Five
I didn’t realize just how nervous I was until I looked at myself in the mirror. I was about to meet a possible employer and it suddenly hit me that in a month, I’d be done with college and my life would truly begin.
I didn’t look like my usual self. My t-shirt and jeans I wore around the farm were replaced with the outfit I’d picked up in Burlington before coming to Boston. I wanted to look young and hip while also being professional so I’d blown right past the Hillary Clinton pantsuits and settled on a deep burgundy pencil skirt and white blouse. I’d paired it with a chunky necklace and high black heels. My hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail and a pair of dangly silver earrings hung from my ears. I took a deep breath and smoothed my skirt one more time before stepping out of the bathroom.
The bed was still unmade. I’d woken up before Adam, but when I sat up, he’d woken up too and decided to join me in the shower again. I didn’t complain. A morning hit from him was just what I needed to start my day.
He’d gone downstairs though and when I walked into the kitchen, I found him eating a bowl of cereal. He looked up from his Cheerios when he heard me walk in. He let out a low whistle when he saw me and his eyes moved so slowly up my body that by the time they reached mine, I knew my cheeks probably matched the color of my skirt.
“Damn, Caroline,” he said, standing up and leaving his bowl unattended on the table. “You look incredible.”
“Thank you,” I said, looking away shyly.
“No, I mean it. You look fuckin’ hot.”
I started laughing and walked over to the cupboard to pour myself a bowl of cereal too.
“That wasn’t exactly the reaction I was hoping for,” I said as the Cheerios spilled into my bowl.
“What were you hoping for?”
“I don’t know. I wasn’t expecting that.”
“What’s that?” he asked, sidling up beside me.
“Like you want to bend me over the counter and have your way with me,” I said with a smirk.
“Forgive me for finding my girlfriend incredibly attractive.”
“No forgiveness needed,” I grinned.
“Then I can bend you over the counter as you suggested then?” he asked with a sly grin as he cupped my ass with his hand. My heart started beating faster and I had to catch my breath. It took all my willpower not to say yes.
“I wish you could,” I answered instead.
“Maybe when you get back then?” he asked hopefully and I smiled coyly at him.
“Maybe,” I said and he slapped me on the ass.
“That’s good because I have to say this professional look of yours is driving me crazy.”
I knew he meant it as a compliment, but I felt a frown form on my face.
“Maybe I shouldn’t wear it then. I don’t want to give off the wrong impression,” I sighed, suddenly worried. I’d thought the outfit had been modest and professional, but with the way Adam couldn’t keep his hands off me, I was beginning to doubt my choice.
“Wear it. It’s perfect. I just happen to know what you look like under all of those clothes. Unfortunately for the men at that office, they don’t, so you’ll be fine.” He turned me gently to face him, a supportive smile on his face as he cupped my face with both of his hands, the pads of his thumbs rubbing slowly on my jawline. “Really. You look beautiful, but mostly, you look classy. I’m sorry if my comments made you feel otherwise. I just have an intense weakness for you, Caroline Hale. No matter what you’re wearing, you’re always my kryptonite.”
A shy grin spread on my face and the doubt I felt a moment ago seemed to fade away.
“I could say the same for you,” I said to him quietly, causing him to smile again and brush his lips lightly over mine.
“When are you leaving?” he asked and I glanced at the clock. It was nine o’clock. I would need to leave soon if I wanted to get there early.
“Soon. Probably in the next couple of minutes.”
“I need to get ready then,” he said, his hands dropping to his side and heading to the stairs.
“You don’t have to come with me, Adam,” I told him and he turned around, looking at me as if I was crazy.
“I want to though.”
“I’ll be fine. Really. You need to stay here and relax.”
“What for? I’m not pitching tonight. All I’m going to do is show up at the ballpark tonight and watch.”
“You have your workout later,” I countered.
“Not till four o’clock.”
“But, what if I run late? You can’t be late too,” I said, even though we both knew there was no way I would be at Logics that long. He folded his arms across his chest and raised an eyebrow at me curiously.
