The Auction

Chapter 1

It was Dunder Mifflin policy that every year, each branch did some sort of charity fundraiser. In Pam’s time at the Scranton branch, she’d seen a golf tournament, a car wash, a carnival, and last year’s Casino Night. Usually the money went toward Michael’s pet charity, the Boy Scouts of America (of which he proudly bragged of his solitary year as a Cub Scout as a kid). They wasted a lot of company money setting up these things, only to raise, at most, a few thousand dollars. Sometimes, they nearly went in the hole, like with Casino Night. After paying for the catering and the hiring of the event company to set up the gaming tables and provide the staff, Pam mailed the check for two-hundred dollars to the Boy Scouts. The cost to Pam personally on that night had been incalculable.

And so, at the beginning of April, Pam watched with trepidation as Michael stood in the bullpen, calling them all to attention. She glanced over at the back of Jim’s head as he worked diligently on his computer, willing him to turn and look at her to share a grin or a raised eyebrow. They both knew what was coming. But he didn’t turn, and she felt the sharp pang of longing as Karen smiled at Jim a few desks away.

“Friends, Romans, paper salesmen, lend me your ears! It’s time once again for our annual branch charity event.”

The groans weren’t that audible, so Michael gleefully continued. “Let me start by saying that I put a lot of thought into this, especially when I was watching The Bachelor on TV the other night.”

Oh God, thought Pam, and as she looked around her fellow captive audience, she saw expressions that broadcast a similar emotion. The collective dread suffused the room.

“It occurred to me that every man working at this branch, except Stanley, is a bachelor.  I for one find that to be very sad.”

“It isn’t really,” said Stanley under his breath, looking with mild envy at his unmarried co-workers.

“And all the women except for me aren’t married either,” added a smugly smiling Phyllis, still in the honeymoon phase with Bob Vance, Vance Refrigeration.

“Yes, Phyllis, that is also true.  I suppose that makes them equally sad and pathetic.  How’s that for equal rights, eh ladies?”

There was a sprinkling of offended “Heys” and grumbles from both sexes around the bullpen.

“What’s your point, Michael?” asked Oscar.

“The point my dear homo—uh sapien, is that my fundraising idea this year is a chance to kill two stones with one bird. We, my friends, are having a bachelor auction!”

The entire office erupted. Michael was inundated with questions, and others began talking and making wisecracks.

“Okay, everybody, calm down. Let me finish my speech and then I’ll take questions I don’t answer for you. First, let me say that all unmarried men must participate.”

“I don’t really think you can do that, Michael,” said Toby.

“Just shut it. Of course I can. I can make it tied to their pay.”

Toby shook his head. “I don’t think so.  Maybe you could offer them an incentive to participate. Some kind of reward…”

Michael looked supremely frustrated.  “I already thought of that, idiot. The guy who gets the most money gets three extra paid vacation days.”

“Have you spoken to Corporate about that?” asked Toby. “I don’t think you can promise—”

“Yes. Jan said I could.”  The other men looked at each other, perking up a little at this prospect.

“Well that’s not fair. What about the women,” demanded Kelly. “What do we get out of this?”

“Well…I thought about that too. The woman who bids the most for one of our bachelors also gets three paid vacation days. How about them apples?”

Pam frowned. “That’s not fair either. We’d effectively be paying for our own vacation days, and the guys won’t have to do a thing but stand there.”

This time Jim had swiveled his chair around to her, and she saw his knowing grin. She caught her breath and felt her cheeks go pink.

“Yeah,” said Meredith. “The women should get the chance to be auctioned off too.”

Michael rolled his eyes. “Right. I mean, Pam and Karen might fetch a pretty penny, but—”

“We should all have a chance,” said Kelly. “I bet I could get just as much money as any of them.” She nodded toward the guys.  She heard a soft snicker and her eyes zeroed in on Ryan like laser beams. She was met with wide blue eyes and an innocent expression.

“Well I for one will not be participating in this prostitution ring,” said Angela. “You would literally be selling your bodies.” No one saw Dwight’s delighted little grin.

“Oh please,” said Michael. “It would just be dinner or drinks or something. Not that sex would have to be totally off the table…”

“Eww,” said Pam.

“Nice,” said Kevin.

“Are you sure this isn’t just your way of trying to get a date?” Jim asked Michael.  “I mean, I assume you’ll be up there being auctioned too, right?”

“Yes. I mean no. You asked two questions—” He stopped talking, flustered, but Creed intervened.

“Hey man, when I was a gigolo for a while back in seventy-eight, I got lots of dates out of the job.  No shame in mixing business with pleasure.”

“Well I don’t need a date,” said Michael. “I have a girlfriend. She’ll be there to bid on me, I’m sure.”

Jim looked doubtful, and Pam stifled a laugh at his expression.

Karen had a question. “So, if both men and women are being auctioned, who’s going to be there to bid on us?”

Michael happily jumped on that question, thankful for the chance to get the conversation back on track. “We advertise. Invite the community, as well as people from other branches. And you all, invite friends and family outside of the office; get them to place a bid on you. The more the merrier. Kevin could invite his girlfriend, and Oscar could ask his uh, boyfriend, or whatever.  It’s all for a good cause—and those vacation days, remember those.  Plus, this year, you get to pick the charity of your choice for who your final bid amount goes to. See? Win-win.”

“And if you get a legit date out of it, win-win-win,” added Andy, already contemplating what he would wear.

“What about Phyllis and I?” asked Stanley. “We deserve the chance at those vacation days as much as anybody else.”

Michael threw up his hands and gave a dramatic sigh. “Fine, you can participate, but I thought you of all people wouldn’t want to.”

Stanley’s eyes narrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well. Uh. Nothing. Never mind. Get your spouses to come and bid on you. Although that kind of defeats the entire purpose of a bachelor auction.”

“It’s to raise money for charity, right?” reminded Toby.

“You’ll be lucky if you don’t get booed off the stage, freak,” said Michael cruelly.

“It’s in the bag for me, if Bob can bid,” said Phyllis with a confident grin.

Everyone groaned. Bob Vance was the richest guy in the building.

“Can second highest bid get two paid vacation day at least?” asked Oscar, seeing the writing on the wall.

“I think that’s fair,” said Toby. “I’ll check with Corporate.”

The impromptu meeting wound down, and Michael returned to his office, leaving the rest of them to mill around and discuss or complain. Oddly, except for Angela, no one seemed to be opting out.

“So, we have to have a plan,” said Karen, who had come to lean against Jim’s desk for a chat. Pam looked down at her computer, but she was listening to every word. Jim looked up at his girlfriend with a grin.

“We do, huh?  And what’s that?  We go out to a movie that night instead?”

“No, silly. I bid on you, and you bid on me.”

Jim idly swiveled side-to-side in his chair. “But what if someone else bids higher than you for me?  I mean, I can’t exactly control how all the women are gonna react to this.” He gestured wryly to himself ala Vanna White. 

He was kidding, but Pam couldn’t help glancing up at him, admiring for the millionth time just how sexy he was. The fact that he didn’t see it himself made him infinitely more attractive, and her heart squeezed painfully.

Karen chuckled. “Yeah, right.  The truth is, by making this deal with you, I’m probably saving you from extreme embarrassment.”

“Oh, really? Well, if that’s the case, maybe the deal should be that the one who gets the most money gets to pick the restaurants and movies for an entire month.”

“An entire month? Come on! I can’t go for a month of cheap tacos and watching a Jim Carey marathon every Friday night.”

Jim shrugged. “No confidence, Fillipelli?”

She regarded him a moment, weighing her chances. He was tall and handsome and infinitely charming, and without feeling too much like a snob, she knew that realistically, someone with say, a recently single receptionist’s salary, couldn’t afford to outbid her. She wasn’t worried about any other women who might happen to get a date with him; she knew he’d be respectful of their relationship.  And besides, she was aware of the effect she had on men, especially when she put her mind to it.

She stuck out her hand. “Okay, Halpert. If you don’t mind weekly sushi and Masterpiece Theatre, we’re on.”

He visibly cringed at that, but gamely took her hand, pleased to accept the challenge. “Deal.”

Pam was relieved by the distraction as Kelly came up to Reception, a huge, excited smile on her face.

“Oh, my God, Pam! Isn’t this gonna be fun? Do you know what you’re gonna wear? How you’ll do your hair? We should totally have a makeover party that night to get ready.”

Pam shook her head. “I don’t know if I’m even doing this,” she said quietly.

“Oh, come on! You have to!  Think of the extra vacation days! Think of the cute guy who might bid for you. Or even better, maybe he’ll be rich. Can you imagine? It’ll be like Pretty Woman, only you won’t have to be a prostitute.”

Pam laughed at her enthusiasm, at the fairy tale picture she painted. Karen had gone back to her desk, and Pam looked up to see Jim at the copy machine, obviously listening to their conversation, considering the small smile on his face. Though to be fair, Kelly was talking loudly enough Toby probably could hear her in the Annex.

“I’ll think about it,” Pam said. “Those days off would be nice.  And I wouldn’t mind donating to the community children’s art program, but being up there, people bidding on you like cattle…I don’t know.”

Kelly ignored Pam’s hesitance, and closed her eyes, a dreamy expression on her face. “I can picture it all now. Ryan and some handsome stranger will get into a big bidding war for me. He’ll be so jealous, he’ll put up his car, or his new X-box, just for the pleasure of my company…”

Pam glanced at Jim, fresh copies in hand, openly smiling now, his eyes sparkling in shared amusement with Pam. Her heart tripped a little in her chest, and for a moment, it was last year before everything went to crap, when they were best friends sharing in on the joke. She smiled back at him, and for a brief moment his eyes softened before he remembered himself and looked away, then walked purposefully back to his desk.

Feeling tears in her eyes, she blinked rapidly, grateful that Kelly was so caught up in her own little fantasy that she didn’t notice.

