It was a late night, as most Thursdays usually are and I was just finishing up my work when my boss entered the room, checking on me before leaving as he usually does. As the Office Manager at a small Family Practice, it wasn't unusual for me to be the first to arrive and the last to leave, getting there even before my boss, the doctor. Most Thursdays he offers me a ride home or a cab because of how late in the day it is, so I can't hold it against him that I work a twelve-fourteen hour day once a week. I was so used to him stopping in to say good night, I didn't even look up when he walked in.
"Hey hon, whatcha working on?" Mark asked as he walked behind me to look over my shoulder at the computer screen.
"Just finishing up the billing for today's patients," I responded, stiffening slightly at how close he was standing. I continued typing in billing codes as he put his hands absently on my shoulders and began to rub them. My face burned as I refused to look at him. Every muscle in my body, so tense from his standing so close melted slightly at his touch.
"Still at it? It's getting late and you must be tired. You've had a long day," Mark said sympathetically as he continued to rub my shoulders. I could feel myself beginning to moan and quickly stifled it as his hands moved from my shoulders to the center of my back, where most of the pain was located.
"How did you know I needed this?" I asked, relaxing slightly at his touch. There was no one else in the world I trusted more than him.
"I know you have a bad back, and I know it's bothering you today because I saw you wince a few times. You know Nicole, if it's really hurting you are welcome to the samples we have. I would never tell you no," Mark said as his hands worked the knots in my back.
"Thanks Doc, but you know I hate taking stuff," I said simply, trying to hide the fact that the feel of his hands, so strong and skilled at the nuances of the human body, was making me wet. If he didn't stop rubbing my back soon, I was going to melt into a puddle on the floor... or worse, scream at him to take me right there on his desk. And, quite frankly, begging your boss for sex is a sure-fire way to earn "attention" you don't need, probably in the form of a sexual harassment lecture!
"Hmmm, I hope you don't hate this too," He said in response, his voice taking on the flirty tone I had grown used to hearing when he and I went out for an after-work drink- usually after he had one too many of those drinks. Right at that moment his hands touched the spot on my back that carried the worst pain and I moaned loudly, earning a small laugh from him. "I guess not." I could hear the grin in his voice and smiled in response. I was no longer even seeing the computer screen, my eyes closing to better enjoy the feel of his hands on my aching back. I swear, the man's hands were a God-send.
This was not the first time he had given me a world-class backrub. Nor was it the first time we had flirted with each other, but nothing had ever come of it. After five years of working extremely closely with him, the first three as his Medical Assistant and the last two as his Office Manager as well, we had become pretty good friends. When he needed someone to keep him company as the movers hauled his entire life from one apartment to the other, I was there. When I needed someone to console me over my poor grades or insane family drama, he was there. He bought me cough drops and chicken soup when I didn't feel well, even though it made him late to an important meeting. I gave up the Fourth of July to be with him as he slogged through mountains of paperwork, for no other reason than because he stated that he didn't want to be alone. We always talked or texted each other during baseball season, enjoying our Yankees/Mets rivalry, even as we compromised and rooted for the other's team when it counted. I couldn't count the number of things I owned that he had given me as a gift, and I doubt he could either. Somewhere along the way this became much more than a job to me: it was my home. Mark was more than just my boss, he was my best friend.
And he is a great friend, compassionate, sweet, generous, funny as all hell, and incredibly interesting. He is a Renaissance Man who could drive/fly anything with an engine, speak two languages fluently and dabbled in two more, write poetry and is an amazingly talented photographer. And all of this in his SPARE time, which, as I'm sure you can imagine, a doctor in private practice has very little of. And if you haven't guessed by now, I have a huge crush on him. I realized this about a few months ago, when I realized that I grinned like a dope any time he called/texted me. And when he and his current ex-girlfriend had discussed marriage, I cried for days. Not to mention the way my heart began to pound any time he looked at me with interest. And I know that he was interested, because one night when we were out together drinking- our inhibitions were way low- we discussed the merits of dating. This was when we both realized that as my boss, and because he was older than I was, it was not a good idea. It would hurt the relationship we had already forged, especially if it ended badly. Which is always a possibility when the power dynamic is right out of a bad, kinky porno: older, mature, experienced man and the younger, naïve woman. Not that this actually corresponded to our real relationship, but still, the thought was in the back of our minds that night. Of course, that same night he did give me one hell of a kiss! Drunk or not, I could no longer deny that I still remember every detail of that kiss; or that I wish it had gone on longer or graduated to something a little more Rated R!
And now, thinking about that kiss, with his hands working their magic on me, I was wetter than I had been in a long time. Shifting slightly in my chair I squeezed my thighs together, hoping for some unnoticed relief. If Mark was anything, he was an awful tease, and I had no reason to expect that this would be anything other than an "I'm sorry you've been on your feet all day running twenty five patients with me even though your back hurts" back-rub. Talk about frustrating! Something told me I was going to be in for another night spent with my vibrator and a fantasy.
While I was pondering all of this, and trying to figure out how to take care of my problem (if you know what I mean, wink wink), his hands drifted lower on my back, forcing me to lean over slightly to grant him access to my lower back. 'Perfect!' I thought, 'now he can't see my lower half' and I began to squeeze my thighs together carefully. If I moved a certain way I could stimulate myself and I wouldn't have to go home frustrated. Gradually, I began to do so, focusing on the lower back massage as his hands wandered over my lower back and sides.
"You're really enjoying this huh?" Again, the flirty, laughing voice. I couldn't even look at him, sure that I was busted.
