Damon tilted his head and squinted.
She saw the questioning expression on his face, “Oh. My wrist gets stiff sometimes. We’re in the computer age after all. All that typing.”
Damon reached out and took her hand. He gently stroked it once, “Maybe you just need a good massage.” He smiled.
Clara watched him do this for a second, an uneasy swelling in her gut. Then she firmly pulled her hand away. Damon’s smile quickly faded. He had moved too fast.
Again she spoke softly, “But really, it only hurts once in awhile if I’m doing something with it for too long.”
“Well, that’s good. Don’t work it too hard then,” Damon said with genuine concern. Switching gears he asked, “So Clara, what brings you to the dungeon?”
Her attention quickly shifted back to the clipboard. She spoke matter-of-factly, “Well, if you could help…I had received a call from the North distribution center saying they were expecting a delivery yesterday. Our order records confirm that but I can’t find the shipping invoice. Their order was supposed to be in bay 56 but I checked the numbers on the boxes there and they don’t match.”
Damon rocked on his feet, his hands in the pockets of his sweatshirt. “Ah well, Miss Pembroke,” he said noting how she smiled and rolled her eyes at his formality, “You see the numbers don’t match because they’re not the same boxes.”
Clara crossed her arms and raised a coy eyebrow, “Ri-ight?”
“Beca-auuse the North shipment went out only this morning. We had a problem with the trucks yesterday and the delay backed us up. The North went out first thing this morning. They should be getting it right about….now! Bay 56 is now holding for the Southeast order,” he finished up with a wave of his hands and, “Ta-dah!”
Clearly she appreciated his animated explanation and broke down her only marginally professional demeanour. “Ah well,” she said nodding deliberately, “That would explain it. Thank you Mr.Garcia.”
She snapped off a mocking salute.
“Not at all. I’m good aren’t I?” he winked.
Clara slapped him in the arm with her clipboard and said in her most officially polite tone, “But next time we would very much appreciate it if you people in stocks would inform us of your adjustments in the shipping schedule. It would save us so much time and energy and I wouldn’t have to go wandering in your…’dungeon’ was it?”
Damon curled up and backed away like a disobedient pup and spoke like a yokel, “Okay, lady! Okay! Please! Please, don’t hurt me!”
Again she rolled her eyes.
“I got me a wife,” he moaned on, “I’ve got kids, Rico and Sally….and-and a dog, Damon Jr. Please! Think of the kids!!!”
Clara clicked her tongue then laughed as she swatted him with the clipboard again.
Damon reached out to push her away gently. As he moved her back, he suddenly realized his hand wasn’t on her shoulder. As he pushed, his felt the tender give of her soft breast beneath his fingers. In that brief moment, he had the urge to squeeze the finely shaped flesh in his palm.
Clara stepped back. The suddenly calm expression on her face gave little evidence to Damon as to whether she had noticed his unintentional touch, or if she had, what she was thinking. She cleared her throat, brushing a strand of hair around the back of her ear, and said, “Well, thanks for your help, Damon. I guess I should get back to the office.”
He nodded, smiling crookedly, curiously, and watched her as she walked past him. She pivoted around and walked backwards, smiling and waving back at him. Then she continued to saunter towards the exit with light steps.
Damon stood there, staring at her as she floated away towards the exit.
He thought about how, for months, after he had figured out that she was going to be in his head everyday, he had played out in his mind just what he wanted from her. Various ideas of finally finding someone he might want to build a long lasting relationship with mingled with thoughts of carnal desires, of primal urges. It was this part of himself he always found so difficult to deny. Now the blood surged in him as he held tight to the feeling of her breast in his hand. He wanted it there again and he wanted to explore more of her fine, supple body. Sooner, not later.
Clara turned just before she reached the door as she heard the slamming of heavy footsteps behind her. Damon ran up to her.
She faced him, holding her clipboard down between her hands. He slowed to a stop and drew a deep breath.
“Look Clara,” he said, “I was wondering if you would like to go out sometime.”
“Oh, uh,” she said hesitantly while looking at him. Her eyes shifted past him.
“Friday. This Friday,” he gave her a firm date.
