Working Late Ch. 04

Note: This is the 4th of 5 Chapters. As usual, it's best read from the very first chapter, none are long so it's easy to catch up. This chapter does, however, contain a kind of summary though from Karl's perspective if you want to dive right in.

Thank you also for feedback to date, I continue to appreciate your opinions.

I hope you enjoy it.

*****

The lift was, as usual, empty at this time of the morning. The quietness of the building was one reason he enjoyed arriving at work so early each day.

As Karl unlocked the office door, he glanced at Amelie's desk. She'd not been with him long, only a matter of weeks, but she'd made one hell of an impact on him. He recalled the interview with her. Watching her enter his office; being amused by her attempts to be confident despite her skittishness. Her qualifications had been no more or less impressive than other interviewees but there'd been something he couldn't put his finger on. She had intrigued him. If he were being honest with himself, he hadn't been entirely convinced that she would be the PA he needed. So, despite his wanting to hire her, he'd prepared himself to become frustrated and disappointed within a week or two.

Instead, she had settled his uncertainty within the first day. She was able to channel her enthusiasm into focus, her energy into problem-solving. He knew from the outset that he made her nervous. He wasn't sure if it was his reputation or something more personal. Regardless, he'd made conscious efforts not to watch her. He'd been captivated by her neatly manicured fingernails from the moment he'd encased them in his own as they shook hands. The lack of colour painted on them, the natural shape and trimmed length. Those fingers had crept into his fantasies. He hadn't realised until then how used he was to high maintenance females around him. Amelie had been a breath of fresh air to him.

As he reached his own desk he reflected on the past week. Had it really only been a week ago when this began? Only seven days ago when he had arrived at work to find that he was about to battle against the tide of misfortune? Only seven days ago, when he'd been so caught up in frustration at the sudden threat to his business, that he'd found himself directing his pent-up energy towards Amelie?

After nine weeks of her curves unwittingly teasing him, he had slipped. Nine weeks of her fingers smoothing down her skirt each time she stood. Nine weeks of trying not to watch her, trying not to acknowledge that she was watching him. A week ago, he'd barely glanced at her hand placing his coffee down. But it happened, nonetheless. He had glanced. And in that moment, his mind had emptied of everything but one captivating thought: to have her touch him.

On Monday, he believed that he was simply alleviating stress. And what he still didn't understand was how it snowballed so quickly. Despite the hundred and one fantasies that stirred his imagination, he'd believed that he'd managed to reign himself in again.

That was, until she'd stressed that she was there to help in any way. He knew what she'd meant and still his mind exploded. And then the gift came. That one act of thoughtfulness. When he'd seen the tie, he'd immediately pictured it wrapped around her wrists as he fucked her in all kinds of positions. He didn't believe for one minute that she wasn't experienced, but her nervousness fuelled his desire to give her something she'd never had before. And her playful use of 'Sir' gave him the perfect approach to explore her in ways beyond the usual bedroom antics.

He began stirring and the all too familiar feeling of hunger grew. Scorning himself, he sat at his desk and commenced the ritual of booting up the computer system. Watching the monitor flicker, he thought back to before he'd made the big move. His sexual appetite had exploded since she'd first teased him with 'Sir'. This led him to jerk off more in those couple of days than ever before. He knew even then that he should stop this before it got any further. Fucking his PA, a great PA, was a bad idea. He'd never put pleasure before business, and he didn't like that he'd crossed his own line.

Losing control on Wednesday night had been bad enough, but when Amelie had walked out on him that Thursday night, he couldn't pretend that he'd not been gutted. Standing at the lift, fearing that was the end, he knew then that he'd never wanted anyone more. And since then, he'd felt like he was stumbling around in the dark. He knew he was a good fuck and didn't doubt his ability to make Amelie cum. But something continued to niggle.

And then Friday happened. He didn't want to acknowledge it but dark jealousy had claimed his rational thinking and pushed him further. Even now, after the restaurant, the car, the flat... Karl still couldn't shake off the image of Jack making her smile, of seeing their attraction.

He wanted to be the one who she laughed with. But he feared that their carnal intensity meant exactly that; that their connection was purely sexual. He'd been criticised by previous lovers that he compartmentalised too well. He might be successful in business, but had never found the winning formula in his personal life.

