Usability

"Mike, since Ben is out sick we're going to need you to cover the customer visit in Omaha on Friday."

My knee-jerk reaction is to suggest to Jim, my boss, that we just reschedule the visit so that Ben can make it, but I bite my tongue. Jim knows I hate to travel, but this is a very important account for our company and the customer is insisting on a visit so they can show us the problems they have been having with our software. Since I am the lead developer on the project and have the most knowledge of how it works, it only makes sense that I am the one to cover for Ben.

Hoping my smile looks genuine, all I can say is, "Sure thing Jim."

"And since we are going be observing how the customer uses our product, we're going to need someone from the usability team to accompany Mike on this visit."

'Anyone but Rob. Please don't let it be Rob', I think to myself.

Jim turns to Katy, "Katy. I've talked to your manager, and since Rob is busy working on an important product launch, you'll be going with Mike on this visit."

Katy is the perfect choice for the job. She is smart, articulate, and charming. Combine that with her natural beauty and you've got a serious weapon. Since the IT group we'll be working with at the customer is all men, having her there will be a huge asset. Who knows, by the end of the trip she may have them convinced the software is perfect as it is.

I turn to look at Katy to see her reaction. Ken, who is sitting next to her, gives me a wink and a huge grin. Ken knows that I had a crush on Katy when she started with the company a few years back, so he takes any opportunity he can to tease me about it. I'm happily married, so I never acted on the crush. I just took every advantage I could to talk to Katy, and often fantasized what it would be like to be with her.

Katy just smiles at Jim and says, "Sure thing Jim."

I wonder if she's mocking me in some way by reusing my response to Jim. Or maybe she is like me and hates to travel. All I know is that the trip will be much more bearable with Katy helping out.

"Okay. That's all I have. Mike. Katy. Meet me in my office so we can discuss the details of the trip."

Ken catches me in the hallway as I'm headed from Jim's office back to my desk. "So, here's your big chance Mike. Are you gonna make the moves on Katy?"

"Very funny Ken. You know I'm married, right?"

"Hey man. You'll be in a different zip code, so you can do what you want and it doesn't count."

"I don't think it works that way Ken, but I'll run it by Stephanie and see if she agrees."

"You better make sure you thank Jim. He knows you have a thing for Katy, so I think he is doing you a favor sending just the two of you on this trip."

"Whatever, Ken. It just worked out this way because Rob is already tied up."

"Keep telling yourself that Mikey, but you know Jim's just looking out for you."

As I walk back to my desk I can't help but wonder if Ken is onto something. Jim sits right across from Katy and he would always give me a big grin and a wink whenever I would visit her desk, which was quite often.

No. Jim wouldn't do that. He knows I'm married. Heck. He used to hang out with Stephanie and me all the time when the three of us worked together years ago at a previous company. We had him over all the time for dinner and movies. Ken is delusional. This is strictly a business trip.

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"Hey Stephanie, I'm home!"

"Hey sweetie, I'm upstairs."

After going through the junk mail on the counter I head upstairs and find Stephanie in our room doing her afternoon yoga. She's only a month away from 40, and she looks better now than she did at 30. She's become addicted to eating healthy and working out, and she must barely weigh 100 pounds now. Seeing her tight little ass in those yoga pants always turns me on, and she knows it. I just don't think she knows how much it turns me on.

Only half joking I say, "We should have a quickie before the kids get home."

"Oh yeah. Just what I want. The kids to walk in and find their parents going at it. That might scar them for life."

"Yeah. You're probably right. It was worth a shot though." Changing the subject, I ask, "What are the plans for dinner tonight?"

"I was thinking we could get takeout from that new Greek restaurant."

"Sounds good to me. Oh. I almost forgot. I'm traveling to Omaha on Friday for a customer visit."

"But you hate to travel. Couldn't you get out of it?"

"Nope. This is an important customer, so Katy and I have to do our best to make sure they are taken care of."

"Katy's going with you? Who else?"

