A Hand Up

Over the years she'd become Lacey's closest friend. They often had lunch together even back when Derrick was still alive. She'd been there for her when he was diagnosed and had supported her all the way through his funeral and after.

She knew she'd be able to trust the quick witted woman to give her sound advice and keep her secrets.

She picked up her phone and texted Janet telling her to block off a couple of hours for lunch this afternoon as she had a meeting to discuss something with Lindsey in HR. She then texted Lindsey and told her to move things around on her schedule so she was free for a long lunch. She made sure she understood she had important things she needed to discuss with her.

Then she settled into her pillow and wondered how she'd ever get up when the alarm went off.

Precisely at five-thirty in the morning a very tired feeling Lacey knocked on Haley's door. When the door swung open there was a very chipper looking Haley wearing just a tight pair of running shorts and a sports bra.

"Good morning Ms. Summers," Haley said with a smile, "can I interest you in a quick cup of coffee before we get started?"

Lacey stepped inside and heard Haley close the door behind her. She looked at the sexy younger woman and said, "You know Haley, we're not on company time yet. You can still call me by my first name."

Haley smiled at her and ignored her statement saying, "You really look like you could use that coffee. Did you not sleep good? Maybe you stayed up doing a little late reading?"

Lacey just cocked her head to the side and laughed while thinking, "Keep it up you little vixen and you might find yourself over my knee."

Strangely enough the idea excited her.

Haley looked at her boss and batted her eyes and said, "How do you like it Lacey?"

Lacey found herself tongue tied at the comment.

"Like...what," she stammered in reply.

Haley winked at her and said, "Your coffee silly."

The flirting and cute little girl routine was just wrong. Yet it had Lacey's pussy seeping juices.

"Um, a teaspoon of sugar and just a dash of two percent milk if you have it," she replied while trying not to stare at the girls tight little body.

After a little more small talk while they drank their coffee, which included a good bit more flirting on Haley's part, they made their way back to the gym.

Haley explained what she'd done the day before and showed Lacey the notes she'd taken in the notebook. Lacey told her how this would be a good baseline for her to use in circuit training. She then explained the process to her and they started working he machines with each of them heading in the opposite direction.

When they'd finished they'd both worked up a sweat. Haley couldn't help but admire the way Lacey's body looked after their workout. She leered at the older woman openly.

As they made their way outside for their morning run Haley couldn't help but flirt some more.

"You know Ms. Summers," she said suggestively in the same sexy little voice she'd been using all morning" When I turned thirty-two I just hope my body looks close to as sexy as yours. Because right now you look good enough to eat."

And before Lacey could even react she broke off at a jog heading to the right down the running path.

"Fuck I want her so bad," she thought. Then she too took off only she ran in the opposite direction.

Haley was surprised when just a third of a mile into her run Lacey came around the corner from the opposite direction. She was of course moving at a much faster pace than Haley who didn't think she was running that slow. She picked up her effort as soon as the burning in her quads and calves stopped and met the older woman for the second time when she still had about an eighth of a mile to go on her first lap. Lacey just smiled and waved at the little flirt and thought to herself, "Not feeling so good now are you."

Haley couldn't keep up her pace. She hadn't built up her wind good enough to sustain it yet. She slowed back to her original speed and just tried to make it through this next half mile. She passed Lacey again about about a fourth of the way into her next lap. As the woman approached and blew past her she yelled, "You look tired Haley. Can I interest you in a cup of coffee?"

She passed her again just before she reached the last stretch of her second lap. Lacey said nothing this time she just gave her a big smile and an exaggerated wink. That meant in the time it had taken her to run a mile Lacey had almost run two. That lit a fire under the girl. She may not be able to run faster but she could at least force herself to go one more rotation.

The next time they passed Lacey flashed her a smile and said, "Your looking awfully sexy in those shorts this morning Ms Saunders."

Haley grinned and thought to herself, "Well at least she can give as good as she gets."

Lacey on the other hand was starting to feel great. Flirting back at the younger woman and giving her a taste of her own medicine had her feeling alive. She had actually picked up her pace and according to her watch she had a good chance of breaking her time record for five miles.

