The bus ride back from the beach was quiet, everyone lost in their thoughts. Or maybe they were just exhausted from playing Michael’s stupid games all day.

Pam was coming down from the adrenaline rush that went along with firewalking and confessing some of her deepest feelings to Jim. Still felt pretty damn good though. It was liberating.

When they got back to the office, most people headed right for home. She was relieved to see Jim and Karen heading to their respective cars. She had to go up and try to organize her notes and she didn’t need any more awkward tonight, thank you very much. She found herself in the elevator with Ryan and Kelly.

“Oh my god, Pam. I can’t believe you did that! It was SO cool. I mean, I’d never do something like that. I’d be mortified. But you were awesome!”

Kelly’s words came out in the usual rush and for once Pam welcomed them. It was nice to make an impression, to really shock people for a minute.

“So you still really like him, huh? Man, that sucks so much. If Ryan was dating someone else, I’d die. But I’d kill him first, of course.”

Ryan rolled his eyes and Pam hid a smile.

As the elevator stopped at their floor, they headed for the office door. Pam noticed how stiffly Ryan was walking. When they got inside, he practically ran for the bathroom.

“What’s up with him?” she asked Kelly.

“Sand in his crack. It’s making him insane. He has to totally wash off before I can drive him home.”

Pam laughed out loud as she sat down behind her desk.

“Hey, Pam- Jim and Karen have that job interview next Thursday. That means you have Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before he’s gone, maybe forever. If I were you, I’d use that time to try a little seduction. Make Jim think long and hard about what he really wants. LONG and HARD. Get it?”

“Yeah. I get it. And how am I supposed to do that? Strip naked in the middle of the office and fling myself at his feet?”

“It’s not the worst idea you’ve ever had.”

“Kelly!”

“No but for real. Just show a little skin. Be less frumpy for god’s sake…”

“Thanks.”

“No offense! I’m just saying. Drop your pencil and then bend over in front of him to pick it up. Say a couple of sexy things now and then. What’s it going to hurt?”

“Okay, first of all, he has a girlfriend…”

“Yeah, but you saw him first. You’d just be taking back what’s yours.”

“AND SECOND, I don’t want him to like me because I’m acting like Jessica freaking Rabbit. I want him to like me because he likes me. The real me.”

“Like he doesn’t already. Don’t be dumb. He just needs a little nudge.”

Pam sighed and tried to organize her ridiculous notes but Kelly wouldn’t stop leaning on her desk and doling out advice. Which was why Pam was almost grateful when the office door opened and Jim walked in.

“Forgot my bag,” he said, heading for his desk.

Kelly’s eyes got huge and she seemed to be holding back a laugh. She whispered “It’s a go” under her breath.

“Pam, could you hand me that tea?” Kelly pointed to the cold cup of tea Pam had left sitting on her desk that morning.

“Uh, okay?” Pam passed it over.

“Thanks,” Kelly responded cheerfully and tossed the dark brown liquid right onto Pam’s hoodie and pink tank top.

“OH MY GOD, PAM. I’m SO sorry. Here…”

Kelly unzipped the hoodie and yanked it off then grabbed the hem of Pam’s shirt and pulled it over her head as Pam sat there stunned.

“I need to wash that out RIGHT THIS MINUTE or the stain will set. I can’t believe how clumsy I am…” and she ran off to the kitchen.

Which of course left Pam sitting there in the polka dot halter top of her bikini trying to dab freezing cold tea off her chest and stomach with tissues. Until she realized that Jim hadn’t moved since Kelly had stolen her shirts. She glanced up at him and damned if he didn’t seem to be frozen in place. He was staring at her, mouth hanging slightly open. And his eyes were nowhere near her face. She glanced down at herself. Yep. The halter top really did make her breasts look amazing. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t know that. And yeah, she wore it today maybe hoping Jim would see her in it. She had been afraid it was going to go to waste.
The moment stretched for what seemed like forever. Jim staring right at her chest like he’d been poleaxed. Pam watching him stare at her. Finally, he lifted his eyes up to meet hers.

“Wow, Beesly.” His voice actually cracked when he spoke. “That’s more of you than I’ve ever seen.”

She laughed, glad to break the silence.

“Yeah. It’s a lot. I don’t usually wear a two piece but I’m trying to be a little bolder. A whole new Pam.”

“It looks...god. You look amazing.” He looked away like he’d embarrassed himself. “What are you still doing here?”

“Oh yeah. You know how Michael was making me take notes all day? I have to arrange them ‘in a way that’s extremely helpful’. His words. And let me tell you something else. My neck hurts from being hunched over writing down every single thing that happened.”

She stretched her back and shoulders, trying to loosen her muscles. When she extended her arms above her head and flexed her back, she realized she was sticking her boobs out. Jim was once again riveted. Huh. Maybe Kelly was onto something because this was kind of fun. She let out a huge sigh which made her full breasts rise and fall. Jim’s eyes were glued to her every move, his cheeks flushed, breathing hard like he’d just run a lap around the office.

“Okay, Pam!” Kelly bounced back into the room. “I got all the tea out but I couldn’t really get them dry. Sorry.”

Jim jumped like Kelly had pinched him and walked as fast as he could to where his bag was sitting.

“Yeah, I gotta go. It’s so late. Wow. See you ladies on Monday.” His words were rushed. He grabbed the bag then turned and fled the office.

Kelly grinned at Pam. “Check and mate, baby.”

Pam couldn’t help it. She smiled back. Oh yeah. The game was on.

