The Cafe'

They reached her truck and she fumbled with the keys and finally unlocked the door. She turned back to him hoping he would crush her against him and kiss her until sunrise. " I had a wonderful time." She took half a step toward him.

"So did I." He resisted the urge to touch the errant curl that hung over her shoulder. "Can I see you again?" Damn it! The words were out of his mouth before his brain could stop them. He looked at her lips and wanted to taste them, to explore them, to run his tongue along her white even row of teeth.

"I'd like that." She said it softly, in all the breath she could spare.

He did reach out and take the curl in his fingers, it was silk, liquid gold. He looked at her eyes and saw they had darkened or was that a trick of the parking lot lights. Her lips were gently parted as if waiting for him to kiss her, he could see the pulse in the little hollow at the base of her throat. Did he dare? He had the feeling his future was about to shift and it terrified him and fascinated him at the same time. He took the other half step forward and she rested her hand on his chest. She could feel the deep hard beat of his heart and knew he was going to kiss her.

She put her hand on his chest, he could feel the heat of its light touch, no pressure, she wasn't pushing him away or telling him to stop. So what the hell, he would give a light good night kiss, get her number and race for home, take a cold shower and forget her. The intensity of the want for this woman was beyond what he had ever felt and if left unleashed who knew what would happen.

He leaned forward then hesitated, she could feel his breath on her face, her nostrils filled with warm earthy smell of him, he reached for her slipping his arm around her waist and drew her to him. Body contact with him took the last of her breath and she ran her other hand around his waist and up his back. She could feel his back move as he put his arms around her. She slid her hand up his chest and to the back of his neck feeling the hair at his collar brush against her fingers. It felt as familiar now as it had this afternoon at the restaurant.

The scent of her filled his head with fog and ... it would be just a small kiss, then he would go. At the touch of her lips to his the world disappeared and he fell into another. A world of only her, only her taste, her smell, her warm breasts against his chest, a moment and a sensation he wanted to keep, to repeat over and over again.

She could feel the change of his breathing, his heart beat, the lean hardness of his body against hers, she felt him swell and harden against her stomach. She pressed closer and when she tasted his tongue, felt it plunge into her mouth, drew his breath into her lungs she needed to be closer, to melt into him, and she wanted to stay there. The world disappeared for those brief seconds and there was only the two of them in the universe. Nothing else except the sensations that raced through her. Things she had never felt with anyone else; Confusion and heat and a searing connection that welded souls together. It was staggering. She waited for the hunger to burn but it didn't come this time. The driving need to slack her thirst didn't come this time.

Bright headlights from a car pulling into a parking place spotlighted them and ended the kiss. He raised his head and filled his hand with her hair pressing her head into his chest just below his chin. He drew a deep ragged breath to slow the thundering of his heart and cool his blood a degree or two and willed his knees not to buckle. "How do I get in touch with you." He inhaled the essence of her hair.

She took a deep breath, the warm safe circle of his arms left her unable to think for a moment and then the smoke began to clear, she felt the ground return under her feet, I can't let him know what that just did. He will think me easy and witless. She lifted her head and felt his arms tighten briefly and then relax.

"I need to get going." She stepped back.

"I'm sorry if that was out of line, I just....." He jammed his hands into his pockets. His gaze had turned hot and intense and she felt naked under it.

"Oh no, it isn't that it's..." A smile touched the corner of her mouth and was gone. She blushed and looked at his shoes hoping the parking lot lights hid the fact.

"It's what?" He reached for a strand of her hair and took a step to close the distance between them.

She placed a hand on his chest to stop him coming any closer. She could feel his warmth and the rapid beating of his heart and knew if he kissed her again she would burst into flame and melt. She smiled up at him "Mother told me never to play with matches, and you're a match."

Was that a mischievous twinkle in her eyes or was it a trick of the lights again? Good she had felt something, whether she felt reality take a step sideways or not he didn't know, but this was at least a start. "I would still like to see you again. Where can I call you?"

"Tomorrow after 11 am I'll be in the office, it will probably be easiest to catch me there." She turned to get in the truck.

He touched her arm to stop her and couldn't resist stroking it up to her shoulder. "I don't know where you work. We never covered that."