When she passed Haley her last time she suggestively asked her, "So how do you like it Ms Saunders?"

When Haley had finally finished her third lap she slowed to a walk with her hands resting on top of her head. She continued walking on the path not willing to come to a complete stop until Lacey had. Every time the older woman passed her she had something suggestive to say, except for the last time. By then Haley felt she'd been teased enough and was ready for her.

Lacey had already decided the next time she passed the younger woman she'd tell her she needed to work harder if she expected to be able to keep up with her. But when she rounded the corner and saw her Haley was walking along wearing only her panties, socks, and shoes. Lacey was so stunned she slowed her pace to get a better look at what she judged to be a pair of 32 C breasts with eraser sized nipples. Nipples that looked erect.

As Lacey passed her, this time without comment, Haley could see the stunned and aroused look in the woman's eyes.

"You mess with the bull," Haley thought, "you get the horns."

Before leaving the cover of the woods she put her bra and joggers back on and slowly started making her way up the hill. Just as she was approaching the guesthouse she heard footfalls and heavy breathing coming up the path behind her. She turned her head just in time to feel Lacey smack her on the ass and say, "Get moving Haley. I'll meet you at the car in forty five minutes."

Surprised at the brazen act she got her next surprise when Lacey turned around while still jogging backward and smiled saying, "Oh, and really nice tits Ms. Saunders."

Just forty minutes later Haley was standing at the car waiting with David, Lacey's driver. Less than three minutes later Lacey appeared and greeted David. She then gave Haley a look that was all business and said, "I hope you're ready to work this morning Ms Saunders. Today is likely to be a long day."

Haley simply replied with, "Yes Ms. Summers," and got in the car.

Lacey handed her a fresh notepad and pen saying, "You'll need these. I've got a lot to tell you and you'll need to take notes so you won't forget anything."

She then began rifling off an extensive list of things she'd have to do when they arrived. She instructed her to go meet with a Mrs. Lindsey Davis in HR and that she would have her fill out an extensive list of employment forms. She told me I'd then be issued a copy of the company handbook which I'd have to read and sign a paper saying I'd read it before leaving the office. Mrs. Davis would then see to it I was given a company security badge, issued a company laptop, and a new iPad. I was to keep the laptop at my desk unless requested to bring it into her office but I was always to have the iPad on me. When I was through with all that, then I could report to Janet to be assigned a temporary desk.

Lacey then surprised the younger woman by saying, "That little stunt you pulled this morning threw me off my pace. It ended up preventing me from beating my record time."

Haley just stared straight ahead and with a smirk on her face said, "Sorry about that Ms. Summers. It won't happen again."

She was pleasantly surprised when she heard Lacey mumble, "I didn't say I didn't like it."

When they'd made it to Ms. Summers parking spot she informed David she wouldn't need him again until lunch time.

"I'm meeting with Lindsey for a late lunch from one till three. That means we probably won't get out of here until at least six tonight but I'll let you know after lunch a more precise time."

The two women made their way into the elevator and up to the twelfth floor where Haley got off and headed for HR with Lacey simply saying, "Be thorough but be as quick as you can too."

It was around twelve-thirty when she finally made it to Janet's desk with her new laptop and iPad in tow. Janet greeted her with a smile.

"Hey kiddo, how was your weekend. I see Antonio came through with your outfits. You're looking good this morning. Not at all like the same waif that came in here for her final interview last week," she teased.

She took her to her new desk and showed her how the phone system worked. She then told her to leave her laptop behind and bring her iPad with her because they needed to meet with Ms. Summers before she left for her lunch meeting.

As they entered Lacey's office Haley felt her heart quicken. She always found her sexy but there was something about her in business mode that made her pussy moisten. She was on the phone when they came in and held up a hand pointing to the two seats in front of her desk signaling for them to be seated.

When she finally hung up she looked at Haley and said, "Well Ms. Saunders, it's nice to see you made it through the gauntlet unscathed. Let's get started."

The two women then showed Lacey how to sync her tablet to Lacey's laptop.

