The New Programmer

Sharon and the others nodded or spoke their agreement.

"No. No. No," Demanded Ted, "None of you know what you're talking about. We're not changing a thing. This conversation is over and this meeting is over. Everyone get out, get to work and don't change anything."

The team filed out feeling defeated. For a moment their wish for improvement was right in front of them, then it was stomped away. Sharon rubbed Daniels's arm, "You did your best, thanks for trying."

During the next few weeks, Sharon and Daniel's lives became more and more intertwined. They got into the habit of walking to and from work together. They found it was a good way to jump-start, or wind down the day with stimulating conversation. It was good exercise and had an old school 'can I walk you to class' romantic quality to it.

On their walks, they would pass a used book store with an 'Opening Soon' sign on the door. One day, on their walk home, the sign had changed to 'Now Open'. "Let's go in," Sharon suggested.

It was a nice place, well organized making things easy to find. They had a nice selection of classics, as well as, popular modern novels and just enough rare items to spark conversation. Daniel was first to notice that they had a section devoted to graphic novels, "Hey check these out," he said.

They walked over and started looking through the selection. Daniel picked up a copy of Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, "This is one of my all-time favorites."

"Yeah?"

"Oh yeah. It was just so mythic and deeply psychological. Batman doesn't want to be involved but when things get really bad he steps in and people follow him. Very heroic, very inspirational. Have you read it?"

"Oh yeah of course," Sharon responded.

"Did you not like it?"

"No I liked it, it's seminal. But it's pretty dark. I'm more of a fan of Miller's Daredevil: Born Again. There he gave readers hope that no matter how bad things get there's always a chance to put it all back together."

"I've not read Born Again."

Sharon did a quick scan of the self and found a copy, "Well its right here."

Daniel took the copy from her hand, "Funny how you seem to find just what I need, apartments, restaurants, and now comic books."

"Well yeah, it's always better to share experiences."

They grinned at each other before heading to check out.

Daniel hadn't won his argument with Ted, however, he had won the respect of the other employees. Jake and Lori, both began openly talking about his and Sharon's ideas for improvement. This got other team members talking about changing the company's direction. Before long Daniel and Sharon had become the people team members came to with questions, problems, and complaints. This activity spilled out into after-hour activities. Groups would gather for dinner or at a bar after work. Sharon and Daniel were always invited to join them.

Sharon quietly watched Daniel interact with the rest of the team. He would listen intently and be sympathetic to their needs. He was interested in everyone's ideas and encouraged them to apply their talent. He was always positive and never bashed the company.

This was a big change from his first day. She wondered what caused the shift from cranky complainer to the leader by example. Maybe he was inspired by his late-night comet watching. Maybe the move from big-city Seattle to a small town had improved his disposition. Whatever it was, she hoped that this Daniel was the real Daniel. His presence made work bearable and outside of work she had found someone intelligent and respectable to share time with.

One night she woke to the sound of footsteps in the hall outside of her apartment. She heard a door open then close, and more footsteps on the stairs. She realized it must be someone accessing the roof. Looking at her alarm clock she wondered who needed to get up there at 2 am. Through her bedroom window, she could see the night sky was black and full of stars. She smirked as she answered her own question.

Not bothering to change out of her sleepwear, she headed to the roof. When she opened the door her flesh bristled from a cool summer breeze. As expected she found Daniel staring intently into his telescope. He had set up his equipment and a folding chair on a four by six outdoor rug.

"Looking at anything special?" she asked.

Startled, he made a little gasp and jumped back. When he saw her standing there in a green spaghetti strap tank top and matching boxers, a lopsided smile cut across his face, "Why yes, yes I am."

"The comet?"

Daniel nodded his head in a goofy confused kind of way, "Yes, the comet. It's at its closest point to earth. The gravitational attraction is at its strongest. There's no moonlight tonight, conditions are perfect."

"Can I see?"

"Yes absolutely, go ahead," he said, pointing at the telescope.

Sharon bent down, squinted into the viewing lens and was amazed at what she saw. To the naked eye, the comet was a fuzzy snowball. Through the telescope, she could see the tail as a long ghostly banner of light. It had a distinct greenish-blue haze. The center was a dark, dense, semi-symmetrical area.