Jim walked into the office with his head down. He didn’t want to look at Pam, didn’t want to meet her eyes after… oh god. He felt like such a creep. When Kelly had pulled off Pam’s shirts and left her sitting there in that bikini top, he’d been mesmerized. It was like an out-of-body experience. Objectively, he’d known that she had a beautiful body, in spite of the pains she took to hide it behind loose-fitting skirts and mousy cardigans. He’d had way too many fantasies of stripping those modest clothes off and unveiling her beauty. But suddenly having evidence that all those fantasies didn’t come anywhere near doing her justice? It was too much. Her skin was the creamiest ivory, her breasts perfectly shaped and heavy. He had actually felt his mouth water at the idea of licking every inch of that exposed skin. His brain had short-circuited and he gaped at her like...like...like Todd fucking Packer, for god’s sake. Ugh. It was too disgusting to contemplate.

He hung his bag on his chair and flipped his computer on. Today he would be the most diligent paper salesman and assistant regional manager this branch had ever seen. It was the only way to keep his mind off how stupid he was and avoid Pam. Oh, and he needed to avoid Karen too because she was pissed at him. Again. Pam’s confession was bad enough but then he’d spent the weekend being distracted as thoughts of her vroomed around his skull. Karen had wanted to have some more of her special little “talks” but he couldn’t concentrate and Karen knew it. She’d slammed out of his apartment on Saturday and he hadn’t seen her since.

When Karen strolled over to his desk mid-morning and pointedly kissed his cheek, he knew she wasn’t doing it because she suddenly felt affectionate. She was staking her claim in front of Pam.

“Hey, Halpert- I’m heading out for a sales call and then I’ll let you take me to lunch. Wanna meet somewhere at noon?”

He looked at her. She really was beautiful, with her shiny hair and sprinkle of freckles. He wished so damn much that he was in love with her. Why the hell wasn’t he in love with her? Oh, yeah. Right. He didn’t actually own his heart. He’d given it away years ago, so how could he give it to her?

“Sure. Text me and let me know where you want to eat.”

“Great! Talk to you later.” She rubbed a hand across the back of his shirt possessively and leaned in for another kiss on the cheek. Then she walked back to her desk and got her stuff, saying “Bye, Pam!” triumphantly as she pushed through the front door.

Jim finished two more sales calls and completed the paperwork on them. That’s when he realized he needed to make copies of all of it. He sure couldn’t ask Pam to do it. No way. Too mortifying. He’d do it himself, no problem. But that led to a new issue. The copier was next to her desk and there was no way he could do it without talking to her. Okay, fine. He’d just be casual. He WOULD NOT, under any circumstances, imagine her back in that bikini. He’d make a joke or two, see how she was doing, and if she looked at him like she was disgusted or weirded out by his behavior Friday night, he’d apologize and blame it on low blood sugar. They’d only had hot dogs to eat, after all. It made sense. Sure it did.

He stood up and took his stuff to the copy machine. Whew. Pam was faxing something and her back was to him. That gave him a minute to just look at her without feeling awkward… and what the literal FUCK? She was standing there, bent slightly to punch the numbers into the fax and dear god. WHAT was she wearing?

Her blouse was sleeveless. Some kind of silky green material. It belted at the waist and flared out slightly over her hips. There was nary a cardigan in sight. And that skirt was decidedly not shapeless. It was dark gray… what did they call it? Charcoal. Charcoal gray and fitted, ending just above her knees. Which were encased in black stockings. BLACK. They matched her high-heeled black leather shoes. No white keds or flats. Annnddddd he was gawking again. Oh this was just wonderful. He couldn’t even stop himself. His brain was on an endless loop of “HIGH HEELS. BLACK STOCKINGS. HIGH HEELS. BLACK STOCKINGS.” Jesus.

So of course that’s when she turned around and smiled at him. Was she wearing lipstick? Oh fuck. She was. This was bad. And her hair was down in loose curls. No barrettes? God damn it.

“Hey, Jim! What’s up?”

That was cruel. He was filled with an urge to crush her up against him so she could feel exactly what was up for herself. Instead he finally made it to the copier which thankfully hid his lower half.

“Nothing at all, Beesly. You look...extremely professional today.” Oh god. That was so lame. Could he fake a heart attack? What if he pretended he thought there was a gas leak in the building and just ran like hell? But the thing was, she really did look every inch a successful woman in the business world. There was nothing remotely scandalous about her outfit. The shirt buttoned all the way to her neckline, with a tiny flounce running vertically down each side of the buttons. It should have been demure but it so wasn’t. It focused all attention on those gorgeous breasts. Her waist looked tiny with the belt and the little flare at her hips made a perfect hourglass shape. And the STOCKINGS. WITH HEELS. He’d once heard someone call them “fuck-me pumps” and he really wished that thought hadn’t just popped into his head because now he couldn’t stop thinking about her wearing those shoes and nothing else.

He tried to focus on making copies. He was breathing hard again. He suddenly had no idea how to work the damn thing. Okay, time to start thinking about something gross to get rid of the very obvious hard-on he was trying to hide. Dwight. Dwight naked. Dwight naked and covered in beet juice. Oh shit. It wasn’t working! Dwight just became Pam in his head. How could she look that good covered in beet juice??

Suddenly, she was right next to him and yep. He was in hell. Maybe he had died on beach day and this was how he’d be punished for all eternity.

She looked down at the tented front of his pants then stared right into his eyes. She leaned in close and said, “Would you like a little help with that?” in a low, husky voice. He couldn’t look away as she ran the tip of her tongue over her lip. If the loch ness monster had appeared in their office right that minute wearing a business suit and begging to place an order for paper, Jim wouldn’t have even spared a glance.

“With the copier, I mean. Looks like you’re having a… hard time.” And she smirked at him. Oh. Ohhhhh. She was playing with him. Holy shit. He abruptly realized that she knew exactly how much of an effect she’d had on him Friday and she had LIKED it. This wasn’t fair at all.

