The Pandora Affair Read online

  “It made me nervous when I could not get a hold of you. I have never been unable to get a hold of you and I was…well I was bothered…I’m sorry that I saw you …well that I saw you…” “Naked?” she offered. “Yes…yes I suppose that would be the correct term…yes…naked.” James avoided direct eye contact while he was attempting to repair her door. “Oh…Hell…can you call someone to fix this?” He knew he could fix the door he was just overly frustrated, that’s what it was.

  This was something new, seeing him like this. She almost felt a flare between them. She wanted him to grab her tightly and take her in his arms so bad she could taste it. She felt a tingle throughout her body and she quivered slightly. What on earth was stopping her from walking over and just allowing herself this pleasure that she so much desired. She could feel herself becoming aroused. He was right there and he saw her naked. Say something you nitwit. Tell him how much you want him. Tell him NOW! Her own thoughts yelling at her made her jump.

  “Why don’t I call maintenance?” Samantha said as she already started dialing the newly hired technician for the apartments. “How about we wait for him to come, and we go to Pandora’s together, we still have to talk about work stuff…you know…stuff that is work,” he babbled, trying to make sense of what he just said.

  She nodded while talking to the maintenance guy on the phone. He was there within a matter of minutes. He lived in the building, on the top floor so it was easy for him to be able to fix anything at all hours. He looked at the door; he said he could do a quick repair but she would need a new door, and he insisted on changing her locks. He told her he would bring the new door up as soon he came across one.

  Baby startled her; her intensely quiet bark and her running back and forth was not normal. She backed away from the guy and took off running to the bedroom. “I am so sorry; she never does that to anyone,” she tried to explain apologetically. “It probably senses that I hate little dogs, I have a big dog,” the maintenance guy said gruffly without hesitation. Samantha made a disapproving face, surprised that he would say something like that to a tenant who owned a small dog. He handed her the keys to the new lock, collected the old ones and left. Not once did he acknowledge James, which really infuriated him; especially when he kept noticing the guy staring at Samantha.

  “Would you like a drink James?” she offered, sensing his irritation. Perceiving his half nod as a yes, she fixed him some iced tea. He followed her into the kitchen, watching her every move. She turned quickly, her hair catching the corner of her mouth. She looked beautiful, her body was like a wonderland and he was the kid who wanted to explore it. He wanted her so bad he could feel her; he wanted to consume every inch of her. She handed him his drink. He raised his hand gently, removing her hair from the corner of her mouth. He grazed his finger gently across her face. He expected her to flinch, but was pleasantly surprised when she didn’t. Trust seemed to be developing and he was keenly aware of the change. His lips itched to press against hers. He needed to put as much distance between them as possible, sooner rather than later.

  “On second thought, why don’t we skip tonight and we can do it tomorrow night, I forgot how much I have to do tonight!” Setting his tea down, he cursed himself under his breath for coming up with the most unbelievable excuse ever. He never had that much to do. That’s why he had Samantha. He left without a goodbye. He sped home to his beach house and took an extra long shower. He could not help but pleasure himself as his thoughts of her aroused him. If he didn’t, the sexual tension between them would cause problems for sure. He knew she did not feel the same way as he did towards her.

  Samantha was relieved not to have to work; she was physically and mentally exhausted, but she could not imagine how she fell asleep in the tub. Her mother told her dozens of times that people drown in bathtubs if they fall asleep. She went through the steps leading to the bath, not once did she remember her dog joining her. She walked back to the bathroom still wondering about her possessed door. She started to straighten up her bathroom and she noticed her sponge was neatly hanging from her bathtub faucet. She leaned over the tub and took hold of the sponge. She didn’t remember picking it up, let alone hanging it on the faucet; she normally used the bath basket. I must be going insane, she thought to herself. No way to blame this one on the dog.

  A million things tromped through her mind, restlessly tossing and turning in her oversized bed. I am never going to get any sleep until I talk to Tyler about James. Could this day get any worse? Would James see me differently now? My name is James Kennedy and this is my assistant and she looks GREAT naked. She glanced over at her calendar. “Thursday already!” she said to her dog. She picked up her black cordless phone and dialed Ty. He needed to know of her dilemma and she definitely needed some of his advice.

  “Butt naked?” Tyler asked inquisitively. “What other kind of naked is there, Ty??” she answered. “Well, did you cover yourself up you little tramp?” She had to think about that one. What did she do? Did she cover up right away or was she indeed giving a peep show to the man who paid her bills? “I am sure I covered myself right away, he turned around anyway!” she retorted. “You called me for my opinion, did you not?” “Yes,” she said with a sigh. “Indulge in that man, if not you, someone else will. It’s not like the chemistry isn’t there, from what you’re telling me you could cut the sexual tension with a dull knife. If you don’t want him girl, hell…I do!” he offered. “You’re not his type, Tyler!” She laughed. “Honey, I am gay…I am fabulous and I am one of the top PR reps in the city! I am everybody’s type. I would eat that man alive! Now go to bed, I have dreaming to do. I will talk to you tomorrow night and don’t be late!” She hung up the receiver. Turning on her side, she watched the alarm clock for another thirty minutes while she thought about James. Was Ty right? She was definitely attracted to him, but how did he feel? She could not just walk up behind him and say Hey! I am attracted to you, would you like to have sex? Or could she? It didn’t matter anyway, tomorrow night she was going to Club Keys where there would be plenty of men to go around. She was able to doze off knowing that she would need her rest for tomorrow night.