"It's incredible isn't it?" said Daniel, "The dark spot is the nucleus. It spews out dust and gas that react with the radiation from the sun. That creates the glow and the tail."

"It's beautiful," Sharon said as she lifted her gaze from the lens to Daniel's face.

They were standing close to each other, staring into each other's eyes, "Yes, this is a once in a lifetime moment," he said softly.

She matched his tone and moved a little closer, "I would've never noticed. It would've only been a fuzzy dot to me."

He was almost whispering, "That's the thing with astronomy, if you look deeper you'll discover that the unnoticeable is beautiful."

Their lips met. They kissed, softly, slowly, tender and sweet. They were in unison immediately, like champion dancers pairing for the first time. It was a passionate connection as rare as the comet above them.

He wrapped his arms around her. She pulled her lips from his, "Mmm... you feel so good," she whispered into the night breeze.

She drew air into her lungs with a sensual hiss as his lips pressed into the soft flesh of her neck. He slowly slid his hands to her hips and pulled her in until their bodies pressed together. She could tell he was already aroused.

Sharon opened her eyes to view the brilliant night sky and the comet. She pressed her cheek into his and ran her fingers through his hair feeling its texture. She could smell the fading scent of his cologne. The stubble on his face added a tickle to his kisses. This man was turning on all of her senses simultaneously.

His hands ran over her breasts, "Can I see," he whispered in her ear, causing her to grind hard against him. He took her moan as a yes and pulled the tiny straps of her top down exposing her chest.

Her stomach flipped over and over again. His hands worked the tender flesh of her breasts with the expertise of a man who knew how to touch a woman. He rubbed the hardened flesh of her areolas and gently pinched her nipples. She fought hard to control herself. She wanted to cum right then and there, but she also wanted the moment to last.

Daniel pushed her back just enough to put his mouth on her breast. He wrapped his lips around her right areola. The friction and slide of his wet tongue felt wonderful. He softly suckled and used his tongue to stimulate her nipple. He moved to her left breast and continued his oral attention. She could feel the vibrations through her whole body causing her pussy tingle and her clit to swell.

She grabbed his head and pulled it away from her chest. Their mouths crashed together. Their tongues met. The sexual contact caused goosebumps to form on her skin. The cool night breeze moved over those bumps and sent shivers throughout her body. The moment was intoxicating.

Sharon grabbed the hem of his shirt and yanked it up and off. She half kissed half bit the bare skin of his neck, shoulders, and chest. She ran her tongue across his stiff, sensitive nipples. He shivered and his knees partially buckled under him. She knew she was arousing him as much as he was her.

She slid down his body, dropping to her knees. Sharon looked up and met his gaze while running her hand over his hard-on bulge. It throbbed and twitched under her touch. His eyes were full of lust as if he wanted to say 'I want your lips around my cock!' but she knew he was too much of a gentleman to say that. As she unbuttoned his pants, his eyes rolled up; his head fell back and he groaned.

Once the button was free she unzipped the fly and pulled his pants and underwear down. His erection stood inches from her face stiff, swollen and strong. There in the soft light of night, it was the sexiest thing she'd ever seen. She extended her tongue and slowly ran it up his shaft from base to tip. She rubbed the head on one cheek then the other before putting it in her mouth.

Her head slid down, taking in his erection. He was the perfect size for her. He filled her mouth without straining her jaw or triggering a gag reflex. Daniel put his hands on her shoulders to steady himself. She slid back running her wet tongue along the underside of his shaft. She then slid forward causing the head of his cock to rub against the roof of her mouth. She repeated these motions over and over.

Before long he spoke with a rasp, "Oh Sharon, I'm gonna..."

With one smooth movement, she pulled her mouth off his cock and replaced it with her hand. She squeezed and stroked with just enough pressure that she could feel the force of his orgasm under her fingers. Bolts of fluid shot out of him and landed somewhere on the rooftop. His hips jerked as he let out a groan of pleasure.

Daniel held onto her shoulders so as not to fall over. His breathing was deep and uneven. He was trying to regain his composure but was trapped in the joy of his orgasm. With a sly smile, Sharon coyly asked, "Did you like that?"

