Falling For Orchids

The workplace was almost too busy, considering it was a Thursday evening. Normally, at this time, people would be busy having conversations around the cafeteria and water-coolers about their Friday plans. But, since the company had acquired a new client the last week, it seemed like all hands were on deck. Quite literally.

"Is this how the guys at NASA feel like before launching a rocket?"

Erin thought, as he furiously typed on his laptop. Being in the Marketing team, his job was relatively simple. Erin needed to overlook everything before the company launches the client's product. And create contingencies if the product isn't well-received or heaven forbid, fails in the market. Yup, simple enough.

Erin sighed as he sent what seemed like the thousandth mail of today and the clock was only inching to 5 pm. Not to get him wrong, he loved working here. Partly because he was good at it. Right from the pitching phase, to onboarding and conceptualizing campaigns, to see it executed in a planned way, was the reason Erin loved it. The other reason he loved to work here was a secret he kept even from himself.

His messenger buzzed with the words from a person named Alisha:

'Come to my cabin with all the updates on the campaign.'

Erin sighed again. Seemed like his supervisor of the project was getting on his nerves again.

"I swear, sometimes she does all this just to push my buttons! If she wasn't so ..." He stopped his thoughts midway. He collected all the files and the printouts and walked towards her cabin.

Alisha was someone you would glance at once and then take a look at again. And again. Beauty and brains are the words that would describe Alisha the best. After finishing her Master's, she chose to work at this company and quickly rose in position by tackling peers, politics and unwanted attention. Now she was a partner in this company and was taking the company to new heights. Alisha loved working here. This might not be the perfect place for her lofty ambitions, but it had its perks. Not to mention something she desired deep within but repressed the hell out of it.

A two-fingered knock made her heart jump before realizing who it might be. Erin poked his head inside and proceeded inside.

"So, what's the update on the campaign launch? Do we have contingencies in place? How much time till the D-day?"

Alisha fired questions with ice-cold authority.

"Everything's been taken care of. I do not see any need for contingencies but have kept it in place under the red ribbon in the file."

Erin answered, giving her the files with a smile. He had learned at an early age that no matter how the person retorts to you, he should smile and answer. And he loved doing it around Alisha. He caught her, albeit very rarely, her ice-cold demeanour thaw under his smile. And that would make his heart sing.

"Back to earth Erin"

Erin woke up from the haze and looked at Alisha.

"I asked, what about the rest of the campaign procedures. Are they taken care of?"

"Absolutely."

"Good, you may leave now!"

Erin turned to leave and quickly turned to ask something. He saw Alisha's eyes dart from his back to the files on the table, awkwardly shuffling the papers. Erin seemed puzzled as he left.

Alisha was annoyed with herself. She knew that Erin almost realised she was checking him out. But what annoyed her more was the self-assuring smile he had later on in the day. Talk about being self-absorbed, she thought. But deep down, she liked how he was so confident sometimes. The day he had joined in, there was something about Erin that she couldn't put on a finger. And Alisha didn't like what she couldn't figure out.

Even though she was called the 'Ice Queen' among the peers, there was no shortage of men lining up to make her a conquest. And she turned them down politely. She loved the thrill of being desired but somehow, it didn't feel right to her. So instead, she dedicated herself to work.

As the day progressed, Erin dotted all the i's and crossed all the t's before the campaign could go live. Somehow, his mind kept going back to her, thinking about the way her eyes would pierce into him, looking inside. He stifled his feelings before he started daydreaming anymore. As he put the file together, he checked the time and it read: 19:45.

"What the f..? Where did the time go?"

Erin almost said it out aloud. He checked the adjacent cubicles and most of them were empty, with a couple of screens lit up on the desk. His gaze inadvertently went to her cabin and saw the light on. Someone needs to take her out, he thought. He knew Alisha was single from the lunch with his colleagues. She might be the 'Ice Queen' on the floor, but Alisha was something different in his eyes. He knew there was an unspeakable tenacity in her, which drove her to do the best. She seemed passionate about every project which she took and gave it her all. He liked that about her. On one occasion, a friend of hers had come to the office and as he walked past her cabin, he could swear he heard her laugh out loud like a kid as he saw through the glass. She seemed completely transformed. There was a genuine warmth to her eyes as she laughed along with her friend. Erin still remembers how he stood there transfixed, looking at her in awe. Sadly, that was the only day she laughed like that at the workplace.

