september 2012

"Are you seeing anyone?"

The question startles August, and he looks over at Lissa, who is seated in the chair across from his desk, one leg folded over the other with one of her green heels dangling from her foot. He tries not to let his eyes wander too much.

"What was that, Micheli?" he asks, curious as to why she would bring up the question in the first place. A small piece of him hopes she might be asking him on one, but he doubts that's the case.

"Are you seeing someone?"

"Not at the moment," he replies, turning his head slightly, the curiosity and confusion evident in his expression, to the side as he tries to get a read on her. "Why?"

"You need a date. Everyone's complaining about how uptight," he tries to interrupt her by lifting his finger at that word to defend himself, but she holds up her hand to shush him. "... you've been lately. How long has it been, Bergmen?"

"That's none of your business, Lisandra," he says with a sternness in his voice. "What did you have in mind? Who did you have in mind?"

"The new girl in HR. Her name's Rachel. She seems nice?"

"I've met Rachel. Not really my type."

"You have a type?"

"Wouldn't you like to know? What does Rachel say about this?"

"She jumped at the chance."

Of course she did, he thinks to himself. He could have just about any woman he wanted, so it only made sense that the one he did take an interest in wouldn't give him the light of day.

And so, August eventually agrees to give it a shot. Because he knows Lissa would have just begged him until he relented anyway. She had a way of getting under his skin. He knew it. She knew it. And damn her for taking advantage of it.

Rachel ends up being decent company. They're able to keep conversation flowing. She has a four-year-old son, and she spends most of the evening telling him stories. August doesn't have children himself, but he'd always thought he might have one some day.

After one too many drinks for each of them, they end up going back to his place, He hadn't wanted to admit it, but it had been a while. With work taking such a priority, he barely had time to think about dating.

At least that was what he had been telling himself.

Ever since Valentine's Day of 2011, he could not get one Lisandra Micheli out of his mind. When she suggested this date, he had went with it, for her, and because he knew that meant she wasn't interested in him the way he was in her.

Even knowing that didn't help him get her out of his mind as he had sex with Rachel in his living room.

Accidentally calling her Lissa in the middle of the act surprisingly wasn't grounds for a second date. Neither of them ever spoke of the situation, or to one another, again.

Two days later, it's dark outside, and August is sitting in his office catching up on paperwork and, as usual, drinking while he does it. His door flies open, and in walks an angry Lissa. "What the hell, August? You actually went out on a date with her? You fucked her?"

August is stunned. She doesn't give him time to speak. She's right in front of him, and he can smell the alcohol on her breath. "You are so... blind!"

"What are you talking about? You set me up with her," he says calmly, though he is actually really confused as to where this is all coming from.

"You were supposed to say you were interested in someone else!"

"That someone else being... you?"

It was Lissa's turn to look surprised. August grins, despite himself. "What the hell are you grinning at? I didn't say yes!"

August spins in his chair until he's facing her, and he grabs both of her wrists to pull her closer to him. "Micheli, would it help if I told you why I won't be seeing her again?"

Lissa thinks about it for a moment and then nods.

"I said someone else's name."

Lissa laughs and then tears one of her hands away to cover her mouth. Though the sound is muffled by her hand, he hears her ask, "Whose?"

August uses his grip on her as leverage to pull her into his lap. "Yours."

This was a bad idea. They were both well over their limits. After what seemed like hours of them staring at each other, August decides it's not worth it to try and fight what he wants. They had been playing this game for long enough. The almost kisses and gifts - there was something here.

He isn't careful when he kisses her. It's rushed and heated, and she picks up on that quickly. She immediately starts undoing the buttons of his shirt, and he is speedy about finding the zipper on the back of her dress and pulling it undone. He has it halfway down her chest when he hears a loud crash.

August breaks away from Lissa to see that they've knocked his phone into the floor. He laughs, "Oops," and moves in to start kissing her neck, which pulls a soft moan from her.

Lissa manages to rid him of his shirt and is kissing her way down his chest when a second crash pulls them both out of their haze. It's Tyler, Lissa's assistant, staring at them both, completely dumbfounded. They all stare at each other for a moment before Lissa clears her throat and stands up and pulls her dress back on. August hurries to grab his shirt.

Before he can even open his mouth to apologize, Lissa had pushed past Tyler and left. Tyler looks at him apologetically before walking away to catch up with Lissa.

August puts his face into his hands and mutters, "Well, shit."