Harbor Point was supposed to be a beautiful part of Stamford CT but I wasn’t all that impressed when I arrived. I was being driven by Doug Ellis, my ‘boss’ in the design practice where I had agreed to spend a year learning everything there was to learn about New England architecture.

My name is Tony Harris. I work as a trainee architectural technician for James Cadden who is the owner of an architectural practice in Dublin, Ireland. James thought it would be a good idea to send me over to Stamford to gain experience. It wasn’t something I was too keen on but I would give it my best shot because not everyone got such an opportunity in the council estate where I was born and raised.

Doug dropped me at my home for the period in Henry Street, where I was welcomed by Angie Davis, my landlady. Angie was nice. I guessed she was in her mid forties. She was married to Brady, a contractor who was at Doug’s beck and call, and they had one son, Hunter, aged eight. I dropped my bag off into my room and joined them for dinner in the dining room.

I thought it might have been like The Waltons, but it wasn’t. They had ordered pizza. I’m not a fan of pizza, or cheese in general for that matter. I detected some confusion from my hosts.

“Aren’t you hungry, Tony?” Angie said.

“Not really, Angie. I’ve been snacking all day. They keep feeding you on the plane.”

“I know what you mean,” Brady said, “jet lag as well. You’ll probably wake up in the middle of the night and eat what’s left.”

“Maybe, although I don’t eat pizza. All that cheese.”

“What’s wrong with cheese?” he asked.

“Nothing. I just don’t like it. We were force fed it when we were kids and I developed an aversion to it in the same way as porridge and turnips.”

“Are you lactose intolerant, dear?” Angie asked.

“No, nothing like that.”

We chatted about Ireland and my job. They seemed surprised that i was in my late twenties and not yet qualified. I explained that I was a late starter but that this placement was my last step before qualifying as a surveyor / design technician. I didn’t want to be an architect stuck in an office all day.

Doug picked me up at 7.30 next morning. The open plan office was quite small and tightly packed. I didn’t see a drawing board at first, just a row of five Apple computers. I was about to ask, when Doug showed me to the drawing office, a glorified store room at the rear of an annex at the side of the building and accessed through the main office space.

“Make yourself at home, Tony. We have our morning meeting in an hour. I’ll introduce you to everyone then,” he said and departed.

I settled in and began tidying up and making some space to move around in. Slowly, empty boxes became full, rubbish was deposited in black plastic bags and my board was gleaming. I secured some paper of varying size and weight, writing instruments and drawing supplies. There was a discarded computer cover in the waste that I converted into a shelf / storage tray at the right hand side of the board. I had to steal some screws from three desks, one per desk, and borrow a screw driver from the reception area to secure it to the wall. I was trying to get a chair to work when I was disturbed,

“Hi there. Are you Tony?” I heard a female voice ask.

“Yes,” I said, straightening up from a crouch.

“Hi. I’m Julie. Everyone calls me Jules. Meeting in progress,” she said and walked away.

“Thanks,” I said. and followed her to the main office.

Doug put his hand on my shoulder and introduced me to everyone in a general fashion. I sat out of the way and listened as they discussed projects, issues, clients and gossip. It went on for an hour and I didn’t see the point of it. Jules works the reception desk. She wasn’t in the meeting so I sat near her. Doug was lead architect and Barry was his partner. There were three other staff. Jeff, an intern, Samantha, a designer and Maria, a fifth year trainee. My job straddles all of these disciplines along with several more duties such as fire safety, schedules and specifications amongst others but I was primarily there to gain experience of the main design elements used in traditional New England properties.

I needed a desk lamp and found one thrown in a heap under the desk I was sitting at. This place was a mess and it irritated me. This wouldn’t be tolerated back home but it wasn’t my problem. I was leaving the meeting, desk lamp in hand, when Barry asked where I was going with the lamp.

“I need a lamp for my desk. This one will do,” I said,

“We’ll get a new one ordered in. That’s a piece of crap,” he said.

“But it’s an Anglepoise lamp,” I said.

“It’s old. Just throw it in the garbage.”

“Ok,” I said and left the room carrying the lamp.

It took me an hour but I got it working, restrung the workings, re-tensioned the operating springs, rebalanced the counterweights and tightened the clamp before clamping it to my desk and plugging it in. It was a beautiful piece of engineering that had been mistreated by this bunch of philistines, but it lived again.

Doug walked in as I wiped oil off the frame of the lamp. He was holding some files.

“I thought Barry told you to throw that out, Tony,” he said.

“What? Are you sure?” I said, trying to look confused. “Why would anyone throw this out? It’s in great shape.”

“Whatever. Just do what you’re told and you’ll get along fine,” he said.

He dropped the files on my desk, never mentioning how great the room looked since I sorted it out.

“Go through these and familiarise yourself with them. I’ll put you on your own file after lunch,” he said, and left me alone.

My room was next to the kitchen so I got some coffee and a cardboard pastry for lunch to eat at my desk. I was studying the files and wondering why they couldn’t be accessed online like they are by the rest of the known world when a soft knock interrupted me. It was Maria.

“Hi Tony. I didn’t get a chance to welcome you earlier,” she held out her hand in greeting. “I’m Maria.”

“Hi Maria, lovely to meet you,” I said.

“I love your accent.”

“What accent?” I said with a smile.

“Your Irish accent.”

“Oh that? It’ll soon annoy you.”

“What are you doing for lunch?”

I waved my coffee at her.

“Did nobody call you for lunch?”

“No, should they have?”

