I work a boring office job. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind it. It's not a bad gig. It pays well, it isn't very demanding and I enjoy the time with my immediate coworkers. The only problem I would have to confess to is the sexy distraction, I refer to as my supervisor.
I'd known him for a short while before he became my supervisor and I'd known of him for longer. He had a reputation throughout the firm as a hard worker and someone who'd worked his way up from an entry-level position. He's one of those good people we all wish worked everywhere because he cares about his employees and he likes to reward hard work with promotions and/or recognition of some sort. He's a consummate professional at work but he knows when to have fun, too. He's also cursed with humility, a great sense of humor and stunningly sexy good looks.
I've had a crush on him since the first day I laid eyes on him, to be honest. His piercing blue eyes, the smattering of freckles across the bridge of his nose, his strawberry blonde hair and a set of beautiful lips. The fact that I know his torso and upper arms are toned and tattooed add to his physical allure, as well. I try not to think about him in any way other than 'the boss' while we're at work however, that's not as easy as it should be. Not for me, at least. The problem isn't just that he's a coworker and supervisor. It's much worse. We're both married to other people.
Neither of us has ever had an affair but for the chance to be with him for just one night? I can't say I wouldn't do it.
Today, he's been informed he has to take a company car to one of our smaller branches, to check on some complaints another employee has launched regarding a broken office chair. He needs to replace the chair which isn't a big deal but, it involves a stop at the office supply store and an additional hour and a half of travel time to the branch. I want to go with him but I'm not sure he'll let me. I don't really have any reason to tag along but, I want to and it never hurts to ask. I knock on his office door and hear him respond affirmatively. I walk in and see him gathering his things and putting them in his messenger bag.
"Good morning," he smiles.
"Morning," I reply.
"What's up?" He asks as he leans over the back of his tucked chair to scroll through a few urgent emails. "Just checking for anything I need to wrap up before I head out." He looks up at me and continues, "I don't want to leave you with a pile of stuff to take care of while I'm gone." He smiles again. Those eyes. That mouth. His strong-looking hands.
"What are the odds you'll let me come with you?" I speak in the same casual tone I always use. Over the last few years, I've become adept at hiding any arousal I feel in his presence.
"I mean, I guess you could?" He shrugs, looking up at me again. "You just looking for some time out?" He smiles.
"Maybe," I reply. "It's Friday and nothing's going on here. Plus, I never get to just galivant across the state, so..."
He puts his hand up in a 'stop talking' gesture and chuckles.
"I get it. Go get your shit. We leave in five," he nods his head and starts typing a reply to an email that's caught his attention.
"Seriously? Sweet!" I smile as I turn to leave. "Thank you!"
"Thank me by meeting me at the car on time. I don't want to be on the road all day, I got some shit to take care of this afternoon."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I playfully mock, as I shut his door behind me. "Which car, by the way?"
"The SUV, silly," he smiles. "I don't think the chair we need to pick up will fit in that tiny hatchback."
"Right," I nod and make my exit. The firm has three company cars they maintain for travel purposes; an SUV, a Prius, and a tiny antiquated hatchback. The Prius was in the shop due to a 'parking mishap' as explained by the mailroom supervisor. We suspected there was more to the story but the firm owners didn't seem overly concerned about it.
I walk into my office, gather my belongings and check through my own urgent emails in need of responses before I leave to meet him at the car.
When I get to the car, he's already there and checking the oil.
"You a mechanic now?" I joke as I open the passenger door to throw my purse in the floorboard.
"Dude, you know how people treat these cars, right?" He spoke as he slid the oil stick back into its place. "I told you, I got shit to do this afternoon and I have no intention of being stuck in the middle of nowhere with a blown, smoking engine," he winked.
"Good point," I nod in agreement and ask him if he's checked the tires yet. He rolls his eyes and tells me to get in the car, as he closes the hood. I smile and obey. As I buckle the seatbelt and situate myself, I see him looking at me. "What?" I ask self-consciously.