And so, he'd forced space between them over the weekend. He needed to figure out how to handle this better than any previous relationships. Relationship. One word that caused as much confusion as anything else. He wasn't stupid, he knew he should be talking to Amelie about this situation. But until he sorted his own head out, he didn't think it was worth it. He wasn't ready for her to see how lost he was under her spell. Friday night's miscommunication had proved that already.

It had taken him every ounce of willpower to not message her over the weekend. He could have easily found a work reason to message, to meet. He felt shitty for leaving her flat the way he did on Friday, and for the message. But it had been for the best, so he kept telling himself.

Karl glanced at the clock. Seven-twenty am. It would still be another forty minutes before Amelie arrived. Forty minutes to spend re-living the past week, or forty minutes getting a head start on the day, he told himself.

With a self-derisive snort at even contemplating wasting valuable work time, he ran his fingers through his hair and shuffled more upright in his chair. Forty minutes to do one final check of Friday's deal with Mr. Davison. This was the key to his Company's security; he'd worked on it by himself all weekend and now it was ready to be signed and sealed.

**

The distant noise of the outer office door closing brought Karl's attention away from the final few sentences of the document he was proofreading. He'd become accustomed to ignoring the brief lunge in his chest whenever he heard that door for the first time each day. He refused to note the change in his breathing. It was habit now to force a long, slow rhythm that soothed any unsteadiness.

He knew it took less than three minutes between the door closing and the coffee being placed on his desk. Up until last week, he'd remained professional during working hours and he was now determined to reset it that way. He would greet her as usual, then carry out their day as normal. He could control himself until this evening. He had done it thus far, barring the lunchtime incident of course. He could control himself today. He could.

Eyes glued to the screen; Karl heard Amelie enter. He registered the movement in the corner of his eye. The words on the screen faded to nothing as a sharp scent filled his nostrils. Not her usual perfume. Not that he could have said what the usual was like, but this was certainly new and intoxicating.

"Good morning, Karl," Her voice wavered, causing Karl to look directly at her.

First mistake. His eyes narrowed as they took her in. She looked the same as usual. But something was different, and he couldn't put his finger on it.

As she moved to sit opposite him, he studied her more carefully. Her hair was pinned in a toothed clip that he'd not noticed before. Perhaps that was new. Her makeup, what little there was, looked the same, although the flush on her cheeks added to the colour rather nicely. Karl's eyes lowered to her outfit. The blouse she had unbuttoned for him on Monday. The skirt seemed shorter than the one he'd bunched up at her waist. Vivid memories of tasting her for the first time filled his mind.

Was this why she looked nervous? Because she knew that she was wearing the same kind of outfit? Did she hope he would remember? He watched her take her seat. Something was definitely different. He hadn't previously noted how she usually sat but he was sure it wasn't the stiff perch with knees tightly closed as it was now. A tremor unsettled her fingers as she clumsily opened her notepad.

Karl paused. He wanted to question, to address whatever was happening. She clearly wasn't fine. Fine. He hated that word, especially drawn from a woman's mouth. It rarely meant what it was supposed to mean. Torn between wanting to address her tenseness and not wanting to upset her, Karl decided to take Amelie's lead.

"Good morning, Amelie," he said as neutrally as he could, "let's get the day started."

Karl launched into reeling off the day's plan. He noted her shoulders relax as she concentrated on the work at hand. As she wrote, Karl indulged in drinking in every inch of her. From the tip of the patent leather heels to her furrowed brow. He didn't understand how every day he wanted more. He just knew he did.

"Anything else?" she asked.

Karl realised that he'd stopped talking; he must have just been sat there staring at her until she addressed him. Inwardly cursing himself, Karl cleared his throat and practically launched out of his chair for no other reason than to refocus on business. He took the freshly printed pages from his printer and handed them to her.

"Yes, Mr Davison is not only on board once these papers are signed, but he has two further associates who he believes will be interested in investing."

"This...this means, what? Your Company is safe? You're out of rough waters?"

Amelie stared at the papers, then up to Karl. A smile slowly curved her lips when Karl nodded.

"Yes, though we shouldn't get too excited until they are actually signed."

