Nothing Left to Hide Ch 12

Chapter 12

Friday

By Friday morning, the strangest part of Blake and Kelly being naked at work was how quickly everyone else had stopped treating it as strange.

Legal had finally answered the question nobody particularly wanted to put in writing. Given the bizarre circumstances that had gotten them there, neither Blake nor Kelly was required to cover themselves simply for everyone else's comfort. The temporary bags, improvised coverings and other ridiculous attempts at modesty were officially unnecessary.

Blake read the email twice before looking across his office at Kelly.

"So that's it?"

Kelly leaned over his shoulder. "Apparently."

"We can just stay naked."

"Apparently."

"At work."

"Yes, Blake."

"In an office."

Kelly looked at him. "Do you want me to read it to you again?"

"No. I'm just trying to appreciate the sentence."

Kelly laughed and straightened. "You seem disappointed."

"Disappointed? I spent all week complaining about that stupid bag."

"And now it's gone."

Blake glanced down at himself. "Yes. Now everything is gone."

Kelly's eyes followed his.

Blake caught her.

"Hey."

"What?"

"You were looking."

"At your forehead."

"My forehead is up here."

"Then you should probably move it."

She walked away laughing.

That was another thing that had changed. Kelly wasn't embarrassed anymore.

At the beginning, every accidental glance had bothered her. She'd covered herself instinctively and treated every exposed inch of skin like an emergency. By Friday, most of that was gone.

She walked normally. Sat normally. Worked normally.

Mostly.

The problem was Blake.

Kelly had become increasingly aware that he looked at her.

Blake tried not to.

He failed constantly.

She was attractive, she was naked, and she spent half her day walking into his office. There were limits to human discipline.

Worse, Kelly had begun enjoying it.

Late that morning she appeared with paperwork and leaned across his desk to place it beside his keyboard.

Blake's eyes betrayed him.

Kelly didn't straighten immediately.

"You done?"

Blake looked at the paperwork. "Yep."

"I meant looking."

His head snapped up.

"I wasn't looking."

Kelly smiled. "Of course not."

"I was reading."

"My ass?"

Blake stared at her.

Kelly stood upright, completely pleased with herself.

"You've become an asshole."

"I've always been an asshole. You're just noticing."

She turned to leave.

Blake watched her.

Kelly stopped at the doorway without turning around.

"Still looking."

Blake immediately looked at his monitor.

"Get out."

Her laughter followed her down the hall.

By lunch, the taco jokes had started.

Blake couldn't even remember exactly how. Somebody mentioned lunch. Kelly mentioned Mexican food. Blake made one stupid comment, Kelly returned it, and within minutes the word taco had acquired a meaning neither of them could use in polite conversation anymore.

Kelly appeared in his doorway later that afternoon.

"Tacos?"

Blake looked up.

"Actual tacos?"

Kelly shrugged. "Depends."

"No."

"I haven't even asked anything."

"I know you."

Kelly smiled. "You'd like a Kelly taco."

Blake nearly dropped his pen.

"Jesus Christ."

"What?"

"You cannot say shit like that while standing naked in my office."

"Why?"

"Because I'm trying to maintain some tiny shred of professionalism."

Kelly looked around.

"Here?"

"Fuck you."

She walked away laughing.

Friday evening made everything considerably more complicated.

When Blake and Kelly got home, Megan was already there, curled comfortably on the couch reading.

Naked.

Her hair was down.

Blake stopped.

Megan eventually looked up.

"What?"

He didn't answer immediately.

There was something about seeing her completely relaxed that hit him differently. Megan's pale body was softer and fuller than Kelly's, her hair falling loosely around her shoulders. She wasn't trying to attract his attention.

She simply had it.

"Blake?"

"Sorry."

"For what?"

He shook his head.

"Nothing."

Megan smiled. "Uh-huh."

Blake walked over and kissed her.

Kelly entered behind him.

And stopped.

She saw Blake looking at Megan.

Really looking at her.

Something uncomfortable twisted inside her.

It was stupid.

Megan and Blake loved each other. Kelly knew that. She had absolutely no claim on Blake's attention.

But she'd gotten used to having it.

At work, his eyes followed her. His jokes were directed at her. His embarrassment belonged to her.

Now Megan had completely derailed him without even trying.

Kelly hated how much that bothered her.

Megan noticed.

Of course she did.

Later, Megan found Kelly alone in the kitchen.

"You like him."

Kelly looked up.

"What?"

"You like Blake."

Kelly laughed, although it sounded fake even to her.

"Of course I like Blake."

Megan waited.

Kelly finally sighed.

"Don't."

"I'm not accusing you of anything."

"It feels like you are."

"I'm not."

Kelly looked at her.

Megan's expression remained calm.

"You like him," she repeated.

Kelly swallowed.

"Yeah."

There it was.

Megan nodded.

