“Dunder-Mifflin, this is Pam.”

“Hey, it’s me.”

“Jim, hey!” Pam swiveled her chair so that her back was to the bullpen. “Where are you? You’re late. Are you okay?”

“I’m taking a sick day.” He fake-coughed into her ear. “I already emailed Toby but I didn’t want you to worry.”

“A sick day,” she repeated skeptically. “You seemed fine when I left last night.”

“See, that’s the thing. I think I started to get sick when you left. Don’t you remember? I was definitely getting feverish. Kind of short of breath.”

Last night. Pam wasn’t even supposed to have been at Jim’s place last night. She was in the middle of completing a project that was going to be worth fifty percent of her final grade and it was due in less than a week and she was not at all calm about it. The plan had been for her to go home and shut out the rest of the world and get the damn thing done.

What had actually happened was her calling Jim from her car in hysterics, ranting about how art was dumb and she was going to fail and never be anything but a receptionist.

Pam tended to be a little dramatic when she was stressed.

Jim, used to such histrionics by now, had waited out her tantrum and then insisted that she come to his place for dinner. She tried to tell him she was fine, she was sorry for bothering him, and she was just going to go home and finish her stupid project. But he had insisted. He was making her dinner.

And Jim was very persistent when he wanted to be.

It had all been a ruse. He met her at the door with a kiss and was peeling her clothes off before she could even say hello.

“I thought you were making me dinner,” she’d demurred as he kissed his way down her stomach.

“You misunderstood.” His voice had been low and husky as he knelt down in front of her. “I said I’m making you dinner.” Her head hit the back of the door she was pressed against with a solid thud the precise second he drove his tongue into her.

Pam had gotten zero work done on her project last night but she had gotten six, almost seven, orgasms and she’d considered it to be an even trade off.

And now the almost seventh one was the reason Jim had chosen to take a sick day.

“So let me get this straight,” Pam murmured into the phone, trying to keep her voice down. “You stayed home today because I accidentally fell asleep on you last night?”

“What? No. Don’t be ridiculous. I seem to recall telling you that I was going to fuck you into exhaustion last night so you would relax and well.” She could hear the smug satisfaction in his voice as her face grew warm. ‘Mission accomplished.”

“Jim!” she hissed. Her cheeks were definitely burning. “I’m at work!”

“I’m not. As I was saying, I’m pretty pleased with myself for how last night turned out, even if you did fall asleep right in the middle of my finest work. I’m talking top quality here, but you wouldn’t know because you missed it.”

“I’m hanging up now,” she threatened.

“Like you left me hanging last night? Brutal, Pam. I’m a man dying from hunger and you don’t even care.”

“I did not—“ she was startled at how loud her voice was and quickly lowered it to a whisper. “Leave you hanging. There were zero complaints filed when I went home last night.”

“In that case, I’d like to file a formal complaint over the fact that you didn’t stay the night.”

“Your request is denied. If I hadn’t gone home, neither of us would have gotten any sleep at all. You were relentless.” She was blushing again.

“And you loved every second of it. But the fact is that if you had stayed, I would be in the office right now,” he countered. “Instead I woke up alone in a cold bed with the taste of you still on my tongue and an incredibly hard cock and no one here to help me with it.”

Pam held her forehead in one hand and pressed the phone as close to her ear as she could with the other. “I hear that self-care is an important part of staying healthy,” she quipped dryly.

“I’m afraid this is too serious for that. It would probably be best to get a second opinion before I make any decisions on treatment.”

“You’re terrible.”

“I don’t know what you mean, but you really shouldn’t make fun of your sick boyfriend.”

“I’m really hanging up now.”

“I’m just saying. If I don’t get this under control soon, you might come down with it. And believe me, you really don’t want this.”

“Goodbye Jim.” She hung up before he could say anything else. Pam took a long deep breath, exhaling slowly as she tried to cool her cheeks. She glanced around and thankfully everyone around was completely oblivious to her. Sometimes it was just fine that no one really paid attention to the receptionist.

Pam made a quick trip to the break room to get something cold to drink and was only half-surprised that her cell phone was blinking with messages when she got back to her desk.

Like she’d said. Jim was persistent.

I can’t believe you hung up on me.

I shouldn’t be surprised I guess, considering the shape you left me in last night.

You can’t ignore me for much longer.

It has a name you know. What I’m suffering through right now.

She couldn’t resist. Suffering seems extreme, considering you’re claiming I blue-balled you after four hours of fucking.