"Oh, he damned well will sign them!" she laughed as she stood, "I'll make sure he does, even if I have to go over there and make him myself!"

Amelie took two steps towards him. She was going to hug him. His chest thumped harder. If she hugged him, he knew he would turn it into a kiss. He willed his feet to move. If he could step back, it would send a clear message. Before he could move, Amelie stopped in her tracks. The grin on her face dimmed then disappeared altogether.

"Ok, then," Amelie said as she changed direction towards the door instead, "that's great news for your business, Karl, I'm so pleased for you. I assume you want this couriered over asap?"

"Yes, thank you."

His hollow words still hung in the air as she left.

**

The moment the office door closed behind her, Amelie breathed a sigh of relief. She hurried the ordering of the courier, desperate to get to her phone. Three messages. All from Clare. All wanting to know if she'd been right. Amelie's fingers flashed over the keys in a single response.

'Yes, you genius witch, you were right. Thank God I dressed for it. I'm going to do it.'

She tucked her phone away again. She didn't want a blow-by-blow guide on what to do next. She knew what she was going to do. She just needed to be in the right headspace. And she had until lunchtime to get there.

She knew that the final barriers were more to do with her own insecurities. And she was not about to let herself get in the way of what she wanted. It was time to shift gears; to discover new territories. It was time for a change.

**

The morning disappeared considerably quicker than Karl had anticipated. The hours of telephone calls, video conferencing and contract signing had resulted in Karl losing track of time. It was only now as his stomach growled that he realised it was time for lunch.

As he locked his screen, the idea of lunching out with Amelie crossed his mind. The vivid recollection of her cumming on his fingers had his heart beating faster. It hadn't been the first time that he'd ever indulged in public sex of any kind, but it was the first time he'd ever felt himself losing control. When she'd initiated sucking on his cum-coated fingers he'd almost cum in his boxers like an inexperienced teenager. This had shocked the hell out of him. He decided that next time he'd cum in her mouth under the tablecloth.

Next time? Karl huffed at himself. No 'next time'. It had been fun, maybe the best sex he'd ever had. But he had to either stop this altogether before real damage could be done, or turn this into something real. Neither felt simple.

His appetite had diminished but he still felt the need to escape the office. He decided to check on Amelie's morning progress then head out. Instead of calling her in, Karl opened his office door to speak to her and saw an unknown woman handing Amelie a filled carrier bag. As Karl entered, their voices hushed. Amelie thanked the woman, who ducked out immediately afterwards. Karl's eyes flicked from door to Amelie but didn't address it.

"I was wondering how you were getting on with those emails."

"Just finished," Amelie smiled then held up the bag, "perfect timing for lunch."

"Good, well, I'm going to head out for lunch so..."

"Actually," she interrupted, "I was wondering if you wanted to join me for lunch, I ordered enough for two."

"I don't..."

"Oh, do you have a business lunch again?"

"No, but..."

"You have personal plans," Amelie blushed, "I should've thought."

Karl silently cursed. He should've said yes. He wouldn't upset her if he could use business as an excuse. Her composure remained, but he felt the disappointment settle over her.

"No," he said, "it's a good idea, let's have your lunch."

"It's ok, you should keep your plans."

"No, I don't...it's ok, I'm free to join you."

Amelie hesitated, then smiled and told him she'd be in his office shortly. Karl returned to his desk, convincing himself that it wouldn't be so bad. At least they'd be sat well apart. Maybe the phone could ring, and he'd have to answer it.

Her entrance cut off his thoughts. Watching her, he concluded that there was definitely something different about her today. The contrasting blend of confidence and nervousness intrigued him. Not wanting to stare, he busied himself with clearing a space for lunch on his desk.

**

Amelie entered, laden with her handbag and the carrier bag. She placed the handbag on the floor beside her usual chair then took the food to the desk. As she stood at the side of Karl's desk, she steadied her breathing and opened the bag. Who knew that seduction could be such a roller-coaster ride? His reluctance had been painful, but she'd soared to elation when Karl agreed. She refused to linger on the knowledge that he didn't want to be alone with her. Instead, she held faith that was she was about to do was right.