“…so start thinking about your clothes, Pam,” Kelly was saying, Pam’s last statement having not even registered. “I see a shopping trip in our future!”

Before she could reply, Kelly had bounced away again, back to the Annex and her romantic plans.

A few minutes later, Michael called Pam in to take notes on how they would start advertising for the first annual Dunder Mifflin Bachelor/Bachelorette Auction.  She didn’t see how Jim’s eyes followed her, a somber expression on his face, the earlier light in his eyes dimmed now as he tried not to imagine how beautiful she might look, all dolled up for the auction. He allowed himself to imagine, just for a moment, how things might have been different, what it would be like to give the winning bid for her hand, to celebrate with a night on the town, or a night in her bed.

He swallowed and looked back at his computer, the same old ache he could never fully push away making his hands tremble slightly on the keyboard. He felt Karen’s eyes on him and he managed a slight grin, but her answering smile didn’t quite reach her eyes.

Chapter 2

Much later, it occurred to Jim that, in order to win their bet, it made no sense for him to bid for Karen at the auction. This, he supposed, would make things terribly awkward.  As her boyfriend, he couldn’t see himself sitting by while other men bid on her, but then again, he wanted to win, and he definitely wanted to win those extra vacation days. If he chose not to bid at all, he would be taking away his chance of being high bidder on someone and getting his extra days off by that route.

And so he spent a few minutes mentally working out whom he might safely bid for. Phyliss was off the table with Bob Vance there. Kelly was a good friend, and a friendly date with her wouldn’t be so bad, he supposed, but Ryan might be an impediment (if he knew what was good for him). There was Meredith, of course, but he always felt vaguely uncomfortable in her presence. Jim was by no means vain, but the way Meredith looked at him sometimes made him feel like a sex object. Had he been even remotely attracted to her, that wouldn’t be an issue, but he didn’t want to give her the wrong idea by throwing his money her way.

There was Madge from the warehouse, but he believed she was married, or had a boyfriend, and with Angela out of the running, that left, of course, Pam.

Pam.

God.

He became warm just thinking of the possibility of a date with her, friendly or otherwise. He looked guiltily from his computer screen, where he’d been staring blankly for some minutes, to see Karen busy on the phone. One bid on Pam would mean the end of his relationship with Karen, of that he had no doubt. Feeling restless, he rose and headed for the kitchen.

He was still shaking his head to himself in the break room at how overly complicated this whole thing had become.  He had just taken his first sip of his three o’clock coffee, when Pam herself walked in, smiled shyly at him. “Hey,” she said, walking past him to the vending machines. Karen was still tied up on her sales call, something he confirmed with a quick glance toward her desk before responding to Pam.

“Hey. So,” he heard himself saying, “an auction.”

She selected chips and a Diet Coke and turned back to him, snacks in hand. She hesitated, then sat a table away, though politely facing him. It tore at his heart that they couldn’t even sit at the same table anymore, but he quickly tried to mask the feeling.

“Yeah,” she replied, opening her chips. “Michael and his crazy ideas.  What charity are you donating to?”

“Special Olympics.”

“Oh wow. That’s great.  I guess that combines your love of kids with your love of sports.”

He smiled. She really did know him better than anyone. Karen had to ask him why when he’d told her. “There’s also the added bonus of the Olympics aspect to it,” he added, their eyes meeting in shared remembrance of their Office Olympics last year. Those had been good times, bittersweet now.

He cleared his throat. “So, are you putting yourself on the meat market?”

“I don’t know. It might be worth it for the days off, but then, is it worth the possible humiliation?”

He chuckled. “There is that.”

“Kelly pointed out that it could be a way to meet someone new, I mean, if you’re single. Which I uh, am.”

He noted her blush of embarrassment, and empathized. This really was an awkward conversation for the two of them to be having. He’d tried to be friends with her, but it had backfired with Karen and with his own mixed emotions where she was concerned. She was no longer with Roy, a fact of which he was constantly aware. He’d wished for that for so long, that even though he wasn’t in the position to do anything about it, the idea of it still weighed on him, fueling his dreams at night and his random thoughts throughout the day. He’d be lying to himself if he didn’t admit how tempting this knowledge was, how…painful. But while she was free, he reminded himself, he most definitely was not.

“Yeah,” he answered her casually. He couldn’t think of anything else to say aloud, though his mind raced with questions, with funny things he might have mentioned a year ago, like whom she would bid for, or humorously speculate about who else in the office would bid for whom. This topic was rich with opportunities to ridicule and poke fun, but it was all lost to them now.  Suddenly, it was overwhelmingly sad to him, and he found himself rising to his feet, taking his coffee with him.

“Well, back to the salt mines,” he said with forced brightness.

He paused when he saw the sad little smile she gave him, realizing that she felt it too. The loss. “See ya,” she said softly.

The urge to say something, to commiserate with her, washed over him, and he’d even gone so far as to open his mouth when Karen came in.

“You leaving already?” she asked him. “Sorry. I couldn’t get that guy from Jones and Hart off the phone.”

“A lawyer who likes to talk,” he said wryly. “Who knew? Yeah, I’m on my way back out. I need to call back a client.”

Karen looked disappointed, but Jim knew his limitations. He had to get out of there. His girlfriend and the love of his life in the same room was just too much for him at the moment.  Some might call that cowardice; Jim thought of it as self preservation.

Pam watched him leave, avoiding Karen’s eyes as the other woman walked through to the kitchen. She supposed she had to face the facts once and for all that she and Jim would never happen, that it just wasn’t meant to be. As much as she loved him, there was too much insurmountable hurt between them, and Roy attacking him had been the last straw. Not to mention he was clearly committed to Karen. Maybe it would be worth a try to put herself out there—literally—and see who might want her enough to bid for her. And if it proved mortifying, well, she would be no worse off than she was right now.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The night of the auction, Kelly came over to Pam’s small apartment, makeup case in tow, straighteners and curling wands and other beauty accoutrements in a small suitcase that she pulled behind her. They had gone shopping two nights before, and Pam had blown what she might have spent bidding on someone herself (not that there was anyone besides Jim that appealed to her) on a slinky black dress that just hit her ankles. She would wear a pair of strappy silver sandals with a kitten heel, despite Kelly’s encouragement to go higher for maximum sex appeal. Pam had countered that it wouldn’t be too sexy if she fell on her ass walking up the stairs to the stage.

What made the dress especially daring was that it was a backless halter with a keyhole that rested just over her ample cleavage. She couldn’t possibly wear a bra with it, and she was secretly proud that the girls were still firm and high on their own.  There was a side slit that stopped above one knee, allowing her to move more freely in the form-fitting dress. She was a little self- conscious about how bold it was, but Kelly insisted that was a sure way to up the bidding.

“We won’t need to go overboard on the hair and makeup,” Kelly told her. “Maybe a smooth updo and just a dramatic, smoky eye. We don’t want to take away from that rockin’ body of yours.”

Pam winced. “You sure it’s not too much? I mean, it’s not like anything I would ever wear.”

“That’s the idea, Pam.  You want to look mysterious…alluring.”

“Okay,” she said skeptically.

“You’ll totally thank me later, I promise.”

By the time Kelly was finished with her, Pam peered at the enticing stranger staring back at her in the full-length mirror. She couldn’t remember ever looking more beautiful in her life. True to her word, Kelly had done her face makeup simply, in nude tones, including her lipstick, but her eyes were lined with smudged black kohl, with gray on the lid and a touch of silver at the inner corners. Kelly had straightened her hair then fashioned it into sleek, low bun. The only jewelry she wore were small diamond studs in her ears. She looked sexy and sophisticated, and she couldn’t help imagining what Jim would think when he saw her.

“Oh. My. God. You are sooo hot,” Kelly gushed. “Those men won’t know what hit ‘em!”

“Thanks, Kelly. I don’t even recognize myself.”

Much to Pam’s amusement, Kelly had gotten the same dress, only in a bright green. She even styled her hair the same way.  She stood next to Pam, admiring both of them in the mirror.

“We could be twins,” she teased.

Pam laughed. “Sisters from another mister.”

They grabbed their matching beaded clutches and piled into Pam’s Yaris.

The party planning committee had spent the last two weeks working with the warehouse staff to set up a stage and decorate for the auction, trying their best not to interfere too much with their regular work. The warehouse guys and Madge had all been invited to participate, but only Darryl and Lonny had shown an interest. The two men were the first people they saw when they came in the loading bay door, and the women were impressed with their formal wear and excited grins.

“You guys really clean up nice,” said Kelly, in awe of the muscular bodies encased in their Sunday best.

Pam looked around the transformed warehouse, pleased with the straight rows of folding chairs, two long tables in back filled with hors d’oeuvres and small plates and napkins. Angela was there, still wearing her clothes from work that day, making sure there were enough serving utensils. There was a bar, and their lone outside hire was a cute male bartender, who would sell and prepare the drinks, the proceeds of which would go to charity.  Pam left Kelly feeling Darryl and Lonny’s flexing biceps and wandered back to the refreshment tables.

“I thought you weren’t coming,” she said to Angela.

Angela turned to look at Pam with disapproving eyes at her appearance.

“Well, it’s for charity, but I don’t have to parade around on the stage like a--.” She had the wherewithal not to finish the sentence, even blushing a little.

“Of course not,” Pam said coldly. “It’s for charity, though, as you said.”

Dwight joined them, complete in his dead grandfather’s tuxedo, and Pam took her cue to leave.

Slowly, the warehouse began to fill up. Michael, who would act as MC as well as be a bachelor up for auction, arrived, looking dapper in his tuxedo, Jan on his arm in a scarlet cocktail dress. Phyllis arrived with Bob, and she moved to man the sign-in table near the large door, handing out bidding paddles and directing attendees to their seats, pointing out that the first two rows were reserved for the auction participants. They had no idea how many people were coming, but by the looks of things, all seventy-five chairs were well on their way to being taken.

