Working Desires: A Dirty Office Romance Boxset

by Hazel Keys

  “I know, Crystal. I would never do that to you.”

  “I hope…” she said before a pause. “I hope Amelia appreciates you.”

  “I hope so too. I’m going to miss you.”

  “Oh yeah you will. You’ll be kicking yourself two years from now when Little Miss Perfect just lays there, and you realize that I was the one who gave you the best sex of your life!”

  I laughed in surrender. I was just glad Crystal wasn’t kicking my ass. Let her have her bragging rights. I was just relieved to be honest again. Free to pursue the woman I wanted most of all, more than life itself!

  And this is the part where I would go to Amelia and tell her how much I love her and she would say yes to my proposal and we’d live happily ever after.

  Right?

  Well no, ironically it didn’t happen that way…

  Chapter 10:Amelia

  I ran into Jake, David’s friend at the local jeweler. I was there to pick up some stones and Jake was paying for his crass necklace. I admit that I never thought highly of Jake and did meet him a few times when David was out and about with his other girlfriends.

  “Hey gorgeous,” he said in that tough talking alpha male voice that gets me so…bored. I really hate those types of guys.

  “Oh hey. Jake, was it?”

  “Yeah, don’t forget that name. It’s worth money.”

  “Ahh,” I said with a fake laugh. “Well, it was nice seeing you again. Sort of.”

  “Hey wait up. I kind of wanted to talk to you.”

  “I kinda sort of don’t.”

  “You mad, bro? What’s wrong? Why are you so touchy, woman?”

  “Actually, David and I are not talking at the moment. So you’re probably just guilty by association. I’m sorry I snapped at you.”

  “No hard feelings, babe”, he said with an unctuous smile.

  “Actually, it’s not David. I just don’t like you.”

  “What?! Oh now the truth comes out! Why don’t you like me, anyway?”

  “I dunno. You remind me of a guy that bets on horse races. Just sleazy. Scummy.”

  “Man, you are a tough broad, you know that?”

  “Yeah I am. And why are you a man wearing a necklace anyway?” I said, noticing he was holding a rather flashy necklace in his hand. “Are you trying to bring the 1980s car dealer look back into fashion?”

  He laughed. Should I feel bad about busting a guy’s chops so bad if he enjoys it?

  “Hey,” he said with a pointing finger. “You asked if there were no hard feelings? There are now. In my pants.”

  “Screw you,” I said with a sarcastic smile.

  “Hey, for real,” he said touching my forearm and earning a scowl. “Why are you and David not talking? I heard he broke up with Crystal. You really mean to tell me after he went through all that shit, you’re still friend-zoning him? That’s cold, man.”

  I sent him daggers and shook my head. “You know nothing about us. Our history.”

  “Well I know you two have been friends forever, even before I knew him.”

  “Well for your information, even though it’s none of your business, David is acting irrational. He needs to grow up before he pursues a relationship with anybody.”

  Jake laughed boisterously. “Gimme a break. You know why he’s being irrational, Amelia. He’s in love with you. He’s been in love with you for like twenty years. He left a cheerleader for you.”

  “I know.”

  “I mean a really good cheerleader…” Jake said, wide eyed and making “boob” gestures to emphasize the point. “She was hot.”

  “I’m sure she was.”

  “Look, you know David is just weird about talking over his feelings. He says stupid things. He does stupid things. But how can you deny that he loves you?”

  “I do love David,” I said cautiously. “I always will. But that’s not what we’re talking about here.”

  “This is like the first time you’ve been single in a long time. You should give him a chance. Let him apologize, make it up to you.”

  “I don’t know why I’m talking to you about this,” I said. “But for your information, I’ve already met someone else. David has to learn that his ‘whims’ are not what a loving relationship is built on.”

  “What are you talking about?!”