He laughed, "Yeah, 'like' is a bit of an understatement, but it works."

She giggled in response. Their eyes met again, and without saying a word, each confirmed that they were not ready for this encounter to end.

He pushed her shoulders back indicating that he wanted her to lie down. As she did so he lifted her top off. She grinned at him while he fumbled through removing his pants, socks, and shoes. When he was done, he knelt down over her. He ran his hands lightly over the soft skin of her breasts and lower belly before sliding over her pajama bottoms. She wondered if he could feel her wetness through the material.

Her breath became ragged gasps when he took ahold of the waistband. He slid her pajama bottoms and panties down and off. His smooth, skilled hands took the back of her knees and lifted them up and out. Her wet womanhood was fully exposed to him. He ran his hand over her outer lips and though her sparse pubic hair. Sharon moaned as his fingers explored the folds of her flesh. She thrust her hips up and around, signaling him that she was ready for more intense stimulation. He played for a bit before he bent his head in to taste.

She moaned as his mouth made contact. Daniel parted her pussy lips with his tongue. As he slowly probed her labia her legs began to quiver. He made his way up to her clit. His tongue gently rubbed the skin of the hood, indirectly putting pressure on her pleasure button. His tongue swirled and teased, but never made clitoral contact. Sharon whimpered when she felt his index finger at her entrance. Like his teasing tongue, it moved no further. It rubbed and rolled around the opening but never entered.

She lay there with her eyes shut, enjoying the pleasure that was crashing over her. She soon felt a pressure deep in her hips telling her an orgasm was coming. She opened her eyes and saw the dark black of night, the bright shine of the stars and the fuzzy glow of the comet. At that moment it was like existence fell away. All the muscles in her body tightened, her stomach rolled into a knot and her breathing stopped.

She crunched upward for just a second before contractions of ecstasy exploded inside of her. Her entire body spasmed and convulsed with a mind shaking orgasm. A second contraction shook her, then a third. She felt two more before the orgasm faded.

When her wits returned she looked at Daniel. It was his turn to smile wryly at her, "Did you like that?"

She giggled again, "I literally saw stars."

He laughed back, "Yeah, you can do that up here."

They stared into each other's eyes before she took the sides of his head in her hands and guided his face to hers. They kissed softly and tenderly before she moved her hands to his hips and pulled them towards her. Daniel broke the kiss and asked, "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Sharon said softly.

"Just like this?"

She leaned up, whispered, "Yes," and kissed him.

Each adjusted their body position in preparation for what was about to happen. She wrapped her legs around his waist. He repositioned so his renewed erection was close to her entrance. She used her legs to push down on his hips placing his cock head at the opening of her pussy. He applied the slightest of pressure and in one swift motion, slid into her.

Because he hadn't penetrated her during the oral sex she was saturated and practically frictionless. After holding still for a moment he started slowly moving. He pulled almost all the way out then pushed back in. He repeated over and over, slow and steady.

He had a confident, masculine rhythm to sex. On the outside she could feel his hips connect with her inner thighs, his balls press against her butt cheeks and his kisses on her neck. On the inside, he filled her, touched her in deep places and radiated his warmth.

Soon his movements became more rapid and his thrusts were harder. This changed the sensations inside Sharon. She thrust her hips up to meet his movements. Her clit ground against him. She arched her back and strained to squeeze her pussy muscles. In a flash an orgasm hit her, sending shivers throughout her body. Her limbs trembled and her torso shook; her mouth opened but no sound came out.

Daniel's orgasm immediately followed hers. The squeeze around his cock threw him over the edge. Spurt after spurt rocketed deep into her body. His controlled rhythm was replaced with involuntary muscle spasms in his hips and legs. The final sensation was a trail of goosebumps that ran from his tailbone to the base of his skull.

He collapsed on top of her. She wrapped her arms and legs around him and squeezed tight, maximizing their body contact. They lay there as close as they could, under the stars and bathed in the soft ambient light of the city.

The next morning started like every other. Both Sharon and Daniel went about their normal work routine. Each made a strong effort not to gush over the other. They were successful, however, she was pretty sure the other women could see the 'new sex glow' she was feeling. For the first time in a long time, she felt happy and hopeful for the future. It was about ten o'clock when Ted called her to his office.

