The Project

"This is your house?" he asked as they pulled up outside. Julia smiled as he unknowingly echoed Steven's reaction. "Yes, it's my little renovation project," she explained sheepishly. He stared at her home with a critical eye. "It looks like quite a large section. If you removed that old house you could get a row of units on there, easy," he commented.

Julia was horrified at the idea. "No, I'm restoring it," she said primly. She couldn't believe Ben would just bulldoze a historic villa. But, she supposed, that's what property developers did.

Ben shrugged, not too bothered by her reaction. "It's your house I guess." He walked her up to the front door. She intended to escape with a quick goodnight kiss but he pulled her close and kissed her deeply. "How about I come in for a little while," he suggested huskily. Julia could feel his arousal pressing against her hip and she knew what would happen if she let him inside. But for some reason, it just didn't appeal to her anymore.

"Actually, I am really tired," she apologised, disentangling herself from his body.

"Are you sure?" he asked in disbelief. Julia suspected he was used to getting his way. But she was suddenly adamant she didn't want him in her home. "Maybe some other time," she said non-committally.

He acquiesced to her wishes and left, driving off into the night. He didn't promise to call and Julia suspected he probably wouldn't. But that was fine by her.

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Steven's meeting with the senior managers was scheduled for the following Friday. Julia met him a couple of times to practice his new presentation. He wasn't the world's most confident speaker but she thought he would be fine so long as he remembered not to talk too fast. As she expected, his new look caused a bit of a stir. She made sure he didn't tell anyone she took him shopping though, that would provide far too much fuel for rumors.

Julia wasn't invited to the management meeting on Friday, seeing as how she wasn't one of them. She waited impatiently in her office to find out how it went.

"They liked it!" Steven appeared in her doorway grinning broadly.

"Of course they did," she replied happily. She stood up and gave him a hug. He stiffened in surprise but then hugged her back. "Congratulations."

"They want me to do a demo in two weeks, and the marketing manager said it has real potential."

"Hmm. You'll want a contract for the IP before you get too much further."

"IP?" he asked curiously.

"Intellectual property. Your idea might turn out to be quite valuable and you don't want to just give all the rights to the Gensoft."

"Oh. I'm not sure how that works." He looked concerned and Julia felt bad for bursting the bubble of his success.

"Don't worry about it," she said quickly. "I know some good lawyers. We should go out and celebrate first!"

"Great idea," he said happily.

Julia offered to take him to a good bar she knew, later that evening. It was one of the places Mark used to take her. There had a tasteful atmosphere and usually a good crowd of patrons.

She got home from work around six, then had a shower and tried to decide what to wear. She was tired of the restrictive skirt suits she wore to work and wanted something a bit more feminine and floaty.

Fifteen minutes later the entire contents of her wardrobe were dumped on the bed. Julia finally found what she wanted, a green chiffon dress. It came to just above her knees and swished pleasingly. She added a sleeveless cardigan in case it got cold. Having second thoughts, she switched it for a cardigan with sleeves. Having more second thoughts, she grabbed a cashmere jacket instead. Wellington weather was notoriously unpredictable even in late summer.

Julia was in the middle of straightening her hair when the doorbell rang. She dashed down the hall to open the door. "Hi Steven. I'm not quite ready but come in if you like." She rushed back to the bedroom without waiting for his reply. "I like your dress," he called out.

Several minutes later she had her hair under control. She touched up her make-up, put on a pair of heels, and found some greenstone earrings to match the dress. She also put on her favourite perfume. When she emerged from the bedroom Steven was waiting patiently in the lounge.

"Hi," he said shyly. "You look...amazing."

"Thanks. It must be those eighty-seven extra vitamins I told you about," she joked self-consciously. "How about you – isn't that a new shirt?"

He was wearing a blue shirt but it wasn't the one he bought with her. "Yeah, I couldn't keep wearing the same shirt every day so I went back and got another one."

"Well, it was a good choice."

Steven looked around the interior of her home with interest. "You did a really good job with the renovations. It looks much better than the outside."

Julia showed him around her kitchen and open-plan living area. The new joinery was a rich, dark wood grain to match the original wooden floorboards, which she had sanded and polished herself. "I got a builder to do the kitchen but I was able to do most of the cosmetic work," she said modestly.

