9

Ooh la la! I can't wait for the next chapter. Keep the good stuff coming!

9

What a great concept for a series of stories! I always enjoy the tension of their unspoken but obvious attraction for one another. I especially like how you wrote this part:  Each morning he looks forward to seeing her, but everyday it’s becoming a little bit harder to hold back and bite his tongue. He laughs with her and makes jokes that layer over the things he really wants to tell her and quite frankly it’s becoming exhausting. His palms are sweaty as he steps out of the elevator and makes his way into the office.

It seems to me that early S2 Jim sees Pam as is work girlfriend. He sort of has convinced himself of this, and then there are moments where he is shaken back to reality, like the fight you covered. I find his thought process dealing with this realization very interesting and heart breaking. Please keep up the great work! 

10

Wow. This is wonderful and very intriguing. I love your version of sexually confident Pam in Week's End, but this is also quite wonderful and thoughtful and I totally see where you're coming from and find each scenario plausible in both stories. Now to my long list of favorite things!

1. "Okay," she said, because it wasn't a yes or a no, and because her heart had sped up and it felt like something other than arousal. She had a quick flash of herself and Roy at seventeen and, though she wasn't collected enough to remember, she thought she had said "okay" then, too. As Jim guided her down the hall to his bedroom she wondered if it was a coincidence or a pattern.  I love the way you describe Pam's anxiety. It's not that she doesn't want him, but she is still struggling to find her voice and confidence. I think so many women have been there, and you write it so subtlety and so well.

2. I enjoy the addition of the stockings. It shows who she is and where she wants to be. I also saw it as such a “girl” thing to do to impress a guy, rather than something that makes her feel beautiful or comfortable. She wants to be the girl of his dreams, live up to his expectations. She’s thinking more of him rather than of herself. I cannot express how much I love this detail because, again, it’s something so many women struggle with, and you’ve written it so well.

3. "Oh, I didn't mean, uh, like, in in," he said, stroking her hair. "I -," he was searching her face for the end of his sentence. Finally, with a small laugh that dictated the shape of the knot in her stomach, he said, "Did I?" Jim being both the consummate gentleman and a flirting with her, maybe a bit too much (at least for Pam right now). Which is totally understandable. He doesn't know what's going on in her head. How could he? But I love seeing Jim portrayed as realistic rather than the all-knowing, perfect boyfriend at all times.

4. Pam knew what this meant, of course, but she wanted to know how many and when and where and why her instead of those others and why, suddenly, now. I always imagined that Pam would need to have some of this answered before they were intimate. Also, I love the way you write the urgency of her thoughts.

5. I love love love that you didn’t have Pam just push through her anxiety and her unanswered questions and be with him. It shows her growing confidence that she realized she needed other things, or to figure something out in her head, before she was with him.

I’m dying to see the next installment. You made my day by posting the story, and you made my week saying that an update will be posted soon! How many times did I write “love” in this review? This may be a record. More smutcake please!

10

Wow. I could literally copy and paste the entire story to point out what I love. As always, you have a way of capturing the characters, tension, heat, and love so well. Amazing. Beautiful. Perfect.

Being completely truthful, this is the best first date/ first time fic I’ve ever read. I didn’t think if was possible to top Week’s End and Week Days, but you’ve done it. What you have written here is quite different from the scenario I had originally concocted in my head—but your version is sooo much better and rings much truer! I adore nervous and overly-excited Jim! Really, what makes this (as well as everything you have written) so deliciously hot is that it is believable and realistic without getting too clinical. I also am incredibly fond of the way you intertwined their conversations about their past and their feelings for one another in a sweet, honest, and drama-free fashion.

Two questions. I adored reading this from Pam’s perspective and I was wondering if you have considered writing a companion piece to this where we get to read it from Jim’s? Also, I’m curious about one of the details of this wonderful world you’ve created. You mention that Tuesday was the last time Jim was with Karen; where does the beach getaway fall in your timeline?

Thank you for writing and sharing your talents with us here!

9

Loved this sweet little slice of JAM! I especially loved your explanation for why she leaves the TV so loud. 

Also, I'm someone who is constantly running into doorknobs, stubbing my toes, and banging my knees on tables.

I vote you write a continuation and we get to see Jim's quirks!   

10

Oh Talkative, you know how much I love the way you write angst. You broke my heart, yet it's okay because we know it has a happy ending eventually. I could practically feel the tension in the room, the want and frustration in Jim's voice, and the confusion in Pam's. 

I have never been able to come to a logical conclusion of what happened after Casino Night, but this story makes sense. It gives him a chance to test the waters again, be frank (because what does he have to lose), and say goodbye in a way. Your story is beautiful and heartbreaking. I especially like how you've made their interaction very in character-- yes there is anger, but even drunk they don't overreact. They don't need to to communicate what is really going on. So much is said just by the way you write the way he looks at her, the way he has stopped pretending. Just wonderful. Like always!

Quick question? Am I right in assuming that Pam is the one who says "I love you. So much. Okay."

Eagerly awaiting your next masterpiece!    

10

Slowing pulling myself up off the floor.

