Lauren: Uneasy

I know that I owe you guys a post.  I won't forget it, but I also don't think I'll be able to get it up this week.  I was too busy having a blast on my trip to think about blogging.  I'll get you guys two posts this week.  I anticipate a bonus or two next week to make up for the skipped post :)
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"And then he wanted to know about what I do outside of work," I complain to Alex.

Alex raises his eyebrows in confusion.  "And?"

"And why should I have to tell him that?"

"Why not?" Alex asks.  "I talk to my boss about things that aren't work related all the time."

"What?" I ask.  "Why would you do that?"

Alex chuckles a little.  "That's what most people do, actually," he replies.  "I'm pretty sure you're in a really significant minority with going to work, doing your work, and not chatting with your coworkers."

"I chat with my coworkers," I argue.  "Not as much as most of them, that's true.  But I don't see any reason to chat with my boss.  He's my boss.  Why does he care what I do on the weekends as long as it doesn't affect my job?"

"Because he's trying to form a relationship with you so you don't hate him."

"That's what he said," I grumble.  "But I wouldn't hate him.  He's my boss.  He'll have to do things I don't agree with him.  It's his job.  It is what it is."

"Most people aren't like you," Alex points out.

"But besides that, something about him felt off," I insist.  "And he touched me."  That gets Alex's attention.  "He put his hand on my back," I clarify quickly.  "But you know how I am about people touching me."

"Yes, I do," he agrees.  "He sounds...overenthusiastic."

I snort.  "Let's hope that's his worst fault." I'm a little irritated that Alex doesn't see the problem with any of this.  It isn't so much that he asked, but that he pressured me to tell him even after I told him I wasn't comfortable with it.  And then he touched me.  I'm just not a fan.  "What do you want to eat?" I ask, changing the subject.

We debate our dinner options for awhile, settle on one, and go pick up food.  When we finish eating and are cleaning up, Alex wraps his arms around me from behind and presses his lips to my neck.  "Are you going to get mad at me for touching you?" he asks.

I pull away and snap, "Yes, if you're going to do it to mock me and make me think about my sleazy new boss."

"Lauren, I'm sorry," he says immediately.  "That was shitty.  I didn't mean to mock you."

"Okay, thanks," I reply.  "I accept your apology."  He backs off and gives me some space while we finish cleaning up, and we move to the couch for a little while before bed.

I'm really tired and we end up heading up to bed pretty early.  I let Alex brush his teeth first because I take a lot longer, taking off my makeup and such.  By the time I'm done he's in bed.  He's laying on his back squarely on his side of the bed.  I climb under the blankets next to him and lay close to him, but not quite touching him.  I do rest my head on his arm, then slide my hand down his stomach, pausing at the waistband of his shorts.

"I thought you were mad at me," he says, sounding confused.

"I'm not," I reply, working his shorts down over his hips and wrapping my hand around him, moving it slowly.  He groans and moves his head, trying to get within range to kiss me, but I stay where I am.  Eventually I slide down the bed and give him what I'm pretty sure is one of the best blowjobs I've ever given.

"Jesus, Laur," he breathes, once he catches his breath.  He slides his hand down my hip and slips his fingers beneath the hem of my shorts, but I push his hand away.  "No?"

"Not tonight," I say.

He pushes himself up on one elbow and looks at me.  "You're really upset about this new boss, aren't you?"

I shrug.  "Not really upset, but I just feel...uneasy, I guess.  I can't put my finger on why.  I'm probably just being an idiot because my routine has been changed without my knowledge or consent, though."  I roll onto my side and scoot backwards a little, and he settles behind me, wrapping an arm around my waist.

"You're never an idiot," he replies, dropping a kiss onto my shoulder.  "Dramatic control freak, sure.  But not an idiot."

"I'll show you a dramatic control freak," I grumble back to him.

"Kinky," he replies, and I can imagine him smirking.  I dig my elbow back into his ribs until he laughs and says, "Knock it off."  I do, and we both settle down to sleep.

When I get to work the next day, I do my best to slip unnoticed past Sean's office and go right back to my cube.  The day is quiet, and Sean barely looks up when I walk past his office to go to the bathroom or to the breakroom for more coffee.  By the end of the day, I've relaxed and decide that maybe I was being ridiculous yesterday.