“Well let me do it for them,” she said. “I’ll grab my coat and we’ll go to the deli for a sandwich. My treat.”

It was a welcome break so I embraced it wholeheartedly. I followed her out to get her coat. She was very pretty. A little shorter than me, she was very slim, had long dark hair and bright blue eyes. She walked with a skip and dragged me by the hand as I tarried along behind,

We went to a deli which was a cornucopia to a starving man. I got soup and something called a lumberjack sandwich which had a year’s supply of meat stacked inside it. Maria had the same. It was delicious.

I persuaded her to grab a stool at the window and eat in the shop. We sat close together and chatted away like long lost friends. She was great fun and we made each other laugh even though she probably only understood every second word I spoke.

“I could listen to you speak all day,” she said.

“Doug and Barry wouldn’t,” I said and we laughed.

“Don’t pay any heed to them. It’ll be fine, Tony,”

I paid the check, ignoring her protests, and we trooped back to the office.

“Thanks for lunch, Tony,” Maria said, and went to her desk.

I returned to my room and took off my coat. I was in the process of hanging it up when I noticed that my lamp was gone. I strolled into the office and there it was clamped to Barry’s desk.

“Ah! There it is,” I said, undoing it from Barry”s desk. He looked at me askance and said nothing as I returned to my room.

The rest of the day went quietly and I was undisturbed until Maria appeared again.

“Hey Maria. What’s the story?” I said.

“Sorry?” She said.

“It’s an Irish thing, I forgot where I was. Sorry.”

“Oh, ok. Do you realise that everyone went home an hour ago?”

“Shit! No. I left my watch at the house and I’ve no computer to watch the time.”

“I’ve just finished some sketches for Barry.”

“I might just stay and finish this file. I’ve nowhere else to be.”

“Where are you staying?”

“Angie and Brady’s, the home of everything cheese and pizza.”

She laughed.

“Want some company?”

“I’d love some, thanks. Let’s get some food, we can eat it here.”

She ordered some Chinese and I let her sit on my chair. She was great company and easy on the eye. She had the appearance of a student, a short tartan skirt, black tights, a white blouse and cardigan. She ate daintily but had a great appetite. She made me smile.

“So. Do you have a girl in Ireland,” she asked.

“No. Do you?”

“Ha! No, silly, but I’m not seeing anyone either.”

“I’m surprised to hear that.”

“Why?”

“A beautiful lady, funny, intelligent, kind, I could go on.”

“Please do.”

“I don’t want to turn your head,”

She stood up and kissed me lightly on the lips. It was out of the blue so I was thrown a bit. She saw my discomfort.

“I’m so sorry, Tony. I’ll go,”

I grabbed her hand to stop her.

“Please stay, Maria.”

I pulled her to me and kissed her properly. Her arms snaked around my neck as she got into the kiss properly. She felt wiry in my arms. Her lips knocked me out, they were soft and delicious. I was focused completely on her lips and the kiss when she introduced her tongue. She had a very talented tongue and knew how to use it. We broke the kiss and searched for breath.

“You certainly know how to kiss,” she said.

“So do you,” I said as she reached for the desk light.

“Let’s dim the light and baptise the room,” she whispered, as she switched the light off and removed her cardigan.

We became lost in a kiss. Her breasts were small and she wore no bra. My hands found them ready and anticipating. She pulled the blouse open and encouraged my mouth to one of her deliciously pink nipples. I knelt before her and reached under her skirt to remove her tights and underwear. I looked into her eyes and she gave implicit approval to proceed. It wasn’t easy as they were a tight fit so she pushed them off herself and stood there naked except for her short skirt.

“Leave the skirt,” she said, “I don’t want to be naked at work.”

I smiled, sat her on my chair and parted her legs. She smelled of musk and flowers. It was heavenly. Her vulva was perfect, pink and beautiful. I pulled her hips forward and touched my tongue to her labia. She tensed as I moved it so I could encircle her entire area slowly and softly. Her clitoris protruded from beneath its protective cover inviting my touch. I lifted it with my tongue and allowed it rest there. Her hips squirmed in response and I took the entire clitoris between my lips while I flicked it with the soft pad of my tongue. She sat up straight and grabbed my head as she let a loud moan escape before flooding my face with warm scented fluid that was salty and sweet.

I got to my feet and waited as she rested her head on my shoulder. She was crying and shaking her head. She stood up and draped her arms around me as we kissed. She transported me to a place I’d never been, only stopping to lick her wetness from my face.

She opened my chinos and they fell to the floor. I had a raging erection that she took into her mouth to administer a very educated form of oral sex that would have blown my mind if I didn’t stop her, pull her to her feet and turn her around so she could lean on the seat of my chair. She reached behind her and took me in her hand to guide me inside her. She was so well lubricated she took it all in one thrust and I was so turned on I couldn’t help myself as I reached a very quick orgasm that shot my seed into her vagina with such force and volume that she climaxed almost simultaneously.

She rested her head on the seat of the chair as she collected herself and recovered. I retrieved some tissue paper from under my desk and helped wipe the leaking ejaculate from her legs and thighs before handing a couple more sheets to her. I did the same with my soaked loins and dressed before collecting Maria’s clothing for her to dress too. It was a bit of a manic end to what was a beautiful experience.

When fully dressed we exchanged sheepish looks and left the office. She offered to drive me back to the house and I accepted because I didn’t know the way. We were silent in the car for the five minute journey. We stopped outside.

“Thanks for the ride home,” I said.

