The Swear Jar (17 page)
Authors: Audra Osorio
“Yes, Diana dear.”
Meara was driving herself crazy
about asking Duncan out. She was severely out of practice in the dating
arena. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Maybe a miracle would
happen or the floor would open up and swallow her.
Tom raised his voice. “It’s nice
to meet you, Diana. Yes, Duncan is here. Would you like to speak with him?”
“Yes, I’ll take care of it.
Thanks.”
Meara watched in horror as Diana
knocked on Duncan’s door. Freezing in place, Meara panicked. Her heart was
beating out of her chest. Diana emerged with Duncan right behind her. He had
the biggest grin Meara had ever seen. Feeling wobbly, she clutched the edge of
the desk. Diana and Duncan stopped a few feet from Meara. With her hands on
her hips, Diana heaved a sigh.
“Duncan, I’ll see you for dinner at
our house on Friday night,” said Diana.
“I’m looking forward to it. Is
Meara invited too?” he asked innocently.
“I guess so. It won’t be much of a
party with her, but we’ll manage.” Diana sighed. “We’ll sing Happy Birthday.”
“It’s not necessary.” His smile
faltered.
“It’s necessary. You haven’t heard
her sing, have you? Bring earplugs. We’ll see you tomorrow. Bye, Meara. You
better sit down. You’re swaying.” Diana grinned evilly.
“Thank you, Diana,” replied Meara
through gritted teeth. “I’ll see you later.”
“I’m looking forward to dinner,”
Duncan whispered. “Why didn’t you ask me?”
“I didn’t know how,” Meara replied
shyly.
“Then I’m glad Diana did. Until
Friday night, Lady Meara.” He kissed her hand.
When her work day was over, Meara
said a quick goodbye to everyone, including Duncan. She had shopping to do
before tomorrow. Her first stop was the Branches and Twigs Bookstore for the
perfect birthday present. Then she raced to the supermarket with list in
hand. She arrived home, satisfied with her purchases and determined to make
this the best birthday for him. She was going to spoil him. She was grateful
Diana had intervened. When she went to bed, she held the extra pillow close.
She fell asleep wondering if she would ever hold him close to her.
In bed that night, Duncan thought things
were going well between them. He wondered why Meara had been hesitant to ask
him about dinner. It was sweet of Diana to intervene. He wished they could
get past the awkwardness that came in the beginning of a new relationship. He
reminded himself they were getting to know each other. He was in love with her
and hoped she was falling in love with him. If he hadn’t made it clear to her
he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible, he would do so tomorrow.
He pulled the extra pillow on the bed closer, wanting it to be her. He
couldn’t stop thinking about holding her in his arms.
On Friday morning, Meara made an
attempt to jump out of bed. It was more of an enthusiastic hobble. The ankle
was getting better. She got ready for work and left early. She wanted to see
Duncan before anyone else. She smiled to see his car in the parking lot. He
was already there. Walking up the library path, her heart leaped to know his
was the first face she saw each morning.
That thought stopped her dead on
the path. Her smile disappeared. She was falling in love with him. No, she
loved him. It was that simple. Her eyes filled with tears. She was happy. Her
radiant smile returned. She eagerly walked to the doors where he was waiting
for her.
“Are you all right? You stopped.
Is your ankle bothering you?” he asked with concern.
“Duncan! I’m fine! I was thinking
about something. Happy Birthday!” she said breathlessly.
Pulling him close, she kissed him.
He was pleasantly surprised. He returned her kiss and hugged her. She buried
her head on his shoulder. He didn’t want to let go of her. She didn’t pull
away.
He whispered, “Thank you, it is a
happy birthday. Do I get a wish?”
“It’s usually three wishes with
birthday cake, but go for it.”
“I wish you and I could spend as
much time together as possible,” he said.
“Granted,” she whispered.
“This is going to be the best
birthday ever.”
She was gently rubbing a button on
his shirt. She loved casual Fridays because he usually wore jeans and a cotton
shirt. Nice soft cotton shirts she could bury her face in and still feel his
heart beat.
“Duncan?”
“You’ve called me Duncan twice
while in the library. I’m shocked, Miss Meara. What did you want to say?”
“This weekend is a three-day
weekend.”
“Yes, it is. I guess it makes it
my birthday weekend.”
“I was wondering. Do you have any
plans this weekend?”
“No.”
“Not even plans with your family?”
