by Dee Mann
In response, he received a sulfurous glare that left no doubt he would never get the answer to that question.
Paul was frantic. He had to fix this and fix it fast. In two minutes, Marie would be telling Jillian what just happened, giving her a name to attach to the face and body of the girl she thought Paul wanted more than her.
She must really think I'm a total asshole. That I was playing her or something. Damn, damn, damn!
He rushed into his office and barked, "Where's Priya?"
"Ladies room, I think," Tom said, evenly. "She should be back in a few. What's wrong?"
Paul couldn't wait. He picked up the phone and dialed Jillian's work number. A strange voice answered on the second ring.
"Good morning. May I please speak with Jillian Marshall?"
"I'm sorry, but Jillian is tied up at the moment. May I take a message?"
The voice was polite, but didn't sound too friendly. He left his name and number and could swear he heard the sound of paper crumpling as the line went dead.
Priya was all smiles when she walked into the office, but the smile vanished when she saw the panic on Paul's face. "What's wrong?"
"Come on." Paul rose from his chair. "Let's take a walk. I need to talk to you about something."
"Does it have to do with last night?"
Paul nodded.
"Then sit down. I know I should have asked you first, but I pretty much told Tom about what happened last night. I mean, we all have to work together, and it would be hell if we had to pretend we weren't more than just co-workers. Eventually one of us would say or do something that would cause them to wonder and, well, it wouldn't be fair."
"So you told him, ah, everything?"
"Pretty much."
"Okay then, here's what happened a few minutes ago."
Paul told her about the confrontation in the coffee shop and about the call that went nowhere.
"I don't know what to do. I can't even go over there. She'll never believe me. And given the way Marie was acting this morning, I'd probably get killed if I even showed my face on her floor."
Tom shook his head. "Oh you are so screwed. I feel for you, man."
Priya stood quietly for a few minutes, her head bobbing slightly back and forth as it always did when she was concentrating on a problem. Then she smiled at Paul and turned to Tom.
"Tom, Paul and I need some time off this morning. We have some repair work to do."
8:20 AM
Shandra was on her way back from the ladies room when she saw Paul and the bimbo step off the elevator right in front of her.
Hoo-mama! This should be good!
"Good morning," she said to their backs. "I'll bet you're looking for Jillian."
Paul turned to see who'd spoken.
Good lord, does everyone in the company know who we are?
"My name is Shandra. Jillian works right through there." She pointed to an opening flanked by a set of huge wooden doors.
Paul recognized the name as the third person who took turns bringing the coffee in the morning.
"Hi, I'm…"
"Paul. I know. And I have to say you must have one big set of brass balls to show up here with her." Shandra nodded toward Priya. Despite her words, she seemed calm and pleasant, not at all like Marie had been earlier.
"Look, I…"
Shandra held up her hand. "Not my business. But you had better be nice to her. She has lots of friends in there."
As they entered the huge room, Shandra pointed to an open door to the right.
"Check in there with Cathy O'Hara. She's the manager."
Paul cleared his throat at the doorway, introduced himself and Priya, and explained they needed to speak with Jillian.
Her first instinct was to tell them Jillian couldn't be disturbed, but the look on his face, plus the fact that they'd both showed up here so quickly after Marie had confronted him made her think this mess might not be as straightforward as everyone thought.
She rose from her desk. "Follow me. I'll show you to her space."
Nothing spreads faster than a new Internet virus except juicy news, and it was evident the news had spread here. When they emerged from her office, almost everyone in the room was standing, waiting for a glimpse of the bastard and his whore. Paul felt like a criminal being escorted past the media on a perp walk as Cathy led them down the left aisle, nearly to the end, past assorted nods, glares, and appraising stares.
Jillian was seated at her desk waiting for them. Paul's heart sank when he saw her. She had obviously been crying, probably all night judging from her red, puffy eyes. Priya's hand shot to her mouth when she caught her first glimpse of the distraught girl. She felt like crying in sympathy, understanding completely what Jillian was feeling.
"What do you want?" Her cold eyes locked on Paul.
He started to answer, but Priya interrupted.
"Jillian, my name is Priya Kumar. Is there someplace a little more private we can go to talk?"
Jillian didn't move. "I don't think…"
"Please?" She noticed a big aluminum straightedge on the drafting table. She pointed to it and said, "And bring that. When we're done, if you think we've wasted your time, you can bend it over my head."
Jillian's lips twitched at the corners, not really into a smile, but enough to let Priya know she'd convinced her for the moment.
She stood, took two steps, turned back to grab the straightedge, then walked out of the space without even a glance at Paul as she passed him. She led the way to the break room, casually tossed the straightedge on the table, and sat in one of the chairs.
Priya walked in behind her but turned and blocked the door.
"Not you," she told Paul. "You wait out here."
"But…"
"Don't argue. This is between us girls. You'd only get in the way and mess things up like men usually do."
With that, she closed the door in his face and took a seat next to Jillian.
"I don't know what he told you, but we're nothing to each other. We just talked a few times."
"And had a most eventful lunch."