What happened to my sweet, nurturing girlfriend? I really thought you would want to take care of me in my time of need.

Are you going to let me get any work done today?

The office phone rang and she picked it up distractedly. “Dunder-Mifflin, this is Pam.”

“Absolutely not.” Jim’s voice was thick with lust and she unconsciously squeezed her thighs together. “How can you even think about work, knowing that I’m lying here naked in bed with the panties you forgot last night wrapped around—“

“Hey Pam.”

Pam slammed the phone down and looked up to see Toby standing over her desk. “Oh. Hi Toby.” She shrugged slightly when he frowned at her, gesturing at the phone. “Oh that.” She shook her head and hoped she looked more annoyed than flustered. “That was just a telemarketer that hasn’t stopped calling all morning. Sometimes that’s the only way to get through to them.” She gave him a ‘what else can you do?’ smile. “So, what’s up?”

“Not much. I just wanted to talk to you about Jim.”

“Jim?” She almost choked on his name. “What about Jim?”

“When he emailed me this morning to tell me he wasn’t coming in, he mentioned what was wrong and I wanted to let both of you know that I’ve also dealt with this and that you guys shouldn’t worry, but if you have any questions, feel free to ask.”

Her face could not have felt hotter. “Yeah um.” She cleared her throat and desperately wished for the floor to open up and swallow her. “What exactly did Jim say was wrong with him?”

“He said his Osteopenia was flaring up.” She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from screaming. “You know, it’s rare for a runner like me to have to deal with bone loss, but my doctor says that bikers are more susceptible to it so it makes sense for Jim.” Toby gave her an easy grin. “But really, he’s going to be fine. Like I told him, he’s a young enough guy that he just has to keep going at it and not go soft on himself.”

“Uh-huh.” Pam was dying. No, first she was going to kill Jim and then she was going to die. “Well, I appreciate you stopping by—“

“Jim’s going to be fine,” Toby interrupted her with a smile that would have been reassuring under any other circumstances but was just plain creepy now. “You just really have to push him to the limits, always make things harder instead of taking the easy way out. There will be days when he probably won’t want to look at his bike ever again but you’re just going to have to keep him riding.”

Pam couldn’t breathe. She managed to get out a strangled “Thanks Toby,” before she gestured to her workspace. “I should probably get back to—“

“Sure, no problem.” He gave her a little wave and disappeared back into the annex. Pam was punching Jim’s number into the phone before the door had even shut.

He answered immediately. “Dunder-Mifflin, this is Jim.”

“You told Toby you had Osteopenia?” she scream-whispered into the phone.

“What? No. I wrote osteopenis but maybe it autocorrected to something else. You know how email can be sometimes. Why? Did he say something?”

“Yeah, he did. He stopped by my desk to tell me that when it flares up I need to make sure you keep going at it and not let you go soft.”

“He’s not wrong Pam. Bone loss is no joke.”

“I thought your problem was the opposite of bone loss.”

“Osteopenis has many symptoms, Pam. I’m surprised you don’t know that.”

“That’s not even a real word!”

“Oh no? Then how come I was able to find it on WebMD?”

“You did not.”

“I did. But don’t try and look it up at work. IT tracks your internet usage, you know. But don’t worry. I memorized the page so we can go through all of the symptoms if you want to be sure it’s not something else.”

“Jim,” she sighed. Thank God it was a slower day, it was clear she wasn’t going to get anything done.

“I already told you about some of it. Feverish? Check. Rapid heartbeat? Got that too. Swelling? There’s so much swelling, Pam.”

“You could take a cold shower,” she suggested sweetly. “I bet that would help.”

“Actually, the first thing it says under treatment of symptoms is do not submerge in cold water. That’s literally the worst thing you could do.”

Pam hated herself for it but she had to ask. “Interesting. What is the preferred method of treatment?” She barely recognized the timber of her own voice. She couldn’t believe she was falling for this.

“I’m so glad you asked. Massage seems to be successful. Compression is mentioned a few times.”

“Compression?”

“Mmhmm. Apparently the affected area should be kept warm and tightly wrapped.”

Pam’s eyes darted around the room and thankfully everyone was still completely uninterested in what was happening in reception. “Well, this sounds more serious than I thought.”

“Are you finally concerned about my health? It’s about time.”

“I really am,” she promised. “I hate to say it but maybe you shouldn’t delay treatment for very much longer.”

“What if I told you I’d already started self-medicating?”

She ducked her head so no one could hear her suck in a breath. “Did you consult a professional first?”

