3 comments/ 15949 views/ 18 favorites Picked by a Pepper By: WMDean I heard the door to my office creak open. "Nice of you to knock," I said without looking up. "I always do." She doesn't—and I don't mind, really. Daphne Carter, director of operations for our group. Nice lady. Vaguely reminds me of a sterner version of Tina Fey. She can really scare the shit out of people when she wants to. Day and night, the two sides of her. "Don't you look nice today," I murmured, finally turning my eyes on her. "Oh, you... I'm too old for that, hon," she said, smiling. "You're only 40, and you look 30," I said. "Pff... don't even tell me. Anyways—we have a situation," she said. She came over and sat sideways on my desk, in her usual way, leaning towards me as if to share a particularly juicy piece of gossip. We traffic in those—though they tend to be of a more serious sort. Her hair was brushed into a feathery bell that day , and she was wearing her "battle dress," the one she uses for media appearances—a severe black pants suit with a white blouse. There was a twinkle in her eye. She leaned around to look at my computer monitor, just as I closed Facebook. It was a running joke. "Well, well," she said, putting a pen in her teeth, shaking her head and making "tsk" sounds. I laughed. "What now? Are people still picketing our caffeinated beer plant?" "Oh, no. The cops cleared that up a couple hours ago. No, now we've got a chemical spill in Sicily." "The hydrogen fuel-cell division?" "No, the fashion studio—YES, the hydrogen-fuel cell division!" she said, snickering. "Hah, is the cleanup crew on it yet?" "Yeah, already on-site." "So what's the problem?" "Jack is pissed about this one. Might be some bad press. We've been trying to improve containment at those plants for ages. We need to talk to a lot of people." "Here we go again," I sighed. Well, you could see it coming. The genius who founded this outfit, Manfred Jamison IV, was, and is, a bit unhinged. He just had to call it Madhouse Corporation. Nobody knows why. The company's profitable, all right. Manny has a great nose for ideas—buying up great patents and turning them into product lines. We sell all kinds of great stuff from self-sorting filing cabinets to male birth control pills to artificial intelligence software for commercial jets to meat-seeking missiles for hunting terrorists. But amid the flow of great products, something is always going wrong. Accidents, recalls, lawsuits, bad publicity, explosions and other problems, mostly undeserved, seem to fall upon us in spades. That's where we come in—a crack team of lawyers, accountants, auditors, lobbyists, private detectives and spin doctors, all empowered to do anything necessary within the law to defuse the endless series of crises falling upon the company. We're the Rapid Response Division, or RRD, and we report directly to Jack. We're damage control. Finance forgets to report something—we make them clean it up. HR's pink slips cause a wrongful termination lawsuit—we get it dismissed. Marketing's newest ad creates a scandal—we turn it into an Internet meme. Bad publicity is still publicity, right? "I need some help from Section Eight." My section of RRD. Nicknamed for the old army regulation that kicked people out for being crazy, basically. In addition to finding crazy people and kicking them out, we liaise between all the parts of the company that don't talk to each other. Basically we're the grease that keeps the gears running. Sometimes we have to knock heads and twist arms. "Oh? I thought you just stopped by to say hi." "That too! But the bottom line is, heads are going to roll for this one, so we want to find out who screwed up and make sure we get the right guy." "Right, right." Last thing we needed was a wrongful termination suit. "I'm going to talk to the VP of EMEA tomorrow—that I can do, at least." "That should help. Rob's a good guy. He'll get you whatever he can," I replied. "Definitely. I bet he's sweating blood right now. So yeah, Jack wants a report from me first thing Monday. I think almost everyone is gone for the night." It was Thursday night. It's almost unheard of for a modern company, but at Madhouse, the rule is that once you've gone home, you're done for the day, except in dire emergencies. And around here, things are crazy enough that a chemical spill does not qualify as a dire emergency. "I guess I'll have to see what I can do tomorrow afternoon then." "Pepper's still in." "Oh yeah?" "Yeah. Go talk to her—we need the numbers she has, anyway." "Sure thing." Daph leaned in a little closer, whispering even though there wasn't anyone to overhear us. "She hasn't really been herself lately." "Pepper? Why?" "I don't know. She always pretends she's all right and I don't want to bother her if she doesn't want to talk about it. But something's wrong." "Hmm..." "I don't think she's up to anything bad—it's not like her to do that, and we'd know if that was it." "Of course." "Check up on her though. I was talking to her just yesterday." "And?" "I don't know, she's been looking a bit pale lately." "Lately?" Pepper's always been a fair-skinned lady. "More so than usual I mean. Like, off pale." "Oh no. I'll go see how she's doing." She turned to leave, stopping at the door. "Well, see you tomorrow—I'll probably be gone when you get back. Shame we don't get to having lunch together like we used to, the three of us." "I know, right? I can't catch up with all the girl gossip meeting up just once a month. Hey, take care, try not to eat too many people on your way out." I meant her intimidating style—she really can be tough sometimes. Must have been a bouncer in a previous life. "Yeah, yeah. See you later," she said with a wink. I leaned back in my chair. It was 7, the end of my usual workday, which began around 11, but I needed a breather before going upstairs. Pepper Miley and I went back a long way. Catching up with her was something I really wanted to do. I have to explain how we all got here. It's been a crazy few years, with no time to stop and think. My first job out of school was at Deloitte, and I made a lot of great contacts there. Daph and Pepper were my best friends over there; Daph was my boss and taught me a lot of the things I know and Pepper was the other half of my two-person team. I used to go out for lunch every day with the two of them. The three of us were really tight friends and when Daph quit to join Madhouse's RRD, she scored both Pepper and me jobs in the accounting department there. It was a small company then, and quite the jump up the corporate ladder for both of us. Pepper scored big and got the controller's job. I was the head of internal audit, just below her. She became my boss for a couple years until I was promoted into RRD. We had a really great time in accounting and my biggest regret about moving departments was not being able to see her on a daily basis. So after a few explosive years of growth, all three of us were roughly at the same level in the organizational chain, but dealing with far more responsibility than ever before. Our stock options were off the charts and we were all sitting pretty financially, despite the recession. But our friendships had faded, if not in intensity at least in frequency. Daph has always had a bit of a friendly crush on me. I play along, sort of. She's happily married though. Say what you will, I don't believe in messing with stuff like that. Nothing but trouble. Besides, I liked her husband—I sometimes went fishing with the two of them on weekends and he was a really great guy to hang out with. That sort of thing is common here—there's is quite the "esprit de corps" at RRD. I work with a lot of wonderful ladies. In fact, I'm one of only about a dozen men in the group—the rest