by Scott, Lisa
That morning I waited in the hall, and Nolan went into the office. He called me on his phone and we left the connection open so I could hear what was going on inside—and so I could wait for my cue to come in with Chaz and Joy. We waited until right before noon to get things started.
“Dude, where have you been?” Chuck asked Nolan when he walked in. “We thought you and Jenny ran off or something, but Joy’s missing, too, and Chaz.”
“Seriously, where’s Joy?” Tom asked.
Before Nolan could answer, I heard Jillian in the background. “Can I have your attention please, everyone?” she called out to the office. The chatter in the room stopped.
“Gather round. I have very exciting news.”
That got everyone talking again.
“Why does she sound British?” Joy asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe she’s nervous?”
“Quiet please,” Jillian was saying to the group. “I know many of you took part in the office lottery pool this week. Raise your hand if you chipped in for the ticket.”
I chuckled as I stood in the hall. Joy hung on to Chaz’s arm to keep from falling over in laughter.
As we listened, I pictured everyone but Tom and Chuck raising their hand
“You guys didn’t say anything to them, did you?” I whispered.
“No, I promise,” Joy said.
“When you clean up after people you learn a lot of secrets, and I keep them all,” Chaz said. “So I know how to keep my mouth shut.”
Jillian’s voice came over the phone again. “Before this hits the media, they want to share their big news with us.”
“Come on, time to go in,” I whispered. Joy, Chaz and I entered the room with our giant check, facing backwards so the chumps could only imagine the amount. “We won the lottery!” I shouted.
Tom and Chuck’s faces went slack and pale.
Joy jumped up and down, barely able to contain herself, while Chaz blew kisses to the office staff.
Jillian started clapping. “How much? Tell us how much we won! Yes, I chipped in, too.”
Tom ran his hand down his face.
“How much? How much?” Everyone chanted.
Tom sank into a chair while Chuck leaned against the wall, hand over his stomach.
“Settle down, settle down,” I said. “We’re all going to share.” I flashed a look at Tom and Chuck. “Well, most of you.”
“There are forty-six workers here, and we decided it wouldn’t be fair to leave out the two workers who didn’t pitch in,” Joy said.
Tom slowly lifted his head. Color returned to Chuck’s cheeks.
“We’re going to divide the winnings equally among the forty-six of us,” Chaz said.
People screamed and clapped. A few cried. I was very impressed with the untapped pool of actors in the room. Tom and Chuck fist-pumped the air.
“I wanna quit. Can we quit?” Chuck looked around. “Who wants to quit with me? I’m gonna quit and buy a Porsche.”
Tom cupped his hands around his mouth. “How much? How much?”
The chanting started again. “How much? How much?”
I turned around the giant check and smiled wide.
People cheered as Chuck’s eyebrows scrunched together. “Twenty bucks? Why does that say twenty bucks? I thought we won the lottery?”
“We did! We won a $20 scratch off ticket,” I said.
Everyone started laughing, falling into each other.
Chaz clapped his hands together and pointed at Chuck. “You should see your face, man.”
Tom turned his hands up like “what the hell?” and looked at Joy. She playfully shrugged one shoulder.
I raised my voice. “And technically, since we bought thirty-two tickets to win it, you all owe twenty-six cents.”
That brought on more laughter from the group and more distraught looks from Chuck.
Tom narrowed his eyes and pointed at me. “You’re going to get it.”
I leaned into Nolan. “This one was his idea.”
That earned a round of applause and “well dones.”
I held out my hands to quiet everyone. “But I’d also like to announce that I’m officially back in the pranking game. And you can leave your twenty-six cents on my desk by the end of the day.”
As paper balls flew my way, I buried my head in Nolan’s chest, laughing. He tipped my chin up and looked at me. “It’s always going to be fun with you, isn’t it?”
“I promise,” I said, as people threw coins at us to pay their fee.
Nolan whistled to get everyone’s attention. “Jenny and I have to get back to work on our Dandy Bear campaign. I’ve just come up with a great idea.”
“Really?” I asked. “What is it?”
He grabbed me by the hand and led me to his office.
He closed the door behind us and pulled me to him. “This.” And he crushed his lips against mine. It was the most divine kiss, and it went on long enough for me to lose my breath.
Pulling back, he cupped my face in his hands and smiled. “You know what you forgot?” he asked.
“More manicotti?”
He laughed. “No. You.”
I looked at him, confused.
“When I asked you what was great about working here. You forgot to mention you.”
My lower lip wobbled. “You missed your calling as a copywriter.”
“Guess I’ve never been inspired before.” He gestured to the door. “Think anyone would miss us if we slipped out?”
“No.” I narrowed my eyes. “What do you have in mind?” My apartment wasn’t far away.
“The bakery and a piece of that cheesecake.”
“Where have you been all my life?” I asked.
He tugged on one of my curls. “Waiting to find someone perfect and funny and beautiful like you.”
Beautiful. I could picture the word being etched in my heart in gorgeous slow strokes of calligraphy. I blinked back tears and pressed my head against his chest. “Thanks for waiting,” I whispered.
