Shaft Construction Ch. 01-02

INTRODUCTION: This story is being written (This is only the first 2 chapters) as a challenge from my boyfriend. He introduced me to the world of erotica when we first got together 4 years ago. He shared with me a story, and after reading it, I thought to myself, "Self, you could do this." And so I did. I have several other stories on Literotica. If you get a chance, please take a gander at them also. Some of my stories are entirely nonfiction--i.e. they recount with great detail encounters that the BF and I have had. Others are pure fiction. And some are a mixture of both--fictional places, but some of the erotic encounters are based in fact.

This story, as I mentioned previously was written as a challenge. I asked the BF to give me the basic characters, and I would build a story around them. His idea was boss and secretary. So from there I expanded it to boss and administrative assistant (you know we women have to break those glass ceilings), and while there is a lot of erotic activity occurring in the story, it is truly a love story as well.

I hope you enjoy.

*

Chapter One

Toni was in a panic. She was running late for work and there was a project status meeting this morning. She was ready for it. She had all the project reports organized—and thanks to the great working relationship she had with her boss, Mel, their combined excellent organizational skills, the ability to motivate the crews and the way Mel had with the vendors, all of the projects were on time and on budget. The Board of Shaft Construction would be pleased. It had already been a very profitable first quarter. If these results were a predictor, the remaining 3 quarters were going to be fantastic. "Damn traffic!" As she bore down on her car's horn.

Finally, the car ahead of her that had just been sitting at the green light moved ahead. She was moving again. She was so glad to pull into her parking space. It was nice to have her own space after all the years she had worked for Shaft rather than have to walk from the lower 40 with the rest of the office staff. Best of all, her space was located right next to Mel.

Toni was in love with Mel. She had done a really bang up job of keeping it from him. Cold as ice. All business. But in her heart of hearts, she was madly, passionately in love with Mel Milnor. But he never seemed to notice her other than as his AA. Strictly business. The projects of Shaft seemed to be his only passion.

She knew he had been married in the past and now divorced and that he had children and even a few grandchildren she thought, but not much more than that. So, how, reader, do you think she could possibly have fallen in love with this extremely focused, seemingly uninvolved with the world outside of construction, executive? Well, read on, perhaps the answer will become clear.

Toni has been Mel's AA for about 3 years. When she first met him in the interview process, the way he looked at her made her weak in the knees—almost as if he had seen into the innermost secret places in her soul. His handshake sent electric tingles into her spine. That all sounds a bit scary, but it intrigued Toni. She determined to land this job and proceeded to carry on the best interview of her life. She, of course, got the job—a fantastic salary, a bonus, the coveted parking spot she had been wanting ever since she came to work at Shaft, along with the promise of a company car in the next couple of years.

She and Mel worked very closely together. As his assistant, she paid attention in minute detail to learn everything she could possibly learn to make herself indispensible to him, not only as a good career move, but it allowed her to spend the bulk of her day with him—loving him even though he had no idea of her feelings. Day by day, she learned all the ins and outs of project management from the bids to get the project thru the subcontracting on to fruition of a completed building, mall, house, or whatever the project was. Shaft construction handled it all—big to small, and they were staffed with the right people to match the project. It was such a well-run company and had an amazing reputation. The staff were all well satisfied and rarely was there turnover.

Over time, Toni learned her job and much of Mel's so well, that he very seldom had to ask her for anything—she had anticipated what was required and had it ready for him—many times even before he thought to ask for it. Oh, they were a good team, and she knew it. Even better, he knew it.

Of course, all the time that she had been silently loving him, he had been in love with her as well. But apart from his unwritten rule of never mixing business with pleasure, he never once made any intimation that he had feelings for her other than appreciation of her as the super efficient AA that she truly was. After all, she presented herself as the ultimate ice queen—interested only in business. But, Mel loved Toni.

When he wasn't working, he was thinking about her. He wanted to know her away from the work place, but how could he break his rule? He was truly conflicted on that point. He had never ever become involved with a coworker on a romantic level. In fact, since his divorce, he had really focused only on work and hadn't thought about becoming romantically involved with anyone—at least not until he had met Toni 3 years ago. Now, when he wasn't working, she was all he could think about.