She took her time to unwrap the ciabatta rolls from the deli paper. Knowing that he watched her hands sometimes, she'd painted her nails a subtle pink. She'd considered a more obvious 'hot' colour but decided that the sheen was the important factor. Leaning over the desk slightly, she presented his lunch with deliberate flair. Triumph lit within when she saw him watch. Her fingers slid along the waxed paper as she lay down the sandwich. She caught a giggle in her throat when she realised that she was almost caressing a roll. Continuing, she withdrew a bottled drink from the bag also, and sat it beside the paper.

With a purposeful quickness, Amelie drew an apple and a fruit muffin from the bag and placed them nearer the desk edge. Taking her lunch still in the bag, she stepped away and settled in her armed chair opposite the desk.

**

"You should bring your seat closer, use the desk too," said Karl.

"No, I'm good here, thanks."

He watched as she bent to set her own bottle on the floor beside her chair. Karl's eyes automatically lowered. His sight filled with white lace cupping the swell of her breasts. Karl's breath caught. Had those top couple of buttons on her blouse been undone earlier? Surely, he would have noticed the exposure. Amelie sat up and took her sandwich from the bag. Her painted fingers peeled the wrapping down a couple of inches. He'd noticed them immediately when she'd set down his lunch. The pearly pink reminded him of her pussy. The shine made them appear wet and his cock had immediately jumped to attention.

She sat sideways, and as she crossed her legs the skirt rode up her thigh an inch. She lifted the roll to her mouth. Her lips parted but the bread didn't move. A smile curved.

"Eat your lunch, you must be starving," she said before taking a bite.

He'd been staring at her. Like a fucking idiot. It had been a long, long time since he'd felt embarrassed by anything. He shifted in his chair and threw her an awkward smile before shoving the food in his mouth. To his relief, Amelie began talking about their work. The moment passed and he started to relax.

After a couple of minutes, Amelie shifted in her seat as though uncomfortable and her skirt rode up an inch further. Leaning down, she retrieved her bottle. Karl watched every movement. Sitting up, her blouse gaped but he couldn't see her bra, or even the valley between her breasts. But he saw the potential. Holding the bottle in front of her chest, she twisted the cap. The carbonated hiss had him imagining the sugary mist clinging to her creamy skin. His cocked twitched again. He wanted to cover her in the sticky liquid and drink from her.

"You're not eating," she said, "you don't like it? Would you like to swap?"

"No, it's fine, it's a good sandwich."

Karl smiled at Amelie's genuine concern. God, she was so damned cute. He took another bite and they ate in silence until she declared herself finished. She re-wrapped the remaining sandwich and uncrossed her legs to place it on the floor beside the bottle. Taking her time to swap the food for the bottle gave Karl another generous view of her cleavage before she sat up.

With a couple of twists in her seat, her skirt rode higher still. She crossed her legs and placed the bottle on her knee. She began talking about a documentary she watched at the weekend about...something. Karl wasn't listening. His focus was taken by her hands. Her fingers ran over the condensation gathering on the glass. She swirled her fingertips around the shaft of the bottle then slid them from base to top. Three times she repeated this action, each time moving slower. He watched her fingers wrap around the neck of the bottle and stroke upwards.

He glanced at her face. Her eyes met his and she stopped talking. Twisting the cap off, Amelie lifted the bottle to her lips and sipped. She licked her lips, then sipped again. This time she didn't swallow but instead allowed the liquid to trickle over her lips and down her chin. A few drops landed on her chest as she licked her lips and used her free hand to run her fingers over her chin as if to scoop it back up.

"Amelie, what are you doing?"

"What do you mean?"

Her voice sang of innocence, but Karl didn't miss the mischievous look she tried to hide. Grateful that he sat behind the desk, his cock remained eager for attention. Despite himself, he decided to not challenge her further. Yet. He waived his question away, and Amelie smiled.

Perching the bottle back on her knee, she shifted again in her chair. The twist in the material caused it to bunch higher, exposing the end of the nylon on her thigh. Karl froze. Her tights weren't tights. She wore stockings. His mind then reached further and he wondered if she was wearing panties at all or not. His heart hammered. He should stop this now. Whatever was happening, he should leave. Karl, instead, took a sip of his own drink to wet his throat. Amelie's fingers were teasing the bottle again. She hadn't bothered to resume talking about the documentary. Silence was accepted.