Managed by Chance

by Amy DeMeritt

  It took her another couple of minutes to get up the courage to send the message. Asking how Katie’s night was going felt too brazen or familiar – maybe too friendly considering Katie wanted to keep things professional. But she held her breath and sent the message.

  Katie: Sounds like a nice, relaxed evening. I’m sitting on my deck with Sprite having a bowl of pho. It’s a nice night.

  Mel: Yeah, it is. I had to hide on the balcony for a little bit while Blake and Layla had some pre-dinner fun. I think that was risky though. Blake called in a favor with a friend at some really fancy place for dinner. Apparently, it’s very hard to get reservations for.

  Katie: I guess you got Layla’s makeup to her in time?

  Mel: With time to spare, but she still wasn’t ready when Blake got here. Layla is chronically late for everything.

  Katie: You’re a good friend and roommate. And a good leader.

  Mel was tempted to toot her own horn and tell Katie she made a good lover and girlfriend too, but she decided that would sound too forward and desperate. She didn’t want to overstep and cause Katie to stop chatting with her.

  Mel: Thanks. You’re a good trainee.

  Katie: I just laughed so hard Sprite swatted at me. I guess that’s the best compliment I can hope for after only two days on the job.

  Temptation finally got the better of her and she hit send against all of the warning sirens blaring in her mind telling her to delete it.

  Mel: It was the safest compliment I could give.

  Katie: How’s your pizza?

  Disappointed that Katie didn’t accept the bait to flirt, she set her phone down on the counter and opened the oven to check on her food. The cheese on the pizza was bubbly, the crust was right at the line of almost burnt, and the skin of the wings was blistering and crispy. She pulled the baking sheet out and plated the food. She took a picture and sent it to Katie.

  Katie: Looks good. I guess I should let you eat. See you at work tomorrow.

  Mel: Okay.

  “Fuck, why did I say that? Why couldn’t I just keep it clean and platonic?” Mel dropped the phone on the counter and put her face in her hands. “This really fucking sucks.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Sitting on her couch with her cellphone in her hands and her finger poised above the screen, Katie wracked her brain for any possible excuse that she could text Mel at eight o’clock on a Friday night. But there was no reason to text her, at least, not an appropriate one.

  She tossed her cellphone aside and threw her head back with a pathetic sounding whimper. “What is wrong with me? She’s probably not even home.” Katie sat bolt upright. “I bet Layla dragged her out to the club so she could go see Blake. That’s it, that’s where she is, I just know it.”

  She ran up the stairs, stripped out of her lounge pants and baggy tee shirt, and took a very quick shower. She blow-dried her hair, applied her makeup, then put on a form fitting black tee shirt and her favorite tight pair of jeans that made her ass look the best.

  As she grabbed her keys and got her hand on the doorknob to leave, she froze. “What the hell am I doing? This is such a horrible idea.” She released a deep growling groan as she turned and tossed her keys on the sidebar and stomped back upstairs, muttering, “Such a bad idea. You’re her boss, Katie!” She pulled her tee shirt and bra off and threw them down hard on the bed. “She’s probably not even interested anymore.” She roughly undid her jeans and wiggled out of them. “She’s probably at the club dancing with some pretty, much younger woman and forgetting all about me.”

  As she threw herself down on the bed, she groaned, “I’m so stupid.” After only a few minutes, she slapped the bed as she sat up and grabbed her bra. “Fuck it. I want her back.”

  After quickly getting dressed again, she ran down the stairs and out the door before she could talk herself out of it again. While driving to the club, Katie’s heart started racing, but her mind was racing worse. She told Mel they should just be co-workers, and the one time that Mel tried to flirt with her through text on Tuesday night, she ignored it. She was so successful in her farce indifference towards Mel that it seemed to have rubbed off onto her. On Tuesday, it was obvious Mel wanted her. She caught her multiple times looking at her legs, her ass, her lips, staring into her eyes, and blushing when she realized she’d been caught. But Mel had gained control over herself by Wednesday. Even when she would lean in closer to see Mel’s computer screen, Mel didn’t seem unsettled by it at all.

