Nothing Left to Hide Pt7

Monday morning was weird.

Not because Kelly was naked.

That part was becoming surprisingly normal.

She walked through the front doors carrying coffee in one hand and her purse in the other, wearing the tiny black thong Human Resources had reluctantly decided constituted sufficient compliance while corporate continued rewriting policies nobody had ever imagined needing.

I had my pouch.

She had her thong.

Darren had opinions.

"Good morning, Tarzan."

I didn't look up.

"Morning, Darren."

He walked past my desk, spotted Kelly coming toward us and nodded.

"Jane."

Kelly raised her coffee.

"Morning."

Darren stopped.

"Wait. Does that make Blake Tarzan?"

"Apparently."

He looked at my pouch.

"That's insulting to Tarzan."

"Go away."

Kelly laughed.

Darren wandered off.

She put her coffee on my desk.

"How's Megan?"

I looked up.

Kelly smiled.

"What?"

"You've met her zero times."

"I still want to know."

"She's good."

"Jealous?"

"Yes."

Kelly nodded.

"Fair."

"How are you?"

"Also jealous."

I blinked.

"Really?"

"Blake."

"What?"

"You went home to the woman you slept with Saturday afternoon."

I lowered my voice.

"Jesus, Kelly."

"What? Nobody heard me."

"Darren hears everything."

From two cubicles away:

"I do!"

Kelly covered her mouth.

I closed my eyes.

"Goddammit."

Darren called back:

"I don't know what we're talking about, but congratulations!"

"GO AWAY, DARREN."

Kelly was shaking with silent laughter.

This was my life now.

⸻

By ten, work had settled into its normal rhythm.

That was the strangest thing about all of it.

Phones rang.

Printers jammed.

People complained about things none of us controlled.

Somebody couldn't find a file.

Somebody else had forgotten a password.

Kelly handled customers.

I handled customers.

Occasionally someone stared.

Most people didn't.

Or they did for thirty seconds and then realized whatever problem had brought them through the door was considerably more important than Kelly's bare breasts or the stupid little bag containing my dignity.

There were moments, though.

Little ones.

Kelly walked past my desk carrying a stack of folders.

I looked.

She caught me.

"Seriously?"

"What?"

"You have a date with me and now you think you have unlimited staring privileges?"

"No."

"Good."

She took another step.

Then looked over her shoulder.

"Limited privileges."

I smiled.

"Noted."

She continued walking.

Darren appeared beside me.

"You're going to die."

"Go away."

"I'm serious."

"Darren."

"You've got Naked Girl at work and Naked Girl at home."

I turned toward him.

"Never call either one of them that again."

His smile disappeared.

"Okay."

I hadn't meant to say it quite that sharply.

But something about it bothered me.

They weren't Naked Girl One and Naked Girl Two.

They were Megan and Kelly.

Darren nodded.

"Fair."

Then he walked away.

Kelly had heard.

I knew because when I looked over, she was watching me.

She smiled.

Small.

Different.

I smiled back.

⸻

The guy came in shortly after lunch.

Mid-thirties, maybe.

Nice clothes.

Expensive watch.

Confident.

Nothing remarkable about him until he saw Kelly.

Then he stopped walking.

Actually stopped.

Kelly was standing behind the counter going through paperwork.

She looked up.

"Hi. Can I help you?"

The man's eyes moved over her.

Slowly.

Kelly noticed.

So did I.

There was a difference between looking and making somebody feel inspected.

We'd all gotten good at recognizing it.

"Wow," he said.

Kelly waited.

"Can I help you with something?"

He smiled.

"Maybe."

I looked up from my computer.

Kelly's expression didn't change.

"What are you here for today?"

"I don't know anymore."

Oh, Jesus.

Kelly glanced toward me.

I raised my eyebrows.

She gave the smallest shake of her head.

I've got it.

So I stayed where I was.

The man leaned against the counter.

"What's your name?"

"Kelly."

"Kelly."

He said it like he'd discovered poetry.

"Pretty name."

"Thank you. What can I help you with?"

"You always work like this?"

Kelly looked down at herself.

Then back at him.

"Currently."

"That's incredible."

"Okay."

He laughed.

"You're not shy, are you?"

"No."

"Obviously."

Kelly's expression cooled.

I stopped pretending to work.

She noticed me watching.

Another tiny shake of her head.

Still hers.

The man apparently interpreted Kelly not immediately telling him to fuck off as encouragement.

"You got a boyfriend?"

"Is that related to what you came in for?"

"Could be."

"No."

"Good."

Kelly sighed.

"I meant no, it isn't related."

"Oh."

He smiled.

"So you're available?"

