Sleeping with the Enemy

"And scorer of Peterborough's third goal..." as the tannoy announced my name, I took a quick look up towards the VIP bar at the Milton Keynes ice rink, where the office staff of Keyne Print were congregated. I could make out a few faces of the staff, but I continued to scan those looking out over the rink, before I found whom it was I wanted to see. Nicola Trent stared back, and I couldn't help myself but give her a cheeky wave, before turning towards the away teams bench, to continue getting the back slaps from my team-mates.

This story begins about 6 months before, when I sustained a hairline fracture of my skull, which threatened to end my hockey career, and whilst I was waiting for medical clearance to return to playing, I had enrolled onto an accounting course at a local business college. The course itself was three months long and they helped you find a position at the end of the course where you could use the new qualification.

I passed the course quite easily as I've always had a good head with numeracy, and at the end of the three months I was introduced to the manager of a company called Keyne Print, with a view to me covering their accountants office clerk, who had taken maternity leave. Nicola Trent I assumed was in her mid-forties, she was about 5 foot 3, she had a curvaceous body which, whilst it made her look overweight, it actually made her look like the type of person someone would enjoy cuddling. She had large expressive grey eyes, coupled with a luscious shade of auburn hair which reached her shoulders, and while she wasn't absolutely stunning, she exuded an air of confidence which I found very attractive. Having said that I could see rings on her wedding finger so I kept my thoughts to myself.

It wasn't long before I realised my face didn't fit in the office with the women who worked there. Any coffee runs always seemed to be sorted when I wasn't in the office, staff meetings happened whenever I was at lunch or sat at the reception desk, and for a couple of staff get-togethers that happened after work, I had 'forgotten' to be invited.

I didn't mind though, I found most of the women in the office just stuffy, and whenever I tried to strike up a conversation, I was given the cold shoulder or the person in question just made it clear they didn't want to chat. I was fed up with everything and was just counting down my time before I could return to playing hockey. I had continued with my fitness regime, and spent most of my free time down the gym working on strength and cardio. I had even continued going to hockey training, though I was never allowed to take part in full contact sessions, but when the doctors cleared me to return to full contact hockey, I was physically ready.

My teams first game after my clearance had come through would be away at Milton Keynes, and my return was pencilled in for that game. When I got to the office on the very next Monday I immediately went to the managers office to tell her I was handing in my notice. Nicola took the news as if I had told her I had just killed her pet dog, and began complaining that I hadn't given them enough notice and that I was being unfair to the rest of the staff by leaving.

My blood boiled and I replied in a loud and to be honest, a very angry way

"Considering how everyone's been fucking treating me, I would have thought you'd all be happy that I'm going. Now you can get someone in who will be appreciated, and hopefully they won't be treated like shit, which is how I've been treated ever since I walked through that fucking door."

Before she could reply, I turned away and stormed out of the office, literally having to force myself to resist the urge to slam the door behind me. As I made my way back to my desk, I could feel the eyes of the office staff all looking at me, wondering what all the shouting was about. I sent a couple of e-mails then went for a coffee from the burger van down the road.

When I got back to the office it was clear I had been the subject of the office chat, as everyone suddenly went silent when I walked back in, though I deliberately ignored everyone and sat at my desk to continue the paperwork and answer the numerous e-mails that came with the job. About an hour later I needed to get something from the supply room and as I walked in Nicola, who was standing on a step stool, whirled round to see who had just entered. As she turned the heels of her shoes caught in the rubber groove of the stool and she started to fall.

I rushed forward and managed to catch her just as she was close to hitting the floor. As I helped her to retain her footing I realised my hands were closed around her waist and chest, and I let go and began to apologise profusely for the inappropriate contact. She stared at me for a few seconds with a flush to her face, before mumbling a quick thank you for saving her from injuring herself, and she walked out of the room. I grabbed what I needed off the shelf and returned to my desk, my mind racing, mainly over what she was going to say to the rest of the staff, but also regarding the feel of her breast, which had felt extremely large and soft in my hand, even if it was for that split second.

