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

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He was so tired. So tired of going into work everyday.

So tired of avoiding everyone's glances and comments every time he went up to Pam's desk, or when they shared a joke and maybe leaned a little too close to one another.

It probably wouldn't have been half as bad if Michael hadn't leaked the fact that he had a crush on her. Of course, it wasn't just a crush, and he knew that everyone knew that. Even if Michael hadn't said anything, everyone would have known anyway, because secrets weren't that easy to keep in the office - and, hell - after all this time, it had to be obvious that he was in love with her.

He had a feeling the only person who really was surprised in the end was Pam.

She couldn't have been that surprised, though - she had to have known that he was attracted to her. She just didn't want to admit it; after all, she was engaged.

Not that Jim would have minded if things between Pam and Roy didn't "work out." Ultimately, though, Jim didn't want to be the one to cause her unhappiness in her life. That was why he had chosen to leave.

After the Casino night -- after that disastrous confession of love and that fleeting kiss (he swore he had felt her hands on his cheek; her lips pressing into his - returning that kiss) ... well ... things hadn't turned out the way he'd hoped they would. Seconds after he'd kissed her, it was over, and the next thing he knew, she was slapping his face and running out of the room. He'd never been more confused (or hurt) in his life.

He didn't go to work the next day. Or the day after that. In fact, he called Jan on his days off and asked if he could get that transfer going right away, because he was eager to get a "jump start" on things. Thankfully, Jan had asked no questions, but told him to report to Stamford that Wednesday morning.

It was a bit sooner than he'd expected, but he didn't complain. He came into the office late on Tuesday and packed up his stuff. Pam was still there when he arrived, but she was sending out faxes and didn't see him walk in. He quickly grabbed a banker's box and started filling it with the personal items from his desk. He was hoping to have a quick exit, but unfortunately, Michael caught him before he could escape.

Jan had called Michael to let him know what the circumstances were, apparently, because as of Monday morning, he had no less than 15 messages on his phone, all from Michael. Tuesday had brought another twelve messages. Jim had deleted them all without listening to them. It was the last thing he needed then, and Michael was definitely the last thing he needed now.

"Jim! Why do you hate me?" Michael cried out, striding from his office to where Jim was standing, his arms open wide. Michael immediately embraced Jim upon reaching him. "Was it something I said?" he asked, stepping back.

It was amazing how completely insecure this man was, Jim thought. "No," he said shortly.

He looked up to see Pam staring at him from where she was standing at the fax machine. She looked shocked to see him. She quickly turned away as soon as she saw him watching her.

Michael looked at Pam and then back at Jim. "Ooooohhhh..." he said just a bit too loudly. Just loud enough to make both Jim and Pam cringe at the same time. "I get it," Michael continued in a stage whisper. "The whole 'P' thing didn't work out, huh?"

Jim made a face at him without realizing it. "Um, no comment," Jim said, his mouth flattening into a straight line.

"Right, right, right," Michael said. "I understand. Love hurts. Nazareth."

Jim didn't respond, but continued packing up his desk.

"You are going to e-mail me all the time, right?" Michael asked. "And call? And visit us? We're still buddies, right?"

Jim knew if he didn't humor him now, Michael would never leave him alone. "Absolutely," he said. Maybe, he thought.

Michael sighed loudly. "I'm just... sorry things didn't work out, you know..." He looked over at Pam again, who gave Michael a horrified look, then got up quickly. She gathered her things, and almost ran out of the office.

Jim looked up to see her leaving. "Yeah," he said seriously. "Me, too."

===

The first week in Stamford was fairly non-productive. Or, to put it in perspective, about as productive as any day at Dunder-Mifflin Scranton. He spent the first few days getting settled into his surroundings, meeting his co-workers, learning what everyone did and the way that they did things differently there. One thing was for sure: they worked a lot harder here than at his old office.

Which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. The only thing that was going to distract him from his screwed-up love life was work. If he kept himself busy enough, maybe eventually, he would forget he ever worked in Scranton. And forget how he had lost his heart there. And maybe one day, he would wake up, finally ready to start over.