“You’re welcome. Want me to pick you up tomorrow?” she said brightly.

“Great, I’ll be ready from 7:00.”

“I’ll swing by shortly after,” she said, “tonight was great.”

“Yes, but I don’t think I was at my best. I haven’t had sex in a long time,” I said, “can there be a next time?”

“Sure. That’d be great.”

We kissed and I got out of the car, watching as she pulled away. Next morning I was awake, showered and dressed by 6:30. Angie met me in the kitchen with cereal and fruit.

“You were late last night. Don’t let those fuckers work you too hard, Tony,” she said.

“I’ll try not to but I’m kinda captive here.”

“They’ll take advantage if you let them.”

“I’ll be fine, Angie. Thanks for the tip.”

Maria stopped outside at 7:15 and we walked into the empty office five minutes later. My lamp was back on Barry’s desk. Annoyed I went to retrieve it but I reckoned he’d just take it again. Maria watched as I walked over and took out the master spring, put it in my pocket and walked away as the upper arm of the lamp collapsed in a heap on his desk. Barry came to my room an hour later and threw it on my desk.

“Throw this in the garbage. I told you it was useless,” he said.

“Will do,” I said, “did you get a new one for me yet?”

“No,” he said and walked away. Two minutes later the lamp was standing proud on my desk once again.

My second day was busier. Barry summoned me to his workstation and spoke for a while before handing me a pile of loose papers.

“Samantha and Jeff are handling this, you can liaise with them on whatever they need,” he said and turned away from me.

I thought he was rude and paused to decide whether to react or not. I chose not to. I walked away and reached Samantha’s desk. She had long red hair tied back in a ponytail and lovely green eyes that smiled at me. She sat behind a desk with a computer angled towards her. She touched a key to put the screen to sleep and gave me her full attention. I put my hand out in introduction.

“Hi, I’m Tony,” I said, “I started work here yesterday. Barry told me to come see you.”

“Oh sure, Tony,” she said, “I’m Samantha. Sammy or Sam for short. Welcome to the company,” she said as she shook my hand.

“So what are we up to?” I asked, “Barry gave me this. Stuff.” I waved the pages at her.

“Oh. Come sit by me here. I have it on the PC.”

I looked over at Barry as he watched our interaction and shook my head in his direction. He looked away quickly.

“Prick!” I thought to myself.

Sam scooted over to share her seat and led me through the project and the immediate problems. I listened carefully, only distracted by the wonderful way she chatted to me. She was all work and had the personality of a typical designer.

The project was behind schedule and was on the point of stalling as far as I could tell. There was a structural issue which had dragged on for a month that they couldn’t get agreement on.

“Who is your engineer?” I asked.

“Why?”

“That’s his job,” I said.

“He’s very awkward to talk to. He looks down on anyone who isn’t an engineer,” she said anxiously.

“Did Doug or Barry not have a word with him?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Give him a call and ask him to hold for Tony Harris.”

She did just that and put him on hold while I went to get a coffee. Upon my return I sat by Sam, took a sip and unholded him.

“Hello, who am I speaking with please?” I said pleasantly.

“Charles Gray speaking.”

“Hello Charles, I’m Tony Harris, over at Ellis Designs. Do you have a few minutes to talk?” I said, “I’m looking at some material here relating to a project out in Hartford. It’s an addition to a house and a new build double garage.”

“Yes, I’m aware of it,” he sounded annoyed.

“Without over analysing things I estimate that this project is about four to six weeks behind schedule. Would you agree?”

“Maybe not quite that far,” he said.

“So you agree we’re behind schedule?”

“Possibly.”

“So it’s now only possibly?”

“It’s impossible to put an exact timeframe on things like this, Tony.”

“No, it’s not impossible. I have the exact retardation written here in front of me. It’s a little over a month behind and before you ask, it’s my job to know.”

He said nothing.

“Furthermore, the cause of the delay is your tardiness in supplying structural designs for support beams and foundations. Designs we should have received three weeks before site work commenced. This is going to cause variations to the contract at a best guess estimate of $4,000 per week beyond final closing and you will be on the hook for it.”

He started to formulate an answer but I stopped him dead.

“I have the contract you signed here in front of me and the liquidated damages assessment is twice that. The contractor is starting other works on the site until he has proper plans in place. I suggest you get your finger out and have approved designs on Samantha’s desk by lunchtime today or I will bring in someone who can do it and charge you for it.”

“How dare you?” he spluttered, “who do you think you are?”

“You know who I am already. I just told you. So stop wasting time and get going on those calculations. I’ll see you at lunchtime.”

I hung up the phone.

“Hopefully that works,” I said to Sam. “I’m going to look through this stuff in my office. If you need anything just bang the wall.”

I walked over to Barry’s desk expecting a dressing down but I think he was intimidated.

“I need a laptop or computer and a phone on my desk before this guy comes at lunchtime.”

I waved the papers at him.

“This,” I said, “is unprofessional and unacceptable.”

At a little after noon, Charles arrived at the office and Sam brought him through to my room and stayed with us. He placed an envelope on my desk and walked out.

“Wait!” I said, “I need to see these before you leave.”

“Why?”

“To ensure I’m happy with them.”

He went to say something but I stopped him with a wave and opened the envelope. The sketches were messy but effective. They would’ve been thrown back at him in Ireland but we use email for this stuff and have done for years.

I had already sent an email to a mate in Dublin and he had sent back what was required with tolerances included so I knew what was needed. I spent a few minutes reviewing both calculations and they were broadly similar except for the floor in the garage but that didn’t prevent work from proceeding.

