I know, it's been ages since we last spoke, and I bet you've been dying to find out what happened that night with my swoonsome hero Donal Dashwood?
The truth is I've been so embarrassed I could barely show my face in public since the night in question, never mind talk about what happened. It would appear this nightmare life of mine will insist in continuing....
...oh well. It's been a couple of weeks now, so here goes:
I was of course dolled up to the nines-high-lights done, bright red dress, platform stillettos-perhaps a touch over-done for drinks with the boss, but this was a special occasion. We met in a wine and tapas bar on the outskirts of town. It was dark and cosy, only lit by candle light, with slow Spanish guitar music playing unobtrusively in the background.
Perfect! I thought, as I walked in. It was exactly what I had envisaged during my many imaginings of this evening!
Donal was already seated in a secluded corner table, a bottle of red wine uncorked and two glasses waiting to be filled. He was studying the tapas menu before he saw me, but once he set eyes on me he stood and greeted me with a kiss (lingering longer on my lips than would be considered appropriate for a boss and his employee I couldn't help thinking with absolute glee) and then like a true movie gent he pulled out a chair for me before pouring me a glass of the wine.
I was glad I had gone with the red dress-how very Spanish of me?
So anyway, we chatted for a while as the waitress hovered about us hoping we were going to order food. I think it must have been the first time in my life that I was so interested in the company I was in that studying the menu wasn't top of my agenda! Wonderful! I thought. Maybe falling for Donal would help me lose weight too! Though diet and exercise I secretly hoped! Wink wink!
The conversation was mainly about work obviously, but I could tell he was leading to more personal stuff. He would want to know if I was single, and free to be with him, without a doubt. But after about an hour of comfortable chat we were interrupted by the hovering waitress who wanted to know (for the third time) if we were ready to order food -and did we want another bottle of wine seeing as the first one was now empty?
That was when I began to think that our romantic date/meeting might not go as romantically as I had been hoping it would;
Donal said "I suppose we'd better just go ahead and order. Nigel must be running later than expected. I'm sure he won't mind if we start without him. Besides, we'll be pissed if we drink anymore wine without eating something. What do you fancy Ruby"?
I think my mouth may have opened and closed in a goldfish stylee for several seconds. Was I drunk already? Did he say something about Nigel?
"Did you say Nigel is running late"? I enquired, praying deep inside that the answer would be a resounding 'NO'.
"Well yes Ruby. He's an hour late", Donal looked around him as if to say "Well he ain't here is he"? Like I was meant to have missed him already. I felt like a daft blonde.
I muttered something about not realising Nigel was coming along tonight too and Donal began to explain (as if to a three year old) that of course Nigel was coming along, after all, he would be heading up the team I was now a part of and as of Monday (when Donal would be gone) I would be working as Nigel's right-hand woman.
Oh bring on the deep fried squid and kill me now!
We were just placing our tapas order (enough for three) when the slimy greasy one arrived and squished into our tight corner next to me. He had obviously been running because sweat was dripping from his forehead and had stained the armpits of his shirt I noticed as he removed his jacket. My appetite left me.
Once again (I was beginning to grow accustomed to the feeling) my heart dropped clean out of my chest cavity and hit the floor with a thud. I sensed my evening of romance and seduction may now take an unwanted turn.
Thankfully the second bottle of wine was quickly dispatched to our table.
The food arrived. We ate. Nigel pressed his damp body as close to me as was humanely possible without the act of love-making. I held for dear life onto my spicy meatballs and octopus rings.
Stay calm, I told myself inwardly, nothing to worry about. We'll all leave soon and Nigel will take one taxi while Donal and I will take another. Together. And we'll go back to his.
Nigel ordered a third bottle of wine. To make up for arriving so late. I remember thinking "Oh, what the hell! Wine is wine".
It was about half way through this bottle that Donal announced he had to leave. I felt panic rise within me and I immediately sobered up.
"I'd better go too", I announced, leaping to my feet and attempting to drag my coat from underneath Nigel.
I was sure this was how Donal had planned it, so that we could leave together.
But he was putting on a good show, obviously for Nigels sake, so he wouldn't catch on to our plan.
"No no Ruby. The night is young. You stay here and help Nige finish the wine. I hate to be a party pooper but I have an early start driving home in the morning and I need my beauty sleep".