“No. We usually add my birthday
onto John’s. I’m free this weekend.”
“Would you like to spend some time
with me this weekend?”
“I wished to spend more time with
you. I guess I needed to be more specific.”
“Stop teasing me. I’m asking you
out. I can’t depend on Diana forever.”
“I’ll have to think about it. I
have such a busy social calendar. I might be booked. I’m a very busy guy.”
She squirmed in his arms. He held her
tight. She frowned. He had taken the teasing one step too far. He lifted her
chin and kissed her. She stopped squirming. He kissed her neck.
He whispered. “I’m all yours, Lady
Meara.”
“Is that Tom and Lucy coming up the
path?”
“Probably,” he said, nibbling her
ear.
“Duncan.”
“Yes, Meara?”
“Don’t you think we should stop?”
“Aren’t we spending more time
together?”
“You’re teasing me again, aren’t
you?”
“Yes, Miss Meara. I’m teasing
you. This behavior is unbecoming to librarians. I must ask you to refrain
from hugging or kissing me. It makes me want to do things to you I wouldn’t
want anyone but us to see. Now go to work and I’ll see you at lunchtime.
Staff birthday parties are always a joy.” He grinned.
“I’ll try to behave. I make no
promises. If I catch you alone, I may not be able to control myself. I’m
looking forward to this weekend, Sir Duncan.” Standing on tiptoes, she kissed
his cheek before hobbling away.
Tom and Lucy saw Meara kissing
Duncan. Lucy smiled and Tom beamed. Duncan greeted them sheepishly.
“Looks like you’re having a happy
birthday.” Tom chuckled.
“So far, so good,” Duncan grinned.
Lucy hugged him. “Happy Birthday!”
Tom clapped him on the back.
“Happy Birthday!”
“Thanks.”
“Do you have anything special
planned?” asked Lucy.
“I’m having dinner with Meara and
her family.”
“That’s great,” said Tom.
“It is,” Duncan said, his eyes
wandered, looking for Meara.
He caught her eye. She blew him a
kiss. His eyes widened as he touched his lips. He winked at her. She
giggled. It took all of his willpower not to go after her. She shook her
head, like she had read his mind. She tapped her watch. They would be
together soon. She stuck her tongue out at him. He laughed and counted the
minutes until lunch.
At his birthday lunch, he tried to
maneuver closer to her, but she kept a distance between them. Just when he
thought he had her cornered, she would move away from him. After lunch, she
quietly disappeared. He followed her as soon as he could get away from the
well wishers. She was nowhere in sight. He decided to check the meeting
room. He heard noises coming from the meeting room kitchen. She was looking
through the cabinets.
“Meara?” he whispered.
She jumped. “Oh, you frightened
me. I can’t find the hot water carafes for next week’s meeting. I need to
make sure they’re clean. I can’t stop worrying about the stupid meeting.”
“You need something else to think
about,” he said, pulling her into his arms. “I need another birthday kiss.”
He kissed her deeply. She moaned
softly, running her hands through his hair. Encouraged, he backed her up
against the kitchen counter. He ran his hands down to her buttocks and up to
gently rub the sides of her breasts. Her chest heaved upward. He kissed the
swell of her breasts. He kissed her again, their tongues meeting. Holding the
sides of her face, he sucked on her lower lip. Making low murmurs, she
clutched the belt loops by his hips. He pressed her tighter against the
kitchen counter.
“Meara? Are you in here? Where
the heck are you?” called Sherrie from the meeting room entrance.
They froze. Silently, Meara
pleaded with Duncan to save them from embarrassment. He nodded his head. He
turned in the direction of Sherrie’s voice.
“Sherrie, we’re in the kitchen!”
called Duncan.
Meara straightened her clothes and
hair. She turned back to the kitchen cabinets. He stood back, watching her.
Sherrie appeared at the kitchen door.
“Just as I thought, Miss Meara,
they’re on the top shelf. Good thing I came along. I don’t want you climbing
on any chairs. Let me get them down for you,” he chided.
“Okay,” she squeaked.
“I was wondering where you
disappeared to,” Sherrie said. “Why didn’t you ask me for help?”
“I’m sorry. I realized I hadn’t
seen the carafes. Mr. Phillips offered to help me look for them.”
“Sherrie, would you watch the Youth
Services Room for about an hour? Miss Meara is due for her review and I’d like
to get it done today. Miss Meara, meet me in my office in five minutes.”