  “Look!” I shouted. “You obviously have only heard David’s side of everything. You DON’T know what happened in our history. You don’t. All you know is that we’ve been friends for a long time. That’s all. So what gives you the right to judge me?”

  “Ah well, call me a sucker. I just like romance. I like love stories to end happy.”

  “Yeah well,” I sneered back at him. “Not all love stories end happily ever after. Sometimes life is just cruel.”

  Jake shrugged it off, by now figuring since I already disliked him, he had nothing to lose at this point.

  “Hey Amelia, you can still give me a happy ending.”

  “Go to Hell, smart-ass.”

  I know Jake, David and all sorts of other jock guys will never understand. But there’s something very sacred about a woman’s trust and David violated my trust. When I finished things with Pete, I swore I would never be put in that position again. David did do things to me, he made me feel desire, of course he did. I’m not denying that.

  But he put a very important friendship at risk and so brazenly. That’s why I backed off. And now, neither of us have anything anymore. We lost the friendship and the relationship. And that’s what people just don’t fucking get about turning friendship into romance. There’s too much at risk…and like that it’s all gone.

  Chapter 11:David

  I found out the name of Amelia’s new boyfriend. Victor. He sounds European, probably a big mustache, a round face, and wearing flannel suits and a top hat or something. Not sure why Victor looks like the Monopoly guy in my head, but it’s what I see at the moment. A billionaire celebrity, a man that she deserves.

  I suppose her ideal man would be someone who didn’t care about timing—someone who just took what he wanted. Someone who didn’t care about his fiancée, or her boyfriend or have any sense of propriety—someone who just kisses first and thinks about it later.

  Well, whatever. I’m not exactly sure why Amelia is mad, probably because in her logic, I broke some sacred trust. Some vow that I would never bed my best friend, because that would be wrong. Sure, suffering abuse, infidelity and psychoses from her other boyfriends—THAT was something forgivable, something human, something that just sucks but a girl can take it. But heaven forbid I actually follow my heart and make a move on the woman I’ve loved for the past twenty something years.

  I threatened the friendship. That’s worse than everything else.

  But no matter. I don’t regret breaking up with Crystal. It was the right thing to do, to set her free, so she could, you know, yell and scream at another guy who loves her to pieces. I regret that my experimentation with Amelia failed, but it’s one of those things where you just have to try. You just have to give it your all and be satisfied with the chase. The adventure. The romance, even if it’s partly in your head.

  This is as good as life gets. Be happy, you idiot. Everybody gets what they want in the end, except you.

  **

  Last night, as I was feeling sorry for myself and wallowing in self-pity, I must have dozed off heavily and entered a portal of subconscious thought. A channel to my own mind, my ageless mind, neither the past or present or future. No limits except my own wandering mind and endless stream of consciousness.

  I know for a fact that during this dream I woke up in the future. I can’t say for sure if it was my certain future, as in a portent, or if it was just my modern frame of mind creating a hypothetical future.

  But in the dream I had grown into an older man, probably in my sixties. I was content in life. I had traveled down a long road, one that I was sure of. A path I chose long ago, and one I never stopped following.

  Whe
n I looked to my side, there I saw a most peculiar sight. I saw Amelia, aged and graceful. She had grown older with me, and we were both retired living our golden years in peace.

  I knew it was her within an instant. It was all in the eyes. Trusting eyes. She leaned over and looked at me, her heart pure, her soul unscathed. No one would ever hurt her again. I was there, I protected her. The best years of my youth left me, but they were years spent with her. I gave her everything of me and in return she gave me,told me everything, we shared everything.

  We talked just like old times, even so many years later.

  “What is the first song you ever remember hearing?”

  “Hmmm, I think it was that All Over Spaghetti song. You?”

  “Probably When The Ants Came Marching In.”

  “Oh I loved that one. ‘Oh when the ants, come marching in, oh Lord I want to be in that number when the ants come marching in.”

