DISCLAIMER: I don't own the rights to The Office or its characters.

"Karen... are you still there?"

She heard his voice fading as she lowered her phone from her ear and folded it shut.  She hit the power button and shut the phone off completely before allowing herself a few seconds to close her eyes and try to bite through her fillings.

You bastard, Jim.  You selfish bastard.  Rot in hell.

Having excused herself from her friends to take his call, Karen now felt painfully exposed on the busy sidewalk.  Embarrassed by the feeling of a single tear running down her cheek, she scampered a few paces into the nearest alleyway, before leaning up against the building and trying to collect her thoughts.  Her anger was genuine enough, but unable to completely blind her to those other awful feelings brewing in her stomach.  She needed the rage, because the crap she would have to sort through when the anger was gone... well that was going to really hurt.  Her love should have been a wonderful gift, and her reward for offering it up so freely was the heartbreak that now throbbed in her chest, giftwrapped in a healthy dose of utter humiliation.  And that dirty, used feeling... serious emotional crap indeed.

Be Strong.  Stay angry.  Deal with it later.  Just get yourself home.

Karen would have given just about anything to be able to teleport back to Scranton.  The city she loved now felt so mercilessly loud and intrusive.  She wanted her apartment, her own bed.  Somewhere safe to curl up and be alone.  She was the epitome of numb efficiency as she managed to bid her friends farewell without revealing any humiliating details.  She got herself to the train station and was doing fine until she purchased her ticket, when that simple act caused her to reflect on the reality of her situation.  She had arrived less than a day earlier, with hopes, dreams, and her boyfriend.  Now she was buying a single train ticket back, while he was probably excitedly racing back to Scranton and Pam and not giving a second thought to her.  She might have broken down if the anger hadn't returned just in time.


**************************

"It's a date."

Jim bounced back to his desk like a giddy child, happily oblivious to the numerous sets of eyes following him, tracking his every move.  Oblivious to the knowing smiles on the faces of his coworkers.  Oblivious, also, to the one face in the room that wasn't smiling at all.


**************************

The ride had been about what she expected.  She had tried to sleep but couldn't, so she spent two long, slow hours with her eyes shut, pretending to be asleep, trying unsuccessfully to think about nothing at all.  At long last the train approached Scranton and began to slow.

Almost there.  Just a little longer.

A hot shower.  A warm bed.  Anything for a little peace.  She decided that once she got home, she'd allow herself the rest of the weekend to be alone and indulge in self-pity, but that was it.  After that, it was back to business: the business of getting the hell out of this shit town and away from that selfish douchebag.  That was 48 hours more than he was worth, but it wasn't about him anymore, and for the next two days, if it made her feel better to curl up in bed with a tub of ice cream and soak her pillow with undeserved tears, then that's what she'd do.  Hopefully, with Michael out of the running and Jim apparently headed for a life in Scranton, she would get the job in New York and that would be the end of it.  But Karen had a pretty good sense for these things, and she wasn't optimistic.   Wallace had broken from professionalism and asked her about another candidate for the same job she was applying, and then pushed her when she had coughed up a generic non-answer.  Wallace was a pro, and if he was willing to cross that boundary with her to fish for more information on Michael, he probably wasn't seriously considering her.   She would have felt better if he had asked the same question to Jim, but her chance to compare notes with him had been interrupted by...

Fuck you, Jim.

***************************

Watching her endure for so long with an unappreciative oaf of a man had almost driven him to madness.  He had longed for her like life itself, while the other man plodded selfishly through his life oblivious to the beautiful, special woman who had undeservedly fallen into his lap.  Katy.  Stamford.  Karen.  Just tools a fool used to throw himself a giant pity party.  A selfish asshole, indeed.  Andy turned his attention away from the other end of the parking lot, where Jim was gallantly opening the passenger door on his Saab for Pam, and unlocked his SUV.  He didn't even know this Katy chick, although he'd heard tales of her hotness from Kev, Ryan, Michael, and Kev again.  He knew Karen, though, and knew her well.  Over the last five years, although she'd turned down his romantic overtures countless times, she always treated him with a genuine warmth that he truly appreciated.  She was, after all, the only one who had called to check on him while he toiled in anger management.  She'd grow tired of his antics sometimes, but unlike the others, she never snapped at him with genuine anger.  He'd seen her broken and shattered a few times, but she always recovered.  This time he was worried though.  He'd never seen her fall for a guy as hard as she had for Jim.  He followed the Saab with the happy couple out of the parking lot.

***************************

Karen had just made it off the platform to the taxi line when the attack came.  The arms clutched her ribcage from behind and lifted her off her feet.  Her limbs began flailing wildly and her purse dropped to the ground.  She was about to scream when she heard that familiar voice.

"Bear Hug!"

"Jesus, Andy.  Put me down!"  She was a little aggravated, but mostly just relieved that she wasn't getting mugged.   She grabbed at his forearm as he slowly leaned forward until her kicking feet finally felt the ground.  She instinctively spun and tried to back away, but Andy instead tightened his grip once she was facing him, slamming her into his chest as she reflexively coiled her arms and fists between them.

An old friend.  He rarely touched her, certainly never like this.  And he couldn't have known she was coming in on the train.  Nobody could have.  He must have come and waited on the off chance that she'd be there.  Karen slowly moved her arms away and let Andy draw her closer, gently grabbing his shoulders and leaning her still heavily made up face into his shoulder.

After a few long seconds of taking in the unexpected warmth of Andy's hug, Karen's thoughts returned to practical matters.

"Andy, how'd you know?"

"You don't want to know how I know.  Let's go."

"Where are we going..?"


******************************
Karen had never scared easily.  Even as a little girl, she had insisted that her mother unplug her night light because she slept better when it was pitch black.  Perhaps her safe suburban upbringing and loving family had given her a natural sense of security.  Perhaps she was just naturally brave.  Darkness, needles, heights, spiders... Nothing ever fazed her.  Until that autumn evening in 2003 in Stamford.  She had been out late with friends, and as she made her way from the parking lot to her apartment, she passed a large, unassuming looking man in a hooded sweatshirt and gave a polite nod that he did not return.  It wasn't until the next morning when she saw the forensics units and was interviewed by a detective that she found out a rape had been committed in her complex, and she had unknowingly passed not 12 inches from the primary suspect.  A short, light woman, Karen was used to looking up at people, and her confidence easily offset any perception of timidity that her height might have implied.  But confidence was irrelevant in a pure physical mismatch, and her unexpected brush with evil had made her give thought to the now frighteningly real prospect of being overpowered, pinned down and violated by a strange man.  And for the first time in her life, Karen was terrified.