“Thank you, Charles, these are good. We’ll need to alter the thickness of the garage floor to eight inches and include half inch reinforcement steel. If you can change that here and initial the changes I’ll accept it for now while I wait for the proper stamped documents. I’ll need everything by email in future.”

“Fine,” he said and made the changes.

I handed them to Sam and asked her to fax them to the contractor with an instruction to have all structural works completed in time for inspection at 10:00 the following Monday. They left together muttering as they went. Sam returned when Charles had left. I think she would have sat down but I only had one chair. She leaned against the door with her arms folded instead.

“Is that how it’s done in Ireland,” she asked with a laugh.

“Not quite. There’d be a lot more swearing. I’m told that’s frowned upon here unless it’s in the throes of passion.”

“Well congratulations. He’s finally met his match. It was a joy to behold.”

“Thanks. You know that this means you have a ton of work to get through today? The specs aren’t right and they have to be compiled. Do you use a generic company spreadsheet?”

“No.” She looked unsure.

“It’s okay. If you put the headings together in a spreadsheet I can go through the requirements with you, but now I’m going to lunch.”

“Oh, right. I’m meeting my fiancé for lunch. I’ll get to this when I come back.”

“Great,” I said as I watched her walk away.

She was quite attractive and she looked just as good walking away as she did standing with her arms folded in my room. Her arms pushed her breasts to prominence which highlighted the delicate lace bra she wore beneath a sheer white blouse. Her long red hair bounced off her shoulders as she moved and the navy blue pencil skirt she wore was very form fitting and showed off her slim figure to best advantage. I shook my head as I went to lunch.

Maria was off training so I was on my own. We had decided to meet quietly outside work instead of engaging in juvenile office trysts. I strolled into the deli and met Brady. He asked how things were going.

I was about to tell him when Doug and Barry walked in behind me. Brady was happy to see them. It turned out that he was the contractor on the job we had just been working on. It was clear that I had just walked into a meeting so I removed myself and went to order some food. The girl that served me the previous day asked what I’d like.

“The usual,” I said as a joke.

“I remember,” she said and laughed, “I’ll bring it over to your usual piece of glass in the window.”

“Go raibh maith agat,” I said.

“What’s that now?”

“Thank you in Irish,” I said.

“I was wondering where that accent came from.”

“I hadn’t thought of that.”

“I love the Irish accent.”

“Thanks.”

“Say something else,”

“Okay. Let me think. An feidir liom póg a bheith agam.”

“Ooh! What’s that mean?”

“I’ll tell you when you bring the food.”

I sat at my ‘usual’ place in the window and gazed out at the street. I checked my phone to see if the company had transferred my plan over. They hadn’t. I was ticked off. I felt marooned on a desert island. The food arrived and the girl was smiling brightly.

“So tell me what you said,” she was bouncing on her toes.

“Tell me your name first.”

“Heather.”

“Lovely.”

“Tell me.”

“You have to hold my hands first. Bad fortune will befall me if I disclose too many cultural references in case my spirit transposes to you via touch.”

“Oh God,” she said almost squirming as she took my hands in hers.

“Such soft hands.” I said, “it means ‘can I have a kiss’.”

“Oh wow. I’ll have to learn that so I can use it,” she said as we disconnected.

“So, can I have one?” I asked. “I’ll suffer pain for the rest of the day otherwise. Legend has it that if I put my heart in the hands of another and it is rebuffed I will suffer pain only ever felt by Lorcan O’Hagan on the night his wife ran away with Brendan O’Gorman from Rainbow Parade.”

She grinned, looked over her shoulder and kissed me softly on the lips. My tongue involuntarily touched her lips as they met mine and she allowed hers to meet mine in her mouth. It was only milliseconds but it was beautiful.

“If I died now, I’d die happy,” I said, as I kissed her palm. “That was beautiful, Heather, thanks.”

She floated happily away and I caught her eye several times during lunch. The whole experience made me smile. I tucked into the food and checked my phone again. I saw Barry watching me out of the corner of my eye. I finished eating and gathered up the waste. As I scrunched it up I felt Barry at my elbow.

“The phone shop said your line will be live about mid-afternoon, Tony,” he said.

“Thanks.”

“We got off on the wrong foot, can we start over? I was very impressed with the job you did on your office and how you handled Charles today.”

We shook hands. I still thought he was a prick.

“Can I prevail upon you to work with Jules intermittently over the next few days?”

“Answering phones or making coffee?” I said.

“No. You have some good ideas about streamlining the office. We’d like to implement some of them.”

“That’s great, Barry. I’m happy to help.”

“I notice that you have a way with the ladies,” he said. “That Heather woman is usually so standoffish but you get gold standard service on your first visit. How do you do that?”

“It’s not my first visit and she likes my accent. Go figure.”

“Did you eat here yesterday too?”

“Yes, Maria brought me over.”

“We mostly eat at our desks.”

“Why?”

“In case someone calls.”

“I always eat out of the office at home when I can. You need a change of scenery.”

“What if someone calls?”

“We close for an hour. Nobody calls. It’s simple.”

He laughed. “Simple works for me. I love it. I think I’ll order to eat in, give it a go. See you later, Tony.”

“All the best.”

I immersed myself in the Hartford project and enjoyed the responsibility. I was finding that most things aligned with home so it helped me enormously. Sam was in and out all afternoon, so much so she brought a chair to sit on.