Nigel nodded along and filled my glass up. Again panic.
Okay, if he was talking me out of going surely that meant I was supposed to make him stay.
"Tomorrow's Saturday" I said. "Why do you need to leave so early? Stay for another and treat yourself to a lie in". I'm not totally sure but I may have winked at that point.
His reply?
"Sorry Ruby but I really have to get on the road in good time. It's my daughters birthday and my wife will kill me if I miss her party. Especially after being away from home for so long".
And once again guess what happened to my heart?
Married? But he hadn't told me he was married! All that time we'd spent together and he hadn't even mentioned a wife...or a daughter! But then, I guess, why would he? After all, we were only working together. And he was my boss!
So Donal left after thanking me for all of my hard work and wishing me lots of luck in my new position. I returned, with immediate effect, to the feeling of devastation from which he had rescued me for two whole weeks. Nigel smiled and topped up my glass....
What happened then? I'm still not ready to talk. But when I am, you guys will definately be the first to know....
Oct 16, 2009
Part 26-It can't be good for the heart...?
Wednesday night: dinner with Mark. Went well. Polite, adult, civilised.
Tonight: drinks with Donal Dashwood. The plan? Wild. Animal. Lust.
So Wednesday was better than I had expected. Mark and I talked. Properly.
Before I arrived I was nervous, of course, I didn't know how I would feel when I set eyes on him again.
Yes, my mind has been occupied with lusty thought's of the debonair Mr. Dashwood of late, but I suspected there might be a strong tug on the old heart strings once I saw my beloved husband again. And I was right.
As I walked into the restaurant where we had arranged to meet my ticker was getting the work-out of it's life and as I approached our table and spotted the oh-so familiar back of his head I thought I'd had it, that my heart would finally cave under the pressure and stop beating all together. It was a mixture of nerves at how the evening might proceed, and the thrill of seeing him again, of being in his company after missing him for so long.
When he saw me he smiled so warmly that for a moment it all felt unbelievably familiar and I almost forgot he didn't love me anymore. When I remembered, I felt my by-now fragile heart snap into pieces all over again.
But I was determined not to show him any emotion tonight. Not to give away any hint that I still loved him or wished he would change his mind and come back to me. Instead I had a plan.
I was promoting (only prematurely, I'm pretty certain) Donal Dashwood to new love interest for the evening. Mark was going to discover that he wasn't the only fast mover around here!
So we began pleasantly; how had we been, how was work, wasn't christmas coming around fast yet again this year?
Then we moved onto the more important stuff like me buying Mark out of the house, our solicitors details, facts and figures, that kind of thing. It was at that point that Mark seemed to me to get quite unusually emotional. He said he missed the house, talked about all the memories we had there, indicated that he regretted having to leave it.
It made me so angry! How dare he miss our house-a building!-and (apparently) not miss me. I was furious but fought hard to keep my annoyance under wraps. Instead I politely asked how things were going with Kate (It nearly killed me to say her name without spitting afterwards!) and without really waiting for an answer (could he be stupid enough to think I actually wanted to hear it?) I began to tell him how I'd met this new guy at work and that we were currently seeing each other.
"Well, I don't know if I want to use the word 'seeing'", I said, quite jovially, I thought. "I'm kind of avoiding anything serious right now, although I know he's really into me. I'm just enjoying the sex"!
Mark's face was a picture! Whatever he had been going to tell me about the 'wonderful' Kate must have stuck in his throat because he remained speechless for several minutes as I described in detail my sordid affair with my gorgeous new boss, our stolen moments in the stationary cupboard and long lunches spent in nearby hotels!
It felt good to be the one with the upper hand for once and it was obvious that Mark was uncomfortable with me 'dating' again. Was that a touch of jealousy I felt exuding from his every pore? Ha!
As we were leaving Mark walked me to a taxi and for a moment I thought he might kiss me. Surprisingly after all my talk about Donal (I think I had begun to believe my stories too!) I did still find myself wanting him to. But of course he didn't.
Instead he told me he was glad things were going so well for me and smiled as if he meant it. I couldn't help feeling deflated.
