Love Around the World 04: Dresden

Charlotte snorted at that. "I think some will behave themselves... Then again, the company isn't paying for the booze, just the food, so people can't be stupid."

Kristin appeared in the doorway, her face immediately lighting up when she saw me. We'd been working together for two weeks, and our professional relationship was already fantastic. But we were swapping messages nearly every night, feeling each other out. I had no idea if she was just after a friend, a confidant, or something more. I was wary about the 'something more'. I found dating in the workplace awkward. But if she wanted a friend...

"Nearly done for the day, Mark?" she asked.

"Just wrapping up a couple of things in preparation for roll-out on Monday. Everyone is confident that things will work though we anticipate the usual teething issues."

"What time are you getting to the beer hall?"

"I'm heading there straight after work." I noticed her look me up and down, making me chuckle. "I'll be getting changed. I'm not going dressed like this."

"I was going to go home first..."

"Want to head in together?"

"Um..." It was almost adorable how awkward she was being. "Well... Yes, I was going to ask."

"No problem, Kristin. I'll be heading home shortly anyway. Let me know when you're ready and I'll walk over to yours then we'll head towards the tram stop."

"It's not a problem?"

"Definitely not."

I didn't miss the smile that formed on her face. I don't think she realised how attractive she was. I wasn't blind to how pretty her face was, the fact she carried herself with confidence. But I wasn't blind to the obvious heartache she carried around. She kept herself closed off from nearly everyone. We talked and messaged every day, but even I could sense she held part of herself back.

Heading home a few minutes later, I waited until I'd heard from Kristin that she was getting ready before I showered and changed. Nothing more than a nice shirt, jeans and shoes, ensuring I had my coat as the weather was already turning considerably chilly as we entered the latter months of the year. I'd ensured I'd done my research and I was aware Saxony could be bloody cold in winter, and snow would likely fall eventually.

Kristin messaged me a little later. Knocking on her front door, she opened it rather quickly, dressed in a black but very nice skirt and a blouse that was tight to her body, highlighting her generous bust and I did my best not to glance at her cleavage. Her make-up was always perfectly applied, her hair styled, and I loved the glasses that framed her gorgeous eyes.

"Ready to go?" I asked.

"Just let me grab my coat."

I offered to take it from her, Kristin turning around as I helped it up onto her shoulders. Turning around after she'd closed the door, we had a moment. You know what I'm talking about, when a man and woman stand in silence, gazing at each other, and you wonder what the other person is thinking, perhaps hoping their thought process is the same as you.

I'd been single for a couple of years by now. Not saying I had gone without, but the days of casual sex were long behind me. I had started to think about settling down once I hit my thirties, it was just circumstances that resulted in me being single. I had a feeling something happened with Kristin that led to her being in Dresden seemingly very alone in the world.

Stepping closer, I took a chance and wrapped an arm around her, Kristin not hesitating in resting her head against my chest. Even with her heels on, her head nestled under my chin. "Kristin, I'm going to share something. I'm here as a colleague, but I'm also here as a friend. You ever need an ear to chew off..."

"You're going to make me cry..."

"Don't mean to, but I've just got a feeling..." Feeling her hug me in return made me smile. "You might be the CEO, the big boss, the head honcho..." She chuckled against me, feeling her hug me a little tighter. "But I think there are already plenty of people in that building who genuinely like you for the person you are."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

"Thank you. It's nice to know. Being liked isn't the most important thing..."

"But being that sort of boss ensures those who do work for you will go that extra mile. Having good management does wonders for an organisation."

Walking to the tram stop, I was wondering if she wanted to hold my hand, but she walked close enough to bump me a few times as the conversation remained rather casual. The journey into Dresden from where we called home didn't take too long though it seemed the vehicle stopped every couple of hundred metres.

Arriving in the centre, the walk to the beer hall from the tram stop didn't take too long. We walked in to find plenty of our colleagues already at one of the two long tables we'd reserved for the evening. I sat next to Kristin near the end of the table as the food arrived rather quickly, and the beer definitely flowed. I did enjoy a couple of steins over a couple of hours, noticing Kristin nursed one stein for at least an hour, sipping at it every so often. I kept an eye on her, seeing her chatting away with anyone who approached. It was nice seeing a genuine smile on her face, her laughter sometimes causing me to glance her way and smile.

