4 Desk job

Working at one desk the whole day was boring. Working at that desk while everyone else around you leaves for a party is just torture.

Especially when its a Halloween party you've always looked forward to, but you still skip it to sit around and sort through your boss' emails.

To be fair, I could have just gone with everybody else, but considering the weekend started tomorrow, I had wanted to finish my work.

Oh, who was I kidding? I knew I was hiding. Even he knew I was hiding. It was just 3 weeks since I had unsuccessfully attacked his honor, afterall.

Since then, I had barely shown my face to him. Mostly, I had hidden behind my desktop, pre-scheduling all my chores so that he didn't have any excuse to come to my desk.

His coffee would wait in his office before he'd get here, his papers faxed and ready, his to-do list emailed and urgent things written on post-it and stuck before he would even step foot in the building.

That must've been why he had made a habit of sneaking up on me. In the last 3 weeks, while he had become a social butterfly, flirting with everyone from Ellen to the janitor, I had become a desk hermit, mostly keeping to myself and being silent.

That was exactly how Mr.Torpedo had caught me 2 hours ago, when he had sneaked up on me catching me off guard, as he had left to head to the party.

2 hours ago.

"Aren't you attending the party, Ms. Brooke?" a deep voice asked, making me jump, and look up at him.

"A p-party, sir?" My stutter made its appearance, as my heart hammered in my chest from more than just getting startled.

Smiling mischievously, he replied, "The halloween party? I've heard its a blast. Pity that its not a costume party, though. I knew just what I'd have dressed up like."

Even though his words were perfectly respectable, I couldn't help but feel some meaning hidden behind them. Blushing furiously, I replied, "w-well, sir, I have- have to finis-"

Playfully narrowing his eyes, he cut me off, "Oh come now, Ruth. You know what they say about all work and no play, don't you?"

Leaning closer to me above the desk, he whispered, "Play a little, Ms. Brooke."

My breathe caught, stuck in the back of my throat and I couldn't think of an immediate reply.

Satisfied at having me sufficiently breathless, he straightened, played with his cuffs and turned away.

Before walking off though, he looked over his shoulder and said, "it'd be better if you come, Ms. Brooke. Or, I'll have to bring you back some cake."

It seemed like an innocent, even considerate offer, until he winked at me making it more of a threat. An extremely delicious threat.

Now

Clearing my throat, I came back to the present, and stared hard at the screen in front of me, trying to remember what I was supposed to be doing. Emails. Right.

Bending my head, I noted down the details of the email, before glancing at the screen for the next one, only to find out that I was done. Damn. No work left.

"How about a little play then, Ruth?" whispered my subconscious. I harshly shushed her, and got up from my place, collecting a few urgent post-its that I had prepared for Caleb and the notepad with details of emails, before walking up to his office.

Out of habit, I raised my hand to knock, only to remember that he wasn't inside.

Feeling a little thrill go through me for some reason, I opened the large oak door of his cabin, and entered.

Even though I knew the cabin was empty, it felt like I was being discourteous to enter it without knocking.

The interior of the office was exactly like it was when my old boss was here, but it somehow felt different. More brooding.

Even though Caleb has only been using it for a few weeks, the entire place reflected his personality.

Everything from the furniture, to curtains were dark toned. The very air hung heavy with a mysterious aura somehow. Not to mention, the subtle scent that was so very much him.

I walked up to his desk, lining up the contents I was carrying neatly. The post-its went exactly next to the board by his desktop, and the notepad went beside his intercom.

Satisfied with my own organising skill, I went to turn around when my gaze fell on his chair.

Sturdy and dark leather, it was tilted in my direction. I couldn't help but run my fingers on the backrest, feeling shiver run up my spine.

I knew I was attracted to him. But indulging myself, even a little bit caused anxiety to swirl in my stomach.

Getting involved with a colleague was frowned upon. Doing so with your boss was downright scandalous.

Briefly, I remembered my brave thoughts in the elevator just a few weeks ago. As much as the darkness had scared me that day, it seemed it had elevated my courage somehow.

Because right now, as much as my need for Caleb still scintillated me, it also made my shiver in fear. I felt disgusted at my own cowardly thoughts.

No, not cowardly, I told myself. Careful and sensible. Yes, it was probably good idea to stay away from him, I decided, ignoring the feeling of disappointment deep in the pit of my belly.

Sighing, I realised all these thoughts that I had avoided thinking about for the past weeks were coming to me now as I stood staring at his chair, I clenched my eyes shut and shook my head.

Opening my eyes, I tilted my head, observing the inanimate object that had managed to provoke all these thoughts in me.

Hm...

Deciding to feel as much of him as I might ever allow myself to, I ran my finger tips on the edge of his desk, causing another shiver to run through me.

I swallowed hard, letting my finger tips drift from his desk to the arm of his chair and up the leather backrest, feeling the warmth coarse through me.

The thought that I was getting turned on by inanimate objects made me shake my head in disbelief and I turned around to leave, only to stop in my track.

A not-so inanimate object was leaning against the door jam, his unflinching gaze quietly reading me.

A hint of a smile on his lips looked far from amused, and even though he was wearing his usual dark suit, there was a casual air about him.