“I did. I called my girlfriend. Best in the field.”

“Lucky you.”

“Not really. See, she’s at work, so she can’t be here to make sure I’m using proper technique. I mean, I don’t want to do more harm than good, you know?”

“No, we definitely don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

“I didn’t think so.” Jim’s voice dropped even lower. “So maybe you could tell me what to do.”

She swallowed and looked around apprehensively. This was completely new territory for them and she was definitely outside of her comfort zone.

But his voice was doing that thing it did that turned her to liquid and she could hear the rustle of his sheets on the other end of the phone and the way his breath was starting to hitch when he spoke. It was all doing things to her that she hadn’t been prepared for.

“Sounds to me like you’ve already good handle on things.”

“Maybe. I really think you need to stay on top of my treatment though. What if I get too weak and need you to take care of me?”

“I would love nothing more than to take care of you right now.”

“Pam!” She nearly fell out of her chair as Michael slapped a bright yellow folder down on the counter.

Shit. She shook her head, covered the mouthpiece with her hand, and looked up. “What is it, Michael?” Her voice sounded fairly calm but she wondered if he could see her heart trying to beat its way out of her chest.

“I need three copies of this file, in color, and put into binders. For a lunch meeting. Can you do that?”

“No problem.” She took the file and waited for him to go back into his office. She turned her attention back to her phone. “Still there?”

“Yes but I’m afraid I have to tell you that due to hearing Michael’s voice, I’m now definitely suffering from bone loss.”

A giggle escaped her lungs before she could stop it. “Probably for the best,” she said reluctantly. “I better get going.”

“Call me later?”

“Will do. Bye.” She hung up before he could say anything else to distract her and turned her focus to the actual task at hand. Copies. She could handle making copies even as her thoughts kept flashing back to moments from the night before.

She only had to remake on set of copies but it couldn’t be helped. She’d made the mistake of opening an incredibly indecent picture text he’d sent her and sent the pages backward through the copier.

Pam looked at the clock. She looked down at the growing number of emails in her inbox. There were eleven voicemails. If she worked through her lunch she could catch up and still leave at a decent hour.

She pushed her chair back. “Michael, I’m going to lunch,” she called into his office. “I need to take an extra thirty minutes but I’ll make it up tomorrow.” She was out the door before she could talk herself out of it.

Ten short minutes later she was unlocking his front door, rapping her knuckles against the solid oak as she pushed it open so she didn’t scare him. “Jim?”

Jim was sprawled on the couch in his boxers watching SportsCenter. He jumped when he saw her. “What are you doing here?”

“Just wanted to make sure you weren’t getting any sicker,” she said smoothly, walking over to him. Her hands fell to her hips as she frowned down at him. “Hmm, you do look a little pale.” She brushed her knuckles down the side of his face. “And you feel awfully warm.” She shook her head slightly and dropped her hand into his. “I think we better get you back to bed right away.” He didn’t put up a fight as she pulled him into the bedroom.

“How did you get the rest of the day off?” he asked.

“Oh I didn’t.” She planted a quick kiss on his forehead. “Just took a longer lunch but I do have to go back. Now come on, into bed you go.” She kicked off her heels and draped her sweater over the back of the desk chair. She waited until he was sitting at the foot of the bed and pushed her way between his legs. Her fingers threaded through his hair and he shivered as her nails scraped against the back of his skull. “Oh my, that felt like chills,” she said with a small shake of her head. “Maybe we should go through your symptoms one by one? I’d hate to miss something.” She tipped his chin up and kissed his mouth. Jim didn’t react, seemingly stunned that she was actually standing there in front of him. Her lips curved against his in a grin; she was pleased to have the upper hand for the first time that morning. “Open up, baby,” she whispered against his lips. He groaned as her tongue swept into his mouth.

“That wasn’t quite an ‘ahh’,” she let her breath slip from her mouth and into his ear as her tongue traced the soft skin there. “But it’s okay. Your throat seems fine. That’s very good.” She fluttered kisses down the side of his neck. “You are starting to feel flushed though.” She moved her hands from his shoulders to the back of his neck and tugged on his hair until his throat was exposed to her.

Pam’s teeth nipped at the skin over his pulse point and then soothed that same spot with the tip of her tongue. “Your pulse is positively racing.”

“I told you.” His fingers gripped her waist so tightly she wondered if she’d find bruises later. “I’m very sick.”