“Here.” She took the papers out of his hand and smoothed them out. They’d become inexplicably crumpled in his grasp. She put them on the copy machine and he put a shaking hand out to push the button. She grabbed his wrist and said, “Let me. You’re in no state to be operating heavy machinery, Jim.” As she talked, she was gently rubbing her thumb across the inside of his wrist, which made the pulse there increase even more. She let go of his hand and squeezed herself between him and the copy machine, immediately punching buttons, all business. He was stunned, aware that his dick was very, very hard and brushing against her shapely rear end and that was that. He whirled and grabbed his suit jacket off the back of his chair. He threw it on, hoping to hide all evidence of his arousal, grabbed his bag and said to no one and everyone “Uhhh, gotta go. I think there might be a gas leak in here. Dwight should check that out immediately. I might be back later. Probably not though because I also might be having a heart attack so bye” and sprinted for the exit.

He made it down the stairs in record time and was in his car seconds later. He sat banging his head on the steering wheel until his phone beeped, letting him know he had a new text. His first thought was “It’s from Pam” which was fucking stupid. Of course it was from Karen. “Subway for lunch?” Sure. Yeah. Why wouldn’t he want to take his girlfriend to Subway? Oh, but first he should probably try to get rid of this ENORMOUS erection brought on by the woman he loved standing close to him. He had no idea what he was going to do but he knew one important thing: he was well and truly fucked.

Pam got up bright and early again the next day. She knew exactly what she was wearing and how she was doing her hair but her daily routine now took three times longer than before. Small price to pay for a reaction like the one she’d received yesterday. She hugged herself a little, remembering just how shocked he’d been, how worked up he was, how she’d barely had to touch him to take him near his breaking point. Heck, she’d grabbed his WRIST and she thought he was going to faint, like he’d suddenly turned into the heroine of an old-fashioned bodice ripper romance novel.

Today was the most complicated of her big ideas so she’d planned it all out meticulously. First, her clothes. A white cotton scoop-necked top. Just a hint of cleavage. Nothing overtly sexy about that, right? She wore a modest cotton bra under it so that it couldn’t be seen through the shirt. Of course, if someone looked really, REALLY close, they could see the barest hint of pink nipple. But that person would have to be staring super hard. Who would do that? Ha. Her skirt was navy-blue, high-waisted, with a wide belt that made her middle look tiny. She decided on navy stockings and pumps. The heels were a good 3 inches and pinched her toes in a way that had her longing for her Keds. Once again, totally worth it. They made her legs look incredible.

She got into work before Jim. He was late. Darn it, if he missed today because he was still embarrassed about yesterday, she was going to be mad. When he finally walked through the door at half past nine, she breathed a sigh of relief. He looked tired and slightly more rumpled than usual, which oddly made him seem a lot more like the old Jim, HER Jim. That quelled any guilty feelings she might have been harboring about her schemes.

Today Pam made a concerted effort to be friendly and flirty but not too sexy. The point was to lull him into a false sense of complacency, make him feel comfortable. She didn’t need him bolting out of here like his pants were on fire again.

She did notice him glancing at her over and over when he thought she wasn’t looking. He really seemed to like her shoes for some reason. When she walked back from the kitchen earlier, he had looked her carefully up and down but his eyes seemed to be drawn to her heels. Interesting. She had no idea that was a thing for him or she would have worn them years ago.

As the day wound down, she IMed Kelly.

pbeesly: Did you spread the word?
kkapoor: Totally. I made Ryan help.
pbeesly: Is everyone on board?
kkapoor: Everyone but Stanley, Angela, and Dwight. But Stanley won’t stay a minute past 5 and I haven’t seen Angela or Dwight in an hour.
pbeesly: Perfect.
kkapoor: How do you know Jim and Michael will stay later?
pbeesly: They’ve got quarterly reports due and they haven’t signed them. Mostly because I haven’t printed them out for them to sign.
kkapoor: lol! I never knew you were so sneaky.

Perfect. 5:00 hit and Stanley zipped out the door with a cheerful “Night, Pam.” Everyone else was milling around, getting their things together. Kelly, Ryan, and Toby came out of the annex.

“COME ON, PEOPLE,” Kelly yelled. “First shot at Poor Richards is on me. Not literally though. Last time I tried to do body shots in there, they threw me out.”

That was met with a chorus of approval and a mass exodus from the office. The only people left were Jim, Michael, and Karen. Karen was standing next to Jim’s desk, obviously unwilling to leave him here in the clutches of the devious femme fatale, Pam Beesly. Jim looked at her and smiled. “You can go. I’ll be there in like 10 minutes.”

Pfft, Pam thought. Not if I have anything to do with it.

Still Karen lingered. Kelly suddenly burst back into the office. “Forgot my purse!” She ran to the back. A minute later, she reappeared saying “Karen! Come on. I totally need you to tell me all about New York. Did you live there before? Do you love it? If you get the job, can I come visit?” Karen had no choice but to go along with her as Kelly had linked her arm through Karen’s and was basically pulling her out the door.

Michael strode out of his office and said, “PAM-A-LA. Aren’t you going to Poor Richards?”

“Maybe. But I have to finish printing up all these reports for you and Jim to sign. I should have already finished but I’m moving so slow! I forgot to have lunch and my brain’s not working.”

“Seriously?” Jim turned and grinned at her. “We all know how you get when you’re hungry, Beesly. You get all spacy and sometimes you’re just downright mean. Remember the time you didn’t eat and then you smacked me in the back of the head just for doing a few Dazed and Confused quotes?”

“It was NOT a few Dazed and Confused quotes. It was ONE quote over and over for 23 minutes. Although I did hit you harder than was strictly necessary. Which is why you made that rule about never messing with me when I’m hungry. Now why don’t you get me a candy bar before someone gets hurt?” she said with her sweetest smile.

“All right all right all right” he drawled lazily.
“Oh my god. Not again. I hate you.”