Pam climbed the stairs to the stage to check that the microphone was working, then took note of the sign hanging above her that proclaimed the occasion, listing the charities that would benefit from the night’s entertainment.

As she was frowning at the misspelling of Olympics, she heard the timbre of Jim’s unmistakable voice, Karen’s answering laugh. Her heart fluttering, she turned on the stage to look at him. He was incredibly handsome in a tuxedo, his hair brushed back from his forehead in a pseudo pompadour, drawing attention to his laughing hazel eyes and expressive eyebrows. Apparently, he’d pulled out all the stops for the bet against Karen. Karen too looked gorgeous, but Pam stifled a laugh when she saw that she and Kelly were wearing the same colored dresses. The style of Karen’s was different—strapless and knee length—but the trendy fluorescent wouldn’t be quite the spotlight stealer she’d probably planned on. Naturally, Kelly came running up to her in her spiked heels to greet her “Twinkie.” In the onslaught of Kelly’s excited chatter, Jim looked up and saw Pam. His jaw literally dropped.

His gaze raked helplessly up and down her body, lingering on her breasts before stopping at her face, and she stood there, flushing as she watched him taking her in.  When their gazes locked, his cheeks were tinged red too at having been caught staring, his eyes dark with admiration. As if she were having an outer-body experience, she gave him a slow, seductive smile, allowing herself to openly show her feminine appreciation. He swallowed hard, his hand going up to absently loosen his collar.  This other woman that had suddenly possessed her, smiled at him confidently, knowingly.

Karen, oblivious to the sexual tension passing between her boyfriend and another woman, reached up to brush Jim’s hand away from his neck.

“Hey,” she said, annoyed, “it took me a half-hour to get that tie right.”

He reluctantly broke eye contact with Pam. “Sorry,” he mumbled.

“Doesn’t Pam look amazing,” Kelly said. Sweet, loyal Kelly, who naturally had figured out long ago why Jim had really left Scranton. Karen followed Kelly’s nod and Pam saw a brief flash of envy there, before she relaxed into a practiced smile.

“I almost didn’t recognize her,” Karen commented, echoing Pam’s own words from an hour before.  Judging by her tightly wound expression, Karen wasn’t too happy about her observation, leaving Pam to wonder if her words were really a compliment.

“I know, right?” said Kelly. “Jim, what do you think?” Leave it to Kelly to push just a tad too far.

“She looks nice,” he said, too casually. Pam walked down the steps to join the trio.

“Thanks,” she said to Jim. “You guys don’t look half bad yourselves.”

“Anyone else want a drink?” Jim asked tightly.

“Could you get me a white wine, babe,” asked Karen, just as they were waylaid by Michael, tugging a reluctant Jan by the hand.

“Sure,” said Jim. 

“Wowza!” exclaimed Michael with regard to the women. “How lucky am I to have such babalicious babes working for me!”

“Thanks, Michael,” the women chorused awkwardly.

“We’d never get any work done if you girls looked like this every day.”

“Michael, I don’t think that’s appropriate,” chastened Jan, a jealous eye shot toward Pam.

Jim’s eyes widened. “Uh, I’ll go get those drinks now.”

Kelly said she was waiting for Ryan to start drinking, and Pam nodded to the others before following after Jim toward the bar.

“Phew,” said Pam with a laugh once they’d made their escape.

They stood side-by-side while Oscar waited for his own order, and the three made small talk about the crowd and the events to come.  When Oscar took away his margarita, Jim nodded at Pam to go first. She ordered a Cosmo, and he laughed.

“What?” she said. “If it’s good enough for Carrie Bradshaw…”

He shook his head. “Nothing. I’m just not used to this new Beesly.”

“You don’t approve?” she asked with one challenging eyebrow.

His expression softened. “I didn’t say that.” The bartender had to clear his throat to tear Jim’s attention away from her, and Pam felt a little dizzy, his nearness and the scent of his cologne making her feel hot all over.

Jim ordered a double scotch for himself and a white wine for Karen. He dug into the inside pocket of his tuxedo for his wallet, placed a twenty on the bar.

“It’s on me,” he told her.

She smiled. “Thanks.”

They stood away from the bar a moment so Meredith could order, and Jim shuddered a little as Meredith gave him a feline grin and fairly devoured him with her eyes. Pam grinned.

“I bet she’ll be your top bidder,” she remarked, sipping her drink.

“Oh, God.”

Confident Pam smiled. “I wouldn’t blame her.” She was blatantly flirting with him, meeting his eyes above her glass, and she noticed his hand shook a little as he brought his own drink to his lips and took a deep swallow.

“Uh, Karen’s probably needing her drink by now,” he said, forcing his eyes toward his girlfriend, who was being mercilessly chatted up by Kelly.

“Yeah, you’d better go rescue her.” She raised her glass.  “Thanks for the drink.”

She turned to leave him then, wishing she could see his expression when he saw her bare back as she walked away, consciously increasing the natural sway of her hips in her tight gown.  She felt a surge of power as she made her way down the aisle between the rows of chairs, stopping to say hello to Kevin, who openly ogled her breasts, and Toby, who blushed to his hairline when she smiled at him and complimented his tux. All the while, she felt Jim’s eyes on her, and her heart rate stayed elevated and expectant.

She wondered why she was suddenly feeling more hopeful where Jim was concerned. It wasn’t as if anything had really changed. She supposed it had a lot to do with the empowerment she felt, knowing how good she looked, Jim’s undeniable masculine reaction to her. It was too much to ask that he bid on her, since Karen would be there, and she knew he was still understandably wary of her, given their history. But the way he looked at her, spoke to her, smiled at her was enough to make her wonder if he still had feelings for her. For Pam, that was enough for now.

“What a turnout,” said Pam to Phyllis, joining her at the door. Everyone from the Scranton office was there, and a sprinkling of others from the some of the other, neighboring branches. But there were a lot of people from the local community who wanted to witness the spectacle as well as donate to charity.

“Let me know if you want a break.”

Phyllis smiled. “Don’t you worry about a thing. You’re dressed to kill tonight. You should be mingling, shoring up your bids for later.”

Pam laughed. “I’d be lucky to get even half of what you’re about to get from Bob.”

“You might,” she said doubtfully, touching her hair proudly and glancing lovingly toward her husband, who was talking with Kevin, Michael, and, Pam saw, her stomach dropping, Todd Packer.

“Oh my God,” she said. “Packer’s here?”

Phyllis shared her disgust. “Yeah. If I had my way I would have told him to leave.  He makes my skin crawl. But at least if he says anything to me tonight, Bob will kick his ass.”

“Will he do it for me too?” Pam asked, only half kidding.

“Just stay away from him, hon, and I’ll have Bob keep an eye on you.”

It was finally time for the auction to begin, and Michael made his way to the stage, turning on the microphone, calling for everyone to take their seats. Naturally, he started with a few lame jokes, then went directly to the auction, standing at a podium, complete with a gavel, for emphasis. He explained to the crowd how they would not only be bidding for a date with the bachelor or bachelorette of their choice, but also for the charity of their choice.

“Now, the first item up for bid,” he said with a wide grin, “is a young man who started with us just two short years ago as a temp. Today, he’s a junior salesman, on his way to bigger and better things, I’m sure. His charity of choice will be”—and he looked down on his clipboard—"World United Puppy Home Fostering—wow, that’s a mouthful. Ha! That’s what she said. Last year’s winner for hottest in the office…Ryan Howard!”

Ryan did look especially nice in his electric blue suit that exactly matched his eyes, and he bounded up the stairs, waving and smiling amidst the applause.

“Okay, let’s start the bidding for Ryan at—”

“One thousand dollars!” Kelly said immediately, standing and raising her bidding paddle.

“Wow!” said Michael. “That’s a lot. But I guess you’d know better than anyone if he’s worth it, if you know what I mean.”  Michael avoided Jan’s frowning head shake on the front row.

“Oh, he is! He is!” said Kelly.

“So that’s a thousand on the table,” Michael continued.  “Anyone want to go to eleven-hundred?”

Kelly turned toward the rest of the audience, giving warning looks that actually made one woman quickly rethink raising her paddle.

“Okay, going once…going twice…sold! To Kelly Kapoor and the puppies!” And Michael pounded the gavel excitedly. The first bid had been an amazing success.

There was enthusiastic applause while Kelly ran up the steps of the stage to hug her purchase. Ryan met the crestfallen eyes of the three young college girls he’d met at Poor Richard’s the other night when Kelly wasn’t with him. He’d told them he was up for auction, and since he couldn’t choose between them, the highest bidder would decide. He’d been drunk enough that he’d forgotten he had a girlfriend.

Phyllis, then Darryl were next, Phyllis going to her husband for $5000; Darryl caught flatteringly in a bidding war between a local realtor and the bank manager of Scranton Federal. He was happy with the outcome: he’d been looking to buy a house.  Toby was snatched up by a friend of his mother’s who was on many philanthropic boards in town. Stacy bid and handily won Kevin; and Gil beat out a woman from Accounting at the Utica branch to win Oscar.

Things got a little less predictable when Karen was introduced.

“One of our newest salespeople here at Scranton,” Michael said. “She’s set many a heart on fire around the office, especially our own Jim Halpert’s.” Kevin let out a loud wolf whistle that hurt Pam’s ears. Pam caught Jim’s bland expression, while Karen looked embarrassed.  “I’ll open the bidding for this lovely lady at one-hundred simoleons.”

“Her face is pretty, but she’s as flat as a board,” said Todd Packer none to softly to Creed, who was sitting next to him.

“Hey, don’t knock it till you’ve tried it, man,” said Creed.

“I’m not into ten-year-old girls.”

Pam saw Jim tense in the row in front of Packer, noted his fingers curling into fists.

“I’m savin’ my money for the receptionist.”  

Jim’s head whipped around in time to see Packer holding up his hands like he was cupping two large melons.  Jim’s face was scarlet with fury, and nearby, Kevin stopped chuckling abruptly at his expression.