After work, I meet up with Liv, Kinsley, and Kendra to get dinner and drinks.  It feels like it's been forever since we've all hung out.  I'm the first one there, as usual.  Liv and Kendra both get there just a couple minutes after me, and Kinsley is about 10 minutes late--also as usual.

Once we're all there, we order drinks.  We all give Kendra a weird look when she orders water.  "What?" she asks, a little defensively.

"You just don't usually order water," I point out.  "Something you want to tell us?"

"No," she says quickly, but I can tell she's lying.  I cock an eyebrow and she laughs and rolls her eyes.  "Fine," she says, holding up her hands in surrender.  "I wanted to tell you guys in a more exciting way, but I'm obviously outed.  I'm pregnant!"

Kinsley and Liv both squeal, and I hug Kendra since I'm next to her.  She's laughing and the people around us are looking at us like we're total assholes, which we are at the moment.  "Congratulations," I say, trying to keep my excitement contained to a level that is appropriate for a public dining establishment.  Kinsley and Liv echo me and we all bring our volume down a notch.

"Thank you," she replies, beaming.  "Only our families know, so can you keep your mouths shut?  I mean, I guess if you want to tell your boyfriends, that's fine.  And your husband," she adds, looking at Liv.

We spend the rest of dinner chattering excitedly about Kendra's pregnancy and the other things going on in our lives.  Kinsley is uncharacteristically quiet at first, but she warms up quickly.

Friday is much the same as Thursday, and I relax even more at work.  I've now fully convinced myself I was being ridiculous about Sean.  He catches me as I'm leaving and wishes me a good weekend.  Nothing creepy or shady about it.  I smile and wish him the same in return.

I go to Alex's house after work.  He's already there, reclining lazily on the couch, still in his work clothes.  They're disheveled from the day--tie loosened, some of his shirt buttons undone, shirt untucked, socks off.  "Really?" I ask, walking in and giving him a look.

"Long week," he replies, grinning at me.  "Come here."  I unzip my boots and take them off, then go over to the couch and sit next to him.  "Don't I get a kiss hello?" he asks, pretending to pout.

"You are seriously the worst," I say, but I lean over and kiss him.  I only mean to give him a quick kiss, but he grabs me around the waist and pulls me tightly against him, kissing me deeply.

"The worst?" he asks, pulling away and cocking an eyebrow.  "I'd better present evidence to the contrary."  He slides his hands under my skirt.  "I still owe you from the other night."

"No you don't," I argue.  "That wasn't the point."

"I don't care," he replies.  His fingers hook beneath the waist of my underwear and slide them down my thighs.  When they're as far down as they'll go with how I'm sitting, he flips me onto my back on the couch, and pulls them the rest of the way off.  Then he pushes my skirt up out of the way and runs his hands back down over my hips, down my legs, and back up, parting them as he goes.  He spends a little time teasing me with his fingers before he settles between my legs and lowers his mouth to my skin.

When he's done, I'm a breathless heap of tangled clothes, twisted on the couch.  He laughs.  "Now who's a mess in their work clothes?" he teases me.  He gives my ass a light smack and says, "Move over, I want to lay with you."  I shift so he can lay between me and the back of the couch, and he wraps his arms around me.  We end up spending most of the rest of the evening fooling around on the couch before finally going to his bedroom and having sex.

I spend the entire weekend with Alex, which is not a thing I normally do.  But it's a good weekend, and I'm feeling relaxed and cheerful on Monday morning when I get to work.  That feeling ends as soon as I walk back into our little cube farm.  It looks like a three ring circus.

"What's going on?" I ask a coworker named Leah.

She rolls her eyes at me.  "Moving cubes," she says back quietly.  "A surprise move.  I don't know why.  Sean says he wants to make things more 'cohesive'."

I sigh and make my way back to my cube.  Someone has placed a box on my chair so I can move my stuff, and I see my phone is already disconnected.  I groan and start packing up my stuff, waiting for someone to come direct me to my new cube.

Shortly after I finish packing, Sean comes over with a newer guy trailing behind him.  "You'll be taking this one," Sean says to him.  "And Lauren, come with me please."  He flashes me a quick smile, which I force myself to return.

My smile dies when he proudly presents my new cube: the one directly in front of his office.