His smile got wider. “No. You don’t.”

He turned and headed for the break room. Perfect.

As soon as he was out of sight, she practically ran to the water cooler. It was empty, thanks to Ryan swapping out the almost-full bottle with this one.

“Oh no! This stupid thing!” she said loud enough for Michael to hear.
“What’s the problem, Pam-Ms.-Beesly-if-you’re-nasty?”

“Nothing. Just the bottle’s empty but I don’t want you to have to change it alone. It’s really heavy.”

“Hey hey hey! I’ll have you know that I’ve been working out! There’s this awesome fitness place right by my condo. It’s called Curves and there are a lot of ladies there. A LOT.”

“Yeah, because it’s a women’s fitness...you know what? It’s fine. Good for you, Michael.”

Michael grabbed the heavy water bottle and popped off the cap. He turned it over to put it in the cooler but he wasn’t strong enough to flip it fast and it gushed out as predicted.

“Oh my god! Let me help,” she said. She bent down and acted like she was going to grab the bottle, making sure that the water soaked her thoroughly. It was FREEZING and she let out an involuntary shout.

Jim came running from the back. “Pam! Are you okay?” He screeched to a stop in front of her. His jaw dropped. “Holy shit.”

She glanced down at herself. The water had done it’s job. She looked like a contestant in a wet t-shirt contest. It clung to her curves in a way that she thought was very enticing. Her breasts were clearly outlined, dark pink nipples completely visible.

Of course, Michael was responding exactly like she thought he would. He was staring, eyes like saucers, frozen in place. Hey, sometimes you had to make sacrifices and Michael seeing her nearly-naked boobs was a price she was willing to pay.

Michael recovered first with a “Hey, um...wow… Pam. I’ve had dreams like this but I never thought I’d actually see them!”

Pam gasped and ran her hands up over the hard peaks of her nipples as though she wanted to shield herself from their eyes.

Jim pulled his gaze away and turned on his boss. In a deep, gravelly voice she barely recognized, he said, “Michael! You are NOT allowed to look. Go find her some towels or something in the kitchen.” Michael responded to the direct order and fled.

Pam moved her hands away to give him an unobstructed view and flipped her wet hair back. He tried so hard not to stare. He looked at the wall. He looked at his shoes. He looked at the water bottle now lying on the floor. But his eyes were drawn back to her chest like she had magnets hidden there.

She moved closer to him and whispered “Hey. You ARE allowed to look. All you want.” And she ran her hands seductively over her chest, rubbing her nipples lightly.

Jim finally looked directly at her then. No more hesitation. Suddenly his hand was reaching out to touch her and now it was her breathing hard, stunned by how much she wanted this, how much just the thought of his hand on her made her ache for him. His fingers brushed against her nipple before he covered her entire breast with his hand and stroked it gently. It was like he was weighing it, measuring it, committing every bit to memory. She couldn’t help it- she moaned, a broken sound she couldn’t believe came out of her. The noise seemed to shake him from his daze and he reached out with his other hand to grab her hip, pulling her flush against him. She felt him then, so full and hard against her and her breath caught in her throat. She couldn’t remember ever feeling this turned on in her life. This little ruse had worked way too well and she’d caught herself in the trap too. He bent his head to kiss her and of course that’s when Michael came in, walking backwards, apparently so he wouldn’t accidentally see her.

“There weren’t any towels in the kitchen or the break room or anywhere so I went through Toby’s things and found this sweatshirt you can use…”

Jim gave her one last soft caress before stepping back reluctantly. He took the sweatshirt from Michael and said “Arms up.” She lifted her arms and he slid the shirt over her head. He smiled down at her and very quietly leaned in to give her one chaste kiss before saying “Okay, Michael. You can turn around.”

Michael turned and saw that she was indeed decent. “Hey, you know what? You could definitely be like a stripper or a waitress at Hooters if you wanted to. You’ve got the body for it.”

“I don’t think so,” Jim said. “I mean, I’m flattered but paper is my passion.”

Pam laughed as Michael looked at Jim. “Not you, Jimbo. Although I’ve never seen you naked. Maybe you’d do okay at Chippendales. Some women like tall, goofy guys.”

“I sure do,” said Pam softly.

Jim gave her one more smile before Michael suddenly remembered the reports and broke the mood. They finished their tasks in companionable silence, Pam’s heart lighter than it had been in a long, long time.

One more day, she thought. Tomorrow was all or nothing.

Jim woke up feeling good. In fact, he felt better than he had in ages. Odd since last night, he’d been miserable. When he left the office, he’d spent a few minutes bathed in the warm glow of what had just happened. Then reality hit. Pam wasn’t his and he had no idea what kind of game she was playing. He’d driven straight to Karen’s house. He was going to break up with her. He had to. This wasn’t fair to her. It certainly wasn’t her fault that as far as he was concerned just seeing Pam wet was a million times more erotic than anything he and Karen had ever done in bed. But when he got to Karen’s, she wasn’t there. He checked his cell phone- 4 voicemails, all from Karen in increasing stages of inebriation. The last one was just a 3 minute rant about how peanuts in Scranton bars tasted worse than the ones in Stamford. He had completely forgotten about Poor Richards. No way was he going there to break up with her while she was wasted. And did he really want to anyway? Karen was safe. If he stayed with her, they could both get jobs at corporate and start climbing that ladder to success. Would that be so bad? At least she didn’t turn him inside out like Pam did. What was up with her? Friday she’d said she missed his friendship and by Monday she was actively trying to make him insane. He’d had more erections in the past few days than he’d had since he was 14 years old and a stiff breeze could make him hard.