When he was at home in bed at night, he thought about her. He could close his eyes and see her. Toni was a tall buxom brunette. She had curves. She wore glasses—and he had noticed that she was a bit vain about that. She had 2 pairs—one for distance when she was driving or out on a project site with him, but when she was doing close work or working on the computer, she had readers. Sometimes she would forget which pair she had on—and would get flustered a bit when she couldn't see what she was working on. She also would put a pair on top of her head and forget that they were there. This amused him. He was turned on by this. It was the one crack in her ice queen persona. It was times like this when her feminine tendencies would emerge—if only for a minute or two. He would smile and enjoy these fleeting glimpses of the very feminine Toni. Now, that is not to say, that Toni did not present herself in a feminine way. She did—but it was very professional. Her suits were always impeccable. Her hair was done just so and her makeup was always perfect. The shoes she wore in the office were stylish 2 inch stilettos. Mel loved to watch her walk. She had great legs and a sway to her hips that made him long to touch her.

On the days that they had to do site inspections, she was just at home there as well. She wore tailored jeans, cotton shirt and tailored jacket along with steel toed work boots and a hard hat. This look turned Mel on too.

Mel was already in the office when Toni arrived out of breath.

"Toni—why are you rushing? We still have 10 minutes before the board meeting."

"Oh I'm running much later than I'm comfortable with. You know on board meeting days, I like to be here at least an hour early." Toni said.

Mel laughed and said, "Toni, Toni, Toni—you know you don't have to. You always have everything all ready at least 2 days before the meeting, and even then, you go over everything at least 5 more times."

"Well, it's your example I follow." Toni smiled at him.

She gathered up the report packets, and he carried the laptop for the power point presentation. Together they ran the meeting like a well-oiled machine. The board members were most thoroughly impressed.

After the long meeting, they were both happily tired. It had been very positive and very fulfilling to be able to present such good results and such a good bottom line to the board.

Mel was riding high on that feeling and then did something that he never thought he would do.

"Toni, that was such a good meeting this morning. Would you like to go to lunch with me to celebrate?"

For once in her life, Toni was stunned into speechlessness. She just stared, wide-eyed at Mel. She opened her mouth to try to answer him, but nothing would come out.

"Uh oh," Mel thought. "I've done it now. I've overstepped my bounds, and she is going to sue me for sexual harassment. Oh my God, she looks like a deer caught in headlights!"

Toni, finally found her voice. "Well of course, I'll have lunch with you. It was a good meeting. We deserve to celebrate."

Mel breathed a sigh of relief. "I'll tell the receptionist that we will be out of the office while you finish up here. Meet you in the parking lot in 5 minutes."

Toni's heart was racing a hundred miles an hour. Finally, she was going to have the opportunity to sit across from him at a table without business between them. Perhaps she could get to know him a little better. It was something she had been dreaming of for a long time. But first, she had to get her tell-tale heart and her breathing under control before she made a fool of herself in front of this man that she so desired to have in her life for more than just a professional relationship.

Mel's hands shook as he tried to get the keys into the ignition. How had he lost control like that? What had possessed him? Why couldn't he be satisfied with just seeing her every day at work? He knew why. It had been building from the first day he met her. He wanted to be with her as her friend and lover. He wanted to know what she looked like when she first woke in the morning. He wanted to watch her sleep. He wanted to stroke her hair. He wanted to know her innermost thoughts. He wanted to know what she had been like as a little girl, what she had been like in high school, college. He wanted to know everything about her. He wanted to sit across from her at breakfast. Hell, he would even wash dishes with her if it meant he could be next to her, hear her voice, breathe in her scent. But, most of all, he wanted her to be the last thing he saw at night and the first thing he saw when he woke up in the morning. He wanted to fall asleep with her in his arms. He wanted to know the heights of passion with her.

