The steady glow of seventeen fat sandalwood and vanilla scented candles was reflected in the mirrors hung evenly on the wall. The low hum of the air conditioner set a heavy bass note to the wail of the saxophone, picking up the elusive freshness of the first rain of the season. Plaid stilettos were discarded in one corner, set carelessly on top of a purse and a midnight blue silk scarf. A bottle of Col Solare Red sat on the countertop, the cork askew.

Her face glowed as she looked down, intense, absorbed in the task at hand, her attention focused. She always threw herself fully into whatever she decided to do, and of course this was no exception. It wasn’t enough to be good, she needed to be better, to make sure he felt and understood her commitment to his complete satisfaction. She paused to look up for a moment, obviously assessing, and then as a new thought occurred to her, she smiled, took a quick sip from the deep red wine, licked her lips and bent down again, her busy fingers moving rapidly, this time determined to stay the course, giving him no option but to surrender to her expertise.

Her wet glistening mouth moved soundlessly, her hands a blur, as excitement seemed to heat the room, the candles burning brighter, the rain beating down harder, everything seemed at that stretched pinnacle of anticipation. And somehow she found it in herself to turn it up even higher, just that exquisite bit harder, faster, almost unbearable now. And suddenly she stopped, her obvious satisfaction sweeping over her face as she hit the File Save icon. The financial model took all the forecast assumptions into consideration, there was no way her boss could find any loop holes in individual track budgets, he would have to use her work book as the basis for the presentation today. She loved Excel!!!!

©alka