"Nothing," he laughs and he starts the car.
As we walk through the store to pick out the new chair, I try to keep inappropriate thoughts at bay but to no avail. He's wearing jeans and he's walking ahead of me, leaving me with an eyeful of his very cute rear end. We approach the office furniture and he asks if I remember what kind of chairs that branch has. He says he wants to keep it uniform.
"I've never been there so I wouldn't be able to answer that. This is the first time you've actually let me leave the office with you," I reply, shrugging.
"Oh, you poor thing," he rolls his eyes. He takes his cell from his back pocket and dials. "Claire? Hey, it's Chris. Do me a favor and text me a picture of the broken chair, would ya?"
I start looking at the products in the surrounding area. Pens with quotes on them, markers in fluorescent colors, notepads, all with an advertisement for printing company names free if a certain number are purchased.
"Laurel, you ready?" I hear him call. He's standing a few feet behind me, propping a large box in front of him.
"Is that the magic chair?" I ask as I go to grab an end.
"Apparently. What're you doing?"
"I was going to help you carry it."
"No need, it's not heavy," he smiles. He heaves the box onto his shoulder and nods for me to follow him. I may have drooled a bit but I can't be sure. I've never been alone with him in this kind of environment and my desire for him is growing.
On the way to the branch, all goes as one would expect during an hour and a half long drive. We agree on a radio station, discuss the music and artists, I play games on my phone, he talks about the demands of being a supervisor at our firm. As we reach the rural branch, he pulls into the small parking lot, turns the radio down and looks over at me.
"Here's the plan: I'll put the chair together and you keep Claire busy," he states as we exit the vehicle. He opens the rear door to retrieve the boxed chair, "She's a talker and easily distracted. Plus I think she has a crush on me so if you don't keep her busy, she'll follow me around and jibber-jabber the whole time." I chuckle and close the rear access door as I watch him walk toward the building's entrance.
That spectacular little ass in those jeans has me completely distracted. I realize he's almost to the entrance so I speed up to get ahead of him so I can open the door for him. He thanks me and maneuvers through, carefully avoiding hitting the glass doors with the box.
I look at my phone to check the time and see that it's 11 am.
"Chris!" Claire's nasally voice penetrates my ears. And my brain.
"Morning, Claire," he smiles politely. "Where am I going with this?" He indicates the box.
"Marla's office. Room 4," she smiles, wide-eyed. Claire's a nice woman. About my age but a few inches shorter, about fifty pounds heavier and a little goofier. But a nice lady, nonetheless. And yes, she does have a crush on him. I can see it in her face as she buzzes him through the inner doors. "Hey, Laurel! How's it going? I haven't seen you in forever!" Her attention is on me now.
"Well, you know how it is," I smile. "Boss is a hardass who never lets me out."
"I heard that!" He looks back at us and shakes his finger at me.
I talk to Claire, as instructed, listening to her ramble on about the divorce she's going through, about her son's horrible new girlfriend and her daughter's extraordinary academic abilities. I don't really mind. I always got along with Claire and honestly, I'm not really paying attention to what she's saying anyway. My mind is on Chris. I know he'll want to get lunch when we leave which I hope is soon. I'm not sure how long I can keep this desire for him under control. Tagging along may have been a mistake.
"Alright," he says as he walks back through the doors. "You ready, Laurel?"
"Oh, are you done already?" Claire asks with a hint of disappointment.
"Yeah," he replies, "turns out the old chair was entirely fixable. So, Marla's happy and I left the new chair in the storeroom just in case." He reaches for his cell and texts something to someone while fishing his keys from his front jeans pocket.
"Oh, ok," Claire smiles. "Thank you for all that and sorry you drove all the way out here for nothing."
"No problem. Besides," he started, "you heard her," pointing keys toward me, "I have to let her out of her cage once in a while or she gets restless." Claire chuckles. "And in a super cranky way," he adds for presumably, good measure.
"Haha," I mock, as I say my goodbyes to Claire and follow this beautiful man out of the building.