are all women. They really pamper us. Several of the guys are married to women elsewhere in the company. It's pretty common around here. People and their families bond over all the tough times the company is dealing with and everyone feels like they're in it together. We're like a town under siege—all in it together. I stood up. "What are friends for?" I wondered. I should've checked on her weeks ago. I took the elevator up to Accounting on the 30th floor. There weren't many people left. I headed to Pepper's office suite. The outer room where her assistants worked was empty, so I just knocked on the inner door. She opened the door just a crack, peeking out. She looked as pale as Daph had told me, and her eyes seemed to be stuck open wide in anxiety. When she saw it was me she blinked, and then her face broke into a wan but genuine smile. "Hey..." she said softly. "Hey Pepper," I said, not wanting to comment on her appearance. "Sorry to show up randomly—hope it's not a bad time for you." "No, I was hoping you'd come." She opened the door all the way to let me in and closed it behind her. Her large office was spotless. A few tall bookshelves with books and binders lined half the wall on the right, while the wall behind me was decorated with landscape paintings. Her desk was opposite the door with a couple chairs in front of it, and a large, comfortable looking couch sat along the east wall, with a rolling coffee table in front of it. A series of glass vases filled with flowers added color to the room, and the massive corner windows opened out to a beautiful view of the city below. Right now though, I only had eyes for her. Pepper was nearly three years older than me at 27. She was of French ancestry on one side of her family, English and Irish on the other. It showed in the regal yet sprightly lines of her face and body—she had the look not of a bombshell but of a lady, tall, thin and poised, without a hint of excess fat anywhere on her. Despite her unhealthy pallor, she was as natty as ever in her appearance. She had her fashionable little glasses on—black plastic frames, with that funny little gap on the sides behind the lenses. They complemented her well-defined jaw and cheekbones, giving a sharp clarity to her lean, round face. Her elegant coif of dirty blonde hair was tucked into a tight French twist and her pointy black heels made her sway a little. She had on a soft gray wool skirt suit in a windowpane pattern that nicely flattered her long legs and her tight, slender frame. A string of pearls peeked out from a thin white blouse with its collar neatly laid over her lapels. She was nearly as tall as me, with a narrow neck. Her lips were thin, with a smile to die for. "It's good to see you again," she said, walking behind her desk and bending over her computer to do something. "Yeah, I haven't been up here in a while. We need to do lunch more often." "You need something for the spill?" She knew what we did up in RRD, of course. "Yeah, Daph needs to give Jack a rundown day after tomorrow." "Of course... I've got a few things for you," she said, gesturing at the printer. It was warming up already. She stood up straight again and turned to face me. "A lot?" "200 pages or so. Shouldn't take too long." "Great." "Are you in a hurry?" she asked. Her slightly plaintive tone made it obvious that she wanted the answer to be no. "Of course not, why?" She looked down and smiled, then came around from behind her desk, walked up to me and put her arms around me in a tight hug, pressing her body against me. Her breasts pressed against my chest through her suit. I never knew her as a touchy person but I put my hands on the small of her back and held her. Despite her careworn look she smelled wonderful. The aroma was fresh like a meadow full of wildflowers mixed in with the rich, clean yet slightly dusty scent of her clothes. "It's so good to see you again," she said, pulling her head back to gaze at me. Her eyes were level with mine. I could see the color coming back to her face. Her blue-gray eyes shone in a way I had never seen before, peering into my brown ones as if searching for something. Everything seemed a little different about her. "How have you been?" I asked. She didn't answer. She looked at me for a couple more seconds, then wriggled away gently. "Have a seat," she said, nodding at the big couch facing the windows. Do you want some sandwiches? I got a few from the conference earlier today. They're actually better cold." "Sure, that'd be great." I didn't have any dinner plans anyway. "Something to drink?" "Surprise me." She came back to me, bending over the couch and handing me a plate and setting hers on the table. As she poured the drinks I took a bite. It was a nice simple ham, lettuce and blueberry chutney sandwich. "Man, I love the caterers." "Aren't they just amazing?" she remarked as she poured our drinks. She came back and set two glasses of red wine down. "Oh goodness." I said, admiring the deep color. "From the caterers too?" "No, no. Mine." She took off her shoes and sat sideways next to me, curling in her legs and resting her back on the plush armrest. Her delicate hands cradled the wine glass, and the soft clink of her fingernails pierced the quiet of the room. "Not hungry?" "Oh, no. Late lunch." Or she wanted to do most of the talking, I supposed. She watched me eat, sipping occasionally at her drink. "So how have you been then?" I asked after a couple minutes' silence. She gave out a long sigh, glanced out the window, and took a gulp from her glass. "Tired." "Hmm..." "And stressed. You know how it's been around here lately." "Oh yeah. Terrible. You must be as busy as we are." "All the special items and things I've had to sort out lately. It's a headache. I mean, it's my job, but I feel like... like I'm recording everyone else's not being able to do their job." "Cleaning up after someone's mess, huh." "Yeah. And I'm sick of dealing with the pricks at the SEC who seem to think we're lying every time we file a disclosure." "I've run into them a couple times too. Think they're a bunch of gods just because they work for the government." I said. "Oh, I know it. And the people I try to get data from. Especially the European and North African divisions. It's like we're not working at the same damn company. They only answer to Rob unless I wave a gun in their faces or something. I have to go to him every time to beat anything out of them. He's sick of it too." "Daph said heads are going to roll over this one." "Oh they will, and it's about time, mark my words. If the international divisions didn't hire as many idiots to begin with this never would have happened," she said, her voice growing shrill in irritation. Her eyes were unfocused, staring in the general direction of the floor as she thought aloud. "I guess the idiots keep us busy." "Too busy if you ask me!" "Yeah. I was surprised to hear you were still in, you usually leave a lot earlier." "Another day in paradise," she said, her voice softening with a sigh. "I was just about to leave." "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to keep you." "No, no. I'd... rather stay here and chat with you than leave by myself." "Are you all right?" "Yeah. No. Not really. I mean, I'm just happy you came by," she said, looking up at me. "Sure, anytime. I like spending time with you." "Really? How come? Just curious." I shrugged. "I don't know... something about you." She laughed a little, then put her nearly empty wine glass up to her nose and sniffed appreciatively, then let the last drop fall on her tongue. "This is good," she said. I'd finished eating and was nearly done with mine as well. She took off her glasses and set them on the coffee table. Oddly enough she looked a little weathered