The Relationship Business

The man on the bench gave a half-hearted smile and nodded, staring at the ground in front of him.

"Hey, I'm Ross." He held out a hand.

"What? Oh. Hi. I'm Brad." The other man gripped Ross' hand for a firm shake.

"You look like a man with something on his mind," Ross observed. "A woman, right?"

Brad chuffed out a breath. "Is it ever anything else?"

Ross laughed with him. "They do make things interesting. So what is it? Christmas present not big enough? No, wait; she's expecting the mother of all Valentine's Day celebrations."

"No." Brad shook his head. "Well, not from me, anyway."

"No? You not big on the day?"

"No. I mean, I don't mind it but...nah, never mind. It's stupid." He glanced over at Ross. "And I don't know why I'd talk to a stranger about it, anyway. What are you, some sort of shrink?"

Ross laughed. "Not hardly. Just been down a few roads and recognized a fellow traveler is all."

"She doesn't even know me. I mean, she knows me, but doesn't notice me, I guess." Brad decided to talk, Val noticed. Ross was pretty slick.

Val listened with interest but kept his distance. He turned to Tina to ask a question, but she shook her head, put a finger over her lips and indicated he should keep quiet.

"You work at a big office?" Ross asked.

"Kind of. Not that big but big enough." Brad shrugged. "It's just...she's always so confident. Always kind of flirting, but not in a mean way or anything. She even tried flirting with me, but I'm no good at that. I think she thinks I don't like her."

"Hmmm. Well, that's not so bad." Ross stretched his legs out. "I mean, you know each other, so that's half the battle, right? No awkward introductions to worry about?"

Brad scoffed. "I'm awkward at everything. It's a mess." Then he sighed. "I'd give her the best Valentine's Day ever, if she wanted it, but I can't even ask her to lunch."

"So what's her name?"

"Anna." Brad seemed to linger on the name.

He's already in love with her, Val realized. So what's the problem?

"Hey, I know an Anna." Ross slapped his hand on the bench. "What's your Anna look like?"

"Oh, about five-five, curly blonde hair, green eyes." Brad shrugged. "She's a data analyst."

"No way." Ross stared at him. "Is it Anna Chatham, by any chance?"

"Does he really know her?" Val murmured to Tina. She gave him a look, shook her head and poked him in the ribs.

Brad goggled. "Yeah. You know her?"

"Small world, huh?" Ross shook his head. "Listen. I know Anna pretty well, and I also know that she puts up a bit of a front. She is friendly, don't get me wrong, but all the flirting...she does it to keep a distance, you know? If you went right up to her, and asked her out, with no teasing, no double entendres, she'd be all over you." Ross cleared his throat. "Figuratively speaking, of course."

"You think so?" Brad was doubtful.

"I do, and here's another hint." Ross leaned over as though drawing the other man into a conspiracy. "She's been dying to go to the aquarium."

"So you're saying I should go up and ask her on a date...to go see fish?"

Ross grinned. "Yes."

Doubt faded as Brad thought about it and nodded. "All right. Hey, yeah. That's a great idea. I think they even have a special deal for Valentine's Day. We can go and check it out and then we'll have something to talk about over dinner." He smiled.

"Excellent idea." Ross nodded and stood. "Good luck, and tell her Ross said hi."

Tina tugged on Val's arm and they walked back to the office.

"So, you see?" she asked as they settled on either side of his desk. "You see what we do?"

"We help shy people?"

Tina gave him a sharp look and he felt bad.

"In that one instance, yes, we helped a shy person." Her tone had a little frost to it and Val's best smile failed to thaw it. "Do you not see this, really? Because if you don't, Val, you shouldn't be here. We'd be better off on our own."

He was taken back by her blunt assessment. Echoes of Halley's accusations when he took the job raced through his mind. Could he really not to do it? No, he thought. No, he was capable, he just needed to focus.

"Okay, Tina, you're right. I haven't been looking at this the right way. Please, in all seriousness, tell me. I want to do this and I want to do it right." He laid his hands on his desk and hoped she believed him.

She nodded. "All right."

x-x-x-x

February 1

Halley picked at a salad as she read a book and ate her lunch. It was too cold to be outside, but she had found a sunny table by a window. I can almost pretend it's spring, she thought.

"Excuse me. Is this seat taken?"

Halley jumped at the unexpected voice and looked up to find Mel smiling down at her. "Um, no. Help yourself."