Lordy girl! First, I loved this hot little number so much that I'll be purchasing Desire as soon as I can. 

The dream sequence is perfection--things slowly coming into focus and the loss of inhibition--just delicious.

"Did you know this was happening?" she asked, turning her head so the hair on his chest grazed her cheek. ... He was stroking her spine; long, lazy caresses that made her back arch and her belly kiss his. She pressed her thighs together as one of his big hands covered her bottom, pulled her closer to him. "What are you doing?" she heard her own voice in her head.

"I'm, um," by way of an answer, he turned them so she was on her back. His hand was in her hair, on her breast, and between her legs. He wasn't shy or tentative. He seemed to know her already, even as she marveled at how strange it felt. 

Off the floor but now fanning myself. 

Oh! And the conversation that they have at the end of the day was adorable and sexually delightful. I can see her fidgeting, his smirk and his sadness and the rapidly-moving thoughts running through his head. Also, I know I've said this before and I'll say it again--your characterization of Pam is amazing. I really like how you show her realizing her attraction to Jim and trying to figure out what it all means. While it's obvious to us that Jim and Pam are meant to be together, it's more complicated for her, and I love that you don't take her situation lightly. And I love her, how do I say this, realization of Jim as a man, rather than a nonsexual friend. He's deliberate, strong, and sexy in her unconscious and then later conscious thoughts. Just sublime! And hot. 

Now, off to the bookstore. 

What a treat! As other reviews have mentioned, your characterization is spectacular and the tone and dialogue are pitch perfect. I have tired to visualize what happened immediately after CN and I always come up blank. Fallout is so well done that everything that you have presented seems so obvious--like of course this is what happened, and of course this is how Pam found out about the transfer, of course Pam would try to make things go back to normal, and of course Jim would be that deliciously bitter towards her.

Really, there is so much to love and so many great details and lines that I’m sure I’ll have a list of more subtle favorites that I missed on my first two read. I’m fighting the urge to damn near copy and paste the entire story, and I’m not doing so well. Here are a few of my favorites:

He smiles and feels ashamed of the harsh, angry glee. But he takes a breath, lets it settle, and feels calmer. Stamford is his way out and the knot in his stomach relaxes a little. He wipes up the coffee on the counter and takes the mug back to his desk, and when he looks up there she is at reception.

Their eyes collide for an instant before he looked away. He flushes, curses himself, and forces his mind to go blank as he sits down and pretends to work. Stamford, Stamford, Stamford. It’s like static in his mind, running interference. Everything else is just noise.

His anger, sadness, and embarrassment are so wonderfully encapsulated here.

She watches him leave, watches the door slowly shut behind him, because it’s easier than looking anywhere else. And she doesn’t want to see Jim watching her with that expression she always hates, the one that says ‘Why the hell are you with that guy?’

Time moves strangely for the rest of that afternoon, simultaneously galloping and crawling. The tension is excruciating and she just wants the day to be over already so she can go home and blank the whole thing out. But when the day is over he’ll be gone; he’ll be gone and she might never see him again. The pain of that prospect is so sharp it’s hard to breathe around.

Heartbreakingly perfect

He flinches when he sees what she’s holding, and his eyes turn sharp with disbelief. She’s never really seen him angry before. Backing away a step he shifts his hold on the box as if to say ‘I don’t have a spare hand’. “Keep it,” he says, “I’m taking enough junk with me already.”

::thud::

It is very clear that you took a great deal of care to construct your story! So glad to have a fantastic new author around these parts. Please post again!

Author's Response: Wow, thanks so much for such a thoughtful review! I'm thrilled you enjoyed the story and that it felt genuine to you. I'm glad you liked angry!Jim - I hadn't intended to write him that way, it just sort of evolved. I'm pleased it worked! I have some ideas for other stories, so hope to post again. :) In the meantime, thanks for commenting! :)

xoxoxo, thank you for posting such a beautiful and sweet story. It makes the wait for tonight's episode much easier. Your story hits all the right notes. I laughed, I smiled, and it tugged on my heart strings.

Just wonderful.

Author's Response: Well my work is done then.  Glad you actually got to see the episode!  I know it was dicey there for a few!   Thank you for such a lovely review. :)

Lovely, lovely, lovely! So glad you decided to share this story with us. I look forward to reading whatever you have next.

10

Blanca my dear, bravo. And I am blushing from your kind words. I find Pam's transition between S2-4 to be so fascinating. Your exploration of her confusion, desires, and need for closure are wonderful. Now, a few of my favorite parts:

She let him pull her inside, because breaking contact was unfathomable. The door closed behind her and he let go of her wrist, but she scarcely had time to register the loss before his hands wove through her hair and his mouth found hers in the dark.

"Jim." He seemed to recognize her tone, and his laughter died away. His eyes went wide and the terrified look in them caused a stab of guilt to pierce her chest. She knew she was to blame for putting that look there, and it solidified her resolve.

I can't wait to read what's next!

awwwwwwww

Another great tale by the oh so talented callisto. Keep the stories coming my dear, we all love to read them.