workplace romances
Jamie’s hand is curved around one of Dani’s breasts, her fingers squeezing gently under her shirt, over her bra. The shelf behind her digs into her shoulder and she huffs out a pained groan, which makes Jamie stop and pull back.
“You okay?” she whispers, as if they’re not separated from the rest of the house by the thick floor and the heavy wine cellar door.
“Fine,” Dani says, but she shuffles her weight a little, trying to get comfortable where she’s leaned. It doesn’t work. Jamie starts to remove her hand, a look in her eyes like she thinks this must be over, and Dani darts a hand out and curls her fingers around her wrist. Pulls Jamie’s hand back to her breast. “That doesn’t mean stop.”
“I don’t want you to—” Jamie starts, but Dani cuts her off with a kiss.
“Come on. Before anyone notices we’re both gone.”
Jamie laughs and kisses her again, tugging Dani’s shirt up to rest at the top of her chest so she can access her breasts with her mouth.
It’s funny: they’ve only been sleeping together for a couple of weeks, and this already feels like second nature. Everything with Jamie feels like she’s already spent a lifetime going through the same motions over and over.
Except for the having sex standing up part. That’s going to be a first.
“Still good?” Jamie asks, her thumb pressing into the button of Dani’s jeans.
Dani kisses her hard, pulling her in and never wanting to let go. “So good,” she answers, meaning it with everything inside of her.
_______
“What are the rules for workplace romances when you work for a household?” Dani asks, fingers threaded through Jamie’s as they make their way slowly to Jamie’s truck. “Do we need to report it to someone?”
She’s joking, of course, but the idea is certainly an amusing one. Henry Wingrave’s face would likely turn the silliest color imaginable and wouldn’t that be a sight?
Jamie laughs, squeezing Dani’s fingers. “Might be best to save Henry the heart attack,” she jokes. “He might think we’re going to go for his valuables next.”
The night air bites at Dani’s nose. She shuffles closer to Jamie, trying to steal some of her warmth.
“Trust me,” she says, “if I was going to take off with the cutlery and candlesticks, I’d take you with me. I wouldn’t leave you behind.”
“Yeah?” Jamie asks.
“Yeah. Not sure how life as a vagabond would even be fun without you around.”
They’re at Jamie’s truck now, the bugs chirping in the grass nearby, and Dani realizes what it is she’s just implied. Based on the face Jamie is making, she must have picked up on it too.
“Not like...when I said ‘life,’ I meant—” she starts, but Jamie stops her.
“Do you...Is this something you want to do...Is this serious?” she asks. “Because...it’s serious for me and if it’s not for you, then—”
“It is,” Dani cuts in. “It’s serious for me too.”
“Oh.” Jamie stops, looking shocked and then happy. Her smile makes Dani’s stomach twist. “Oh. Okay. Good.”
_______
Four weeks in and Jamie picks Dani up for a date with a bouquet of flowers two hours after she leaves for the day. There’s dinner waiting for them at her flat, spread out on a table she’s made from stacked up milk crates covered in a grey top sheet. She helps Dani into her armchair and lights candles she has set up on her desk and kitchen counter, then sits on another milk crate, which makes her a head shorter than Dani.
But Dani doesn’t laugh because there’s a serious look in Jamie’s eyes as she explains where the food came from—Owen helping her cook it in the hours between work at his house; bringing it all back with his help—and she’s nervous. Dani reaches out and rests her own hand on Jamie’s to calm her.
Says, “It’s perfect. Thank you.”
Jamie exhales, relieved. “Yeah, of course,” she says. “Um...I know it’s just a month, but it’s—”
And maybe she’s worried that Dani might have thought it a silly thing to celebrate after having been in one relationship for so long, but it isn’t. This is a big deal.
“No, it’s not…” Dani squeezes her hand. “Happy anniversary,” she says and Jamie grins, wide and happy.
“Happy anniversary.”
They drink to it, clinking plastic cups filled with red wine together, laughing and warm and perfect . After, they have sex on Jamie’s bed, right on top of the covers, and Dani goes down on Jamie for the first time. Likes the way Jamie grips the sheets beneath her hands, tips her head back, says Dani’s name in this throaty voice that makes her shiver.
It’s perfect. Great. Best anniversary Dani’s ever had.
_______
“I’m going to just sneak out,” Jamie mumbles, her head ducked, embarrassed. “She won’t notice.”
Dani throws her a look. “Don’t you dare leave me alone with this,” she says.
“—and you could both wear dresses and I could throw the flowers. Jamie! The flowers! We could make the bouquet and it’ll be so splendid—”
Flora keeps going, breathlessly listing out all the ways she wants to make their wedding perfect. She’s already been going for five minutes straight, running around the house like a mad woman, drawing pictures of a wedding arch and happy, smiling stick people that are holding hands—her and Jamie, Danie assumes.
This wasn’t exactly how she wanted the children to find out about them—if they found out all, which she’d really been hoping they wouldn’t because of this behavior right now—but she’d been late that morning, having slept in with Jamie at her flat and it was a rush to get to the house. They’d taken a second to kiss goodbye in the entryway before running off to their respective jobs and—
They’d broken apart to the sound of Flora’s excited squeal.
Now she’s planning their wedding. Neither of them has had the heart to tell her they can’t get married yet.
“Miss Clayton, can I be your bridesmaid?” Flora asks. “I’ll be absolutely splendid at it! We can have tea and cakes and—”
Hannah, who’s been silently watching this from the doorway to the hall, Owen grinning beside her, laughs at this and shakes her head.
Jamie groans quietly and Dani slips her own arm into her girlfriend’s. “Yes, Flora,” she says. “Of course you can.”
This sends Flora into yet another happy ramble.
“She’s going to be so disappointed, you know,” Jamie whispers, her lips brushing against Dani’s ear.
Dani turns her head and gives her a serious look. “Only if you don’t ask me to marry you,” she says.
Jamie smiles. Shakes her head. Looks at Dani like she’s ridiculous. Like that’s half the reason she loves her. “Don’t tempt me.”
Dani laughs and kisses her cheek. Flora squeals again.
_______
There are other nights, too. So many of them. Spreading endlessly out, existing in infinity. Dani can hardly believe her luck.
...