Caching In (13 page)

“We can do … other things,” I suggested.

His muscles tightened. “I don’t know if I can do only ‘other things’ with you.”

An interesting way to compliment me, I guess. “I’m willing to try.” Did I say that? Seth was
hot
. Steaming hot. I wanted that body something fierce, and he made it clear that wouldn’t be a reality for some time.

He walked over to a window I hadn’t even noticed before, pulled the curtain aside and gazed out. “Ally, I want to try, too, but it’s not fair to you if I can’t give my all.”

“Who said giving your all included sex? I not only had sex with my ex, but I gave him everything, and look what happened. I don’t know what caused trouble in your marriage, but obviously you’re still dealing with it. Maybe, just maybe,
no sex
is the key to a lasting relationship.” Those words didn’t come out of my mouth. I
loved
sex. But, as much as I now despised the word, sex complicated things. This thing with Seth, whatever it was, I didn’t want it to be complicated. If I had any chance with him, I needed to be open to trying anything, even if trying anything meant doing nothing.

Seth moved the curtain back and turned to me. “Do you really think that is something you can do?” He took a step closer.

“I'm willing to try.” I took a step closer to him.

“So you're telling me,” he took another step, and then another, “that you’re willing to refrain from all pleasure I could give you.”

I liked how he tested me and pushed my limits. Not only here, either. Who would’ve thought I’d rock climb? Seth gave me a confidence I didn’t know I had. For someone who enjoyed adventure, he proved there was more out there for me.

We met halfway across the room. I pressed my hand to his chest, his heart racing as rapidly as mine. “I can't guarantee that upon the touch of your lips, I won’t want to shove you onto the bed and have dirty sex with you. And I can't guarantee that I won't try my very best to seduce you. What I
can
guarantee is every moment I'm with you, I'm going to want you, and every moment we’re apart, I’m going to go crazy thinking about you.” I pressed my lips against his and he let out a small moan. “Are you going to be able to resist me?”

“I sure as hell am gonna try, as much as I know don't want to.” He sucked on my bottom lip and every part of my body throbbed with pleasure.

“Are you absolutely positive you don't want to do other things? I understand how difficult it is, but something is better than nothing, and I'm sure us pleasuring each other is better than pleasuring ourselves.”

Seth ran his hands around my back and up my sides until both my breasts filled his hands. His eyes met mine, seething with desperation and obvious desire as he pulled my shirt down and started where we left off. After that, we took turns exploring each other’s bodies until we were just as satisfied as though we had made love. A relationship without any sex? Sure. I could do that.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Monday morning, as usual, I found myself at the bank not thrilled to be taking on another day at my dead end job. I either needed to earn the promotion, or find another job, neither a simple task. I graduated with a business degree, but where the heck did it get me? My high school counselors told me a bachelor’s degree in business offered plenty of opportunities, but I only managed to secure a teller position at the bank with the expensive piece of paper. I applied for a lot of different things, but most wanted experience, and as a newcomer to the working class, I lacked any. How did anyone gain experience if no one offered an opportunity to do so? And I refused to take a data entry job just to get my foot in the door somewhere. Working at a bank seemed to be the best option, but Daryl made it impossible. I considered the possibility he didn’t like me, or I gave him the impression I wasn’t qualified. I supposed since Daryl had been branch manager practically since I started, he had no ambition to move forward. His absence of desire to improve himself and move forward in his career shouldn’t halt mine. Sure, I probably could get a teller job at another bank, but doing so gained me a position lowest on the totem pole, (even though I still ranked at the bottom in my current job), but it also meant starting completely over with a different group of people, only having to prove myself once more.

I needed coffee and lots of it. Black with no cream or sugar - straight up caffeine. After the heavy make out session with Seth, (and boy, heavy was the PG way to describe it), he managed to finagle the entire day off from his sister, Kate, who gave me the stink eye the entire time I stood next to him, allowing us the chance to go geocaching. We managed to find eight. The most fun one we found was located by a creek, stuck underneath the bridge with a fish magnet. It reminded me of something my dad would have done and, since Seth and I went fishing in the morning, it seemed to fit our day.

Try as I might, I couldn't convince Seth to take me to find his cache. I started to think my ability (or lack thereof) to successfully find one on my own contributed to his rejection of my request. When I say we found eight, the truth is he found seven with me standing by. The one I found, though, got me pretty damn excited. Seth proved to be an expert at the hobby, and I hoped once I got better, he’d take me to find his, which I was now convinced must have a difficulty level I wasn’t yet prepared to handle.

I didn’t skip visiting my dad. I felt guilty about spending the day with Seth, though, before going to see him. I made it a point to see him first before seeing Seth, or anyone else, on Sundays. Sunday mornings were our time together, even if only ten minutes, or an entire hour. I hadn’t missed a Sunday since he died; and I didn’t intend to start.

Chelsea walked in Monday morning in one of her tightest skirts possible, and a top leaving nothing to the imagination. When she approached me to chat, I could only focus on her cleavage. “So, what’s this about?” I asked as I scanner her up and down.

“What do you mean by that?”

I rolled my eyes. “You know what I mean. You’re what, seven or eight weeks pregnant, and you're wearing that?” The deep red skirt fit snug against her thighs, the matching top slightly off her shoulder, with sheer black material running down the middle. Her breasts squished together, and with no bra, a wardrobe malfunction seemed inevitable. Of course that type of stuff usually only happened to me.

“What's wrong with this? When we've gone out in the past you sure thought it was perfect for me.”

”Trust me, you look good, Chels, but I don't understand why you chose to wear something so provocative while you're pregnant, much less while you’re at work. That’s more of an outfit to wear to the club.”

