Saturday
Monday:
“What did you do Saturday?” William asked casually of his cousin Richard.
“I washed my car,” was the equally casual reply. William smiled smugly.
“Well, for once then, I had a better time than you.” Richard arched an eyebrow and regarded the smiling man.
“Oh? How so?”
“You remember the woman I told you about--the new one in my office?”
“Lizzy?” Naturally, William was speaking about Lizzy; she was virtually all he talked about for the past three months.
“Yes, Lizzy. I think I've finally made some progress with her.”
“Does this mean you no longer have to sleep with the lights on for fear she'll send armed assassins to kill you in your bed?” William's smile expanded and Richard thought he saw a hint of color touch his cheeks.
“As a matter of fact, I did fall asleep with the lights on Saturday night.” William gave his cousin a look that could only be described as challenging, and waited.
“William! I never saw you as the kiss and tell type!”
“Oh, I have no intention of telling,” he said as he closed his eyes and slipped into a reverie.
**
Saturday:
Lizzy and William walked out of the conference room side by side, each wearing a rueful smile. They'd both been called into a hastily organized meeting where they learned that their company was being bought out in a hostile takeover. Both their jobs were secure, but the project that had had them at each other's throats was the biggest casualty of the merger.
“Well, that was completely unexpected,” Lizzy said after a while.
“Utterly and completely,” William agreed as he walked at her side, trying unsuccessfully to resist the urge to sneak a peek at the enticing bit of cleavage revealed by Lizzy's stylish pant suit. His height advantage over the diminutive woman afforded him a good view of a gracefully curved bosom and not for the first time, William imagined himself getting lost in the valley between those two soft pink mountains...
“...and if Galloway thinks--. Are you staring at my breasts?” William froze momentarily, caught in the act and completely defenseless.
“I wish!” he said honestly. There was no plausible denial, after all. “That suit isn't cut nearly low enough,” he said cheekily as the elevator doors opened. He followed the stunned woman into the car and reached over her to push 18. Lizzy was blushing furiously. “Well, what did you expect me to say?” he asked reasonably.
“I...I...,” Lizzy sputtered as she turned away slightly. She didn't wish to encourage the man. At least she didn't think she did. Wasn't William Darcy the man she normally referred to as “that arrogant prick”? She'd been butting heads with him since joining the company as the financial officer of his division. Darcy was an acknowledged wunderkind, but his disregard for the budget and the budget director's requests that he curtail his propensity for overspending had brought them to near blows on several occasions. So why did she feel flushed and slightly aroused by his unwanted attentions? It was a question she decided she shouldn't try to answer as the elevator doors opened on their floor.
“So are you planning to put in a few hours or are you going to split?” William asked casually.
“Why, what difference does it make to you?” Lizzy replied a bit defensively.
“I thought that if you were planning to stick around I should as well; otherwise you'd be up here all by yourself.” Lizzy felt her cheeks grow warm, but she continued on the path she'd already established.
“I'm a big girl, William,” she said as she spun on her heels and headed for her office.
“You're not so big,” she heard William say softly to her retreating back. “I could probably take you down in my sleep.” Lizzy smiled to herself as she opened her door and stepped inside. “I'd certainly like to,” William added when he was sure it was closed. He sighed and headed to his own office. Since his project was defunct, he decided to download all the files to DVDs in case there was a possibility of reviving it in the future. As the files downloaded, William made coffee and began to collect all the papers and files related to the project for long-term storage. Some of these he scanned and put onto the DVDs, some was relegated to a file box. When he was done, he picked up the carafe of coffee and strolled down to Lizzy's office.
“You didn't have to stay on my account,” she said when she looked up in response to his knock on her open door.
“Just for the record, I didn't,” he said a bit tersely as he entered the surprisingly feminine space. The furniture seemed to fit Lizzy perfectly. Every object in the room was featured a flowing curve; in fact, aside from the door and window, William could barely detect a completely straight line in the room.
“Did you want something?” Lizzy asked in amusement as she watched him study the room. She always enjoyed meeting William on her own turf. Her office was done pale taupe and pink and she was certain that William found it a bit unnerving. His office, by comparison, was chrome and steel and prominently featured black leather and charcoal grey. She always felt almost overwhelmingly female in his office. Here, Darcy was all male. Lizzy shifted in her seat and wondered for the second time that day where her sudden interest in the man was coming from. Perhaps it was his leisurely attire. Even on Saturday the man was impeccably dressed in a crisp blue Oxford shirt, navy blazer and loafers, but the jeans were a complete surprise and a real eye catcher.
“I brought you some coffee, if you're interested,” he said distractedly. Lizzy smiled and reached for her mug. William continued to stare at the sun streaming in through the curtains. He followed the light to Lizzy and saw it dance and sparkle in her auburn hair. Lizzy lifted her cup, breaking his reverie and he stepped forward to fill the mug.