“Why don’t you shut the fuck up, Packer,” Jim said dangerously. Pam had never seen him that way before, and he wondered if it was in defense of Karen, herself, or his own sensitivities; Jim hated the bastard as much as she did.

“Whoa there, cowboy. Wouldn’t want Schrute to have to use the pepper spray on me too.”

Packer was saved from a punch in the nose by Toby, who put a staying hand on Jim’s shoulder.  “He’s not worth it,” the HR director said softly.  “I’ll mention this to Jan and send a letter of complaint off to Corporate.  You probably don’t want another violent incident with an employee on your record—as worth it as it might be.”

Jim nodded, but two seats away, Pam could see his chest moving up and down rapidly, saw him taking deep breaths in an effort to calm himself.

The entire time this was happening, Karen was being auctioned. The bid was up to seven-hundred dollars, amped up by a friendly Andy and a local businessman Pam didn’t know. The stranger was shorter than Jim, but Brad Pitt handsome—tan, blonde, and blue eyed. The bidding got all the way up to two-thousand dollars, without Jim making a single bid. Pam supposed he was so in his head that he forgot where he was, and by the time the bidding ended, Karen was going, going, gone to the handsome man with the number 15 paddle.

Karen was smiling graciously at her future date, but Pam could see by her cold eyes that she was furious with Jim. She marched back down the steps and sat heavily in the empty folding chair beside him. There were speculative murmurs all around them, and Karen’s face was bright red.

“What the hell, Jim?” she muttered angrily, nudging his arm hard.

That woke him up.  “What?” he said, looking over at her in confusion.

“I know we had this bet, but could you have at least bid on me once, for show? That was humiliating.”

“Sorry,” he said. “I—”

“Nevermind,” she huffed, and faced forward, refusing even to look at him anymore.

“Next up,” Michael was saying, “Is my own personal number two”--Kevin snickered—“Dwight Schrute, top salesman at Dunder Mifflin for several years in a row, who will be donating to the Farmer’s Defense Fund.”

Dwight went up to the stage, looking awkward and suddenly very young in his grown-up tux. His eyes kept flitting hopefully to the vicinity of the refreshment tables as Michael tried to entice and cajole the audience into bidding. Pam, feeling immensely sorry for him, grabbed Kelly’s paddle and bid all that she had in her wallet.

“I’ll bid, uh…twenty-six dollars!” she said.  Dwight nodded gratefully.

“Fifty!” countered Jim. Pam covered her mouth to stifle a laugh.

“Can he do that Michael?” Dwight whined out of the corner of his mouth.

Michael shrugged, covering his microphone. “Gil bid on Oscar. We don’t want another discrimination suit on our hands.”

“But Jim’s just being an ass—"

“I’ll bid one-hundred and fifty dollars,” announced Angela from the back of the room. Everyone was surprised, except for Pam and Jim, of course. And Dwight.

“It doesn’t count if you don’t have a paddle,” said Phyllis spitefully.

“Oh, shut it,” said Michael. “It’s for frickin’ charity, Phyllis.”

Bob Vance began to rise to defend his wife’s honor, and Michael immediately backtracked his tone. “I mean, thank you, Phyllis, but we’ll make an exception this once, shall we?  It’s for the farmers, after all…”

Bob sat down, satisfied for the moment, though his eyes were still shooting daggers at Michael.

“Okay…for Dwight and the farmers…going once, going twice…sold! To Angela Martin!” And Michael banged his gavel happily.

Pam smiled at Dwight’s wide grin, but everyone missed Angela’s quick smile of triumph.

When the polite clapping died down, Michael called for Pam. Her heart pounding nervously, she got up and walked to the stairs. There was a smattering of whistles as the men noticed her bare back, and Pam suddenly regretted ever wearing this dress, ever thinking that she had the self-confidence to pull it off.  She wasn’t this woman Kelly had created. She was quiet, mousy Pammy. She felt herself begin to panic, but then she met Jim’s kind eyes, saw his encouraging smile, and relaxed a little.

 “Let’s start the bidding for this foxy lady and the Scranton Children’s Art Fund, at one-hundred dollars,” said Michael.

“One hundred,” said a blushing Toby.

Pam smiled warmly at him.

“Way to go, man,” said Jim sincerely. He’d always known Toby had a thing for her, and he was by far the most benign date Pam could possibly have.

“One-fifty,” called Andy. Jim’s smile faded somewhat.

“Okay,” said Michael. “We’ve got one-fifty. Do I hear two-hundred?”

“Two-hundred,” offered Todd Packer. Up on the stage, Pam grew pale.

“Oh, hell no,” muttered Jim. “Two-fifty!” he countered, raising his paddle.

To his right, Karen gasped. “What the actual fuck, Jim?”

But he didn’t respond to her, because Packer had just upped his bid to two-seventy-five.

“Three-hundred!” said Jim.

He didn’t notice when Karen got up and left.

Chapter 3

“Three-fifty,” said Todd Packer.

“Three-seventy-five,” bid Jim.

From the moment he’d seen Pam that night, Jim knew he was lost. He was still in love with her, and there was nothing he could ever do to get over her. He could move away, he could get a beautiful, funny, sexy girlfriend, and he would still want Pam. It was sad and pathetic and unfair to the other women he’d been with since he’d met her, but that was Jim’s reality, and it was about time he faced it.  After he saved Pam from this miscreant asshole.

“Four-hundred,” countered Packer patiently.

Jesus, thought Jim. This guy is relentless.  He wondered with an internal shudder if Packer was going to start saying “and two bits,” after Jim’s every bid. It was a good thing Jim had a tidy bit of savings in the bank, so he probably wouldn’t have to resort to selling his horse and gun to up the ante (he had his mother to blame for his exposure to musical theatre).

“Four-twenty-five,” added Toby for good measure. Toby’s sad reality was that he knew at this point, with someone like Jim Halpert competing for Pam’s hand, there was no way he would get her for himself. But he could still be chivalrous and help Jim save her from the evil ogre sitting behind them, just like that knight did in his daughter’s favorite fairy tale. 

“Five-hundred,” said Packer, jumping ahead to speed things along. 

“Why don’t you just give up,” said Jim, turning in his seat. “You can’t have her.  Five-fifty, Michael,” he called absently.

“Why not? Don’t you have a girlfriend, Halpert? I mean, unless she’s just your beard.  Six-hundred!”

Jim automatically glanced to his right, where Karen had sat, and his stomach dropped when he saw her chair was empty. He looked up at Pam, drinking in once more how beautiful she was tonight. But no matter his feelings for Pam, he had to try to make things right with Karen. He owed her that much.

“Seven hundred,” said Jim. He turned to his left. “Toby, I have to go find Karen. Please, you gotta save Pam though. I’ll reimburse you, no matter the cost. Just, for the love of God, don’t let that asshole win.”

“Seven-fifty,” was Toby’s smiling response. Jim put his hand on Toby’s shoulder. “Thanks, man.” Toby felt his chest expand with pride. He would save the day after all.

“Eight-hundred,” Packer was saying. “I could go on all night, boys, just ask your moms.”

Jim rose, mouthed I’m sorry to Pam, and trotted toward the stairs leading out of the warehouse and up to the office. Pam watched him leave, her excitement at Jim’s heroics fading, leaving her feeling lost and on the verge of tears.

“Where the hell are you going?” cried Kelly after him, her rom-com dreams abruptly spoiled. She looked up at her friend onstage, her heart aching for her. “Bid for her, Ryan,” she whispered urgently. “You can’t let Packer have her.”

“I don’t have $850 to waste on a receptionist,” he said under his breath. And Kelly had spent all her own money on him, the selfish idiot. Toby seemed to be holding his own though.

“Eight-fifty,” said Toby.

“This is getting ridiculous,” proclaimed Bob Vance. “I bid fifteen-hundred dollars.”

“Thanks, honey bear,” said Phyllis to her husband, kissing his cheek affectionately.

“Packer?” prompted Michael.  “Come on, man, I know you’ve got more than that. I’ve seen your car.”

Packer shrugged, eyed Pam critically a moment. “No piece of tail is worth that much. I fold.”

“Toby?” asked Michael reluctantly. He despised Toby, but he was still pissed off at Bob Vance for embarrassing him in front of Jan earlier.

“Sixteen-hundred,” said Toby.

“You got this, Flenderson?” asked Bob politely. He didn’t want to interfere with another man’s dreams; he had his own dream waiting for him at home every night.

“Yep, I got it,” replied Toby.

“Do we have seventeen hundred?” asked Michael from his podium, looking out over the audience.  Everyone in the room was silent, as if holding their breath. “Okay, then. Going once. Going twice…Sorry, Pam--sold, to Toby, for $1600, God help you. Make sure your check doesn’t bounce,” Michael added, just to be mean.

 Fortunately, his catty comments were drowned out by the applause of the crowd—especially by those who knew Todd Packer. Toby preened as Kevin, Oscar, and Andy leaned in to literally pat him on the back.  It was a rare thing for him to feel respected by both men and women at the same time.

Speaking of drowning, Pam’s thoughts were roiling like a stormy sea, as she walked shakily to the steps. Toby jumped up and held out his hand to help her down. She took it thankfully, managed a genuine smile for her savior.  She sat back down between him and Kelly, trying to process what the hell had just happened. She knew why Jim had left, of course; she’d watched Karen leave in a huff when he started bidding for her. He was sending Pam all kinds of mixed signals tonight, and she knew him well enough to tell he was struggling inside. Whether his struggle would end in her favor, she had no way of knowing. She’d hurt him badly, she couldn’t forget that, and he had a girlfriend whom he really did seem to care about.  All she could do now was hope, and plan her date with Toby Flenderson.

Jim entered the office breathlessly through the Annex entrance, just in time to see Karen coming out of the bathroom. Her face was blotchy, her eye makeup gone.