“Not a problem, Duncan,” Sherrie
said.
He retreated to his office. This
was turning out to be one hell of a birthday. He closed the door and sat at
his desk. He tried to control his breathing. He was nervous. It was true he
needed to give Meara a review, but it was nothing formal. He hadn’t even
written one up yet. He was trying to get her alone again. He hoped she
understood his intention.
Knocking on the door, Meara looked
apprehensive. “You wanted to see me, Mr. Phillips?”
He stood. “Yes, Miss Meara, please
come in and close the door. Are you all right?”
“Yes. Thank you for covering with
Sherrie. We almost got caught,” she whispered.
“Almost. I don’t have a review for
you. You’re doing fantastic work. I have no problem ending your probationary
period. I wanted to lure you here under false pretenses to make out with you
again.” He held her hands.
“Can we do that in here?” She
sounded excited.
“If we’re quiet. We have an hour.
Let’s see what we can do.”
“I think we need to establish some
rules first.”
“What did you have in mind?”
“We don’t go all the way. We keep
our clothes on. We’re as quiet as possible.”
“Agreed.” He kissed her.
He backed up towards the loveseat,
bringing her with him. He sat on the loveseat and pulled her down to straddle
him. She kissed him.
“Happy Birthday,” she said huskily.
She took hold of his ears and
gently covered his face with kisses. She rolled her hips towards him. He
adjusted so she could feel he was aroused. Gasping, she rolled her hips
again. He ran his hands along her sides until he came to her breasts. While
she nibbled on his lips, he massaged and pinched her nipples. Her back
arched. He put his hand between her legs and rubbed. Leaning into him, she
moaned in his ear. He pulled down her slacks and underwear. He was violating
the clothes rule, but she could pull them up quickly if they were interrupted.
He held her in place with a hand on
the small of her back. Finding the soft mound between her legs, he gently
stroked it. Finding her aroused, he increased his stroke. She arched her back
again. She was going to orgasm. Her breathing ragged, she covered her mouth
to stop from crying out. She went rigid in his arms, a slight shudder going
through her body. She threw her head back. She leaned forward to gasp into
his ear.
“Duncan,” she whispered. “Duncan.”
“Shhh. We’re in a library,” he
whispered back, teasing her.
She stared at him with raw desire
in her eyes. He knew she was thinking of breaking at least one, if not all of
the rules. He wanted to throw her down on the floor and make love with her,
but he wanted her to love him first. She reached down between his legs. He
was still aroused. She massaged him over his jeans. She kissed him and
flicked her tongue into his mouth. She was losing control. She put both her
hands on his belt, trying to undo his buckle. She was fumbling, but she was
determined. She nuzzled his neck, her breath coming in rasps. He worried she
would break the rules. He intertwined his fingers with hers, gently pushing
her back.
“Meara?” he whispered. “What are
you doing?”
Snapping out of a trance, she
looked confused. “I don’t know. Oh, my.”
“Not much of a rule follower, are
you?”
“I’m sorry, Duncan.” She tried to
lift herself off his lap, but he held her in place.
“There’s nothing to be sorry for,
Meara. It’s just if we keep going like this, everyone in the library will know
something is going on in here.”
“Should I go?” She sounded sad.
“Not yet. Sit next to me. Let me
hold you.” He slid her beside him and held her close.
“I keep doing this to you. I feel
terrible.”
“I’m fine. I may not be able to
leave the office for a few minutes, but I’m fine. Besides, our hour is almost
up.”
“Already?” She sniffled.
“If you leave with tears in your
eyes, everyone will think you got a bad review and I’m firing you or
something. Don’t cry. It’s my birthday. You’re in my arms. We’re having
dinner tonight and we’re spending the weekend together.”
A naughty thought came into her
mind. She had an idea. She wanted to please him and make him feel as good as
he had made her feel. She wanted to show him she loved him even if she
couldn’t say the words yet.
“Do you have a swimsuit?” she asked
shyly.
“Yes. I do. Why?”
She buried her face in his shirt.
“Maybe you and I can enjoy a swim together later.”
“I’ll remember to bring my swimsuit
and a towel.” He wondered what was going through her mind.
“I should go before Sherrie wonders
what happened to me.”
Holding her face, he kissed her
tenderly. “Until later.”
“Until later.” She straightened her
clothes.