Working Romance

by Susan Kohler

  “You’ve got great buns, too.” Kate made a great show of facing him as she moved around him in the small kitchen, making sure he could not get to her backside again, and being very obvious about it. Finally, she relented and put her arms around his waist. Slowly she slid one hand down to his behind and quickly pinched his backside.

  “I prefer to goose yours.” She kissed him. “Remember when I said it was too soon?”

  “Anticipation?” he murmured between kisses.

  “Well, that was at least three hours ago,” she sighed as the waves of sensation filled her senses.

  The hand that had pinched him stayed where it was; only now it was stroking his buttocks. Bob pulled back and looked at her speculatively.

  Finally he said, “As much as I hate to say it, it’s still too soon, for what seems to be building between us.” He kissed her quickly. “I’d better go.”

  “You’re right, but I don’t like it very much.” She returned the kiss. “See you tomorrow.”

  “Goodnight.” He kissed her again and started towards the door.

  “Bob?” She stopped him. “What about the papers you were bringing over? You never brought them in.”

  “I’ll bring them to you tomorrow. It’s too late for you to do any work on them tonight.” He kissed her one more time.

  “No, bring them in now. I won’t work on them for very long, but I think I need something good and boring to help me get to sleep. And you don’t need any excuse to come over tomorrow, if you want,” she teased him. “Just call first to make sure I’ve kicked Tim out.”

  “Oh, I think it would be safe to come over without calling. Tim and I have an understanding,” he said, raising one eyebrow.

  “What did you do?” She looked up at him.

  “I just let him know that this claim has been staked, and the boundaries marked, so to speak.” Bob kissed her nose.

  “Charming. Now, I feel like an old gold mine.” She sounded annoyed.

  “You’re much more precious than mere gold.” He gave her a twisted little grin.

  “Do you have any Irish ancestors, Bob?” She smiled at him. “Because that sounds like blarney to me.”

  “It’s the truth, my love.” Bob went out and brought the papers in from his car. “Just don’t try to do too much tonight, okay?”

  “I won’t. I do have one idea though. That girl who’s working at home? The pregnant one?” She stayed in his arms, snuggling.

  “Shelly?” Bob supplied the name. “What about her?”

  “Could we enlist her to help us? It would probably be easier for her to look into some things at home than for me to do it at the office. I mean, it’s a little out of my department to go over things like register tapes from the stores, or cash room reports. And it’s more difficult for her to do Accounts Payable work at home. If I’m doing AP at the office, things would seem normal, and if she’s busy looking for discrepancies at home, no one will know about it. What do you think?”

  “I think it’s a good idea, but I still want you in charge of looking for the thefts for two reasons. First, she was never told about the missing money and second, she has no auditing experience. But I will call her and explain how she can help you, and tell her to follow your lead.” He kissed her. “And then I’ll have her email or call you and you two can work out the details. Okay?”

  Kate nodded, still cuddled in his arms.

  “Now, I’d really better get going. Goodnight, Kate.”

  “Goodnight, boss.” After she gave him one last long, passionate kiss, she reluctantly let him go.

  The rest of the week went on much the same. Kate and Bob worked together efficiently at the office during the day, and kissed each other senseless on her sofa at night. Anticipation was growing to a point just slightly beyond torture, but it was such a delicious torture that they still waited. On Thursday, Kate told Bob that they were invited to have Sunday dinner with Joe’s mother.

  “Won’t I be out of place?” Bob felt a little intimidated when he thought about meeting her late husband’s mother. “Won’t she resent me?”

  He was not only feeling a little odd about meeting Joe’s mother but he also couldn’t forget Laura’s reservations about the woman. He vaguely wondered if his manners would pass the test.