“Leave me alone,” she said tiredly, stopping abruptly the moment she saw him. “I would have gone home, but you drove me here, and I left my purse down in the warehouse under my chair so I didn’t have money for a cab. And I have no one in this God-foresaken shithole to call.”

“Hey, I’m sorry. But you’ve met Packer. I would have done the same for any woman.”

“Ha,” she scoffed. “Can we finally stop the lying to ourselves here. You still want her. Hell, you were paying good money to get her. I was a fool to think you’d really gotten over her, that there was a chance for us.  I’m done. We’re done. Could you please ask Phyllis or Kelly or someone to bring me my purse?”

“I’ll get it, then I’ll drive you home,” he offered.

She shook her head. “No thanks.  Just go. Please.”

“I’m sorry, Karen. I never meant—”

“Stop apologizing. I saw the red flags. I moved here with you after one date, because I liked you and the sex was amazing. The moment you were in the same room with her though, I could feel the tension between you, the unfinished business. When you told me you’d kissed her last year, that explained a lot, but still, I didn’t listen to my instincts because I was falling in love with you. And when her ex tried to beat the shit out of you, that should have been the last straw, but you reassured me that it was all in the past. God, I was so stupid. But that’s about to change. I’m getting out of this place, going to New York or maybe even back to Connecticut to be near my family.  Anywhere that’s not--here.”

He remembered wanting the same thing last year when Pam was engaged and had refused him, had set this whole thing in motion.  Sadly, ironically, he understood Pam a whole lot better now.

“Karen. I—I care about you. Our relationship wasn’t a lie, I hope you believe that. I wanted to get over Pam, I really did. But I just can’t seem to, no matter how hard I try. I know you don’t want to hear it, but I am sorry. Truly. And you’re right. It’s not fair to either of us to keep doing this.”

She was crying again, her tears falling unchecked down her pretty face, and in that moment, he hated himself. For hurting two wonderful women, neither of whom he deserved.  He wanted to embrace her, to comfort her, to be—God help him—friends. But he knew from experience that it was too soon, that she just wanted to get away from him and lick her wounds, just as he had when he’d escaped to Stamford.

“I’ll go see to your purse,” he said softly, and turned to walk back to the stairwell.

“Hey,” she called, and he stopped to look back at her.  “How much did Pam go for?”

Jim shrugged. “I don’t know. I left when I realized you were gone.”

Karen supposed that was some consolation. She hoped Packer didn’t win her though. She wouldn’t wish that sleazeball on her worst enemy, and that included Pam.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When Jim returned, he had missed Lonny’s turn, but was in time to see Andy being snatched up by a chicly dressed brunette who seemed to appreciate Andy’s particular style (a powder blue tuxedo), as well as his charity of choice, Cornell University’s vocal music program. He was all smiles as Michael banged the gavel and he wandered over to meet his prospective date. Jim found he was genuinely happy for Andy’s good fortune.

Jim retrieved Karen’s purse from beneath her empty chair and squatted before Kelly, asking if she would mind taking Karen’s purse up to her. He was intensely conscious of Pam’s nearness, of her concerned expression, and when Kelly happily agreed (no doubt wanting to find out some inside info), he met Pam’s eyes briefly, felt his heart stutter as he realized they were both finally free.

“You okay?” she asked softly, just as Michael was calling Meredith to the stage. Impulsively, he touched her hand where it rested on her knee and looked directly into her eyes, giving her a tentative smile.

“Yeah,” he said.  “Are you?” He noted she didn’t look frightened or agitated, so he figured Packer hadn’t been her highest bidder.

She smiled a little, understanding fully what he meant. “I’m fine, thanks to you and Toby.”

Jim grinned at her and went back to his chair on the other side of Toby.  After the auction, he would find a way to get her alone. They had a lot to talk about.

“How’d it go?” he whispered to Toby, nodding toward Pam. 

“Mine was the final bid--$1600. It got pretty crazy for a minute. Packer dropped out after Bob Vance outbid him, but I came back in the end.”

“Huh,” said Jim, impressed. “That’s a lot of money. I’ll pay you back when we get paid Monday.”

Toby shook his head. “That’s okay. I’ll take care of it.”

“But that would mean that you and Pam—”

“Yeah,” said Toby, an unusual sparkle in his eye, “I can’t wait for our date.”

“Oh. Okay.”

Jim sat back in his chair, dumbfounded. Nothing seemed to be going as planned this evening.

For three-hundred dollars, Todd Packer secured a date with Meredith. Jim didn’t interfere this time because Meredith seemed to welcome the attention. Since Packer had been denied the pleasure of Pam’s company, he’d decided to bid for a sure thing. Sure, because he’d tapped that once before, after an office bowling night a few months ago in the men’s room stall. Meredith had been pretty wasted then, so he wasn’t sure she’d remembered. But after his final bid, she’d made a beeline straight for him, taking his hand and dragging him to the bar. Packer knew in that moment he was going to have a hell of a lot more fun than he would have with that goody-two-shoes receptionist anyway, and frankly, in his current mood, he didn’t want to put in the work. Flenderson, that candy ass pansy, was welcome to her.

“And now, ladies and gentlemen, the man I’m sure you’ve all been waiting for. He’s tall. He’s handsome. He’s a real ladies’ man. James Halpert!”

Jim quirked his mouth and raised a skeptical eyebrow at that last characterization, but he stood amidst applause and a few whistles and found himself onstage. He felt his face grown warm, especially when he saw that Pam had been one of the whistlers. She winked at him and grinned, while Kelly, who’d just returned from upstairs, pumped her fist with an enthusiastic whoop-whoop!

“Okay, ladies and germs,” said Michael, “Settle down—you’ll get your chance. I’ll now take the first bid for Jimmy here and his charity, the Special Olympics. Shall we start with—"

“Twenty-six dollars!” said Pam mischievously, again holding up Kelly’s paddle. Jim laughed aloud, loving her beyond reason. There were twitters of laughter around them, and the joke went way over Michael’s head, since he’d obviously forgotten her earlier pity bid for Dwight.

“Well, Pam, that’s very kind of you, but I was thinking Jim here is worth far more than that paltry sum, don’t you? Why don’t we start him off at at least one-hundred dollars!”

“One-hundred!” yelled one of the three giggling coeds near the back.  They’d obviously been a little free with the cocktails. Ryan’s head turned at the familiar laughter, frowned, and slumped sulkily in his seat.

“Who’re they?” asked Kelly, wrinkling her nose in distaste.

Ryan shrugged. “No idea.”

The three young women took turns one-upping each other until they’d gotten the bid up to a thousand dollars.  Another woman Jim didn’t know, but who looked vaguely familiar, had bid at around the five-hundred mark, but dropped out with a sheepish smile at the determined bids of the college girls.

“That’s a thousand—going once, going twice—sold, for one-thousand dollars, to the blonde beauties in the back.”

The girls squealed, high-fiving each other while Jim stood, eyes wide, while Pam laughed until she wiped tears with the back of her hand.

“Nice,” said Kevin, giving his stamp of approval as Jim sat down again.

No one commented about why Karen hadn’t been there to offer her bid. It was obvious to those from the office that she was pissed off because he’d bid on Pam. He was sorry about that too, that they would both be the subject of gossip yet again since Roy tried to take him out. If Karen decided not to leave, or worse—couldn’t find another job right away—it would be extremely tense in the office.

Kelly took to the stage next, but Ryan had warned her he didn't have much to bid on her. He gave the first bid (reluctantly, it seemed to Jim) of $100, and then Kelly instructed Michael that she wasn't taking any more bids at this time, even it was for Beyoncé's charity for the homeless. She still threw herself into Ryan's arms the moment she returned to her seat, as if his bid was the best gift she'd ever received.

The last person at auction was Michael himself; naturally his charity was the Boy Scouts. It was very quick. Jan bid a thousand dollars right off the bat, and the one other taker (the same woman who had bid on Toby) was quickly shut down by a dirty look from Jan and another hundred dollars added to her bid. Before Michael adjourned the auction with another whack of his gavel, he proclaimed that Phyllis, (as expected) had won the three extra vacation days. Karen had come in second, with two extra days off, and the top bidder from the Scranton branch had been Toby, so he was also gifted with three vacation days.

“Thanks so much for coming to the first annual Dunder Mifflin Scranton Charity Bachelor/Bachelorette Auction. We raised a lot of money for charity tonight. Enjoy the bar and the snacks at the back,” Michael concluded. “Please feel free to mingle with those who won the bid for you, so you can set up your dates.  Good night everyone!”

Everyone applauded, and then rose as one—some to leave, some to check out the refreshments.

“Hey,” Toby said to Pam. “So uh, what would you like to do for our, uh, date? I mean, uh, we don’t have to call it that. It could just be drinks, or something.”

Pam smiled, charmed at his nervousness. “Take me out to dinner some night soon. I’m pretty free these days.”

Toby’s smile was dazzling. “Yeah. Great. What kind of food do you like?”

“I can eat about anything. Surprise me.”

She looked over Toby’s shoulder to see that Jim was speaking to the cute blonde who’d had the winning bid for him.

“Okay. How about next Saturday night?” Toby asked. “I’ll get a reservation for someplace nice.”

“Sure. That sounds like fun. I’m looking forward to it, Toby. And thanks for saving me from Packer. What a jerk, right?”

“Right,” said Toby. “Well, I guess I’ll head home now. It’s been a long day. Unless you feel up for a drink.  I heard some of the guys from work were heading to Poor Richard’s.”  He was proud of himself for pressing is luck.

“You’re right. It has been a long day. I’m going home and getting out of this itchy dress and into a hot bath. Buy me a drink on our date, though, okay?” 

Toby blushed, his eyes growing wide at the image she’d created for him. He’d have a lot to dream about later.  Then, to his surprise and pleasure, she reached for a hug. He hugged her back immediately, his hands perspiring as he felt the soft, bare skin of her back.  He breathed in her scent. She smelled like orange blossoms.