To my surprise, people started to leave rather early. Charlotte didn't leave before she hugged me tightly, making me laugh when she gave my arse a squeeze. "You're married," I murmured near her ear.

"I reckon I could convince my husband to have a threesome... Then again, he might be a little intimidated by you. You're all... you... And I'm a big girl..."

"You're not..."

"I'm a big girl," she insisted, thankfully with a grin, "And he's a bigger guy. Definitely intimidated if you were to get that shirt off and show your body."

"And how do you know what I look like without a shirt on?"

"I just close my eyes and imagine."

"You're incorrigible, Charlotte. Never change."

By around 10pm, Kristin and I were the only people left at one table, with only three or four others at a second table, and they were all rather drunk that I kept an eye on them, but though they were a little rambunctious, they were not embarrassing anyone or themselves. They all finished their steins and suggested they head off somewhere else, leaving me and Kristin now rather alone as the beer hall had emptied out though wouldn't close for at least another hour.

"Mark... Would you like to come back to mine? I've got some beers in the fridge."

"You sure?"

She glanced away, fidgeting slightly. It was enough for me to take one of her hands. "I haven't done anything like this in far too long. Been alone with a man, that is. Can't remember the last time I had a man back to my house."

"For a beer, right?"

"Maybe two?"

"Are you okay, Kristin?"

"The beer helps. I feel rather warm. Hopefully, the cold night air won't knock me out."

We did have to wait a little while for the tram that would take us back to where we lived. As soon as we were off the tram, I took hold of her hand as she could walk but with her heels, I didn't want her falling over. As soon as I took her hand, I felt her squeeze it tightly and she walked as close to me as possible. Walking up the stairs to her front door, she managed to get it open, switching on a few lights. Her living room was tastefully decorated already, with a homely feel. Asking me to take a seat on the couch, I sat down as she disappeared into the kitchen, returning with a bottle of beer in each hand, her coat disappeared, and the top two buttons of her blouse were undone. I'm not completely oblivious...

Kicking off her heels once she was sat next to me, curling her legs underneath her, she shuffled closer as I turned towards her. Sipping at our beers, she eventually cleared her throat and shuffled a little closer. "Mark... Have you been married?"

"No. Never been engaged either."

"I used to be married. Now I'm divorced." She held up her left hand. She wore a ring on her middle finger, her third finger bare. "It was not a pleasant divorce. The whole end of our marriage... It was ugly. Very ugly."

"Sure you want to..."

"I need that ear to get this off my chest," she whispered, "And I thought..."

Moving a little closer, I wrapped an arm around her waist. "I said I'd always be willing to listen. What happened?"

"Betrayal. The worst sort of betrayal. My ex-husband... I had no idea about his interests. Never told me the entire time we were dating, engaged or married..." She took a sip of her beer and sighed. "What I didn't know is that my ex-husband is bisexual. I swear he never told me the entire time we were together. Even if he had, I would have probably married him. Just because someone is bisexual doesn't mean you want to sleep with everyone all the time. Well, I'm sure most bisexuals can handle monogamy..."

"He didn't?"

"God no. What I learned... And it comes to the worst sort of betrayal. I have a younger sister and an older brother. My best friend was a man too." She met my eyes, and I felt my jaw drop. "My sister is married with three children of her own with her husband. My ex-husband was involved with both my sister and her husband. And when she gave birth to a child, a DNA test was done. The child was a product of my sister and my ex-husband."

"Jesus," I muttered.

"My ex-husband slowly but surely ensured he tore my life apart. Whether by design or just a set of circumstances, I don't know. He said I was never going to give him the family he wanted."

"Your sister?"

"It was actually her husband who was attracted to him, she just joined in with both of them whenever they were together, and it was her idea to get knocked up by my ex-husband. Everyone fucked everyone from what my ex-husband told me with glee."

"Your brother?"

"No, he just supported my sister by stating my ex-husband had rights to his child. He was fairly disgusted with how it all went down otherwise."