===

On Friday, Jan Levinson from the corporate office came to visit. When she called ahead, she said she was visiting to see how he was "settling in," and to give him an overview on what the company expected from that position.

When she arrived, though, Jim noticed the careful way she regarded him as they talked about how things were going in Stamford. She was very obviously avoiding any conversations about why he had chose to leave the Scranton branch. For anyone else, that would be a stupid question: the job in Stamford was better pay and a title promotion, to boot. But Jan knew that Jim had avoided quite a few opportunities to advance over the past seven years he had been working for Dunder-Mifflin.

Jim also assumed she had talked to Michael. (Probably in depth, knowing Michael.) God only knew what kinds of stories he had put into Jan's head.

He'd been so distracted by the thought of this, he barely caught the end of what she was saying, " -- dinner after this?"

"What?" Jim asked. "Sorry," he added quickly, feeling horrible that he had not been paying attention to what the boss of his boss was saying.

"I was just wondering -- if maybe I could take you to dinner after work; you know, to discuss things, and, you know... just..." She trailed off.

Jim looked at her, surprised, but quickly masked his expression. "Um, yeah," he said. "That would be great, I'd like that."

"Okay," Jan said, clapping her hands together and standing up quickly. "I've got some business matters to discuss with Josh, but we will meet up at five 'o clock."

Jim smiled quickly. "Sounds good."

Truth be told, he was terrified at the prospect of Jan taking him to dinner. What could she possibly want to talk about? He hoped it was just work matters, but something told him it was more than that. Jan seemed to take a liking to him -- she was very excited about the idea of him taking the promotion in Stamford, and she was always very friendly with him when she was visiting their office.

Maybe she wanted to talk to him about Michael. He shuddered at that thought. There was a can of worms that didn't need to be opened. They had already briefly broached that topic on the Casino night. It was uncomfortable then, and he really didn't want to think about Jan and Michael having sex. Ugh.

What if she asked him about Pam? Jan had to know that Pam was the real reason why he'd transferred. Would she ask him about what happened between them? He really didn't want to talk about it, and especially not with Jan of all people.

He was really not looking forward to dinner at all.

===

Jan insisted on driving to the restaurant. She had a late-model silver Volvo with gray leather seats and a navigation system built into the front panel. When her car started up, classical music was playing on the radio. She turned it down before putting the car into the reverse and backing up.

"I thought I'd bring you to one of my favorite Italian places around here," she said. "Did you know I used to work at this branch before I got promoted to corporate?"

"Um, no," Jim said, shaking his head at her. It was surreal, sitting in this car with its leather smell and classical music while your boss's boss took you out to dinner. He felt awkward and cramped. His knees pressed up against the glove compartment.

"You know, you can move that seat back," Jan said, leaning across to show him where the power buttons were. When she did so, he felt her arm brush across his pants, causing him to twitch.

He took a deep breath. "Thanks," he said.

He felt odd, sitting in the car with Jan. It gave him a weird feeling in his stomach, like he was cheating on Pam. Not that he ever was with Pam. Not that sitting in a car with another woman meant anything. It was just a business matter, anyway. She probably just wanted to talk about the future of his job; what they expected of him in Stamford; what kind of business he'd be focusing on -- that sort of thing. There was nothing odd about this. Right? He cleared his throat.

"What was that?" Jan asked.

"Oh, nothing, sorry, I just ... had something ... you know, sorry."

"Ah," Jan said.

Jim wondered if Jan knew how nervous he suddenly felt. He clasped his hands together. They felt clammy.

===

The restaurant was small and intimate with oil lamps and checkered tablecloths with paper tops. Jim followed the host, who led Jan to a table in the back. As they sat down, Jan smiled warmly at him. She had a beautiful smile. Her teeth were very straight and white, and it lit up her entire face when she smiled at him. Jim thought it was strange he'd never noticed that, but that was probably because she was never very happy every time she had come to see Michael at the Scranton branch.

Even in Stamford, though, she was all business and rarely smiled. She seemed like a different person now.

"Thank you for doing this, Jim," she said. "I hope you didn't have any other plans."