“Thanks again,” she whispered. “Good night, Toby.”

She stepped back, leaving him him happier than he’d been in a long time.

“Night, Pam,” he said, but he didn’t think she’d heard him.

Jim was waiting for her when both their dates had gone.

“Hey,” she said, looking after the trio of girls who had bid for him. They’d returned to the bar.

“Hi.  Apparently, the deal is, I’m going out with all three of them tomorrow night.  Drinks and dancing.” He chuckled in disbelief, his cheeks pink.

Pam’s eyebrows rose in amusement. “Most men would find that flattering.”

“I find it embarrassing,” he said. 

“Won’t Karen have a problem with it, with them,” she asked bravely, hoping he would share how things had gone when he’d run after her earlier.  He sighed, ran an agitated hand through his hair, messing up his careful do in the process. Pam wondered if Karen had applied all the product in his hair as well as tied his bow tie.

“Can we get out of here,” he asked. “Get some fresh air? I need to talk to you about something.”

Her heart picked up speed, and his request was reminiscent of going outside after another charity function, where he’d told her he loved her, and given her an incredible kiss she still dreamed about.

“Uh, let me tell Kelly. I was her ride here, and she might wonder where I went.”

“Okay.”

Jim watched her leave to find Kelly, who was with Ryan in the line at the bar.  Jim’s own heart was pounding as he thought coincidentally of the last time he’d needed to tell her something important in the parking lot.  It had been the best and worst night of his life.

When she got back, her smile was unsteady, as nervous as he felt. “She’s going home with Ryan,” Pam said. 

“Let’s go outside then.”

Once they’d left the loudness of the milling crowd, he took her cool hand in his, but instead of going around to the parking lot, he hung a left and led her to the very back of the office building. It was much quieter there, and dark, save for a lone yellow security light. There wasn’t much space between the back of the building and the high fence that surrounded the property. There was a small bench beside a few decorative bushes along the wall. This was where the warehouse guys sometimes came out to smoke, and Jim could only remember actually being there a handful of times, when he’d needed somewhere to be alone when the roof had become too filled with painful memories. He hadn’t been there since he’d come back from Stamford.

He noticed she was shivering a little in her backless dress, and he took off his tuxedo jacket, draping it around her shoulders as she smiled gratefully.

“Thanks,” she said.

“Shall we sit?”

They shared the stone bench, her purse between them, and Jim reached up to loosen his tie, to unbutton the top button, undoing the last vestiges of Karen’s attempt to tame him.  Unlike Pam, he was feeling rather hot, and the chilly April night felt wonderful.

“Karen and I broke up,” he said, diving right in.

“What? Why?”

He gave her a look. “I think you know.”

“Because you tried to save me from Todd Packer?”

“That was just the last straw,” he said. “The truth is, we tried to make it work, but I—I just kept screwing everything up.”

“I’m sorry,” she said.  “I genuinely like Karen.”

He laughed ironically. “Yeah, me too.”

“Hey, look on the bright side, though. You already have three prospects lined up for tomorrow night.”

“Now you’re just being mean.”

She grinned, but then they both fell silent, and a sudden tension, a familiar awareness settled between them. He turned toward her on the bench, reached a hand up to smooth back a stray lock of her bangs that had fallen from her careful updo. His hand drifted down over her soft cheek, and lower, to rest on her chin, his thumb swiping over her full bottom lip. She gasped quietly into the night air.

“You look really beautiful tonight,” he said, dropping his hand and holding hers. “I felt like I’d been punched in the gut when I first saw you earlier.”

“Same here,” she whispered. “I think you should wear a tux every day.”

He smiled, but his eyes were serious as he let himself show her all that he’d been hiding from her, from himself, since he got back. “I tried really hard, you know. To stop loving you. I thought I’d succeeded when I first got with Karen. Things were great. And then we moved back here, and there you were. God. I’ve been such an idiot.”

She shook her head, very aware of how good his hand felt, laced now with hers.

“This past year has been all my fault,” she began, over the slight tremble in her voice. “But I was afraid. Afraid of my feelings. Afraid to take a chance and get out of my comfort zone with Roy.  But then you left and I figured it was too late. You were just…gone, and I’d lost everything all at once. I was alone for the first time in my life and I was devastated. Terrified. Free. A million different things at the same time. Mostly though, I missed you like hell. My best friend. The man I—I—” she paused, for it was difficult to get the words out when you truly meant them. She had a new respect for his courage last year to tell her.

“The man you what,” he prompted, trying desperately to be patient, though his heart was galloping at full speed. He watched her struggle, watched her swallow hard, lick her lips nervously.  He’d been there, and the torture to say it was almost as bad as the torture not to.

“The man I love,” she finished at last. A tremendous weight lifted from her shoulders, and she felt almost faint with relief.

His smile was slow in coming, as if he hadn’t understood this truly was real, that he was actually hearing what he was hearing. “I just want to be clear here,” he said, and the teasing note warmed her from the inside out. “No misinterpretations. You mean me, right? This man you love.”

She laughed then, her heart soaring with joy. “You really are an idiot,” she said, before she leaned forward and kissed him.

Chapter 4: Conclusion

The moment Pam’s lips met his, he froze, but only for a moment. He didn’t know what she had intended, whether her kiss was meant only to be lightly affectionate, but the touch of her mouth against his after so many months of deprivation and longing, had him pulling her closer, taking it deeper. Her lips were as soft as he’d remembered, but he couldn’t wait to taste her as he’d denied himself before that night when she’d said she was still marrying Roy. That night, he’d been tentative, nervous, afraid to scare her away or overwhelm her with his feelings. He wondered if her answer would have been different had he kissed her like he’d really wanted to.

His hands came up to hold her cheeks as he parted the seam of her lips with his tongue, delved into the hot wetness of her mouth. He felt suddenly too warm, lightheaded, aware of her citrus scent, her soft skin, the sensual noises in her throat as her tongue slid over his. He vaguely felt her hands at his waist, then smoothing over his chest to his shoulders, but he trembled at the surrealism that this was Pam touching him, kissing him, loving him.

As much as he liked how her updo allowed him to see her lovely neck and imagine his lips pressing against the sensitive skin at her nape, he longed to feel the softness of her curls wrapped round his fingers, gathered in his fist. But he settled for the wonder of sliding his hands from her face to her bare back beneath her borrowed jacket, felt her shiver as he traced the incredible smoothness of the delicate bones and muscles there. Knowing she wore no bra, being able to see that swath of pale, lightly freckled skin, had made him fight his arousal all evening. He wondered if she’d planned for him to want her like this, to torment him with her beauty, her scent, her seductive eyes. No matter her intentions, she’d held him spellbound with desire, with deep regret that he couldn’t have her.

He tried to hold her more tightly to his body, but it was awkward sitting on the bench, so, still kissing her, he pulled her to her feet and wrapped his arms around her, his hands splayed over her back, as he bent to kiss her cheek, her jaw, to nuzzle her ear, his breathing harsh, unsteady.

“Oh God…Pam.”

His mouth found hers again, and he became almost mindless with passion. His hands moved to her sides, slipped inside her dress to cup her braless breasts. She gasped as his thumbs stroked her nipples, while he moved his mouth down to the keyhole at her bodice to lick within her warm, scented cleavage. He’d imagined doing that since the moment he’d seen her in this dress, seen the round, enticing hint of her curves.

Pam moaned as he rolled her firm buds between his fingers, lightly pinching while his lips and tongue painted swirling patterns over the inner edges of her breasts. But her hands weren’t idle. She reached down to touch the front of his trousers, tracing the hard ridge of his desire, long and heavy beneath soft wool and cotton. After a few moments of pure pleasure at her touch, one of his hands slipped from her dress to halt her agonizing movements.

“Jesus, aww…you have to stop. Pam, I don’t want to—I might--this is a rented tux,” he finished lamely, and she laughed breathlessly. She gave him one more firm stroke and moved her hand from beneath his. Her laughter had broken the mood somewhat, bringing them both to their senses as they realized that they were outside where anyone might happen upon them, and they had progressed far beyond romantic moonlit kissing.

“Maybe we should go back inside,” he whispered, his breathing still labored. “I mean, uh, in a minute.” He was glad she couldn’t see in the darkness how flushed he was, how close to the edge she had brought him just by her tentative touches. He felt embarrassingly like a teenage boy.

“Or…” she said, tiptoeing up to kiss the corner of his mouth, “we could get out of here.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Are you sure?”

She reached up to caress his cheek, and he leaned into her hand. “Yes,” she said. “Come home with me.  I’m finished denying myself what I really want.”

He turned his head and kissed her fingers. “Me too.”

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

He followed her home so her car wouldn’t be locked in the parking lot all weekend. It was probably good that he had a few minutes to compose himself, to regain control. It was so hard to believe this was all finally happening, that earlier this night he had felt that he had lost himself, resigned to his fate of never having what he truly wanted, settling for contentment rather than deep love and passion. It would take a long night of fully touching her, of loving her as he’d always dreamed before he would get over how unreal it all seemed.

 The moment they got out of their cars, he was by her side, kissing her against her Yaris, until she managed to break away with a breathless laugh, and drag him by the hand to her apartment. They wasted no time with home tours or comments about her furnishings or art on the wall or her solitary kitchen. She barely had the wherewithal to flip on the light and shut and lock the door before his hands were pushing his jacket off her shoulders and he was ravishing her mouth. She kicked off her shoes and untied his bow tie, then worked on the buttons of his shirt. His fingers traveled to the back of her neck, where he discovered the halter was fastened by hidden hooks and eyes, which he deftly unfastened. Her halter fell away, and the rest of the dress slithered down her body and puddled at her feet. She stepped out of it, nudged it out of the way with one foot.