“I think you might be,” she agreed. Her fingers bunched in the hem of his t-shirt as she pulled it over his head and tossed it somewhere behind her. Her palms pressed flat against his chest as she gently pushed him until he was on his back. Her hair tickled against his skin, despite being held back with a clip and he had to fist his hands in the rumpled bedsheets to keep from tangling them in the curls as she descended over him, closing her mouth over one nipple before placing an open mouth kiss directly on his pounding heart. “An erratic heartbeat. That can’t be good.”

She heard his breath catch and felt, rather than saw his chest move with rapid intakes of air as she scattered kisses down his long torso while her hand slid up the inside of his thigh. “What was that last symptom you mentioned earlier?” she asked, looking up at him through lidded eyes as she slipped her hand into his shorts and wrapped around him.

“Swelling.” He spit the word out as fast as he could, as if he was afraid he was soon going to lose the ability to speak altogether.

“Oh dear.” She ran her hand over the length of him twice, twisting her hand slight at the tip both times. “Yes, definite swelling,” she whispered, running her tongue across the path of the deep V just under his navel. “My poor boy,” she rocked back onto her heels and stole a quick look at him as she slid his boxers down his legs. “You did the right thing by calling me.”

“So you agree with my diagnosis then?”

“I do.” Her palms skimmed their way back up his bare thighs.

“Do you—“ His head fell back against the pillow when both of her hands wrapped around him again. “Do you agree that massage therapy is the best course of treatment?”

“It could work,” she agreed, rubbing her thumb back and forth over the tip of his hardening cock. “But I was thinking oral medication might work a better in this particular instance.” She tilted her head to the side as her she wet her lips. “Thoughts?”

“Like I said before.” His eyes closed as she darted her tongue out to catch a drop of precum.”You’re the field expert.”

She just nodded and leaned forward again. She licked slowly up one side of his shaft and down the other. She took her time, wetting the length but avoiding the head.

Pam waited until she heard a hitch in his breathing before she sucked in just the tip. Flattening her tongue, she bobbed her head slightly, taking almost half of him into her mouth and then she looked up at him through her lashes as she pulled back and then slowly took every inch down her throat.

“Oh god.”

Jim’s hand bumped against the top of her head but he caught himself and dropped it to her shoulder, his fingers digging into her skin. She sighed around him and locked her eyes to his, slowing down as much as she could without stopping.

“Fuck. Please don’t stop.”

She didn’t. She had just wanted to hear him beg. She looked up at him again but his eyes were squeezed shut. Hers shifted slightly and she saw that yes, last night’s discarded and ruined panties were still on the bed just as he’d mentioned them earlier in the day. She felt an unexpected current of arousal sweep over her at the thought that he had used them and moaned around him. The third time his hand brushed at the crown of her head she reached up and grabbed it, fisting it into her hair. She could fix it later. He pulled experimentally and she hummed her approval.

As much as Pam loved the control, her legs were starting to cramp and her jaw was beginning to ache. It was time for him to take over.

And he did. Soon, both hands were tangled in her hair and he bucked up into her at a fast but still restrained pace. She didn’t let up, switching between long, hard sucks and featherlike licks.

“I’m going to come,” he warned.

She nodded. “Good,” she breathed. She grabbed his balls with one hand and squeezed them lightly. It didn’t take long after that. He warned her twice more that he was close and while she appreciated it, she had no intention of stopping until he was done. He came hard and fast, with hands clutching at her shoulders and positively filthy words falling from his lips. She waited until he stopped thrusting and his grip on her loosened before she gave one last long swipe of her tongue from base to tip. He shuddered and she smiled as she swallowed, pleased with herself, as she rocked back and rubbed her hands up and down his legs as he regained his composure.

“Are you all better now?” Her voice was silk as she stretched out next to him and laid a palm flat on his chest. “Your eyes are much brighter than before. I think that’s a good sign.”

He rolled onto his side and grabbed the back of her head, crushing his mouth to hers. “Don’t go back to work,” he pleaded, even as she was carefully pushing him away and sliding off the bed.

“I have to.” Pam finger-combed the tangles out of her hair and pulled it back again. She looked at him over her shoulder as she pulled her cardigan back on and smoothed out the wrinkles in her skirt. “But maybe I can be persuaded to come over after work.”

“What about your project?”

She stepped back into her shoes and crossed back over to the bed. “I have all weekend to get that done.” She leaned down to brush the hair off of his forehead and to kiss his lips once more. “Right now I’m more focused on getting you better.” Her lips turned up at the corners.

“You’ll need another dose in four to six hours.”