I can tell by her tone that I have to be careful with this one. I don't think Stephanie knows I had a crush on Katy, but she had met her at a company party and had commented on how beautiful she was. I've never given Stephanie a reason not to trust me, but any woman would have to be a little jealous knowing that their man was going to be traveling with a woman of Katy's caliber.

"It's just going to be me and Katy. Rob is tied up on another project, so Katy's going this time."

I can tell from her frown that she doesn't really like the idea. "How long are you going to be gone?"

"We fly out Thursday afternoon at four and come back Friday afternoon. We'll be back home by nine."

"Are you two sharing a room?"

Wow. She is a little more jealous about this than I thought. This is totally not like Stephanie. I consider joking about it and saying yes, but something tells me that wouldn't be a wise move.

"Of course not. Why would you ask something like that?"

"C'mon. I've seen Katy, and I know you have a thing for blondes. Especially tall blondes with perfect boobs. I'm sorry if I seem jealous, but the thought of you spending the night with a 30 year old model has that effect on me."

"Wow! Where is this coming from? You don't have anything to worry about. Besides, you know petite little redheads are more my thing," I say as I pull her toward me and kiss her.

She smiles and says, "You know just what to say. But seriously, you better not be staying in the same room."

"You have nothing to worry about. And just to be clear, she's 36 and she's not a model."

"I don't care how old she is. I just know what you like."

"You have nothing to worry about. Now let's go figure out what we're doing for dinner."

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It's not very often that I get to travel first class, but thanks to Katy putting her assets to good use, she has managed to get us upgraded for our flight. I don't think it was luck that the only male ticket agent was the one who helped her, and it really worked to our advantage.

"Katy, that was pretty impressive how you managed to get us the free upgrades. Do you always get what you want."

"Usually," she says as she exaggeratedly bats her eyelashes and laughs. Even though she is joking when she does this, it's still effective. Her blues eyes hold my gaze for just a moment, and in that moment I feel like a helpless little boy. Like I would do anything this woman asked me to do. That's when I realize that Stephanie is right to be worried.

Katy and I have worked on quite a few projects together at work and have talked at length about work-related and non-work-related topics. Never in any of those conversations have I ever experienced what I had just felt. Even when I had a crush on her when she first started with the company, I felt completely in control of the situation and would never do anything to jeopardize my marriage. Was that look she just gave me intentional, or was it just all in my mind? All I know is that I am going to have to be very careful on this trip.

We just get seated when the flight attendant walks up. "What will you two be having to drink?"

Knowing that I have to stay in complete control, there is no way I am ordering anything with alcohol. "I'll just have water."

Katy looks surprised. "Really? We're in first class and you're just having water?" She looks up at the flight attendant, "What beers do you have?"

"We have Sam Adams Lager, Coors Light, and Corona."

"I'll have the Sam Adams."

I never pictured Katy to be a beer drinker. Of course, it's not something I had ever put any thought into, but I'm still surprised by her order. I would have expected her to order a wine before beer.

"I'm surprised you ordered beer. Someone as fit as you I pictured more as a wine drinker."

Crap. What am I saying? Just mentioning that she is fit makes it sound like I was checking her out, or being overly complementary. Hopefully she doesn't think I'm hitting on her. That is not what I was intending with that comment.

"You think I'm fit?" she asks with an amused grin. "Are you trying to score points through flattery?"

I can feel my face growing hot with embarrassment. "No. That's not what I meant. I was just surprised to find out that that you're a beer drinker."

"I know. I'm just teasing you," she says while poking me in the ribs. "You need to lighten up a bit." She pokes me again a couple more times, "Wow! You're pretty fit yourself. Do you stay that way by drinking water?"

Even though my job is that of a computer nerd, I'm not your typical nerd. I've always been athletic and workout regularly to keep myself in shape. I'm proud of my body, but I'm still pretty shy when it comes to showing it off, so I could feel my face growing even hotter. I must be bright red.

"No. I drink. I just didn't feel like having a drink right now."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you. You are in good shape though," she said. This time she squeezes my thigh to make her point.

"Thanks."

She releases her grip, but her hand remains resting on my leg for what seems like an eternity, but is more like only a few seconds. Just long enough for me to get that excited butterfly feeling in my stomach. Is she doing this on purpose, or am I reading too much into it?

