Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

            Pam shuffled through the long-sleeved blouses in her closet, trying to decide which one to wear.  It was at this point that she realized she was in dire need of a new wardrobe.  Did every shirt she own have pinstripes?  She finally picked one, and decided to balance it with a short skirt, and a suit jacket.  There, now she felt sexy.  A bit overdressed for her mind-numbing duties as a receptionist, but still sexy.  Now onto make-up.  She started with a pale foundation and a berry lipstick.  Ugh, she looked as white as a ghost.  She decided to add some rouge to her cheeks, giving her the appearance of slight embarrassment.  It was the perfect balance to her sexy outfit.  She decided to part her golden-brown hair down the right side instead of pulling it back like she usually did.  “Wow,” she thought to herself, “I look hot…for once.”

            For the past few weeks, she found herself spending more and more time getting ready in the morning before heading to work.  But this was the first day she decided to wear an outfit that looked this good on her.  Jim was sure to notice.

* * *

            When she arrived at her desk, she was saddened to see that Jim was nowhere in sight.  All that work for nothing!  She slumped down at her desk and decided to listen to the voicemails from the night before.  She began writing furiously, trying to take down all the vital information without having to replay them.

* * *

            Jim couldn’t believe his eyes.  He had been in the copy room when she arrived, and now he stood behind her, and she was unaware of his presence.  Why was she dressed so nice?  He always thought she was beautiful, but today she looked like a knockout!  He finally gathered enough courage to approach her.

* * *

            “Wow!”  The sound quickly broke her concentration as she looked up at Jim.  “And why are you so dolled up today…do you have a job interview?”  He asked nervously.  He was hoping she would say no.

            “Actually, no…I just thought I would try something different today.”

            “Well you look amazing.  I mean, you look pretty every day, but today is just…wow.”   Pam blushed incessantly.

            “Thank you, Jim…you don’t look so bad yourself.” Jim smiled.  He was having a hard time getting his words out.  He didn’t want to offend her in any way, but she did look good. Damn good.  He smiled warmly at her, and walked to his desk.  He couldn’t stop thinking about her.

            Throughout the day, he absentmindedly stared at her.  Sometimes, he didn’t even realize he was doing it.  He was so lost in her.  And a few times, she had actually caught him, making him blush.  He felt as if she was finally giving him permission to ask her out.  Why else would she be dressed like that?  He tried to shake it off until he knew for sure.

* * *

            Pam was extremely pleased at Jim’s reaction to her, and began planning her next move.  She decided that she needed to bring attention to her lips.  She fiddled through her purse, and found the container of yogurt she had brought from home.  She slowly peeled the pink foil lid off the top, and when Jim was looking, licked the yogurt seductively from the wrapper.  Out of the corner of her eye, she could swear she saw his jaw drop.  She smiled to herself as she reached for her spoon, and slowly began to eat her yogurt.  She made sure not to look at him.  She felt she would get a more honest reaction if he didn’t know she was watching him as he watched her.  She playfully licked the spoon, and hoped it was driving him crazy.  After she finished, she threw the empty container in the trash and then stared at her computer screen, pretending to work.

* * *

            A figure approached, and she was disappointed to see that it was not Jim.  “Umm...hey Pam,” Toby started, “I was wondering if you were doing anything tonight, and if you…umm… maybe wanted to go to dinner with me?”  Ugh, she thought, not with you, Toby.

            “Actually, I do have plans tonight, I’m sorry, Toby.”  She felt bad, but it had to be done.

            “Oh…okay,  sorry to bother you.”  He walked away hunched over, as if he had been hit in the gut.  She felt extremely guilty, although she did think it was best to not lead him on.  She tried not to think about it, and went back to work.

* * *

            “Hey, Pam…you’re looking pretty hot today.”  She tried not to look annoyed.

            “Thanks, Ryan.” She gave him a fake smile.

            “Do you have any plans this weekend?” He still looked hopeful.

            “Actually, I’m driving to my mom’s house tonight, and I’m going to spend the whole weekend out there.”  The guilt began to creep through her again.

            “Oh…alright, maybe next weekend then.”  She gave him a quick smile and a nod, and then returned to work after she watched him, too, proceed down the walk of shame.

* * *

            She was not prepared for what came next.  “Pam,” Dwight started, “Why are you dressed that way?” He demanded.

            “I have somewhere to go after work today.”

            “Is it a job interview?  Because this company is all about loyalty, and if you have a job interview, then you aren’t loyal enough to work here…or there for that matter.”

            “No Dwight, it’s not a job interview.”  He wasn’t convinced.

            “Then what are you doing after work today?”  She couldn’t believe he was still pressing the issue.  He was almost as bad as her boss, Michael.

            “That’s none of your business, Dwight.”