"No."

That finally seemed clear enough.

It wasn't.

"Come on."

"Sir."

"What?"

"I need to know what you're here for."

"I'm talking to you."

"And I'm working."

He leaned closer.

"You can't dress like that and expect guys not to talk to you."

Everything in the room changed.

Kelly became very still.

So did I.

She looked directly at him.

"I'm not dressed."

He laughed.

"Exactly."

Wrong answer.

"Sir, my appearance isn't an invitation."

"I didn't say it was."

"You just did."

He smiled again.

"I said you're beautiful."

"No. You asked whether I was available. I said no. We're finished with that conversation."

That should have ended it.

Instead he walked around the end of the counter.

I stood.

Kelly saw me.

"Blake."

Just my name.

A warning.

Stay there.

I stayed.

Barely.

The man stopped several feet from her.

"Who's Blake?"

"Me."

He looked over.

His eyes went down to the pouch.

He laughed.

"What the fuck is this place?"

"Currently?"

I shrugged.

"A policy review."

Kelly almost smiled.

The guy didn't.

Then he looked back at her.

"Seriously, though. Let me get your number."

"No."

"Instagram?"

"No."

"Come have a drink with me."

"No."

"One drink."

"No."

"Why not?"

Kelly stared at him.

"Because I said no."

He laughed.

"You're feisty."

I saw Kelly's jaw tighten.

I stepped out from behind my desk.

"Sir."

Kelly looked at me.

"I've got it."

The guy looked between us.

"What, is he your boyfriend?"

Kelly answered.

"None of your business."

"So he is."

"Sir, you need to leave."

That was me.

He ignored me.

He stepped closer to Kelly.

She stepped back.

"Don't."

He smiled.

"I'm not doing anything."

"You're too close."

He took another half step.

"Relax."

Kelly didn't move.

"Back up."

Then he reached toward her.

I never found out what he intended to do.

Touch her arm.

Her waist.

Something else.

Didn't matter.

Kelly moved faster than I did.

Her knee came up.

Hard.

The sudden movement changed her entire silhouette. Her weight shifted onto one leg, her hips turned, and for the briefest instant the motion left her far more exposed than she'd been standing normally. Beneath the narrow strip of black fabric, the fuller shape of her labia was visible in silhouette.

It lasted maybe half a second.

My brain noticed anyway.

Of course it did.

There was something incredibly hot about Kelly in that instant. Not what was happening to her. Not the asshole in front of her.

Her.

The confidence.

The movement.

The flash of her body.

The fact that she'd told him no and, when he decided no didn't apply to him, handled the problem herself.

And because my body had apparently decided this was an excellent moment to humiliate me, I felt myself getting hard inside the stupid little pouch.

Seriously?

There was a man collapsing in front of me after taking Kelly's knee directly to the balls, and I was getting a fucking erection.

Bodies were stupid.

No.

That wasn't quite true either.

I'd learned that lesson with Megan.

Sometimes bodies were stupid.

Sometimes I was simply attracted to the woman standing in front of me.

And right then, I was very attracted to Kelly.

The sound the guy made was somewhere between a grunt and a squeak.

His entire body folded.

Both hands went immediately between his legs.

"HUUUGH!"

That snapped my attention back where it belonged.

I froze.

Kelly froze.

Darren's head appeared over a cubicle.

"What the fuck?"

The man sank to his knees.

Kelly stared down at him.

"I told you to back up."

He couldn't answer.

I walked over, very aware that my body's timing couldn't possibly have been worse.

"You okay?"

Kelly looked at me.

"Me?"

"Yes."

She looked down at herself.

Then at the guy curled on the floor.

"I'm fine."

Her eyes flicked toward my pouch.

Stopped.

Then came back to my face.

One eyebrow lifted.

Oh, shit.

She'd noticed.

Not now.

Absolutely not now.

Her mouth twitched.

She knew.

I gave her a look that I hoped communicated, We are never discussing this.

The tiny smile that appeared on her face communicated very clearly:

Oh, we're definitely discussing this.

Darren approached cautiously.

"Is he?"

Kelly looked at him.

"He'll live."

From the floor came:

"Fucking bitch."

That was a mistake.

Kelly took one step toward him.

He recoiled.

I caught her arm.

"Nope."

"I'm not going to hit him."

"You already did."

"I kneed him."

"Important distinction."

Darren was trying desperately not to laugh.

"Do not laugh," I told him.

"I'm not."

"You are."

"I'm absolutely not."

His face said otherwise.

The man finally managed to stand.

Bent over.

Red-faced.

Furious.

"I'm suing this fucking place."

Kelly folded her arms.

"Okay."