That night she had tried to settle in.  She knew she was safe.  The police were patrolling her complex.  But she couldn't shake that awful fear.   She had seen him.  He had seen her.  And he was still out there somewhere.  Her hands shook.

Andy answered the door wearing nothing but a pair of florescent green boxer shorts with a giant cow across the crotch.  Earlier that year he had finally stopped asking her out after Karen rejected him time after time.  After that, they had settled into a casual friendship, although Karen, warm and accepting of him as a friend, had always kept him at arms length to keep him from misinterpreting things.  Karen remembered this moment well... watching Andy's initial happiness to see her turn to concern.  She hadn't looked right: shivering gently and holding her pillow against her chest with both arms.

"Karen.   What are... come in..."

He had offered her the bed, but she insisted he keep it, and settled instead on a sleeping bag on his bedroom floor.  The couch wasn't enough.  She needed someone she trusted to be in the same room.  She expected that to be enough, but it wasn't.  What she hadn't expected, though, was Andy to sit on the floor by her sleeping bag for over an hour, re-assuring, listening, softly rubbing her back while she shivered, wiping the small tears she tried hard not to shed.  She didn't remember falling asleep.  Andy had woken her excitedly the next morning to tell her they had caught the guy.

And even years later, nobody at work seemed to understand why the snarky, assertive chick seemed to have such a huge tolerance for that guy.  And it wasn't their business either.


**************************

Andy thumped his chest proudly.

"Don't worry... The Treble Man's got a little rehab planned for you.  Just get in... And trust me."

Karen looked across the hood at Andy before sliding into his passenger seat.  A smile.  Small, but real. Her voice was almost a whisper.

"I do."

Andy knew better than to answer her question.  He always answered enthusiastically the rare instances where Karen ever asked him for anything.  Those times left him feeling happy, feeling needed.  This time, though, for her own good, he'd stand his ground, hold firm, and refuse to be overpowered.  Andy's good intentions lasted all of five minutes.  Karen didn't overpower him, and he crumbled anyway.  He took his eyes off the road for a second to glance over at her.  She looked tired and haggard as expected, sitting with her knees pressed together and her elbows drawn tightly against her sides, as if fighting off a cold breeze.  She looked small.  Most troubling, though, was the eerie stillness in her eyes.  So off, so wrong.  Karen had always had busy eyes.  Unless they were glued to her monitor, those little green orbs tended to dart around the room, absorbing everything.  Andy had entertained himself over many a boring meeting by watching this phenomenon, and trying not to get caught when her glance would inevitably cycle to him.  Now, though, those lovely little greens were frozen, half open, staring dejectedly into her own lap.

Karen must have sensed his gaze.  She turned her head to the left and opened her eyes completely.  Her words caught Andy off guard.  That flat, piercing voice that she wielded with such skill was nowhere to be found.  He would not have believed he was listening to Karen if he hadn't seen the the barely audible, meek voice sliding from her lips directly.  So off, so wrong.  So beautiful.

"Andy, you saw him, didn't you?"

So beautiful...

"Yeah. I saw him."

"What did he say?"

As Andy reluctantly relayed his observations from Jim's solo return, through "it's a date," to the parking lot afterward, his inability to achieve anger was put to the test.  Karen looked away and nodded her head gently, but he could feel his words hurting her, heaping pain onto her already full plate.  He should have waited, dammit.  She was too shaken.  Her wounds were too fresh.  And he was supposed to be protecting her.  Unfortunately, stopping wasn't an option.  And then he heard it.  The quietest little sob.  He looked over again.  She was looking straight ahead, dabbing at an eye with a tissue.  For the second time in five years, he was moved by the way she didn't turn away and hide her face when she cried.  When she spoke, Andy sensed a failed attempt at defiance.  Sadness ruled the day.

"I never meant shit to him."

"Karen..." What could he say?  What was there to say?  Andy took his right hand off the wheel and set it just above her left knee, squeezing gently.  She closed her eyes and jerked her head back against the padded headrest a few times, making a small thud.

"I'm such an idiot... why'd I ever listen to that bastard?"

"Karen it's not..." Andy's reassurance was interrupted, her voice cracking this time, and accompanied by some fresh tears.

"He told me he loved me, Andy."  Her voice faded to a whisper.  "And I believed him."

Andy wasn't going to press her.  He thought about singing for her, or pulling over to offer her a hug, but decided to focus on finishing their drive first.  He patted her leg again and was only partially surprised when Karen continued, preempting a question that he didn't think was appropriate to ask.

"Right after you were sent to anger management.  He told me he still had feelings for Pam, and when I went to dump him he kept assuring me it was only residual crap and he was with me now.  I was so done, but he fed me five whole nights of what I thought were heartfelt feelings and I bought it all.  He practically begged me not to go and told me he loved me, and like an idiot I believed him."

As she spoke, Andy tried to nod his head slowly in an understanding way, all the while trying to convince himself that it was something other than anger burning at his brow from the inside.  Lying to Karen was one thing.  Using those words to lie to that woman was beyond him.  Certainly not a lie he could ever bring himself to tell.  He tightened his grip on the steering wheel, and fought the urge to take a symmetrical action with his right hand, which still sat reassuringly on Karen's leg.  His ears were burning as she continued.

"And he did it again after Phyllis' wedding, and it felt so real that time.  I'm such an idiot.  What's my problem, Andy?"

She slumped down in the seat.  Andy felt her lay her hand on top of his and squeeze gently.  Her grip was cold, and he could feel her shaking ever so slightly.  He looked over again.  She looked back.  Such a strong woman.  Such a weak state.  So tough, so vulnerable.  So beautiful.