She chuckled a nervous chuckle and turned back to him. Her eyes lingering on the full lips that had just muddled her senses and wanted him to do it again. The hand on her arm was sending waves of heat straight to her stomach, she could feel the wetness in her panties and after just one kiss. Dear God, what would it be like to make love to him. Surely the universe would collapse. She should lie and run like hell, save the world as she knew it from complete destruction.

"Enterprise Advertising." said someone else with her mouth, she didn't seem to have control, last time she remembered having it was somewhere during that dance. "I must be having a blond moment." She smiled up at him. He released her arm and the cool night air rushed in to caresses her in its place. She felt goose bumps form and felt her nipples harden.

He chuckled and traced her jaw line with his finger, "Not for one moment would I ever consider you to be that witless. You must color your hair." He smiled. And couldn't help notice the outline of her breasts and erect nipples against the silk of her shirt. His fingers itched to trace their outline as he had just traced her jaw. God bless a cool breeze.

She stared at him a moment and then started laughing, he joined her. She liked the sound of his laughter, hers made him catch his breath. He was in deep trouble here, and he vowed not to call her and at the same time he knew he would be pacing the office and watching the clock every ten minutes until 11 tomorrow.

She climbed in the truck and started it. He closed her door, stepped back and watched her back out. She gave a tiny wave and then was gone. He turned and walked to his car the hand still in his pocket was tightly wrapped around his hard on. And just what was he supposed to do with that? He felt like a teenage boy, one that hasn't learned a single measure of control.

He sat behind the wheel of his car and took several deep breaths willing his heart to slow and his dick to relax. He couldn't get the taste of her out of his mind or the feel of her tiny heart fluttering against his chest. He hoped that indicated she had been as affected as he had. And he hoped she was going to have as fitful a night as he was going to. A cold shower wouldn't do it, a dip in Bearing Sea might, but that was too far to drive. He started the car and went home.

The next morning as he walked in the office his secretary handed him a fist full of messages and a look that only a practiced mother of three could muster for a disobedient child. Marion stared at him over the rim of her glasses and waited for him to scan through the messages.

"I see they were a tad upset I missed the meeting." He glanced at her, why hadn't he hired some sweet young thing instead of the efficient, grey haired woman that ran his company and him with the iron grip of a mother with bad behaved boys. She had a way of making him feel that once again he had missed his school bus. But there was no way he would ever do without her, it was pure magic the way his office ran. And over the years she had gradually taken over his life, she kept him out of trouble with his mother, by reminding him of birthdays and mothers day. And her impeccable gift choices had kept him out of hot water with both his sisters on several occasions.

"I assume you gave them a suitable excuse at my missing their meeting?"

"Of course, but I'll not tell you what I told them until I have the real reason you didn't show up to a meeting I've spent nearly 5 months arranging."

"Before you chastise me and send me to my room to think about my misdeeds I want you to order a dozen red roses sent to Enterprise Advertising. No,.... make that one red rose surrounded by 11 pure white ones."

Marion raised one eyebrow and removed the reading glasses from her nose to better study him. He fairly vibrated despite the tight grip on his control, he seemed impatient, and his color was up this morning. She hadn't seen him this way since the day he had marched into his old boss's office and informed him he didn't like his principles, that he had decided to start his own company and he intended to take his secretary with him. "Anyone in particular I should send it to, or is this for the entire company?" She smiled and chewed on the end of her glasses.

"Jess" He reshuffled the messages not wanting to look her in the eye. Marion was far too perceptive for him to slip this by and he didn't want to hear the "it's about time" speech again.

Marion stepped around her desk and wrote the name on a sticky note. "Last name?" She looked up at him.

He fidgeted uncomfortably "I don't know it yet." He admitted with a sigh and returned her stare as hard as he could.

Marion gave him a slight smile, "the card should say...?" she looked back down at the note pad. At least he had the decency to look embarrassed.

"Dinner, question mark. and sign it ..." He smiled remembering the look in Jess' eye, the jaunty cock of her head as she said "mother told me to never play with matches, and you're a match." "in quotations, "Match"." He turned to go to his office and begin returning calls. "And Marion, please make sure they deliver it before 10 this morning." He closed the door.

When the florist delivered the flowers to the office of Enterprise Advertising at 9:45 they caused quite a stir. As requested the bouquet consisted of one blood red rose set in the center and just a little higher than the surrounding 11 snow white roses each on stems at least 18 inches long.