  “No, Ida especially wants you to come with us. I don’t even know how she heard about you, but she has and she wants to meet you,” Kate pleaded. “She’s mellowed out since Laura saw her last. She’s put her grief behind her and gotten active again. She’s back to how she used to be, fun and full of the devil. She’s finally made a new life for herself. She even has a new beau now and he’s really stirred her up. In fact, since she found George, she’s been nagging me to get out and find someone. She’s almost as much of a matchmaker as Laura.” Kate paused. “Her only fear is that if I find someone else to share my life with, she’ll be left out. I would never do that to her, she will always be my kids’ grandma. Please come, she’s really a neat lady, and she’s a big part of our lives.”

  “Okay, I’ll go.” He was still a little unsure about the whole idea. “If she’s important to you then she’ll be important to me, too.”

  When Bob came over Friday night, they greeted each other with a few passionate kisses and then cuddled up on the sofa and talked about themselves. Just talking for a long time. They talked about their marriages and their childhoods. He told Kate about his messy divorce, and she told him about the terrible phone call informing her that Joe had been killed. They even told each other some of the adventures Laura had gotten them both into.

  Bob’s favorite story was about the time some woman’s husband rode his small motorcycle into the ladies’ restroom at a campground and bellowed for the woman to come out of the stall. The man had been just a little under the influence at the time. The best part was when Kate and Laura had snuck up behind him and blocked the restroom doors shut from the outside.

  “You should have seen the park ranger’s face when he found a man, his wife, and a motorcycle in the women’s room in the morning,” Kate smiled, remembering the scene. “The poor guy was lucky he didn’t get arrested.”

  “I’ll bet you and Laura came to his defense,” Bob told her with a laugh. “After all, you two were the ones who trapped him in the rest room.”

  “Of course we stood up for him,” Kate grinned slyly, “to this day, the poor guy doesn’t really know how he came to be stuck in a ladies room. Even Joe and Jack never knew who actually blocked the restroom door shut.”

  “I’ll bet they guessed,” Bob grinned.

  “I’m sure they did,” she grinned back, “anyway, I learned all my tricks from Laura.”

  The conversation was a departure for them. Up to this point, they either discussed work or got sidetracked by their physical attraction for each other. This was the first time they really talked, the first time they really opened up to each other. Before the conversation ended, they had touched lightly on dreams and ambitions. The conversation lasted for quite a while, right up until the clock struck midnight. It was the time Bob usually left.

  “Remember anticipation?” Bob asked.

  “Somehow, I feel it’s still too soon,” Kate said softly, “but the right time is coming.”

  “We’re not kids,” Bob said, “we’ll know when the time is right.”

  He kissed her again, she slid her hands under the hem of his polo shirt, and he sat up long enough to take it off then he lay back down on top of her. He began to kiss her with a passion that left them both gasping and breathless. Kate was conscious of feeling proof of Bob’s arousal pressing up against her. Still, he held back, controlling himself. He held her gently and stroked her hair with so much tenderness it left her breathless. Finally, reluctantly, he sat up and slowly regained his poise.

  He pulled his shirt back on, breathing deeply. He stood up and leaned over to kiss her gently on the forehead, her soft neck and finally her lips before walking to the door. When he reached the door, he glanced
back at her. She was still reclining, her mouth red and swollen from his kisses, and gazing at him with wide green eyes.

  “Man! What an erotic picture you make, I don’t want to leave but I have to.” He stopped her as she started to open her mouth to say something. “Tomorrow, we’ll do something fun with the kids. I have a feeling it’s going to be very important for me to get to know them, and for them to get to know me.”

  Kate and Bob spent Saturday together with the kids. They took the little ones shopping, stopped for burgers, and then treated the trio to a matinee. There was only a minor squabble over which movie to see, but they settled on the latest Disney cartoon. Armed with popcorn, cokes and bon bons, they laughed at the hero’s antics.

  After the movie, they went swimming in Bob’s pool. By nap time, all three kids were tired and cranky, so naturally they gave Kate a hard time, arguing with her when she tried to get them to take their afternoon naps. After quelling the minor rebellion, she joined Bob in his den, cuddling up on the sofa with him.

  “They’re having a great time with you,” Kate told Bob, kissing his neck. “You’re wonderful with them. It almost feels like we’re a real family.”