and a little older without them, though there weren't any visible signs of it. "Yeah, it is..." I said, trailing off as she edged slowly towards me. She seemed a little nervous, although the wine had restored a nice rosy tint to her cheeks. "Something about me..." she echoed. "I wish I knew." "I wish I could tell you." She snuggled up to me, pushing me gently into a reclining position. "Do you mind?" she asked, ever the lady. I hesitated, but she already had her head on my shoulder and her right hand on my chest. I put my arm around her as she lay down. "I hope you don't," she said, quietly. I didn't say anything but caressed her back gently with my hand. "I'm burning out," she said. "I need rest... but I don't get it. I spend most of my time putting off things I should be doing. I'll be 30 soon, and..." she stopped, biting her lip. "What have you been putting off?" "Important stuff... that I've waited too long to do." "You practically had that report in my hands before I asked for it. Everyone I know says great things about your work." "Not my work," she said. "Then what?" She scooted up to eye level with me, looking down. Her white shirt was buttoned low, and I caught sight of her lacy bra before she was on me, her face almost touching mine. She put a hand on my chest. "I miss back when we worked together," she whispered. "Me too," I said. "I was so happy for you when they promoted you into RRD. But I took it hard not being around you anymore," she said, bringing up her hand and running it through my dark brown hair. Usually this irritated me since I always combed it over neatly, but I hardly noticed this time. "They needed me," I said, putting my hands on her shoulders. "But I'm really sorry we haven't gotten to spend much time together." She smiled and caressed my cheek. "It seems like forever since you moved out of my department," she said. "Yeah, no, you were a great boss, I always looked up to you." "Like you are now?" she said, gazing into my eyes. "Not this way. But..." "But what?" "I think I like it. Seeing you again." I said, after a pause. "Good..." she whispered. We stared at each other for a few seconds. Her fair cheeks were a little rosy, and she looked much more alive than she had been half an hour ago. I didn't know what to do or say. We had a moment there, but it didn't go any farther than that. I think both of us were a little scared. We were just on that boundary where you could still say nothing had really happened between us. So for a while we just stayed there cuddling, with her head on my chest and me gently stroking her back. Eventually we both had to get going and as I was walking her to her car, she asked me to dinner the next evening. "Sure, where do you want to go?" "Come meet me in my office." She gave me a tight hug, and I could almost feel her heartbeat through her long coat and suit. "I'm glad we could catch up." "Me too. Sleep tight, Pepper." "Night," she said. I drove home in silence. Listening to the radio didn't seem to gel with the moment. She'd always been like family to me, teaching and caring for me—never coming onto me like she was now. But she had always been touchy-feely, and only with me, even in the old days. I'd noticed then, but not thought much of it. Her behavior that night was something else. It didn't seem like a simple case of having not seen me for a while and being all the more affectionate because of it. The next day I came into my office to find Daphne sitting on my desk, staring out the windows. I was surprised to note her wearing a floral print halter dress, then remembered it was Friday. Ah yes, casual Fridays. Not my thing, but it lets the ladies flaunt more of their wardrobes. The dress didn't show as much of her skin as you might imagine, but it was tight and, like everything she wore, modest and flirtatious at the same time. It hugged her hips tightly, wrinkling a little in places. She had Pepper's binder in her lap and was paging through it. "Where'd you come from?" she asked. Picked by a Pepper "Fancy me walking into my own office... hey, way to let yourself in." "Well, you gave me a key, what did you expect me to do with it?" I shrugged. "Thanks for that," she said, holding up the binder. "Pepper's given us some great stuff to work with." I hadn't read it, but nodded. We could always count on Pepper in RRD. "Need anything else?" "Actually no, I talked to Rob and about half a dozen other department heads today and they all gave me what I needed combined with Pepper's data. Quite a relief, really. Everyone wants to shitcan whoever screwed up." "About time we circled the wagons I think." "Tracy's been watching the press. So far, not much fallout, thanks to our emergency teams getting on it fast." Tracy was the head of the communications section within our division. "Sweet." "Well, I'll leave you to your things then. Lunch tomorrow?" she asked, standing up. "Yeah, sure," I said, then remembered something. "Hey, why'd you have me get that from Pepper instead of doing it yourself?" "Wanted you to check on her. Besides, you know you wanted to see her again," she said, smiling and touching me on the shoulder as she walked out the door. "True enough," I mumbled. She laughed from around the corner, that ladylike middle-aged laugh you hear in opera houses before the show starts. It can mean half a dozen different things coming from her, ranging from "I adore you" to "I'm going to kick your ass." Despite the fuss over the spill it wasn't a particularly chaotic day for me. I spent most of the afternoon in Tracy's office, watching the TV news network coverage of the incident with her. Our cleanup crews were really doing a great job. Previous incidents had generated the worst headlines ever: Madhouse Burns to the Ground. The Inmates are Running the Madhouse. A Madhouse Divided Cannot Stand. You get the idea. This time, it wasn't even making half the cable news stations' hourly updates. This was one incident we wouldn't have to pull out all the stops to deal with. I rode the elevator up to Pepper's office around 7 that evening. Everyone was gone again, and as I went to knock on the inner door she opened it. She was beaming as she saw me. "Hey Pepper." "Hey yourself. It's so good to see you again!" she said. She looked like a million bucks. Her slate blue A-line skirt ending just above the knees accentuated her long legs, and she was wearing a crisp white blouse with thin pink and blue stripes. It was buttoned low and a little bit transparent, revealing a lacy brown camisole underneath. Her strappy heels showed off her cute little feet. She'd let her hair down today; it was layered, parted high off to one side and came down in an arc, curving in to just below her shoulders, framing her face. "How are you?" "I'm gooood..." she said, putting her hands on my upper arms and kicking up one of her heels. She was a completely different person from when I'd first seen her the day before. Her rosy cheeks glowed. "You look great," I said. "Why thank you," she said, batting her eyelashes at me. She sure as hell was laying on the charm thick. "Our reservation is at 7:20. At Frank's." Frank's Diner, a nice sit down restaurant a couple blocks down from Madhouse Tower. "Everything prepared eh?" "Yes indeed mister." she said. "Did you find my report ok?" "Yeah, Daph loved it. Said there was a lot of useful stuff in there." "Oh, I know. Always like to help." "Well, shall we then?" As we left the building I noticed that as usual just about everyone was gone for the night. She put her hand around my arm and gently led me outside and down the street. The evening air was crisp and cool. I could smell her light perfume in the breeze. "What a lovely night," she remarked. "Yeah. You can see all the stars tonight, even in