But then, as I bundled myself into the backseat of the first car to arrive and waved goodbye to my husband, Mark turned and shouted over the noise of the ravving engine that we should probably meet up again soon, and my poor, worn out heart did another fragile little leap in my chest!
Am I right to sense a glimmer of hope, however feignt it may be? Do I even care anymore?
So, drinks tonight with Donal. He wants to thank me for all the hard work I've put in this week! Little does he know it hasn't been like work for me at all! It's our final day together so tonight is make or break for my dreams of making my fantasy man my reality man...
So, will I be able to make the stories I told Mark come true? I'll keep you posted...
Tonight: drinks with Donal Dashwood. The plan? Wild. Animal. Lust.
So Wednesday was better than I had expected. Mark and I talked. Properly.
Before I arrived I was nervous, of course, I didn't know how I would feel when I set eyes on him again.
Yes, my mind has been occupied with lusty thought's of the debonair Mr. Dashwood of late, but I suspected there might be a strong tug on the old heart strings once I saw my beloved husband again. And I was right.
As I walked into the restaurant where we had arranged to meet my ticker was getting the work-out of it's life and as I approached our table and spotted the oh-so familiar back of his head I thought I'd had it, that my heart would finally cave under the pressure and stop beating all together. It was a mixture of nerves at how the evening might proceed, and the thrill of seeing him again, of being in his company after missing him for so long.
When he saw me he smiled so warmly that for a moment it all felt unbelievably familiar and I almost forgot he didn't love me anymore. When I remembered, I felt my by-now fragile heart snap into pieces all over again.
But I was determined not to show him any emotion tonight. Not to give away any hint that I still loved him or wished he would change his mind and come back to me. Instead I had a plan.
I was promoting (only prematurely, I'm pretty certain) Donal Dashwood to new love interest for the evening. Mark was going to discover that he wasn't the only fast mover around here!
So we began pleasantly; how had we been, how was work, wasn't christmas coming around fast yet again this year?
Then we moved onto the more important stuff like me buying Mark out of the house, our solicitors details, facts and figures, that kind of thing. It was at that point that Mark seemed to me to get quite unusually emotional. He said he missed the house, talked about all the memories we had there, indicated that he regretted having to leave it.
It made me so angry! How dare he miss our house-a building!-and (apparently) not miss me. I was furious but fought hard to keep my annoyance under wraps. Instead I politely asked how things were going with Kate (It nearly killed me to say her name without spitting afterwards!) and without really waiting for an answer (could he be stupid enough to think I actually wanted to hear it?) I began to tell him how I'd met this new guy at work and that we were currently seeing each other.
"Well, I don't know if I want to use the word 'seeing'", I said, quite jovially, I thought. "I'm kind of avoiding anything serious right now, although I know he's really into me. I'm just enjoying the sex"!
Mark's face was a picture! Whatever he had been going to tell me about the 'wonderful' Kate must have stuck in his throat because he remained speechless for several minutes as I described in detail my sordid affair with my gorgeous new boss, our stolen moments in the stationary cupboard and long lunches spent in nearby hotels!
It felt good to be the one with the upper hand for once and it was obvious that Mark was uncomfortable with me 'dating' again. Was that a touch of jealousy I felt exuding from his every pore? Ha!
As we were leaving Mark walked me to a taxi and for a moment I thought he might kiss me. Surprisingly after all my talk about Donal (I think I had begun to believe my stories too!) I did still find myself wanting him to. But of course he didn't.
Instead he told me he was glad things were going so well for me and smiled as if he meant it. I couldn't help feeling deflated.
But then, as I bundled myself into the backseat of the first car to arrive and waved goodbye to my husband, Mark turned and shouted over the noise of the ravving engine that we should probably meet up again soon, and my poor, worn out heart did another fragile little leap in my chest!
Am I right to sense a glimmer of hope, however feignt it may be? Do I even care anymore?
So, drinks tonight with Donal. He wants to thank me for all the hard work I've put in this week! Little does he know it hasn't been like work for me at all! It's our final day together so tonight is make or break for my dreams of making my fantasy man my reality man...
So, will I be able to make the stories I told Mark come true? I'll keep you posted...
Oct 13, 2009
Part 25-in which I forget Mark's name....
Okay, so the sexy Mr. Dashwood hasn't exactly made a move yet. But there is definite movement on the way, if you know what I mean.