He’d gone home and decided not to think about Pam. He turned on the TV, got himself a beer and sat down to figure out what he wanted for dinner. Two minutes later, his pants were unzipped and he was on the brink of one of the best orgasms he’d ever experienced. All he had to do was think about her saying “Do you need a little help with that?” or “You ARE allowed to look” or the way she moaned when he touched her and he was just gone.

That’s when he had an epiphany. A masturbation revelation. Everything she was doing- all the new clothes, the flirtation, the seduction- it wasn’t a game. It was her making a declaration of intent. She wanted him as much as he wanted her and she was trying to tell him in no uncertain terms that she didn’t want him to leave again. She was giving him a reason to stay and god DAMN it was a good one. Because what the hell did success in the big city matter if his heart was stuck right here in Scranton?

By Wednesday morning, it was all very clear to him. He wasn’t going anywhere. Of course, he couldn’t tell her that yet. He had to tell Karen first. He owed her that much. She had to know why he was torpedoing all her carefully laid plans for a future with him. There wasn’t going to be time or opportunity until after work. So for the day, he had to pretend nothing had changed. Which had an added benefit: Pam was probably going to pull out all the stops today. Bring out the big guns, so to speak. Although frankly, he didn’t know what guns would be more impressive than the ones he’d seen yesterday. But he had faith in her. “Bring it on, Beesly,” he thought with a smile. He was more than ready.

He got to work early. He wanted to have a good seat for the “Pam Beesly: Wanton Temptress” show. It was compelling.

Every time the door opened, he nearly jumped out of his chair hoping it was her, but no luck. Stanley, Phyllis, Angela, and Toby so far. None of them were the slightest bit alluring. Although he’d never seen Toby in stockings and stilettos before so he couldn’t really make a fair assessment.

Karen straggled in next looking more than a little hungover. She put her stuff down then came over to his desk and leaned next to him.

“Hey, you never called me back last night. I am REALLY sorry about all the messages.”

“It’s fine,” Jim said with a wry smile. “I made a lot of notes on your dissertation about peanuts. I might write a paper. Don’t worry- I’ll credit you as a source.”

She laughed, looking relieved and bent to kiss him. She was aiming for his lips but he turned his head at the sound of the door opening and the kiss ended up somewhere near his ear.

And there was Pam. Oof. In spite of knowing she was going to go all out today, he was still stunned. He desperately tried to get air into his lungs. Today’s shirt was a lightweight blue sweater, form-fitting and cut daringly low. The skirt was black and fit like it had been made for her curves. It ended above the knee and as she walked past him on her way to her desk, he realized she was wearing black stockings and heels again. Only this time the stockings had a seam running up the back of each leg. Jesus. How was he supposed to deal with THAT? He was still overwhelmed by the plain ones from the other day and now this?

He knew he was staring. He knew Karen was right there next to him. He knew he was making an ass of himself. He just couldn’t bring himself to care. As Pam sat down and started up her computer, she looked directly at him. Her hair was loose again of course, the big curls framing her face. She didn’t have on a lot of makeup- not that he could tell anyway- but she was wearing lipstick. Dark red lipstick. And as she met his eyes, those red, red lips curled into a knowing smile, her eyes twinkling with mischief. Oh man. She was going to pay for all of this in the best possible way. He smiled back and winked which seemed to make her suddenly nervous and she turned to check the phone messages.

Karen had been looking back and forth between the two of them through the entire exchange. She looked like she wanted to explode with anger but was caught by her desire to always stay professional and not cause a scene. She muttered “I cannot WAIT until we’re out of this hellhole once and for all” and stomped off to her desk.

Pam was very discreet for most of the day. Except for the way she kept walking by his desk, always moving a little slower when she was walking away so he could get a good unobstructed view of those stockings. Except for the way that when she dropped papers off to him, she deliberately leaned over farther than necessary. Except for how she stopped and pretended to brush invisible lint off his back, fingers lingering and then tangling in his hair for a brief moment. And every time he looked up, Karen was glaring daggers at him or Pam. At lunchtime, he headed for the break room to buy a soda and stopped when he heard their voices.
Pam was saying, “...wanted you to know I’m sorry about what happened on beach day.” She sounded absolutely sincere and Jim wondered what the hell that was supposed to mean.

Karen sounded relieved. “It’s okay. We all say things we don’t mean.”

“Oh no. I meant every word of it. I’m just sorry if it made you feel weird.” And she turned and left the room, almost smacking into Jim who was still lurking outside.

“Sorry,” she said sweetly, unable to hide her triumphant little smile. And she brushed her fingers over his chest as she moved around him and continued on her way, hips swaying like she knew he was still watching.

He turned back to look at Karen, raising one eyebrow. Her eyes were narrow slits as she spit out “Pam is kind of a bitch.” Jim laughed at that. Just honest to god laughed.

“You know what, Karen? That is almost definitely the first time those words have ever been uttered about Pam Beesly. You just seem to bring out the bitch in her for some reason.”

“Lucky me,” she said, eyes still angry and a little bit calculating. Uh oh. Jim didn’t like that at all but she swept by him before he could say another word.

A couple of hours later, she approached Pam and with a saccharine smile. “Hey, Pam? Could you make 6 copies of all of these sales reports? Jim and I need them for the interviews tomorrow.”

He got her point immediately. She was trying none too subtly to remind Pam that she was leaving with Jim tonight and they were going to New York. That she was taking him away from Pam, hopefully forever. He saw the fleeting look in Pam’s eyes, the sadness and pain. He wanted to step in, blurt out that it would be okay, he wasn’t going anywhere but before he could, she seemed to mentally steel herself and said “Sure. No problem. I really hope you get the job.”

There was no mistaking the intent there. “I hope YOU get the job and go away.” Wow, he thought. Well played. She was so much tougher than she used to be and it was sexy as all hell. A bold new Pam indeed.