As she pulls her hand away, I notice what appears to be an engagement ring. I hadn't heard any news of an engagement.

"Is that what I think it is," I say pointing to her finger.

"Yep. I'm finally getting married," she says, holding her hand out to show off the ring.

"Is this the same guy you were seeing last year? I thought you two broke up?"

"No. Not him. This is someone new."

"Congratulations."

"Thanks."

"When's the wedding?"

"We haven't set a date yet. There is just so much to do."

She doesn't seem to want to go into too many details, so I won't press her.

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11:00 PM and we're finally at the hotel. I'm tired and ready to go to bed. One benefit about arriving this late is that the line to check in at the hotel is non-existent.

After getting checked in, Katy and I head to our rooms after agreeing to meet in the lobby at 7:00 for the continental breakfast. After we eat we'll catch a cab to the customer's office.

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It's ten after 7:00 and still no sign of Katy. Being married and having grown up with two sisters, I know that women are never on time, so I'm not surprised. I'm about to call Katy when I see her step out of the elevator.

Just about every man in the room turns and looks her way. She's wearing a black business skirt with a black jacket. Under the jacket she's wearing a silky red button up shirt that is a couple of buttons short of being buttoned up, showing off just enough cleavage to look sexy, but not slutty. This should make the customer more than agreeable.

After she joins me at the table we both head over to the breakfast bar to grab some food. I have an English muffin, an apple, and a bowl of oatmeal. Katy has a banana and a bowl of oatmeal.

While we're eating our breakfast I'm having a really difficult time keeping eye contact with her. First, because every time I look into her eyes I get that helpless feeling. Second, I really want to look down and sneak a peek at her cleavage. Actually, I want to bury my face in her cleavage, but that might not go over so well.

We finish our breakfast and head for the taxi pickup area outside the hotel. Katy manages to get looks from the doorman, a group of college guys arriving at the hotel, a bellhop, and our taxi driver. It is kind of an ego boost since she is with me. None of them need to know that we're just co-workers, and not really together.

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It's been a long day. Most of it spent listening to the customer complain about features that used to be in the product but are no longer there, or features that have changed and made their lives more difficult.

The customer is happy when we leave, and I'm sure getting to stare at Katy's chest all day helped out a little. I'm just glad we're in a cab on the way to the airport to get out of this place and back home.

Unfortunately, this time the first class cabin is already full, so Katy and I have to fly coach. To make matters even worse, the overhead bins are full, so they have to take our bags and put them underneath. But, according to the flight attendant, we should 'rest assured that our bags will be waiting for us when we get off the plane'.

Everybody is finally in their seats and we're taxiing toward the runway when we hear the dreaded announcement from the captain.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Unfortunately we're going to have to head back to the gate. We have an indicator light on that we need to have checked out before we can take off. We apologize for the inconvenience."

Katy looks at me. "Great. Nothing like getting stuck in Omaha."

I try to remain positive. "We'll be fine. I'm sure it's nothing and we'll be on our way soon."

"I hope you're right," she says, squeezing my thigh just like she did on the trip down. This time she leaves it there after releasing her grip. I'm tempted to pick up her hand and move it, but it does feel nice resting there, so I leave it.

We've been sitting at the gate for thirty minutes when the flight attendant announces that the flight is cancelled and we have to de-board the plane.

Katy looks at me again. "You were saying?"

When we get off the plane, the agent counter is a mad house. There are a lot of angry people yelling at the agents who have nothing to do with the plane breaking down. Rather than join in and make things worse, I just get in line and wait to find out what's going to happen.

Katy and I finally make it to the counter where the agent tells us that there are no planes leaving this evening that we can catch, but we're on the flight that leaves at 9:00 AM the next morning. She also tells us that the airline will put us up in a hotel for the night so we don't need to spend the night in the airport.

I ask about our bags and the agent tells us that the bags will be unloaded shortly. After waiting for an hour for our bags, we are informed that they are having difficulty locating our particular bags and that they can send them to our hotel as soon as they are located. I'm thankful that I have my backpack with me, so at least I have a toothbrush.