I swallowed hard, as my eyes took in a small dish he held in his hand, with a slice of chocolate cake resting on it.

Following my gaze, he saw me eying the cake, before murmuring, "Got my slice to share with you. I'm afraid I don't particularly like chocolate. Thought you might."

Didn't like chocolate? Whoever can not like chocolate?

"Um, desk .. c-cake.. I mean.." I grappled for words as chocolate and furniture all meshed in my head.

Gesturing towards the desk that had been the recent object of my affection, I stuttered, "I-I was j-just.. um, c-cleaning the dust.." I stopped, when it looked like he was lost thoughts, not really listening to my rambling.

Time paused as he slowly straightened, making his way towards me. He paused, standing too close to me.

Hesitantly, I stepped back, only to have him follow me, until he had stalked me all the way to the edge of his desk. He leaned in and my back arched while trying to keep some distance between us.

Placing the dish beside my hip, he lifted the pastry spoon, with a tiny piece of cake on it, and brought it to my lips. When I stared at him without unmoving, he gently nudged with the spoon prompting me to open my mouth.

I took the spoon into my mouth, my mind going numb at his proximity as the rich cocoa flavour burst into my mouth.

Instead of withdrawing the spoon though, he dragged it onto my lower lip, staining them with chocolate from the back of the spoon.

Bending his head down, he breathed on my lips, "tell me to stop, Ruth."

I didn't want him to stop. Ever since the elevator, something had felt incomplete between us.

Some unsaid tension curled in the very space between us. Even though I tried to ignore it, ignore him, it was always there. Like an omnipresent entity. And now it wanted to make itself known.

I leaned ahead, and rubbed my lower lip onto his, silently telling him my decision.

The chocolate he had smeared on my lips stained his, and his hand reached up to tangle into my hairs, while other went round my waist, as he firmly pulled me to him and pressed his lips to mine. Finally.

It felt like a thousand fireworks exploded within me. My throat dried, as his lips moved over mine, slathering the chocolate around, until I couldn't tell who's lips had more of it.

He pulled back slightly, then ran the tip of his tongue on my lips, making a deep noise from his throat, before taking my bottom lip between his and sucking the sticky chocolate off of it.

I realised I was clutching his forearms and moaned, feeling his actions affecting something deep within my belly.

His teeth nipped at my lip, and I was thankful for the support the desk was providing as my knees wobbled.

His hand moved from my hairs, travelling the length of me, pulling my thigh up and resting it against his hip as he pressed in deeper, tilting my body back.

Before I knew it, my back hit the desk, the spiral binding of the notepad digging into my back as he leaned over me and pressed his lips to me again.

I didn't resist when his tongue probed, willingly opening up and letting him in, feeling his grip over my thigh tightened.

Never have I ever been kissed like this before. It was as if Caleb was tasting more than just chocolate off me.

His muscles strained beneath my hands as if he was holding himself back and I wondered what he will be like when he completely let go.

I clutched the front of his blazer, trying to pull him even closer, and his hand moved from my waist and onto the desk, bracing himself at this angle.

We both froze, however, as we heard a distinct squishing sound and a light clatter of china. Pulling back, he glanced at his hand, that was now covered in scrunched chocolate cake.

Narrowing his eyes at it, he muttered, "and here I was, just starting to like you."

I snorted, only to hush when he looked at me and we both knew that the moment was broken.

Sighing quietly, I made to move, and Caleb lent a one-handed help until I was standing on my own two feet again, straightening my disheveled clothes back in place.

Clearing my throat, and avoiding his eyes, I went to move out of the cabin, when his voice made me pause.

"I was wondering if you would be so kind as to assist me with something, Ms. Brooke."

Without turning around I remarked, "if it's to lick your hand clean, then forget it."

Chuckling, he replied, "Well, if you wanna lick, I can suggest better things, Ruth."

The whole body shiver that wracked through me definitely didn't go unnoticed by him, as I could almost feel his eyes boring into my back.

"Actually," he whispered close to my ear.

"I seem to remember that you missed my welcome party last week too. And I happen to have a whole chocolate cake at my home.. a welcome gift, you see."

Feeling like I knew where this was going, I swallowed as he continued, "And I was hoping if you would like to help me finish that. We have a whole weekend to work on it...." he trailed off, making me feel like there was a challenge behind his delicious words.

It felt like he was playing with me. Just waiting for me to stutter, blush or run off.

Refusing to let him make me squirm again though, I replied, "Isn't the use of term 'help', is a rather liberal, considering you don't like chocolate?"

He chuckled quietly and confessionally whispered, "I agree, Ms. Brooke. But since I just found out that I can tolerate it if it's slathered on right things..."

My body temperature went through the roof, even as I straightened by back and turned to look at him, finding him only a few breathes away.

His dark eyes reflected laughter, even as he kept a sultry expression on. Like, he was about to watch me fluster.

Gritting my teeth, I fought off the shiver at his expression and pasted a sugary smile, "Of course, I'll help you, sir. But only if you promise that next time, it will end with much more satisfaction and much less accidents."

Leaving him with raised eyebrows and a disbelieving expression, I held my head high and marched out, reaching my desk and cooling off.

It was when my self-satisfied pride had dissipated that I realised exactly what I had promised him.