"Oh - no," Jim said, glancing down. "I, uh -- I really don't know anyone here yet, and, yeah, no -- you're not interrupting anything." Jim felt like he was stumbling over his words. He kneaded his hands underneath the table.

Jan tilted her head to the side. "I'm sure you're curious why I asked you to come to dinner."

Definitely. "Um," Jim said. He looked at her, and raised his eyebrows.

"I'm just..." Jan started, but their waiter came over at that moment to take drink orders. Jan said, "We'll have a bottle of the ..." she glanced quickly at the wine list, "Ruffino Reserva Ducale chianti, the 2004 vintage, please." She thought for a moment and looked over at Jim. "Do you drink wine?"

"Uh... yeah, yeah," Jim said quickly. He wasn't usually a wine drinker, but would occasionally drink wine at a nice dinner, like this one. The last time he'd had wine was on a date with Katy. That seemed like a very long time ago.

"Excellent," Jan said to the waiter. "Could you please give us a moment on the entrees?"

"I'll be right back with the wine, ma'am," the waiter said.

Jan turned back to him. "What I was saying was... I guess ... I'm wondering why you didn't take a promotion like this years ago."

Jim blew a breath out through pursed lips. He knew this was coming. He really didn't want to talk about it.

"I mean, you've had plenty of opportunities for advancement before -- why wait this long?"

Jim looked at her straight on. She had large eyes and wore too much eye make-up. Jan was attractive, but the make-up made her sharp features look even more severe. "I, uh ..." He paused. Do you really want to do this? Jim pressed his lips together. "It's complicated," he finally said.

"Is it about Pam?" Jan asked.

Jim flinched, feeling his stomach jump. "Well," he said, "I'm sure you know all about it, thanks to Michael's great ability to keep information to himself." Jim smiled tersely at Jan.

Jan chuckled to herself. "Michael did mention that you were ... interested in Pam. But that she was getting married... to someone else."

"Yes, to Roy, who works in the warehouse." He almost said "our warehouse," as if he still worked at the Scranton branch. It was going to be hard getting used to being somewhere else.

"I think Michael mentioned that as well. Is she getting married soon?"

"June 10th," Jim said, swallowing. That was three weeks away. "I'm, uh - leaving for Australia on the 8th, taking a vacation, you know, getting away, that sort of thing." He nodded to himself, not looking at Jan.

The wine had arrived by then, and the waiter poured the wine out for them. They ordered their dinners and the waiter left again. Jim took a large gulp from the glass. He felt very uncomfortable, and quickly grabbed a piece of bread, spreading butter onto it. Maybe if he kept himself busy with eating, he wouldn't have to talk as much.

"You were in love with her?" Jan asked.

That statement made him start coughing. He took a sip of water to calm his throat down. Jan was still staring at him when he put the glass of water down. She raised an eyebrow at him. Jim pursed his lips again, not looking directly at her. "Um... yeah," he said quietly. He bit into his lower lip, studying Jan's slender fingers. Her thumb and index finger were grasping the stem of the wine glass, sliding up and down as she watched him.

"Do you know her fiancé?"

"Roy?" Jim asked. He half-snorted. "I mean, yeah, sort of." He rolled his eyes. "I mean, we're not friends, but I know a lot about him from what Pam said. I know he complains about taking her out to dinner. I know he forgot about her once and left her at a hockey game. I also know that he's the one that talked her out of taking that design internship." Jim looked up at Jan purposefully. He knew that would hit home.

"Really?" Jan asked, surprised. She nodded, thinking about it, and took a sip of wine. "That... makes more sense, now. When I asked her about it, she gave me what seemed like a lot of excuses... but -- hm."

Jim shook his head. When he looked up again, his eyes reflected anger. "She came up to me that day and told me all about it. She seemed really excited about it; she said it sounded really cool. I told her she should do it. And then -- later that day, she told me she wasn't doing it. And that Roy said it was a bad idea. Roy." Now that he was talking about it, his anger gathered momentum. "I mean, not everything is about Roy -- this was about her, about what she wants to do. She never does what she wants. She does everything he wants. All the time.