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Of course, the hotel that the airline is putting us up in is not nearly as nice as the Hilton we stayed in the night before. I really don't care, as long as I have a bed to sleep in.

We make our way up to the counter, and the desk clerk gives us our room key. But he only gives us one key.

"Doesn't she get a key?" I ask, motioning toward Katy.

"Oh. We can give her an extra room key if you like", the clerk replies.

"Extra key? Doesn't she have a room of her own?"

The clerk looks confused. "The airline has you listed as traveling together and has reserved only one double-occupancy room for you."

"Well, the airline made a mistake. We are traveling together, but we're in separate rooms. Can you get her a room as well?"

"I would really like to sir, but we have no more vacancy."

"There has to be another room available", Katy says. "What about another hotel?"

The clerk shakes his head. "I'm sorry. We have no more rooms, and I'm afraid you'll find that is the case throughout the city."

Now I'm getting pretty pissed off. "How can an entire city be out of hotel rooms?"

"There is a huge basketball tournament this weekend and there is a rock concert as well. The rooms have been sold out for quite a while. The airlines had a few on reserve, but those are all gone now thanks to the breakdown of your flight."

"Fine", Katy sighs. "We'll just have to make due. The room has two beds at least, right?"

"Uh... no. The room you have has a king bed, and unfortunately, all of our rollaway beds have been taken as well."

'Oh shit!' is all I can think to myself. After doing my best to avoid getting into any compromising situations with Katy, we're being thrown right into one. The thought of spending the night in the same bed with her terrifies me and excites me at the same time. There is no way I can tell Stephanie about this.

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We get off the elevator on the fifth floor and head to our room. Katy has been quiet since the discussion with the hotel clerk.

"Everything okay?" I ask.

Katy looks at me and melts me with her smile. "Everything is great. I should ask you the same thing. Are you going to tell your wife that you're spending the night alone in a hotel room with me?"

"No. I'm not. No matter how I spin it, there is no way she will not freak out about this. Are you going to tell your fiancé?"

"No. No need to stir things up."

After struggling with the key card, we enter to find your basic hotel room. The bathroom is immediately to the right.

I walk in a little further to find a king size bed on the right with night stands on either side. Across from the foot of the bed is a built in desk with a simple chair tucked in. Continuing past the bed, I arrive at a sliding glass door that opens up to a balcony that overlooks the fantastic view of the hotel parking lot.

Not much of a view to admire. As I turn from the sliding glass door, I run right into Katy. I didn't realize she was right behind me looking over my shoulder, also admiring the not-so-spectacular view. Instinctively, I wrap my arms around her waist to keep from knocking her over. She grabs around my neck to catch her balance. We are now face to face. Our lips only inches apart.

If I were going to attempt anything, this would be the perfect moment. But fortunately (or is that unfortunately?), Katy feigns a shocked look and says, "Wow Mike. We're alone in the room for less than five minutes and you're already making the moves on me!"

Her eyes are locked on to mine and I'm at a loss for words. "Uh. Um. You... we... I thought you were going to fall over, so I was just trying to hold you up", I finally manage to get out.

"Relax. I was joking", she says as she straightens up and lets go of me.

I release my hold on her and regain some control of my thoughts.

After a moment of awkward silence, I say, "Katy. You can have the bed tonight. I'll sleep on the floor."

"Don't be ridiculous. That bed is plenty big for the two of us. There is no reason for you to sleep on the floor."

"We don't have any pajamas, and I am not planning on sleeping in my clothes, so I think it's best if I sleep on the floor."

"So what? It's not like I'll be naked. I'll have my bra and panties on, so I think you'll be safe in your undies."

All I can focus on is "naked", "bra", and "panties", which immediately gives me a mental image of Katy naked with her bra and panties thrown on the floor. Plenty to cause more than a stirring in my pants and have me wondering how I am ever going to make it through the night.

"The floor will be fine. Really."

"Suit yourself, but I'm fine with you sleeping in the bed if you want. We can figure that out later. I'm hungry. Let's go get something to eat.

"Okay. Let me make a call home first."