Marlene winced as her finger got caught in the date stamp. Her eyes closed to cat-like slits and her lips puckered to an "o," as she grabbed her hand and yelped.
Steve turned, "Are you okay?" Seeing what had happened, he sped off to get her some ice from the office fridge upstairs.
Marlene smiled, and watched him go, and released her grip on her other hand. Looking around to make sure no one was watching, she undid the top button of her blouse. She'd only pretended to hurt herself to see what he would do. He returned quickly with some ice wrapped in a hand towel and put it on her "injured" hand.
She thanked him, and he said, "Hey, it's your birthday today, isn't it? Would you like me to treat you to lunch?"
She accepted cheerfully. She wasn't sure what to make of Steve. She was pretty sure she'd caught him looking at her several times out of the corner of her eye, but unlike the other guys in the office, he never seemed to "undress" her with his eyes, nor did he seem to scope out her ample cleavage like everyone else. In fact, she'd noticed that when he talked to her, he rarely made full eye contact and seemed to look somewhere past her shoulder.
At lunchtime he stopped by her desk, and looking up, she said, "You ready?" He replied affirmatively, and she stood up. She was a 4'11" package of sex appeal, with soft, yet smoldering brown eyes, a button nose with a playful smile, and a slender body. Her breasts were significantly larger than most girls her size, but they were original factory equipment. There was no plastic surgery here.
She slung her purse over her shoulder and seeing his frown when he saw her cigarette; she assured him, "Don't worry. I'll put it out. I won't smoke in your car."
Relieved, he held the exit door open for her, and to her delight, he also opened the door to his Mazda MX-5 for her. Hopping in, she said, "This is a nice car you have." and he thanked her shyly. He drove them to a nearby restaurant that served pretty decent pub food.
They talked companionably during the meal about this and that, and she again noticed that he didn't seem to be looking in her eyes when he spoke, and he wasn't looking at the hint of her intentionally exposed cleavage. After they finished the meal, she lit a cigarette and slowly exhaled up to the ceiling. She noticed his eyes on her lips and the way they followed the plume of smoke upwards. Pleased that she'd gotten this reaction, she began to make her plans.
The waitress returned and asked if they'd like any coffee or dessert. "You're the birthday girl, up to you," Steve offered. Marlene said she was full and not wanting to get in trouble with the bitches that ran the office, said that they'd better head back. Steve assured her it would be okay since she was with him, but she declined.
As he parked the car outside the office, he asked how things were going with her boyfriend. "What boyfriend?" she asked, "I dumped that loser."
Steve looked as if there were something he wanted to say, but he got out and opened the door for her again. "You are quite the gentleman," she noted enthusiastically. He just blushed a little which amused her no end.
They entered the office, and she went to her desk, and he went upstairs to his work area, and they resumed their work day.
In mid-afternoon, she noticed Steve standing by the file cabinet by the water cooler, and she went over, gently pushed him aside, and bent straight down and pretended to get something stored under the desk. He couldn't take his eyes off her precious bottom situated inches from his groin, and he started to feel a familiar swelling. Embarrassed, he quickly put a folder in front of his now bulging pants. Noticing that she'd gotten the intended result, she smiled to herself and went back to her desk with the "needed" supplies.
At quitting time, she'd gone upstairs to clean out the coffee pot since the bitches she worked with always made her do it, as though they never drank any themselves. Seeing him sitting at his desk with his back to her she quickly leaned over his right shoulder and said, "Thank you for lunch." She tried to give him a quick peck on the cheek, but he'd turned to say "You're welcome." and their lips met accidentally.
Startled, she took a quick step back, and suddenly, he was standing with his arms on either side of her shoulders, with a strangled look on her face. She gestured to the cigarette she had in her hand and quickly ducked under his arms to put it in a nearby ashtray. She snuck back under his arms, and lazily draped hers around his neck. "Now, where were we?" she asked.
Steve still looked spell-struck, and quickly looked down at his feet. "Hey, look at me," she intoned, and when he didn't obey immediately, she repeated herself. "Look. At. Me." she said softly, and his eyes rose but still didn't quite seem centered on hers. It was as if he was afraid to look at her.
She studied him intently, and then smiled, "I think we need to talk, why don't you take me to dinner?" He nodded dumbly, and he shut down his laptop, and they left the office.
It was a small office, and it wasn't in the best neighborhood, so he walked her to her car. "Do you know D'Esposito's?" she asked, and he nodded. "Good, follow me home, and we can go over together." She got into her car, and he walked to his car parked a short distance away and did the same. He then followed her to her home, and he got out to open the car door for her once more. She smiled with genuine delight at his gentlemanly behavior and got in.
He drove to the restaurant, and they got a quiet table in the corner. They sat down and again enjoyed a quiet meal and good conversation. To Marlene's frustration, Steve still couldn't seem to look her straight in the eye, and she was determined to get to the bottom of this.
At the end of the meal, the waitress inquired if they wanted coffee or dessert, but Marlene said they'd take the check.
He drove her back to her parent's home, and she invited him in. "I'm only 19, so I can't offer you anything alcoholic, but I can offer you a soda." He was hesitant, but she assured him her parents weren't home and that it would be okay.
He followed her into her house, and she invited him to grab a seat on the couch, and she flicked the tv on with a remote. "I'm just going to get out of these work clothes into something more comfortable and get you that soda."
She returned quickly, wearing sweatpants and an oversized cut-off sweatshirt and two Cokes. Handing him one, she sat down next to him and grabbed the remote to find something to watch.
"Oh, this one is funny, let's watch this," she said, and he shrugged his shoulders agreeably. She saw that he was anxious about something, so she continued to make small talk to ease his anxiety.
Finally, she switched subjects without a segue and said, "So, Steve, tell me. Why won't you ever look me in the eyes?" and looked up at him. Seeing the same strangled expression on his face from before, she gently pushed him backward until he was flat on his back.
She quickly knelt on him, straddling him with her legs, and putting her small hands firmly on his chest. "It's a simple question. Why. Won't. You. Look. At. Me." She punched him gently to accentuate every word.
