I awakened suddenly and blinked, staring at the ceiling. My body lay reclined on the bed.
Hotel. Dark. Iโd only left on one light. Air-conditioner humming. A tightness in my stomach. Had I heard a sound?
There it was again. A knocking at the door.
My god. Sheโs here.
Who?
Terra. Terraโs coming .
Thrill shot through my stomach as I blinked furiously, trying to re-moisten my eyes. How had I fallen asleep? How could I have fallen asleep, with what I was about to do?!
My feet found the floor. I was up. Another knocking . She was here. I could barely see and I dashed into the bathroom, flipped the light switch and leaned over the sink, switched on the faucet and splashed water all over my face.
Silence. Donโt leave!
I mopped my face with a towel and stepped back into the main room. Wait. I leaned forward and pressed my eye against the peephole.
Terra was there. She waited in the hallway, not looking nervous at all, glancing to the side. Brown hair hung to her shoulders, covering her ears and the hooks of her glasses. She was dressed the same way as earlier today โ blue mesh wrap over lace top with spaghetti straps that revealed her shoulders and unusually low neckline. Same pants, too . They clung to her hips and backside contours as if she didnโt know they were somewhat tight. Maybe she did.
Terra is here. And I was about to do at last what Iโd only dared to consider vaguely hours before.
She knocked again. She wouldnโt back out now โ sheโd actually meant it. Earlier she had called on my cell phone, further thrilling me that this would actually happen .
โHello, this is Terra.โ Sheโd sounded so normal after our conversation at about 4:30 .
โUmm โฆ hey there,โ I said.
โYou forgot to tell me your room number,โ was her only reply.
I remembered. โOne-nineteen.โ
โOkay. Iโll be in there in about ten minutes.โ Click.
That was all. Very normal. Just weird, considering what we are planning!
That had been before I dozed. How in the world had I done that? This was earth-shattering โ something Iโd never done before. Other people did this. Not me. The allure of doing the forbidden was almost enough to surpass the thrill of what I was actually about to do.
Whatever had happened earlier today was all vague and clouded. The anticipation was choking me. I only remembered, in incredible clarity, Terraโs and my conversation earlier.
I unlocked the chain and turned the door handle.
โSo youโre really leaving.โ
I turned away from the computer to Terra at the desk beside me. Her clothes were the same as some days before โ a little distracting from my work, again, and difficult when she sat directly across in staff meetings. I kept wanting to look at her breasts, now outlined more tightly in her blue top.
โYeah,โ I said. โIt just gets to be too much.โ
โI still want to know the real reason.โ Terra turned around and faced me, giving me her full attention. She wore black boots.
โNothing else,โ I said. โItโs fairly boring, really.โ
Friday afternoon, but work wasnโt really over. I would have weekend duty tomorrow morning.
โAnd thereโs nothing we can do to change your mind,โ Terra stated.
โNo. Double pay โ but thatโs impossible. Itโs okay.โ
She said something about it being hard work around here with me gone. I didnโt respond.
โIs there anything I can do to keep you around longer?โ Terra asked. โReally.โ
I smiled and dismissed my first thought. โDonโt think so.โ
โWhat do you mean โ โdonโt think soโ? That means thereโs something.โ
โNo. Nothing at all.โ
โReally.โ Her eyes crossed the top edges of her glasses and she peered at me. โNothing whatsoever.โ
Her tone. It was saying something. I felt nervous speaking to her. โUmm.โ I tried to laugh. โNo, never mind.โ
โWhat?โ
โNothing.
โ
โYes it is. Thereโs something I can do. Something you would really like.โ Terraโs voice lowered. โIsnโt there.โ
I stared at her. โYou donโt know what โฆโ
โYou might be surprised,โ Terra said.
A grown woman. Nearly twice my age. But so often she acted almost juvenile. Professional, yet sometimes I was sure she flaunted herself. She lived with her boyfriend. Had talked before of โscrewingโ with him, and used words that denoted her views on sex.
โI think I would really โฆโ I swallowed, trying to maintain composure. โReally be surprised, then.โ
โTell me. I wonโt tell anyone else. Promise.โ
I thought of how to put it in words. This would never work. Iโd be fired before I could quit. She would tell someone.
โHave sex with me,โ I said.
Dead silence. Surely she would notice my chest bulging with every beat. And just hearing that last word sent a buzz down my midsection and into my penis.
โHmmm.โ Terra grinned and chuckled. โGod, look at you. Youโve gone all red.โ
โI โฆโ Alarms flashed in my brain. Stop it. Stop this now.
โLook.โ Terra slid off the desk. โI know. It sounds horrible. Sex with a co-worker? It happens all the time. If you wouldnโt like me that way, fine โ and yes, I know Iโm older than you. I look like a MILF, donโt I?โโA โฆ a MILF?โโBut youโre young and, I would wager, inexperienced. You know you really want to.โ
I said nothing. Only watched her. Considered.
โWhen do you want to?โ Terra asked.
Air dried in my throat. I had already thought of staying overnight for my assignments the next morning.
โTonight,โ I said. โIโll be in the motel across the road. Can you come there?โ
โI have a meeting.โ Terra grinned. Her face bore an expression I never thought Iโd see. Seduction. โI can be there around 9.โ
โYouโre serious.โ
โIf you are, absolutely. Even if you stay around just two weeks longer, Iโll do it with you.โ Terra winked. โBesides, youโre young and good-looking. And of course, Iโll never tell anyone about this โ and youโd better not either.โ
I nodded. โIโll keep my end of the deal.โ
โAnd Iโll keep mine.โ Terra stepped back, picking up her bag and slung it over her shoulder. โHow long do you want me?โ
Dare I say all night long? โOvernight,โ I said.
โIโll do it. I just need to call
