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Authors Note: This story stands alone, but there are potential links to some other stories to be published shortly, and possibly to be published in the future as well. Thank you. I hope you enjoy the read.
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I'd worked at the credit union and with Rose for about six years when this incident occurred. Rose was the partner of the company's CEO, Larry, had been ever since I started working with the company, and she was also the company's Operations Manager.
At Christmas functions, it happened so often, that once my date had left me for whatever reason, whether to go to the toilet, to get a drink, or to talk with somebody else, Rose would, in a flash, be over to ask me to dance.
Like it almost seemed she was watching me, just waiting until the opportunity arose. Sometimes it even caused me trouble when my date had gone to the toilet and returned to find me dancing with Rose, and insinuating that "as soon as I'm gone you're dancing with someone else." On more than one occasion this situation occurred, and always I had to explain that it was not my fault. And Larry the boss, could not but have noticed the same thing.
I've never been clever with women, and didn't think I was particularly good looking. Oh, I never had any problems once they'd say, agreed to go on a date, but I was never able to read the signs, unless they were unbelievably obvious, that they were attracted to me.
But in this case, and after getting comments from the different dates I took to these Christmas functions over the years, I finally started to recognise that Rose, may indeed, have possibly developed an attraction to me. I'd never pursued anything though, even when between partners' as she had been and was still, as far as I could figure, the boss' partner, and I didn't think it was such a good idea to interfere with that relationship, not that I would have anyway. I didn't even flirt with the female staff that I knew had partners. Yes, boring ol' me...
In fact, I should have picked up, and my suspicions confirmed of her attraction, or at least the fact that the boss knew that Rose liked me, two years earlier, when at a weekly Managers' meeting, after I had been already been 'nominated,' under protest, but to the applause of the other managers' present, to attend a Credit Union orientation conference, and we were then discussing who else should go, when Rose offered to go with me. Larry, who normally spoke so quietly one could hardly hear him, exclaimed in an uncharacteristically loud and seemingly agitated voice, "NO" to Rose's offer. After all the other manager's, including me, had recovered from the shock of the CEO's exclamation, the selection process continued, with the final result that, five of the newest staff members, who all happened to be females, would be invited to go with me. But that is another story.
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To return to this one, ...it was the last day of the accounting month, and I needed to be on site, to schedule some time critical computer operations. Had it been a weekday, I would just have stayed back in the office, and worked late but this time it was a Saturday. Just after midday, and I was the only person working upstairs of the two level building when I heard the front door open, a slight pause, and then I heard it shut again, followed by the soft footsteps of feet walking on carpet as Rose stuck her head in the doorway of my office. Rose had during the morning, been working on the customer counter downstairs along with two or three other girls, women, who had now all left the building.
"Hi David..." she said with a big smile on her face, "I noticed you were working today, from the computer screen... what brings you in on a Saturday?"
"Hi Rose," I said, lifting my head to look at her, "I just had to get some end of month reports done before the system powered up again on Monday morning."
"Ahhh, the old end-of-month routine."
"Yes, you know, the part of my job that I live for," I replied smiling.
"I know what you mean... It's the bit I look forward too as well" and we both chuckled.
"So what exciting thing have you got planned for when you leave here today?" Rose asked.
"Nothing planned" I said. "I'm not seeing anyone at the moment so I'll just have a quiet nightmaybe enjoy a glass of red, and have a read. I haven't had time to read any good books lately, and I've got a couple that have been screaming out to be read for a while now."
"Sounds good... hmmmm,... I might do the same. I won't be seeing Larry until later this afternoon," and I noticed a funny expression on her face, one that I couldn't quite make out, as I'd not seen it before.
"So what bring you upstairs?" I asked.
"I've got to get some print-outs off the printer" she said pointing to the printer that was in the 'computer room' diagonally opposite my own office.
As well as producing the financial reports, I was also responsible for maintaining the company's computer equipment. The computer room was only small as it only needed to hold a small mainframe, a router, a switch and a couple of printers and a bench under which were stored different coloured papers, printer ribbons, toners, cartridges, and miscellaneous bits and pieces. The only problem with the size of the room was that it was sometimes awkward to get to the paper supplies if somebody was standing in front of the printer, not that that happened very often. You had to kind of squeeze past the person that was standing there, or wait for them to leave.
But knowing that there were two printers downstairs, I became concerned that they weren't working, otherwise why would Rose have printed what she needed on the upstairs printer.
"Are the printers downstairs broken?" I asked.
"No.. relax... I just sent the reports to this one because I saw that you were here today, which is pretty unusual for you, and thought I would just come up and say hello."
"Ohh, that's nice. It really is, and you have brightened my day," I said grinning from ear to ear, "Is there anything I can do for you to return the favour, to brighten your day, not that you look like you need any brightening up... you look pretty good in fact," and I might have for a very brief moment looked uncomfortable as I made that uncharacteristically flirty comment. And she did look pretty good. Rose had short blonde hair, blue eyes, and from what I could make out, a pretty reasonable curvy figure without being fat, or even plump. This day she wore an ankle length navy blue combined blouse/skirt dress with a white design on it. It was actually part of a uniform that our credit union female employees typically wore. They were essentially uniform dresses that could have been worn by any female employees of any of the other banks.
"Why thank you sir," she responded, and added "I'd better leave you to do your work" and went over to the printer.