"Yes, I recognise that green paint from your hair."

"You're not going to let that go, are you?" she said in mock exasperation.

He just smiled and shook his head. His eyes roamed the room and came to rest on a Victorian sideboard. "You like antique furniture too?" he asked casually.

"Of course," she replied. "It wouldn't look right to have modern furniture in a Victorian cottage. Although, I made an exception for the dishwasher."

It took Julia a while but she finally managed to tear him away from admiring her handiwork. It was a nice evening so they decided to walk to town rather than call a taxi. Downtown Wellington was already quite crowded and there was music coming from several bars and nightclubs. She put her arm through Steven's and his pleased smile grew wider.

They found the bar she was looking for and it didn't seem to have changed much since she was last there. There were wide open windows facing the street and it looked busy but not too crowded. It was warm enough inside that Julia could take her jacket off. She found seats for them at the bar.

"This place seems alright," Steven said appraisingly. The place was intimately lit with hanging wire sculptures as chandeliers and decorated in with a modern, slightly funky theme. The music was also modern, but not overpowering.

"What do you like to drink?" Julia asked. Steven stared at the huge variety of liquor bottles on display above the bar. "Oh, I don't know. Whatever you're having," he replied.

Julia ordered a couple of bourbon-and-diet-cokes. She raised her glass to him. "Here's to you and your algorithms, Steven. I hope you enjoy the success you deserve."

"Thanks," he said appreciatively. "It would be great if they paid my way to Indonesia."

Julia frowned. "You need to start thinking a bit bigger, Steven. Visualize your success, you know? Repeat after me, I am the next Mark Zuckerburg..."

He almost choked on his bourbon. "I'm not repeating that," he exclaimed. "It's sacrilegious."

She rolled her eyes. "He's just a person, Steven. How about the next Sam Morgan, then?"

"No," he said firmly. "I think I'd rather just be me."

Julia stared at him for a while. "Maybe you're wiser than you thought," she said. She looked around the room as she drank her bourbon and coke. Suddenly she paused and leaned in closer to Steven. "Don't look now, but there's a girl checking you out."

"What? Who?" Steven whispered. Oddly enough, he looked terrified.

"Blond hair, polka-dot dress. She looks about your age," she said quietly. When he just stared at Julia she gave him a gentle shove. "Why don't you go talk to her?"

"What if she doesn't want to talk?" he said in a panicked voice.

"Steven," she said sternly. "Even if it doesn't go well, you've lost nothing by trying. And I'll still be here for you". Her words seemed to have the desired effect because he visibly relaxed. Julia stood up and took his arm. She led him to the other end of the bar where the blond girl stood.

"Excuse me," said Julia. "My friend here was wondering if he could buy you a drink." She pushed Steven in front of her. The girl looked him up and down and apparently decided she like what she saw. "Sure," she smiled. Satisfied, Julia let go of Steven and left him to fend for himself.

She sat across the room and watched them covertly. He seemed to be doing alright. He ordered a drink for the girl and didn't look too nervous. She was doing most of the talking but he nodded and responded every so often. Julia wished she could hear what they were talking about and hoped it wasn't shampoo. At one point the girl laughed at something Steven said and put her hand on his shoulder. Julia's eyes narrowed. Blondie was coming a bit strong, wasn't she?

She barely noticed when a man sat down beside her. "Hi there," said a deep voice with an English accent. Julia looked up in surprise. The owner of the voice a ruggedly handsome man with auburn hair and clear green eyes. "I couldn't help noticing you seem to be on your own. I was wondering if you'd like some company."

"Actually, I came with a friend," she informed him, pointing at Steven. "But he does seem to be otherwise occupied." Julia figured it couldn't hurt to pass the time with a bit of conversation. She had always been fond of English accents, after all. "Have you been in New Zealand long?" she asked.

Julia made small talk with her new companion for a while but her heart wasn't really in it. She kept looking over to see how Steven was doing. He seemed to be really hitting it off with blondie. Then, the next time she looked up, he was sitting at the bar alone. She looked around in surprise but the girl in the polka-dot dress was nowhere to be seen.

"Excuse me," she said to the English man. "But I need to go now." He looked disappointed. "Can I at least get your number?" he asked plaintively. Julia wasn't really that interested but just in case she changed her mind later, took his number instead. Then she wended her way through the growing crowd to get to Steven.