"It's not your fault, Karen.   Your only problem is that Tuna is a giant fraud.  I pegged him for a backstabbing suckup, but you couldn't have known he'd lie about something like that.  Sit tight.  We're almost at my place.  There's something I want to show you, and then you get your choice of air mattress or sleeping bag."

"It's OK, Andy.  A hot shower, my own bed.  I'll be OK."

"Sure you will, but It'll be a hell of a long night.  Just trust me.  At the very worst, you can get really drunk and I'll be around to take care of you.  OK?"

Andy forced himself to look at the road.  A crash might take her mind off Jim, but it wouldn't do much good in the long run.  But he snuck another glance over, and there it was again.  That little hint of a smile underneath those sad eyes.

"OK. The bag then."

For a man whose life always seemed to be spinning in one wild direction or another, Andy's apartment was noticeably orderly. Karen knew him well enough to expect this, but she always got a kick out of seeing Andy in his natural habitat. Andy made for the kitchen to prepare the night's alcohol therapy, and as Karen headed to the bathroom, she promised herself she'd try to visit Andy on happier terms once in a while. Closing the door behind her, she set her bag down and tended to business, starting with the obvious necessities that follow four hours of travel. She hadn't been on the toilet even five seconds when her attention turned to her underwear, now stretched between her knees, the bloodstained pad stuck neatly in the center.

Karen had never been the type to use her pussy as a bargaining chip, a wedge, or a weapon. It could not be bought. It could not be bargained for, negotiated, earned, or won. Many had tried, and none had ever succeeded. It could only be given, and it was hers alone to give. Her love. Her gift. Her sacred offering. Proffered up, thus far, to three men over seven years. Received always with gratitude, reciprocated and cherished. Until now. Until now. Reduced, now, to "a pretty decent place to park my prick until Pam comes around." Or did its appeal lie in the fact that it came attached to a brown skinned, straight haired chick who just might look different enough than Pam to be a real distraction. She should have been glad for her period, its blood having saved her one last indignity before the real Jim exposed himself. But she wasn't. It was much worse than that.

What was it about that selfish bastard that had made her want to give him so much of herself? He had managed to lure her in time and again by keeping himself always looking like he was just about to come around and reciprocate her feelings in a real way. Karen had squandered so much chasing that phantom breakthrough. Less than 24 hours earlier, in a hotel room in New York City, she had knelt before him, completely naked, and given herself over completely to his pleasure. She knew it might be a casual thing with today's youth, but for Karen, it was an offering of unparalleled intimacy, unparalleled submission. Reduced, now, to a mere goodbye blowjob, a happy little notch on the bedpost of a man who used her. And it hurt. It hurt to know that he'd never know how much he took from her. If he did, he'd have stopped. Or would he?

Karen felt her tears flowing again. She quickly finished undressing, hopped in the shower, and turned the water on without bothering to dodge the initial blast of cold. She knew it wasn't rational thinking, but she felt that tears shed in the shower, tears masked by the onrushing water, somehow didn't count. Every tear for Jim was a waste. She'd already given him more than he ever deserved. He sure as hell wasn't crying about losing her, or even giving her so much as a second thought right now. The shower lasted just under ten minutes, and even as she bathed, her eyes put the emotional amnesty she offered herself to good use, splashing out tear after undeserved tear.

She rinsed her mouth out several times over. Her breasts, normally washed no more or less than anything else, were given several rounds of lathering and rinsing. Karen knew they were on the small side, and Jim had never been that interested in them. Last night, however, he had felt compelled to reciprocate a tiny bit, and apparently thought the five minutes he spent squeezing her breasts and tweaking her nipples before drifting off to sleep were sufficient. Fresh from letting him fill her mouth with his own pleasure, she had thought maybe she could sit up against him, back to chest, stretching her neck back to exchange over the shoulder kisses while he slowly masturbated her to an unconventional but so very intimate orgasm. But he was unresponsive, offering up instead his half-hearted breast rubbing exercise. Karen hadn't wanted to force anything on him. It wasn't any different than all the promises he had made her. Spoken and unspoken... He would get it eventually.

Karen pulled herself together and turned off the water. Her face hurt. She felt dehydrated. She dropped her towel to the ground. Completely naked, soaking wet, she paused in the middle of the bathroom. She looked at the door. There was a man on the other side of that door who sure as hell wouldn't make her feel like some cheap whore. One night. One night, to mean something to somebody. One night, to erase that terrible used feeling... She caught herself just before she made the slightest move to the door. That's something Jim would do. Andy was a good friend, but he had a history of trying to be more. It wouldn't be fair, dragging him into her emotional baggage. She did emerge from the bathroom a few moments later, puffy eyed and clothed in her nightshirt, vowing to forget her near indiscretion. Andy was on the couch, his impressive liquor collection laid out neatly on the coffee table in front of him. He looked up and smiled.

"There you are. I thought you fell in or something."

"Almost. I'm OK, though."

Karen was a bit taken aback by the scene before her. The impressive array of bottles were arranged neatly on the coffee table like a miniature crystal city. Andy sat behind them, surveying his glass city like a king, every bit the proud artist. He had changed into a Cornell sweatshirt and matching shorts. Karen knew him well. A passionate, competitive, hugely insecure man, his words and actions often masked his true feelings or intentions. But on this night, he wore no disguise. There was no posturing, no showing off, nothing but the actions of a caring, concerned friend. A friend in tune with her pain, as well as his strangely artistic affinity for arranging glass. Andy gestured at his handiwork.

"Where would you like to start, my lady?"

Karen flashed him a smile. It might not be an attainable goal, but she hoped to make the tears she just dropped in the shower the last tears of the evening.

"Wow... Maybe some water first. Unless you like E.R. waiting rooms."

She walked past him into the kitchen, which was really little more than a counter and some appliances extending Andy's living room. She cupped her hand against the faucet and helped herself to a long, cold drink, as Andy urgently tried to call her attention to the availability of clean glasses. Alcohol therapy would be nice, although Karen preferred to use alcohol to numb herself only to the little things. Bad sales calls, co-worker drama, crude comments from Michael Scott about her body... the usual stuff. This dumping wasn't usual stuff, however. This was a real, deep-cutting pain, the kind of pain that had to be faced. Pain that had to be felt. Dodging it one night would just mean facing it the next. And Karen was no coward. Jim had just spent almost a year dodging his demon, and had been rewarded with a stroke of undeserved luck. He'd found someone else to carry his pain for him. He'd found Karen.