the city." Dinner was quite delicious and largely uneventful, but for the little game of footsie she tried to play with me under the table. "Stop it," I said, laughing. "Oh c'mon," she said, smiling coyly and batting her eyelashes like a minx. She slowly toyed with her necklace, her red-polished nails making a bright contrast with her creamy skin. "You know I like it, but not here!" I said. Her pointy little shoe continued to work its way up my trouser leg. She wiggled her foot a little to tickle me. I grabbed a sugar packet from the table and threw it at her. She ducked away, laughing. We lingered over our food, chatting idly about old times and a variety of random things. She was thoroughly in her element. I'd never seen her so happy. She wouldn't let me pay the bill, no matter how much I pleaded for my wounded ego. At last the restaurant was closing and we slowly strolled back up the street. As we walked in silence together she seemed to get more and more pensive. It was as if some other reality was imposing on her imagination, casting doubt on the meaning of our evening together. I was standing by my car, my left arm resting idly on the roof. She was leaning back, half sitting with her hands on the hood, almost as if to stop me from leaving. It was an awkward pause that seemed to go on forever, though it was probably thirty seconds or so of silence. Finally she looked up and smiled softly. "So... are you glad you visited me yesterday?" "Of course." "Tell me, what do you think of me, after all these years we've known each other?" "What?" "You heard me. What do you think? Honestly." "I... I think you're really great to be around, I enjoy hanging out with you a lot," I said, lamely. I didn't really know what to make of the question. "Yeah?" I unlocked my car and got in the driver's seat. Her eyes widened in surprise; I guessed she thought I was trying to leave. "You can come sit with me if you want to talk," I reassured her. She got in on the passenger's side. Her hands were folded in front of her, slowly sliding as she stared down. "Is something bothering you?" I asked. "No... yes. I mean, I'm sorry if I seem to be acting... unprofessionally," without looking up. "You've been an amazing friend Pepper, you never have to be anything but yourself around me." "Is that it?" "What?" "Is that all we are, just friends?" She was staring right at me now, daring me to answer. "Well, I..." One always imagines giving a clear response to a loaded question like that—one that cements the feelings both people in the conversation hold. But the suddenness of it can catch us unaware and make fools of us all. And a moment's hesitation sows doubt. Her aura of confidence evaporated. She seemed to wither, recoiling into the seat and frowning slightly. "Forget it, I'm sorry, just pretend I didn't say that." I didn't say anything, out of surprise more than anything else. She seemed to tear up a little, and suddenly she got out of the car, nearly slammed the door and started walking fast toward the building. I was stunned and just sat there watching her walk away. Then it started to rain. And then pour. Right on time, like some kind of old film noir. It was a little ways to the doors and I could tell she was already soaked. She was about 40 feet away when she nearly tripped but recovered. She seemed to struggle as she stood and her knees were wobbling. Her heels were only a couple inches high; it was her legs that were giving in. The sight was enough to shock me out of my bewildered state and I got out of my car and ran after her. By the time I got there I was just as soaked as she was. I grabbed her by the shoulders to steady her. "Are you okay?" She slowly lifted her eyes to meet mine and started to speak rapidly, not quite sobbing but close. "You have no idea, no idea how much I've missed you. The day after you left I shut myself in my office and cried for half an hour when I went to say hi to you and you weren't there—weren't even supposed to be there." "Oh, Pepper..." I pulled her into a hug. We were standing in the middle of the parking lot, and it was still pouring. I could feel the rain punch right through my shirt and hers. It spattered all around us, a steady, monotonous noise. "Sometimes I cry because I don't see you anymore. When I call you it's not really because I need something, it's just to hear the sound of your voice. It sounds silly, I know. It's just... I've never felt this way about a man before, not like I feel about you. I'm sorry." "Don't be sorry... I didn't know." I let go of her and held her hands in mine. Her eyes were clear but pained, and she was biting her lip. She didn't want to cry in front of me, I could tell. She was using every last ounce of her strength not to. After a few seconds she spoke again. "You seemed to love your new job so much, I wasn't sure why. And when I didn't get to see you anymore I thought maybe you didn't want to be around me. Like I hadn't been good enough to you and you wanted to go." I paused, composing myself. Water ran down our faces as we stood there. I'd taken the promotion because I knew that Manny, Jack, Daph and the rest of the crew needed me in RRD. I hadn't thought it would affect her so much. "I love being around you. I care about you a lot. It's been busy these past few months, but I never felt any different about you because of it," I finally told her. I stopped. What could I say? I didn't know what I wanted. She just stood there, looking at me. "You've always been good to me. Whatever you want from me... I'll always be here for you. Always," I said, my voice steadying. I wanted her to feel better, but it was all I could do to keep down my own sense of fear about where this was all going. She hugged me again. "Thank you," was all she could say. "Let's get inside," I whispered. We stumbled the remaining distance to the doors and let ourselves in. Both of us were dripping water all over the place, but we didn't care. I half carried her into the elevator and punched the button for the 30th floor. It opened and we hauled ourselves in. The atmosphere of the moment seemed to make the ride take forever. She leaned against the wall, looking downwards. She was calm, but sniffling. I felt about as helpless as she looked. "It's obvious, isn't it?" she said quietly. "Pepper, let's not--" "I'm sorry I didn't talk to you about this when we were working together." "No, no, you don't need to apologize for anything." "It didn't seem right then to... well..." she trailed off. "I know." "I mean, I didn't really understand how I felt then, and what I wanted, and you..." She trailed off. I stopped and stared at her for a few seconds. I saw her shirt sticking to her body, her beautiful straight hair all wet and a bit matted like she'd just gotten out of the shower, and her eyes moist. She smelled of rainwater but just as strongly of her rosy perfume and her conditioner. A tear trickled down from her left eye, meeting the droplets of rainwater that clung to both of our faces. I had never seen her looking so disjointed and lost. It was killing me inside to see her like that. Somehow, though, in spite of all that, she was strong. It was in the lines of her face and in the gleam of her crying eyes, which burned not with grief but with life. Beneath the sundered exterior was the same Pepper I'd always knew—the one who loved life and loved her friends and family deeply. She gently took my hand and placed it on her chest, clasping it with both her hands. Everything was wet and cold, and yet somehow I felt the warmth of her body far more than the rain. I could feel her heart beating. Suddenly I felt the same longing that she did. There was something more to her, to us, than we already had. "Do you want this?" She wanted to share herself