“Thank you. Do you have any milk?” William looked down, checked himself and looked up again. He ignored Lizzy's laughing eyes and managed an answer.
“In my office.”
“I'll follow you back, then.” And follow him she did. Soft, faded denim caressed long sinewy thighs as William strode purposefully down the corridor. He shoved his hand into the pocket of his jeans and Lizzy caught a glimpse of one nicely sculpted cheek till it was obscured by the blazer once more. Lizzy claimed a seat in front of the desk and crossed her legs as William bent to retrieve the milk from the refrigerator hidden in his credenza. She took her time extending the cup so that he could pour, doubtlessly allowing William another eyeful of her cleavage as he did so. She glanced up and smiled when he stopped pouring.
“What?” he asked as he set aside the container and reached for his own mug.
“I was just thinking about your powers of concentration,” Lizzy replied coyly as William sat down in the seat across from her. “I don't know whether to be impressed or insulted.”
“Excuse me?” Lizzy found his confused expression adorable, but she quickly averted her gaze and looked around the spacious office.
“It's nice being here on a quiet Saturday, isn't it?” she said, changing the subject. “I could almost forget what an arrogant--.” Lizzy put her mug to her lips and gulped hot fluid. William smiled archly.
“Yeah, I was just thinking that you don't seem so much like an anal-retentive pain in the ass on Saturdays,” he countered smugly. Lizzy accepted the barb gracefully and shifted in her chair so that she could cup her chin.
“That's just my weekday persona,” she smiled.
“Oh, really? And what are you like on the weekend, usually?”
“Just what you see,” she replied cryptically.
“Well, aside from the fact that you aren't behaving like a miserly shrew, you don't seem terribly different,” William said. Lizzy nearly spit her coffee across the room. “I'm sorry, but it's true. You're just as beautiful as you usually are Monday to Friday, just as short, just as fearless, just as impertinent--.”
“Whoa!” Lizzy said in spite of herself. “Go back to the beautiful part.”
“And just as modest as well,” William smirked.
“You've never thought of me as modest, William. No way I could even convince myself of that.” William's smirk grew into a genuine smile.
“True; you're too honest for that. I've always admired your candor.”
“That's two complements in a row, William! Keep that up and I may swoon.”
“You swoon and I won't be responsible for the consequences,” William warned Lizzy with a look that left no doubt as to the consequences he was speaking of. But his expression abruptly changed and he frowned. “May I ask you something?
Anything, Lizzy's libido shouted. But the rest of her could only nod in response.
“Why do you hate me?” he asked simply. Lizzy was slightly taken aback by the question, coming as it did in the middle of a very promising flirtation.
“Did I say that?”
“A few weeks ago after our meeting with Galloway.” Lizzy recalled the meeting. She'd dragged William up to the vice president's office in a fit of pique. It had backfired miserably; each and every one of Darcy's cost overruns were approved, albeit retroactively. If ever she hated William Darcy, it would have been precisely at that moment when she'd been absolutely humiliated in front of her boss. Still, Lizzy couldn't remember saying those exact words but she saw the look in Darcy's eyes and knew the answer to his question truly mattered to him.
“I have no idea,” she admitted. “I mean I have no idea I'd even said the words and if I did, I certainly hadn't intended for them to be taken seriously. As a matter of fact, I was under the impression you never listened to a word I said anyway.” William smiled wryly, easing the guilt that had welled up in Lizzy's breast.
“Oh, you'd have plenty of evidence to support that notion, I fear,” he chuckled. Lizzy exhaled and looked him in the eye.
“I don't hate you William,” she said. He set aside his mug and cupped his chin. “So,” she said, pausing to put down her own mug and wetting her lips briefly, “back to that bit about me being beautiful...”
“You have a one-track mind even on the weekends,” William said lightly, feigning a grimace and rolling his eyes for effect.
“Actually, I'm thinking along two tracks at the moment,” Lizzy replied with just a twinge of her brow.
“Really? Do tell,” William said as he leaned a bit forward.
“Well, I'm rather curious about your impressions of me and simultaneously developing a few new impressions of you on my own.”
“Anything I'm going to want to hear?” Lizzy smiled enigmatically and rose to her feet. She headed for the door. “Say! Where are you going?”
“To shut down my program; I don't feel much like working anymore today.” William smiled.
“How about lunch?”
“Lunch sounds good.”
“I make a BLT to die for,” William said challengingly.
“I'm watching my figure,” Lizzy said with a slight pout.
“You go ahead and indulge and I'll watch your figure.” It was an old line, but it worked like a charm. Lizzy never did close her spreadsheet. Her lips collided with William's and it was all she could do to remember to grab her purse and lock her door before he sped her across town to his place.