"Thanks." He relaxed into the chair. "I couldn't leave a lovely lady like you all alone here."

"That's sweet." Halley smiled at the compliment and found she didn't mind as his eyes took their time looking her over. It had been a while since any guy had looked at her like that. Not that it got the same reaction as when Val had, but...She shook her head. "So, Mel, how are you settling in?"

"Oh, no problems at all. Everyone is very helpful. Very...friendly."

She swallowed as the look on his face became a bit more intense. "I'm glad to hear it. We all try to help each other out." Do I really sound that nervous? she wondered.

"All right, Halley, I'm no good at beating around the bush." He leaned forward in his seat and although her instinct was to lean back, his ice blue eyes held her in place. "You're a beautiful woman, lovely Halley, and I'd like to get to know you more...intimately."

"Oh. Um. Oh." Her voice cracked a little on the last syllable. "That's...thank you." She had a feeling Lem would be good at anything involving intimacy.

"So, shall we go somewhere a bit more private? Somewhere we can talk, alone?" He stroked her hand and tingles shot up her arm.

Halley was quiet for a minute, then a sizzle of resolve went through her. What woman in her right mind turns down the chance to get to know a guy like this?

"Sure, Mel. I'd like that."

x-x-x-x

February 4

Val stared at the phone. He wanted help, but it felt like admitting defeat. On the other hand, he had ten days to go and despite all the work he'd been doing, and Tina's patience, he felt like he'd never make it. He wondered on a daily basis whether Tina had been right, whether he should leave and let the professionals handle it.

You're a professional now, bucko, he reminded himself. Don't take the cowards way out.

No, he decided. Better to ask for help and get the job done, then try to brave it and do it wrong. Leaving a job undone, throwing work onto his colleagues—that had never been his style. He was about to dial when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in." He prayed it was Tina. Ever since his encounter with Izzy, he'd been leery of seeing her again. She was gorgeous, but she was so much...woman.

"Good morning, Val." Rhodi smiled at him from the doorway.

He started to relax, but something in her eyes kept him on guard. "Good morning, Rhodi. Come on in. What can I do for you?"

She slinked across the room and into a chair. The slit in her skirt went to the top of her thigh and Val held his breath, wondering what would happen if she shifted her legs. He jerked his eyes up, but it was no better. Her breasts were displayed to her advantage, and had he not been behind a desk, to his own disadvantage. The smile playing over her lips warned Val that she might be there for more than just a chat.

"You're looking a bit stressed, Val. Perhaps I could help? A massage, maybe?" The sultry voice washed through him.

"Ah, no, no thanks. Appreciate the offer, but I'm fine."

"You don't look fine." She gave a throaty laugh. "Well, you do, but you know what I mean."

He wondered if he was glowing red. "Yes, I do. Um, thanks. Now, is there something you wanted?"

"Oh, always." She stood and came around the desk. Val would have pushed his chair away but she went behind him, trapping him between the desk and the chair. "But I've learned to prioritize," she told him.

"I see." Val closed his eyes and tried to focus. It was difficult when her hair smelled of honeysuckle, and the floral scent of it suffused his body. He could imagine how that lovely blonde hair would look spilled out over a pillow, or hanging over her shoulders, trailing over her breast and to the top of her tight, pink...

"Okay." He tore himself out of the fantasy, feeling as though he was cheating on someone. "So what's the priority?"

"I want a promotion." Rhodi's voice was firm, a contrast to the softness of her skin, of her breasts, which pushed up against his shoulder and made all the blood in his body rush south.

"A promo...a promotion?" Surprise beat back arousal. "What?"

"I'm bored." Rhodi slid around and into his lap before he could protest. "I want a change. I think we need to shake things up around here."

"Now? With less than two weeks to go?" Val stared at her, incredulous. "Rhodi, I have too much going on just trying to keep things running. I can't go switching people around."

"Oh, I like the sound of that." She shifted in his lap and he bit back a groan, then another as she ran her fingers along the vee of her shirt collar. "I like...working with new people."

Val watched, entranced, as the slim finger ran along the material, then just over the valley between what had to be two of the most perfect breasts ever made, and then up the other side. He followed it as she drew it up along her neck and along her jaw, laid it over her pink bow of a mouth.

God. Val fought for a semblance of control. I am way overmatched here.

"Ah, Rhodi, I really, really think this is something better discussed in a couple of weeks." He dared to put his hands on her waist, as he had with Izzy, and started to move her when the door opened. "Oh, God, not again," he whispered.