She'd get tipsy at most. Certainly not blotto. Besides, an old friend came through for her tonight, and she wasn't so sure she wanted to forget that.

She made her way back to the couch, her relaxed backflop into the seat interrupted by words from Andy that surprised even her.

"You didn't let Tuna do your butt, did you Karen?"

Karen stiffened up, bouncing off the soft cushion.

"What!"

Andy was unperturbed. He seemed to understand that Karen only ever yelled at him out of shock, never anger.

"You know, booty bump you, take the Hershey Highway... bring it in the backdo..."

"No! I mean not your busin... but NO! What the hell, Andy?"

Andy looked genuinely relieved. As Karen's shock faded she settled back into the sofa, somewhat touched at Andy's concern for her dignity. Andy poured them shots and Karen pressed him again on just how the hell that subject came to mind.

"One... Two... Three... SHOT!"

Holy crap, that stuff belonged in her wastebasket. No wonder Jim had ridden his bike into that hedge. Andy got back on topic.

"I have a sense for this stuff. Remember Helena?"

Helen. Andy's dominatrix Stamford roommate of almost three years. Karen had met her exactly once, at a dinner party, and they hadn't exactly had a lot to talk about. Karen couldn't believe where the conversation was headed, but was at the same time beyond curious.

"What about her?"

"Well, being around her made me a bit of an expert about such... things. And, well, you kind of fit the profile."

The profile? This had better be good. Karen raised a weary eyebrow at Andy and listened intently as he continued.

"It's an intense thing, Karen. Submissive, painful. Helena always said only the strongest people are willing to let themselves be that vulnerable. And you're the strongest person I know... I was just worried Tuna might have cornho..."

"It's OK, Andy! Really. He didn't..."

"Did you let him spank you?"

"No! Well once... Can we stop this! Just stop! Please."

Karen's words drifted off but her mind was churning. She hadn't told anyone, ever... about any of it. It was a regular occurrence, but it had started in late high school. She was a healthy girl with a healthy sex drive, but wasn't keen on giving it away until she met a guy she found deserving. She masturbated often but not overly so, usually lying on her back, under her sheets. Once in a while, though, always late at night, she'd lock her bedroom door, turn out all the lights, and lie on her stomach, above the sheets, completely naked... her left hand tightly gripping the sheets, her right tucked underneath her, masturbating gently... her ass raised slightly, offered up to a man she had never met, who one day in her future would deserve to have her so completely. She would exhale sharply, stiffen her back, feeling the coolness of the night air caress her gently fidgeting bottom, imagining that burst of loving pain, that final moment of surrender... and when orgasm finally overtook her, she'd squeeze her buns together, press her face into her sheets, and hold on for dear life... sometimes for 30 seconds that seemed like days. Sometimes she wouldn't bother getting dressed before drifting off to sleep. Sometimes there would be tear marks on the sheets.

Jim wasn't that guy. And thank God he hadn't pretended to be, because Karen, blinded by her misguided love, may have bought that lie as well, and would be feeling even more used than she did already. She looked over at Andy again. She'd always just thought her secret was just her way of making the most of what fate had given her: small breasts, but a firm, athletic ass. But he was right. She was strong. She had it in her to really give. She'd find him. He was out there and his name sure as hell wasn't Jim Halpert.

Andy looked back at her, a little tentatively.

"Andy, don't be sorry. I'm really glad you asked me."


*************************

He had imagined this scenario many times, although usually involving a lot less clothing. It was so different, though, so much more real. Maybe this is what love really felt like. His love, his concern, must be the one thing keeping him from boarding the express bus to Boner-town. Andy was lying in the fetal position on his couch, his arm wrapped around a sleeping Karen, who was nestled tightly against him, back to chest. His arm ran across her body, from her right ribs to her left shoulder, pulling her constantly inward, keeping their bond snug. His head rested gently against the back of her head. He could feel her chest slowly expand and contract. He could feel breath gently tickle the hair on his forearm every time she exhaled. He could feel her heartbeat. Everything about her felt beautiful. He squeezed her tighter, relishing that his arms could provide such safety. He kissed the back of her head and drifted off to sleep.

Andy had thought briefly about riding to Karen's rescue. The tears she had shed in his presence the night she limped home from New York were fresh in his mind. Burned into his mind. And surely it wouldn't be the last time ever she cried like that, but if Andy had any say in the matter, it would sure as hell be the last time that guy had anything to do with it. He looked over at the door to the kitchen, which Karen had just pulled shut behind her.

Andy hadn't slept much that night while he'd tightly spooned Karen on his couch, but he didn't care. One of his arms, pinned under Karen's sleeping body, had gone numb, but rather than move it and risk waking her, he'd simply laid still and distracted himself from the discomfort by savoring the feeling of her body against his, her gentle breathing, the barely detectable thumping of her heart against his enveloping forearm. More than once, in her sleep, her body had stiffened and she exhaled a soft whimper, forcing Andy to balance his desire not to wake her against his instinct to squeeze her tighter, to try to chase off her nocturnal demons. It had been a long night. A great night given the circumstances. The circumstances.

He turned his attention back to the door. He was just about to get up when he heard Karen's voice. This time it was a fair fight. Andy knew them both. If anyone was going to need help, it was Tuna. Andy settled back into his chair and listened. Karen wasn't screaming, but her voice easily carried through the kitchen door, interrupted only by short bursts of mumbling as Jim's soft, indecipherable attempts to defend himself limped into the conversation. Andy wasn't terribly surprised that she restricted herself to defending her career prospects and held back the much more damaging attack she could have launched on Jim's character. Their personal relationship was over. The passion that any personal attack carried with it would just as easily remind Jim how deep he'd been able to cut her. Jim didn't deserve to feel that power, that control, and Karen wasn't going to give it to him. Good girl, Karen. That's why you move paper with the best of them: the Porters, the Schrutes, the Bernards. Andy glanced over at Pam, who stoically watched Jim through the window. The whole thing was over in a few minutes. Andy bit his lip. Karen emerged from the kitchen and walked purposefully to her desk and began typing. She looked as she had any other day, except for the slight frown that Andy could tell she was trying unsuccessfully to mask. He looked over at her and sighed. Jim was still hiding in the kitchen somewhere.