  “Umm…I think you’re confusing it with When the Saints Come Marching In. The ant song is based on When Johnny’s Coming Marching Home, a Civil War song.”

  “Oh. Well, both equally morbid.”

  “Yeah our parents managed to sing us horribly depressing songs. So we have them to thank for our therapy.”

  Then, as the moment passed, she turned to me and looked at me with the same eyes I fell in love with. Her body had grown older, as had mine, but her eyes were exactly the same. And her soul was universally and timelessly connected to mine.

  “Do you have any regrets?” she asked me, her face caught between a moment of adoration and panic.

  “How could I? I got everything I wanted. All I ever wanted was you. Since the time I was 14, that’s all I ever imagined for myself. Being with you. And however, bizarrely or perversely, or inexplicably, I saw us like this. Growing up hand in hand. How could I ever regret living out a dream?”

  “Do you?” I asked her, just as she turned her face away, before giving me a coy look.

  And then I woke up.

  The morning light came to me and I realized in that moment that I would always and have always loved Amelia. If she thinks I took advantage of her or risked anything, she was mistaken. It was the culmination of my love story.

  And this, I will make damn sure that she hears the dramatic conclusion.

  I have to talk to her. I have to find her, before it’s too late!

  I found out through a mutual friend, she went to Galveston with her mother. Maybe she even took her new beau Victor, since he probably has a leer jet and a limo to take her everywhere she wants to go. Yeah, maybe Victor is a better man than I…maybe he can give her the world.

  But I know he couldn’t possibly love her anymore than I do. Everything I have ever been or ever done has been shaped by Amelia, whether subconsciously or knowingly. To be with her—to be the kind of man she could love.

  I have to go find her and tell her. I owe her, and I owe myself, one more conversation. She has to hear it from me…and I have to make things right.

  Chapter 12: Amelia

  Galveston is such a calm place, even in spite of all the hurricane damage that still haunts the atmosphere from years back. People come here to get away from city life, to rejuvenate. To grieve, to think, to mourn…sometimes just to feel something different. I lay on the beach and shut my eyes, wondering if I went to sleep now…if I would ever wake up? If time didn’t really exist, would I wake up in just a moment and be seventy years old? Or would I blink again and be twenty?

  I shut my eyes and wait. Time is passing by so fast. Life is going by. I’m still single after all these years. I have too many regrets. And yet, my biggest regret of all is you David. I wish things had been different for us. I wish I could have…no, I wish YOU could have come to me sooner. I wish our lives weren’t dominated by misunderstandings. If we could go back again, maybe I would do things differently.

  Maybe I would find a way to…

  I open my eyes and my voice leaves me. I can’t speak and I can hardly think. David is standing in front of me. Is this a dream? Am I dead? Is this now or in the future, where the hell am I in the stream of time?

  “Amelia,” he says.

  “D-David?” I finally manage to say, taking a deep gulp. “What are you doing here? Am I dreaming?”

  “Maybe. But if so, I’m having the same dream.”

  I shake my head. “Why? Why did you come here?”

  “Because I never got to finish what I started saying.”

  “Don’t…”

  “Too late,” he replies quickly. His voice is unwavering, perfectly calm. He knows he has nothing left to lose but everything to gain.

  “I have been in love with you since I met you. Every moment I looked into your eyes, I was thinking it. I was feeling it. And I almost said it too, but it was timing, Amelia. Timing screwed me over. The fear of not getting the timing right. But all that really mattered were the words.”

  I choke up and have run out of words to say. Even my anger, my frustration…everything I feel vanishes.

  “My only regret in life is not saying this sooner. I wish I had just stepped on every last guy who was in my way to get you. You’re worth it. I was afraid of ruining our friendship just like you. But now I’m more afraid of losing you forever—losing you to someone who doesn’t deserve you. I will always love you.”

