Institutional Sex

“Bad news?” He motioned to the letter, which she quickly folded and shoved into her pocket. She’d burn it first chance she got.

“No, everything’s fine.” She gave him the file he needed and tried to focus on her job, but her mind kept straying to Saturday. She was trying to work up the courage to go to Jordan’s front office and cancel, when he came out and walked straight to her desk.

“Kelly, I have to go do a presentation at the university. I’ll need you to come with me to assist.”

What? That was in no way part of her job description. She looked at the pile of mail on her desk, at the blinking voice mail light, at the packed waiting room of subjects.

“I don’t think—”

“It’s not a suggestion, Kelly. I have an intern assigned to your desk while you’re gone.”

She gaped at him. He so rarely acted the boss, she wasn’t sure how to react to it. Especially in light of what he wanted to do tomorrow.

Then she looked in his eyes. They twinkled, but there was something else in there. Hope?

“Certainly, Jordan, I can help you.” She followed him to his office and picked up boxes of handouts while he carried the case holding his presentation equipment. He didn’t say anything while they loaded the items in his Lexus SUV and got in. Kelly tried not to look at him while her mind raced with questions.

Finally, after putting on his seatbelt and starting the truck, he turned to her, the twinkle gone and only worry slightly visible on his face.

“Sorry about the heavy-handedness in there,” he said. “I didn’t want to get into a discussion in front of everyone.”

“Do you really have a presentation?”

“Of course I do.” He started to back out, looking behind them with his right arm braced on the back of Kelly’s seat. She felt surrounded by him, by the fresh-air-and-mown-grass combination of his skin and soap. She didn’t hear part of what he said next.

“…help, too, with the handouts and stuff. That could have been anyone,” he admitted, turning to face forward and drive out of the parking lot. “But I wanted to spend some time with you before tomorrow.”

Now was when she should say she didn’t want to do it. But she hesitated, and he kept talking.

“I know we’ve been kind of friends for most of our lives, but things are different with the whole boss/employee dynamic. I thought hanging out together today might bring back some of that old comfort level.”

He sounded so concerned, she said, without filtering it, “I think we've already found that old comfort level.”