"And your best friend?"

That had her wiping her cheeks. "I've known him since our earliest days at school. I know my ex-husband is now with him yet only after he'd slept with me and then I barely heard from him again. He turned into a ghost. My ex-husband claimed he was always living a lie while married to me, that he enjoyed sex with women but preferred men. He tried to get me to agree to an open marriage at first. I flatly refused as divorce was the only option in my mind once I learned the truth. That's when he started to accuse me of homophobia, biphobia... Any sort of phobia. And when my best friend started to echo those words, and my sister and her husband..."

"What happened?"

"Once you're accused of that, it can be very difficult to shake. Friends I'd had for a couple of decades slowly started to ghost me. My ex-husband moved out of the house and in with my best friend. As soon as they started showing up places together, I was no longer invited. Once my sister announced her pregnancy, and it was confirmed my ex-husband was the father..."

"What did her husband think?"

"Thought it was wonderful because my ex-husband and best friend would be godparents, my sister insisting he'd have full access to his child."

"Did anyone stand by you?"

"Even my parents started to believe everything they were hearing. When they told me not to visit them for Christmas... I saw the photos on social media afterwards. It was obvious I'd been cut out of their lives. I'd done nothing wrong, but my ex-husband, ex-best friend and my sister... She was always jealous of my success. I know it was her that started the ball rolling with everything. My parents were always proud of my career though my parents often asked about me starting a family. I'm still only thirty-six..."

"Really?"

That had her leaning back with a curious look. "Why?"

"Though you were thirty-two."

That made her smile as she leaned her head against my shoulder. "There's a lot more to it, and I'm sure I'm not remembering everything exactly. I'm not going to sit here and burst into tears. I've spent far too long crying over it all. I obviously have nothing to do with my ex-husband and told my ex-best friend and sister that they are dead to me. My parents refused to cut contact with my sister. I took their support of her as support of everything that happened to me. I know they still see my ex-husband from time to time."

"And your brother?"

"He pretty much just kept out of it. My mother actually said to me that if I'd given my ex-husband the child he wanted, none of it would have happened. I just said my sister got exactly what she wanted. She finally got her chance to fuck me over completely. As for my ex-best friend, that betrayal actually hurt the most. For him to take my husband away from me..."

"And I guess that's why you're in Dresden?"

"I'm originally from Hamburg. I had to leave it all behind. I was applying for jobs all over southern and eastern Germany, in the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Austria..."

"Do you hear from any of them?"

"I still have one social media page. My mother and father do leave the occasional message, but I just ignore them. Until they cut out the cancer, I'll have nothing to do with them. My brother does call every so often, but the conversations are stilted. He knows I'm not going to share too many personal things, and I have no interest in any of their lives in return. He doesn't even know I'm in Dresden. I just let it be known that I've left Hamburg. I left everything and everyone behind."

Caressing her cheek had her eyes gazing into mine. "And yet you're still standing, still successful..."

"My job is the only thing really keeping me going. And I guess some of the people working for me are okay."

I didn't move my hand from her cheek as her eyes closed and a smile formed. "What are you looking for now?" I asked quietly.

"All that was two years ago. I gave myself time to heal. Focused on my career. I got a little fat, to be honest. Found comfort in food and booze. Worked most of it off at the gym."

"Well, I think you look fantastic every day you come into work."

"I do?" she asked, hearing the delight in her voice.

"Of course. Professional as always, but just that little hint of sexy."

"Can you be honest about me, Mark? What do you think of me?"

"I'll have to say this in English to really emphasise my point." Clearing my throat, I leaned closer to her and whispered, "You're absolutely fucking gorgeous, Kristin."

"You mean that?" she whispered back.

"Absolutely. Gorgeous. Intelligent. Ambitious. Driven. And I think it's obvious that you have a wonderful heart. Just organising tonight was a wonderful thing to do. Everyone will be in a great mood next week, and then with the barbecue..." Leaning back, I met her eyes. "There's just one tiny little issue I have."

"And that is?"

"I know already that I'd love to take you out on a date." Her face lit up in a smile before I added, "But I'm not sure what you would think about dating a colleague... Or what the company would think."