with me. And as I looked at those thin, anxiously pursed lips and those resolute, almost defiant gray eyes staring back at me, I knew that I could never say no. "Yeah," I said finally. It seemed almost anticlimactic after the unspoken exchange that had passed between us. Not for her though. She let go of me and seemed to swoon, and I caught her with a hand on her back, leaning over her to make sure she was all right. Her eyes refocused and looked up at me. She was smiling now. I could see the little wrinkles around her eyes as she realized that it was all coming together for her. She put her arms around my neck and pulled herself up, her soaked blouse rubbing against my equally wet shirt. Her hands on me felt hot and cold all at once. "Is this for real, or am I dreaming?" she whispered. "It's real," I whispered back, smiling a little. Finally, she closed her eyes and leaned forward a bit, and her moist lips grazed mine. My hand tensed on her back. I could feel the warmth of her soft skin through her cold damp clothes. She began to kiss me, nervously at first. Her pace quickened and she began to do it more frantically, her tongue flicking out of her mouth and into mine, searching for an opening. I obliged and she pulled me into a deep French kiss. Beads of rainwater slowly slid down our faces as she pulled one of her hands between us and started unbuttoning her blouse. After what seemed like an eternity, the doors opened. We practically ran from the elevator into her office. She quickly shut and locked the door, then turned around and pounced on me, forcing me down on the ground. I resisted instinctively, but as she kept pressing at me I gave in. It was her show. Her mouth pried at mine as she kissed me frantically, her tongue struggling to get past mine. I felt her hands begin to unbutton my soaked shirt. When she finished she pulled it off my arms and began to kiss her way slowly down my chest, making loud, wet smacking noises as she did so. When she reached my pants she began to unbuckle my belt. "Shouldn't we take it a bit more—" She raised her finger to her lips. "Shhhh..." I saw the lust, and the love, in her eyes. She wanted me, now. It dawned on me that I wanted her too. I had always repressed whatever subconscious sexual feelings I had towards her, but there was no going back now—not to the old friendship we had. We were both all in. And that was what she wanted. She pulled my pants and my boxers off in one swift stroke. I was still wet all over—the rain had gone through all our clothes. Her eyes went wide as she checked me out, and the lust in her eyes grew. Her eyes finally came to my half-hard dick. Looking back up at me, she stood up and walked forward a couple steps. From my vantage point, on my back on the floor of her office, she towered over me. I could see up her unbuttoned shirt. Her lacy wet camisole stuck tightly to her skin, and I could see the cups of her bra sticking through. I couldn't quite see up her skirt. She shrugged off the shirt and pulled the cami over her head, tossing them on the floor. Her bra was made of black satin. My mind was begging her to take it off but she saw that she'd done enough—I was getting hard, fast. She stepped out of her heels and got back down on her knees, giving me a nice view of her breasts. Her breasts were firm, just a tiny bit large for her petite frame. I could see them wobble ever so slightly in the cups of her bra. She was teasing me, the little brat. I was busy staring at her breasts when I suddenly felt engulfed by a wave of pleasure as she took my cock in her mouth, her lips gently sucking as they took the shaft in. She couldn't quite get all 8 inches down, but I didn't care. It felt amazing. I was glad I'd shaved the area clean, not expecting this to happen. Her wet hair brushed roughly against me as she sucked my cock, the cold sensation mixing with the incredible tingling heat of her mouth. She didn't really seem to know what she was doing, but it isn't that hard to get a blowjob right. I could feel her tongue under the head, and as I groaned out loud she began to suck harder. Every so often she would lift her eyes, peering up at me with my dick in her mouth as she observed my reactions. I was helpless before her, overwhelmed by her. It seemed like I was about to go over the edge and it was all I could do not to cum in her mouth. She sensed what was coming and drew my cock out in a long sucking motion. We both started gasping for air. She wiped off her lips and crawled back up me, kissing my neck and slowly working her way up until she was nibbling at my earlobe. I could feel her breath on my skin, all the more so from the rainwater that was still clinging to both of us. "Get up," she whispered. I obeyed and let her lead me over to the couch. She gave me another wet kiss on the lips and gently pushed me down into a sitting position. She stood in front of me, hesitated for an instant and then slowly began to undress herself. I started to question this too, then stopped. It was no use. She gave me a meaningful look and unzipped her skirt, then let it fall with a whoosh to the floor. With a quick gesture she stepped out of it, slightly closer to me. Her legs were beautiful; her lean thighs curved in ever so slightly at the top as they led up to her pussy, which was covered by a pair of black panties matching her bra. They were bikini skimpy, narrowing down to just a string tied in a bow as they crossed her hips. She caught me gawking at the sight of her and turned away, blushing but with a smile. Then, ever so slowly, she plucked at one of the knots. It seemed to take ages for the bow to come undone as her panties slowly loosened, then fell off her slim hips, revealing the most gorgeous pussy I'd ever seen. I wanted to say something to that effect, but was stopped by the sense of stillness in the air. The only thing in the room that was really moving was our bodies. She grabbed one of my hands and put my fingers between her legs. Her pussy was shaved clean and the lips felt smooth and slightly moist as I ran my fingers along them. I gently rubbed her clit. She let out a little moan and smiled with pleasure, reaching behind her back to unclasp her bra. As I massaged her slit, she pulled down the straps and let the bra slide off her arms onto the floor. Her breasts were high, firm and round, with little pink nipples. I had only had a little while to gaze at them when she straddled me, bending down to meet me in a kiss as her right hand reached down and grabbed my dick. I put my hands on her back and ran them across, my fingers caressing every undulation in her wiry, sensual back. The moisture seemed to make everything stick a little. She shivered. I realized then what was about to happen—before I had thought, in all honesty, that we were just fooling around, exploring each other after the night's revelations. Suddenly I knew that she was going to take it all the way, that Pepper was naked and sitting in my lap, that she wanted to have me right here, right now—and that there was nothing I would do or say to stop her. "I want you so bad," she whispered, staring me in the eyes. The soft, rosy scent of her body wafted toward me, drowning me in its sweetness. Her necklace and her watch, the only things she was still wearing, glittered in the dim light. "I've wanted you for years." "I'm all yours," I whispered back, amazed at the sight of her steaming hot pussy just inches, and seconds, away from my cock. "I'm going to make love to you... and I want to feel you come inside me," she whispered. I gazed up at her, entranced. She leaned back slightly, shifted her knees to spread her legs a bit more, and guided me inside her. As my cock slid inside her pussy, she sighed deeply and shuddered with