“Do you not want me to go with you?” he asked and I didn’t answer right away. Our eyes locked and I knew I had to say something.
“I need to do this on my own,” I finally said.
“I know that. All I want to do is take you to the place, to make sure you get there safely, not hold your hand and walk you inside,” he said and I couldn’t tell if he was upset or not.
“I’m sorry if I insulted you,” I said, taking a couple of steps towards him.
“I just want to take care of you, Caroline.”
I made the few final steps to him, resting my palm on his chest, feeling the hard muscles through the soft cotton t-shirt he was wearing.
“I know,” I said softly, looking up into his eyes. “But I want to do this on my own today. If I get the job, you’re going to be gone so much during the next six months I’m going to have to do it by myself anyway. I might as well start now.”
He was quiet for a few moments before lifting my hand off his chest and kissing the back of it.
“Okay,” he said softly, our eyes remaining locked until I felt him drifting towards me, kissing me sweetly on the forehead. “I’ll be waiting when you get back then.”
“Thank you for understanding,” I said to him and then he pulled away.
“Good luck, Care,” he said and then I reached for my purse, clutching it in my hand.
“Thanks,” I said softly, stretching up and kissing him before I turned and walked out the door.
~~~
Logics Technologies was an impressive building. I felt out of my league the moment I stepped off the elevator and saw the chrome accented office décor. It had a feel to it that reminded me I was no longer in Silver Falls.
I pulled on my big girl pants though and told myself I was every bit as worthy to be here as anyone else and walked towards a large desk to check in. A man was sitting behind it doing something on a computer. He looked about my age and was wearing a black sweater that matched the thick framed black glasses on his face. The sides of his head were shaved close and the rest of his hair hung in an asymmetrical cut across his forehead. I pictured him frequenting poetry readings and eating at vegan only restaurants, which made me think about how good a big, juicy burger would taste after this.
“Hi,” I said, forcing him to look up from his computer, greeting me with an annoyed smile. “I have an appointment with Ron at ten.”
“Sign in and I’ll get you a badge,” he said quickly as if I was keeping him from something important. I did as he said though, writing my name in the log book and he handed me a badge attached to a lanyard. “I’ll call him up. You can sit down and wait.”
I’d been impressed with the décor of the office, but not the service. I hoped everyone here was friendlier than the guy at the desk.
“Caroline?”
The deep voice caused me to look up and I saw a man I assumed was Ron, standing there. I was relieved to see a smile on his face and a genuine one at that.
“Hi,” I said, standing up and straightening my skirt before shaking his hand.
“I’m Ron Ward. It’s nice to meet you.”
“It’s nice to meet you, too.”
“Why don’t you come on back and we can talk a little about the position.”
He gestured towards the sea of cubicles and I followed. It was quieter than I expected as we walked. There was talking, but it was low and everyone seemed consumed with what they were doing.
“Here we are,” Ron said, opening a door and leading me into his office. It was what I imagined a typical office to look like. Framed awards on the wall, a couple of plants and pictures of his family on the desk. He looked to have the typical American family. A wife and three kids. He probably had a dog at home, too. He looked like a nice man. He reminded me of my father a little, minus the mustache.
He gestured towards a seat on the other side of his desk. I sat down, crossing my legs and remembering to sit up straight the way my mother used to pester me about when I was a teenager. I wondered if he noticed how nervous I really was.
“Logics was impressed with you during our recruitment at UVM, Caroline,” he said with a smile and I started to relax.
“Thank you,” I said to him, cracking a smile I thought showed him I appreciated his statement without seeming childish.
“We’re looking for young talent to keep Logics competitive in the marketplace and we think you could make an excellent addition to our team. Are you interested?”
I tried to contain my excitement. I wanted to jump up and hug the man, but nodded calmly instead.
“I’m definitely interested,” I told him and he smiled.
“Let’s talk then.”