  Chapter 8

  The following morning she slid out of bed and went straight to her closet. She slipped on a pair of blue hip huggers and a white midriff ruffled top, matching up the outfit with a pair of sporty tennis shoes. She put her hair up as she swished some extra potent mouthwash around in her mouth making sure she was presentable enough for the man who saw her naked just the night before. She headed over to the restaurant for a dreaded conversation with James.

  James was over in his regular booth reading the morning paper. She strolled up to the table. He was still engrossed in the paper, but he knew she was there. He knew the second she walked into the restaurant. It was a gift and a curse at the same time. She stood there for a moment and looked over at them sitting there, took a deep breath and proceeded to the table. “Good morning!” Samantha said as she made herself comfortable next to Roger, who was eating his daily high cholesterol breakfast. She took a piece of his perfect looking bacon, “Hello,” James said as he lowered his paper, folding it up and putting it to the side. “I know I am supposed to meet you for dinner tonight, but I was wondering if we could postpone it for a later time tonight. Ty invited me to go to Club Keys…and I got this fabulous new dress. I’ve been waiting to get into that club since it opened.” She felt as though she was asking her father’s permission.

  He did his normal routine of cocking his eyebrow. “How much later?” He gave Roger a quick look and then focused back to her. “Well I know you will still be here by close. I promise I will be here by last call…or shortly after,” she said, taking another piece of Roger’s bacon. “Shortly after? What’s shortly after? Is it tomorrow? Sometime around noon? Are you going to come strolling in here more hung over than a vampire leaving the all night blood bank?” His smile broadened expecting an answer. “Ok…. ewwww, I’m eating here!” Samantha sat there staring
at him; she quit chewing her food at the mention of blood. Roger on the other hand was not fazed at all, he could eat through anything. Samantha managed to somehow finish her mouthful of bacon. “I knew you would understand!” Helping herself to a drink of Roger’s orange juice, she tried hard to ignore James’s sarcasm.

  She stood leaning over the table invading Roger’s territorial bubble with her bottom. He didn’t seem to mind one bit, in fact he sat back momentarily to enjoy the scenery. She ran her tongue over her top lip savoring the remaining taste of the fresh juice. Bending over a little more she planted a firm kiss on James’s unsuspecting mouth, persevering her lips to his a moment longer then she should have, ending it with a love bite on his lower lip. She edged slightly closer to James and quietly whispered in his ear, “If I were a vampire, I would suck you dry first….”

  She scooted from the booth and left. She knew she had stepped onto forbidden ground by the benevolent kiss on the lips. She had not premeditated the momentary lip action or the extreme flirting and he definitely was not expecting it. James waited in silence for her to leave, his eyes wide. His shock was revealed by the priceless expression on his face, which quickly faded as he glimpsed over at Roger who was shaking his head “Like a vampire leaving the all night blood bank?” “Not another damn word!” he said picking up his paper again. “Get back to work!” he ordered the employees that stopped to witness her deviant action. He didn’t even look up; he could feel the stares and smiles. And god only knows what rumors would start. He went back to reading his morning paper, licking the sweet taste of juice from his lips behind it.

  Samantha went to the day spa about ten minutes from her house to get fully pampered for her night ahead. She had her nails manicured and polished and a full pedicure. She got a total leg wax, underarm wax, bikini wax and a facial. The whole time she was thinking about the impression she left with her boss, not to mention the rest of the staff who stared at her in disbelief. She wondered if she had crossed the line with him. What right did she have to tug on his emotions after her big fit about how he was coming on too strong? Hopefully he forgot about it, most likely he didn’t. The man had the memory of an elephant.

  She made it home in time to watch her favorite old sitcoms and get ready for her night out with Ty. As she was walking to her door, she saw the maintenance man coming from her apartment. She cautiously watched him from around the corner. She was relieved when she saw him pick up her old door and walk away. He was good looking, standing about 6’0 with brown hair and blue eyes. From what she saw he had a great body, but he gave her an intimidating feeling that she had not felt in a long time, and that she was ready to forget. She hurried into her apartment and he had left a little note for her letting her know he oiled the entire apartment’s door hinges because he noticed that the front door creaked when it opened. He figured he would do them all to save him from another trip. She thought that was plain creepy. Why would he care if her doors creaked or not?

  She hit the button to the answering machine, and turned up the volume so she could hear it as she headed to her bedroom. As she threw her purse on the bed, a message from Ty played reminding her to meet him at nine at Club Keys. She made a mental note of his message as she stripped down, throwing her clothes on the bed. She needed to get in a quick shower before she got dressed up. She closed the bathroom door and jumped in the tub taking a quick five minute shower. She grabbed the towel lying on her bathroom sink and wrapped up her hair and slipped on her robe. She towel dried her hair and applied the appropriate hair care products for the night and did a quick style with her blow dryer.