And then Karen looked up. Their eyes met. She smiled. That labored but very real little half smile, that, set against the sorrow of the last 48 hours, moved Andy more than any toothy grin she had ever flashed on better days. Her eyes had that look again... resilient, defiant, unbroken. Beautiful... Andy snapped. Fuck this. A thousand selfish, emotionally-bankrupt bastards: A thousand Jim Halperts, could collectively heap as much pain as they could onto that woman and her little 115 pound frame still wasn't going to buckle. Fuck everything. The fear I feel right now is nothing at all...

Andy approached her desk from the side. She turned her head toward him, and he leaned down, setting his hand on her shoulder, getting very close before speaking softly in her ear.

"Hey. Can we talk later."

Karen ducked her head backwards, then slightly forward and to the side, allowing her to whisper directly into his ear.

"Yeah. I was going to ask you anyway. I have to stay late tonight... Stay with me?"

Andy pulled away, signaled his acknowledgment to Karen with a casual pat on the back, and ambled back to his desk.


*************************

At 5:45 there were only three left. The next 30 minutes were torture as Andy rehearsed in his head everything he wanted to say, glancing over at Karen to re-energize his strength whenever the old doubt started crawling back into his mind. It was 6:15 before Dwight finally left, leaving only the two of them. He watched Dwight so intently as he made for the door that his peripheral vision missed her approach, and he was caught off guard when Karen seemed to magically appear at his desk. She leaned herself against it in that very way that he'd spent too many hours watching her lean against Jim's desk.

*************************

Karen spoke first.

"Listen, Andy, I'm leaving tomorrow..."

Andy was stunned as expected, and the conversation immediately took a practical turn.

"Not sure yet... a short leave, then another branch maybe... they're being very flexible... I think they're afraid of getting sued... Yeah, tomorrow... back to Stamford for a bit..."

Andy held up his end of the dialog, but he was crushed. His grand proclamation never saw daylight.

But not because he was afraid. It just wasn't needed.

**************************

His look said everything. She'd spent six months investing everything trying to elicit a look like that from Jim. And she'd offered him everything... thank God he'd taken only what suited him before he discarded her, because he could have had all that she was capable of giving... He could have had everything. She looked now at Andy, who she'd offered only friendship, who was so completely crushed at the prospect of losing what little she'd given him. His look said everything. She knew it well, having looked so often at Jim the same way. She met his gaze... The emotion was so refreshingly raw, and Karen was happy just to be in this moment with a man who was, on a bad day, ten times the man Jim would ever be. His look said everything... Karen leaned down and wrapped her arms around Andy's shoulders and neck. She felt his hands find their way to her ribs, although he seemed too dazed to really squeeze her.

"Andy... I don't leave till tomorrow... I think there's something we both need to happen..."

Karen couldn't help chuckling a bit at the sheer irony of the fact that Andy and Karen together could, in a single trip, erase every physical sign that she had ever existed in this place at all. In fact, after Andy loaded up his arms, there was only a single box left to carry, containing mostly the surface contents of her desk. Andy made it to the door first, leaving Karen alone in the office one last time. She paused before making the turn to the door, turning instead to look around the cluttered room one last time. It had indeed been an adventure. Her eyes found their way to Jim's desk. She resisted the urge to reminisce about the false memory of the man with the gentle touch and the easy smile who had only ever really existed in illusion. She stared for a moment at the empty chair sitting aside the desk she'd spent many a happy moment perched against. Jim would slouch through life without her, pushing his pain onto those around him. But it didn't have to end that way. Maybe someday you'll have a son, Jim, and he'll teach you to become a man. Karen turned away without so much as a sigh. If redemption ever came for Jim, she wouldn't be around to see it. She opened the door and stepped out of the office one last time.

The sun had set on Scranton for the last time for Karen. She felt a very real pride as she made her way down the hallway. Used, discarded, cheapened... she should be limping out of town like a wounded animal, but that awful pain, that unfair pain that she'd been forced to carry, was nowhere to be found. She'd learned more about Jim than she ever cared to know, but she'd also learned a whole hell of a lot about the man who now stood holding the elevator, beckoning her in, calling out to her without so much as moving his lips. He'd come out of nowhere, shone light into her darkest hour; his touch comforting her during her most tormenting moments, his unbending faith in her strength keeping her from compounding her anguish by blaming herself. The time for heartache was over. It was time to heal. She smiled as she scampered to join him. There was no ulterior motive, no second intention in the way he smiled back at her. Andy...

Karen began tormenting him even before the elevator doors had shut completely. With his stack of boxes effectively immobilizing his arms, she immediately set her box down, ducked, and nestled her head against the bottom of Andy's elbow, rubbing her face back and forth until he moved his arm enough for her to wiggle herself into his embrace. She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed, relishing Andy's efforts to hug her back without dropping his boxes, relishing his smile as she pushed herself up onto her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.


******************************

Andy had spent years casting short but frequent glances over at her, running his gaze furtively over her face, her hair... her eyes. Countless whimsical glances delivered with a forced casualness calculated to mask the affection in his stare for the times when she would feel his gaze and glance back at him. As he emerged from his bedroom and approached the spot were Karen lay on the floor before him, shivering gently as the sheer intensity of her last orgasm continued to resonate through her body, he found that even with all the sacred new options her beautiful, writhing, naked form offered his eyes, he couldn't pull his gaze away from the familiar set of eyes that now tracked him with a quiet longing that made his knees want to buckle. His efforts to keep an even temperament had been strained severely by the sheer intensity of his desire to inflict harm on Jim as he'd watched painful tears drip from those very eyes, but the intensity of the warmth in this moment easily surpassed the seething bitterness of that one. Karen closed her eyes.

