She pulled on a robe and opened the door.
He was dressed, but without his jacket on.
“I’m cooking breakfast, are you up for some?”
She reached out and pulled him towards her. She kissed him and said, “Good morning, yes please.”
His hand snaked into the unfastened robe and held her naked buttock, so before she knew what was happening, she was responding to his touch.
They kissed for several minutes, until she was as aroused as she had been the night before.
She forced herself to break off.
“Phew!” he said, smiling.
“I am sorry, I had to know,” she said.
“Had to know what?”
“Whether I still wanted you as much.”
“And do you?” he asked, frowning.
She smiled and nodded. His arm was still inside her robe, which was open, displaying one superb breast, and her pubic hair. She found she didn’t care, and was about to initiate sex when he let go of her.
“We don’t have time for both, and I refuse to allow the bacon to get burned,” he said.
She turned away, closing the door. She enjoyed the feelings of being a woman, yet recognised that she was on the point of throwing control out of the window completely. However, she found that she wanted him, both in the physical sense and emotionally as well. She enjoyed being desired sexually, but it was almost more important to be needed emotionally, and this feeling almost overtook the sexual arousal. Combined, they were very powerful, and it dawned on her that perhaps she had fallen for him too.
Her mind suddenly thought of the family in New Mexico, now without the husband and father she had once been. The wave of sadness brought her down to earth with a bump, clearing away all the desires that had almost consumed her a few moments before. She sat staring at this creature she had become, trying in vain to see anything of the old Mike.
Shaking off the memories, she dressed in her smart suit again, sitting down at the breakfast table without the jacket. Gordon dished up bacon, egg and sausage, and with freshly squeezed orange juice, it was the nicest breakfast she had had so far.
She looked across the table and saw him watching her.
“You are so beautiful,” he said so seriously that she had to smile.
“You must say that to all the girls.”
“Probably, but for the first time in my life I mean it.”
“I am flattered,” she said.
“I didn’t sleep very well, as I couldn’t get you out of my mind.”
“I was awake for a while. I am still not certain, but you affect me deeply.”
“I am certain, I love you Michelle.”
She smiled, as he took her hand.
“I have never ever loved anyone in my life, so I know I love you. For the first time, someone else is more important than me, and I just want to be with you.”
“Gordon. I have just come to this country, and many people have been very kind, but I want to live my life without being a burden to anyone else. You make me feel like a woman, and I want you badly, but I need to be sure that what I feel is love, and not just sexual feelings, or gratitude. Do you understand?”
He smiled, squeezing one of her hands.
“Yes, you wonderful creature. It must be so hard for you, so I will not make you ever do anything you do not wish to do. As long as you know how I feel, that is all I want you to know.”
Michelle smiled, squeezing his hand in return.
Mary was already in the office when the pair arrived, so one glance at his face told her everything she needed to know. Within ten minutes, the whole office knew that the boss had a girlfriend, and that she was utterly gorgeous.
He allocated Michelle an office just down the hall from his, and she was amazed at the size of her office. The building was quite an old one, but recently modernised, and expensively furnished and equipped, with modern flat screen monitors on the latest PCs running Windows NT. This office was the London administration of the company, so co-ordinated the sales teams with the manufacturing centres, with the distribution and shipment units. The company employed eighty administration workers at this location, but it was quite a friendly place.
Initially, Michelle concentrated on settling in, so went to speak to as many people as she could. She used her mental powers to gauge others reaction to her, occasionally managing to gently allay fears and implant positive feelings towards her. She found that her size intimidated the males, while her looks intimidated many of the females, so a little tweaking was required to facilitate her easy acceptance.
Gordon found some translation work for her almost immediately, so she quietly got on with her job. She found that the time sped by, so was surprised when Gordon rang her and asked whether she would join him for lunch.
The phone made her jump, as she was not expecting any calls, particularly as he was only a few yards down the hall.
He took her across the road to a wine bar that he obviously frequented a good deal.
There were some ribald comments as they walked in, while he selected a small booth away from the other men with whom he normally sat.
“Do you not wish to sit with your friends?” she asked, and he laughed.
“You’re remarkably observant. No, I’d much rather sit with you.”
She smiled and looked at the menu.
“Michelle, I’m a little worried about you,” he said, and Michelle looked up, concerned.
“You see, normally in a morning like this, I would have achieved a lot. But today all I have achieved is a desk blotter covered in your name. What have you done to me?”
She laughed, relieved to find he was joking.
“Well, I finished what you gave me to do, so at least one of us is earning their salary,” she said.
The waitress appeared, so they placed their order. She went through a show in being unfamiliar with some of the dishes, giving him the opportunity to get close to her to explain them, for which she seemed grateful.
He ordered a bottle of wine and they settled down to talk.
He asked about her life in the Ukraine, so she appeared quite open to him. She fulfilled his expectations, and he nodded sympathetically when she recounted the hardships she had experienced. He laughed at the fun times, feeling that he had grown closer to her as she revealed so much of her life. In turn, he shared some of his life, his schooling, which he enjoyed, and the early years in commerce, which he enjoyed even more.
He accepted that his personal life had suffered at the hands of his ambitions in the commercial world, but was anxious for her to help him find himself again.
She laughed at him, making him feel special, and he just adored every minute she was with him.
Michelle ate her pasta, glancing at the man she with whom she dined. She had not made any contingency to fall in love, but as she watched him, she knew that something had happened to her. This man, whom she had simply seen as yet another successful but uninteresting businessman had awoken in her feelings she had never anticipated, and she was a little afraid. Part of the fear was born out of who she used to be, as there was an element of the old Mike still lying deep within her psyche, which held her back from being the woman she wanted to be.
He saw her looking at him, and smiled.
“What are you thinking?” he asked.
“I am thinking that I maybe love you. And that I am afraid of my own feelings.”
“You? Afraid, never,” he said.
“You do not realise what it is like for me. I have only been here such a short time, and yet here I am, with a job and a good future. If I fall in love and things develop, what will become of me?”
Gordon’s face became serious, as he began to comprehend the difficulties this girl had faced. He actually had no idea of the inner turmoil she felt, but then she could never tell him the truth.
“Don’t be afraid, you are safe here, I will let nothing harm you, and I will never hurt you.”
“You say you love me, yet you only met me yesterday, when that love goes away, what happens then?” she asked.