"You know about the lunch? You must have had a good laugh over that one." She sounded bitter.
"Laugh? I don't think so, Jillian. I thought that was one of the sweetest stories I ever heard. I was so excited for him when Paul told us what had happened."
"Us? Who else did he tell? Is this his…"
"Jillian, please listen to me. He told me and Tom and Rob. We all work together in one small office. We're close. We share things. Especially when we're happy and excited. And girl, I have never ever seen anyone as happy and excited as Paul was when he returned from lunch Wednesday. The man literally floated into the office. He accomplished nothing all afternoon because he was thinking about you."
Jillian felt her fury abate the tiniest bit.
Is it possible she really is only a co-worker? But the kiss!
As if she'd been reading her mind, Priya said, "Look, I came here today because I care about Paul, but not in the way you think I do. And despite what you think you saw last night…no, that's wrong. You saw what you saw. But it was not what it looked like. Anyway, Paul's become one of my very best friends. But we are not into each other the way he is into you."
Jillian sat quietly, listening closely as Priya gave a detailed account of her relationship with Paul, beginning from the first day she started work. She told her almost everything, even her parting thought last night about someday surprising him on a birthday with a glimpse of her naked. She knew it was important for Paul that Jillian believe all the way down to her soul that she was hearing the complete truth.
As the story wound down, Jillian realized her anger and the ache in her chest were gone. She'd made a terrible mistake. She'd allowed her assumptions to almost ruin things with Paul when she should have confronted him about what she'd seen.
Still, Priya was enough to make anyone jealous and Jillian still felt a bit uneasy.
"I feel especial
ly bad about having kissed him as I did. I'll bet that right up until that moment you were giving him the benefit of the doubt."
Jillian's face betrayed her.
Am I that transparent to this woman?
Priya continued. "I know I said this before, but it's really important you know that I kissed him because I had to make sure he was telling the truth about not being attracted to me anymore. I had to really know I would be able to trust him, that he wouldn't be tempted to use our friendship to try to manipulate me into bed."
"I suppose I can understand that."
Jillian found herself warming up to this straightforward person with the polite manner and quick humor.
I want to believe her…I…I think maybe I'm even starting to like her a little…but she's so damn beautiful…I feel like an ugly duckling sitting next to her. If she's going to be Paul's friend, how long will it take before he notices how bad I look in comparison?
"So what happens now? You and Paul are like buddies or something?"
"I guess so. This is new for both of us."
"And you share everything? I don't know if I'm all that keen on the idea of you two talking about me. If anything ever happened, I mean."
Priya smiled. "Well, think of it this way. Let's say you two get together, and one day you have an argument. You go storming out of the house because he acted like a jerk but refuses to admit it. What's he going to do? He's going to call a friend for advice. Now, who would you prefer he call? One of his guy friends who's as simple-minded as he is and who'll tell him he's right and that you'll soon come running back ready for some make-up sex? Or should he call me, who'll listen to what he says, find out what really happened, and then tell him he acted like a jerk and he'd better buy you flowers and jewelry pretty damn quick before you come to your senses and realize what an idiot he is?"
Jillian felt her fears dissolving as she laughed.
Maybe this girl isn't so bad after all, despite her looks.
"Can I ask you something, Priya?"
"Of course. Anything."
Jillian pursed her lips into a little half-grin. "How was the kiss?"
Priya lay her hand over her heart and said, "You have to promise never to tell him this and never to hold it against me."
Jillian nodded. "I promise."
"It was a wonderful kiss. He's a great kisser. When it was over, I told him I hadn't felt any spark and that was true. But Jillian, spark or not, I've not often been kissed that well. And you know what the worst part is?"
"What?"
"I don't think he was really trying. I think he was kissing me back, well, to be polite. But wow. That kiss was my fifth real temptation. I'm ashamed to say this, but if there had been something between us I might have broken my vow last night. I might have given myself to him and worried about the consequences later." A deep sigh punctuated the thought. "I guess it was for the best, though."
Jillian stared at Priya in amazement. "Vow? Given yourself? Are you a nun or something?"
Twice in two days. Unbelievable. What is going on with me lately?
Priya shook her head. "I guess if I can trust Paul with it, and he's falling in love with you, I can trust you, too."
"What do you mean ‘falling in love with me'?"
"Oh please girl. You know exactly what I mean. Don't you dare sit there and try to pretend you and Paul don't mean anything to each other. I know for a fact that's not the case on his part. And as for you, well, no one gets that angry and spends the night crying over someone who means nothing to her."
Jillian felt the heat rising to her cheeks and wanted to change the subject. "So are you really…?"
"A nun, no. A virgin, yes."
Jillian's eyes widened at the unexpected revelation.
After extracting a promise not to reveal her secret to anyone else, Priya shared with her an abridged version of what she confided to Paul the previous night.
"Look Jillian, if things work out between you and Paul the way I think they will, you and I are either going to have to get along or I'll have to move far away. And I don't want to move.
"Paul and I shared something incredible last night, something I don't want to lose and that I think Paul doesn't want to lose, either. But if it meant ensuring his happiness with you, I'd quit my job and move to California tomorrow. That's how much he means to me."