            “Is it because you do have a job interview?”

            And then, Jim came to her rescue.  “Hey, Dwight…I just got off the phone with Michael, and he sounded pretty mad.”

            “What? Why was he mad? Was it something I did? Something I didn’t do?” Dwight was beginning to panic.  “I have to go take care of this immediately.  Did Michael leave his number?”

            “Actually, he said if you really wanted to be Assistant Regional Manager you would be able to figure it out.”

            “Of course; a test of my intelligence and loyalty.  Thanks for the message, Jim.”  And with that, Dwight jetted out of the room.

            He was her knight in shining…business suit.  “That was impressive.”

            He smiled.  “Well, I wasn’t going to let him keep torturing you.  Besides, I don’t think he would have left you alone until you actually admitted that you were going on a job interview.”

            “I think you’re right.”

            “So, I know this sounds cliché…” he started, “but do you have any plans after work?” She almost choked on the air she was breathing.  Okay, Pam, play it cool, she thought to herself.  She looked up and smiled at Jim.

            “I don’t, actually.  Why?”  This is it, Jim thought to himself.

            “I was wondering if you would like to have dinner with me.”  Pam did all she could to contain her excitement.

            “Dinner sounds really nice.”

            He smiled his gorgeous smile at her, “Great.”

            Jim walked Pam to her car, and they decided to meet at Chili’s.  When they arrived, the restaurant was crawling with people, so they decided to wait at the bar until their table was ready.  Jim ordered a beer and Pam ordered a Tropical Storm, which was composed of four different kinds of rum, orange, and pineapple juice.  She was shocked to see how big it was, but tried not to show it.

            “Well Miss Beesley, why don’t we order an appetizer, because I believe that all you’ve had today was a little yogurt.”  She looked down into her drink and smiled hotly.

            “Sounds good.”  They ordered some buffalo wings, and sipped their drinks.

            “So…” he started, “why did you really come to work dressed that way today?”

            “What do you mean?” She asked, surprised by his question.

            “I just mean, you don’t normally wear business suits to work.”

            “I told you, I just wanted to do something different today.”  He decided to drop it.

            He was about to change the subject when they were called to their table.  They sat down at a booth, and shortly after, their buffalo wings arrived.

            “So Jim, is this really what you want to be doing?  I mean, working at Dunder-Mifflin,” she asked, nibbling on the chicken.

            “Well, I actually do enjoy working there because I get to see you every day.”  Pam was completely caught off guard by his answer, and he could see it in her eyes.  “I mean, there are other things I like there, too.”

            “Hey, Jim…” Pam started, becoming tipsier as the minutes passed, “have you wanted to ask me out before tonight?”  She was anxious to hear his response.

            Jim smiled and looked down before answering.  “You could say that.”

            “Well for how long?”  She demanded.

            “Since the first day I met you.”  She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.  All this time she thought she had to reel him in, when in fact, he had been the one circling her.  She didn’t know what else to say.

            “Wow,” was all she managed to utter.

            “Pam…” Jim started, but she cut him off.

            “I can’t believe this, Jim.  I mean I had no idea you felt this way.  All this time, I thought you were just flirting with me because I was the only girl in the office.  I mean young girl…” She stared intently in his eyes.

            He smiled, “Well, I do enjoy flirting with you, and I always hoped it would lead somewhere.”

            “Well why did you wait so long to ask me out?” NO! She thought, cursing herself for asking that question.

            “Umm…you were engaged.  And then after you ended it, I didn’t know when you would actually be ready to start dating again.  But today you gave me a pretty obvious message,” he softened his tone, “And I’m really glad you did.”

            She smiled appreciatively at him, “Me too.”

* * *

            After they finished with dinner, Jim walked Pam to her car.  “I had a really great time with you…” she started.

            “Well, it’s only eight o’clock…do you want to go see a movie?”  She was surprised at his suggestion, but quickly agreed.

            “A movie sounds great,” she gushed.

            “Great.  There’s a movie theater in the mall across the street.”  As they walked towards the mall, Pam felt Jim reach for her hand.  She smiled to herself, and her heart began to race thinking about how wonderful the past few hours had been.  She couldn’t believe that she was actually on a date with Jim.  And now, he was holding her hand and they were going to see a movie.  This was one of the best days she had had in years.

            They decided to see Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, starring Nicolas Cage and Penélope Cruz.  It was a love story set in Greece during World War II, in which the Italians and the Germans invade the small Greek island of Cephallonia.  An Italian captain falls in love with a Greek peasant girl in the midst of the savage war.

            Throughout the movie, tears continuously rolled down Pam’s cheeks.  Jim placed his arm around her, and held her close as she softly cried.  He kept his arm around her for the remainder of the movie.

