stevenbasic: “Take another picture of me??” Melissa asked with a giggle, stepping ahead
stevenbasic: “Take another picture of me??” Melissa asked with a giggle, stepping ahead of me a few paces, “I’m wanna remember everything about this day! My first coffee meeting with Dr. J…” Fumbling with my phone and feigning an amused exasperation, I snapped a shot. “There, how’s this one?” I asked as I nearly groaned, glancing at it myself as she bounced back to me. It was a terrible picture - out of focus, too much glare - but it, along with all the other photos she’d had me take this morning, still took my breath away and brought that hot rush of shame…I should not be doing this. A married man, taking pictures of a young woman posing on the street. “Send it to me?” she asked casually, as she stepped away from me again, an extra sway to her dramatic hips as her high heels clicked down the sidewalk. She had suggested a walk back to the office - it was such a nice day - from our meeting over coffee this morning. Our cars are in the lot next door but, uh…I guess..? I had invited her out to coffee a few days ago, re-starting a Friday tradition I’d had with my old Office Manager, Jeannette. She was a nice lady, friendly but all business. Once a week we’d get out of the office, sit down, talk about the week that’d past, planning the next. None of that happened today, with my new Office Manager Melissa Our “meeting” had nothing to do with business…no mention of how many patients we’d seen, how billing was going, what was happening with the order on the new equipment. I’m afraid it felt more like a first date than a meeting. She had arrived before me, at the little diner downtown, and sprung up from her seat for a hug when I arrived. Her outfit - a tight black skirt and a white, sleeveless top - did nothing to hide her hourglass figure and immediately I felt sets of eyes upon us, felt conspicuous. Giggling, clapping her hands, she was obviously full of enthusiasm and oblivious to the attention as she sat back down and pulled a clipboard out of her bag. I started with my first concerns, the new software update. “Yeah, I mean I think the girls are doing okay with the new system…” she had said with a shrug, after I’d asked about how the scheduling desk was managing it, being down a staff member to boot. She watched as I pulled my phone from my pocket, dismissing a call. “OOoo! Take a picture?? Of me?” Startled, I blinked. “A…picture?” “Yes uh-huh, a picture!” she giggled, “this is, like, my first official Friday morning coffee meeting as Office Manager, right?” “Uh…right?” “I want to put this up on Instagram, all the girls will want to see!” “On Instagram?” I asked, befuddled, somehow trying to justify to myself that that wasn’t inappropriate, “Do you want me to use your ph-” “No it’s okay you can send it to me,” she said, tossing her hair and then striking a pose as I raised my phone, “How’s this?” “Oh, I’m sorry, that came out terrible,” I said, squinting, “some new ‘portrait mode’ my wife was playing with on this new phone …I don’t know how to…” “Aw, here, lemme see,” she offered, leaning over the table, taking my hand into hers, pulling the phone closer. “Oh I like it! I really do!” she sang, giggling, inspecting the picture of herself, “I think it came out nice…” She held my hand there, with hers…and didn’t let go. “Here, let’s send it to me…” she continued, as she began to tap on the screen of my phone, long nails clicking, “You have me as a contact, right? Yes, there…” “Wait, uh…” “‘Melissa Monroe’, how formal!” she giggled,
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