It was a brief cab ride, spent in an almost incessant lip lock. Common courtesy prevented Lizzy and William from continuing their necking in the crowded elevator, but as soon as William closed the door to his apartment they were all over each other again. Clothes flew in every direction as they tried to climb into each other's skin. They were naked before they left the foyer. Without breaking contact with Lizzy's mouth, William attempted to steer her toward the bedroom, blindly moving backwards and feeling along the wall as he went. At some point Lizzy climbed up on him and ground her body into his, sending wildly disorienting waves of sensation through his body. The tiny part of William's brain still capable of function told him it was time to find his bed. He reached back to grasp the door knob that was digging into his left cheek and opened it. He and Lizzy instantly fell backwards as Darcy silently swore.
Lizzy barely missed a beat, however. She continued to kiss and lick and nibble at his mouth, throat and jaw as though nothing had ever happened. William was slightly stunned by the blow to the back of his head, but quickly regained his senses when Lizzy took hold of his erection. At that point, nothing else mattered. They were both too far gone for tender, tentative first-time lovemaking. They both needed release from the feral heat that had been unleashed sometime between Darcy's visit to Lizzy's office and their arrival at his place. Lizzy mounted him and he saw stars. We'll do it properly next time, they each promised themselves as they rode over the edge.
They lay together, still and silent but for the sounds of their breathing and the repetitive motion of William's hand as he slowly and languidly stroked Lizzy's skin. She was sprawled atop him as she fell, too tired and content to move. Lizzy opened her eyes and spent a moment trying to focus before she began to laugh.
“National Geographic, William? Isn't that a bit cliché?” William smiled, his eyes still closed. The sound of Lizzy's voice seemed to seep through the taut skin of her abdomen and into his chest.
“Don't be so smug, Lizzy. I do have two degrees in geography and a lifetime membership in the society, you know. My interest in the magazine is hardly prurient.” Lizzy considered the facts for a moment.
“True. But you have them stashed in your closet like a naughty--. William, why are we in your closet?” William lifted his head and opened his eyes. He looked at his surroundings. They were indeed lying, well, half-lying inside William's storage closet. He chuckled and laid back, pulling Lizzy with him.
“I haven't made the bed or picked up the dirty laundry,” he said with easy bravado. “I couldn't well impress you if I'd dragged you into a messy room, could I?” Lizzy laughed.
“You managed to impress me just fine in a storage closet, William,” she said as she rolled off of him. “Of course, it's an impeccably neat storage closet. Go ahead and pick up your laundry, but I'd forget about making the bed. It's just going to get messy again.” William smiled and did as he was bidden.
**
Monday:
“Huh?” William said as he was abruptly brought back to the present by the sound of the train approaching their station. He reached for his briefcase and rose to his feet, as did Richard.
“I said that I was surprised you bothered to continue pursuing Lizzy at all after the bad blood between you two.”
“Oh, it was just healthy competition,” William said as they boarded the commuter train to the city, “but now we're getting along just fine.”
“So I gather. But I thought you said she hated you.”
“She did; at least she said she did. She admitted on Saturday that she'd lied about that.”
“But until then you believed her.” William nodded. Richard frowned as he showed the conductor his commuter pass. “I don't get it; you believed that she hated you but you continued to carry a hard-on for her for ages.”
“I've always had a thing for women who hate me.”
“I see,” Richard said in a tone that clearly showed that he did not. He opened the paper and began to read.
“So you washed your car,” William sneered. “Hot weekend.”
“I think so.” William couldn't help but snort at the idea.
“Sorry cousin, but I think that for once my social life is looking a bit better than yours.”
“Hey, I'm glad you and Lizzy finally got it together, but don't shed any tears on my account. My social life is just fine.”
“You spent Saturday alone washing your car, Richard!”
“Hey, did I say I was alone?”
“Who were you with?”
“Sam.”
“You new auto mechanic friend?”
“Automotive engineer.”
“Whatever. I still think that my weekend beats yours. Washing cars with your mechanic--uh, engineer buddy doesn't sound like a great time to me.”
“You haven't seen Sam.”
“No,” William said as he eyed his cousin suspiciously. Richard's expression was unreadable. “You aren't trying to tell me something, are you?”
“Have I mentioned that Sam is a 5” 10” redhead with killer legs and a body that looks great after being soaked with a hose?” William smacked his head with his palm. “I didn't think so.”
“Sam is a girl?” Richard punched him in the shoulder as his reply. But he smiled afterwards.
“One hundred percent.”
“Oh. Well that's not so bad then.”
“Good weekend.” The cousins exchanged a smile.
“Not bad at all.” They both closed their eyes and dreamed of more pleasant things than the workday that lay ahead.