She was pleasant and efficient and we worked well together. She wasn’t afraid of wandering out of her zone of expertise into mine and I learned some stuff about design from her. We put a spec sheet together for the contractor and Sam went to run it up on the computer. I told her to save it as a generic file in the company database and she trotted off to her desk to organise it.

When she was gone I started a file on my computer to construct a program schedule for the project in Hartford. I was nearly through it when Sam came back with the completed spec sheet.

“All done, Tony,” she said. “Just the generic blank to do. I saved this one in the Hartford file and I’ll save the generic to the company server so everyone can use it in future.”

“Fantastic, Sam. I’ve nearly got the program schedule finished, another hour should do it. I’ll save it the same way as yours.”

“You do know it’s nearly 6:00,” she said.

“Shit! Sorry. Look, you head off and I’ll finish up here,” I said. “It was great working with you today.”

“I can’t leave you on your own. I’ll stay a bit longer.”

“Ok. Do you want food?”

“Sure. They make a great meatball sub in the deli. Will I run over and get some?”

“Great. I’ll make some tea.” I handed her my wallet.

“It’s on me,” she said. “Tea? Really?

“You’ll love it, I make it correctly.”

We tucked into the subs and they were quite enjoyable. She raved about the tea. As we ate, we chatted comfortably. She asked a million questions about my life and I answered most of them.

“Do you have a girlfriend at home,” she asked.

“No. Tell me about your fiancé. When is the wedding?”

She pulled her hair and pushed it behind her ears. She looked me in the eye as hers filled with tears.

“I don’t know if there’ll be a wedding. Jason was seen with my friend’s sister at a bar on the weekend. Lunch was a discussion about that.”

"Oh, I’m sorry to hear that, Sam,” I said. “This is a bad idea, let’s get out of here. I’ll walk you home.”

I grabbed my coat and switched the lights off and we walked out of the office together. It was strange to see empty streets in the late evening. I tucked Sam’s collar in and she smiled.

“Thank you, kind gentleman,” she said, and tried a quick curtsy.

“Do you live far from here?”

“Not really, I’ve an apartment about five minutes walk away. Where do you live?”

“I don’t know. It’s written under my name inside my collar in case I get lost or abducted.”

She took my arm as we walked.

“It’s a nice evening,” she said.

We stopped at a crosswalk. She took a half step closer and looked at me. There was the remains of a tear in the corner of her eye so I wiped it away with my thumb.

“You shouldn’t have a tear in such beautiful eyes,” I put the thumb in my mouth and swallowed the tear.

“Oh my God. Is this how it is in Ireland?”

“No.”

I kissed her. It was brief but it was sweet. Our lips were cold and they adhered to each other slightly, pulling apart slowly as we ended the contact. She then kissed me. It was longer this time, deeper.

“Let’s get you home,” I said.

I saw her to her home and refused her offer of a nightcap. I felt I might be taking advantage of her emotionally, much as I wanted to. We parted with a hug and I found my way home. Brady and Angie were watching TV when I arrived.

“Hey, Tony,” Brady greeted me. “Late again? They’re gonna love you in that office.”

“Hi Brady. I was playing the Good Samaritan.”

“Oh, do tell,” Angie piped up, making me laugh. Forgetting where I was, I said with a smile, “you’re just being a nosey cow now, Angie.”

The bewilderment on their faces told me I had read the room incorrectly. I quickly moved to repair the damage.

“Sorry guys. That’s just a joke in Ireland to deflect a question, nothing nasty behind it. I forgot where I was in the moment.”

“Ok,” she said, “I forgive you. You have to tell us now though.”

So I laid it all out for them.

“Sammy is a looker,” Brady said, “you might have hit a home run there, Tony.”

“Maria might not be happy if I did, Brady.”

“Why not?” Angie asked,

“We’re going on a date tomorrow night.”

“That was quick, you’re only here a couple of days and get a date already.”

“I saw this guy in action today, Angie,” Brady said. “You know that Heather woman, in the deli? He had her eating out of his hand inside five minutes. She’d usually bite your head off.”

“Three women in two days? What’s your secret?” Angie asked.

“Nothing really. They seem to like my accent, that’s all. I think I’m just a curiosity.”

“Nah!” Brady said, “watching this guy is a lesson in seduction. He spoke to her for a minute. Literally. She was giggling and wiping her hands down her apron. She nearly knocked people over in her hurry to bring his order to his seat at the window and almost danced her way back behind the counter. She even kissed him.”

“Tony!” Angie said, but she was laughing at this point.

“You said woman, Brady,” I said.

“Heather?”

“Yes, I wouldn’t have thought she was much older than twenty.”

“No. Heather is twenty eight. I know her parents.”

“Weird,” I said, “anyhow, my phone is working now so I’ll get to my room and send a few texts. Everyone is in bed at home now. Goodnight all.”

Maria picked me up for work with a kiss the next day. Brady saw it and winked at me. I asked Maria to wait and went over to Brady.

“Hey, Brady, keep this under your hat for me. We don’t want anyone getting curious.”

“My lips are sealed, Tony,” he said and gave me a comradely punch on the shoulder.

I jumped in beside Maria and she dropped me at the corner so that we’d arrive separately. The day was busy and we made great progress on a few fronts. I spent some time with Jules and left her to build some files for use by everyone in the company.

I finished the program schedule for Hartford and then made a blank version for the company server before colour coding the original to clarify deadlines and trades timelines. Barry and Doug were most impressed when I presented them and were fully engaged as I outlined their function. I made sure that Sam got credit for it too and she was delighted to get approval from the bosses.