The work day crawled to a close, time ticking by so slowly that several times he wondered if the clock was broken. He knew she was going to find a way to keep him here later than everyone else again. He was dying to know what her gambit would be and what might happen after. It was a delicious anticipation and when Karen showed up at his desk with her coat on, he jumped a little, startled out of his musings.

“Ready to go?” she said excitedly, almost giddy to finally walk away from this place into whatever new life she envisioned for them.

Pam looked up then. “Karen! Here are your reports. I’m so sorry I didn’t get them to you sooner. My printer wasn’t working and I just got it figured out.”

“Oh, um, no big deal. Thanks, Pam. Do you have Jim’s? Because we only have a couple of hours and then we’re hitting the road.”

“Shoot. No, they’re not quite done. I’ll finish printing them right now and get them into report covers. It’ll take me like 20 minutes, tops.” She said it so innocently. Ms. Beesly was a far better actress than Jim ever gave her credit for.

“Just go ahead, Karen. I have a couple of things to wrap up here anyway. Client lists and stuff that I’ll have to pass on when I get the job.” He grinned to show her he’s kidding.

“Pfft. You mean when I get the job and you move to the city with me to be my little trophy husband? Sure. Sounds good. I’ll meet you at your place in two hours, okay?” She seemed to have regained her confidence as she smirked at him before walking out the door.

Within 15 minutes, it was like a rerun of yesterday. No one was left but the two of them and Michael. He looked into his office and saw him hanging up the phone.

“Pamalama? I need you to get all the reports and sales numbers off my computer and arrange them and make me look like the most amazing branch manager in the history of Dunder Mifflin, okay? Shouldn’t be a problem since I AM the most amazing branch manager in the history of Dunder Mifflin. I have to go show my condo to a prospective buyer but I’ll be back in an hour or so.”

She watched him walk out the door and turned to Jim, trying not to laugh. “The history of Dunder Mifflin. Such a storied history.”

“Indeed, Pam.” He adopted an intellectual air, stroking his chin thoughtfully. “So few people understand the importance of it. Because those who do not know the history of Dunder Mifflin are doomed to repeat the history of Dunder Mifflin.”

Her giggles made his heart swell. They always had. When she laughed at something he said, it was like he was the funniest man alive, playing to an audience of one, the only audience he needed.

His smile faded as he studied her, waiting for her next move. He didn’t have long to wait.

“You reports are done. Could you grab some report covers out of the supply closet? I used the last ones on the shelves out here for Karen’s reports.”

Ah ha. The supply closet. Of course.

“Absolutely I will,” he said. Her head jerked up as she heard the words. The ones he always uttered when Dwight asked him to go along with something secret. He could see her wondering if he did that on purpose, but he walked off to the supply closet before she could ask him anything.

He stood in the little room, eyes roaming over the shelves. No report covers. He stepped back out and looked through the kitchen window until she glanced up. He shrugged elaborately, conveying how few report covers he’d found. She rolled her eyes and stood up, her movements quick and sure, but he somehow could detect that she was a little nervous now that it was actually show time.

He stepped back into the closet and pretended to be really searching for the holy grail of report covers. She squeezed in with him, pushing him back from the shelves so she could find them herself. And of course they were on the very bottom shelf. And of course that meant she had to bend way, wayyyy over right in front of him. No stooping or squatting for Pam. No way. She bent from the waist, presenting him with a truly excellent view of her rear end. There was so little room in here that she was scant inches from him. He moved back as far as he could so he could really take in her ass, her legs, those god damned stockings, the fuck me pumps. Andddd he was hard again. If he was being honest, he’d been about halfway there all day. The way she looked coupled with the suspense of exactly how she would lure him in had made him crazy. Well, you know what? Time for a little direct action.

She was saying “Ah! Found them!” when he took a step up behind her and put both hands on her hips. Her words seemed to die on her lips as he slotted in behind her, letting her really feel him. He almost expected her to pull away, to stop him. Instead she leaned into it and wriggled her hips, deliberately grinding against him. Oh god. He was going to come in his pants like a teenager. He had to get a grip and slow this down or her seduction was going to turn into one embarrassing sticky mess. But he couldn’t make himself stop. He ran his hands up her back, feeling the softness of her sweater, the delicate muscles of her back. He bent a little and grabbed her shoulders, gently pulling her up until she was standing with her back flush against him.

Her hips were still moving, the light pressure not nearly enough but almost too much. He moved his hands around and slid them under her sweater, touching the smooth skin of her stomach and trailing up to her breasts. Her breath caught as he ran a thumb across each nipple, teasing her through her lace bra. He buried his face in her hair, breathing in the scent that had haunted him for years. Coconut and vanilla and something that was just Pam. She reached up and moved her hair to one side, exposing her neck. He was happy to oblige, planting tender kisses mixed with the slightest of bites. She made a sound somewhere between a moan and a sigh as he licked a trail all the way up to her ear. That sound was nearly his undoing.

He turned her around and moved her up against the back wall, the only one not covered in metal shelving. He bent his head and kissed her, hard and demanding. She didn’t hesitate for a second, just snaked her arms around his neck and pulled him down, matching his desire with her own. He pressed his thigh between her knees and she gasped, rocking against him. He could see her losing control and he revelled in it. He refused to even close his eyes. He didn’t want to miss a single second of this. She was panting into his mouth as their tongues tasted each other and he slid his hands down to cup her ass and move her up and down his leg. Suddenly her eyes flew open and he saw her trying to check her impulses.

He was careful not to smile. He understood. This was her show, her seduction, and she was supposed to be in charge. He had zero problems with that. He gave her a tiny bit of room and she abruptly maneuvered them so that their positions were reversed, his back against the cold wall. She kissed him again, running her hand along his jawline, feeling the stubble. She moved her lips there and then nipped down his neck, pulling his tie off and practically tearing his shirt open. Whoa. That was hot. She stood back a little to study him. He was starting to feel self-conscious as her eyes roamed over his chest until he heard the sound that was coming from deep in her throat. Somewhere between a purr and a growl, it went straight through him.