As the end of the day approached one of the office staff appeared at my desk and asked if I could go to Nicola's office as she wanted to speak to me. When I got to the door I knocked and adjusted my tie wondering what was going to be said.

"Come in." came her voice, which sounded less sharp than her usual tone.

I entered, and my nostrils were met with the smell of an extremely nice perfume, something I hadn't noticed before the last time I had been in here. "You wanted to see me?" I asked, trying not to look at her body as she sat at her desk looking at me with a slight smile on her lips.

"Yes, I just wanted to say again, thank you for what happened in the stock room, and I would like to apologise for how you've been treated, not just by the staff, but also by me, it's not been fair on you."

"I'm ok, I've worked on a nightclub door, so this has been easy to cope with." To be honest, it had affected me and I had more than once spent a few hours in a pub after a day fuming over things, but there was no way I was going to let her know that.

"Well I think I should explain," she continued, "the lady who had the job before you, was well loved, and we don't know if she is coming back, and it felt like you were taking her place."

"I had got that impression," I mused, "but this was always only going to be temporary as I aim to return to my security work as soon as I can."

I still wasn't going to talk about my Ice-hockey as I knew some of the women went to games and I wanted it to be one hell of a surprise when I came out as a player for the opposition.

Nicola eyed me for a while then she reached for a sheet of paper "I have a favour to ask."

I wanted to say no, but for some reason she looked at me and I could sense her attitude towards me had changed since my outburst in her office earlier. "What's the favour?" I asked.

"Could you work till the end of the month, as I can't get someone in until then."

It meant an extra week, but to be honest, that wouldn't make a huge difference, so reluctantly I replied "yes I can do that."

"Thank you, and again I apologise on behalf of both myself and the staff as to how you've been treated." She then gave a bit of a deep intake of breath before continuing "and thank you again for catching me in the stock room." as I looked at her I noticed a flush in her face before she continued, "and, erm, thank you for the apology regarding where your hands went, even though I know it wasn't deliberately done."

I smiled inwardly at the memory though I kept my face as passive as I could, "I certainly didn't mean to grab anywhere inappropriate and I hope that if I did, I didn't hurt you and that you will forgive me for doing so?"

"You are forgiven, and no you didn't hurt me."

"Thank you." I responded and turned to make my way back out of the door.

"Would you like to go for a drink after work?"

The question had suddenly came out of nowhere, and I stopped in my tracks just as my hand was reaching for the door handle. Turning slowly I looked at Nicola who was now standing by the side of her desk, wiping her hands down the sides of her skirt and staring at me with a look of, what was it? Pleading? Dread? Worry?

"Erm, ok, where would you like to go?"

"How about The Plough in Simpson?"

I knew the pub, and it was quite a decent place for both a drink or for a nice meal.

"Erm that sounds good, what time do you want to meet there?"

"Well if you want to we can go straight after work, I can drive us there."

"To be honest that isn't far for me to go to get home, so that sounds fine by me. I need to get some e-mails sent off and I can find some other things to do, so I will just wait till you're ready to go, is that ok?"

Nicola's smile reached both of her eyes, and for the first time I became aware of a beauty that I had never seen in her before. Although she stood around 5 feet 5" tall, her curvy figure was hidden beneath the loose blouse and long flowing skirt that she wore, her stunning grey eyes were framed beautifully by her auburn hair and her demeanour had certainly thawed towards me.

I returned to my desk and sat down. Later I was busy engrossed in sorting out some invoices when a couple of the office women passed both saying goodnight and that they would see me tomorrow. I reciprocated but was completely gobsmacked as those were probably the most words anyone in the office had said to me since I had been there. I was still wondering about this when my phone rang, the readout proclaimed it to be Nicola's phone so I picked up the receiver.

"Hello."

"Hi, are you ready?"

"Just shutting my computer off, and I will be."

"I will come out, has everyone else gone?"

I looked around the office and realised that I was indeed on my own, though that wasn't unusual, as I always enjoyed the quiet at the end of the day only leaving when the cleaners did.