She was standing before him now in her living room, in only her silky black panties. He paused to look at her, so struck that he wondered if his heart had stopped. Her full breasts were revealed to him at last, and as he stood there in awed admiration, her impatience had her reaching for his hands and placing them where they both most wanted them to be. She closed her eyes as he cupped her, not embarrassed exactly, but feeling incredibly hot, her body stirring beneath his hands.

“You’re so beautiful,” he said. “More beautiful than I ever imagined.”

“You imagined me like this?”

He managed a small, sheepish smile. “It was my favorite way to avoid work.”

Her laugh turned to a gasp as his hands moved over her breasts, then slid down her flat stomach to rest on her sweetly curved hips. He pulled her closer, and she felt how much he wanted her. His mouth returned to hers, passionately invasive, stoking the fire between them even higher.

“Where’s your bedroom?” he asked between kisses.

She caught a wandering hand.  “This way,” she said, stepping away to lead him through the living room and down a short hall.

They soon stood in the dim room, lit only by a small bedside lamp, kissing while Jim’s hands went up to her hair. He paused in frustration.

“Can you take this down,” he asked. “I’ve been dying to feel your hair.”

She nodded, and began pulling out hidden pins and a mesh hair form that had him raising a curious eyebrow. He took it from her hand, examining it and slipping it onto a long finger. It had a hole through it like a donut. “What is this? Was it living on the back of your head like some alien parasite?”

She giggled, snatching it off his finger and tossing it and the hairpins onto her dresser.  “Never you mind. A woman should have some secrets.”

“I want to know all of yours,” he said, his eyes glittering with desire, his hands now delving into her freed locks that hung in long, smooth waves. His knees grew weak as he kissed her, the reality of what was about to happen between them, the fulfillment of years of fantasy, making him suddenly shaky with impatience.

He pulled her back into his arms, kissed her, then led her to the bed, where he laid her as gently as he could onto the soft comforter. Her hands slid over the springy hair on his chest, before he stood back to toe off his shoes and socks, to finish removing his shirt, to unzip his fly and divest himself of his pants.

He joined her on the bed in his boxer briefs, and immediately began kissing his way from her mouth to her breasts, dwelling there a few heady moments before moving lower, to her stomach. Pam’s hands were wild in his hair, her sighs and soft cries spurring him on. He parted her legs and glanced up to meet her eyes, wide with the knowledge of his sensual intentions.

“You don’t have to—” she began, her face flushed with desire, tempered with a little uncertainty.

“Oh, absolutely I do,” he said, lips quirking.

Her laugh was cut off by a moan at his first long lick. He consumed her like a luscious, ripe peach, thoroughly enjoying her taste, her trembling, the mindless noises she made.  He had been told by a few women in his past that he was good at this, but never had he been so instinctively attuned to what would bring her pleasure, so turned on himself by her reaction as he was with Pam. When he employed his fingers along with his mouth, she lifted her hips off the bed, crying out his name with a sprinkling of “Yes, yes, oh my God, yes!”

As she came down from complete ecstasy, Pam lay spent, waves of pleasure still coursing through her, her limbs still tingling and heavy. He seemed to know her body even better than she did—certainly better than Roy had. She and Jim had always had a connection; she’d never dreamed it would transfer so completely to the bedroom.

“You okay?” he asked, as he covered her with his body. She felt his hardness pressed against her stomach, felt a little guilty that she was still luxuriating in the afterglow while he was waiting so patiently in what must be a painful state of arousal. 

“Amazing,” she said with a shy smile. He kissed her lips, and she tasted herself there.  Her first instinct was to turn away, but he persisted and she forgot to be disturbed by it as his talented tongue tangled with hers. She bucked her hips up against him, pleased when he grunted and pressed her harder into the bed.

“Now,” she begged, “please.”

He sat up briefly, his eyes never leaving hers, as he pulled down his underwear.

And then he was inside her, both of them moaning at the incredible sense of shared destiny. This was why they’d met. This was why they’d fallen in love, why they’d been through so much pain. This was why they’d overcome all the obstacles. This moment.

“I love you,” he said, stilling within her.

Her passion-bleary gaze focused on his face, and she brought her hand to his cheek.  “I love you too. So much.”

He began to move, and she rose to meet him. With each stroke, they brought each other closer to the pinnacle, climbing and climbing until they reached it, crying out as they fell.

Xxxxxxxxxx

They’d made love again after a few hours of sleep. He’d awakened her in the early morning with feathery kisses all over her face, her neck, her breasts. He’d laughingly rolled her until she was on top of him, taking him into her body, undulating her hips until he thought he would go mad with the pleasure of it. Their fingers laced, their mouths fused in a long kiss until he broke away to plunge upwards until they both climaxed at once—a rarity for both of them.

Morning came, and with it, a strange reverence. Neither of them had ever experienced such pure, unbridled passion, and they instinctively knew how precious that was, how rare, how monumental. Pam awoke first to stare, eyes soft and dewy with love, as he lay facing her, his face boyish and peaceful in sleep. His hair was a riotous mess, his mouth slightly opened as he breathed deeply, in and out, in and out. She couldn’t resist leaning forward and kissing his full lips, dark red from much kissing. She didn’t want to disturb him, but at the same time, she was excited to look into his eyes, to share in the bliss of waking up together.

He returned the kiss, awake now, but with eyes still closed, pulling her closer until their naked bodies were entwined once more.

“Good morning,” he said, his amazing voice rumbling through her, even richer in the morning.  He pulled back slightly to look at her face, love shining back at her.

“Morning,” she answered with a smile.

She blinked back tears at how beautiful he was, how wonderful she felt. His eyes narrowed in concern.

“Hey. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Nothing at all.” She flushed. “I just love you.”

“I’ll never get tired of hearing you say that,” he whispered. “I can hardly believe any of this is happening.”

“Me neither.”

They stared at each other with goofy smiles.

“Let’s stay in bed all day,” he suggested brightly. “We’ll only get up to answer the door for takeout. Or uh, maybe a shower.” He waggled his eyebrows and she laughed, and then she blushed again, imagining.

“That’s great in theory,” she said, “but you’ll have to get up for your date later.”

He put the back of his hand over his eyes and groaned dramatically. “God, do I have to?”

“I can’t believe you aren’t excited about this. I mean, what red-blooded male would be moaning over a foursome with three hot ladies? I mean, they paid a lot for you, Halpert.  You owe them a good time.”

He lowered his hand, eyes twinkling. “Hmm…how good a time?”

She leaned closer to him, gently kissed his lips. “Drinks and your charming company in a very public bar.  I myself have lived on such memories for years.”

“So have I,” he said softly.

His kiss this time was bittersweet as memories flooded them of all those times at Poor Richard’s, that time at Chili’s.  He drew her hair behind her ear, out of her pretty face. She was gorgeous, even with her dark eye makeup all smudged, her lipstick long gone, a serious case of bedhead.

“But what if they invite me back to their uh, dorm room?” His lips quirked in amusement.  “How am I supposed to control myself, my being a red-blooded male and all?”

At this she draped a leg over his hip, moved even closer to him, close enough to feel his morning arousal. Her hands slid over his chest, and she bent to kiss one flat nipple. He gasped as she nipped it playfully. “I’ll give you something to help you make an educated decision,” she said.  “Three women might be fun and all, but none of them will give you their undivided attention…none of them are totally…” she paused to kiss his other nipple “…insatiably…” her hand slid into his hair, nails brushing his scalp so that he shivered “…and madly in love with you.” She ground her pelvis against his seductively.

“You make some very good points, Beesly.” Beneath the covers, he guided himself inside of her. Hands on her hips, he thrust, shallowly at first, and at her indrawn breath, he slid all the way home. “I’ll…take them…under advisement…”

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Pam’s persuasive arguments followed Jim to a club close to Penn State Scranton campus. It was loud with music and college age laughter. The three blondes who’d won him were scantily dressed with mouths like sailors—a little too raunchy for his taste. He’d always had a weakness for modest librarian types with hidden sensual depths.

They clustered around him at a table, and he bought them a round of drinks. Jim was only twenty-eight, but he felt eons older than them. They did a lot of giggling, made a lot of thinly veiled invitations, asked him to dance, which he laughingly sidestepped, then placated them by making a joke or buying them more drinks.

By the third round, he’d had about enough of the whole business, but he remembered their donation to charity, and hung in there, still sipping on his second drink and missing Pam. His dates were all nursing students, and he feared for the medical community if they were any indication of the caliber of up and coming caregivers.

“Hey,” one of them said—he thought her name was Amber—as she hung tipsily on his shoulder, “you work with Ryan, right?”

Jim’s eyebrows rose. “Ryan Howard? Yeah.”

“The plan was for us to buy him at the auction—no offense.”

Jim grinned. Well, that explained a lot. “None taken.”

“But he apparently has a crazy jelly girlfriend,” said the one he was pretty sure was Brittany. “She didn’t even give us a chance to bid, the bitch.”

“Yeah,” concurred Cassie, the third blonde. “Ryan said he had some fun party favors he would bring us, stuff that would make him go all night.” She scooted her chair closer to Jim and whispered in his ear, her breath redolent of whatever strong, fruity drink she’d been imbibing. “Something tells me you wouldn’t need anything extra to go all night, handsome.”

“Wow,” he said, because nothing else came to mind.

Jim happened to glance at the door, and to his great surprise Pam walked in, wearing a short black skirt and a sleeveless red blouse. She searched through the dimness of the club and saw him, surrounded by his dates, and she gave him an amused smirk before finding an empty space at the bar. The guy to her left immediately bought her a drink.

“You ladies want another round?” asked Jim.

The young women cheered too loudly and he got up to walk casually to the bar. He squeezed in between Pam and her new benefactor, who frowned and said an offended, “Hey, man,” which Jim ignored.

He held up three fingers to the bartender, who nodded, remembering the preferences of Jim’s waiting dates.

“So,” he said, leaning in close enough to smell her sexy perfume, even over the cloying smell of beer. “You come here to check up on me?”