Janet said, "You need to do this first thing every morning when you get here. Then you need to do it again right before lunch and one more time the last thing before you leave. Then when you get back to your desk you can sync it to your laptop so it's up to date too."

Lacey then reached into her drawer and pulled out a box containing a brand new iPhone. She looked at the girl and said, "This stays with you twenty-four seven. It's always within your arms reach no matter where you are. I always need to be able to get in contact with you any time of the day or night. Understand?"

"Yes Ms. Summers," Haley answered while feeling a steady heartbeat in her clit at Lacey's commanding tone.

She then stood up looking at her watch and said, "I've got just enough time to meet Lindsey downstairs at the car if I leave right now. I'll be reachable on my phone if either of you need me for anything important. Haley, Janet can give you my contact numbers."

And with that she was out the door.

Chapter Seven: Some Pointed Advice

When they'd finally sat down in their booth and ordered their drinks Lindsey looked at her friend and asked, "Alright Lacey, you called this meeting. What's up?"

Lacey took a moment to gather her thoughts as she nervously looked around the restaurant before finally saying, "How much of a problem would it be if I wanted to date an employee?"

Lindsey looked up from her menu with a look of surprise. She set it down and leaned back into the booth and considered the question before saying. "Okay, I can answer that question but you know you're not getting out of here without giving your best friend some very specific details."

Lacey smiled at her and replied, "I was pretty sure of that before I scheduled this meeting. I'm more than happy to give you specific details because I'm going to need some specific advice."

Lindsey seemed happy with that answer and said, "First off you're the boss, you can date whoever you want. There is a form that will have to be filled out to protect the company from any potential lawsuits however."

"It's that simple?" Lacey asked, "There's nothing to prevent it in the handbook?"

Lindsey shook her head, "The only way it would be against the company policies would be if you didn't report it to me. Once you do, I'm required to fill out the forms and meet with both of you. I then give you my HR spiel and have you sign a form stating you've been informed of your rights. After that you'll both sign a relationship waiver stating neither of you will sue the company should your relationship end badly."

Their drinks arrived right then. They waited for the waitress to leave before Lindsey spoke again.

"Talk to me Lacey. I'm dying over here."

Lacey took a couple of good gulps of her wine and said, "This stays between us until I decide what I want to do, right?"

Lindsey looked hurt and said, "I'm surprised you even asked me that Lacey."

Lacey downed the rest of her wine and held up her glass to the waitress. She then looked at her friend and said, "Once you've heard what I have to say you'll understand my trepidation."

When the waitress had refilled her glass and left them Lacey looked at her and said, "I want you to go ahead and start the paperwork. I'll let you know if I decide to proceed from there."

Lindsey smiled and said, "In order for me to be able to do that I'm going to need both parties names. So spill it sister. What's the second name I need to put on the forms."

Lacey took one more drink and said, "You're already familiar with the name. You spent the morning with her."

Lindsey was in the middle of taking a drink as Lacey responded and nearly choked on her wine. She quickly leaned forward closer to her friend and said in a low voice, "Holy shit Lacey. You weren't kidding were you. How?"

Lacey just shook her head and said, "I don't know Lindsey. You know how these things happen sometimes. There just a bolt out of the blue. I was impressed with her when I met her but you saw the way she looked when she came in for the interviews."

"Yeah, I get it. I wasn't sure it was the same person when she came in my office this morning. Phillipe and your tailor did some seriously good work didn't they."

Lacey shook her head and said, "I remember thinking during the interview that she'd probably be a pretty girl once she was cleaned up but it was everything else about her that impressed me enough to give her the job. Dad even gave his approval before I offered her."

"So what happened?" Lindsey asked.

Lacey rolled her eyes and said. "Nothing salacious like you're implying. At least not yet."

"But..." Lindsey said.

"You know she's living in the guesthouse. We spent a good bit of time together this weekend and right away I saw her in a new light. I don't know whether it was her new look and clothes or just seeing her in a more relaxed atmosphere, but I was constantly drawn to her." Lacey admitted.

Her friend took another sip of her wine and asked, "Is she the first woman you've ever had feelings for?"