“Uh…,” she paused for a long moment, blinking as she thought. “Okay. That would be nice.”
“Well, great,” Damon said trying to sound excited but he found the expression on her face to be more of concern than enthusiasm, “I’ll pick you up at your place after work? Maybe we could go for dinner, a movie?”
“Sure. That would be fine. Okay.”
“Okay?” Damon repeated still troubled by her muted response.
“Alright. Bye,” Clara said quickly then exited.
Again Damon found himself just standing and staring, this time watching the door slowly close. It was his turn to notice footsteps coming up from behind him. He turned and looked at Josh.
“So,” Josh started, putting his hand on Damon’s shoulder, “Got yourself a date with the nun?”
Damon walked away from him, letting Josh’s hand slide off, “She’s not Catholic, Josh. And she’s nothing like a nun.”
“Oh I know! I’m kidding!” Josh smirked, “Never met a nun that made me want to go to a washroom stall for some private time.”
The two went up the stairs. “So what’s on the agenda, then?” Josh continued, “Go out for dinner? A show? Clubs?”
As Damon opened the door to the office, he said in a low, barely audible voice, “I’m going to see if I can blow out a candle.”
Clara walked the office halls slowly, her gaze fixed on the fading green carpet before her. She was in a familiar moment: A guy asking her out of the blue to go out on a date with him and she accepting the invitation, more out of politeness that actual interest. But it wasn’t that she was totally uninterested in Damon. If she didn’t want to go she would have said so no problem. Damon seemed like a nice guy whom she felt comfortable talking to and acting playful with. That was enough for her to accept his invitation.
Physically, he was attractive with wavy black hair that fell to his neck and wide dark eyes. He liked to keep himself clean cut, his skin smooth and toned. He was what the other women in the office described as their “Spicey Spaniard”. Clara didn’t go for things like that, though.
If she searched her mind and heart deeper, however, she knew there was something a little bit more to him that stirred her curiousity. Damon was a person of serious intent and determined conviction. She recalled the day they had break together at the picnic table in the small patch of grass in the company’s parking lot. She had mentioned that she was considering taking some extra credit business courses at night school.
“Maybe I can just enrol then go to a couple of the classes,” she had thought aloud, “Then if I don’t like it, I can always drop out.”
Damon responded without hesitation, “No. I don’t agree with that.”
She looked at him as he shook his head side to side. He continued, “You either do it and do it all the way or you don’t.”
Clara smiled, “You seem pretty sure of yourself. Don’t you believe in trying out different things?”
“It’s not like you’re picking an ice cream flavour,” he insisted, “This is something important.”
“School is important to you?” She cringed as she spoke, realizing she may have sounded condescending.
He fixed a cool gaze upon her. It rattled her a bit and her chin lowered slightly. He said, “I know that it’s important to YOU.”
It was true. She had told him many times that she was proud of her education. Maybe she didn’t think he was actually listening to her all those times. She nodded thoughtfully.
She nudged him playfully, “So are you always this certain about things?”
“When I’m sure about something,” he said grinning, “I’m totally committed to it.”
Clara’s heart missed a beat as he said that. She always told herself that she should feel the same way about things. To see someone else so intensely dedicated to that idea as well was inspiring. For that someone to be Damon, she found him particularly intriguing. That determination on his face definitely churned something deep within her.
Clara wondered how sure he was of her?
She shook her head. No. This would be a casual, friendly get together. If it’s a first step in a long lasting relationship, then fine. More likely, as she had become accustomed to with many of her dates, she would be able to salvage this as a friendship.
Clara lifted her head, more assured in thought, and walked to her office. Damon was harmless, she thought to herself.
***********
When Friday evening came around, the plans had changed. Clara had told Damon she would just meet him at the restaurant rather than him picking her up from her place. This bothered him slightly only because he felt he would get a better foothold on the evening if he were to see her at her place, maybe even bring some flowers. As it was he sat at the table waiting for her trying not to look too conspicuous. She had also picked the restaurant. A bright, busy family type of place, with kids running betwen the tables. Again, not exactly to his liking. He had taken off his coat but even in a simple black Henley sweater, he felt out of place. It was far too casual for the type of evening he had been anticipating.
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