She rolled briefly onto her stomach, to allow her arms to get beneath her and prop herself up onto her knees. Andy's eyes found their way to her naked bottom as soon as it came into view, drinking in the sight of the ass that he'd so often tried to picture in his mind. Karen, on her knees now, turned to face him. Her hair settled gently against her cheeks, her eyes shut. She leaned forward. Slowly, she tilted her head backwards as her hands found his sides, clutching him softly just below his ribs. He looked down at her. She opened her mouth. He could feel her warm breath as she exhaled...

One inch more, and Andy would have never been able to stop her. He was already too close. The pleasure would have quickly overwhelmed him until he lost all control, pushing, even grabbing Karen's head and forcing himself further into her gripping mouth. Fate hadn't finally delivered her here so he could fire a load down her throat. Karen may have been eager to reciprocate, but he would see to it that she wouldn't be disappointed for long. He gently reached out and placed his hand on her forehead, her slightly damp bangs feeling silky against his fingers as he pushed just hard enough to stop her forward motion. Andy quickly knelt down and was nose to nose with her just as her eyes popped open. Kneeling face to face, Andy pressed his torso tightly against Karen's, his erection pinned unashamedly between them. He reached around her back, reverently running his hand over her naked bottom as he moved to kiss her. Karen's arms found his back in a tight embrace. She whispered to him before he claimed her lips again...

"It's OK, Andy... I want to..."

Andy continued to kiss her, savoring the feel of her body as he ran his hand lightly down the crease of her bottom, relishing the tiny goose bumps under his fingertips as he traced the contours of her ass. Karen squeezed him tighter as she shivered. A moment later she tried to push herself away, her eyes turning downward to her target.

"I want to, Andy..."

"Shhhhh." Andy placed his finger over her damp lips as he used his other hand to pull her flush against him.

"Trust me, Karen."

Andy gently pushed her head backwards, catching her back with his other arm and lowering her easily down to the floor. Somewhere in the chaos of motion, he felt her lick the finger he'd been using to shush her. She lay back, slowly opening her legs as he took up position between them. Kneeling, he reached for a condom.

"No no... pill."

Andy dismissed her with a flourish, rolling the condom over his aching erection in a single, well practiced motion.

"Textured for your pleasure, my dear..."

It was. Or so it was advertised. The truth was he could use a little something to desensitize himself. Andy had spent years living in an apartment where a premature ejaculation meant a painful night strapped to the bed and a sore ass striped and reddened by his angry mistress... Coming up short for Karen would be less painful but infinitely more disappointing. She didn't seem to mind. He leaned forward, bracing himself over her, his face inches from hers. He moved his hips inward, his knees weakening briefly when he heard Karen mewl involuntarily at the first contact. She opened herself even more, opening her knees further and resting her feet easily against his lower back. She pawed at his back, her hands searching for enough grip to pull him flush against her. Andy resisted, continuing to hover over her, gently teasing her, running only his hypersensitive tip up and down her slit, stopping sometimes to press no more than an inch inside. He ran his fingers through her hair. He squeezed her breasts. Karen's futile attempts to pull him inward grew increasingly frantic. He leaned down and kissed her as she writhed. It wasn't teasing. It was a promise.

Their lips had only just touched when Andy shifted slightly and pushed his full length inside her. Karen, fought to maintain her end of their kiss as she moaned sharply, her body stiffening at the welcome penetration.


******************************


Karen had never given much thought to her size. The fact that she often found herself with men who physically towered over her had more to do with her diminutive stature than any particular taste on her part. In this moment, however, clinging to Andy as he sawed in an out of her proffered vagina with a methodical calm that was simultaneously reverently loving and frustratingly tantalizing, Karen wanted to feel small, vulnerable... overwhelmed. She wanted give him everything. She wanted to be overpowered. She wanted to be taken. Propped on his elbows so as not to crush her, Andy continued to use his hands with such gentle skill, caressing her face, tugging gently on her hair, squeezing her breasts as he continued to methodically thrust into her. Karen pushed, tugged, probed... her arms searching for total surrender until she finally found a weak spot. Bracing her hands against Andy's supporting elbows, she pushed his arms away, knocking his support out from underneath him. Still thrusting, he fell forward the few inches that separated them, forcing the air from Karen's lungs as his body landed squarely on hers, pinning her tightly against the carpet. With their bodies now in contact as much as physically possible, Karen grabbed Andy again and held on, trapping him in their embrace, pulling him tighter down onto herself, relishing the labored effort it now took to breathe under his weight.

She relaxed, savoring her total surrender as each probing thrust pushed her further into his control. Andy would occasionally bury himself inside her completely, and instead of withdrawing would grind his pelvis against hers.. pressing into her clitoris with a gentle bluntness. Karen squeezed back with her vagina. Her toes curled. Her nipples hardened. Goose bumps covered her body despite being pinned in a such a suffocatingly warm embrace. She thought she heard herself mumble something in French, but she couldn't know for sure. Andy's hands found hers, gently pulling them off his back, allowing his weight to continue to control her. Clutching her hands, he pushed them up over her head and pinned them to the floor, stretching her, immobilizing her further. Getting her ready... He kissed her again as he pushed all the way in.

This time Andy persisted with the grinding, never withdrawing more than an inch or so as he undulated against her most sensitive area. She made a token, futile effort to escape, enjoying being stretched out as Andy pushed her closer and closer to the edge. It wasn't long before she broke their kiss to let out a quiet shriek, fighting to breathe as her eyes welled up with tears and the spasms began rippling through her body. Her pinned hands reflexively clutched, finding only air to grasp. Her legs clung to Andy's back with such force that her bottom lifted slightly off the ground. Her back arched as much as it could under Andy's weight. Powerless, overcome by the sensations ripping through her, Karen froze, moaning through clenched teeth as she lost track of time.

When the orgasm finally faded, Andy resumed his long, slow strokes, avoiding for the moment her hypersensitive clitoris. Karen went limp and he released her arms. She found the strength to embrace him as she lay back and waited for Andy to claim the powerful climax that she so wanted to give him. He deserved it. He deserved it all... everything. She caught his eye.

"Andy wait... there's something else..."

Karen could tell he knew exactly what she was offering. Andy looked nervous for the first time.

"Are you sure?"

More sure than she'd been about anything for a long while. Karen nodded.

"Definitely."

Andy's grin returned as he slowly withdrew...