pleasure. She was tight but wet, and I let her take me slowly, sliding an inch at a time until I was completely inside her. As the last length of my cock slid from view, she sighed happily and took my hands in hers. She seemed to pause consciously for a moment, as if to mark the occasion. Something was on her mind. I let her sit there in my lap, my dick filling her pussy completely. It felt amazing, making love to my friend at last—I won't lie, I'd had occasional fantasies about her. But this blew them all away. She looked at me and smiled wistfully, then put her hands on my shoulders and ran them down my chest, then grabbed mine and put them on her hips. Picked by a Pepper No sooner did I have my hands on that smooth skin than I felt her move, slowly rocking her hips back and forward on me, grinding my cock inside her. She put one hand back on my shoulder and one on the back of my head, bending back down and pulling me into a feverish kiss as if her life depended on it. Thanks to the rain, her hands and my skin were cold to the touch, yet they seemed to slowly heat up as they came together. Her jaw worked up and down in rhythm with mine, her tongue reaching into my mouth with a renewed energy. "Mmmmmm..." she hummed, as she began to ride me in earnest, sliding me almost out of her and then slamming back down, filling her snatch with my hard cock. Her mouth and tongue pushed my head deeper into the cushions of the couch, her lips mashing tightly against mine as she fucked me with all her strength, her tight little body crashing down on mine with a slapping sound on every stroke. She was going at a nice, fast pace up and down, and it was all I could do to keep from blowing my load inside her right then. After a minute she broke the kiss, her tongue lingering against mine as if trying to stay inside my mouth, and leaned back, gasping for air. I put my hands on her sides, caressing the smooth skin, then took her left breast in my mouth, sucking gently on the nipple. With a sigh she ran her fingers through my hair, digging them into my head and scratching gently as she filled her sopping wet pussy with my hard cock. As the pleasure built up inside her she arched her back and moaned as I slid in and out of her sopping wet pussy. I could feel her shaking against me as periodic spasms came over her. Suddenly she began to breathe more heavily, grabbing my shoulders and pushing me backwards. She pushed down hard, trying to take in as much of me as possible, rubbing her clit against my pelvis. Her little sighs quickened as she pushed herself furiously toward her orgasm. Her perky breasts bounced ever so slightly each time her hips crashed against mine. I looked up into her eyes, and she smiled down at me, through wet wisps of dirty blonde hair which bobbed in front of her face as she rode me. Her pearly white teeth shone through her wide, loving grin, and her eyes burned bright with a joyful passion. As her grin faded to a dreamy smile, she slowed her thrusts for an instant, quickly pushed aside the tangle of hair in her face with her right hand, grabbed my shoulder again and began to fuck me with renewed energy, letting her mouth open as she breathed in and out rapidly. Her moans intensified, and I could tell by the flushed color of her face that she was about to cum. She threw her head back, tossing her hair as I put my hands on her ass and helped her push me ever deeper inside her. As she grew closer to coming she started rocking her hips on my cock again, not letting it out of her even for a moment. Soon I could feel her pussy tighten on me as she squeezed herself around my cock. I thrust back up at her and heard her scream with pleasure, caught in the throes of a long, hard orgasm. My sensation of her moans was interrupted as my cock erupted inside her, pumping a load of warm sticky cum deep inside her. Even as she came she kept bouncing on me, every stroke prolonging our orgasms. She was shaking, unable to control herself as waves of pleasure overtook her. I thrust back into her, shooting more cum into her wet pussy. She collapsed in my arms, her head resting over my shoulder on the couch. Her hips were still slowly, absent-mindedly rocking, sliding my dick against the cum-soaked walls of her box, milking me for the last drops of semen. "Oh, Pepper..." I whispered as my cock finally stopped pumping sperm into her. I squeezed her ass gently. "Ohmygod... ohh..." she said, breathing hard as her orgasm subsided. Her breasts were pressed against my chest, our bodies both covered in rain and sweat. The dusky scent of sex hung heavy in the air; we both seemed to be exhaling it, basking in the afterglow of our orgasms. Her hands were on my arms, clinging gently as if to keep me close. We sat like this for what felt like an hour, feeling the rapid beat of each others' hearts and the heaving of our chests as our lungs struggled to catch up with the exertion of our lovemaking. Both of us were practically gulping for air. Suddenly she was back in my face, her hands cupping my cheeks as she kissed me, rapid pecks followed by tender kisses on the lips. Her eyes stared into mine, searching my soul for some answer to a question I didn't know. But I could tell that she knew, and as I gazed into her eyes I knew that I could never settle for anyone else. "I love you," she whispered quietly, her eyes gleaming in the low light. "I love you too," I said, still in awe of this gorgeous creature in my lap. Her afterglow look was amazing. The immaculate lady I knew had turned into a disheveled sex goddess, yet she was still the same sweet, clean woman I remembered. She'd always given me the kindness of her heart, and now I had the gift of knowing her body too. Her tousled hair and naked body seemed to glow in the warm light of the night skyline as she sighed lovingly at my reply. Then she turned to look in the same direction as me, saw the glowing city stretched before us out the windows, and she was laughing—we hadn't even drawn the curtains, and the entire world could have seen us stripping our clothes off and fucking each other silly on her couch. I don't think anyone really saw us. All the nearby buildings were lit but empty at this hour, she'd had the lights dim since we left for dinner, and we were too high up to be seen from the street. Still, the thought amused us and as she turned back to me with that huge grin on her face she shook her head. "Oh, we are so bad," she said, nuzzling me. "I think I like it when you're bad, Pepper." "Do you now?" she asked, sliding her pussy luxuriantly along my slowly-softening dick. I groaned. She smiled in satisfaction and tossed her hair, putting it a bit back into line. "I never knew you had it in you—to be a bad girl." "Always the nice one, always just a friend..." she echoed, smiling wistfully. "Yeah." "I've had a little crush on you for a long time. And I didn't want to go through life being all proper like I was your sister or something. I wanted you. I wanted to hold you, make love to you, stay with you." She was leaning in close, her voice a bit above a whisper, but only a bit. "I never guessed. Honest." She really was full of surprises. "You... must be wondering why I didn't come to you before, while we were still working together." "You were my boss then. I don't blame you." "It had to wait, but not because of that. I wanted to wait for the right man. And... I didn't know if you were that man. I didn't know until that moment, just now, in the parking lot. When you came out to me in the pouring rain and held me... that was when I knew." "Oh, Pepper..." I said, taken by her words. She was gently scratching my sides with her long, painted nails. It tickled. "I... didn't think I would want to do this right away. But I needed