The Office Party

Part 30

In her hallway, while she locks the front door, I lean on the wall and take my sandals off. 'Ohhh yes,' I murmur in pleasure as my feet are freed from the shoes and sink a little into her gorgeously soft carpet. The shoes are comfortable enough, but I have been standing around in them most of the night, apart from the little sit down we've just had in the gay bar. 'Oh, my god. That's so good.'

She throws her keys on to the small table next to me. She's in a good mood, now we've been able to hold hands and sit together, and I'm feeling mellow for the same reason. I liked it when she put her arm around me as we talked to Petra, and I think she did too. On the walk back to the flat, we walked close and she let her arm brush my hip a lot. We've just had a very sexy kiss in the lift, too, where she just leaned in and took me by surprise. I've known she kisses well since that first office party, but this was a very nice one indeed. The way she fluttered her tongue in my mouth made the knot of desire tighten inside me. She smirks at me. 'I haven't even touched you yet, and you're practically purring.'

'Well, I don't know. That kiss was pretty hot.' I crouch down and tuck my handbag between my shoes, then run my fingers through the thick pile. 'But mainly it's your carpet. It's gorgeous, it feels so lovely. I love it.'

She laughs. 'You love my carpet? I think there's a sexual innuendo in there somewhere, Fiona.' She watches me straighten up and smooth the back of my dress, her eyes flicking to the way the material moves around my thighs, then moves towards the main area. 'Shall we finish that bottle from earlier?'

'OK.' I follow her into the living area and head towards the windows while she retrieves the bottle we were drinking earlier from the fridge and empties what's left in it into two glasses. The living area is still in darkness, and she's only put one light on in the kitchen, so it's possible to see some things beyond the glass. I'm surprised by the fact that it's quite dark out there. 'Um. Where are all the lights? I expected to see more of them.' She joins me at the window and hands me a glass of wine. I sip and realise I've missed a previous comment. 'Anyway, isn't that your rug?'

'What?'

'Your rug, not your carpet.' I glance fairly obviously at the front of her jeans. 'The innuendo?' I try to move a bit closer to her, bending one leg at the knee in the hope it will touch her. She stays very still. I want to feel her arm around my waist under my denim jacket again. I want to feel her touch me, anywhere and however lightly.

She looks at me seriously. 'Probably.' I sometimes think that Diana is so used to making sexually suggestive comments to her young women that she finds it strange to do the same to me. Frustratingly, I'm both glad she maybe feels that and irritated that she doesn't feel relaxed enough to talk sexy with me too. In the meantime, we're standing close. The feel of the hot kiss in the lift is throbbing between us, and I suppose we are deliberately talking about sexy things and simultaneously pretending it's not important. She doesn't touch me, but she does let her gaze stray down my dress and over my bent leg. She clears her throat. 'Do you want to sit outside for a moment or two?'

It is still warm enough to do so. I nod. She turns away and unlocks the French windows and I rather shamelessly admire how sexy she looks in her jeans and blouse. She moves out onto the balcony and I follow her, glass in hand, but I don't sit down. I'm suddenly, in my tipsy late-night curiosity, distracted by the view again, and I go over to lean on the rail. 'It's still darker than I expected.' I know there's buildings on the opposite side of the canal. 'Why aren't their lights on?'

She comes up behind me. I can feel her close, and I can smell her, and my breath catches in my throat for a moment. I feel her hand, with wine glass, carefully on my arm. There's a little pause, then she gives in and slides her free hand around my waist again. I sigh and tip my head back a little to feel her nose and lips and chin touch my hair, because at that moment that is everything I ever wanted to be happy. She moves directly behind me and steps closer and I feel her body press mine against the balcony rail. I have to breathe deeply to stop myself groaning with pleasure. Her cheek and lips brush over my hair, down to my bare neck. 'They're mainly offices over there, Fiona. So they're closed for the weekend. And there's no lights on the canal.' She presses her lips to my neck for a long moment in a soft kiss, making me shiver with pleasure several times, before she lifts away.