had done, but Mark did not even attend the event – he was away, they said, at some sort of Retreat. He appeared after the weekend looking refreshed and calm – indeed, as though he had spent the two days away at some sort of spa. The day after his return, Anna had a bouquet of flowers delivered to her desk. There was no card, but when she got them home, she discovered that the box the flowers were standing in was stuffed full of expensive lingerie. She was glad she had not opened the box at the office, as she suspected who the sender of the gift was. Was he too shy to talk to her? Or was there something else at stake?
*
“He’s a bastard, isn’t he?” Maria said quietly to Anna as Mark collected a coffee from the canteen and swept out without even nodding a goodbye to anyone.
“Mark? I think ‘bastard’ is a bit strong,” Anna stirred her coffee and kept a straight face. If she mentioned the sex at the party to Maria, the staring eyes or the underwear, she might just explode with excitement.
“He never talks to anyone – you know, there’s a rumour going around that he’s into really weird shit outside work…” Maria dropped her voice further. “You know, like stuff that ought to be illegal.”
“What – sex stuff?” Anna’s mind flickered to the pair of crotch-less knickers she had received. Did she have to send a thank you card, she thought?
“Yeah. Apparently it’s not just a spa he goes to,” Maria continued as she raised her eyebrows with the air of someone cradling a large bombshell. “It’s some sort of sex club, like wife-swapping and stuff.”
“Is he married?” Anna felt confused rather than intrigued.
“Well, maybe they let single people in as well. Don’t you think he’s got the air of a swinger about him?”
Anna rolled her eyes. “I’ll be honest, I don’t know that many swingers, so I can’t compare him to anyone.”
“Uh, you know what I mean,” Maria said, draining her cup. “Still, bastard or swinger aside, you would, wouldn’t you?”
“Ha, you would,” Anna laughed. “You probably have.”
“No, I haven’t,” Maria sighed in an exaggerated fashion. “Though, I would!”
“Shit, you really would fuck anyone,” Anna laughed. The two women finished their break and went back up to the office. Mark was having an angry phone-call in his glass-lined cubicle, and seemed to be making stabbing motions with one hand at a piece of paper he was reading.
“It’s all go around here,” Anna said, feeling a pang of regret. She wished she could talk to him alone, but he was always surrounded by phonies or phones. Would she ever catch a break?
*
As the end of the financial year came closer, Anna had to admit defeat. She had even taken to trying to talk to Mark after work, but he looked at her as though he had never seen her before, usually blushing. She felt as though it was more work to place her hopes on him than to give up.
But even when she came into work with a change of heart, wearing her ordinary, non-sexy clothes, she couldn’t stop thinking about him. She was aware, without even looking, of where Mark was at all times. She knew his routine and could even tell that he was in the toilets or the canteen. She shook her head to herself. She had to stop – it had been a one night stand, that was all. As long as he wasn’t telling anyone, which he seemed not to be, and he wasn’t treating her badly, which he wasn’t, she would just have to get over him.
But as firmly as she kept her resolve, there seemed to be a rule she wasn’t aware
*
“He’s a bastard, isn’t he?” Maria said quietly to Anna as Mark collected a coffee from the canteen and swept out without even nodding a goodbye to anyone.
“Mark? I think ‘bastard’ is a bit strong,” Anna stirred her coffee and kept a straight face. If she mentioned the sex at the party to Maria, the staring eyes or the underwear, she might just explode with excitement.
“He never talks to anyone – you know, there’s a rumour going around that he’s into really weird shit outside work…” Maria dropped her voice further. “You know, like stuff that ought to be illegal.”
“What – sex stuff?” Anna’s mind flickered to the pair of crotch-less knickers she had received. Did she have to send a thank you card, she thought?
“Yeah. Apparently it’s not just a spa he goes to,” Maria continued as she raised her eyebrows with the air of someone cradling a large bombshell. “It’s some sort of sex club, like wife-swapping and stuff.”
“Is he married?” Anna felt confused rather than intrigued.
“Well, maybe they let single people in as well. Don’t you think he’s got the air of a swinger about him?”
Anna rolled her eyes. “I’ll be honest, I don’t know that many swingers, so I can’t compare him to anyone.”
“Uh, you know what I mean,” Maria said, draining her cup. “Still, bastard or swinger aside, you would, wouldn’t you?”
“Ha, you would,” Anna laughed. “You probably have.”
“No, I haven’t,” Maria sighed in an exaggerated fashion. “Though, I would!”
“Shit, you really would fuck anyone,” Anna laughed. The two women finished their break and went back up to the office. Mark was having an angry phone-call in his glass-lined cubicle, and seemed to be making stabbing motions with one hand at a piece of paper he was reading.
“It’s all go around here,” Anna said, feeling a pang of regret. She wished she could talk to him alone, but he was always surrounded by phonies or phones. Would she ever catch a break?
*
As the end of the financial year came closer, Anna had to admit defeat. She had even taken to trying to talk to Mark after work, but he looked at her as though he had never seen her before, usually blushing. She felt as though it was more work to place her hopes on him than to give up.
But even when she came into work with a change of heart, wearing her ordinary, non-sexy clothes, she couldn’t stop thinking about him. She was aware, without even looking, of where Mark was at all times. She knew his routine and could even tell that he was in the toilets or the canteen. She shook her head to herself. She had to stop – it had been a one night stand, that was all. As long as he wasn’t telling anyone, which he seemed not to be, and he wasn’t treating her badly, which he wasn’t, she would just have to get over him.
But as firmly as she kept her resolve, there seemed to be a rule she wasn’t aware
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