Erin shook the cobwebs of past before calling it a night. He knocked on her glass.

"Need any help, Alisha?"

Alisha looked and up she could swear Erin's eyes got bigger. Something danced in his eyes for a moment before it disappeared. Erin, for his part, really hoped she couldn't read his mind right now. The thoughts that zoomed past him were way too intense. There she was, her hair tied in a bun, her glasses on the bridge of her nose and her lip chewing a pencil. Damn those lips, Erin thought. There were papers and files all spread across her desk, no doubt, double-checking before it goes live tomorrow.

"Nope. All good. See you tomorrow."

Erin almost left the cabin. But something came over him. Before he could stop, slightly nervous, he turned to her to ask.

"I was thinking about a cup of coffee before leaving. Would you like to get some?"

Alisha was almost going to dismiss the thought before she caught herself. She rationalized to herself that she was tired, and she will be here for some time more. Yet, something primal lurked beneath it. Coffee from the office cafeteria downstairs hardly seems like a date, she thought to herself. She rose from the chair, straightening her navy-blue pencil skirt before replying in approval to Erin.

He held her cabin door open as she exited, catching a gentle whiff of her perfume. She smells like strawberries even at this time, Erin thought. Something inside him sang with joy. The office cafeteria was situated on the 8^th floor, a terrace with just the shades on top. The lift is usually busy throughout the day and night and as the cafeteria is just a floor above their workplace, the employees usually take the stairs instead of taking the lift.

As they started walking upwards, Alisha again asked about the numbers and stuff.

"So, what next project do you have in your hand?"

"Not sure yet. I wanted to see what Beth was up to and maybe take up some side project."

"Yea, Beth could use some help with her campai..."

The rest of the words vanished into thin air as Alisha's stilettos gave up, leaving her in a free fall. Her panicked mind tried to grab the air in front before a strong hand slid around her hips, gripping her waist and pulling her up close. Her mind was blank, and her face felt the soft fabric of a coat as her heart drummed like crazy with all the adrenaline. As she got aware of her surroundings, she felt a hand on her ass, over the pencil skirt, holding her tight against the body. She could feel the warmth of the skin from the fingers around her waist. All Alisha wanted to do was just hold on to whoever this person was. She felt her heart flutter with excitement as those hands brought her body closer and she tilted her head without opening her eyes.

And then it all came rushing back. Chief among which was that the person she wanted to nuzzle with, was Erin. She detached herself from him instantly, looking at his slightly open lips and she could see the dark thoughts behind those eyes. It was as clear as a day because those were the same ones running on her mind. Erin was breathing heavily. Of all the lusty dreams he had, this one seemed to take the cherry. And a moment later, realised that he wasn't dreaming. Because he saw Alisha wet her lips unconsciously. This never happened in the dreams.

Something sparked within him as he gazed into her eyes.

He wanted it.

He wanted this person in front of him.

Badly.

"Tha...Thank you. Thank you."

Alisha muttered nervously. God, what was I thinking, Alisha questioned herself. Here she was, her heart racing from the near fall, and yet all she could think about was how his fingers felt on her body. She felt her skin scalding hot from where he touched. And moisture forming deep within.

"You okay?"

Erin asked her with genuine concern in his voice before she nodded her head.

"I don't think I need coffee anymore. This, I mean, me almost falling, was enough to add the adrenaline."

"Yea, I'm pretty sure I won't need coffee till tomorrow evening with all this action."

They both nervously chuckled.

"See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow then."

Erin punched the lift's button and kicked himself as it closed. What was I even doing? he thought. There was no way Alisha will let this go. He hoped like crazy that she wouldn't fire him. Or worse, complain to HR that could blacklist him from all other places. But what he couldn't deny was the fact that she felt absolutely electrifying in his hands. Her feminine scent brought both bliss and torture to his very soul. There was something powerful he felt between them and Erin was sure she felt it too. Sleep couldn't come easily tonight as Erin's mind played it in the loop the way she wet her lips.