He looked up in surprise when she sat down beside him. "Oh, hi. I didn't want to interrupt your conversation over there," he explained.

"I wouldn't have minded. How did it go?" she asked. He seemed a bit disappointed and she suspected that meant it didn't go too well.

"I don't know," he said simply.

"You don't know?" she repeated.

"Well, she had to leave when her friend showed up. But I don't know whether she like me or not." He leaned on the bar and fidgeted with his glass.

Julia was beginning to feel a bit claustrophobic from all the people pressed up around them so she took Steven by the hand and led him outside into a courtyard, where it was a cooler and quieter. They sat down on a wooden seat and she continued the conversation. "Tell me more," she insisted. "From what I could see of her body language she seemed to like you well enough."

He looked at her curiously. "You could read her body language? That sounds useful. But what do you look for?" he asked.

She thought for a moment. "Well, if she's smiling, that's a good start. And if she touches you, it's a very good sign." Julia demonstrated by touching him gently on the arm.

Understanding dawned in his eyes. "Oh, she did do that," he said, a little embarrassed.

"Yes, I noticed," Julia smirked.

"She was probably waiting for you to flirt back." Julia leaned closer to him. "Do you want to know how to tell if she wants you to kiss her?" she whispered.

Steven looked nervous, but eager too. "How?" he asked.

"Like this." Julia leaned even closer and put her hand on his shoulder. She concentrated on his mouth and slowly closed the gap between them. He took a startled breath. At the last possible moment he turned his head away, blushing furiously. Julia felt a bit miffed, but his reaction served to illustrate her point. "You see what you did there? If someone backs away instead of leaning in, that's a strong signal not to kiss them," she explained.

Steven stared at his shoes and she couldn't really see his expression in the dim light. "But, couldn't it mean the person does want to kiss you, but is just afraid to?" he asked plaintively. Julia considered this idea. "I suppose that could be a possibility," she admitted. "But even then, it would mean 'not yet' rather than 'yes' ".

"It's all so complicated," he complained. Julia smiled understandingly. "Tell me about it. Let's have another drink," she suggested.

They talked some more about the potential future for Steven's software. Julia was pleased to discover she actually understood how it work, after he spent a while explaining it. She had never done any computer programming but found it interesting nonetheless. As the night wore on she had lost track of how much alcohol she'd had and was definitely starting to feel the effects. Steven must have noticed the unfocussed look in her eyes because he looked at her in concern. "Hey, maybe we should call it a night," he suggested.

Julia stretched and felt a curious sense of dislocation from the rest of her body. The edges of reality felt fuzzy, as if in a dream. "Oh god, I really have had too much to drink," she said in embarrassment. She looked at him accusingly. "You drank just as much but you seem to be fine."

"Yes, well I am a bit bigger than you," he pointed out.

"Yes, you are," she said admiringly. She pinched his upper arm and was pleasantly surprised at how muscular it felt.

Steven ignored her behavior and held out a hand to help her up. "Come on, let's get you in a taxi," he said awkwardly. Julia stood up and was relieved to discover she didn't feel dizzy at all. "I would rather walk," she insisted. "It would help clear my head." He looked concerned but then nodded.

She put on her jacket and they walked down the brightly-lit main streets and soon the crowds and music faded. The stiff breeze and the exertion of walking up the hill towards Kelburn did make Julia feel more alert. Steven stopped at the top of the steps. "Look," he said softly. Julia turned around and saw the panorama of city lights below. The hillsides on the other side of the bay were also draped with lights, like a distant Christmas tree.

"It's pretty, isn't it," she said. "I'm glad I didn't move to Sydney." The wind was a lot strong at the top of the hill, and her hair whipped around her face. She shivered. The jacket wasn't really warm enough. Steven noticed and took her hand. "Hey, you're freezing," he exclaimed. "Come here."

He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her in the darkness. Julia gratefully rested her cold cheek on his chest. He was so warm and smelled so good. The beating of his heart was hypnotic in its intensity. Eventually her alcohol-impaired brain became aware of something. She was pressed tightly against him and through their clothes she could feel unmistakable evidence of his arousal.