“Did you just...growl?” he asked her in a whisper.

She didn’t even glance up at him, couldn’t seem to tear her eyes off his torso. “Yeah. I guess I did. I had no idea you had chest hair.”

“Oh. Is that going to be a problem?”

“It’s going to be a HUGE problem if you end up staying here in Scranton. How am I ever going to get any work done knowing what you’re hiding under those shirts?”

“Hmmm. Yes, I can see how that would be an issue.” He pretended to think about her dilemma. “Aha! The solution to your problem is prolonged exposure to said chest hair. I recommend we spend the next few days completely naked. By the end of that, you should be totally immune to my charms.”

“I doubt that very much but it’s worth a try,” she said as she ran her hands over his chest. She pressed back up against him, kissing, biting, sucking, touching up and down his chest, over his nipples, down across his stomach. His heart was pounding, his breath coming in short bursts. She kept it up mercilessly, finally dropping to her knees and mouthing over his erection right through his khaki pants.

His head flew back and hit the wall behind him with a solid thunk. Oh god. He was gonna die this way. There was no surviving the sight of the girl he’d been dreaming about for years on her knees in front of him. Yep. Dead. Then he felt her undo his belt, heard his zipper go down. Nope, NOW he was dead. She freed him from his pants and boxers, stroking him. No, okay- this time he was REALLY dead. For sure. Fuck. She slowly and deliberately ran her tongue along his length several times, teasing him, before finally taking him in. He didn’t want to look down. He really didn’t. If he looked, it would be over. He’d either pass out or come if he saw her mouth on him. Maybe both. And wouldn’t that be embarrassing? But he couldn’t NOT look either. So he chanced it and opened his eyes. She was looking up at him, eyes hot with desire, her mouth moving over him and…

“Pam! I’m gonna…”

She moved off of him for a second. “Then do it.” Her voice was husky and deeper than usual and that was all it took. His orgasm was nearly blinding, white flashes around the corners of his eyes, and he was saying things, nonsense, unable to keep quiet. When it was over he slumped down the wall, wound up sitting on the hard floor. She was still on her knees and he pulled her into him, onto his lap. “Damn. That was...wow, Pam.”

She grinned at him, clearly pleased with herself.

“But really, Pam? The supply closet? It’s such a cliche! I thought you were going to come up with someplace really naughty and totally surprising.”

She gaped at him. He watched it dawn on her that he had known this was coming, had welcomed it, had wanted it.

“Damn it. I really thought I was being all sneaky and sexy and mysterious.”

“Oh you were. I was totally freaked out at first. But then I decided to relax and just go with it. I knew you wouldn’t disappoint. But I repeat: the supply closet?”

“Hey, Halpert- I’ve had approximately one million fantasies about dragging you in here and blowing...your mind,” she finished with a grin.

“Good to know. Any other places around here that you’ve had dirty thoughts about?”

“How about all of them? In my head, you’ve bent me over every desk in this office, had your way with me on the table in the conference room, the stall in the ladies room. You name it, in my mind we’ve done it there.”

He scanned her face, trying to see if she was serious. She nodded. “Yes. Really, really serious.”

“That’s an amazing coincidence. We’ve done it in all those places and more in my mind too.”

“Oh yeah? More? Where else?”

“Shelves in the warehouse, on the forklift, on the roof- weather permitting, of course.”

She looked delighted. “The roof…. I love it. I can’t believe I never thought of that!”

“That is because you are an amateur.”

She smacked his chest. “Hey, you better watch yourself, buddy. You haven’t even seen what I’m wearing under this skirt yet. Keep it up and you never will.”

“I take back what I said about you being an amateur. You are clearly a professional fantasizer and I bow to your superior abilities. Now let’s get up. My ass is falling asleep.”

Pam crawled off him, brushing off her knees. He hauled himself up and zipped his pants. He started rebuttoning his shirt and realized half the buttons were gone. Pam noticed and giggled again. “Whoops! I’m so sorry. Here, let me find the buttons. I can sew them back on for you if you want.”

“Nah. I’m actually just gonna have this shirt professionally framed and then I’ll hang it in my apartment to remind me of the best thing that ever happened to me.”

She bit her lip. “Think your girlfriend will approve of your decorating choices?”

“I don’t know. Hard to say really. The girlfriend I have right this second would hate it. She has no taste in fine furnishings and decorations. That’s why last night I decided to break up with her. Now on the other hand, the woman who’s going to be my brand new girlfriend by this time tomorrow will LOVE it. She has very refined taste.” He felt breathless after that speech. Kinda presumptuous but it paid off when she beamed at him and simply said “Okay then.”

They walked back to their desks.

“Shoot,” she said. “I still have to get all of Michael’s stuff off his computer and arrange it for him.”

“I’ll help. We’ll get it done in no time.”

She went into Michael’s office and moved behind his desk, glancing out the window.

“OH MY GOD.” He heard the fear in her voice and ran to stand beside her.

She pointed into the parking lot and at the same time they both whispered, “Karen.”

They looked at each other, checking to see how obvious their activities had been.

“This just isn’t fair,” Jim said looking at her then down at himself in dismay. “You still look amazing. Your lipstick’s a little messy but other than that, you’re perfect. And I look…”

She grinned at him “...like you’ve been mauled by a wild animal?”

“Yep. The wildest animal. A lust-crazed Beesly.”

She gasped. “Those are so dangerous! They’ll eat you alive.”

“Oh believe me. I know. So what the hell am I gonna do?”

Pam flew into action. “Grab your suit jacket. Hurry.” He did as he was told. She ran to Phyllis’ desk and grabbed a couple of safety pins out of the top drawer.