Kelly stared at her.

"That's it?"

"What do you want me to say?"

"I don't know. Something."

Megan crossed her arms loosely.

"I love Blake."

"I know."

"I trust him."

Kelly nodded.

"And I trust you."

That surprised her.

"You probably shouldn't."

"Why?"

Kelly laughed nervously. "Because apparently I like your..."

She stopped.

Megan raised an eyebrow.

"Blake?"

"Yeah."

"My Blake?"

Kelly winced. "That sounds worse."

Megan smiled.

"Relax."

Kelly stared at her. "How are you this calm?"

"Because having feelings isn't the same thing as doing something wrong."

Kelly looked down.

Megan continued more softly. "You can't always control who you become attracted to."

"That's annoyingly reasonable."

"I have moments."

Kelly laughed.

Then the pizza arrived.

The delivery driver's name was Tyler.

Blake learned that because Tyler found several reasons to ensure everyone knew it.

Megan answered the door, and Tyler maintained professional eye contact for approximately two seconds before realizing she was naked.

His brain visibly stopped.

"Hi," Megan said.

Tyler stared.

"Hi."

"Pizza?"

He looked at the box as though he'd forgotten why he was carrying it.

"Oh. Yeah. Pizza."

Megan took it.

Tyler remained standing there.

Blake could see everything from the living room.

So could Kelly.

Eventually Tyler managed, "I'm Tyler."

Megan smiled politely.

"Okay."

"I mean, if there's anything wrong with the order."

"We'll call."

Still he didn't leave.

Blake stood.

That got his attention.

Then Kelly walked into view.

Tyler's brain suffered another catastrophic failure.

Kelly looked at Megan. "Everything okay?"

Tyler stared at Kelly.

Blake stepped closer.

"The pizza good?"

Tyler nodded rapidly. "Yeah. Absolutely."

"You made it?"

"No."

"Then how do you know?"

Kelly covered her mouth.

Megan's shoulders shook.

Tyler finally backed toward the walkway.

"Have a good night."

"You too," Megan said.

Then Tyler stopped.

"I get off at ten."

Blake stared at him.

Kelly's eyes widened.

Megan blinked.

Tyler realized what he'd said.

"I mean... from work."

Blake nodded slowly. "That's usually what that means."

Tyler left.

Megan closed the door.

Kelly exploded laughing.

Blake looked at Megan.

"What the fuck was that?"

Megan carried the pizza toward the kitchen.

"He was being friendly."

"Friendly?"

Kelly was still laughing.

"He gets off at ten, Blake."

"I heard him."

Megan smiled.

"Are you jealous?"

"No."

Forty-five minutes later, the doorbell rang again.

Tyler stood outside holding a bottle of Coke.

"You guys forgot this."

Blake looked at it.

"We didn't order Coke."

Tyler hesitated.

"Oh."

Kelly appeared behind Blake.

Then Megan.

Tyler looked at both women and seemed to lose whatever courage had brought him back.

Blake folded his arms.

"So you drove back here with a Coke we didn't order?"

"Yeah."

"That's incredibly dedicated customer service."

"Thanks."

"That wasn't a compliment."

Tyler handed him the Coke.

"It's free."

"Fantastic."

Tyler glanced at Megan, then Kelly.

"I should probably go."

Blake smiled.

"That's an excellent idea."

After he left, Kelly collapsed against the wall laughing.

Megan shook her head.

"You scared him."

"He came back because he wanted another look at you two."

Megan smiled.

"And?"

Kelly straightened.

"You were jealous."

"I was not jealous."

Megan kissed his cheek.

"You were a little jealous."

Blake pointed toward the kitchen.

"I'm drinking his Coke."

Later that night, Kelly lay alone in her room replaying pieces of the day.

Blake looking at her at work.

The taco jokes.

Blake walking into the house and stopping when he saw Megan.

Then Megan's words.

You like him.

Kelly closed her eyes.

"Fuck."

Megan knew.

Worse, Megan wasn't angry.

Kelly almost wished she had been.

Anger would have created a boundary.

Trust was considerably more complicated.

Down the hall, Blake lay beside Megan.

She was drifting toward sleep.

He wasn't.

His mind kept returning to Kelly leaning over his desk, Kelly catching him looking, Kelly smiling instead of covering herself.

Tacos.

Blake closed his eyes.

Bad idea.

Kelly immediately appeared in his imagination.

Megan shifted beside him.

"You awake?"

"Yeah."

"What are you thinking about?"

Blake hesitated.

"Nothing."

Megan smiled without opening her eyes.

"Liar."

He loved Megan.

There was no confusion about that.

But something was happening with Kelly.

The joking had become flirting somewhere along the way. The embarrassment had become attraction.

And every time Kelly walked into his office, some part of Blake had begun waiting for whatever happened next.

Friday ended quietly.

Saturday wouldn't.