He didn't ask her to sit down and spoke bluntly.

"Sharon, I'm disappointed in you. I thought you were the sort of girl who could work with me and share my vision. But now I see you're not like that. I see that you'll blindly follow the first new guy to come along. So you're out as a programmer. I'm moving you to tech support."

Her shock didn't last long before it was replaced with anger. "You can't do that!"

"I'm the Program Manager and I can do whatever I want."

"I'll contact H.R. Tell them you are punishing me even though I didn't do anything wrong!"

"And I'll tell them that I'm transferring an employee to a job that suits her skill set. I'm not cutting your pay or benefits. How are you being punished? Are you going to say that I'm not allowing you to work next to your boyfriend? Good luck with that."

She knew he had her, that she had no recourse. She also knew if she gave in to the anger she was giving him the upper hand. If she swore or yelled or threatened she was the bad guy and he could fire her on grounds. The only thing she could do was to agree, tuck her tail between her legs and walk away. As she stomped out, she noticed a group of well-dressed people walking towards Ted's office.

Daniels 'happy you're back' smile melted to concern when he saw Sharon's expression. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I just got sacked," She spit out.

"What?"

"Yeah, Ted's transferred me to Tech support."

"What? He can't do that."

"He's the Program Manager; he can. He's also asshole enough to rub that in my face."

Daniel looked at the ground with a seriousness she had never seen before. Like he was making the biggest decision of his life. He took in a deep breath, held it and let it out slowly. "Ok, I've had enough. Don't go anywhere. I'll be back."

"Daniel, wait what're you going to do?"

That's when another voice chimed in. "Daniel? Is that the name you have them calling you here?"

Sharon looked up to see an impeccably dressed man. He was a bit older than she and carried himself with smug arrogance and wealth. He looked familiar, she was trying to place it when Daniel mumbled, "Shit."

"Come on Danny give your brother a hug," The new arrival said as he crossed the room and took an uncomfortable Daniel into a bear hug.

That's when she realized who the man was. It was Sullivan Douglas, the head of Rotect. The eldest son of 'Old Man Douglas' the founder of the company. If Daniel was his brother, that would make him Danny Douglas. The silent sibling that 'people never see and cares more about astronomy than the company'. Her head started to doubt it but her gut corrected her, she knew it was the truth. She swallowed hard and asked, "I thought your name was Daniel Anderson?"

"It is," answered Sullivan, "Daniel Anderson Douglas. The small-town air must have made him forget his last name. What's up with that little brother?"

Sharon's insides churned as their temperature came to a boil. Daniel had been lying about who he was the entire time he was here. As an owner, he could have come in and taken over in the first minute, but he didn't. He could have fired Ted that evening on the street, but he didn't. He could've bought the building she lived in rather than renting a basement apartment, but he didn't.

She was angry. Angry at him for lying, angry for not seeing it, angry for developing feelings for him, angry that he put her in a position that gave Ted dominion over her. The anger channeled into fury. She looked him right in the face and yelled, "Asshole!"

She stormed out of the room and headed for the front door. "Wait Sharon let me explain'" Daniel pleaded and started going after her.

"Don't leave brother we have a deal to settle," said Sullivan.

"Shut up, not now," he called back as sped past Sharon and stood in front of her, "Sharon please stop. I want to explain. I was going to explain."

She stopped, resisting the urge to hit him in the face, "No! Daniel or Danny or whoever, you don't get to explain, you get to get out of my way and out of my life."

He stepped aside, she passed him, threw the front door open and left.

That evening Sharon sat in her living room. She was still very angry but now was also upset and confused. She was trying to decide on what to do when she heard a knock on her door. Knowing it must be Daniel she ignored it. He knocked a second time and a third. She ignored all of them.

She heard a paper slide on hardwood and saw a note under her door. She got up, lifted it from the floor and read it. 'Sharon I get it, I do. I'm an ass. I won't try and defend myself or make excuses. If you want to get on with your life I understand. There is one important thing I want to talk to you about. Please come to the office when you can. I'm sorry.'