(NEW) The Glow of Lusty-ness...

I was in full, mundane Sunday morning swing when I passed Ben in the underground parking garage. Typical! I was dressed in my Sunday worst, hair pilled up under an old cap that read, "Cobra Exhaust pipes", some ridiculous thing our clients had sent us all. They thought it was a stroke of creative genius, though, the way the picture of the exhaust pipe reared up and morphed into a snake. I was carrying a basket of my dirty laundry, undergarments included, and in the other hand I had a black bag full of bottles for recycling.

"Well hello there." His voice had this ability to stop my world. It was utter madness, but every time I heard it, I felt transported out of myself, de- atomized, scrambled and then reassembled like a sci-fi transporter beam. I turned and found him standing only a few feet away from me, how had he managed to get so close to me?

He, on the other hand, was not dressed in his Sunday worst. He was sporting some full dapper suited look that was enough to turn ordinary woman into blithering idiots.

"Ben!" I said."Ben. You."

"Sera. Sera Holmes. Sera Holmes. " He looked me up and down and smiled and I suddenly became very aware of what I was wearing.

"Laundry Sunday." I said defensively tugging on my oversized shirt.

"It's a good look for you." He took a step closer, reached out and stuck a finger through the hole in my shirt (The classy one that I'd gotten free with that box of washing detergent about ten years ago.) His finger grazed my stomach and skin pebbled in response to it.

"They're not pink, though, but they're just as sexy." His voice dripped with sex and filth and danger.

"Huh?" I followed his eyes down to where they were currently fixated and saw the white cotton panties on top of the laundry pile. I quickly shoved them into my pocket, which only caused his smile to grow.

"You're such a pervert." I said trying to avert my eyes away from that deadly, quicksand smile that you could get stuck in if you didn't have your wits about you.

"And you're such a tease." He said. "So, have you done much thinking overnight?"

I tried to stop my smile, "Contrary to what you might believe. I don't spend all my spare time thinking about you, Ben."

"Really?" He asked, "that little smile on our face seems to suggest otherwise."

"Arrogant!" I quickly replied.

"Enamored!" He said, my heart skipped about ten beats.

"Overdressed."I pointed at him.

"I could say the same for you." The look in his eyes changed as I felt my entire body shiver under the intense stare of him trying to undress me.

"Like I said, pervert!"

"Perhaps there's more to me than meets the eye. Something you might discover when you go on your first date with me."

"Presumptuous."

"You know, it would be great if we had a conversation that didn't only consist of three syllable words. But unfortunately not today, I have to go to work."

"On a Sunday?" I asked.

"This calendar thing is becoming a bit of an issue."

"Sorry to hear that."

"We need to present the client with our big, awesome idea tomorrow afternoon so we can shoot later this week."

"Not a lot of time."

"There never is in this industry. But I guess that's what keeps it exciting...I like challenges." His eyes flicked up and down my body one more time and I tried to ignore their loaded look.

"Why don't you just come up with the idea and save the day? Legend has it that you're supposed to be this creative genius."

"It's not really my job to come up with all the ideas all the time. It's my job to coach others and mentor them to get the best ideas out of them and then refine them. Your last creative director didn't really do a good job at that and now my creatives can't seem to come up with any original ideas worth working with. They have potential, but they haven't been challenged or pushed..." he paused and ran his hand through his hair. "Sorry, I shouldn't really be speaking to you about stuff like that. It's not appropriate."

"I won't tell anyone you said that."

"I know." He smiled up at me. "And like I said, the calendar shoot is the only piece of work the client actually cares about all year. And he wants to hire this Italian photographer too who is apparently the "best"," he gestured air commas, "which just means some very overpaid egotistical "artist" who thinks the sun shines out of his arse and who thinks he's the most important thing since Picasso."

I laughed out loud at that trying to imagine Ben working with someone who possibly had a bigger ego than he did.

"I honestly think it has nothing to do with the calendar at all, I just think the client likes jetting off to exotic locations and watching a bunch of scantily clad models drape themselves all over his sports cars."

"Mmmm," I mumbled, "sounds like something every guy wants."

Ben took a dangerous step closer, "Some guys prefer their women inside their cars, rather than outside."

"Stop!" I pointed a finger at him. "Why do you do that?" I stepped back. "Why is everything that comes out of your mouth so filthy?"

Ben threw his head back and laughed. "Admit it, you love it"

"I don't!" I retorted.

He shook his head looking amused before walking away to his car. "Yes you do. And that's why you're falling hopelessly in love with me." He shouted over his shoulder before climbing into his car and driving away.

My mouth fell open in shock and then I quickly yelled after him. "I am not! I am so not! You're wrong!"

"Whatever Sera." He gave me a wave in the rear view mirror before driving out the garage and out of sight.

**

Later that day the second half of the Sunday routine began. Sunday afternoon is the only time that the restaurant is closed and we all go there to do stock take, and sometimes JJ likes to practice his new routines in peace. When I arrived they were already there mincing around the place. I stopped and watched them for a while, they looked like they were currently having a dramatic debate about where to put the new pot plant. .

"So you've had a bit of a smile on your face all day," Bruce looked when he saw me standing there.

"It's more than a smile," JJ remarked, "it's more of a glow. The glow of lusty-ness."

"Oh please," I tried to brush it off but I knew that I couldn't fool these two.

"He's gotten under your skin." Bruce remarked.

JJ tisked loudly, "Under your skin? He's gotten under you."

"So what are you going to do about it?" Bruce asked opening one of the bottles and pouring some glasses.

"Because I've thought about it, and if you really want to go out with him, I'll forgive your betrayal."

I laughed. "Gee, thanks. So generous of you. But no need to worry, I won't be going out with him."

"You're not even going to entertain the idea of going on a date with him." Bruce asked.

I shrugged. "I told him I'd think about it."

"Okay, so who's going to film me." JJ jumped onto stage. "It's Priscilla Queen of the desert next week Saturday."

I shook my head at him. "Such a gay cliché." I said teasingly.

"Oh please, little miss intern doing her hot boss."

I immediately cringed at the sound of that, but nodded. "I guess so." I said softly. "Oh God. I'm such a fucking cliché. All I need now is to find out he's some kind of Persian Prince and fall pregnant with his illegitimate baby and then fall in love and get married and become the princess of some far off country called Genovia."

Bruce and JJ laughed out loud, "Have you been reading JJ's romance novels?" Bruce teased.

"What can I say, they're my guilty pleasure." JJ said with a naughty smile.

I shook my head, "No. But every now and then I read the descriptions on the back. Oh, and p.s, just how many virgin brides are there out there in the world these days?

"Enough for all those sexy Arab Sheiks to claim them as their desert concubines." JJ quipped. We all laughed but JJ quickly stopped us by standing up dramatically. "Now who the hell is going to film my routine?" He walked off to the stage.

JJ was a perfectionist and liked to re-watch his performances over and over again. "Of course honey," Bruce pulled his phone out and started recording as JJ began to belt out the usual Gloria Gaynor number. Half way through the song I got up and gave them all a wave.

"Hey. Where you going?" JJ yelled.

"Home."

"Liar," JJ shouted even louder as I walked to the door, "you're going home to have wild sex with you hot neighbor."

I laughed, "That's right. And I'm ovulating too so I'll be falling pregnant with his illegitimate baby." I yelled as I exited.