"You assaulted me!"

"You approached me after I repeatedly told you no, entered the employee area, ignored multiple instructions to back away and reached for me."

The man stared at her.

Then looked around.

At me.

At Darren.

At the ceiling.

Kelly followed his eyes.

"Cameras."

That was beautiful.

His face changed.

Kelly pointed upward.

"Several."

Darren finally lost the battle and coughed into his fist.

The man looked at me.

"You people are fucking insane."

"Maybe."

I pointed toward the door.

"But you still need to leave."

He left.

Slowly.

Painfully.

The door closed.

Silence.

Five seconds.

Ten.

Then Darren spoke.

"So..."

Kelly pointed at him.

"Don't."

He nodded.

"Absolutely."

Another pause.

"Nothing."

"Good."

He walked away.

Three steps.

Then:

"Nice knee."

"DARREN!"

He disappeared.

⸻

Kelly stood there for a moment.

Then her shoulders dropped.

The confidence disappeared.

Not completely.

Enough.

I walked over.

"You okay?"

She nodded.

Then shook her head.

Then nodded again.

"I don't know."

"That's allowed."

She looked toward the door.

"I thought he was going to touch me."

"I know."

"I didn't even think."

"I know."

"My knee just..."

She made the motion.

"Yep."

She looked at me.

"Did I overreact?"

"No."

"You didn't even hesitate."

"No."

Her eyes dropped.

For the first time since she'd started coming to work nearly naked, she crossed her arms over her chest.

That bothered me.

Not because she was covering herself.

Because I understood why.

I stepped closer.

"Kelly."

"What?"

"You didn't cause that."

"I know."

"Do you?"

She looked away.

"I knew somebody would eventually say something."

"Saying something isn't the issue."

"I know."

"You being naked isn't permission."

"I know."

"You saying no was enough."

She finally looked at me.

"I know, Blake."

"Okay."

Her expression softened.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For not jumping in."

I hadn't expected that.

"You told me you had it."

"I did."

"You definitely did."

A tiny smile appeared.

Then her eyes dropped toward my pouch again.

I caught it.

"Don't."

Her smile grew.

"I didn't say anything."

"You were about to."

"I was actually going to ask whether you're okay."

"I'm fine."

"Are you?"

"Kelly."

She bit the inside of her cheek.

"Because there appears to be a..."

"Do not finish that sentence."

Now she was openly smiling.

"Oh my God."

"Kelly."

"That happened because of me?"

"This conversation is over."

Her eyebrows went up.

"It did."

"I said the conversation is over."

"Blake."

"What?"

She leaned slightly closer.

"Was it the knee?"

I stared at her.

She started laughing.

"You're horrible."

"You were standing there watching me!"

"You were dealing with a problem!"

"And apparently you enjoyed my problem-solving technique."

"That's not what I meant."

"Then what was it?"

I sighed.

"You."

That stopped her.

The teasing softened.

"Me?"

"Yes."

I glanced toward where the guy had been.

"Not him. Not what he was doing. You."

Her eyes stayed on mine.

"The way you handled yourself. The confidence. And..."

"And?"

"I'm not answering that."

Her smile slowly returned.

"You saw something."

"Kelly."

"You totally saw something."

"I hate you."

"No, you don't."

No.

I really didn't.

"Did you see his face?" I asked, desperate to change the subject.

Kelly immediately understood what I was doing.

She let me.

For now.

"He made a sound."

"Don't."

"It was like..."

She made an awful strangled squeak.

I laughed.

She started laughing.

Then Darren yelled from across the room:

"THAT'S EXACTLY THE SOUND!"

We both lost it.

The tension broke.

Not disappeared.

Broke.

⸻

HR called us fifteen minutes later.

Of course they did.

Kelly looked at me.

"Again?"

"Apparently we're frequent flyers."

"I hate this place."

"No, you don't."

"No."

She smiled.

"I really don't."

We started walking.

Halfway down the hallway she reached for my hand.

Then stopped herself.

I noticed.

She noticed me noticing.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Blake."

I held out my hand.

Kelly looked at it.

Then took it.

We continued walking.

Fully aware of what everyone could see.

And somehow, after everything that had happened that afternoon, holding Kelly's hand felt like the most intimate thing either of us was doing.

Just before we reached HR, she looked at me.

"Blake?"

"Yeah?"

"You know what the worst part is?"

"What?"

"I really liked these shoes."

I looked down.

One of her heels had apparently broken when she kneed him.

I stared at it.

Then at her.

"That's what you're upset about?"

"They were expensive."

I started laughing.

Kelly smiled.

Then she squeezed my hand.

And we walked into Human Resources.

Again.