Lane woke up flushed and a little disoriented. Realizing she was in her bed; she was able to ascertain that it was just a dream. A dream about him. It wasn't the first time she romantically liasoned with him in her slumber and probably not the last time either. She layed there for a few more minutes trying to recall how his lips felt on hers. It seemed so real. "Snap out of it Lane" she told herself. She knew she was out of his league and being a co-worker made it even more unattainable.
She got out of bed and checked her clock. 6:25 - she dallied in bed too long and now there was no time for a shower. She attempted to run a brush through her unruly blonde curls but it just made it frizzier. Into a ponytail it went and she cursed the fact that she didn't straighten it the night before. She proceeded to dress, brush her teeth and put on a smattering of make-up. A touch of lipgloss and she was good to go. "Good enough for who it's for" she proclaimed, as she took one last glance before running out the door to catch her bus.
She listened to a sports talk podcast on her commute in. This provided an excuse to not to have to talk to strangers and the football talk took her mind of that dream. Twenty minutes later she arrived at work. Baker and Jones was nationally renowned law firm where she was a junior paralegal. Her object of desire was Jackson Marks; an attorney who was making quite a name for himself in the office. His writing skills were unparalleled and he was brilliant. He had a soft spoken demeanor and wasn't loud an aggressive like so many other attorneys in the office. He was also 10 years her junior, but that didn't stop the feelings she felt for him.
Squired away in the comfort of her office, she was pretty sure she wouldn't see Jackson unless they passed in the halls. Upon opening her email, she discovered Marge the receptionist was going to be out. That was three days in a row now.This meant Lane would be covering the front desk and Jackson would pass by her multiple times that day. His soft blue eyes, his crisp white shirt. the scent of his cologne that drove her crazy..."Damnit Lane - it's never going to happen - get a grip on yourself!" She gathered her belongings and headed to the front.
"Is Marge out again?" Jackson asked? Lane tried to control her flush that she felt rising from below her collar. Just a few short hours ago, they were kissing in a rainstorm. She had to initiate the kiss because he was so reserved, but the passion was undeniable. Reality checked back in and she responded "Yes Jackson, she is. You will have to suffer through me yet another day" It was his turn to blush. "What, no, I ,i didn't mean it like that. You, you your fine up here. I was just curious about Marge" he stammered. He had such a social awkwardness that was endearing. She managed to get through the day as the the phones had been busy all day. It was a very welcome distraction. While her own work was piling up, she knew she would be in over the weekend to make up her billable hours.
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Saturday morning Lane woke up refreshed. She couldn't remember her any of her dreams last night, but then again she didn't have to wrestle with her feelings for Jackson at that moment either. She went into the bathroom and started the water for her shower, She undid the bun from the top of her headand let the pile of loose curls fall to her shoulders. She took a long look at herself in the mirror. She didn't look bad for 40. Most people guessed her age to be much younger and she was quite content with that idea. A 30 year old attorney could do much worse than her. Once the mirror started to fog, she removed her clothes and stepped into the shower. She let the water stream across her body and drifted back into that dream. They were trying to get out the the door to for their date, but every obstacle imaginable kept stumbling in their way. Through every twist and turn, he stayed at her side smiling that soft smile of his. Determined to make this date happen, she grabbed his hand and pulled him out the door. He looked a little shock at her aggressiveness, but never let go of her hand. Once they were outside, they discovered it was raining hard and neither of them had an umbrella. He looked down at her kind of at a loss as to what to do next since they were supposed to walk to their destination. Lane did the only thing she could think of at that time. Everything else had gone wrong that night - what did she have to lose? She grabbed his face and kissed him. To her surprise, he kissed her back. Slow and tentative at first then building into a passion that Lane had not experience in ages. The rain fell hard around them, but neither seemed to notice. The rain felt cold on her skin and she lapsed back into reality when she realized it was the shower that was cold and not the rain. How long had she been in there? She washed her hair quickly, then applied her conditioner. She lathered herself up as the conditioner set in & rinsed both/ A quick once over with the razor before the hot water ran out and she hopped out of the shower and into her robe.
It was already warm for May, so she dressed in a tank top and a pair of skinny jeans. She still had a bit of time before she had to be to work, so she straightened the her hair so it wouldn't frizz in the humidity. She really wasn't sure why she was making such an effort. Chances were that she would be the only one in the office. On the weekends she usually just came in with yoga pants and a tshirt on, but something was telling her to spruce it up a bit. She put on her flats, grabbed her iPod and her purse headed out the door. When she arrived at work, she was indeed the only one there. She loved working on Saturdays. She could put her earbuds in, blast her music and grind out the work without constant interruptions the normal work week brought.
The Higgins case was going to trial in two weeks and she needed to put together several witness folders. She looked for the file, but having not been in her office for three days any number of people could have it now. She looked up who was on the case and saw it was Tom Phillips and Jackson Marks. Ah Jackson, but she had work to do and did not have time to daydream about a silly crush that a woman her age had no business having. She went into Mr. Phillips office and it wasn't there. That meant Jackson had it. She headed down the hall to his office. His office had an almost sterile feel to it. He had his degree in Business from USC, his JD from Columbia and a small painting on the walls. He had just one bookcase, two chairs and his desk. Other than some hand sanitizer, his desk only had neatly stacked piles of work. Not even a pen cup. Lane found it curious that there was not a single personal memento in his office. No pictures of friends, family, a girlfriend.
Out of the corner of her eye. she caught movement. Startled, she turned around to see Jackson standing in the doorway. "Oh my God, you scared the hell out me Jackson" She noticed he was in a pair of pair of basketball shorts and a dri-fit shirt that formed to his chiseled chest. There was a lot more muscle to him than she imagined. He was tall and lanky, but very well built. Lane found herself blushing harder. "So what brings you in on a Saturday?" she asked trying to regain her composure. "The Higgins case. I have to finish up my motions in limine before the trial starts. And what brings you into my office on a Saturday? he asked. "The same. I was looking for the Higgins file to finish up my witness folders". He made his way into his office, and pulled the redwell from under a stack of papers. "Here you go" he said and their fingers brushed each other as he handed it over. Lane felt like a lightning bolt had struck her. So much electricity from one small touch. "If you need anything from the file, just come and grab it from my desk" she said and went back to her office.
Once at her desk, Lane replayed that whole scene in her mind. Jackson smelled so good. A mix of sweat and his cologne made her weak at the thought. He must have just come from the gym. She thought about that brief moment when their skin made contact. It seemed to have taken Jackson by surprise. Did he feel the same wave of energy she did? What was it about him anyways? She didn't really have time to ponder that question "These witness folders aren't going to make themselves" she muttered and plugged her earbuds and buried herself in her work. About an hour and half later, she looked up and there was Jackson standing in her doorway. She startled at the sight of him and asked "Uhm, how long have you been standing there?' "Long enough to hear you sing "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" he replied with a wicked grin she had never seen before. "You sing well" he said. Lane must have turned fifteen shade of red. "Do you need your file back?' She asked. "No, I just stopped by to see if you wanted to grab some lunch. It looks like we both may be here for awhile today and I'm starving". It took her a minute to process this. Did Jackson just ask her out? Trying not to seem to eager despite her insides screaming YES YES YES, she responded with a casual "Sure, there's a place down the street that has great vegetarian dishes." "How did you know I was a vegetarian? he asked. "That's what's makes me a great paralegal" she said with a smile.
