Thread by @BKCommunicatio1

UNLIKELY LIAISON

She was not his type. He liked them petite, young and pretentious. The type who pronounced cognac as kognak. She had too much class for him.

She was on the other hand well read, down to earth and too wise in the ways of the world to fall for his small talk and raised eyebrow.

He walked into the office one day and she swore it took a moment to register who he was. He was shorter than he looked in the pictures. He wasn't as well turned out too -- a think layer of dust covered his shoes.... were the heels at an angle?

He wanted to know whether the marketing manger was around. No he did not have an appointment, but she was expecting him. How did that work, she wondered.

"I was with her last evening," he said as if he had read her thoughts. He stepped away from the reception desk and started tapping on his iphone. He sat down in the visitor's chair.

The unmistakable clack-clack-clack of heels on tiles suddenly erupted from the corridor beyond the reception area.

Lucy -- the marketing manager, stuck her head around the door. "Roger. Come through."

"Thank you Regina," he said ah he bounced past the reception in pursuit of the clacking heels.

Looking back she knew it was then that it begun to happen... the way he said her name. With an accent. No one had quite said it like he did. With feeling. With a strange kind of knowing, as if they have known each other forever. And yet with being patronising....

She had to violently shake her head, sending her dreads this and that to physically stop her train of thought ... she was not his type, nor him hers

she liked the tall, dark, handsome, intelligent and ambitious ... Roger was too much of a flake, she told herself as she went back to her exel spreadsheet ... she was putting final touches to the companies five year cashflow projections.

She studied accounting at university. The reception job was only a temporary stop over to higher things.

He started coming around more often. He won three event management contracts in five months. It got to the point that Regina lived for him saying his name.

The rumours started flying. ... Did you see Roger and madam Lucy at the "Mega Doze" cocktail .... something is going on .... me I just know ... even see she has changed her dressing ... but Roger! Hhmmm!

She had missed the event. Her cousin was getting engaged and she was one of the bride's maids.

Then this one day madam Lucy was not around. Delayed at a clients.

Good afternoon Regina. She didn't have to look up from her work to know it was Roger. Lucy isn't around she had begin to say. I know/ I will wait for her.

The book she was reading, "NLP, the essential guide" caught his eye. His demeanor changed immediately. it was as if he was seeing her a different light.

How far have you gone, he asked. She had just read the introduction, but she was looking forward to digging in over the weekend. Had he read it? He was not a reader, he confessed, but he had listened to the audio version.

Maybe he wasn't so flaky after all, she remembered thinking.

He came by the following Wednesday. She was done with the book, she informed him. What did she like about it? She thought it was interesting, the application to he own life would take time. but for sure, she was seeing the world through a whole different lens.

She should buy him tea and he shows her.

Somehow him asking they way he did, didn't sound so preposterous. She had to meet up with a friend that evening, but tomorrow Thursday evening would be fine. he would confirm in the next morning.

Eh mama! That nail vanish! Jemima was the first to notice the next morning.

Ok she had made a special effort. She was having tea with Roger that evening. Or at least she hoped so. He was supposed to confirm that morning. But there was no way in hell she could let that slip around Jemima. They did not nick name her the national broadcaster for nothing.

BY 10 her nerves were jangling. By noon she was very irritable. She came back from lunch and there was no message for her. Her phone was uncharacteristically quiet that day. BY 4 pm ...Such a liar! People need to learn how to keep their word. Anyway what did I expect from such...

Her phone bleeped... A whatsapp message had come in ...she looked at the unknown number irritably ... who was... Oh! It was Roger .... Just done with a meeting at the Jacaranda. Will wait for you...

The cheek of the man! she thought as she glanced at her PC's clock .... 16:55 .... she would make him suffer like he did her and not reply his text...she thought this as she filed away her diary and shut down her PC

He was on the phone. He was seated at the counter. He waved at her with the winningest smile that had ever been sent her way. The lecture on respect, consideration and selfishness, she had prepared for him between gritted teeth, on the ride here all but forgotten

He motioned her to seat on the high seat he had liberated for her. She looked around at her surroundings ... Look i have to run. Lets finish this tomorrow. I am going into a meeting...

