Time for a Change Read online

  Much later she’d awoken from her nap at home and was stretched out on her sofa nursing her sore foot and aching butt, when the intercom buzzed.

  “Hello?”

  “Sally?” It was a man.

  “Yes?”

  “It’s me, Tony. May I come up for a moment please?”

  He sounded so sweet. So polite and contrite that she couldn’t resist. She wasn’t necessarily interested in what he had to say, she just wanted to look at him again. She’d regretted dashing off and leaving him standing there, but he did kind of deserve it. Sally opened the main door and unlatched her front door to let him in and went back to find her comfortable spot on the couch.

  When Tony nudged the door open with his foot, Sally was taken aback to see his arms full of stuff. “What the hell…?” she started saying, then got up to help him put things down. There was a bag of what looked like groceries. Another paper bag seemed to contain takeout food. An expensive-looking bunch of flowers that had clearly not been picked up at the supermarket was laid on the kitchen counter. Finally, he handed her a small brown packet with a pharmacy name on.

  “You forgot to collect this when you left. Pain pills and an antibiotic I suppose. I imagine you must be ready for the pain pills by now.” He’d left his jacket somewhere and now loosened the knot on his tie.

  She gratefully accepted the packet and quickly swallowed her pills. “And the rest?” she asked, gesturing to the stuff all over her counter. He’d started unpacking the groceries and seemed unsure of where to put them.

  “The flowers are an apology. I’m sorry. I kissed you and I shouldn’t have. I took advantage of you in your moment of weakness.”

  “Apology accepted,” she smiled at him. They really were beautiful flowers. She reached under the counter for a vase and filled it with water. “And?” There was still the matter of the food items littering her previously uncluttered counter.

  “I figured you wouldn’t be up to getting off to the shops or cooking. Obviously I don’t know whether you have or need any of this, but I brought it just in case.”

  There was everything from milk and croissants to tissues and sticking plasters.

  “A little bit over the top, but thank you. I wouldn’t have gone to the shop and now I can make you coffee. Let me know how much I owe you please.”

  Ignoring that, he ushered her back to the couch and lowered her onto it. “I’ll make the coffee, just tell me where the cups are.”

  Sitting next to her with his mug in his hand, Tony turned to face her, putting one arm along the back of her suede couch. She’d never be able to sit on this couch again without thinking of him. “I want to tell you something Tony.” He nodded for her to continue. “Today isn’t the first time I’ve encountered an… accident. Let’s call it an accident. It’s not the first time I’ve needed to get to a doctor. I appreciate your concern, and as much as it irks me, I won’t be suing the company, or you, for any kind of compensation. I have insurance, and it’s all covered.”

  Tony was nodding thoughtfully. “You aren’t on the company insurance?”

  “No.” She laughed. “Too expensive for the peasants. Most of us have our own. There are a couple of staff in the center that have opted to go without coverage. Besides, with the salaries we get paid, we need every cent with no deductions.” She sat up straighter. “You know all this right?”

  “I do know,” he smiled at her. “Now I’ll tell you something, and please keep it to yourself. I was there today to let Andrea know we’re doing a full audit of that department. She wasn’t happy. In my experience, the only time people aren’t happy with an audit, is when they are scared of what my team will find. In the couple of years she’s been running it, that department has gone from making money, to losing it hand over fist.” He stared at her foot thoughtfully. “Let’s eat”

  Over reheated Thai food they spoke. He voiced his concerns about the department and Sally gave him the general opinion from the staff, after asking him to make sure it was all kept confidential. She didn’t want any of them turning on her for speaking out of turn.

  Andrea seemed to be skimming money for her own gain, pocketing money that had been allocated for training, staff welfare, and refurbishing various items in the call center. All Tony needed was some more proof and his team would easily find it in the coming week.

  “Now, about this morning and that injury of yours.” His voice was firm. “I didn’t take care of you out of concern for the company. I did it because I was worried about you. There was no first aid kit on site, another violation, and I wanted to be sure that it got cleaned properly so that you don’t get an infection.” He was cradling her foot in his big hand. “The scar will be so tiny you won’t notice it,” he assured her. “This morning you looked like death warmed up. You look much, much better now.”