He had to get hold of himself. He had to calm down. He felt he was already on shaky ground with her. He would have to proceed very carefully from here. He didn't want to lose the tenuous place he had in her life (at least he thought it was tenuous—but you know better, reader, don't you?).

Toni had taken a deep breath, calmed her racing heart, and prepared herself for a business luncheon with her boss. She had to maintain her professional persona—put on the ice queen mask. As much as she was in love with Mel—she knew in her heart it could never be. (Reader, it sounds like these two need to have their heads knocked together doesn't it?)

She headed to the parking lot towards her car fully expecting to drive herself to lunch. Mel had other ideas, however. He was standing by the car, waiting for her at the entrance of the building, motor running, air conditioning on, and his own heart racing as quickly as the motor of his Jag. Ever the gallant gentleman with manners of a bygone era (or that of having been raised by parents who raised their boys to always be gentlemen—especially where ladies were concerned), he opened the passenger door for her, waited til she was settled and closed the door.

Toni didn't quite know what to make of it, but decided to "go with the flow."

After Mel settled behind the wheel, he said, "We are going to take the rest of the afternoon off as a reward."

"We are?" Her eyebrows raised in expression of surprise.

"We are," he stated matter of factly. "I told Alyce that we would be out all afternoon, and to reschedule our appointments for tomorrow and next week. There's nothing really pressing that was on the schedule this afternoon anyway."

"Okay. You're the boss. Where shall we go for lunch?" Toni asked.

"Well, there is a country inn about 50 miles from here. It's called The Ridge. I've been there once, a long time ago. It's a really pretty place. It is set high up on the top of a hill and has spectacular views, not to mention spectacular food."

Toni was a little nervous at the prospect of going so far out of town alone with him. She wasn't sure she could maintain her composure. But she smiled, and told him it sounded great.

Mel turned his satellite radio on. It was already set to his favorite jazz station—smooth, mellow, romantic.

He could tell that she was nervous, but wasn't quite sure why. He was the one who had butterflies in his stomach—the one who was worried about crossing that line.

They chatted—mostly about work, upcoming projects, ways to improve processes, and so on. They were so attuned to each other that they finished each other's sentences— and didn't even think about the significance of that. Soon, they were at The Ridge.

The Ridge—now that is an amazing place. It had been a mid 1800s mansion at one time. The handmade brick façade, large floor to ceiling windows, wrap around verandah with cozy seating arrangements of swings and rocking chairs was almost too much to take in at once. Lovingly restored, it was like stepping back in time. The large hand-carved oak doors with lead crystal glass from top to bottom and highly polished brass doorknobs were the teleportals to an earlier, elegant time. The foyer was furnished with beautifully restored period furniture. In the center of the foyer was an amazing crystal chandelier. The light reflecting in the prisms danced all around the room. The smells of country cooking pervaded.

Their stomachs growled, reminding them both that it had been a long time since their last meal.

"A reservation for 2 in the name of Milnor," Mel told the hostess.

Toni looked at him quizzically.

"I called ahead while you were still in the office," he offered in explanation.

"Ahh yes," said the hostess. "Your table is ready per your instructions. Follow me."

The hostess led them through the dining room, through a side door, out onto the verandah.

"What is going on?" asked Toni.

"You'll see," said Mel.

They continued on across the verandah, down the wide steps to the side yard, into the rose garden, past a magnificent fountain and to an amazingly beautiful gazebo that was draped with sheer curtains that were designed to let the light and breeze in, but discourage insects.

In the gazebo, there was only one table and it was set for two with fine white bone china, silver flatware, and linen tablecloth and napkins. There were crystal goblets as well. Chilling in a champagne cooler, was a bottle wrapped in a linen napkin.

The hostess said, "Your waiter will be Jacques. He'll be with you in a moment."

Toni was still trying to find her voice. For once, she had been rendered speechless.

Mel smiled to himself. Perhaps this was going to be okay after all.

Jacques appeared bearing a tray laden with a pair of delectable-looking shrimp cocktails. First, he served Toni and then Mel.

"Thank you Jacques" said Mel. "We will be ready for the salad shortly."

