marathon sex session, us both dripping with sweat and the smell of sex even managing to overpower his aftershave, talking about stupid childhood daydreams.
I jumped at him, wrapping my legs around him, not even considering that he wouldn’t catch me and support my whole weight. I found his cock, or his cock found me, and I pressed down onto him.
Joe groaned. ‘I can’t last much longer, honey.’
The “honey” stung me. It slipped so naturally from his lips. It was probably meaningless, something every guy said to every random girl they fucked. I drove it out of my mind and ignored it.
I concentrated on grinding against him and sucking every iota of pleasure I could from him. I covered his neck and chest in bites that left red and purple bruises. I pinched his nipples and clawed his back.
‘I’m coming. I’m coming,’ he panted.
I might have felt the throb of his cock before he shot his load, but I can’t say for certain as his legs gave out and we crashed down onto the table.
‘Sorry. I’m so sorry. Are you OK? Are you hurt?’
I shrugged off his solicitations with a laugh. My back did feel like it’d shattered into a million pieces, but I could move and nothing was wrong. Pain I was familiar with, pain I knew and understood.
‘Let me help you. God, I’m so, so sorry.’
‘I can’t speak for the big guy upstairs, but I forgive you.’
Joe frowned at me.
‘You said, “God, I’m so, so sorry,” and I was trying to be light and witty in return.’
‘I’m sorry. I hope this won’t put you off. This has been so amazing, I really want this to continue into something more.’
I smoothed my skirt down; it was still wet from the sink and stuck to my thighs. I went on a hunt for the rest of my clothes, which were scattered over the office.
Joe reached out and grabbed my arm.
Now you get assertive, I thought.
‘Please, I’ve never felt like I do with you. I mean, I’ve not got much experience with women. I thought I was gay for a while.’ He stared into my eyes as he spoke, leaving me no mental room to escape from his emotion. ‘But since meeting you I’ve never once questioned what or who I want to be with.’
‘You’re probably bi, which is cool, as it gives you the whole world to choose from.’ I pulled away from his grip. ‘But you can’t choose me. I told you that I’m not in a place where I want to be in a relationship. This was just fun, Joe. And it was fun, even the bit when you crushed me on top of the table.’ I smiled at him.
He stared back at me with an expression I knew too well, the way you look when you realise how brittle the human heart is, and you know that life will go on and you can find your broken pieces and glue, tape, weld them together, but there will always be cracks. And there’ll always be the parts you can never find again. Ever.
I patted him on the arm, a gesture that made me cringe inside even before I’d completed it. ‘I’m sorry, Joe. The timing is right for fun. Nothing more.’
Joe stood where he was and I skittered away and found my clothes as quickly as I could. I didn’t discover my knickers, but Joe had come into the main office and at the time it felt easier to leave my underwear on public display than to face him. Besides, if I couldn’t see them it was unlikely anyone else would, and I could always come into work on Sunday to retrieve them.
‘Bye, Joe.’ I felt I had to say something before I left. ‘That was really nice. Thanks. See you Monday.’
I left the office and almost ran out of the building into the fresh air.
When I got home I rang my lover straight away. It hit the answer machine.
‘Pick up, I want to speak to you.’
I counted five. Tore my clothes off and flung them into the corner of the room and rang again. And got the answer machine again.
‘Pick up, I need to speak to you.’
I counted five, put the phone down and dialled again.
Two hours later, when I was crying at some sappy Hugh Grant rom com on