  “I’m not worried about a scar on my foot,” she replied. “I have so many that one more won’t make any difference.”

  “You have lovely feet,” he said, grinning at her. “The cutest toes I’ve ever seen.” His hand was caressing her calf.

  “Hang on a minute. You kissed me!” Sally sounded indignant.

  “That I just couldn’t help. I’m sorry if it offended you. You looked up at me with those big eyes full of tears and I needed to kiss it all better.”

  “So, you wanted to kiss me. Is that right?”

  “Yes, like now. The way you look, your hair, your eyes, I just want to kiss you again.”

  Sally worried her bottom lip with her teeth. Oh, go for it, she told her inner self in a stern voice. It’s just a kiss after all. What’s the worst that could happen? Moments later she was on his lap. If her life had depended on it, she wouldn’t have been able to say how she got there. Her arms were around him, holding him close to her, and his hands were moving over her slowly, caressing her and driving her crazy.

  Her lips met his, as before when she was in the doctors rooms. This time, however, it was faster, hotter, more intense. Her mouth opened to him, welcoming him in. Their tongues tangled, everything else forgotten. When Sally felt his warm hand sliding under her top, heating the skin of her waist and hip her breath caught in her throat. She wanted more! She could feel his hard arousal nudging against her thigh and knew he felt the same. Tony groaned into her mouth, his breathing coming faster.

  Sally pulled back, trying to catch her breath, to make some sense of what was happening to her. It wasn’t the first time she’d ever had sex, but it was definitely the first time things had been this hot, this fast. She was so aroused she didn’t want to stop, but she also didn’t want to have any regrets.

  “Tony?” Her voice was rough with need. Her eyes were glazed, her pupils huge as she looked at him.

  “Ah Sally, I want you. I want you so badly it hurts.” He touched his forehead to hers in a moment of intense tenderness. “I know I’m rushing this. I’m sorry. I understand if you want to stop now, or slow down.”

  “No!” she interrupted him.

  He grinned wryly. “I knew this would happen when I saw you this morning, peeping at me over your partition. I needed to know you, find out who you are.” He heaved a deep sigh. “I feel like this is all out of my control. But I like it, you know?” Sally nodded. “I want you. I want to be inside you, feel you against me and around me, but I understand if you want to slow down.”

  His little speech had convinced her. He was so sincere, so open with her that she knew he would still be there in the morning, and the next day and the day after that. She struggled to right herself, getting to her feet. He pressed his lips together, expecting her to show him to the door. Instead she took his hand and, limping slightly, led him to her bedroom.

  “I want to do this properly,” she said feeling suddenly shy and began undressing for him. Tony reached for her and they fell onto the bed together. Helping each other, tearing at each other’s clothes in frantic passion, they undressed. Their bodies were hot and eager. He was hard and she was wet and welcoming and he surged
into her, filling her and fulfilling her.

  Much, much later, limbs tangled together and both coated with a light sheen of perspiration, Tony linked his fingers through hers. “You know I’m not even close to done with you?”

  “Yeah? Give it a couple of weeks.” Her voice was light.

  “Weeks? I was thinking years. Maybe years… leading to decades.” Tony spoke casually, but somehow Sally knew he meant it and turned her head slightly so she could see him properly. Her face glowed with happiness and satisfaction. This was the man she’d waited so long for. He was the reason she had kissed all the many, many frogs her mother had sent her way. Tony was the one.

  He lazily caressed her breast, making her nipple pucker tightly. “Decades huh? That’s quite a long time.”

  “It is.” He spoke quietly. “I reckon that’s about how long it’s going to take us to get to know each other properly. You’re a complicated woman from what I hear Sally.” He sounded smug now.

  “What do you mean from what you hear?” She rose up indignantly and frowned at him.

  “Just listening to the office gossip. Around the coffee machine. You know how it goes.” Laughing now, he pulled her against his chest and Sally bit his jaw gently. “Come here sexy. I think I’m ready to learn some more about you know.”

  As she moved over him, opening up to him and feeling his rigid length slide into her, Sally sighed. This was right. This was what she’d missed all these years. “Let me love you,” she whispered into the dark.

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