Jacques nodded and retreated from the gazebo.

"We don't get to order from a menu?" queried Toni.

"Well, normally yes, but I ordered a

special meal when I made the reservations," smiled Mel.

"Oh, I see." Toni was more perplexed than annoyed.

"Shall we have some champagne with our shrimp?"

"I normally don't drink, but I suppose a little won't hurt anything."

He filled two flutes from the bottle and handed one to Toni.

"A toast!" He said.

"To what?"

"To us!!"

That really flustered Toni, but she maintained her composure (He could only mean in their professional capacity, right?), she clinked glasses with him and smiling broadly said, "To us."

She took a sip, and her eyes widened. "This isn't champagne!"

"No. I played a little trick on you. I knew you didn't drink, and I don't either. It's sparkling white grape juice."

She smiled at him. "A wonderful choice. Thank you!"

By this time, Jacques was clearing the shrimp cocktail remains away and swiftly, efficiently serving the salads. They were absolutely wonderful. Somehow, he even knew that she didn't like tomatoes as they were conspicuously absent from her salad. She had no idea how he could know this.

They passed the time in pleasant conversation—again mostly about work. He gave her the history lesson on The Ridge. It was quite interesting. During the Civil War, it had been a stop on the Underground Railroad. The quilt that had been used as a sign that it was a safe place was on display in the parlor of the mansion. Rumors abounded that it was haunted as well, but the ghosts were purported to be nice, wanting to make guests feel safe and at home. The Ridge was steeped in history.

Toni was transfixed by the conversation. This was the most animated she had seen Mel about anything other than work.

She glanced at her watch, "Oh, it is already 4 o'clock. We had better go don't you think."

Mel really didn't want to go. He was enjoying her company so much. He reached across the table and covered her hand with his. "Thank you Toni for coming out with me this afternoon!"

The electric tingle at his touch startled her.

"Oh, Mel, I really enjoyed it, very much!"

"There is a play at The Ridge Playhouse in a couple of hours. Would you like to stay and see it? They are performing, A Midsummer Night's Dream."

"Are you sure? It's an awfully long drive back."

"Tomorrow is Saturday, you can sleep in."

"I'd love to."

"In the meantime, we have a couple of hours to kill. There is a horse and buggy ride that goes around the lake. Let's do that."

They walked from the gazebo down to the lake. Needless to say, Toni's shoes were not meant to be walking in the soft earth, and definitely not down a slight downhill grade. Her heel got caught on a small tree root not visible in the grass. She stumbled and stepped out of her shoe. Mel caught her before she fell. He had his arms around her. Her hands were on his chest as she tried to regain her balance. (Difficult to do on one foot while trying not to get her stockinged foot dirty). They gazed into each other's eyes—and almost into each other's souls. She licked her lips nervously. He leaned down to take possession of those luscious lips as she tilted her head back and parted her lips to receive his kiss. The world melted away.

If someone were watching, it was the perfect movie kiss—deep, long, passionate with the "kick."

He held her tightly. Her arms wound around his neck. The kiss seemed to go on forever. Three years of pent up passion that neither knew the other one had harbored spilled into that kiss. His tongue teased hers—probing, pulling back and probing again. She responded with as much passion as he.

Finally, she broke the kiss and pushed back mindless now of her absent shoe. "What happened? Why?"

"Toni, I'm sorry if I've scared you or hurt you. I have strong feelings for you. I never ever meant to let them show because of work. That's a rule that I have never broken until now."

"What do you mean feelings? Have I led you on in any way?"

"Strong feelings Toni. I want to know you outside of work. And no, you've never led me on in any way. In fact, I think that was one of the things that made you even more attractive to me. You've always been so focused on business.

"I know that this really goes against the grain for you Toni, and for me too, but I really would like to get to know you—not the super AA that you are—but as a woman outside of work—if you want to that is. If you want to go back to the office now and forget this ever happened we can do that. Right now, it's your choice. I'm skittish about this myself because it is so out of character for me, but I really have a good feeling about where this could take us."