Dandy Bear started singing.
I groaned, realizing I’d have to keep that darn bear forever to relive one of the best moments of my life.
Nolan cupped his hand to his ear. “I hear the brownies calling over the terrifying song of the beast. Let’s go.”
We sprinted out of the office. I noticed the fish was dead, but said nothing. Someone else was going to have to deal with it this time because I was too busy falling in love.
***
Employee Benefits
It was almost twelve-thirty when Sara from human resources showed up for Joy’s break. “Any special plans today?” she asked, setting her plaid vinyl lunch bag on the reception desk. She slid her glasses in place with her forefinger and waited for an answer.
Joy could never tell if Sara was insinuating something she knew or not, but there always seemed to be a twinkle in her eye when she relieved Joy for her lunch hour. If Sara knew where Joy went every day, she hadn’t let on. Maybe she was saving that intel as backup blackmail in case Joy ever threatened to tell their boss that Sara’s home was stocked with Dunner Advertising office supplies.
Little did Sara know that everyone looted the supply closet. Their boss Jillian would probably be happy to give her extra to take home. But sometimes it was good if a person thought you were ready to blab their secrets.
“Just the usual today,” Joy told her. Which was true. She did the same thing every day during her break—hooked up with Tom, a guy who wasn’t her boyfriend and never would be. Every mother’s dream for her daughter.
At least their arrangement was a good excuse to go shopping for killer lingerie and the occasional super-sexy pair of stilettos.
Joy looked back at Tom, standing in the doorway of his office. He’d be joining her in front of the building in five minutes. He briefly met her eyes and damn if she was taken over by a head-to-toe tingle. He was six-foot-four, with dark, wavy hair and incredible blue eyes. (She’d downloaded both their
photos onto several “see your future baby” apps, and their children turned out gorgeous—every time. And according to an age progression app, both of them would grow old gracefully.)
She’d been drooling over him since her first day at Dunner, but never had the guts to go after him. That wasn’t her style. She followed life where it took her. Like when Tom had first suggested these lunch trysts and she thought, “Hell, yeah.” They’d been quietly hooking up for months like this, and he still had the same effect on her.
She shared a smile with him across the room. But then her boss, Jillian, walked out of her office, and Joy snapped away her gaze, pretending to check on the giant goldfish swimming in the tank in the reception area. It was her job to keep that fish alive—or at least stocked with a replacement fish when the poor thing went belly up because Jillian had overfed it. Jillian never knew the difference. She still thought it was the same fish she’d won at a carnival when she was twelve. Luckily, Bubbles version 22.0 was still swimming today. Yep, she was a fish sitter—just one of her many duties at Dunner. Some days, lunches with Tom were the only bright spot in her day.
She grabbed her purse and left the office so she wouldn’t have to watch Jillian flirt with Tom. She tried not to get upset. After all, Jillian wouldn’t do that if she knew about him and Joy. Or would she?
Once outside, Joy leaned against the building waiting for Tom, as the hunger-driven crowd breezed by her. Cars honked, drivers rolled down windows to swear, and the city rushed through another busy lunch hour. As much as she loved being part of the bustle, she relished the quiet time she spent each day with Tom. Well, it’s not always quiet. She chuckled to herself as she waited and wondered where they’d go this time. Sometimes they went to her place. Other times it was his apartment, which was further away. Occasionally, they’d grab lunch, then make their way to the back of his car in the nearby parking garage.
She stood in the warm summer sunshine wishing this easy relationship were enough to keep her happy. But no, she was falling in love with the guy who’d told her he didn’t want anything serious.
Tom stepped out of the building and she started walking ahead of him. He quickly caught up to her.
“What does Jillian say to you when she corners you like that?” Joy asked.
“Same stuff she says to all the guys. She’s a hopeless flirt. She just likes the attention. Like a cat rubbing your leg, you have to pet her once in a while so she’ll go away.”
Joy stopped walking. “You’re petting her?”
“No, I mean you have to let her flirt, and then flirt back so she’ll be happy and curl up for a nap. Or eat a mouse. Who knows what she does in her office?” He placed his arm around her waist, then pulled it away and glanced over his shoulder. “I thought we could go to my place today. Let’s take my car.”
Joy raised an eyebrow. “Last time we did that, we never left the parking garage.”
“This time we will, I promise. I have something for you at my apartment.”
She grunted. “The same thing you give me every day?”
His hand slid over the rise of her rear, then cupped her hip. “Funny girl. I like that.”
She held her smile in place. Tom always went on and on about the qualities he liked about her. Why weren’t those enough to make him take things to the next level?
His job, of course. His damn job. He didn’t want anything that could tie him down. Oh, he planned to have a wife and kids—in a decade or so. For now, he was all about fun.
When they got to his car, he held the door open for her. Sometimes, Joy wished he’d be a jerk. But he was probably too worried the good times would end if he were thoughtless or rude. Even if he was, she’d still continue their mid-day happy hours. Although she might stop working out wedding color schemes in her head if he were a cad once in a while.