Suddenly, she wasn't hugging a friend anymore, but a man. A funny, sweet, desirable man. So what if he was too young for her, and she was technically his superior at work. At that moment she wanted him more than she'd ever wanted anything.

Steven released her and stepped back. "We had better get you home," he said awkwardly. Feeling the chill of the night air again, Julia had to agree it was a sensible suggestion. She needed time to figure out how to seduce him, anyway. He was so shy that she might scare him away if she came on too strong.

When they got to her house she asked him in for a coffee. She didn't really give him the opportunity to refuse, but at least she was polite about it. Julia turned on her espresso machine and filled two cups. The device was the best two thousand dollars she ever spent, and provided perfect café-quality coffee time after time.

Julia sat on the couch with Steven as they drank their cappuccinos. Everything still felt a bit unreal and when she looked at Steven she couldn't think about anything else. She leaned closer and smiled in what she hoped was a flirtatious, rather than predatory manner. "Are you disappointed you didn't get that girl's phone number?"

Steven shrugged. "Not really. I don't think she was really my type," he said.

Julia feigned indifference. "Really? So what is your type then?" she asked coyly.

Steven shied away from her gaze and didn't seem too keen on answering the question. "So, how is your boyfriend?" he deflected.

"My boyfriend?" Julia asked in confusion.

"The guy who picked you up from work the other day," he clarified. "Ben, was it?"

Her alcohol-fogged brain had to concentrate for a moment to work out what he was talking about. "Oh, he's not my boyfriend," she said quickly. "I only went out with him twice and I don't intend to see him again."

Steven looked unexpectedly pleased at her explanation. She suddenly realized the reason for his frustrating reticence. "Is that why you didn't kiss me?" she asked in delight. "You thought I had a boyfriend?"

He stubbornly looked at the floor. "Maybe," he admitted finally. His blond curls fell over his eyes but they couldn't hide the unmistakable pink tinge to his cheeks

Julia laughed and put her arm affectionately around his shoulders. "It's so easy to make you blush," she teased.

"I know," he said miserably. "You must think I'm really pathetic."

"No!" she exclaimed. "Steven, look at me. You're not pathetic, you're...adorable." Julia smiled when he blushed even harder. She realized the best way to show him how she felt was a physical demonstration. She crawled onto his lap and pinned him down with both hands on his shoulders. His eyes widened but he didn't try to get away.

She quickly lowered her lips to his and kissed him soundly. His lips were soft and warm. At first he seemed afraid to move but she insistently moved her lips against his and broke down his resistance. He put his arms around her and kissed her back with equal passion. Julia moved her hands and ran her fingers through his gorgeous blond curls just as she'd always wanted to do. His grip on her back tightened.

Eventually, they had to come up for air. Julia leaned back and gave him a satisfied smile. Steven was breathing hard and his mouth hung open in shock. "Wow," he whispered. Julia suddenly realized the significance of what she'd done. She scuttled backwards off his lap. "Oh my god, I'm taking advantage of you. I'm a cougar," she wailed.

"What?" Steven exclaimed. He firmly grasped her arm to stop her escaping. "You are not a cougar," he said in exasperation. "There are only four years between us. And you're not taking advantage of me."

"Really?" she sniffed.

"Really," he promised. "I've wanted to do that since the first day I met you and it was wonderful."

"Oh," Julia said happily. "Well, in that case..." she reached for him again. But he held her down with both arms. "Wait a minute. You're not a cougar, but you are intoxicated," he said cautiously.

"I'm not intox...intoxicated," she said indignantly. Steven raised an eyebrow quizzically but didn't comment. "Ok, I guess I am," she admitted sheepishly. "But that doesn't change anything."

Steven shook his head and continued to hold her at arm's length. "It means I should leave you alone to sleep it off," he said firmly.

"You're leaving?" she asked in dismay. He gently removed her hands from his shirt and stood up. "If you still want this tomorrow, I'll be waiting," he promised.

"I will still want you tomorrow," she assured him. She got up and showed him to the door. "Do I at least get a goodnight kiss?" she asked coyly. Steven leaned over to give her a quick peck on the cheek but she wasn't having any of that. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body against his to give him a real kiss. The thin fabric of her dress didn't obscure much and she knew he would feel her breasts pressed against him. She could feel the heat radiating from him and his desire obviously hadn't decreased one little bit.