  Was it too late? Had Mel already moved on? There was only one way to find out.

  As she walked into the club, her eyes darted everywhere, looking for Mel’s beautiful hazel eyes, infectious smile, and short light-brown hair. But she didn’t see Mel or Layla anywhere. There were just too many people. She needed help. She weaved through the crowd to get to the bar and made eye contact with Blake.

  After setting a few bottles of beer on the bar, Blake walked over to her and leaned over on the bar top, resting on her forearms. “You look like you’re on a mission.” She pointed a wagging finger between her eyes. “Your eyes are wild and determined.”

  Katie blushed with an embarrassed laugh. “You could say that. Are our girls here?”

  “My girl is here. I don’t know who your girl is.” Blake quirked an eyebrow with a slight bemused head tilt.

  “I’m looking for Mel.”

  “Last I heard, you washed your hands of her like she was just that sticky residue you get on your fingers after eating a glazed doughnut.”

  Katie’s face fell and she anxiously looked around herself to see if anyone was watching or listening, especially Mel or Layla. “Is that what she said?”

  “No, that was just my own take on the situation. But I know you ended it with her and why. Tough break. The universe has a wild sense of humor sometimes, right?” She nodded at a patron as she accepted an empty beer bottle. As she stood upright to get a fresh bottle, she asked, “What do you want with her, Katie?”

  Katie waited for her to finish the transaction and lean back over the bar so she didn’t have to shout. Instead of answering Blake’s question, she asked, “Is she here?”

  “What you drinking?”

  Katie exhaled hard as she pulled some cash out and set it on the bar. “Double shot of tequila.”

  “Interesting choice.” Blake took the cash, filled the drink, then waited for Katie to drink it in two face-pinching gulps. After she set the empty glass down, Blake pointed to the left, and said, “Their group is in that direction. Look for a tall skinny guy with curly hair and you’ll find them.”

  “Thanks.”

  Katie gave her a weak smile as she started to turn in the direction she had pointed, but Blake said, “Hey,” so she turned back. “Don’t go over there unless you’re serious about giving her a chance. It’s not right to fuck with her heart and her career just because she’s a good lay and you’re lonely on a Friday night.”

  Blake turned and left Katie feeling scolded and a little pissed off for being judged so harshly and inaccurately. She wasn’t here just because she was horny.

  Spurred by a bit of anger and loosened by the tequila, Katie pressed through the crowd, searching for a tall curly haired guy. But trying to gauge height when so many people were jumping and the lights were flashing was difficult. Each time she thought she had found her target it disappeared or didn’t seem to be the correct curly haired guy because Mel and Layla weren’t with him. But she persisted, and after ten minutes of being bumped around, groped, and hit on by other people, she finally found the correct curly haired guy.

  Just through a gap between a few people, Katie could see Mel. A mixture of excitement and jealousy seized her, making her feel jittery and anxious. Mel was dancing with a cute blonde girl with several people dancing around them, including Layla, who was staring right at her. As Katie took another step towards their group, Layla caught the hand of the blonde, spun her, and pulled her into her arms to dance together. The girl didn’t seem to
be upset with the change in dance partner, so Katie assumed she must just be a friend.

  She took a deep breath, then broke through the group and caught Mel’s hand. As Mel turned to see who had grabbed her, Katie spun into her, wrapping Mel’s arm around her waist. As she rotated her hips, digging her ass into Mel’s groin, she lifted her other hand to palm up the back of Mel’s head, tilted her own, looking over her shoulder, and drew Mel down to her. As their lips pressed together, Mel inhaled deeply through her nose and tightened her grip on Katie’s hips, pulling her in harder against her body. While their tongues crashed together in a fervent kiss, Katie combed her fingers through Mel’s hair, scraping her fingernails over her scalp, and dug her ass harder into Mel’s hips.