Hi Regina he said, as he bent down to fiddle in his laptop bag. Coming up with a weather beaten note book. He got a pen from his shirt pocket. So tell me about the our book?

Shaaa! Our? When did it become our book, she wondered but said, Aren't you going to offer me tea?

Of course! Of course! he motioned to the bar man. African tea? Spiced? he asked, almost told,her. He didn't wait for her response turned to the bar man, Two African teas, spiced

NO!

Intuitively she knew she had to make a stand or this man would run all over her... for the rest of her life?

Black coffee for me, please as she pointedly looked at Roger, who had by now leaned back, an almost sly smile playing on his lips.

And i would rather not perch on a stool like a bird, can we move to table?

She was already on the move. She was going to keep the initiative. She was not going to be swept off her feet like his regular bimbos, she thought as she walked determinedly to the corner table for two. She kept for herself the chair with the back to the wall.

By the time he got to their table he had recovered his composure. But only just.

Ok! Book aside, how are you?

Much better ... I am fine thank you but i could do with a cigarette. He looked like he had been hit by a lightening bolt. She couldn't help laughing out loud.

"You never met a woman who smokes?"

"Never been with a woman who smokes." Now what did he mean by that, Regina wondred.

They did little discussing of the book all evening. They went at each other like fencers all evening, thrusting and parrying. at some point in the evening Roger had the distinct feeling that he had met his match. Regina thought she was too cl ever for him.

When she looked up it was coming to 10 pm, three coffees and a cocktail later.

She had begun to notice the way he raised his right eye brow with surprise, the way his lips broke into a smile, first from the middle before spreading to the rest of his face. She liked the slant of his shoulders, he had a broad chest ... she needed to go to the ladies!

She got back to the table just as the waiter was laying the bill before Roger. He looked at her. She looked at him. And he reached for his wallet.

It turned out they could use one Uber home. They would drop her off first, of course.

An accident on the main highway meant their driver had to make a detour through the surburbs.

As if exhausted from the verbal combat of the evening there was silence between them. The inane observations of a shrill voiced radio presenter filling in the void.

In the darkness of the back seat Regina jumped. His little finger grazed against the side of her thigh. She looked across to him. he looked pointedly out the window. She could have sworn he was smiling.

She didn't say anything, He didn't say anything.

A crackling tension now filled the cab. So much so that the driver looked into his rear view mirror as if to check that everything was ok.

Drop me off after the Pajero, Regina said almost sad the evening had come to an end. She would not be the one to ask when the next date was.

The car came to a stop outside her gate. Roger begun to get out of the car, which she hadn't seen coming. But she noticed he left his laptop in the car as she stepped out of her side of the cab.

The gateman had already peered out of the little gate. She made as if to shake hands. He reached for her hand but with the other had her by the small of her back and was guiding her towards the gate. Hhmmmm! Now what? she wondered. Suddenly the perfect gentleman...

He called back to the cab driver before he ducked into the little gate, that he would be back in a minute.

The tension was now unbearable. Her apartment was on the second floor. Was he going to walk her all the way. A gentleman would but she didn't expect it from this lout.

By the time she got to her door she thought she would crumble under the tension. They had not said a word to each all through the ride. All up the stairs.

But she guessed she would have to at least open her door ...she wasn't letting him in, before she saw him off. Maybe a peck on his smooth chin. Bambi! He had been nice enough to walk her to her door.

Her friend Jane with whom she had known since primary school her told her about the phenomenon.

That if a lady fumbled in her hand bag for her house keys at her door the guy has a better than good chance of going all the way.

She fumbled in her bag for her keys. Behind her it seemed like he had grown bigger, not only towering over her but overwhelming her with his manliness.

She felt his lips on her nape, soft, warm and so seductive. She froze. Dropped her bag as an electric charge surged up and down her body in what seemed like minutes but must have been a fraction of a second.

Her danglers slapped at his lips as she spun around.

He stood there, hand to mouth, grimacing from the sting.

Regina knew then Roger had to go back down

To retrieve his laptop from the Uber.

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