  “They’re really great kids, Kate.” He kissed her. “I’ve enjoyed every minute I’ve spent with them, except for when I wanted to have you alone.”

  Indeed, it felt so much like they were a real family that later as they all watched videos, Kate looked at Bob stretched out on the floor with the kids and felt a strange tightness in her chest. It was a strange, mixed emotion; for one thing she still missed Joe. She deeply regretted that he never really had a chance to play with the kids, or just lie on the floor with them like that. On the other hand, she was delighted that Bob was so good with them. The kids really liked him, too. It brought home to Kate just how much they needed to have a man in their lives.

  After dinner, Bob took her home and kissed her good-bye at the door. He realized that Kate needed to have some time to spend alone with her kids.

  “What time should I pick you up tomorrow?” he asked her. “Are we still going to your mother-in-law’s for lunch?”

  “Come over around eleven.” She leaned into his kiss.

  “What should I wear? I want to make a good impression,” he asked.

  “We’ll be in our casual clothes, shorts and T-shirts. I may even wear a sundress.” She nuzzled his neck.

  He looked into her eyes, first putting a finger under her chin and gently pulling her face up to his. “Do me a favor? Wear the yellow sundress you wore last Sunday at my house. That low-cut, backless, sexy as hell sundress. Please.”

  She met his eyes and almost forgot to breathe. “Yes. Sure, anything you say.” Suddenly she heard herself and she grinned impishly, “Maybe.”

  He removed his finger from under her chin and put one hand on each shoulder. Slowly he slid his hands down her back, lower and lower, until finally he was cupping her buttocks. With a quick movement he pulled her against himself. Her eyes widened as she felt the hardness pressing against her.

  Softly he said one word, “Please.”

  “Sir, you fight dirty.” She kissed him deeply and stepped quickly back. “I’ll wear the dress, but don’t expect to get your way that easy every time.”

  To Bob’s surprise, Sunday dinner turned out to be fun. Joe’s mother, Ida, was definitely not a typical grandmother, whatever that is these days. Like Kate, she had a Boston terrier dog. Unlike Kate’s dogs though, hers was older and more sedate.

  Ida was late getting home from her exercise class, and drove up at the same time they did. She jumped out of her car, which turned out to be a classic red T-bird, Bob noted with surprise. She wore a bright purple jogging suit. Ida was about sixty, very tiny and full of spirit. She hugged the kids with joy and laughter on her face, then turned and hugged Kate the same way.

  “You must be Bob.” She turned to greet him, sticking out her hand for him to shake. “I’m so pleased to meet you.”

  “I’m pleased to meet you, too. I’ve heard so much about you from Kate.” Bob relaxed as he realized that Ida did indeed, accept him.

  Kate had to ask, “Ida, how did you hear about Bob? I haven’t even told my folks about him, yet.”

  “I called you at the office and your line was busy, so I asked for Laura,” she smiled ruefully. “I had put off apologizing to her for far too long. She and I had quite a fight when I got so obsessive after losing my husband and Joe. You know Laura, she’s so straightforward, she tried to tell me I was taking over your family as a substitute for mine. She was right, but at the time, I couldn’t see it.”

  “You’ve gotten past that now.” Kate slid her arm around her mother-in-law’s shoulder.

  “And Laura helped. I just didn’t want to face it.” Ida smiled, “I told Laura that she did the right thing, shaking me up like that. I had to find a whole new life. Now it looks like you’re ready to do the same thing.”

  “I want you to know that wherever my new life takes me, you’ll always be part of it. You’ll always be family.” Kate hugged Ida again.

  Ida fixed dinner by ordering in for pizza, explaining that the reason she went to exercise classes was so she could have things like pizza when she wanted them. While waiting for the pizza, she quickly made dessert. It was a chocolate custard baked with a cloud of meringue on top. No piecrust.

  When Kate asked Ida about that, Ida just grinned.

  “If I remember right, you hate rolling out piecrust,” Kate teased.

  “Got me,” Ida conceded.