  Mel slipped her hands up under Katie’s tee shirt, just a few inches to feel her hipbones and soft, smooth stomach, causing Katie to release a sound of pleasure into their kiss. She turned in Mel’s arms, not losing momentum with the kiss, and wrapped her arms around the back of her neck. Mel held one hand under her shirt on her lower back and gripped her ass with her other, eliciting another sound from Katie.

  After a few minutes, Mel pulled away slightly panting for air. Katie smiled as she ran a hand up through Mel’s short hair and gave her a soft kiss on her lips. Mel blinked hard a few times, then loosened her embrace and pulled her hands off of her back and ass to just hold her hips.

  “What…? I… What’s happening? How did you know I’m here?”

  “I didn’t. I just had a hunch since Layla is dating Blake. I hoped she dragged you out again like last weekend.” Katie placed a hand on her cheek, and admitted, “I missed you. I missed us. Will you give me another chance?”

  Mel couldn’t think with Katie’s beautiful eyes looking so pleadingly into her own, or with her sexy body pressed against hers. And, damn, she smelled amazing!

  After a minute of Mel just silently staring at her, Katie kissed her lips, and said, “I’m sorry.”

  Her apology was like she just plugged Mel’s brain back in, and she asked, “Why did you push me away?”

  The noise around them suddenly increased with people greeting friends nearby, so Katie didn’t hear her question. She leaned in, and loudly asked, “Can you repeat that? I didn’t hear you.”

  Mel took Katie’s hand, then turned to look for Layla, who was standing right behind her, still dancing with their friends, but also keeping an eye on Mel and Katie. Mel leaned in to tell her, “We’re going to find someplace to talk.”

  “If you want to leave, Alice and I can get a ride with Blake when she gets off. Or if Katie drove, I’ll just drive your car back.”

  Mel looked at Katie to see if she heard Layla, and Katie smiled, and said, “I drove.”

  Layla pulled Mel into a hug, and with her mouth next to her ear so only she would hear her, she said, “Go home and talk this out. If you want me to come home, just text me.”

  Mel pressed her mouth to Layla’s ear, and asked, “Am I stupid to consider dating her?”

  “No, you would be stupid not to.” She kissed Mel’s cheek, then playfully pushed her shoulder, and loudly said, “Get out of here.”

  After Mel gave her car key to Layla, she allowed Katie to lead her out of the club and to her car. As Katie pulled out of her parking space and merged into traffic, she reached over to take Mel’s hand and lifted it to her lips, giving it a firm, lingering kiss.

  “What did you try to ask me on the dancefloor?”

  “Why did you push me away after I told you I had applied for the manager position?”

  Katie sighed as she entwined her fingers with Mel’s to hold her hand on her lap. “My initial thought or concern was that you would resent me for getting the position over you. I was so excited about getting that job. You have no idea how hard it was not to bring it up when I met you and we were just lying in bed cuddling and talking. Even though we had just met, I was just bursting to share my good news with you. When you told me that you had applied for that job, I was confused. Part of me regretted not bringing up work against your wishes, but a bigger part of me was grateful I hadn’t because then I wouldn’t have had such an amazing weekend with you and my excitement would have been spoiled.”

  “So, you resented me for spoiling your happiness about getting the job?”

  “No, of course not.” Katie looked over at Mel to see she looked hurt. “Mel, no, I’m serious, I wasn’t upset with you for that. I wasn’t upset with you at all. I was pissed that I hadn’t been warned that the supervisor had posted for the job, but not at you. That was Frank’s and HR’s responsibility to tell me that before I started.”

  “I still don’t understand why that would make you push me away.”

  “Well, I’m getting to that.” Katie sighed. “It’s really stupid. After you told me why they didn’t give you the position, I was reminded of how young you are.”

  “Oh.” Mel tried to take her hand back, but Katie shook her head, and pulled her back.

  “Mel, I don’t have a problem with your age. You’re a very mature and responsible woman and I really like you. And working side by side with you all week has made me like you even more.”

  “I don’t mean to be rude, but you are doing a really terrible job of making this make any sense to me.”