"Yes," I replied "Looks like everyone else has gone."

"Good, see you in a minute."

I put the receiver down and continued to focus on my computer screen trying to ensure I had logged off properly, before organising the paperwork ready for the next day. I heard Nicola's door close but continued to sort my desk out until I sensed her behind me.

"All ready?" she asked

As I turned round my head span. Nicola was wearing a body hugging pale blue dress which buttoned up the front, she had left the top two or three buttons undone, allowing me a glimpse of her cleavage and, I may add, one which was not encased in a bra considering I could clearly see her nipples through the material. The dress ended a couple of inches above her knees and tantalisingly the bottom couple of buttons were also undone allowing the material to open, giving me a glimpse of creamy thigh as she took a step forward.

"Erm, you look different." was literally all I could manage as my eyes and brain had a full on fight as to where I should be looking, and thankfully my brain won and I looked down at my bag, stooping to pick it up.

"I like to be dressed nice when I go out." she purred, clearly enjoying the fact she had caught me off guard.

"I take it your meeting your husband after our drink?" I said nodding to the rings on her wedding finger, hoping to make it clear I didn't play with married women. I've done that once and it didn't end well, though I didn't lose the fight when he came at me, she sided with him once he was down on the ground and refused to talk to me again.

"Oh, no I'm not married, well I'm widowed actually." she explained.

Christ I felt like a right bastard for saying that, "I'm sorry I didn't know."

"It's ok you weren't to know," then she did a small laugh, almost as if to a private joke to herself, then she explained, "he died a few years ago, he was a firefighter when we met, but he found a lump about a year after our youngest was born. He was diagnosed with cancer, and he passed away within 4 months."

"I'm so sorry to hear that," I said looking directly into her eyes, "my Dad passed away when I was 2, and I have absolutely no memory of him." I looked away to stifle a sob as my emotions began to rise, then I looked back at her and staring into her eyes I swore "Cancer fucking sucks."

"It does indeed," she said, looking at her left hand, then she smiled at me continuing, "I've just never wanted to remove these, plus it stops any unwanted attention if I am out. If I want someone, I make the moves, but I have never taken anyone back to my home, it's always a hotel or we go to theirs."

"Isn't that kind of dangerous?" I asked

"My friends have my phone on their trackers, and I always let them know where I am," she laughed as she looked at my face, "don't panic I don't do it every week, I've literally only done it a couple of times," she made a face then continued, "to be honest I'm happier on my own reading a book snuggled up on the sofa with my dog."

"I wasn't judging, honest, and to be fair, I'm in no position to judge anyone regarding who they sleep with considering my track record."

"So be honest, how many women have you slept with?" She stared at me with an air of challenge and I felt I had to be honest.

"If I had to put a number on it I would say...," I closed my eyes trying to mentally work it out as quickly as I could, "Erm... it must be around 50, probably more but I've never kept score."

Her eyes widened at that and she whistled "That's a fair few."

I shrugged my shoulders, "I suppose, but I've never thought about it."

She looked at me again, then with a smile on her lips she said "well tonight you get to add to that number," then she grinned, "that is if you want to?"

I stood and took a step towards her, before gently touching her arm, and replying,

"You are an extremely gorgeous woman, and I would love to sleep with you, but I'm going to decline your offer and make my way home, alone."

Her eyes flashed with anger and she took a step back. I saw the hand coming but wasn't quite able to move my right hand up quickly enough to catch her right wrist as the open handed slap approached.

"You bastard." she swore, as her hand connected with my left cheek.

I stepped back and held a warning finger up at her to ensure there was no repeat of the slap, before icily saying.

"Maybe I am, but I'm certainly not just going to jump into bed with someone whose been treating me like crap, ever since I started here."

She opened her mouth to say something but the anger in her eyes had gone and she just looked at her hand which must have been stinging if it was anything like my face. I sighed and taking another step back I muttered,

"I think it's time for me to go."

I turned, bent down and grabbing my bag, I began to walk to the door.