  Finally, my voice returns to me and I speak honestly. “David that’s nice of you to say. But I’m just tired of relationships, okay? Every decision I’ve ever made has been the wrong one.” I shake my head, exhausted at this conversation and my entire memory of bad decisions. “I can’t make another one, not while juggling the most important friendship of my life. I need you as a friend.”

  “And we will be friends. But I want you to trust me. You’ve never had a man worthy of you. You’ve never had a man madly in love with you, not like me. I never told you before because I was a coward. I blamed it on timing but I was just scared of what you’d say. How our lives would change. And now I realize, I want that change. I want to be your friend, your best friend. But this time I want to protect you. I want to take care of you. I want to show you a good life. I want to talk like we always talk, but with more kisses and breakfast in the morning.”

  I finally crack a smile and for once, for once, think not about the past or the worries of tomorrow but of the here and now. Here he is, in front of me, and without any thought to time or place. If I shut my eyes again, who knows where we’ll be? All I know for sure is…I can’t lose him. I want him at my side, now and forever.

  “All I want in life, Amelia, is you. The rest doesn’t matter. You make me happy just the way you are. And if you’ll have me, you won’t ever have another regret, I’ll make sure of it. That’s what I’ve been meaning to tell you.”

  “Well,” I said, fighting away tears. His speech got to me. I am saving face, but why? Am I so embarrassed of what my best friend thinks of me? What am I afraid of? This is David, the guy who’s been at my side for three quarters of my life. If there’s anyone I trust, it’s him.

  “This isn’t really the ideal time and place for this, David.”

  “Oh…are you with that guy, that Victor guy? The European guy with the cane and round face?”

  “I…” I laugh. “That wasn’t what Victor looked like. We went on one date. He was a sexist pig. But then again…what did I expect dating anyone else but you?”

  I smile and finally, this time I mean it.

  Just as I give David a knowing look, letting him feel peace that his plan worked…mother comes back to the beach and sees David standing there looking disheveled.

  “David? What are you doing here?” she asks in confusion. “Are you being chased by police? Are you fleeing the country?”

  “What? No!”

  “Well you being here is very dramatic, isn’t it?”

  “Yes it is a bit dramatic, mother,” I say as David laughs it off.

  “Did you fly here, David? I’m just a little surprised to see you.”
/>   “No, I actually swam here,” he replies drolly. “I traveled the ocean to come ask your daughter out.”

  “Well isn’t that nice, a world traveler!” mother says, putting her hands on her hips and soaking in the sarcastic laughter. But she smiles at David and then back to me, knowing that something wonderful has happened. Or at least, the start of something wonderful.

  **

  When he kisses me, it feels as we picked up right where we left off. The hot and bothered, sex-starved feeling returns to me as he takes me in his arms. But this time everything feels right. We’re together, and our trust in each other has never been stronger. He kisses me fervently, the same way he did back at his place, but now tasting like nothing but his natural taste. No alcohol, no stress, no confusion. We are where we should be.

  Yes, it feels a little weird undressing each other. After so many years of respecting each other’s space, we invade selfishly…we pillage each other and take advantage…objectifying…using…it feels erotic but with a touch of guiltless joy. He takes my white dress off and unbuttons me one at a time, looking into my eyes. My face blushes in his presence. I’m shy but only for a moment, because he takes me into his arms and peppers me with kisses. He gives me burning kisses all over my bare chest.

  Once again, I still didn’t dress for him. Not as sexy as I could have been…but he craves me just as I am. He showers me with kisses and gentle suckles all over my trembling body.

  I can tell he enjoys me shaking and groaning because it gives him the chance to be my strong protector. He takes me into a hug and takes me down to the bed. He holds my head with his hands carefully as he stares into my eyes and kisses me again, our lips and tongues meshing together and uniting in passion.

  I squeal in delight as he unhooks my bra and pulls it off, bringing my nakedness to his lips. I smile and giggle and then go straight, with a tight frown…all sorts of high emotions in between breast kisses and rolling his hands through my hair.