a better quip, she opted for silence and
an eye roll. The interruption of food
was greatly welcomed, and Vanessa immediately went to retrieve the paper bag.
“Where are we eating?”
“Here?”
“Okay,” she nodded and began to take out the small cartons.
“Chinese?” he guessed.
“No, and I hope you aren’t a vegetarian.”
“I’m not.”
“Good.”
“So, what is it?” he asked as she opened one of the cartons and
steam rose into the air.
Vanessa felt for a fork in the bag, upon finding one, she
pierced a piece of barbequed pork.
“Taste it,” she said excitedly, and placed the fork and its
contents in front of his face.
Warily, he opened his mouth to take what she was offering. At first, he chewed carefully, slowly, and
purposely. The flavors soon overwhelmed
his mouth; the slight sweetness mixed with a subtle spiciness aroused his taste
buds.
“How is it?” she asked, a little worried herself.
“It’s very good,” he replied honestly. “Now, damn it, tell me what it is!”
“Korean Barbeque.”
“I see you’re cultured.”
“A little,” she shrugged.
“There’s more for you to try!”
Vanessa was extremely enthusiastic—she always enjoyed watching
people try new things, especially food.
It was an even more enjoyable experience because Marshall
savored each new dish the same way:
tentatively at first, then ferociously devouring it, and asking for
more. She had ordered three different
dishes and found that he liked all of them.
They ate leisurely, chatting idly about nothing significant in between
bites.
“Now, there’s just one last thing.”
“What?” he inquired, eager to see what
else she had up her sleeve.
“Dessert, of course! No
meal is complete without dessert.”
She pulled back the carton’s lid to show him a syrupy concoction
that smelled sweet and fragrant. After
cutting it up, she offered him a bite which he took readily.
“This was great,” he murmured.
“And I’m full. Damn, I don’t
think I’ve been this satisfied in a while.”
Vanessa quirked an eyebrow.
“Serious.”
“Thanks.”
“You know what I could go for now?”
“What?”
“A nap.”
They laughed together, full from lunch, and content with their
friendly conversation.
Chapter 6