Tuesday, April 22, 6:07PM
Brett Kozlowski briskly entered the elevator and depressed the '18' button on its metallic panel. He lived on the eighteenth floor in an apartment at Luxe, a very desirable, upscale complex in the heart of downtown. His eyes were buried in his phone, answering a flood of work emails streaming from his boss, despite the fact that it was 6pm on a Tuesday.
"Can you please hold the door?!" an exasperated female voice called from the lobby.
Brett's left hand shot out to prevent the elevator doors from shutting as he continued to type a response to the latest crisis with his right.
A young woman stepped into the elevator, holding a cardboard box labeled 'kitchen'.
"Thank you, kind sir." As her voice sounded vaguely familiar, Brett curiously looked up from his phone. "My hands are full, would you mind me pressing '22' for me?"
"Abbi?"
"Mr K!" Her excited voice confirmed that Brett didn't misidentify the attractive woman.
"Oh my God! Abbi Belle! How have you been? Wait, are you moving into the Luxe?!"
Abbi interned at Brett's company last summer. While she was more than 20 years younger than Brett, there was real chemistry that never extended beyond some innocent flirtation.
She was short and curvy. Her large brown eyes, shoulder length dark hair and light tan skin confirmed her parents' Brazilian heritage.
But what Brett found most alluring was her mind. Abbi was extremely bright. She communicated using a colorful vocabulary that highlighted her obvious intellect.
He loved the flirty way she always called him 'Mr K'. The rest of the office either called him 'Brett' or 'Koz'.
Towards the end of her internship, Abbi invited Brett to call her anytime, an offer he considered more than he would ever admit, but ultimately ignored.
After all, Brett was married.
"Yes, Mr K, I am moving into Luxe. Last week, I accepted a generous job offer with LHG. Not to boast, but it pays quite handsomely."
"And what role will you be performing with LHG, Ms Belle?"
"VP of Digital Marketing," Abbi smiled proudly.
"Wow! That's quite a feat. Congratulations are due, Ms Belle!"
"Thanks Mr K. Actually, this encounter is quite fortuitous, as you've crossed my mind often as of late. I drew on many of my experiences and conversations with you during the countless rounds of interviews with my new employer. I strongly believe those experiences directly led to my offer. So, I feel I am forever indebted, Mr K."
Abbi's beautiful brown eyes sparkled with sincerity as she smiled at him.
"Don't be silly, Ms Belle. You earned this yourself... Well, this is my floor, Ms Belle. I suppose I'll be seeing you around Luxe?"
"With any luck, absolutely, Mr K!"
Brett stole a quick look at Abbi's cleavage, then smiled at Abbi as the elevator doors shut.
Tuesday, April 22, 10:03PM
Brett sat in his bed, checking on tomorrow's weather report when an unexpected text appeared on his phone screen.
AB: Hi Mr K! It's Abbi Belle. I know it's late, but I'm in desperate need of a little life advice. Let me know when you have a moment?
Brett immediately responded.
BK: Hi Abbi! No worries! I've got a moment right now. How can I help?
AB: Great! I admit this with some degree of embarrassment, but I've had this massive attraction to this incredible older man since last summer. We have this incredibly strong connection that is difficult to explain... How would you recommend I go about getting his attention?
Brett felt an immediate jolt of adrenaline rush through his body. Then he signed. No matter how tempting, he knew he could never act on Abbi's advances.
BK: I don't have to explain to a girl as smart as you how inappropriate your text message is, Ms Belle.
AB: Oh, Mr K, where's the fun in always playing by the rules? Life's too short not to indulge in some occasional excitement! And besides, I rather enjoyed our intellectual sparring matches last summer, especially when they happened to take their common detours into flirtation territory.
BK: I'm not sure your boyfriend would appreciate this conversation, Ms Belle.
AB: Who said anything about me having a boyfriend, Mr K?
Each text received caused Brett's phone to buzz. He navigated to the phone's settings to turn off vibration, afraid his sleeping wife might be awoken by Abbi's messages and the dull buzz that each caused.
BK: I'm not sure my wife would appreciate it either, Ms Belle.
AB: Ugh, how positively clichΓ©. But fret not, handsome husband of another. I'm not looking to steal your heart away from Karen or whatever her undoubtedly boring name is. I just want to discreetly borrow you an hour or two on occasion.
BK: How progressive of you, Ms Belle.
AB: Thank you, Mr K.
BK: And have you reflected at all on all the ways this could go horribly wrong, Ms Belle?
AB: No, I haven't bothered unpacking countless hypotheticals, Mr K. Instead, I've spent my time pondering a theory I've formed since I met you.
BK: Go on, Ms Belle.
AB: You're secretly a hopeless romantic, bored with your routine, the same boring job, the same boring wife, the same boring sex...
BK: That's a description, Ms Belle, not a theory.
AB: Please allow me to finish, Mr K. Here is the theory: That in the small handful of quiet moments in between morning coffees, NPV models, staff meetings, and unending emails, yearns a deep seeded need for something exciting and far more passionate.
BK: Fair enough, but that's not exactly profound. I could say the same thing about countless other humans spinning on this globe, up to and including the lovely and talented Abbi Belle.
AB: But you would be wildly incorrect about me! I'm not yearning for passion; I'm taking it, Mr K. As evidenced by this very conversation! We have an undeniable chemistry, you know it and I know it. Stop fighting this. Come get me.
Brett froze. He wanted to reply, but at this moment, words failed him.
AB: Ugh, Jesus. If you want me to stop texting you, Mr K, just let me know.
Abbi had given Brett an easy escape, yet he couldn't bring himself to end the conversation. Despite his wall of resistance, he was thoroughly enjoying her attention and their cerebral conversation. He wasn't willing to let it go.
BK: I think you overestimate our chemistry, Ms Belle.