Maria stuck her head in my office doorway.

“Lunch? My treat this time,” she said.

“Only if you kiss me first.”

She skipped over to my desk and obliged. She led me to her car and we climbed inside.

“What’s the story?” I asked.

“You’ll see.”

We pulled up outside a tall building two streets over.

“Let’s go,” she said, and led me inside by the hand after grabbing a carry bag from the back seat.

We stopped outside an unpainted door. She opened it with a key and I followed her inside. It was a nice apartment, spotlessly clean. Maria was at the kitchen counter as I roamed around the rooms. It was huge. She handed me a mug of soup from a thermos and placed a pack of sandwiches on the counter. We ate standing up.

When we finished eating she led me to a bedroom at the rear of the kitchen.

“I haven’t been able to think of anything else since last night,” she said as she unbuttoned her blouse.

She was braless underneath as she tossed it on the bed and ran her hand along the front of my chinos.

“Maria, we can do this tonight. We need to be back in 40 minutes.”

“I need this now,” she said. “I can’t get the image of your cock out of my mind.”

She undressed me quickly and I couldn’t help but be drawn in. When we were both naked she pushed me onto the bed and took my erection in her mouth. I stopped her and turned around on the bed into a 69 position. She straddled my face and took me in her mouth. In the daylight I could see that she was excitedly wet. I softly touched my fingers to her vulva as her mouth did extraordinarily sensual things to my engorged head.

“Grab my ass,” she breathed.

I did. I let my hands gorge on the softness as I pulled her to me and inserted my tongue inside her. My bottom lip worked her clitoral area and her hips were soon writhing violently as I went deeper inside her. She tasted wonderful and smelled deliciously feminine as she parted her legs as far as she could, allowing me full access to her. I inserted two fingers in her wetness and pressed them slowly to her sensitive spot. She was writhing quicker now and her head was on a swivel as she lifted her upper body to watch me.

“Oh yes! Keep it there, Tony. I’m getting close.”

My tongue found her clitoris as my wet fingers massaged her inflated labia. She squirmed faster and was fully aroused as my wet middle finger touched her anal opening and began to massage her there. She sat up suddenly and ground her vagina into my face as she climaxed loudly, covering my chin with her wet, delicious juices.

She fell forward and I lay on top of her, gently taking her long nipples between my fingers and squeezing them as she moaned further. She threw me off her and sat up on the bed. Her hair was a mess and a slight drool descended from her mouth.

“Jesus. That was intense,” she said as she reached for me. “I love this cock,” and she took me between her lips as I stood before her.

When we were finished, I used the bathroom to clean up. We decided that I’d walk back to the office while she cleaned the evidence from her face and upper body. It had been a messy ending. Her swallow couldn’t match the force and volume of my ejaculate while her mouth couldn’t contain the overflow, causing her to be covered in it from her face to her breasts.

So she showered as I walked to work on unsteady legs. Maria certainly knew her way around a man’s body and she had a very educated tongue and lips which made me lose all track of sensibility, space and time.

“Where’s Maria?” Sam asked me when I stepped into the office.

“She went out for lunch,” I said.

“Did I not see you getting in her car?”

“You did. I cadged a lift off her.”

“A lift?”

“A ride,” I clarified.

I walked through into my room hoping that Sam couldn’t detect Maria’s scent from me. I could still get it but I liked it. Maria arrived back shortly after and I saw her and Sam in deep conversation that afternoon when I collected a couple of files from Barry’s desk.

I left for home at 4:00 and walked all the way. I needed to stretch my legs. It took me twenty minutes and I took the steps in one bound. I needed a shower and decided to do it first thing before Angie’s bloodhound nose became aware.

I dressed and took my phone to sit in an easy chair downstairs. The tv was on and muted. I think Angie liked the company during the day. She tore into the room suddenly.

“You ok, Tony?”

“Fine thanks, Angie.”

“Can I get you anything?”

“No thanks. I’m all good.”

“You’re early today. Did anything happen?”

“No. Work is good, I worked late the last couple of nights so I reckon I’m owed a few hours off.”

“Big date tonight?”

“Yes indeed.”

“Do you like her?”

“Yes, I do, she’s great fun. Totally unlike an Irish girl.”

“I’m happy that you’re settling in well.”

“Yeah, I’m getting to like it.”

She went off to do her thing and left me to my thoughts. In my mind, I saw Maria taking me in her mouth as she held my shaft in her tiny right hand; it looked huge by comparison. I saw her soft, wet tongue wrapping itself around the head and could almost feel the sensation as I sat there. She spent a long time teasing it while alternately sucking and licking the shaft over and over again. I was still shocked at her determination to have me finish in her mouth and was shocked at the sheer strength of my orgasm. Overriding this was the memory of her beautiful wide smiling eyes staring right through mine and deep into my soul as I held her head in my hands while she drained me of breath. She was a fantastic lady.

I had to leave the room as a semi was manifesting itself between my legs. It mightn’t be wise to have Angie witness that. I was dressed and ready for Maria to call but I still had nearly two hours to wait. Twenty minutes later she called me on the phone.

“Hey, big boy,” she said.

I burst out laughing.

“Hey yourself, crazy lady.”

“What are you up to?”

“I was actually thinking about you.”

“Nothing good I hope.”

“Depends on your point of view.”

“I can only imagine.”

“So what’s the story?”

“Want me to pick you up later?”

