Ch 15. Office Flirtations
John sat in his office waiting for his next client when Andressa barged in the door carrying a large box which she placed down onto his desk.
“This just came in for you,” she said with a smile.
“And you chose not to knock because?”
“Oh, I’m sorry, were you doing something naughty?” she asked innocently with wide gold eyes.
He sighed and stood up, pulling out a letter opener to unseal the box. He peeled it open and looked at the hundred or so books that were inside. All of them depicted different styles of beauty and the beast narratives.
“Wow, you’ve really gotten into those,” said Andressa sitting on his desk and grabbing one of the books to leaf through, her pointed tail brushing against John’s hand gently.
“They’re not for me, they’re to prove a point to a friend…a client…a person from my support group.”
“Ah, a perfectly valid story that will definitely hold up to scrutiny,” she responded, smiling at him over her shoulder. “Why would you need so many?”
John gently took the book from her hand and placed it back inside the box. “Because the person they’re for is stubborn.” He closed the box and tried to lift it before giving up and looking at Andressa expectantly.
She kept wearing her smile and lifted the box easily, placing it behind his desk.
“Thank you,” said John.
“I’m always here to help,” she said. “Let me know if you need a jar opened.”
“I will, but just be aware I like to eat pickles at three am.”
“Oh, so now it’s an excuse to get me to your home late at night.”
He blushed a bit and coughed. “Shouldn’t we have someone coming in soon?”
She slid off his desk and straightened her skirt a bit, her skin one shade of red brighter.
“Valen of the Endless Stream, an elf in case that name isn’t clear. He’s having some romantic issues, but he wasn’t too specific. Not sure if he’ll show up on time though, you know how elves can be about schedules.”
He thought back, remembering the elf that hadn’t even bothered to show up and interview for the secretary position.
“That’s true,” he sighed. “Want some coffee?”
“I-”
The soft tinkling of the bell at the front door interrupted Andressa and told them that a client had arrived. She went to greet him.
John took that time to clean up his desk a bit and take a few deep breaths. Andressa had put him off balance, and he felt like he could still feel the tip of her tail resting on the back of his hand as they’d talked.
When he felt he was settled he went to the door and opened it with a smile.
“Valen?” he asked.
The elf was tall and lean, as was common for most of his people, and he had long golden hair tied in delicate braids down his back. He was fair, even for an elf, and his skin was the color of blonde wood. He smiled softly at John as he was addressed, though there was just the tiniest hint of tension in his forest green eyes.
“I am he,” he said.
“I’m John, you can come back if you’re ready.”
Valen nodded softly and gracefully made his way back to John’s office.
John gestured for him to sit on the couch and he could swear that the elf actually glided down onto it, barely leaving an impression in it as he sat. He was delicate and graceful even for an elf.
John made his usual offer of tea and quickly brewed him a cup while they made small talk until they both had their tea and were seated.
“So, you’re here today because you’ve been having some issues in the romance department?”
The elf coughed up a bit of his tea, and some color went to his cheeks.
“Y-yes, I am.”
“It’s okay. This is a safe place. The room is warded, and I would never discuss what we talk about here with anyone else.”
Valen nodded and had another steady sip of tea.
“I um, am finding myself attracted to a woman at work.”
“Ah, well, that’s nothing too unusual,” said John unknowingly rubbing his hand where Andressa’s tail had been settled moments ago. “You’re working in a close environment with a person day in and day out, sometimes feelings emerge from that.”
“Well… I could handle it if I was just attracted to her a little bit, but…” The elf put down his teacup and a large measure of his grace seemed to flee from him. “I’m obsessed with her. She occupies my every thought. I was daydreaming about her on the way here. I can barely hold a conversation with her without feeling like I’m going to burst into flames.”
“Ah, that is a bit more than an office crush. Can I ask what you do?”
“I’m an artificer, a designer. I create blueprints for aesthetic arms and armor.”
John nodded. “And what does this woman do with you?”
“She’s a smith, a dwarf. She was brought in to help bring my ideas to life. Not that she ever actually creates them as they should be, she insists on maintaining a semblance of practicality at the expense of my designs.”
“That does sound like what a dwarf would do.”
“That’s the worst part of it! She’s a dwarf. She’s disgusting! Her legs are like tree trunks, her arms muscled and covered in small burns from the forge, her hands are always covered in blackened soot, and her back is as wide as a street.”
The elf was practically shaking at this point.
“And I want to run my tongue over every muscle and taste her sweat. I want her rough hands to claw into my back while I-”
John held up a hand. “I think I get the picture. Very vivid.”
Valen took a deep breath while holding a hand to his chest. “I’m sorry. This is why I’m here. I can’t keep getting this worked up. I feel like I’m going mad.”
John nodded. “It definitely seems to be giving you a lot of trouble.” He took a sip of his own tea. “I would normally recommend addressing the concerns with the woman you’re interested in, but romances in the workplace can be… complicated. I think it would be better if you were certain of whether or not what you were experiencing was love, or just lust. Have you considered a brothel? Just to see if your attraction is to her or just what she represents?”
“A…brothel? Don’t they just have women with skinny waists and large bosoms?”
John chuckled. “I’m sure they have those too. From what I’ve heard though, they should be able to cater to almost any taste in the red-glow district.” John had never partaken himself, though he did his best not to judge others for it. He’d always been particularly surprised that Ben had never given it a try, but the former pop-star had an odd sense of honor when it came to not ‘earning’ it.
“So, you’re saying I should see if what I want is purely physical, and if so I should leave the relationship, but otherwise…”
“You should actually talk to her about it. It’s best not to get into a relationship with a coworker you only like because she feels taboo, but if you genuinely like her that’s a different story. If you’re not comfortable with that, I know an alchemist that may have some tonics and potions that can help… calm you.”
The elf shook his head. “No, no, I think I’ll try a brothel first. In fact, I think I need to head there right away.”
“Uh, you still have most of your hour if you’d like to talk about other-”
“No…no, I think I need to go and solve this problem right away,” the elf slammed what remained of his tea before placing it back on the table and stood up so quickly it almost seemed like he was jumping as he headed for the door, much of his original grace gone. He paused at the door to the office. “Thank you, John.”
“Happy to help.”
With that the elf bounded out the door, moving as quickly as his graceful stride could take him.
John stood in the doorway of his office shaking his head.
“An elf that arrives early for an appointment and doesn’t stay late? I can’t say I’ve ever seen that before,” remarked Andressa.
“He uh, had something very important to take care of… I hope it helps.”
Andressa frowned. “Well, I had scheduled extra time for his appointment, so you don’t have another for more than an hour and a half.”
She held up a book she’d taken from the crate. “Shall we take turns reading The Lovelorn Lamia to one another? I know it’s your favorite genre after all.”
“If I buy you something sweet to drink will you spare me?”
“Hmmmm, I’ll consider it.”