"They won't care, and I'd love to go on a date with you."

"Tomorrow night if you don't have any plans?"

Resting a hand on my chest, she moved her face closer to mine. "Mark... I'd love it if you stayed tonight but I'm figuring..."

"Part of me wants to say yes, but if I say yes, I have a feeling our night will end a certain way, and I don't want to rush into that with you, Kristin."

We finished our beers before I suggested it was probably best that I did go. I wasn't lying about wanting to stay with her. Just cuddling with her would have been nice but I knew we both already wanted more than just cuddles. I think we'd been attracted to each other from the first day we met. It rarely happened to me at work, I usually kept everything professional, but sometimes there's just an attraction that cannot be denied.

Walking me to the door, I turned to face her, caressing her cheek again. "Fuck it," I muttered before leaning down to kiss her. Wasn't quite chaste, wasn't quite a full-on make-out session, but it was enough to have a promise of something more in the future. "Goodnight, Kristin..."

"Goodnight, Mark. Thank you for tonight."

"I'll text in the morning. Anything you'd like to do?"

"Honestly, I'm a simple girl. Find me a pub with good drinks and music..."

"And food?"

"There are plenty of places in the centre. Just stroll around and find one we like?"

"Sounds good."

I kissed her again, feeling her body press into mine. Couldn't miss how her breasts felt as I wrapped my arms around her, I think both of us struggling to pull back from the kiss as her eyes gazed up at me. "I'd better go," I whispered.

"Think good thoughts tonight?"

"Plenty of good thoughts about my sexy boss."

"Hmmm... I'm having many naughty thoughts about work for next week..."

I woke up early the next morning as I rarely slept in even on a weekend. After a shower, and then breakfast of coffee and croissants, I gave it until mid-morning before sending Kristin a message. She immediately called me, letting me know she was already up and about. I did ask about any hangover. Thankfully, she hadn't forgotten our conversation from the previous evening, hearing her nerves when asking if my opinion about her had changed. I assured her that I still thought she was bloody brilliant and utterly gorgeous. I heard the smile in her tone when she rang off, letting her know that I'd collect her at around 5pm.

Figuring we'd just be visiting a couple of pubs, I stuck with jeans and a shirt before walking down the road towards her townhouse. Knocking on the door, she opened it after a minute or so and took my breath away immediately. I was used to seeing her in a skirt and blouse. The red and white dress she wore was exquisite. Tight to her generous curves, barely down to her knees, and the cleavage was awe-inspiring. Stepping towards her, she immediately cuddled me, leaning up to ensure we greeted each other with a kiss.

"I'm wearing thigh-highs," she whispered, "I've seen you looking at my legs. I always wear stockings. Makes me feel sexy."

"I should ask what you're wearing underneath..."

"All red," she said, blushing slightly, "All my underwear matches. Whether I'm wearing lingerie or just normal underwear is something you might find out later tonight."

"Ready to go?"

"I'll just get my bag and my coat."

The city centre was full of restaurants, some obviously catering to the tourists, and others were simple family-run operations that would serve tasty, hearty meals and provide fantastic beers on the side. We found a place to agree on, and a waitress showed us to an empty table. The menu wasn't too extensive, a sign we should get a decent feed. I was pleased to hear Kristin order a substantial meal, and when they arrived, we didn't hesitate in tucking in, the wheat beer we'd both ordered alongside our meal matching perfectly.

After filling ourselves, we wandered hand in hand for a little while, enjoying the night-time air, before finding our way towards a pub we knew would play the sort of music we would hopefully like. Thankfully, the clientele was of similar age, the music was mostly what we liked, and the dancefloor wasn't heaving but a few people did get up to dance when a particular song started to play.

"Dance with me," Kristin said, getting to her feet and offering her hand, "Can you dance?"

"Not really. Can you?"

"I'm hopeless. Let's be hopeless together."

We were both hopeless, but we had a great time, laughing away as we were not the only people on the dancefloor with no real sense of timing. Holding her in my arms certainly felt good though, and whoever was in charge of the music made sure the occasional slow song came on. When the first one did, we glanced at each other awkwardly for a few seconds before she moulded herself into my body.