it." "Did it hurt?" I asked. She laughed. "No, no. Feeling you kiss me in the elevator had me so wet." "Wow." "I've waited so long for this, it was all I could do not to throw you down on one of the chairs in reception," she said, referring to the accounting desk right outside the elevators on the 30th floor. There are some really cushy chairs there, all right. "That wouldn't have been such a good idea," I said, remembering the security cameras in that room. "Probably not," she said languidly. Still leaving my cock buried deep inside her, she snuggled up to me and put her head back on my shoulder. We rested for a while, the contented sighs of our breathing coming in unison, breaking the otherwise total silence in the room. Occasionally she would bring her head back up and give me a long, wet kiss, her hands running across my arms, stroking my biceps. "Can you believe this?" she asked. "What part of it?" "I'm naked... I'm sitting in your lap, in my office. And I just had the most amazing sex, with you." I blinked and she laughed, bringing her head down to nibble at my neck. "I'm just thinking aloud, hon. Isn't it amazing?" "Yeah," I said reverently, not knowing the words to match the occasion. After about another half an hour of cuddling and sweet nothings she spoke, her mouth forming a mischievous smile. "Don't you have stuff in your office?" "Oh, shoot," I said. She was just reminding me; there's a few confidential documents in my office that I have to take with me at the end of the day. I'm not supposed to leave them there overnight. "Tsk, tsk... breach of security." "Screw you!" I said, grinning. It was an occasional inside joke from the old days—I would always say that when she was teasing me for doing anything bad. "Yes, yes you did," she said, stroking my cheek and smiling. "If that's your excuse, well, it's good enough for me." Incredulous, I half gasped, half laughed. I won't lie, the obvious double meaning in this context hadn't occurred to me. I wasn't really that kind of person--the sexual side of her, and of myself, was something I'd need a bit of getting used to after such a long friendship. "I'll let you get to that... but you better come back, you hear?" she said, slowly sliding off me. Her wet pussy juices were all over my cock, but I didn't mind. She let me get dressed and pushed me out the door. "Hurry up," she said, laughing. I quickly went down to my floor and stuffed the papers on my desk into my briefcase. I was still a little weak-kneed from the sex and I staggered back to her office a bit slowly. As I opened the door I was greeted with a surprise. She was sitting on her desk, her legs crossed primly. She'd put back on her open heels, which clung loosely to her feet as they swayed slightly in the air. She was still naked except for her white blouse, which she had put back on but left unbuttoned. The collar, set loose by the lack of buttoning, poked out at rakish angles, complementing her amazing face. I could see her chest rise and fall as she breathed, still aroused by her orgasm. Her cheeks were flushed, and although most of the rainwater on us had dissipated, she still had that "wet" look about her. She was idly flipping through a magazine and as I came in she looked up. "Ten minutes... a little slow," she remarked, peering at me over her glasses. I didn't really know what she was playing at so I just grinned sheepishly. "I could barely walk after what you did to me," I said. Her face lit up like the Fourth of July and she laughed, the skin around her eyes wrinkling in the most delightful way to match the huge smile on her face. Tossing the magazine aside, she leaned back on her desk, gazing dreamily at me. Her little bony hands, their slimness accentuated by her undone cuffs, propped her up on the desk as she looked me over. I could hear her drumming her long fingers against the desk, her painted fingernails making a soft series of clicks as they touched the wood. Her posture pulled back the fabric of her blouse, revealing her chest and the luscious curves of her breasts until just before showing her nipples. It was all I could do to stop myself from grabbing her right there; if the business world had a goddess of sex, she was sitting right in front of me. "You're going to have to bear the consequences of showing up late," she said. "Like what?" "Well... for starters, I want you to eat my pussy." "You don't even know the word pussy," I teased, amazed she'd actually said "pussy." Seriously, this girl was tripping me out. In a good way. She laughed again. "Listen hon, I've always acted all innocent up until this evening, but I'm getting dirty for the man in my life, now that I've found him. So don't be surprised anymore. Learn to love it," she said. She spread her legs wide, locking her heels on the armrests of the two chairs in front of her desk. The space left plenty of room for me, though, and it sure did look inviting. Her shaved pussy was still red and puffy. "Now, those clothes you have on, they just aren't appropriate for this occasion..." she said, grinning. I dropped my briefcase and coat and walked up to her, putting my hands on her bare sides and feeling her soft, creamy skin. I could get used to that. "If you want something done--" "Do it myself?" She grabbed me by the shirt, her fingers reaching to unbutton it as her head came up to meet mine in a soft kiss. I closed my eyes and she slid the shirt off my shoulders and got to work on my pants. Again, she spared nothing, pulling my pants and boxers down together. "You really can't take that part slow, can you," I whispered into her ear. "Maybe it's just the novelty of the whole thing," she whispered back, putting her hands on my cock and laying the other on my chest. "God, you're hard as nails." "Maybe it's just the novelty of the whole thing," I mimicked. She giggled. "Of us together, making love..." she crooned, smiling happily up at me. "We'd better get used to that too huh?" "Yeah. I think it might take a while for that to happen." "Me too. Now... I'm sooo wet, can't you help a lady out?" I laughed and bent down, kissing her on the neck and using my mouth to play with her necklace a bit before putting my hands on her breasts and gently pushing aside her blouse a little bit to get at her nipples. I slowly flicked my tongue out and ran it along the areolas, sucking gently as I reached the middle. Then I slowly got on my knees, kissing my way from her narrow cleavage down her tummy and then down between her legs. She wasn't kidding about how wet she was, and as I ran my tongue around her pussy lips I could feel the sticky juices all over. All the stories I'd heard about bad-tasting pussy weren't true for her—her package was clean as can be and her juices, while not exactly ambrosia, tasted a little bland but sweet. I loved it. It felt good to eat her out—I'd dreamt of that too, but the real thing blew away all my wildest fantasies. I wasn't entirely sure what she wanted, but intuition has its way of guiding us in eating a girl out. I licked her pussy from top to bottom and then started to work my way towards her clit, teasing the luscious folds of flesh with my tongue as I neared it. She squirmed and put a hand on the back of my head, trying to push me deeper. I began to suck gently on her clit and as I looked up past her flat tummy and luscious breasts I could see her looking down at me, her mouth half open as she sighed with pleasure. I kept going at her for a few minutes, slowing down whenever I sensed she was about to cum. "Ugh, you just won't finish it, I know you're doing it on purpose," she groused, her words punctuated by groans as I nibbled away, toying with her clit. "Maybe I am," I said, lifting my head and smiling at her. "That's it... you're in trouble