“Love it. What time?”

“Can we do a half hour earlier?”

“Yes, sure. See you then.”

The plan was to have a few drinks and some food at a bar she knew downtown and then to see how the evening panned out. I checked my watch and saw that I needed to get my skates on. I was in my room when she beeped the horn outside the house so I ran downstairs, hailed Angie and Brady, and left the house. I jumped into the car, kissed Maria and off we went. She drove to a spot overlooking the water down by a place called Kosciuszko Park. It was a lovely spot.

“This is nice,” I said. “Want to walk?”

“Sure.”

I opened her door for her and helped her exit the car. She took my hand as we set off on a path between a baseball field and a playground. There wasn’t anyone around so we strolled into the playground and sat on the swings watching the evening darken. She seemed preoccupied.

“A penny for your thoughts,” I said.

She stood up, took my hand and led me to a plastic bench to sit.

“What happened with you and Sammy last night?”

I thought it best to be truthful.

“We spent the day working together, her in her space and me in my room. I sorted out an issue on her Hartford job and worked up some schedules and other stuff. We stopped for lunch. She was out with her fiancé and I was at the deli. Doug, Barry and Brad were there too and Barry was really nice for once. He’s still a prick, though.

After lunch we got stuck into it and she came in my room about 7:00 and we had subs and tea. We chatted for a bit and she told me about her fiancé possibly having it off with one of her mates.”

“Having it off?” she asked.

“Fucking.”

“Ok gotcha. Your way is nicer. Did she ask about me?”

“No. She asked if I had a girlfriend in Ireland. I said no.”

“You could have told her about me.”

“You said to tell nobody.”

“I did. What happened then? Did you have it off with her in your office?

“Did she say that I did?”

“No.”

“Well we didn’t. She was crying so I told her to finish up for the day and I walked her home.”

“You kissed her, didn’t you?”

“She kissed me and invited me in for a nightcap.”

“And?”

“I refused and went home to some questions from Brady and Angie. By the way, I told them about us, do you mind?”

She put on her high pitch little girl voice,

“You did? What did they say?”

“All I can gather was that Brady definitely would.”

“Would what?”

“Guess.”

“Oh! Shit.”

“Why the third degree?”

“No reason. I just asked.”

“What did Sam say?”

“Oh much the same as you just said.”

“So why the interrogation?”

“She asked me my thoughts on fucking you.”

“Really? Sam said that?”

“Revenge on her dickhead fiancé I expect.”

“She wants to treat me like little more than a piece of meat. It’s very demeaning. I feel used and abused. Will I continue?”

“No. Stop whining like a little girl.”

“Ok. I was running out of words. So where are you taking me?”

“We need to eat first.”

We jumped in the car and she stopped at a Chinese takeout place, picked up a bag and drove to the apartment we had been in at lunchtime.

“Is this your place, Maria?” I asked.

“No. I wish it was, I love it,” she said wistfully, I look after it while the owner is away. Sometimes I stay here, mostly on weekends.”

We ate like starving wolves and drank a couple of cold beers from the fridge.

“Wanna watch a movie?”

“If you like.”

She slipped a DVD in the player and sat beside me on the leather sofa. When it came on she nestled into the seat and quickly became engrossed in it. I was immediately bored. I hate watching tv and I hate watching DVDs on tv even more. I stood, collected my jacket and made to leave.

“What are you doing, Tony?”

“I’m heading off, Maria. This isn’t for me.”

“It’s just a movie. I have more if you don’t like this one.”

“It’s not the movie. I can’t explain it. I’m gonna go.”

She jumped up and grabbed my arm.

“Please don’t, tell me what I did.”

“You let Sam get in your head. You talked with her and then dragged me down to the seafront to interrogate me. I gave you my account and you’ve been standoffish ever since. We’re sitting beside each other but you’re sitting apart. I love how we talk to each other but that seems to be gone. You don’t need me here if you want to watch a movie so I’ll leave you to enjoy it in peace. I’ll see you in work tomorrow. I’m done.”

“Please don’t go,” she said and she threw herself in front of me. “I’ll admit I was jealous and I felt boxed in because of our silence clause. I needed a little time to process everything. That’s all.”

“Ok, let’s do this then.”

I took her hand and went to lie on the couch. I switched the tv off and pulled her down on top of me.

“Comfortable?”

“Yes, thanks.”

“Ok, put your head on my chest and let’s process this together in silence. If anything occurs to you just say it and I will too.”

I held her in my arms as she lay with her head on my chest in the darkness that was broken by a couple of sidelights in the kitchen. Two hours later we woke up in the same position.

“Are you mad at me?”

“I couldn’t be mad at you, Maria.”

“I know. I’m too cute.”

“Yes, you’re far too cute.”

She took my hand and led me to the bedroom.

“I want to make love with you, Tony, you amazing piece of meat.”

We laughed heartily and then she kissed me.

“I want to make love to you, not fuck you.”

“Let me slip into something a little more comfortable,” she said and disappeared out of the room.

I stripped down to my underwear and sat on the bed. Ten minutes later Maria came back and my voice became stuck in my throat.

“Christ!”

She had straightened her hair and done something to her face that made her skin almost glow. She was beautiful. A cream satin nightgown clung to her body. It stopped a little above her knees and was low cut held on her shoulders by minuscule straps. It made the most of her small breasts as it couldn’t hide the shape of her erect nipples trying to escape through the material. Her calves were visible and they were luscious and perfectly proportioned to her form. Her toenails were turquoise and they crowned two perfect little feet.