"She cooks him dinner, every night. She told me once that she didn't know the last time someone had cooked for her. She sits at home while he goes out with his buddies to the bar. He never comes to events, work stuff with her. Or if he does come, he always finds an excuse to leave early. He proposed to her almost four years ago - oh, I couldn't believe it - then, Michael tells me that the first proposal wasn't even real. To top that off, he set the date on the Booze Cruise. He was drunk and thanks to Captain Jack," Jim stuck out his tongue as he said it, "Roy decided it was time to actually set a date. So, yeah."

Jan looked at him with sad sympathy. "Did you ever tell her how you feel?"

Jim bit his lower lip again, and then licked them quickly before answering. "Um," he nodded, "yeah, I did. She said, basically, that it was too late for her to change anything, that she'd been with Roy too long, and ..." He stopped and took a deep breath. He did not need to cry over this. Not here. Not in front of Jan. He took a sip of wine to distract himself.

"Do you think she had feelings for you?" Jan asked.

"I... don't know," Jim said, trying to swallow the ever-rising lump in his throat. "Maybe. I just ... I just know that she didn't choose me; she chose Roy, so..." He licked his lips again. "That's why I'm here." He looked up at Jan, who still had that sad / sympathetic look in her eyes. He rubbed both of his eyes and then ran his fingers through his hair.

"Romance sucks," Jan said, surprising Jim. She half-covered her mouth, shaking her head. "I haven't exactly had my fair share of luck in the past year, either."

Jim couldn't help but smile. He remembered talking to Jan in the parking lot on the Casino night. She'd driven all the way from New York to come down, Michael had been acting weird all night between Jan and his new realtor-girlfriend, and when Jim found her, she was chain-smoking in the parking lot, leaning up against her car. He'd felt strangely close to Jan that night. He had never talked to her like that before. She confessed to hooking up with Michael, which had totally surprised him.

He still didn't fully understand to this day why Jan had hooked up with Michael. Then again, Jim didn't understand why he had told Michael he had a thing for Pam.

"Yeah," Jim said, forcing his smile back, but Jan looked at him and started to grin. Then she started laughing. Jim couldn't help but grin back at her. What was going on?

"I'm sorry," she said once she had settled down. "It's just... kind of absurd, I guess, this whole thing with Michael. And it's not like it just happened once - I mean -- I probably shouldn't admit this, but everyone's going to see it, anyway; the cameras saw us -- on Valentine's Day, I kissed Michael again."

Jim raised his eyebrows at her. This conversation was just all kinds of weird.

"And then, yeah - driving all the way out for that stupid Casino night and then Michael was on a date with someone else? I don't know what I was thinking."

Jim flexed his jaw. "Um," he said.

Jan continued: "I mean, it's strange, it's like he's bi-polar, one moment he's a complete, raving idiot, saying these - these offensive jokes, and the low-brow humor and that big mouth, and just being ridiculous, saying ridiculous things -- and then the next moment, he's eloquent, warm, funny, quick on his feet, he's caring..." She trailed off, looking at Jim, who was speechless.

Jim finished his glass and poured himself more wine. He offered some to Jan, who graciously accepted.

"I really don't know what to do about him," Jan said. "He told the other regional managers that we'd slept together."

"What?" Jim asked.

"He could have - he almost got us both fired, but then he figured out some crazy way to get out of it, like he does with everything, I just -- I don't understand him. He's baffling, frustrating, stupid, but smart and amazing... just, everything. I don't know." Jan shook her head, taking a sip of wine.

Jim was eager to keep the conversation on Jan. "Michael said you were divorced this year. What happened?"

"Oh, that's a long story..." Jan said. She took another drink of wine.

===

By the time they left the restaurant, they had finished two bottles of wine, in addition to two glasses of grappa with dessert, and both were feeling a little tipsy. Jim now knew all the intimate details of Jan's divorce, and the fact that her and Michael had not, in fact, had sex (thank goodness for little victories), but they had spent the night together and talked for a really long time. Jan now knew the depth of Jim's affection for Pam (that he'd been in love with her for over three years), and hadn't dated anyone since the Booze Cruise. He hadn't talked this much with anyone for a really long time.