~~~
I smiled to myself as I stared down at the text message. I’d heard it go off as I approached the townhouse and reached into my purse to find it was from Adam, simply asking How’s it going? I knew he was anxious to hear something. I’d been silent since I left the house and I knew it was driving him nuts. I also knew he’d be waiting inside for me. Instead of texting him back, I slid the phone back into my purse and finished my walk to the front door. I keyed in the security code and then stepped inside.
“Caroline?” he called after I’d stepped inside. I finished closing the door and before I could answer, I heard his footsteps on the hardwood floor. I turned around to see him at the other end of the hallway looking very different than he had when I left him this morning. He was in jeans and a black polo shirt, his hair washed and pushed back off his forehead. He was looking at me, his mouth in a straight line and doing a terrible job of hiding his nerves.
“Hey,” I said, flashing him a casual smile as I walked down the hall, brushing past him and making my way into the kitchen.
“I just texted you,” he said, following me.
“Yeah. I got it as I was walking up.”
I went to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. I opened it, took a long drink and then turned to face him. Our eyes locked and I knew I was driving him nuts. He wanted to know and I was enjoying torturing him. I decided to keep it up and after a few seconds of silence, I curled my face into a slight frown, doing my best to look disappointed. I could see he was struggling with how to react; what he would say to me. He took the few steps towards me and then hesitantly took my hand.
“You okay?” he asked softly, gently hooking his finger under my chin and bringing it up so our eyes met again.
I didn’t say anything right away and I could see how sorry he felt for me. He was being the epitome of what a supportive boyfriend should be and I felt guilty for stringing him along, especially when I saw the sympathy in his eyes. I couldn’t play with him any longer and my frown slowly turned into a smile.
“I got it,” I finally said and I watched the confusion on his face as he registered my words.
“Are you serious?” he asked and my smile grew wider.
“Yes!” I exclaimed, finally letting the excitement go I’d been keeping pent-up since Ron officially offered me the job. I practically jumped into Adam’s arms and he picked me up, spinning me around the kitchen.
“That’s awesome, Care!” he said excitedly as he held me and then set me down. “You enjoy torturing me though, don’t you?”
I felt a sly smile spread on my face and nodded.
“Maybe a bit,” I agreed.
“You had me panicking as I tried to think of what to say to you. I didn’t want to say the wrong thing,” he said with a quiet laugh, brushing his fingertips over my cheeks.
“For the record,” I said, stretching up and kissing him softly, “you handled it perfectly.”
He smiled and then took my face in his hands, pulling me closer and kissing me again. Deeper this time. Slow and hard; the kind that left me breathless.
“So, tell me about the position.”
“They want me to start right after graduation. I’m going to be on a team that develops the software for biometric scanning,” I told him and I saw his eyebrow raise.
“Could you say that in English?” he asked and then started laughing.
“We’ll be writing security software that scans eyes, fingerprints, DNA, stuff like that.”
“I knew you were smart, but shit, Care, that sounds like James Bond stuff. Are you a spy or something?”
It was my turn to laugh this time.
“You’ll never know,” I teased and then the left side of his mouth curled up into a crooked smile.
“You have no idea how incredibly sexy a smart woman is,” he said, his hand curling around my back and pulling me to him. Before I could respond, his mouth was on mine kissing me deeply until he slowly pulled back, looking into my eyes and resting his palm against my cheek.
“You have no idea what you do to me,” he said softly, his eyes traveling over my body and it was taking everything in my power not to have him take me right there. He ran his hand over my hair, gazing at me so sweetly and I could feel how much he loved me.
“You get me pretty spun up, too,” I said with a quiet laugh and a smile. His expression remained serious though.
“I mean it, Caroline. You’re everything to me.” His eyes were so intense as he looked at me and I reached for his hand, linking it with mine. “I’m so proud of you. For getting this job. For everything you’ve done.”
I felt my cheeks blush at his compliment. He pulled me to him, wrapping his arms around me. At this moment, everything was right and I closed my eyes, wishing he would never let me go.