Some miles away, Alisha was tossing and turning too on her bed. Normally, she is a very guarded person, but somehow, Erin made her reckless. Her skin still tingled the way he held her in his arms. She was almost ready to go all the way. The last thought sent shivers down her spine, opening her dreams to some visuals you would only find in the erotic sculptures.

The beep of the alarm woke Erin from a deep slumber. And the very first thought his sleep-induced mind came up with was of her. Erin sighed and got ready for work.

Alisha entered the office and for once in life, wanted to take a day off. She felt like that she didn't get enough sleep last night. Entangled limbs, panting breaths and heaving breaths kept her mind awake till the wee hours of the morning. Also, the face seemed eerily similar. As similar to the one she was looking at one now. Sleeves all folded up; brow all furrowed up, he looked like a leading actor from those Hallmark movies. Enough, she chided herself as she got back to her work. Something was seriously wrong with her.

The campaign presentation went without a hitch and so did the market launch.

Everyone was in a party mood today. The graph seemed to showcase projections going as per the predicted growth, making the client happy. And when the client is happy, the bosses are happy, thus leading to good vibes all around. Erin was all smiles today. Congratulating his peers, laughing with them. There was an air of a job well done. His gaze went to Alisha's cabin and saw her working on her laptop. Without giving it a second thought, Erin went and knocked at her cabin.

"Hi."

"Hey, Erin."

"Seems like the campaign has started off well."

"Yup, good work on it. Really."

One more thing Erin liked about her. She always gave credit where it was due.

"Thanks Alisha. Appreciate it."

"So, what now?"

Saying it, she looked at him. Erin felt something inside unravelling, making him answer what he really wanted to do next.

"Umm, well, Beth. Help Beth with her campaign."

Something passed between her eyes. For a second, Erin thought he saw a pang of jealousy flash between those mesmerizing olive-green eyes. You need to stop kidding yourself, he told himself.

"Yea, you told last evening."

The words had the desired effect in the cabin. Both sucked in the breath as the cabin got filled with the elephant in the room. Last evening. When she almost fell down the stairs, leading to moments that took their breaths away. Sexual tension filled the room as both tried to stop thinking about the last evening.

"Uh well, umm... I'm sorry for..."

"Noo, it's alright. It wasn't your fault."

Erin sighed a relief, even though it was short-lived. Alisha didn't give out anything and he didn't know if he should pursue it. He knew there was something there, but for the life of him couldn't figure what to do next.

"Ok, I guess see you around then."

"Would you umm... like to go for the coffee later, to make up for yesterday and saving me?"

Erin did a double-take. He wasn't sure he had heard her correctly. Alisha was asking him for a coffee. He almost wanted to pinch himself to make sure he had actually woken up today.

"Yea, yea. Sure. Would love to. I mean... yup."

"Cool. See you later."

"Yup. Bye."

Alisha groaned inwardly. Why did she have to ask for a coffee? Again? The one time they had tried, resulted in what could she only describe as thrilling. Pushing for round two seemed like inviting for more danger. But he did save her yesterday from a nasty fall, she thought. He deserved a thank you for his effort at least. Yea sure, she thought sarcastically. She could feel her mind conflicting with her thoughts, driving her crazy.

Erin walked out of the cabin in a daze. He didn't know if he should jump with joy or be thankful that he wasn't reported to HR for almost grabbing her to kiss. It's nothing. She just wants to thank me for saving her, he rationalised to himself, trying to keep his emotions in check. The rest of the time was spent daydreaming and congratulating the colleagues who worked on the project.

As the clock struck 7, everyone bustled around to pack up for the day. Everyone seemed to be in a joyous mood tonight. After all, it's not every day that almost the whole project group goes out for drinks together. As everyone started ordering Uber or hail a cab downstairs, Erin felt butterflies in his stomach. He made some excuses about looking after some graphs and let them know will join them later. He read and re-read a part of the paragraph, trying to make sense of it, but was drawing a blank. Erin's nervousness was at an all-time high. Around 30 minutes later, when the office almost got vacant, he dared to stand and went to her cabin. Her back was to him, as she gazed to the horizon.

"Finishing up?"

Alisha, turned, rather a beat quickly.

"Yup. Almost done for the day. What about you?"

"Yea, all done too."

"Meet me here in 10 minutes then."

"Cool."