  Katie released a small laugh, and agreed, “I know, I’m sorry. Remembering your age and realizing how far you’ve gotten in your career just by the grit of your own teeth, and then realizing I was the one person standing in the way of your advancement just made me freak out. I didn’t want to do further damage to your career by complicating things and making you quit because it was an uncomfortable situation. And I guess a part of me was selfishly concerned about my own career if things ended badly between us, because I had also worked really hard to get to where I am. And talking about it all made it finally click that I’m your boss and how inappropriate it would be to date you. Till then it hadn’t really sunk it. Does any of that make any sense?”

  “Yeah, it actually does. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t concerned about what would happen if we got into a serious relationship and things didn’t work out. What changed your mind? Why did you hunt me down tonight?”

  “The more time I spent with you, the more I missed you. And the more time I wanted to spend with you.” After parking outside of Mel’s apartment, she turned in her seat to face her. While holding her hand with one of hers and tracing her knuckles with the other, she added, “I sat there next to you for eight hours every day and it wasn’t enough. I wanted more time to talk to you. I wanted to get to know everything about you – your family, your interests, your favorite movie, and so forth. I hunted you down tonight because I panicked. I was worried I let it go too long and you had lost all interest in me. So, did I miss my chance?”

  “I left all of my friends at the club and came home with you again. I think you have another chance.”

  Katie released a small laugh as she leaned across the center console to kiss Mel. As her tongue parted Mel’s lips, Mel slipped her hand from Katie’s to place on her thigh, causing Katie to inhale deeply and lean in more.

  As heat washed through her, activating the nerves between her thighs, Mel pulled away, and breathily asked, “You want to come in for a drink?”

  “I’d love to.”

  They walked hand in hand across the parking lot, and when they got in the elevator, Mel laughed, and asked, “Why did you avoid having to ride the elevator with me every night after work?”

  “You noticed that, huh?” Katie blushed as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “I was afraid I’d do this.”

  Katie grabbed Mel’s hips and shoved her against the back of the car and immediately pulled her into a wild and passionate kiss. Mel’s knees weakened and she released a sharp moan as her clit spasmed in pleasure. She grabbed Katie’s ass in both hands and yanked her groin against her own.

  As the doors slid open, Katie released her with a sucking nibble of her bottom lip, then tugged her out
of the elevator. They walked at a near jog to Mel’s apartment, and as soon as she had the door unlocked and they walked inside, Katie pressed Mel’s back against the door, making it slam closed. As their mouths locked, Katie ran her hands up Mel’s shirt, over her smooth stomach, then around to hold her ribs.

  Mel gripped the hem of Katie’s tee shirt, and as she tugged it, Katie pulled away to allow her to take it off. As Mel dropped it on the floor, she released a long moan and trailed her fingers down Katie’s torso, tracing the top swell of her breasts, the black satin and lace of her bra, her flat stomach, and her slightly jutting hips.

  “You are so fucking beautiful.”

  As Katie was leaning in to kiss her, Mel slipped her fingers in the front of Katie’s jeans to grip the waist, then tugged her forward, practically dragging her to her bedroom. Katie laughed as she momentarily stumbled before getting her balance. And when Mel swiftly picked her up and tossed her on the bed, she released another laugh and yanked Mel down on top of herself.

  “I hope you know I didn’t hunt you down tonight just to get laid.”

  Mel kissed her lips, then as she bent into her neck, she answered, “Yeah, I know,” then latched onto her warm skin, sucking firmly and making Katie release a quiet breathy moan as her head tilted back and her eyes closed.

  “I really want to date you, Mel.”

  Mel released her neck, whispered, “I know,” in her ear, then sucked her earlobe into her mouth and reached between them to unbutton her jeans.

  “You’re not just doughnut glaze I’m going to wash off.”

  Mel collapsed, laughing against her shoulder, then lifted her head to look into Katie’s eyes, and asked, “What the hell are you talking about?”

  Katie ran her hands up Mel’s back and over her head to comb through her short, wavy light-brown hair, and began explaining seeking Blake’s help in finding her at the club. She finished with, “I’m sorry if I made you feel used and insignificant.”