She smiled. “I came here to return the favor from last night…and rescue you.”

“You think I need rescuing?”

She shrugged. “Maybe not. You looked pretty cozy over there.”

The bartender brought her a glass of white wine, and she took an appreciative sip.

He glanced back at the three women and then back at Pam, his expression imploring. “Help me.”

She laughed, and raised one red-tipped finger to trail down his lightly whiskered cheek. “What do I get in return?”

He didn’t hesitate, but dipped his head and caught her mouth in a searing kiss, his tongue wild in her mouth.  When he looked up to get the tray of drinks from the bartender, Pam was breathing audibly, her eyes wide with shock. 

“And that’s just the beginning,” he promised.  He asked for the tab and set several bills down on the bar. “Now, make a big scene so I have an excuse to get the hell out of here.”

She nodded, up to the challenge. She hadn’t been Jim’s prankster partner for nothing.

Confident in Pam’s acting ability, Jim brought the tray to the table, and the coeds grabbed their drinks of choice, toasting Jim and each other before taking big gulps.  Pam approached behind him, an angry look on her face.

Cassie, Amber, and Brittany looked up warily at the interloper. Cassie cocked her head, as if she were trying to figure something out.

“Ladies,” said Pam tightly. “I don’t suppose you know that Jim here is married. To me.”

“What?” said Amber, eyes narrowing. “He isn’t wearing a ring.”

Jim knew well enough to play along, and he put his left hand guiltily into his front pocket.

“He does that.” She looked up Jim with pretend fury in her eyes. “This is a first though. Three of them. Wow, Jim. That’s impressive, even for you.”

Jim tried to look like a wayward husband that’s been caught red-handed, but it was all he could do not to laugh out loud. She grabbed hold of his arm. “Let’s go. Now.”

“Hey, we paid for him,” countered Brittany. “He’s ours for the night.”

Pam’s eyes shot back at her pretend husband. “You’re taking money now? What are you, a gigolo? God, why didn’t I listen to my mother? Well, I’d say he was all yours, and good riddance, but little Jimmy and Becky at home need their daddy, and I don’t know how to tell them Daddy isn’t home to tuck them in because he’s out screwing around on Mommy again.  Let’s go home Jim, before I forget I’m a lady.”

Something seemed to dawn on Cassie. “Hey,” she began to Pam. “Haven’t I seen you somewhere before…last night, at the auction, you were—"

Pam yanked hard on Jim’s arm and he looked sheepishly at his dates. “Sorry. Really,” he called as Pam led him toward the exit. “The tab’s paid out. Night ladies! Thanks for the donation!”

Outside of the club, Jim and Pam immediately started to laugh, just as they used to when a plan had successfully come together. He put his arm around her shoulders as they walked through the parking lot. She steered him toward her Yaris, parked way in back.

“You could have just thanked them and politely excused yourself,” said Pam.

“True, but this was much more fun.  And you were awesome. I’ve missed seeing you in action.”

Pam smiled. “That was fun. We’ve always made a good team.”

He stopped in the middle of the lot, bending to kiss her. “Yes, we have.”

“Let’s go back to my place and team up some more,” she said, her eyes sparkling with love and mischief.

“Is that a euphemism for something, Beesly?”

“Only if you have a dirty mind, Halpert.”

He grinned wickedly, kissing her until she had to hang on to his shoulders to stay upright.  “I’ve always been a great proponent of teamwork.”

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Monday came, and so ended Pam and Jim’s weekend in their own little world. He’d stayed at her apartment all weekend, making love, ordering takeout, talking, laughing. They’d agreed to keep their budding romance to themselves, but both of them dreaded having to face Karen.  Jim had no idea what to expect from her. She was normally pretty calm and classy, but she’d been very hurt and pissed off Friday night. Those warnings about a woman scorned were weighing on him.

But as they came into the office separately, Karen was nowhere in sight. Her desk was cleaned off, and Michael made an announcement that Karen had resigned from the Scranton branch, and was looking for another position at a different location.

Jim and Pam’s eyes met in relief.

“What’s up with that, Jimbo? Weren’t you pleasing your lady?”

Jim frowned. “Well, that’s private.”

“I’ll take that as a no. Live and learn, James, live and learn. But too bad you let that one get away. Aren’t many girls that hot in Scranton. I had to go all the way to New York to find mine.  No offense, ladies.”

Of course, all the women were annoyed, but no one wanted to keep Michael talking when he was in this kind of mood.

“Stan, my man,” said Michael, while he had everyone’s attention in the bull pen. “Where were you Friday night? I thought you were really excited about those extra days off.  You didn’t have to be single, remember? Your wife could have bid on you.”

Stanley looked up from his computer in annoyance. “It’s complicated. I don’t really want to get into it.” His comments brooked no further prying, and for once, Michael backed off.

“Okay, but you missed an exciting evening. Congrats all around, everybody! We raised lots and lots of money for charity. Beat out Casino Night by a mile.”

Things settled back into relative normalcy as Michael went back to his office and let the rest of them get some work done. But by ten, Jim felt like he could climb the walls. All he could think about was touching Pam. Tasting her. Feeling her tightness surrounding him as he sank deep, deep inside of her. He pivoted in his chair and stared at her even more than usual, and when she met his eyes, a gratifying flush would flood her cheeks. He even started hanging out at the reception counter like he used to, which he was sure raised some eyebrows, but he didn’t much care anymore. He didn’t want anyone to know he was sleeping with the receptionist, but he couldn’t seem to help himself.

“Let’s go out for lunch,” he said softly at ten o’clock. He chewed on a jelly bean but didn’t really taste it.

“Hungry already? It’s two hours till lunch.”

“I’m extremely hungry,” he growled so only she could hear. “We uh, skipped breakfast, if you recall.”

Her eyes widened. “Stop that,” she hissed. “I feel like everyone is watching us now.”

“Let them. God, I want to kiss you.”

The way she was looking back at him didn’t help his situation, and he shifted uncomfortably, hoping he was successfully hiding the tented front of his pants.  She figured out his predicament and chuckled.

“Go get a snack from the vending machine; that should tide you over till lunch.”

“Where’s your empathy, Pam?”

“Oh, I’m feeling the empathy all right. Why do you think my legs are crossed under my desk?”

His expression turned lecherous. “You are very, very cruel, Beesly.”  He grabbed a file from her desk and held it in front of him as he walked to the breakroom and on into the men’s room.

At 11:59, Jim got up without a word to anyone and headed purposefully for the elevator. Pam waited a few more minutes and followed. He’d been waiting for her, and he kissed her against the wall the moment the doors slid shut on them.

“We have time to get to my house if we’re quick,” he said softly into her ear, his hand on her breast. She shivered.

“Okay.”

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They were ten minutes late getting back to work, and they had agreed in his car on the way there that they couldn’t keep doing this without raising suspicion. Still, he couldn’t help kissing her at every stop light, and at the intersection closest to the office, Jim happened to glance over to see Toby staring in shock from the car next to them.

“Shit,” said Jim.  “Toby just saw us.”

“What?”

They both gave Toby a sheepish grin, and Jim changed lanes so he could take the next left into the office building parking lot.  They waited in the car until Toby went inside.

“Now what?” asked Pam.

“I guess we tell him we’re in a relationship. He’ll be bound to keep it quiet. I think we can trust him.”

Pam sighed. “Yeah. Well, that secret didn’t last long.”

Jim smiled. “Really good secrets usually don’t. You’re also just too irresistible.”

They got out of the car, taking their fast food bags in with them, since lunch had actually been their second priority on their lunch break.  They’d have to eat at their desks.

“Hey,” said Toby later that afternoon, when he and Jim met at the coffee pot in the kitchen.  No one else was around.

“Hey.”

“So, you and Pam…”

“Yeah. I guess we need to fill out a form to make it official.”

“How long has this been going on? Sorry. None of my business.”

“No. That’s okay. Karen and I broke up Friday night, so I guess you could say Pam and I started seeing each other after the auction.”

“Oh.  Well, I should probably cancel my reservations for dinner with her then.”

“Hey, man. That’s up to you and Pam. You don’t need my permission. We both think of you as a good friend. You totally deserve a date with her after all the money you spent. She’s great company, and I think she was looking forward to a fancy dinner.” He smiled kindly.

Toby shook his head sadly, and Jim really felt for him. “Nah, I don’t think so. I was hoping she and I could be—I mean, that this would be a real date.”

“Oh.”

There was an awkward silence as Jim stepped aside so Toby could have a turn at the coffee pot, while Jim stirred sugar into his cup.

“Look, I’m really sorry. I’ve been exactly where you are. I’ve been in love with Pam since the day we met, but she was engaged and I thought I was permanently friend zoned. I had to leave when I thought she was getting married. Then, when I came back to Scranton, I was dating Karen…our timing just never seemed to be right. I know it sounds corny, but she’s it for me. There’s a woman out there for you, Toby; just be patient. Patience definitely paid off for me.”

Toby nodded. “Thanks for that. You know what? Why don’t we just wait a little for the paperwork.”

Jim’s eyebrows shot up. “You sure?”

“Yeah. Don’t worry about it yet.”

“Okay.”

“And I’ll tell Pam she’s off the hook for dinner with me. I’m sure she’d rather go out with you anyway. You can use my reservation if you want.”

Poor guy, thought Jim. He always felt like he was having a conversation with the perennially depressed Eeyore.

“Oh.  Well…thanks Toby.  And I’m really sorry. I know what it’s like to want to be with her. She’s pretty damn amazing.”

“Yeah,” said Toby with a small smile. “You’re a really lucky guy.”

Jim looked up through the glass windows as Pam stood now in the break room next door, contemplating the chip selection.  She must have felt his gaze, for she turned her head and gave him a knowing smile.

“Yeah,” said Jim, sipping his coffee. “I’m the luckiest guy in the world.”

THE END