After 10 minutes passed, Erin walked to her cabin with his satchel tucked at one side. When he saw her, he stopped dead in his tracks. She seemed to have done something to her hair. And was there a hint of lipstick 10 minutes ago? Thoughts collided with one another as Erin tried to remember to breathe.

Sheer pride surged through Alisha on seeing Erin's reaction. It had been quite some time before anyone had made her feel this pretty. We are just having a coffee, we are just having a coffee, Alisha ran the mantra mentally.

"Shall we?"

"Absolutely!"

As they neared the stairs silently, a slight awkwardness reared its head.

"Let's hope you can catch me today if I trip."

Erin commented, drawing a chuckle from Alisha. And just like that, the awkwardness disappeared. Nothing happened, as they ascended today to the terrace. Yet, somehow deep down, both were slightly disappointed.

As they sat after ordering two coffees, they started talking. Erin began,

"What's your favourite food here?"

"Are we supposed to have a favourite food from an office cafeteria?"

"Well, sometimes, they do have delicious stuff. Like one day the cook had prepared an Indian dish. Absolutely brilliant."

"You mean samosa? Yea, I had that once with a friend of mine. It was really good. After a pause, Alisha continued, "What, you don't believe me?"

"About which part? Having a samosa or having a friend?" Erin chuckled.

"You think I don't have any friends?" Alisha asked him with a slight smile.

"I'm sure you do. But I guess you never talk about it. Come to think of it, you never talk about anything."

"Well, talking isn't what is required of me here."

"That doesn't stop anyone here."

"I know. And I also know what you guys call me behind my back."

Erin fidgeted nervously.

"Oh, it's alright. I've heard much worse."

"That shouldn't be the case." Erin muttered under his breath, but Alisha heard it and smiled, approving Erin's remark.

"See, that is what is needed once or twice in a day. Then everyone will be fighting to be your best friend." Erin motioned to her smile.

Alisha genuinely laughed at Erin's comment. And Erin just simply watched her. Their legs bumped against each other, but they didn't pull back. Alisha's leg rested on Erin's, as they made light conversations while the coffee was served.

"I have to say, you are a completely different person when you are outside the office." Erin said.

"Oh, you have no idea." Alisha said, before sipping her coffee slowly.

Erin audibly gulped at the comment. The comment held promises that Erin didn't want to think about right now. As they finished the coffee, they rose to call it a night and went towards the lift. Inside the empty lift, both stood at opposite corners, facing each other. Erin was fighting off the primal urges, like rip off the shirts, tore down the slacks, palm those br.... Stop, Erin commanded himself. He was breathing heavily. And to his surprise, so was Alisha.

The lift chimed, indicating the arrival of a floor, and the doors opened to the incoming rush of other offices. Alisha and Erin quickly walked towards each other without thinking, before the rush cramped their space. Which led to a dilemma.

Erin positioned himself between Alisha, whose back was to the wall, and the others. This led to two things. One, he was inches away from her and second, the rush was pushing him towards her. He held out both his hands on the wall, on either side of Alisha, so as not to press on her, but he was not prepared for the evening time rush. As he inched closer to her, he could smell the essence of strawberry on her. He saw her wetting her lips unconsciously as her eyes bore into his. Alisha could see how much Erin was trying to stop himself from being pressed himself onto her. She respected his efforts, but she made up her mind.

Erin felt a pair of soft, feminine hands on either side of his waist, tugging at him. He looked down and saw the hands were connected to Alisha. Her eyes looked at him with a kind smile he never fathomed she had. He let go of his weight and let her hands guide him.

They both sucked in a breath as the two bodies merged together in an overcrowded lift. Alisha felt Erin embrace her body, his hands circling around and pulling her close. She felt his minty breath and the scent of the aftershave, warming her core.

Erin on the other hand, felt her supple body melt in his arms. Her curves fit into his body like two right pieces of jigsaw joining together. The way her bosoms rapidly rose and fell, he couldn't stop but feel his hardness rearing up. Erin panicked, thinking what she might think when she felt him. But he had no other choice, there was nothing he could do. He tried to mentally think of some math problems, data projections but to no avail. Alisha's body melted all those random thoughts like a hot knife on butter. He waited with a bated breath, waiting for her to scream and call him names.