I stood and let my hands feel the skin on the outside of her arms before taking her hands and kissing both palms. We kissed. Her arms encircled my neck and drew me closer, her body seemingly welded to mine. My hands slid around her back and pressed her closer again. Moving lower I felt the softness of her rear and could detect the outline of a minute thong which was the second of only two items of clothing that she wore. My hands massaged her using the garment as an aid, each movement triggering sensory receptors all through my body.

Her lips separated from mine as she exhaled and inhaled again. She smiled and her eyes glistened in the dim light. I dipped my lips to the soft skin of her elegant throat as her hands rambled through my hair. I slipped the flimsy straps off her shoulders and it slipped off before catching on her hugely erect nipples. As I reached to release it the eroticism of the contrast between the softness of the satin gown and her long hard nipples was manifest in both of us and we both released a low moan.

I gently released it and it dropped to the floor leaving me free to take one of her nipples between my lips and suckle on it while flicking my thumb across the second one. Her head was a carousel as it circled above me while she watched the ceiling through unseeing eyes. I lifted her in my arms and laid her on the bed. She smiled at me but I’m not sure she was even in the room. She watched as I removed my underwear allowing my erection its freedom. She reached for it and held it lightly as she gazed at it. Her thong was begging for attention as it barely contained its boundless treasure and screamed femininity. I reached down and touched the tiny garment and slid my hand under the waistband. There was a sharp intake of breath as my fingers slowly moved toward her pubic mound and a low murmur as I discovered she had shaved the area smooth.

“Do you like?” she whispered. desperately.

“I love,” I whispered, as I bent to kiss her, my hand still inside her thong.

“Touch me, Tony. Please.”

I slid the thong down over her thighs and she kicked it off the rest of the way. I devoured her body with my eyes. She was spectacular. I knelt on the bed and kissed her shaved mound before letting my tongue experience the smoothness of the area. The now clearly visible lips where her vulva began were too tempting to my tongue as it found its home, where it lingered deliciously in the soft cleft at the gates of heaven. The scent of her raging arousal was overpowering. Her perfect vulva appeared as she parted her legs to allow my tongue taste her essence. My fingers got there first, gently massaging her labia and sending shocks of pleasure through her body and straight to her brain as her hips bucked and she pleaded to be touched.

I was so turned on that my penis was almost in pain. I yearned to be inside her and when my tongue entered her vestibule I knew by its wetness that it was time as she raised her hips and crashed through the limits of her tolerance as she screamed in orgasm, simultaneously releasing the intoxicating fluid that I had come to love.

“Jesus, Tony. Please. I need you now,” she cried as she pulled me to her breast.

We kissed deeply and she wrapped her legs around my waist. I was operating on instinct as I couldn’t focus on anything except the magic of her tongue and lips. With a slight movement I felt the tip of my penis enter her. She unlocked her legs from my waist and spread them wider to accommodate my erection. I moved slowly as it travelled deeper and deeper inside her. I withdrew it a little and inserted it again, allowing me reach deeper depths as I longed to crawl inside her and exist within. Her breath was coming in a ragged rhythm as I reached the limit of my length inside her. We were as one. We stared into each others eyes as doubt disappeared and we slowly began to move against each other each thrust eliciting a higher pitch moan from us both. She clawed at my back in ecstasy as she screamed

“Please. Please. Please. I’m gonna die. Don’t stop. I’m nearly there. Yes. Yes. Yes. Oh my fucking Jesus. Tony.”

She clung to me with her arms and legs as she shook harder than I’d ever seen. I suddenly felt the warmth of her release as she flooded the bedclothes under us. I so wanted to taste her just then but I needed the release that taunted me. I had ceased moving as her orgasm took hold causing her vaginal muscles to hold me still. Our lips were glued to each other as she descended from heaven releasing me to continue inside her. As I began moving inside her again her voice changed to a deeper, breathier tone. My tempo increased as I sensed the approach of my ultimate climax. Maria was losing control again and I was concerned she might lose consciousness but I wasn’t far away and I felt her breathing increase again as her vaginal muscles began vibrating. I speeded up to match her and I finally exploded inside her just as she screamed yet again. We lay together as one until the tingling subsided and my erection diminished and slipped out of her allowing my fluid flow out of her to join the proof of our connection together on the bedclothes.

The chill of the night chased us under the covers and we held each other in silence as we drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

I woke next morning to the smell of coffee and the sound of a woman humming. I pulled on my shirt and trousers and joined her in the kitchen. I watched her as she danced around the coffee pot wearing just a tee shirt.

“Someone is happy,” I said.

“It’s me,” she said and jumped into my arms.

She kissed me.

“Last night was off the charts.”

“I wasn’t sure.”

“Can we have a morning encore?”

“Have we time?“

“It’s only 6.30. I need to feel our cock in my mouth.”

“If you insist,” I said and felt a faint stirring down below so we ran to the bedroom before it changed its mind.

An hour later we left for work and played the whole arriving separately thing again. I was working quietly in my room when Maria came in and closed the door. She looked worried.

“What’s wrong, love?” I asked.

“Sam found the tissue we used to clean up the other night.”

“Ok.”

“She’s gonna give it to Barry unless you fuck her.”

“Not gonna happen, Maria.”

“Why not? It’s just a quick fuck.”

“No.”

“If she gives that stuff to Barry, he’ll fire us.”

“Leave it with me. I’ll be in no end of trouble if that happens.”

“Why?”

TBC