“Go get your tie out of the closet. Go to the bathroom and wash all the lipstick off your face. I don’t think I got it on your shirt- I was trying to avoid the whole ‘lipstick on the collar’ thing. Pin your shirt up and put your tie on so she can’t see the pins. Then put your jacket on.”

He looked at her, impressed. “Wow. You’re really good in crisis.”

“Yeah, yeah. Just move it!” She ran into Michael’s office and sat down like she’d been there the whole time. As he headed for the kitchen, he heard the printer whir to life as she started printing off the reports.

He opened the supply closet and almost lost himself in the memory of what had just happened. It smelled like them in there. Her shampoo, his aftershave, and something muskier and dark. Shaking his head to get control of his senses, he grabbed his tie which was hanging on a broom handle behind the door and headed to the men’s room.

Regarding himself in the mirror, he realized she was right about the lipstick. It was all over his mouth, his jaw, down his neck. He wished he didn’t have to wash it off. It was visible proof of how much she’d wanted him. With a sigh, he scrubbed himself down then pinned his shirt shut. Tie on, jacket on, and boom. Nary a trace of scandalous evidence.

He headed back into the main office. Karen was standing at the door of Michael’s office. He heard her asking Pam, “So he really sold his condo? That’s just insane!”

He heard Pam’s answering laugh and it nearly undid him. He wanted to go in there, throw her over his shoulder, and run out of the office yelling “We’re over, Karen! It’s not you, it’s me!”

He braced himself and walked over to Karen. She looked up at him and smiled, “Hey! About done?” He tried desperately not to glance over at Pam and nodded. “Yeah. We really need to talk, okay?”

She stepped back then, studying his face. “Oh. Yeah. Okay.” She glanced at his clothes and narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Why are you wearing your suit jacket with your shirt all untucked like that?”

“Huh,” he said. “I must not have tucked it back in after I used the bathroom.” Good, Halpert, he thought. Cool as a cucumber. He tucked his shirt in and heard Pam gasp. Karen was staring at him, mouth hanging open in shock.

“What?” he looked down at himself and felt his heart sink. There was a bright red lipstick stain in the shape of Pam’s mouth on the crotch of his pants. “Hoo boy,” he literally didn’t know what else to say.

He looked over at Pam. Her eyes were enormous, horrified. She was covering her mouth with her hand like she thought that hiding her lips was somehow going to stop Karen from putting two and two together. He took a deep breath and glanced at Karen. She looked pissed. Not surprised or shocked. Just pissed as all hell.

“Look, Karen…” he began.

“Can it, Jim. I’m not interested in anything you have to say right now. I saw this coming a mile away, you know. I was an idiot and you are an asshole.”

“I tried to tell you last night, I knew we needed to break up, but you were so drunk and..”

“Oh, so it’s my fault? You know what- withdraw your name from consideration for this job and then stay the fuck away from me. And you better hope I never end up being your boss because I’ll make your life an unending hell.”

“Duly noted,” he said as she whirled around and stalked out of the office. He looked at Pam who hadn’t moved during the entire exchange.

He gazed back down at the front of his pants and shook his head.

“This is just great, Pam.”

“I know! I feel terrible…”

“Well, you should. Because now I have to get these pants framed, too, and my frame guy charges a lot more for pants than he does for shirts. Thanks a lot.”

“Jim! It’s not funny. You...well, WE...cheated,” she looked shocked at herself.

“You know, Pam, it’s weird. What we did earlier? It didn’t feel like cheating. I didn’t feel guilty. But the whole time I was with Karen, I couldn’t shake this nagging sense that I was cheating on you. This just felt like I was finally doing something right, like I was coming home. Does that sound totally stupid?”

“No,” she said. “That’s how I felt about Roy after Casino Night. It’s why I called off my wedding.”

He walked over to Michael’s desk chair and took her hand, pulling her gently until she was standing. He wrapped his arms around her, engulfing her in a hug. “We’re idiots, you know?”

He felt her nod, heard her sniffling a little into his shirt. “We really, really are.”

“I love you. You know that, right?” he asked.

“I do now. I love you, too.”

He pulled back a little, put his hand under her chin and tilted her face up so she was looking into his eyes.

“Can I ask you a very important question? I just need to get this out there or it’s going to weigh on my mind for the rest of the night.”

“Of course?” She looked a little concerned.

He leaned close to her ear and whispered “What ARE you wearing under that skirt?”

She pulled back, mischief dancing across her face. She reached down with one hand, grabbing the hem of her skirt and sliding it up one thigh. Slowly, slowly, she revealed that her stockings were thigh high and attached to a garter belt. And as she pulled it up so that her leg and hip were fully on display, he realized that’s all she was wearing. No panties. None. A shockingly low amount of panties. Had he stopped breathing again? Because his head felt all fuzzy and he thought he might pass out. Holy shit, that was hot. A part of him honestly hoped that after this, she’d go back to her old clothes because she was literally going to kill him if this kept up.

He stepped up to her and slid his hand down her leg, feeling drunk on the idea that he was just allowed to do this now.

“Hey, Pam?”

“Uh huh?” She seemed very distracted by the way he was now trailing his fingers along the inside of her thigh.

“Either we need to hurry up and get out of here, or I’m gonna start checking off boxes on the Pam Beesly Big List of Fantasies by bending you over the nearest desk.”

“You know what? I’m okay with either,” she said. “But Michael’s going to be back any second and I don’t need him seeing me in any more compromising positions.”

“Ah. Good point. Let’s finish this up and go to my place. I want to be able to take my time with you, Beesly. And it’s definitely going to take the rest of the night. Maybe the rest of the week. Or the rest of our lives even.”

The joy on her face was the only answer he needed.