Jillian couldn't help letting the skepticism show. "Come on, you'd move away if I didn't like you?"
"No, but I'd move away if you made Paul choose between us.
"I don't have many real, true friends, and I've never had one, not even a girlfriend I felt as close to as I feel to Paul. But when I do make a friend, I'm fiercely loyal to them. And I used the word fiercely on purpose. I'll do almost anything for a friend.
"So yes, if it came down to him being with the woman he loves, or remaining friends with me, I'd take the decision out of his hands and move away to spare him the pain of choosing."
Is she serious? Would she really move away if it came to that?
Jillian held the woman's eyes for long seconds.
My lord, I think she really would!
She found herself envying Priya's inner strength and commitment.
"I don't want that to happen," Priya continued, "but to ensure it doesn't, it means you have to know, really know, that there will never be anything more than a very special friendship between Paul and I.
"And I suppose you also should know that he and I share an affinity for humor, especially bad puns and sexual humor and innuendo. We discovered that last night, although I'd kind of suspected it from the banter around the office. So if I kid him about Mr. Johnson when you're around, you have to know there is nothing more to it than face value."
Jillian looked puzzled. "Mr…"
"Johnson. That's what he calls his thingy."
"Really? And here I thought guys all called it Butch, or Spike or some other silly macho name."
They chatted for a while longer, getting to know each other, sharing intimacies, and laughing, mostly at Priya's anecdotes about Paul and the other guys at work, until Jillian noticed the time.
"Yikes. We've kept him standing out there for over an hour! He must be going crazy." She smiled at Priya. "Thank you for this. I feel so foolish now, but I'm really grateful you came this morning." She reached over and picked up the straightedge. "I guess I won't be using this after all."
Priya laughed and gave Jillian a hug. "Thank you for understanding and for giving Paul another chance. I hope we can be friends regardless of how things work out between you two. Now, I'm going back to work. I'll send him in. Please be nice to him."
Priya opened the door to find Paul pacing back and forth between the break room and the manager's office. He'd been heading away when he heard the door and whipped around so fast he almost lost his balance. Worry and expectation contorted his face.
A wave of relief coursed through him when he saw her smile. Still rooted to the spot where he turned, he waited for her to approach him.
"She's a nice girl, Paul. You treat her well or you'll answer to me. I'm heading back to the office. Don't be long. We have lots of work to do today if you want to get out in time for your date tonight."
"Thank you, Priya." He kissed her on the cheek before she disappeared into the hall.
Jillian was standing next to the table when Paul appeared in the doorway. The corners of his mouth turned up into a tentative smile. "Hi," he said softly.
Jillian felt tears welling up in her eyes, but fought them back. This wasn't the time to be crying.
"I'm sorry." Her voice trembled. "I'm so, so sorry. I completely misjudged you and treated you like…" Her head drooped and shook slightly. "I don't know why I acted like that. It's not…" She sighed and raised her eyes to meet his. "Look, I'll understand if you're…if you'd rather not keep our date tonight."
"Rather not… Are you crazy? Do you think I dragged Priya down here and grew three ulcers outside there pacing because I don't want to se
e you anymore?" His head tilted before an amused smile reached out to reassure her. "Jillian, tonight will be the best first date you've ever been on. That I've ever been on. You think I'd pass that up because you did something I probably would have done myself?"
He took a step toward her, arms outstretched, and she moved into them. His arms closed around her and he pressed her close. She couldn't stop the tears now, and they ran silently down her cheeks. She squeezed him tighter, mashing the softness of her breasts into his chest. She felt a stirring against her thigh, then it was gone as Paul broke the embrace.
He gazed at her intently, his cheeks slightly flushed, and she knew he was searching her face for signs she had noticed his arousal. She realized he was embarrassed and did not allow her eyes to betray the elation she felt inside. For right then, she knew with absolute certainty that she had no reason to fear Priya or be jealous in any way. Merely hugging her had started to arouse him while the long kiss he'd shared with Priya had not.
"I really am sorry," she whispered, still not sure what else to say to him.
"Forget it." His tone let her know he meant it. "I told you, if the situation had been reversed, and I'd seen what you saw, I would have reacted the same way. Maybe worse."
Jillian smiled weakly, his sincerity reassuring her. "Paul, do you realize we've only just met, and so much has happened. I wonder if this is a sign of some sort."
"Maybe it is. Maybe the fates are testing us, trying us to see what we're made of, to see if we're really supposed to be together. I don't know. I guess only time will tell.
"And speaking of time, I have to get back to the office. As it is, I'll need to work straight through lunch to finish everything I have sitting on my desk. You see, I have a really big date tonight, and I absolutely do not want to be late."
She hugged him again. This time, there were no tears, only whispered plans for him to call around 4:30 to let her know what time he'd pick her up.
She felt warm and optimistic for the coming night as she walked with him to the double doors and watched as he headed for the elevator.
Cathy appeared beside her. "Everything okay?"
Jillian nodded, still watching Paul.