  She applied some earth tone colors to her face, always preferring a natural look. She lined her lips perfectly with a red-based bronze and applied a thin layer of gloss. She put a quick coat of black lash defining mascara that made her already long lashes even more incredible. She applied several light sprays of her favorite perfume oil. She walked back through her closet and grabbed her new dress and laid it on the bed. Going through her underwear drawer she picked out a sexy black g-string. No panty lines tonight she thought to herself.

  She glanced over at the bed and Baby had made herself comfortable right on her new dress. She raised her eyebrow as she turned over on her back and stretched out. She pulled the dress out from underneath her and she did not budge. You lazy dog she said to herself. Good thing the plastic was still on or she would have been picking off tan hairs all night

  She decided against wearing stockings and slipped on her dress, letting it glide down her slinky body. Now for the finishing touch, her black heels. She took a long look in her full body mirror behind her bedroom door. The dress made her look erotically amazing; it complimented her large breasts and hugged her in all the right places. Wow, and James will miss seeing me in this, or will he? Maybe she would just show up a little earlier than she told him and see what he thought of this dress she thought to herself with an evil little smirk.

  Chapter 9

  Right at nine she was in front of the club searching for Ty. She spotted him in the front waving to her. “Oh my god honey, if you don’t catch a man tonight, no man is worthy! No bra! You little slut puppy, you!” Tyler commented. She laughed it off as they went inside. It was exactly as Ty described; faux palm trees, basically the same layout as a white-sanded beach. There was a bar floating in a pool of water and the bartenders were wearing actual Speedo’s in the water. She could just imagine the owner’s water bill. The dance floor was amazing. There were live tropical fish below the dance floor surface.

  The club was packed to capacity. She grabbed Ty’s hand and immediately headed for the dance floor. Ty was a great dancer, they had perfect rhythm together. She was letting her body flow with the beat; the music became a part of them. She was well aware of the many men around were ogling her, and she loved it. “Mind if I cut in?” a deep voice asked. “Not at all, I have to go find the owner anyway!” Ty chimed in with a loud voice before Samantha could respond, trying to talk over the music. Samantha turned around to see who it was and a weak smile came to her lips, and a slight falter in her breathing. Her creepy, good-looking, small- dog- hating maintenance man stood before her, with nowhere for her to hide. On the other hand, he looked so much better out of his grubby work clothes, yet she was still incredibly uncomfortable.

  He pulled her close for a slow dance. He had the most amazing green eyes. Several dances flew by before he asked her if she wanted a drink. Agreeing, he found a table and waited for the server. “We have not been formally introduced, I’m Alex Thompson.” He offered her his hand. “Samantha” she said as she took his hand for a quick shake. They talked for a good while. He told her he just moved out here after his father died, and just accepted the job as the maintenance man last week. The benefits included free room and board plus a healthy salary. Alex grew impatient waiting for the server. He asked what she would like to drink and he would head up to the bar. She watched him make his way to the bartender; they shared a laugh as he fixed the drinks. Alex returned a few minutes later with her tequila sunrise and a Long Island iced tea for himself.

  Thoughts of James played around in her head and of how much he likes tea. What am I doing? I am with another man doing James associations! Alex likes tea so does James! If James jumped off a bridge would Alex jump too? She was yelling at herself on the inside while giving him a warm smile. You’ve got serious issues Samantha, pull yourself together! She could not pin point the proverbial sensation Alex gave her, no matter how hard she tried she could not shake it. She did a quick search for Ty and saw him talking to an older man of maybe sixty or so, she figured he was probably the owner. He glanced over to meet her eyes and gave a quick wave and a thumbs up on the guy she was with. She rolled her eyes and chuckled deciding to give Alex a chance for some minor conversation, hoping he would just lose interest.

  Samantha and Alex went through several drinks and surprisingly, still were going strong on the conversation. She had a feeling he was about to ask her something tha
t may have needed an immediate answer and really would put her in an uncomfortable position. She wanted to avoid any kind of relationships other than the one she wanted with James. It was apparent how she felt. It became more than obvious when all she could think about was James while she was with Alex. She took a glance at her watch. “Alex, I had a great time talking to you but I have to meet my boss shortly, so I better get going. I need to catch a cab,” she said. “Let me at least walk you out,” he offered. She faltered, hoping he was ready to say goodnight right there. Her mind raced quickly for something to say.

  “I do need to find my friend and let him know I am leaving. He always insists he knows when I am leaving; to make sure I got there safely.” Samantha had no idea where that whopper of a lie came into play. She just was more comfortable now that Alex was aware Tyler knew she was going to leave. “I will be right back, I am going to find him and let him know.” Alex watched her find Tyler and talk with him briefly. Tyler looked past Samantha at Alex who in return held up his hand and smiled at Tyler, whispering something under his breath. He waited patiently for Samantha to return. “Ok, he knows you’re going to walk me out, let’s go!” Samantha was anxious to get away from him, the longer she was around him, the more uneasy she became. Outside, Alex hailed down a cab for her and opened the door.