The delivery boy stepped up to the receptionist and said he had a delivery for Jess. Quiet spread though out the office.

And just as the receptionist reached for the card, Jess stepped around the corner reading through a file. "Marty," she said rather sharply without looking up. Marty jumped as if a bee in the roses has stung her.

"Yes." She yelped and snatched her hand back.

Jess looked at her over the top of her reading glasses and glanced at the roses. The tingle started at the tip of her toes and ended somewhere near the top of her head. She forced herself not to look back at them. Speech was impossible and she continued to stare at Marty, while trying to control the sensation the memory of last evenings good night kiss was causing. She knew instinctively the flowers were for her and not an anniversary gift to one of the secretaries. There would be gossip in every corner of the office in less time than it takes to sneeze. Great, just great.

Marty thinking she had just been caught about to snoop blushed and stammered "I .. I think these are for you."

The delivery boy turned "You Jess?"

The giggle behind her snapped her back to reality and she closed the file and said "Yes I'm Jess, may I help you?"

"Then these are for you. Is there some place I can put 'em so you can sign for 'em?" He said between hard chews on a wad of gum.

"My desk, follow me." She turned abruptly back to her office. She must never loose control in front of the staff. It was hard enough to be successful in this business as a woman. No one ever thought you tough enough or aggressive enough or bright enough to get the job done if you had breasts. She had spent years keeping her personal life completely separate and hidden from the world, while clawing her way to the top. And now to receive such a beautiful bouquet of roses... well, they were just, fabulous... they just ... it just ... it rendered her ... female, in her office, in front of her staff.

She looked at the roses the delivery boy set on the desk and a strong flutter in her stomach reminded her of the warm feel of being held against him, electric shock that had charged through her system at the first touch of his lips, the rush of warmth between her legs at the taste of his tongue... She was always female outside the office, but never, never here. She resisted the urge to burry her face in them and inhale their scent to bottom of her lungs.

"Mam, could you please sign this. I have other deliveries to make."

"What?" She refocused her eyes from the memory to the face of the boy holding out the clipboard and pen.

"Sign on the x, please, I have to get going." He held out the board and wiggled it at her.

"Oh, sure." She took it and scratched her name on the x marked line.

The delivery boy gone, she took the card from the holder and did lean down and fill her lungs with the heady sent of roses. They were spectacular and the single red one in the center was an inspired touch. Maybe she could use it sometime in a campaign. No, no you can never do that. This one is just for you, all yours, only yours, you're not sharing it. Never.

Well that was certainly out of character, she definitely needed some distance here, must be the phase of the moon.

She opened the card. "Dinner? "Match"." She laughed, he was definitely that, a match and matches did one of two things; burned the dickens out of your fingers or started a nice fire to get cozy by, read a book, sip cocoa... champagne, kisses that curled your toes and warm embraces in strong arms with ...

"Who's Match?"

Jess jumped and quickly folded the card.

Marty was unashamedly reading the card over her shoulder and holding a stack of proofs that needed approval.

"They're gorgeous." Marty nodded toward the roses. "Must've been some night." She set the folders on the desk by the roses. "These need review and correction or approval if you can see your way out of the clouds to get to them." She turned to go.

"Marty," Jess carefully returned the card to its holder. "Not a word, not one syllable of this. If I even imagine I hear anything about this I'll doc you a weeks pay."

Marty smiled "Sugar ain't nothing I can do 'bout what's already going 'round. But any man that's got the taste to send flowers like that is at least worth another try. I'd wear that slinky little thing you wore to the Gallery opening in April. Some of them," She waved her pencil toward the outer office, "were beginning to wonder if you were human, now they know." She started to close the office door on her way out. "The three on the top need approval or change by 3:00 so I can get them to the printers, they're supposed to publish tomorrow."

As the door snicked shut Jess gently ran one finger along the edge of a white rose, their fragrance drifted up and brought with it the lingering image of his smile and the desire in his eyes as he had watched her while they danced. She remembered the light touch of his finger along her cheek and the powerful longing it stirred in her, a long dead emotion. One she wasn't sure she wanted resurrected, not after....

Drawing a deep breath she pushed that unwanted thought back into its dark corner, picked up the first file and began spreading its contents on the review table.