now," she moaned. "Oh yeah?" "Yeah... I'll only let you off the hook if you make love to me again," she said, grinning daringly at me. "Oh, god," I said. We were still a bit short of breath from the first time. "Come on, man up. Got to give your little lady what she wants," she chided playfully. "What does she want?" I asked. "She just told you," she said, smiling. "She'll have to be more specific," I pressed, daring her. I loved exploring her dirty side, hearing this woman tell me her desires. "She wants you... to lay her out on her desk, put your dick in her pussy and fuck her brains out," she said, giggling a little self-consciously. "Well, that's quite the demand she's making, but I guess I'll do it for her this one time." She grinned and lay fully back on the desk, pulling her shirt back to keep her breasts exposed. I stood up and bent over her, letting her guide my quivering cock back inside her with her hand. She exhaled deeply as I penetrated the soft folds of her pussy and enmeshed myself in her. I grabbed her thighs and began pumping her. "Oh, wow," she gasped. She was soaking wet inside and I felt little friction as I fucked her quickly, trying to fulfill her wish. Her arms bent backward as she gripped the edge of the desk behind us. Her head and breasts shifted a little with every stroke. She seemed to be relishing the sight of my hips colliding with hers, pushing my cock fully into her pussy with a satisfying smack. "You have no idea how hot you look right now," she whispered, reaching out a hand to touch my side. I don't really know what women like about guys' torsos and muscles, but apparently I had enough of what she wanted. "Are you kidding me? You should see yourself," I said, standing up on my toes and bending over to kiss her as I humped her pussy even harder. She kissed me back, her hands on my head again, then gently scratching at my back. With one hand she slapped my ass, egging me on. I laughed and gave her an extra hard stroke for it. Then she gently pushed me back into a standing position and lay back again, letting me take the lead. I sped up my strokes, my dick becoming almost a blur as it slammed in and out of her. Her pussy was fully red and engorged and I could tell she was about to cum. Her moans of pleasure seemed to interrupt each other. "Take me on the floor," she said. "I want to look in your eyes when I cum." I put my arms around Pepper and gently picked her up, then knelt down and laid her on the floor of her office. Her body sank a little into the plush peach-colored carpet. I began to slowly push in and out again. She pulled me into the missionary position, wrapping her little hands around my head and kissing me on the lips as I continued to pound her pussy. I could feel her hard nipples graze my chest as I fucked her, slowing down to a gentle, sensuous pace, letting her savor every inch of me. Her thighs wrapped around my pelvis as she locked her legs with mine, pulling me deeper inside her. The thin leather straps of her open heels scraped gently against my skin. "Oh, fuck me, oh shit, I'm going to—ohh..." she sputtered as I sped up my strokes, pushing her into her second orgasm. Her body stiffened abruptly as her hands dropped to my shoulders, the soft fabric of her blouse sleeves rubbing against the muscles of my bare arms. She was moaning out loud, bucking her hips back against me. Suddenly I felt a surge in my body and I knew I was going to cum too. With a groan I thrust deep into her and my cock began to spurt more of my hot cum into Pepper. She seemed to get off further on my orgasm, arching her back and thrusting her hips up against me. I continued to fuck her, filling her with my seed. Her eyes were the only part of her body that stayed perfectly still. They stared straight into mine. It wasn't just sex. It really felt like we were sharing a deeper connection than we ever had before through what we were doing. Our moans grew fainter and as we came down from our orgasms she exhaled, blowing a stream of air into my face. We were both sweating from the exertion so I felt a nice chill from the air rushing past. I kissed her on the lips, rocking my hips with my dick still inside her. Her head was slightly tilted as she smiled, breathing heavily and swallowing rapidly. I could feel her chest heaving under me, her lungs grasping for air to fuel her pounding heart. "Wow... that was amazing," she said. I just stared at her. It was the most amazing thing ever. We lay there for a few minutes, savoring the feeling of my cock inside her warm pussy and looking at each other. Then she looked around and laughed. "I remember the first time I came up to see my office, right after we got hired," she said. "Oh, what about?" Picked by a Pepper "It was so... formal. From whoever was in it before. Like some East Coast college president's office. I could never imagine having sex with you in there. Had to change everything." "You mean..." "Oh yeah. I've fantasized for a looong time about doing this, even if I never wanted to try until tonight," she cooed, putting her hands on my back and massaging me. "You're silly," I said, kissing the tip of her nose. "I'm exhausted, is what I am," she said, winking at me. "Wonder why." "No idea," she said, staring dreamily up at me. I reluctantly pulled out of her. We both exhaled as I did, and I instantly missed the feeling of being inside her. As we stood she put her arms around me again, pressing her naked body against mine. "I really don't want to go home right now," she said, smiling. "Me neither," I said, touching my forehead against hers and looking at her. "Want to spend the night at my place?" she asked. "Sure, why not," I said. Her condo was a fair bit nicer than mine, if only because it benefited from a woman's touch. "Lovely," she said, her hand coming down my back. "Well, we'd better get dressed then." "Shame, isn't it?" she said with a grin. "I know it," I replied, feigning sadness. "I'm going to need a shower when we get there... you can tag along." "An offer I can't refuse." We got dressed with some reluctance, took our things and left her office. As we stepped into the elevator I looked at her again. She'd been naked, pinned with her legs spread under me on the floor of her office begging me to make her cum just 15 minutes ago. It had been mind blowing, yet somehow, looking at her, I didn't need to see that side again just yet. She was beautiful the way she was now too. My little lady. She was leaning to one side against the wall of the elevator in a way that made her skirt cling to her leg on one side and kick out on the other. Her purse was hooked on her left arm by her bent elbow, and her disheveled hair was brought (mostly) back into order by a hurried combing. She'd put on her little black fur-trimmed coat and her leather gloves, and her right hand cradled a long umbrella. I could hear her heels clicking on the floor as she hummed "La Vie en Rose" absent-mindedly, staring at the ceiling. She noticed me staring at her and beamed at me, her pearly teeth radiant and her cheeks still a bit flushed. Our long years of friendship had prepared us for this day. The sex had been good on its own, but what had made it truly amazing was that it wasn't just any girl I was making love to, it was the love of my life. I knew Pepper's quirks; her likes and dislikes, her hopes and fears, and now, every inch of her gorgeous body. I walked over to her and put my hands on her sides, sliding them a bit under her blouse to feel the soft skin of her tummy. She smiled, leaned forward and brought her lips to mine for one more loving kiss. As the elevator doors opened, I looked into her eyes and finally felt the same certainty that had come to her in the parking lot: We were made for each other.