"I'm sorry." was all I heard before I closed the door behind me.

The next few days went by without me seeing Nicola at all, her office door remained shut though the rest of the staff started to include me in some of their chats, and I didn't have to worry about getting my own coffee either as my name was now on the coffee run list.

The Friday before game weekend, the office chat was about the upcoming weekends ice hockey game. Keyne Print were to be one of the games sponsors, and many of the staff were going to be in the vip bar, and would be able to meet the players after the game. I lost count of the times someone asked if I was going to go as a staff member, but I had to make my excuses saying I already had plans for that weekend. In truth I was looking forward to the game and I couldn't wait to see their faces afterwards.

I arrived at the rink around 4pm and walking through the main doors I made my way to the away team dressing room. I knew I would be fairly early as I lived in Milton Keynes, though I only had to wait about 20 minutes before the rest of the squad arrived. After getting my gear on we went out for warm ups and about 30 minutes in, the fans began arriving. I didn't really take any notice as we were busy doing our drills and I headed down the tunnel without looking around.

It wasn't until we lined up at the start of the game, that I was able to take a glance up to the bar area, and I literally looked straight at Nicola. Her eyes were huge with a look of amazement etched on her face. A quick look along the rest of the faces showed me the same look of incredulity, I smiled inwardly, the conversations after the game were going to be interesting.

To say I had a decent game would be an understatement. I scored 2 goals and picked up an assist in 3 others, as well as having a seriously good scrap at the start of the third period which meant me being tossed out of the game for a misconduct.

By the time I got up to the VIP bar, my left eye was beginning to swell shut, my knuckles were sore and quite scuffed and I had a slight headache. However, I was feeling pretty good about the fact we'd won the game, as I entered the room I could see the Keyne Print staff all looking at me, but I went up to the bar and ordered a pint of lime and lemonade, before turning to approach the people with whom I'd been working with for such a short while.

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"How long have you played hockey for?"

"Is this why you were injured?"

The questions came at the speed of a puck, and I answered each and every one of them as truthfully as I could. Then as more players arrived, the throng surrounding me lessened until eventually I was staring into the eyes of Nicola Trent.

Before I could say a word, she held her hand up to ensure she started first,

"I owe you an apology," she said looking at me, whilst slightly chewing her bottom lip.

"Why?"

"For slapping you."

I laughed and pointed to my rather bruised face and replied, "I've been hit harder to be honest."

She couldn't help but smile back, before she continued. "even so you acted like a gentleman and didn't just take me up on my offer that night. To be honest I'm not sure what I was doing," She looked down at her drink, took a quick swig then continued "when you said no, I felt it was a sleight against me, but thinking about it I was more embarrassed and ashamed at how I was acting."

I looked at her smiling broadly and I also had a sip of my drink before I replied,

"To be honest you looked absolutely gorgeous, and I wanted to take you to bed right there and then, but I felt something wasn't quite right for you." I took another sip of my drink before continuing, "Though if the offer is still there we could go somewhere and have something to eat and maybe after we could go back to my place. That is if you want?"

She looked around at the rest of the staff who were all engrossed in their own conversations and she appeared to be struggling with some internal thoughts before she looked at me replying, "Ask me again near the end of the night."

It was around 10pm when I felt a light touch on my arm, as I was busy chatting with a couple of MK players, and when I turned to see who it was I was met by the round grey eyes of my recent adversary.

"Hi, you ok?" I asked, wondering if this was where she was going to get her own back on me by saying no.

"I am, erm could we have a chat?"

"Yea, sure."

We made our way over to a corner of the bar area and I noticed Nicola was now looking nervous and was twiddling with the rings on her left hand.

"I've thought about this ever since that day in the stock room, and even though things went a bit wrong that evening when I came onto you, I still want to take you to bed. Seeing you out there had made me want to sleep with you even more, so if you want to go now, I can take you"

I drained my glass, and gently pressed my hand into hers, and bent my head close to hers so my lips were near her ear, "Let's get out of here and we can make a decision away from anyone listening"