            As the credits began their ascent on the screen and the lights regained their illumination, Jim looked down at Pam, who had her head buried in his chest.  Her lap was full of napkins from the concession stand, soaked with her tears.  Then suddenly, she realized where she was.

            “Oh hey, Jim, I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to blubber all over you like that,” she said, with hot embarrassment.  Jim looked at her with confusion.

            “Why are you sorry?  I got to hold you in my arms all night.”  At that moment, she realized how much he cared for her.  “Pam,” he continued, “I’ve had one of the best nights of my life with you tonight.”  She blushed relentlessly.

            “I’ve had a really great time with you too, Jim.”  With his arm still around her, he leaned in and slowly kissed her lips.  She couldn’t control herself, and a soft moan escaped her. 

            Jim smiled at her and said, “I know.  I feel the same way.”

* * *

            Jim kept his arm around Pam as they walked back to their cars in the Chili’s parking lot.  The moon lit their path, and after a few minutes, they reached their destination.  Jim slowly slid his arm from Pam’s shoulder to the small of her back, and turned her to face him.

            “Jim,” she started, “I had such a great time with you tonight.”  He smiled warmly at her.

            “Me, too.”  He wrapped his arms around her waist and her arms found their place on his shoulders.  The moonlight cascaded across her face, and he was lost in her beauty.  “Thank you for tonight, Pam.”  She closed her eyes and he kissed her once again, this time with more passion.  She gasped in his mouth as she ran her fingers through his hair, and his arms explored her back.  She felt like she was exploding inside.  She had a hunger for Jim that she had never felt before, and she knew that he felt it too.

            When their kiss finally ended, they said goodnight, and Jim helped Pam into her car.  He watched her drive off, and when her car was no longer in sight, he walked to his car.  He couldn’t stop smiling.

* * *

            Lying in bed, Pam relived the kiss over and over in her mind.  She couldn’t stop thinking about the sensations she had felt, and how much she needed to feel them again.  In a way, she was sad the night had ended, but she was so glad that it had happened.  She drifted off to sleep dreaming of Jim Halpert.

            “Hi, Pam,” the message started, “I just wanted to tell you that I’ve been thinking a lot about you lately, and I…uh…really miss you a lot.  I was wondering if you would give me another chance.  I want to take you out to dinner tonight…to the place we first met.  I was thinking it would be nice to relive our first date.”  Pam stared in disbelief at her answering machine.  He had called while she was in the shower, and she was utterly glad she did not pick up the phone.  She couldn’t wait to call him back.  She quickly dialed, and the phone began to ring.

            “Hello?”

            “Hi, Roy; it’s Pam.”

            “Hey Honey Bunny, I’ve been waiting for your call.  I’ll pick you up tonight around seven.”

            “Roy, I’m not going out with you tonight.  I’m not going out with you ever.  It’s over, remember?”

            “Look, Pam, I know I screwed up, but you have to give me another chance.  You’re my soul mate.”

            “Gee, I sure didn’t feel like your soul mate when I caught you with Katie.” She could feel her heart starting to pound.

            “Pam, that was the biggest mistake of my life.  If I could take it back, I would.”

            “Well, if it wasn’t Katie, it would have been someone else.  I know that you’ve done it before, Roy.”

            “Pam, just give me one more chance, I’m a new man.  I’ll be completely faithful to you this time.  I promise.”

            “You had six years Roy.  We were engaged for three.  Not marrying you was the best thing I’ve ever done in my life.  Please don’t call me again.”  She quickly hung up the phone before he could say anything else.  Her adrenaline got the best of her, and she felt tears welling up in her eyes.  She was startled when the phone rang again, and against her better judgment, she answered.

            “Hello?” she said timidly.

            “Pam? It’s Jim, are you alright?”  She breathed a sigh of relief.

            “Yeah, Jim, I’m fine.  How are you?”

            “I’m great.  I can’t stop thinking about you.”  She could hear the smile in his voice.

            “I can’t stop thinking about you either.”

            “I don’t know if you have any plans tonight, but I was wondering if I could take you to dinner.”

            “Jim,” she couldn’t help blushing, “you took me out last night.  I would love to have dinner with you again, but how about you come to my place and I’ll cook for you.”

            “Wow, are you sure on such short notice?”

            “Of course! I love to cook; it’s one of my favorite things to do.”

            “Oh, okay then…that sounds great.  Can I bring anything?”

            “Wine would be nice.”

            “Alright, what time should I come over?”

            “How about around six?”

            “That sounds great.  I’ll see you then.”  Pam hung up the phone and immediately started tidying up the apartment.  Jim would be there in less than two hours, and she had to start dinner.  She decided to make lemon chicken, wild rice, and salad.  She didn’t know what to do for dessert yet, but if everything went well, she figured things would just fall into place.