Capturing Connie

Connie 5.5

The elevator is crowded and so is my head. I can't stop wondering if I'm doing the right thing. I know I shouldn't be excited, but I am. All these people around me are bustling among themselves about lunch plans. They all stay half a step away and it's grating. For once, I'd like someone to act as if I'm not some fragile piece of china. I won't snap and fire someone if I'm accidentally bumped. Dad raised me better than that, and when I took over that job for him, I gained my own morals. Dad can be a strict guy, but I'm softer than him by enough to know better.

A loud DING scares me out of my thoughts and I push through to the 11th floor. A couple of people murmur quietly, probably wondering why I'm even down here.

I don't care what they say. What they think. I already have an excuse prepared if anyone asks. It's a lunch meeting with Steven, the head of advertising and packaging, but he doesn't know he's getting a promotion. Father is supposed to tell him after lunch at around 2. We're both so busy that our jam-packed schedules only allowed us to meet at noon. It's normal. I've had multiple business meetings over lunch. This is nothing new.

But it is new, what we're really doing. I've never had a lunch ... rendezvous. A nooner. An affair. Dalliance. Whatever you want to call it, I've never had one. I'm nervous, shaky, excited. I feel as if I could throw up and hyperventilate at the same time. As my thighs rub together, I notice an obvious dampness in my panties and feel a blush creeping from my ears to my cheeks.

I have to stop and lean against the receptionist desk- which is mercifully empty- and catch my breath. Kevin had stopped by my office with my favorite coffee trying to get me to talk to him. He refused to leave my office and had closed the door, his demeanor changing almost instantly. I told him we had broken up days ago, and that I wasn't interested in anything he said or did unless it was being silent and staying away from me. He turned red and slammed his fist into his thigh, demanding I stop being stubborn. He started begging me, really begging me to stay with him, to forgive him. I stood and opened the door, making sure I was loud enough to be heard by others when I told him,

"Thank you, Kevin. That will be all." He had glared at me for so long, I saw Stevonnie's head pop over the cubicle with a rolling pin. Kevin eventually stood, smoothing his blazer as he walked stiffly out the door.

"This isn't over, Connie." He growled under his breath.

"Have a nice day, Kevin." I returned pleasantly.

I'd been on such a high, I'd gone right into my office and started the online search for the perfect pink tie. Something gloriously sophisticated and expensive and sexy and elegant. I clicked on my favorite store sites until I finally found the one I knew he would love. And I loved it, too.

I saw that he had read my email, but by the time he did, it was almost noon.

My cell dings that I have a text message and I pull it out of my purse to find a number I don't recognize, along with a simple message.

I see you.

Glancing around, I see that no one else is nearby. The offices appear mostly empty. The entire floor has a hushed quality to it that I almost find unnerving.

Or maybe that's just me, completely unnerved and worried about what I'm about to do.

My phone beeps again.

You're late.

And then there's another message.

We only have fifty minutes to indulge in our appetizer lunch. I suggest you head over to my office now.

The pleasure that blooms across my chest at the texts from Steven makes me rush down the hall only to find him already standing there, leaning against the wall opposite his office, his arms folded across his chest, his biceps straining the fabric of his snowy white shirt. He must have taken off his jacket; he's clad in only the shirt, dark grey trousers, and no tie. His hair is in the usual tousle, his eyes glittering as I come closer.