And I cannot believe how much I really, really want him to!
We have been working so closely for over a week now that he is becoming all I think about. And here's the proof: Mark is coming over tonight for dinner (we have decided to keep things as civilized as possible for the sake of the, well, er, just for the sake of it I guess) and I have barely given the meeting a second thought since we arranged it over the weekend. We are going to sort out the house and bills and bank accounts etc,- all the really boring stuff that comes as part of the heart-break of separation,-and though I am obviously not looking forward to doing it, I feel like I can actually start to move on once we have these things organised.
But as I was saying, it would appear that the dashing Donal has entered my life at exactly the right time because his sexiness has taken my mind off Mark and is getting me through what I'm certain would otherwise be a terribly tough time.
He's so suave! A real movie hunk! You know the type-leading man material who only has to strut across a room to make all the girls swoon!
And swoon I do. Every time he arrives for our 'sessions' I can't take my eyes off him from the second he enters the room. He seems to have this powerful presence, I'd say women follow him with their eyes where ever he goes, and it's not because he wears Linx I can tell you!
When we sit close I am so aware of the heat from him and I can't stop myself imagining our bodies touching, even though they never do. Well, we have to keep everything professional don't we? He always smells gorgeous and is perfectly groomed. I did consider the idea that he might be gay for a short time but the way he looks at me (I've caught him snatching quick glances at my legs when I'm wearing a skirt) tells me that's just not possible. So it's all to play for!
Yesterday, he was explaining our new budgeting procedure and he leaned over my shoulder to point out notes on a document I had in front of me. His cheek was so close to my own I could feel his breathe and I had to physically stop myself from turning and kissing him! Oh, the temptation! This is so not like me, I just can't believe how I'm feeling. But whatever it is, I swear he was feeling it too and it hung in the air between us like some unspoken thought that neither of us was brave enough to say out loud.
So four days left before the training is over. Four days to make a move, to lure him into to stationary cupboard and seduce him! Have I got the bottle? Will he go for it, or tell me where to go? Will I get the sack if I do??? Who knows....
Oh, and then there's that dinner with my husband tonight. Now what was his name again....?
And I cannot believe how much I really, really want him to!
We have been working so closely for over a week now that he is becoming all I think about. And here's the proof: Mark is coming over tonight for dinner (we have decided to keep things as civilized as possible for the sake of the, well, er, just for the sake of it I guess) and I have barely given the meeting a second thought since we arranged it over the weekend. We are going to sort out the house and bills and bank accounts etc,- all the really boring stuff that comes as part of the heart-break of separation,-and though I am obviously not looking forward to doing it, I feel like I can actually start to move on once we have these things organised.
But as I was saying, it would appear that the dashing Donal has entered my life at exactly the right time because his sexiness has taken my mind off Mark and is getting me through what I'm certain would otherwise be a terribly tough time.
He's so suave! A real movie hunk! You know the type-leading man material who only has to strut across a room to make all the girls swoon!
And swoon I do. Every time he arrives for our 'sessions' I can't take my eyes off him from the second he enters the room. He seems to have this powerful presence, I'd say women follow him with their eyes where ever he goes, and it's not because he wears Linx I can tell you!
When we sit close I am so aware of the heat from him and I can't stop myself imagining our bodies touching, even though they never do. Well, we have to keep everything professional don't we? He always smells gorgeous and is perfectly groomed. I did consider the idea that he might be gay for a short time but the way he looks at me (I've caught him snatching quick glances at my legs when I'm wearing a skirt) tells me that's just not possible. So it's all to play for!
Yesterday, he was explaining our new budgeting procedure and he leaned over my shoulder to point out notes on a document I had in front of me. His cheek was so close to my own I could feel his breathe and I had to physically stop myself from turning and kissing him! Oh, the temptation! This is so not like me, I just can't believe how I'm feeling. But whatever it is, I swear he was feeling it too and it hung in the air between us like some unspoken thought that neither of us was brave enough to say out loud.
So four days left before the training is over. Four days to make a move, to lure him into to stationary cupboard and seduce him! Have I got the bottle? Will he go for it, or tell me where to go? Will I get the sack if I do??? Who knows....
Oh, and then there's that dinner with my husband tonight. Now what was his name again....?
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