"Sleeping your way to the top, Rhodi?"

Val saw June in the doorway and wondered if his day could get any worse. Still, he tried to smooth things over. "No, no. I know what it looks like, but Rhodi was just going." He started to lift her up and she resisted for a moment, flicking a malicious smile towards June. Then glided off his lap and stood up, straightening her clothes.

"Relax, June. You're only mad that I got here first."

June seethed. "We do not have time for this right now, and if you weren't such a self-centered b—"

"Okay, ladies, if that's all?" Val drew himself up to the desk and held on as though it was a shield. "We're all busy, I know, and we'd better get cracking."

Rhodi tossed him a sultry smile and swayed her hips as she left. June took a deep breath and gave Val a smile. He almost did a double take at the change that came over her; her cold features relaxed and her brown eyes had a soft look. Oh, no. That's not good. She's about to do the same thing as Rhodi.

June strode over to the desk, as sure and confident in her walk as Rhodi had been lascivious in hers. "I imagine I know what Rhodi told you. She wants a promotion. Well, so do I."

"I told her, I don't think it's a good idea to mess around right now." Val winced at his choice of words.

June laughed, a softer yet no less sexy sound than her predecessor. "She tends to think it's always a good idea to 'mess around,' so to speak. But in all seriousness, I agree with you."

"You do?"

"Yes, there's far too much going on right now to worry about promotions, demotions, transfers, and all of that."

"Right." Val nodded but was wary. He had a feeling there was a catch.

"There's plenty of time for that afterwards." Her voice was a purr on the last word.

"Right." Val stood up. "You know, June, you're right. I'll have to check everything when we're over the hump. But if you'll excuse me, I have a call to make."

June looked surprised, but stood. "Certainly. Please, feel free to ask me..."

"I will. Thanks." Val escorted her to the door.

Confused, June left.

Val dove for his phone and hit speed dial. "Blix? You have got to help me."

x-x-x-x

February 6

"It's open." Val didn't even look up at the sound of a knock on the door anymore. Partly he was used to it, partly he didn't have time. He'd been applying himself almost every waking hour to the new job, going to Tina without hesitation whenever he had a question. If she couldn't answer, she'd direct him to whoever could.

"Hey, Val. Some setup you have here."

Val turned at the voice and a tidal wave of relief washed over him. "Blix!" He stood and walked over, and shook his friend's hand. "Am I glad to see you!"

"Don't see why." Blix looked around, then saw the wall screens and the terminals on Val's desk. His green eyes, behind his glasses, grew wide. "Oh, man...you have...oh, wow."

Val stifled a laugh. It was second nature to tease Blix about his affection for technology, but on occasion one might go too far. It was hard to know where Blix drew the line at teasing versus insults, and Val had no desire to offend the one person he thought could help him.

He tried but he couldn't resist. "Blix, man, don't drool on the carpet."

"Sorry. But man, this is just too cool."

Val sighed and gestured for Blix to follow him to the desk. "Look, I know this probably looks like tech heaven to you, but it's purgatory, at best, for me. I'm trying like crazy to get up to speed but I don't know..." He shook his head.

"What?" asked Blix. He shook his head in a futile attempt to get his messy reddish-brown hair out of his eyes. "Hitting some glitches? Bugs in the programs?"

"No, it's not that. It's..." Val tried to think. He was getting better, he knew he was; Tina had told him so, and if she said it, there had to be something to it. He'd know her long enough to know she didn't dole out fake compliments. Still, there was something he was missing; a fact, or a link, a piece of the puzzle that was just beyond his reach.

He tried to explain it to Blix and felt as though he'd botched it. "I just keep thinking that whatever's missing, if I find it, I'll be fine, you know? But right now, with it missing, I'm just kind of...floundering."

"Okay. I can see that." Blix nodded and dropped his bag on the floor by the desk. "I've been like that with some different programs and games. It's like all the instructions are there but until you see them in action, it's just theory. Once you can link the theory to the application, it all fits and it's like you knew it all along."

Val stared at him. "That's it. When did you get so philosophical?"

Blix shrugged and stared at the monitors. "I'm not a total geek. I read."

"I bet you do. So, can you help me?"

Blix grinned and wiggled his fingers. "Let me at it."

Val stepped back and let Blix have the chair, unable to prevent a small laugh when he saw how happy his friend was. He took the opportunity to ask Tina for coffee and then to drop into one of the leather occasional chairs that faced the desk.