Some people might argue that having sex with her every weekday and offering nothing more was caddish enough. People like her sister Tara, the only soul she’d told about this. Tara didn’t care how hot Tom was, or how cute their pretend future babies were, or what an adorable older couple they’d make. She wanted Joy to end things. “You know your problem, Joy?” she liked to ask. “You settle. You settle for what life gives you and you never go after what you want.”
“I don’t settle, I go with the flow,” Joy would argue back. “It’s different.”
“Nope. It’s the same lame thing,” Tara would say. “You never go after what you want.”
Then Joy would ignore her for a few days until things blew over. They had this argument once a month it seemed. But lately, Joy wasn’t arguing back.
Tom climbed into the driver’s seat and leaned over to kiss her. It was never just a peck on the lips. It was always a glorious, thorough ravishing of her lips and tongue, with wandering hands touching all the right places.
She pulled away, smiling. “Drive, or we’ll never get out of here.”
Fifteen minutes later they were in his apartment, kicking off shoes and undoing buttons as they stumbled toward his couch. There wasn’t much time for foreplay at Tom’s place. They could be a bit more leisurely when they only had to walk eight minutes to her apartment.
Joy’s shirt slid to the floor. Tom tossed his across the room with a smirk. “This never gets old.” He laced his hands around her naked waist and pulled her on top of him.
She bent down to kiss him, loosening the bun at the back of her head so her hair unspooled between them. Tom was right. The wanting hadn’t faded. It only grew stronger. Was limited time together the key to lasting lust?
He wound a handful of her hair around his fist and pulled her closer. She whimpered as he kissed her, and she grasped behind her back to undo her bra.
“Wait,” he said.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, pulling back.
He reached next to the couch and produced a bunch of roses.
She sat up, inspecting the beautiful bouquet. “What’s this for?”
“It’s been six months since we first got together.” He grinned at her in that magical way that morphed him into a charming little boy. His teeth were a touch on the big side, and his mouth was wide. She liked to tease him that he’d stretched his smile out from all the pranks he pulled at the office.
She tried to grin back, but couldn’t. Wow. The significance of the date wasn’t even on her radar, but he was right. Six months ago on this date, Tom and Joy had hooked up after a night out with people from their office. She buried her nose in the blooms, taking a deep breath of the intoxicating scent.
When he first approached her at The Bar None that night with a few naughty suggestions, she’d thought he was kidding. They were both beyond tipsy. She figured it was alcohol-induced flirting. But after their coworkers left and he walked her outside, he’d pressed her up against the wall of the building and kissed her under the light of a street lamp. Now she smiled every time they walked by that graffiti-covered brick wall. She was certain the artist hadn’t anticipated anyone taking the suggestion sprayed in neon green quite literally.
The night they spent together had been so amazing that it felt natural when they began their clandestine lunch breaks. When he arrived at work that following Monday morning, she felt her face turn red.
He leaned across her desk and whispered, “We should definitely do that again.”
Once she found her voice she said, “When?”
He paused for a moment, then raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing for lunch today? My apartment’s not far from here.”
The chill that raced through her left her nodding. “Okay,” she whispered with a smile.
“I’ll meet you outside at twelve-thirty. But we need to keep this quiet. For both our sakes.”
She wasn’t sure if he’d show up, but he did, and he swept her away to his apartment for half an hour of incredible passion.
And now they’d been at it for six months. Half a year. Total fun, no commitment. No boyfriend. No real relationship. No future.
/> Her fingers trembled as she touched the velvety petals. “Thanks,” she whispered in a strangled voice.
At first she could handle their relationship, if you could even call it that. But now it was like eating sugar free candy when you wanted a rich chocolate bar—milk chocolate, the good stuff, like Godiva or Richart.
He brushed her hair out of her face. “What’s wrong?”
She set the flowers on her lap. “I wish I could show these off on my desk at work.”
Tom sat back. “Joy, we agreed to keep this thing between us private. And simple.”
“I know.” She swallowed hard. “It’s fine. And it’s not like we’re a couple anyway. It was nice of you to get me these.”
He slipped his finger under her bra strap, and caressed the ticklish place between her neck and shoulder. Damn him, he knew all her special spots.
“We’re a couple in our own way. In a way that works for both of us,” he said.
It’s not working for me, she thought, shivering at his touch.
She nodded, angry at herself for wanting more. Tom had made it very clear when they first got together that this was all he could give her. And she’d assured him that would be okay.
But she hadn’t factored in how wonderful he would be. He was the perfect boyfriend—for one hour a day. She forced a smile. “Can I leave these in your car so I can take them home after work?”
“Of course.” He slid a box of candy out from under the couch. “And these are for you, too.”
She sucked in a breath. “Godiva.” Now that’s what she was talking about.
He opened the box and placed a divine piece of chocolate on her tongue. She closed her eyes and let it melt in her mouth. Then he kissed her in that glorious spot by her ear, and whispered, “We’ve only got twenty minutes left to really celebrate.”
She tossed aside the flowers and candy and twined her fingers through his hair. She should call this off. Demand more from him. Her sister would be proud. But he wouldn’t go for it, and then Tara would… Eww, stop thinking about your sister right now.