“Well,” she pulled at the pleated area at the bottom of her top. ”If you must know, my parents and I had a long talk, and while they will be there for me and the baby, I need to think about making some more money.”

I touched my finger and thumb to the collar of her shirt. “And this is how you plan on making more money. What? Are you a pregnant streetwalker?”

“No!” She slapped me on the shoulder. “Shut up, Ally! I think I'm going to go for the promotion. I think I may be a good fit for Sam's position.”

“What?” My face matched her outfit as flames rose from my feet all the way through my body. “You know the promotion is mine and how badly I want this. Why would you do that to me?”

“Ally, you made it clear you want the promotion, but Daryl doesn’t seem interested. Maybe,” she pushed her boobs together. “I can convince him to give me the promotion.”

“What? With your whore outfit?”

“That's a crappy thing to say, and also not very fair.”

“Stealing the job from underneath me is?” I’ll admit, calling her a tramp, not my best moment. The anger gripping my heart compounded into hurtful words I wanted to spew at her.

She crossed her arms. “Do you think it's fair I'm going to be a single mom and my boyfriend is marrying someone else?”

“You put yourself into that situation,” I scolded her. “I made my position of your relationship clear since the beginning, and you knew how wrong it was. With this pregnancy, if you ask me, you got what you were asking for. You’re telling me you didn't mean to trap Daniel, thinking he would miraculously leave his fiancee to be with you?”

Chelsea blinked away tears. “That’s not what happened.” Her voice shook. “I love Daniel and he loves me. His relationship with his fiancee, or whatever she is, it’s complicated.”

Complicated. If it were possible to murder words, I’d wrap my hands around that damn word and strangle it to death. “That’s the thing Chels, it's
not
complicated. He’s using you. You're pregnant and he couldn’t give a shit.”

I jumped when Daryl approached us. “Ladies, what’s the problem here? We’re about to open the doors and I can’t have the customers witnessing a chick fight.”

“Come on, Daryl, this is barely a chick fight.” Chauvinistic pig. I bet he lived out some fantasies just watching us.

“It certainly isn't tea and toast, now is it? Girls, do we need to take this to another room?”

“You would like that, wouldn't you?” I mumbled under my breath.

Daryl raised his eyebrows. “Excuse me?” He motioned to his office. “Both of you, in my office now!” He called out to the other employees in earshot. “Becky, please watch the counter, and put the sign up on Chelsea’s cube. Kelly, please keep an eye on the drive thru.”

As far as I was concerned, I was done with this conversation. Chelsea hadn’t told anyone yet she was pregnant, and I wasn’t going to spill the beans. Although right now, that would take the cake. She takes my promotion; I let everyone know she’s pregnant. But, as pissed as I was, I couldn’t do that to her. Her taking this job from me, well, maybe karma finally hit me swiftly on the ass. Her relationship with Daniel, though far from healthy, was an important part of her life. Every time she cried over him, I shrugged it off, refusing to listen and offer any advice other than to leave him. I told her that all the time. Never once did I tell her I was sorry for what lied ahead, and even when I showed support by escorting her to the doctor, I still managed to be a shitty friend.

We followed Daryl into his office. He slowly closed the door and walked behind his desk without saying a word as Chelsea and I took a seat next to each other. He straightened his tie and let it fall onto his belly. I examined his Master’s degree hanging behind his desk, realizing how closely we were in age. Already he managed an entire bank, and I only did the job of a sixteen year old.

Daryl sat down and crossed his hands together, resting his elbows on the desk. “Which one of you would like to tell me what happened out there?”

Chelsea and I exchanged glances as though we were back in high school and the principal was reprimanding us. Though we attended different high schools and never knew each other until we met at the bank, we would've been best friends if we had. We both spent our share of time in the principal's office for goofing off in class or passing notes. Neither of us were the type to get suspended or anything, but we've had our share of detention. During principal meetings, I tried to hide a smile, but today I tried to hide tears, as I was sure Chelsea tried to do, too. Chelsea, single, pregnant, and living with her parents, only wanted to do what was best for her child. I was single but had a place of my own, wasn't pregnant, and wouldn't be pregnant considering Seth and I were keeping things below the belt pretty clean, at least for now. As much as I wanted the promotion, Chelsea needed it more. I opened my mouth to praise her and recommend her for Sam’s position, but she cut me off.

“Ally is upset because I told her I want an opportunity to interview for Sam’s position.”

Daryl sat up and adjusted a picture on his desk. “Is that right, Chelsea?”

“Yes, sir.”

Did she really call Daryl sir? What a suck up! She crossed her legs and leaned into the desk, exposing more breast than I thought she even had. “I think I would be good at it.”

Wow. My eyes didn’t deceive me. She was
flirting
her way to the promotion! I didn't think she had in her to sink so low. Of course, considering her baby’s daddy was engaged to somebody else, I guess nothing should surprise me.

Daryl fiddled his thumbs. “Tell you what, ladies. Why don’t I take each of you to dinner separately to discuss the position and your qualifications?”

Qualifications? I knew
exactly
what qualifications he meant.

“Dinner?” Chelsea perked up, resting her hands on her lap all prim and proper. “I suppose I could do that.”

“And you, Ally, dear?”

I ignored his disgusting term of endearment. My conscience told me to give in and let her have the job without a fight. This dinner with Daryl wouldn’t be an interview. It was his sneaky way to ask us out on a date and who knows what the hell he planned to do with us on those dates, but it wasn't to talk about job. But I wasn't going to give in so easily. If Chelsea thought she could use her pregnant body as a weapon, I loved the competition. I turned my head and looked at Chelsea. “Game on.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

“Can you believe she even would
think
about doing that?” I slammed the refrigerator door shut with my hip, popped open the microwave, and tossed in my leftovers from dinner the night before.