  The meringue was piled high on top of the chocolate custard and browned nicely. The servings were all jumbled up in the dishes, but the concoction tasted surprisingly good.

  Just in time for dessert, Ida’s new boyfriend, George, came over. He was a jolly, plump man of about sixty-five. He promptly challenged Bob to a game of golf the next weekend, and played ‘horsey’ with the kids on the floor. It was a game that quickly disintegrated into a wrestling match. Ida, the person Laura said was so strict and stuffy, was the referee of the wrestling match and served seconds of dessert to the winners.

  Kate whispered to Bob, “I think George really loosened her up, don’t you?”

  George, who overheard, said, “Loosened her up? Kate! I damned near unhinged her!” He grabbed Kate in a big hug.

  Shortly before they left, Ida took Bob aside and told him that she was glad to see Kate with someone, finally. Bob was relieved to hear that she felt that way, instead of resenting him and his place in Kate’s life.

  “I know Kate loved Joe, but I don’t want her to be alone forever.” She said quietly, “I want my grandchildren to have a stepfather, too.”

  “Well, it’s a little too soon to think about that.” Bob smiled at the tiny, gray-haired woman. “But it’s nice to know that if things work out between Kate and myself, you’ll be happy about it. I know Kate thinks the world of you.” He hugged her gently. “And now I know why.”

  Walking to the car, Bob was very pleased with himself. “She likes me!”

  “Yes, she does, but Bob,” Kate teased, “she likes all men. I’ve never seen it fail yet, except for Tim, my next door neighbor.”

  “Well, at least I beat him.” Bob grinned, “That’s something. Just wait until you’re in the same position.”

  “What do you mean?” She was puzzled.

  Bob gave her a devilish grin. “Wait until my mother compares you to my ex-wife.” He laughed at her surprised expression. “Hey, don’t worry, if you’re breathing, you’ve already won the contest.”

  “That’s good, I’m sure I can remember how to breathe,” Kate raised her mouth to his for a quick kiss, “as long as I don’t look into your eyes.”

  Chapter Five

  Kate’s second week on the job was much the same as the first week. Once again Kate and Bob worked hard at the office, then spent the evenings together. The only change was that this week they finally started to do a little work in the evenings instead of spending the whole
time entwined in each other’s arms on the sofa.

  Monday night, they sat at the kitchen table poring over various accounting reports trying to find clues to the missing money. They focused on trying to trace the cash receipts from the very moment a sale was rung up at the retail store to the time it was deposited into the bank. They found some small discrepancies, which Kate would research in more depth at a later time, but nothing that was nearly enough to explain the majority of the missing money. Finally, disgusted with digging into a year’s worth of boring reports, Kate looked over at Bob.

  “Are we getting bored with each other already?” Kate teased him, “Here we are, acting just like two mature adults should, working at the kitchen table.”

  “Well, it seems safer than what I’d like to do at the kitchen table.” He got up and walked over to the coffee maker, refreshing his cup and pouring her one. “Work is definitely my second choice.”

  He grabbed her hair, none too gently but without causing Kate any pain, and pulled her head back for a long, deep kiss. “It might even be my third choice.”

  “Enough work. Let’s take this coffee into the living room and rearrange your priorities.” She stood up and took his hand, leading him to the sofa.

  Once they sat down and curled up in each other’s arms, however, talk returned to the problems at work. Shelly, the pregnant girl who working from home, had been a big help. Over the phone, she and Kate had discussed and investigated several things. Even though they had not met yet, Shelly and Kate were following a couple of interesting trails.

  Cuddled with Bob, Kate filled him in on the progress and where their investigation was headed. The thefts always started off small but soon the amounts went up to several hundred dollars at a time. Sometimes thousands. As far as Kate could tell the total amount stolen was far over one hundred thousand dollars.

  As they talked, Kate’s hand made little forays on Bob’s neck, and Bob idly stroked her arm. Eventually, all talk ended, and the kisses began. Warm, wonderful, romantic kisses with soft touches and erotic cuddling. Before things went too far, Bob reluctantly went home.