I was at my company holiday party, which was being held at a country club not far from our office. The dress code was semi-formal so everyone was in suits or nice dresses, which is always interesting when it involves a company of engineers. I had attended stag since I wasn't currently seeing anyone but the party was overwhelmingly married couples. Shortly after I'd arrived, while I was socializing but before I'd grabbed a drink, there was a moment that felt like it was straight out of a movie. Kathy, the administrative assistant for my department, appeared at the entrance to the room where the party was being held and it was as though all sound ceased while every head turned toward the door. The only thing missing was a record scratch. It probably wasn't quite like that but it sure felt like it at the moment.

Kathy was incredible as our admin and the department surely would have fallen into chaos without her. When she wasn't keeping our department running smoothly, however, she was not very outgoing and tended to be a bit introverted. I knew this from the times we'd chatted at work; it had taken a while after I'd started working before she seemed open to talking about anything not related to work. She'd been super helpful in getting me all situated during those first few weeks of working there, though, so I always made the effort to engage her and I guess eventually she was comfortable enough around me to open up a little bit more. She was a bit older than me but I wouldn't have said that she was maternal or even like a big sister nor would I have said before the night of that holiday party that I thought of her in any way other than as a coworker that I happened to enjoy chatting with occasionally.

It probably wasn't just me who needed a moment before realizing that it was Kathy standing in the doorway. She was wearing a full-length, royal blue dress, her hair, which she typically wore straight, was styled and she was wearing makeup. This was a wildly different look for her but she looked outstanding. I don't know how much time passed in reality but it felt like we just stared at her for a long time and I'm sure it felt even longer to her. It was long enough, however, that it didn't look like a date was going to appear to join her but it did look like she might turn and bolt. I finally got moving myself and went over to her, smiling to remind her that I was friend not foe.

"Hey Kathy," I said, "I like your dress. That's a great color on you. Did you want a drink? The bar is over this way."

As her attention went from the vast room to focus on me, the deer-in-the-headlights look began to fade though she didn't smile yet and I'm sure her heart was racing. I figured a drink might help and, since I hadn't grabbed one yet myself, it was a reasonable excuse to get her into the room and out of the spotlight.

"Could you tell that I was about to turn and run?" she asked, finally smiling as we waited our turn at the bar.

"I had a sense that might be going through your mind," I replied, "but it looks like the room is full of couples aside from me. I need you as an ally."

She laughed then we got our drinks and moved off to the side where we had a good view of the room. When we spotted a few people from our department, we slipped in and began to socialize. It ended up being a really good time, through the cocktail hour and dinner, where we ended up sitting together so as not to leave an odd number at two different tables. It wasn't until after the obligatory management speeches, when the music started, that I started to think that I might want to slip out if given the opportunity. This party was a big deal for couples with young families who didn't often get a night out without their kids but for those of us without dates it had the potential to become awkward.

I knew that Kathy was pretty much a homebody and I was more interested in hanging out at a bar than in watching a bunch of married couples dancing. I wasn't going to abandon her, though, so as the dancing was starting up, I looked around to see where she'd gone off to since she was no longer at our table. It did occur to me that she may have abandoned me to slip out unnoticed but then I spotted her over near the doorway to the restrooms. I casually made my way over to her and, based on the way she looked at me, I think she may have been afraid that I'd come to ask her to dance.

"I'm about ready to blow this clambake," I told her, which was what we used to say back in the day, at least where I was from.

"I was just thinking about how to make it from here to the exit without anyone noticing," she replied, "Are you heading to another party?"

"No, I don't have any other plans tonight," I said, "but I'd do just about anything to avoid getting assimilated onto that dance floor."

"How would you feel about coming over to my house and helping me get out of this dress?" she asked. I was momentarily speechless but the truth is I had found myself checking her out as the night had progressed. I hadn't been just blowing smoke when I'd said the royal blue looked good on her but the fit of the dress also showed off her trim figure. There had even been a few times that I'd stolen glances at her cleavage, which was something I'd never seen before that night. I hadn't been thinking about helping her out of that dress but I'm sure I would have had those kind of thoughts later that night had things not turned out the way they did.

"I would much, much rather do that," I replied, "than do the Electric Slide with our coworkers."

If you've ever heard the term "beamed" used to describe how someone smiled, that was absolutely what Kathy did. Her face brightened and I'd never seen a smile like that on her face before. Despite that, I don't think that she was necessarily into me or had a crush on me; I think she was just feeling an itch and was happy that I was interested in scratching it for her. So that we wouldn't be seen leaving together, she headed for the exit as I headed for the men's room. When I left the party a few minutes later, she flashed her headlights at me so I got into my own car then followed her out of the parking lot. It was a short drive and, for some reason I was thinking that she'd live in an apartment complex, but she turned down a gravel road not far from the country club. The gravel road turned out to be her driveway, which was fairly long, so her ranch-style house was somewhat secluded. She pulled into her garage while I parked nearby then I joined her as she stood just inside the garage door. It seemed as good a time as any so I took her in my arms and brought my lips to hers. We only made out for a moment before she led me into her house, but I was sporting wood immediately. Read more