A Passing Fancy

It was Sylvia. Seeing her sitting there was like an electric shock.

"Hello, Ronnie." She smiled, after taking a moment for the surprise to wear off.

"Sylvia. Nice to see you." He said. He felt his body break an instant sweat.

"You two know each other?" Jack asked, looking back and forth between the two of them.

"Yes, we...we went to school together, Jack." She told him.

"Oh. Well, have a seat, let's take a look at what you came up with." Ronnie handed him the ledger with the bids, Jack scanned it and then sat it down with a smile.

"You are under what I had figured, good. Looks like we will have a deal, I just need to have accounting take a look at this, OK?"

Ronnie nodded, almost not hearing that, his head was whirling with Sylvia sitting right there, almost within reach.

"So. Were you two friends in school?" Jack asked Ronnie.

"Yes, Sylvia worked for me for awhile, she is the person that helped me get things organized. She is probably responsible for what I do today."

"OH! You are THAT guy? Now this is a coincidence, she told me about you." He grinned at Ronnie.

Ronnie flushed furiously at that.

"Relax, it's no big deal. Sylvia and I are dating sometimes now, but who knows where it will go? She runs my office and does a damn good job of it, too."

He sounded almost dismissive, and it was Sylvia's turn to blush. She didn't say much the entire meal, just looked at Ronnie from time to time.

After their meal, and some discussions about everything from work to fishing, they got up to leave.

"I will be in touch next week, see you then." He shook Ronnie's hand, Sylvia cast him a sidelong glance, then reached out for Jack's elbow and they left.

Everything was right back, Ronnie had been buried in his work and managed to keep from thinking about her all of the time.

Now his mind was full of her again. That evening at home he slipped into his bed, then he realized his eyes were full of tears. Finally managing to doze fitfully, he dreamed of her smiling face, the way she had attempted delightfully to learn about his body and the way it worked.

Ronnie woke up at 4 AM, got up. There was no point in trying to sleep. Sylvia was with Jack now, all hope was lost.

He wasn't surprised when the phone rang and he had gotten the work, he drove over to Jack's office which was in a mobile home on site to sign the papers. Jack pulled up in a huge white pickup a minute or two after Ronnie got there.

There was a very pretty large busted woman sitting in the truck with him. She had on a blouse that was designed to demonstrate very clearly that she had a large bust.

"Morning! This is Karen." He said. The blond barely glanced at him, then she slid down out of the truck. Her skirt was very short and tight also, her legs bare.

"Not bad, huh?" Jack whispered to him, nudging him with an elbow. Then they went inside.

Sylvia sat at a desk, doing some notations. She looked up at Ronnie with that same odd expression, nodded and went back to what she was doing.

They soon had the contracts signed, Ronnie got up to leave.

"Say, Jack? I don't know what the deal is with Sylvia, but do you mind if I....?"

Jack laughed.

"Hey, go for it. Just remember, she is MY secretary!" He wisecracked.

Ronnie walked right up to Sylvia, stood there and waited. She knew very well that he was standing there, but she took her time and finished, finally setting down the notebook.

"What, Ronnie?" She asked.

"I want to talk, can I maybe buy you dinner? I want to explain some things." He was stumbling over the words.

"There really isn't a lot to explain, Ronnie. I was there and I saw that." She was obviously struggling to maintain her composure, then her eyes went damp.

"I gave you...everything!" She said angrily.

Ronnie heard the other office door close.

"It wasn't like you think. I really do need to talk to you. Please?"

"No. I don't want to." She looked down.

"But..."

"Please leave me alone." She said.

Crushed, miserable, Ronnie left.

+++

Two days later his phone rang.

"I changed my mind." She told him.

+++

Sylvia walked into the lounge, Ronnie was sitting there sipping some coffee when she arrived. She was dressed in a simple gray business suit.

Spotting him, she walked over and sat down.

"OK. Here I am. Tell me why you cheated on me." She said flatly.

"I didn't. I was...that all started way before I met you, then when we..during Spring Break? I never touched her again."

"I saw you, she didn't even have any clothes on."

"She almost never did."

"What were you doing then?"

"I was getting ready to tell her that we..I couldn't do it any more, that I was with you."

"Really? You never once even told me you loved me, I thought I was just sex to you." She looked him right in the eyes.

"I know. I was young and all confused, but all I could think of was you."

"So how many women have you been with since?"

"None. I haven't even been out on a date, you have to believe that!"

"Oh, I believe it. I asked around." She grinned.

"Really? Who did you ask?" Ronnie was puzzled at that.

"Some of your crew, some of the people you work with. Did you know they think you are gay?" She tipped her head back and laughed.

"Gay? Why? I don't...."

"They told me you ignore women when they come around."

The waitress came by, served some drinks, they sat quietly looking at each other until she left.

"So where do we go from here, Ronnie?"

"I don't know, but I would really like to see you, go out, maybe?"

"I would like that too, Ronnie. There has been a lot of things that happened, so we need to start over...and see...?"

+++

Ronnie and Sylvia dated over the next few weeks, he kissed her good night and she kissed him back but that was as far as it went.

Then on a Friday morning he came into her office to get some shipment reports.

"You have the whole weekend off, don't you?" She asked.

"Sure, why?"

"Remember that motel we stayed at way back? That first night?" She grinned.

"Yes."

"I got us some reservations, you will come, won't you?"

"Yes!"

"I want us to...start over." She blushed delightfully.

Ronnie smiled at her, she just nodded and went back to work.

Saturday afternoon they drove down and checked in. The place looked just the same except the carpet was a different color. Putting everything away, she announced that she was going to take a shower.

Ronnie sat down on the edge of the bed and waited.

When the door opened, she stood there wearing a tank top T-shirt, just like she had that evening years before. She grinned at him, knowing her body was outlined by the light behind her.

"I have to tell you, I have to know if it matters." She said.

"Tell me what?"

"I have been with..some other men."

"I figured that probably happened." He told her.

"I wanted to feel like you made me feel. So I tried, but none of them could...One of them was...Jack, you know." She had her lower lip in her mouth.

Ronnie just nodded.

"When I saw you...with that woman..it nearly destroyed me. I loved you so much, and I thought you didn't care."

"I cared. I was in love with you, I just didn't know."

"Does it matter?"

"Does what matter?"

"My being with..some men..and Jack. You will be working with Jack."

"No, not really. Not if you will be just...mine now, always. I am in love with you!" He said.

Sylvia looked at him, then her eyes filled with tears.

"I do love you too, Ronnie. I always did, even when...?"

"Forget that, we are back to where we belong now, so come here." Ronnie patted the bed beside him. She instead piled right on top of him.

+++

Monday morning Ronnie and Sylvia walked hand in hand into Jack's office. He looked up at them, then he grinned.

"We have some bad news for you." Ronnie told him.

"What's that?" He was still grinning.

"You lost your secretary."

Jack tipped his head back and roared.

"You asshole! See, babe? I told you he was an asshole. But I kind of figured on that, that is why I hired Tammy." He told them.

Just then a beautiful African American woman walked out of the back room. Her outfit made it quite clear that she had a nice pair of breasts.

"Hi! Can I help you?" She asked.

"Nope. Everything appears to be just fine." The woman had a confused look on her face.

They all laughed again, then Ronnie and Sylvia left.

"I should get myself a secretary like that." He whispered to her, teasing.

"Jack is right, you are an asshole! But anyway, you already have one." She grinned.