"Here you go, Val." Tina brought his coffee.

"Thanks. You're an angel." The compliment was sincere; he'd given up trying to hit on her. For one thing, she was the most resistant woman he'd met on that count. For another, Rhodi and June, not to mention Izzy, had him petrified of getting involved with any of the women at the office.

"Tina, this is my friend, Blix. Uber-geek, and indispensible in times of crisis."

She looked at her watch. "We're not in a crisis yet. We have another week."

Val tried to laugh through a tight throat. "Ah, Blix? Blix?" It took one more try before his friend looked up, owlish eyes blinking behind the glasses. "Blix, this is Tina, my PA."

"Hi." Blix nodded and looked at Val. "This is...this program gives a whole new meaning to relational databases. It's incredible."

"It is, indeed," Tina agreed.

Val was relieved that she wasn't put off by Blix's manner. When it came to women, Blix seemed to be the opposite of Val. He never made any move towards or away from them, because he didn't register them as, well, women.

"So, what's the problem?" Blix asked.

"I don't know." Tina turned to Val. "What is the problem? I thought you were doing rather well."

"Thanks, but there's just something I'm missing." He shook his head. "I hoped Blix might be able to tell me. He's so good with computers."

"All right. If you'll excuse me, I need to go check on a few things."

"You bet. Thanks again for the coffee." Val smiled at her and was rewarded with one in return. Blix stared for a moment, then went back to the computers. Val watched him with narrowed eyes.

"What did you think of Tina?"

"Hmmm?" Blix didn't look up.

"Tina. The gorgeous woman who just left the room. What did you think of her?" Val rolled his eyes.

"Oh. She seems nice."

"'Nice?' Good God, man. She's one of the most gorgeous women out there." He sighed and stared out the window. "Not as pretty as Halley, though."

"I guess. The new guy thinks she's pretty hot."

Val started, not realizing he'd spoken aloud. Blix's words took a minute to process. "What? New guy? What new guy? Who's hot?"

Blix gave a small shrug. "Mel, the new guy who came in to your spot. Tall guy. He's been spending a lot of time with Halley. Saw him at the gym once and he was saying how pretty she was."

"You were at the gym?"

"Computer system went down. I fixed it."

"Of course." Val wondered why he'd ever thought Blix might visit a gym to work out. "Wait. You don't gossip. How could you know what he thinks of Halley? Or how much time they spend together?"

Blix fixed him with a bland look. "I may not talk. Doesn't mean I don't listen. Besides, it's hard for me to miss when they're together all the time."

"All the..."

"So what?" Blix went back to the computers, tapping away. "I mean, you guys weren't together, right?"

"What? No. I mean, I don't know. I mean..." He shook his head and sighed. For a while, he was silent, thinking of nothing in particular and listening to Blix punch keys and mutter to himself. He was so deep in thought that it wasn't until Blix shouted his name that he reacted.

"What? What is it?" Val looked up.

"I've been all over your system and it's working fine." Blix stretched. "I don't know what you want me to do."

"But..." Val was flummoxed. "But something's not working. I'm doing something wrong."

"Okay, just show me what."

Val came over and stared at the screen. "Well, look, like here and here." He pointed at two cells on the screen. "It says they match. But when I try to put them together, it's like magnets repelling."

"Oh." Blix scratched his chin, then ran a hand through his hair. "I dunno."

"'I dunno?' You're the computer whiz and the best you can come up with is 'I dunno?" Val glared at him.

"Look, Val. I came, I checked it out. It works. I don't know what more you want."

"I want to know why that doesn't work!" Val slammed a hand on the desk in frustration. "They match on all the important things but whenever I click click 'Go,' I get a rejection message. It should work! Come in!" He barked the last as someone knocked.

"I'm sorry, is this a bad time?" Izzy gave a sultry smile as she stepped in. Engrossed in his computer problems, Val barely noticed.

"Actually, Izzy, it is. I'm sorry. Can you tell Tina what you need? Or set up a time to meet with me later?"

"Sure. But who's your friend?" She glided across the room, her eyes focused on Blix. "Hi, I'm Izzy."

Silence. Val looked at Blix, immobile as a deer in headlights except for his bobbing Adam's apple. He realized his friend was paralyzed with fear and almost laughed.

"Izzy, this is Blix. Blix, this is Izzy." He waved his hand from one to the other.