Andy was already on the verge of sensory overload when her words jarred him back into the moment. The sheer intensity of feeling Karen, the woman he'd so long coveted with such numbing desire, writhing in orgasm underneath his pinning body... The sound of her soft, staggered whimpering filling his ears. The echoes of her after-lunch spearmint gum passing gently from her tongue to his. The faint smell of her shampoo mixing with understated perfume and a thin layer of perspiration. Her pinned hands clutching at his, her staggered, jagged breathing... the warm embrace of her vagina as it contracted repeatedly around him as he held himself so completely inside her... He forced himself to hold back, allowing himself to fully absorb the sheer beauty of the moment as her body stiffened, her muscles tightening as she coiled desperately beneath him. Karen had closed her eyes tightly as she'd climaxed, but as her body softened beneath him, Andy found her gazing squarely at him, her eyes lustful and damp. He'd only just begun to move again when she made her offer.

He would have been content to continue right where he was, savoring their most intimate of connections, gently pushing into her while staring into those beautiful eyes that had so recently betrayed only sadness. She looked so peaceful now... so happy. He was right where he'd always wanted to be, but he forced himself to stop. She'd offered him so much... she wanted him to be the first to ever take her in the most intensely intimate way imaginable. She'd chosen him to give herself to so completely. Andy was so moved he had to force himself not to embrace her more tightly, aware that locked so intimately inside her, any uncontrolled motion might set him off. Keeping his eyes glued to Karen's, he slowly withdrew.

It hit Andy that as tender and gentle as he planned on being, the last person on Earth he'd ever intentionally hurt was about to feel at least some pain. The first time always hurt. He'd learned that lesson years ago on the end of his mistress' favorite strap-on, during what was up until a few hours ago the most intense night of his life. He'd ruined a perfectly good ball gag with teeth marks that night, earning him a long, painful strapping on his already sore ass. On top of that, the sheer intensity of being dominated so completely caused him to have an unauthorized orgasm, staining his mistress' favorite sheets. As punishment, he'd spent the next three weeks locked into a very constricting cb2000 chastity device. Each night, his mistress would tie him to a chair facing the TV, put an X rated movie on, unlock the cruel chastity device, and with her fingers and mouth tease him just to the edge of orgasm, only to stop just short each time, leaving him thrusting vainly into the air as much as his bonds would allow. Some nights she would repeat this tortuous process close to 20 times before killing his erection by holding an ice pack against his balls and locking the chastity device back on him before forcing him to pleasure her orally through several orgasms. She was a strict mistress, but she'd trained him well.

His thoughts returning to the task at hand, he slowly rose to his feet, pulling Karen up with him. Taking her hand, he lead her to his bedroom. He escorted her to his bed and helped her lay down before quickly darting to the dresser to get some supplies. He watched her as he approached the bed. Even in the depths of heartbreak, she'd always exhibited the kind of unbending strength that Andy so admired, making the determined but slightly nervous, slightly scared look that she now wore all the more endearing. He set himself down, his back propped against the headboard. Karen crawled up beside him, arching her neck up for another kiss. A moment later she disengaged. Andy straightened out his legs and lightly patted his own thigh. Karen hesitated for a second but quickly figured out what he wanted. Wearing a nervous smile, she crawled over him sideways before lowering herself down, her arms folded peacefully under her head, her waist bent over his thighs, her naked bottom exposed and vulnerable as if about to receive a spanking.


*******************

Karen settled in, savoring the exposed feeling as she sensed Andy's eyes drinking in the sight of her neatly presented ass. The occasional playful spanking was really about as kinky as she'd ever gotten, but she'd always preferred a lover who appreciated her bottom, as Andy clearly did. She closed her eyes and relaxed, wondering if Andy was going to spank her now. It was his choice... he set his left hand on her lower back, pressing down firmly, reassuringly... She flinched sharply as his other hand found its target. Instead of the sharp slap she was half-expecting, he'd laid it on her so gently, so reverently. He slowly, using only the tips of his fingers, explored her every inch from her upper thighs to lower back. She moaned a bit as he ran a single finger slowly up and down her crack, tickling the insides of her buns. After a few minutes of this, she noticed Andy was continually pushing her lower back into the bed with increasing pressure to keep her from unconsciously pushing her ass further back toward him. Andy pulled his hand away. Karen looked back in protest. Her heartbeat quickened as she saw him deliberately pulling on a rubber glove. She looked away, preferring the sweet anticipation that accompanied not knowing... Interminable seconds passed as she heard him unscrewing a tube of what she assumed was lube. Karen clutched the sheets. She felt his left hand press between her shoulder blades, gently stroking her, soothing her back, tugging her hair. He spoke softly.

"OK just relax completely and breathe normal..."

Nodding slightly in acknowledgment, she closed her eyes. He pushed her legs apart a bit to open her up. His lubricated finger pressed between her cheeks and found her opening, teasing it with a few tight circles as Karen enjoyed the dilemma of having to force herself to relax in the face of such nervous excitement. The idea of surrendering herself to a deserving lover in such a vulnerably intimate fashion had long permeated her fantasies, but the mechanics of the whole thing were suddenly very real this moment. The rectal thermometer that her mother used to take her temperature had been retired when Karen turned six and became reliable enough to use an oral one. Since then, nothing had even come close to going in... Andy stopped his circling and slowly but firmly pushed his finger inside.

"Ahhhh..." Karen gasped a bit at the sudden penetration. Andy froze. It didn't hurt... rather it felt tight... full... Andy continued to press, slowly sinking his finger further into her as she fought the urge to squeeze down on the intruder. Once completely in, Andy paused to let her get her bearings while he continued to lovingly stroke her back with his free hand. Karen savored the full feeling, signaling her approval with a soft moan. She'd never felt so exposed her entire life... it was as intense as she had imagined but so much more warm and intimate, now that the moment was actually happening, her vulnerable bottom penetrated by something other than her own deeply buried fantasies. She squeezed her muscles around his fingers a few times, enjoying the realness its presence. A short while later, Andy began slowly sliding his finger in and out, pulling it nearly completely out only to slide the full length back in in a single smooth motion, pausing at maximum depth to curl his finger in lazy circles. As intense as the moment was, it was oddly relaxing. A serenity that Karen had never anticipated settled over her as she relaxed her body completely. If she wasn't so hopelessly aroused, she might have been able to drift off to sleep. Andy pulled completely out, clutching her more tightly with her other hand. She knew what was next.