Lacey looked down into the bottom of her wine glass and said, "No, to be totally honest Derrick was the first man I ever found myself attracted to. Before that it had always been women I was drawn too. I was just always too scared to act on it."

"Wow," Lindsey said with a smile, "I guess I don't know my best friend the way I thought I did."

Lacey took another drink and said "Hi, nice to meet you."

They both sat quietly for a minute before Lindsey got to the heart of the matter.

"So what's holding you back Lace?" she asked, " I mean I know it's not because it's a her. Nobody that matters gives a shit about such things these days."

Lacey shook her head and said, "No, it's not that. I kept telling myself it was the age difference but my dad says that's bullshit and I'm just afraid. Oh, that's another thing. Apparently my parents suspected I was gay right up until I brought Derrick home to meet them and announced we were engaged. How big of a mind-fuck is that?"

Lindsey tried to hide a laugh behind her wine glass and said, "I bet that was an interesting conversation."

"You don't know the half of it," Lacey said waving her hand, "The thing is, I think dad is right. I'm just scared. It's not what people think though. I don't give a shit about that."

Lindsey reached across the table and took Lacey's hands saying, "Okay, we know it isn't because you're afraid of being labeled a cradle robber or a lesbian so what is it?"

A single tear rolled down Lacey's cheek. She reached up to wipe it off and said, "I think it's simply because I've built this thing up in my mind since I was about fourteen years old. My attraction to women that is. It's become this totem that I've built up and I'm afraid it won't live up to what I've imagined all these years."

Lindsey sighed and said, "Okay Lace, here comes that pointed advice you said you needed. First I need to know two things. What exactly are your feelings for this girl? And do you think she can ultimately make you happy?"

Lacey smiled as the waitress came to take their order.

"You ladies looked pretty deep in conversation so I thought I'd give you some extra time to talk," she said, "Would you like to go ahead and get your order now?"

They thanked her for the privacy and once they'd ordered she left them to their conversation.

"First off I'm so attracted to her I can't begin to explain it. I'll save you the details of the things I've imagined doing with her" Lacey said with flushed cheeks.

Lindsey laughed and replied, "Okay, for now we'll set that aside though later I might just want to hear them."

Lacey laughed and rolled her eyes saying, "It figures you pervert. As to your second question. Yes. I think she could although I do get worried she would tire of me because of the age thing."

"I'm gonna let that pervert thing go little miss I want to bang a nineteen year old, at least for now that is. Here's my advice. You ready?" she asked Lacey.

Lacey raised her glass and said, "Let me hear it. That's what I'm here for."

"Okay," Lindsey said, "my advice is fuck it. You can't live your life being afraid and expect to be happy. You were lucky enough to be happy with Derrick. What happens if you let this girl pass you by and she was the one meant to fill that hole Derrick's passing left in your life?"

By the time they'd returned to the office Lacey had consumed three large glasses of wine and had a good buzz going. When she got to her office she called Janet and asked if her and Haley could come in her office.

A minute later both women entered the office and sat in front of Lacey's desk.

"How was your lunch Ms. Summers?" Haley asked.

Lacey smiled and said, "It was good. Did you ladies eat?"

Janet said, "We had time to order in some sandwiches from the deli downstairs. We sat and ate them in the break room."

Then she added, "Oh, one interesting thing happened at lunch. This one got asked out by Lisa down in IT. She's the blonde with the uh...expansive lung capacity." she said while holding her hands in front of her breasts.

Lacey stiffened but tried not to show the panic she was feeling. She sat forward in her chair and clasped both hands together on her desk.

"Really," she asked Haley, "and did she get her date?"

Haley had been pretending to stare at her iPad so she didn't have to look at her boss. Instead she just shrugged her shoulders and said in a quiet voice, "I asked her if I could think about it." And then looking at Janet she added, "And she just asked me too coffee."

Janet elbowed the younger woman and said, "Getting asked to coffee was how I met my husband and now look at me."

Lacey tried to get a read on what the younger woman was thinking. But other than her obvious discomfort with the conversation at hand she couldn't discern anything more.