Two fingers definitely hurt a bit. Andy was slow and gentle with Karen as she fought to keep herself from reflexively clutching her muscles at the source of the pain. She instead clutched the sheets in her hands and pushed her face into the bed, relishing the new level of submission she was experiencing stemming from the fact that any effort to fight the pain would only make it worse. This man to whom this painful gift was about to be presented was duly grateful, his free hand stroking her lovingly, urgently... his voice softly reassuring her, comforting her... Gradually the pain faded as Karen's muscles relaxed. She fought the urge to snake her hand underneath her and trigger an easy orgasm. She was ready. She wanted it all. She needed it all... looking back over her shoulder at him, she wordlessly signaled her desire.

Andy pulled her up to where she was kneeling, allowing him to swing his legs free. As he kissed her he positioned two pillows where his legs had been. Karen smiled at him before gently bending herself over the pillows, her limbs splayed gently across the bed, her ass exposed for the taking. She felt Andy climbing between her legs, gently pushing her knees forward until she was in a frog like position. He took a minute or so to thoroughly re-lube her as she shivered in anticipation. She heard him ditching his rubber glove. He moved into position. The head of his still sheathed erection bumped up against her opening. The moment was finally here... He paused again as Karen forced herself to loosen her entire body. She was ready... Andy reached forward and grabbed Karen's left arm, pulling it back toward him only to clutch her hand in his. She closed her eyes again. She squeezed his hand. Leaning slightly forward, he pushed inside.

"MMH!" Karen exhaled sharply as the pain coursed through her body. He felt utterly gigantic. She squeezed his hand, clutched at the sheets, and with all her strength fought to stay relaxed. This moment, the image of which had already triggered so many of her masturbatory orgasms, was more overwhelming that she'd ever been able to imagine. The pain was so much more real, but so too was the sheer intensity of the submission, her pain being claimed as pleasure by a deserving lover who now controlled her so completely. Andy thankfully seemed to pick up on Karen's desire to fight through the pain, and did not pull out despite her partially suppressed but very real cries. He froze in place, moving only to soothingly rub her lower back, allowing her the 15 seconds or so that she needed to force her body to relax.

He asked her if she was OK and she looked back and gave him a determined nod through clenched teeth. Finally she felt herself relax and accommodate his presence. She squeezed his hand again and held her breath. He pushed in another inch or so and they repeated the process again but she was able to recover much more quickly this time. Karen felt relieved. The worst was over. She could handle everything. The lone tear running down her cheek wasn't from the pain at all. She braced herself and focused on taking the rest. Andy continued to repeat the process, until after a few minutes, he was finally all the way inside. Despite her best efforts to remain completely relaxed, Karen nonetheless felt so completely full... so completely taken... She reached her hand down, nearly snaking it between her body and the pillows to her clit when Andy intercepted it and pushed it away.

"Nope." He scolded her. Karen moaned. He lightly slapped her ass to drive home his point and she flinched at the sensation of her muscles jerking reflexively around him. Andy reached his own hand around to just above the perfect spot... again impressing her with his seemingly psychic knowledge of her anatomy. He held his hand still, refusing to give her the stimulation she needed... Karen instead felt him ever so slowly start sawing in and out of her. She exhaled sharply with each penetrating thrust as the seemingly impassable tightness and slight, faded echoes of pain reminded her anew of the totality of her submission. She closed her eyes and enjoyed every second of the elusive moment she'd long sought. Naked, exposed, her body at its most vulnerable, being claimed for the pleasure of a worthy lover... her own climax completely in his power. For the first time in her life, Karen let go completely, surrendering all control... surrendering everything, reveling in the intense feeling of safety that made the moment possible. Andy left her clitoris un-stimulated for several more minutes, preferring to instead to let his hands gently wander over her hypersensitive skin as he continued to thrust himself into her bottom. He played with her hair. He reached underneath her to squeeze her breasts and tickle her erect nipples. He rubbed her legs, her bottom... he reached up to lovingly massage her shoulders.

Karen accepted her fate. Her stomach knotted up. Her eyes watered. She felt like she was floating. She felt alive. Finally, she felt Andy pause briefly, grab her hand again, squeezing it an pulling it into his own. His hand snaked back underneath her...

"Mmph!" Karen accommodated a slightly harder thrust. She felt the much needed pressure on her clit. Andy increased his tempo yet again. It wouldn't take long...

"AAH!" She wasn't usually a screamer but the intensity of this, her third orgasm in less than two hours, caught her completely off guard. Upon feeling her begin to climax, Andy buried himself completely inside her. Karen held her breath as the spasming contractions of her vagina spread to her ass, causing her to clench hard, amplifying the already full feeling. Her contractions must have finally pushed Andy over the edge. Still climaxing, Karen felt Andy start to throb. She pushed her face further into the bed, clutching Andy's hand desperately as the spasms started to fade. She thought she heard him yell something to Jesus as he climaxed, spectacularly sealing his claim on her proffered bottom. They finished at nearly the same time. Karen settled down and returned to enjoying the intimacy of the remaining penetration. Andy held still for nearly a minute before slowly withdrawing. She'd soaked his pillows. Lube was everywhere. She felt empty, but cherished the slight, dull soreness that now reminded her of what had just transpired.

Andy discarded the condom before pushing her legs back together and rolled her off the pillows and onto her back. He leaned forward, and Karen reached up to hug him. He sprawled himself out over her, pressing his face against her tear-stained, sweat soaked cheek.

Plans were complicated. Life was complicated. But it could wait till morning. She shivered as she clung tightly to Andy. The only think Karen knew for sure was that this wasn't ending tonight. There was too much there, and the two of them could survive anything together. She made a little joke about how, having fully experienced Andy, Jim should henceforth officially be known as "Little Tuna." She didn't even need to open her eyes to enjoy the giant, proud grin that exploded on Andy's face. Karen pulled the sheets around them, forming a silky cocoon around their intertwined bodies. They drifted off to sleep together.