As they headed towards Jan's car, Jim caught Jan looking up at every few steps and smiling at him. He noticed the way that her white collared shirt opened up to the top button of her black jacket, and from the angle at which he stood, he could see the outline of a peach-colored bra, trimmed with lace, and just a hint of cleavage poking out. Her skin was smooth and her thin legs strode purposefully across the parking lot, despite the fact that she was wearing very tall high heels. He noticed the fact that her stockings had a black seam that ran up the back of her leg.

They arrived at the car and Jan stopped at the passenger side door, looking up at Jim. "I'm really glad that we went out tonight," she said. He noticed her voice sounded lower, softer than earlier.

"Yeah," Jim said, putting his hand on top of the car as he leaned into it. "You really didn't have to do this, though."

"I wanted to," she said.

He realized the way she was looking at him wasn't just sympathy. She stared at him for a long moment, neither of them saying anything. He knew what was going to happen next, but he didn't care; he was so tired of never getting what he wanted. For once he just wanted to do something stupid, do something to feel what it would feel like and not get slapped for it. He leaned down into her as she was tilting her head up to his, and their lips met.

They were softer than he'd expected, maybe because she wasn't a woman of curves, but of angles and severities. That quickly left his mind, though, as her arm circled around his neck and she pulled him even closer, her tongue darting into his mouth, efficient, thorough, causing the lower portion of his body to stir. He returned the gesture, his tongue dancing with hers. He felt her breasts pressed against his chest, and knew she had to feel him becoming stiff against her as they continued to kiss.

He didn't care that he was making out with his boss's boss. He didn't care that this was probably a bad idea and they might regret it tomorrow. He didn't care that it wasn't Pam and that she was getting married in three weeks and not to him. He needed to feel this; he needed Jan now and she needed him and he felt a deep hunger that he hadn't felt in a long time. It felt like something he had been holding back for so long and now that it was out, he couldn't stop it.

When they finally broke apart, they were both breathless, and Jan looked at Jim, her eyes dark and full of lust. She quickly pressed the remote and the car bleeped. "C'mon," she said. Her voice was throaty and she licked her lips. Jim was extremely turned on, his hard-on now completely apparent in the flat-front pants he was wearing. "I've got a room."

She didn't say anything more, but almost ran around to the other side of the car while Jim jumped into the passenger seat, barely remembering his seatbelt as they squealed out of the parking lot. The whole way back to the hotel, Jan had one hand on the steering wheel, and one on Jim's pants. She rubbed his leg, his inner thigh, coming so close to touching him there. He moaned under his breath, barely able to contain himself. He couldn't remember the last time he just felt like he wanted to fuck a woman.

He wasn't like that. He really enjoyed spending time in bed with the girls he was dating, taking his time, kissing and touching and playing with them until they were so turned on that making love was an easy, wonderful ride. He'd often imagined making love to Pam like that.

This was different. He didn't want to kiss or cuddle or be sweet with Jan. The only thing he wanted to do was have hard, vicious, nasty sex with her. He wanted his dick inside her. He wanted to fuck her until she screamed and writhed and tore at the sheets.

Jim swallowed hard, looking out the window. If he didn't think about something else, he was going to let it go right in the car before they could even get to it. He thought about Michael as they drove down the road, Jan probably going twenty over the speed limit. Stupid Michael. He couldn't even imagine Michael's romantic technique. He seemed more like the guy who would want to be held and loved rather than the nasty, dirty, impatient lover that Jim felt like right now. There was something about Jan tonight, something about the wine and the way she looked at him and the way she caressed his thigh -- not lightly at all, but with strong hands, pushing down, squeezing his leg. Wanting him. Needing him.

===

By the time they made it back to the hotel, he had taken off his tie and unbuttoned his dress shirt. They walked quickly through the lobby and he followed her to the elevators, where, thankfully, one opened right away for them. They were the only ones on the elevator, and as soon as the door closed, Jim pushed her up against the wall where he kissed her again, hard, feeling her writhe against his body as his tongue hungrily explored her mouth. He moved to her ear and nibbled on the lobe, and then her neck. She stretched out against the wall, gasping as he continued to kiss her neck, then her collarbone. He unbuttoned her jacket, and then the first button of her top, when the elevator door opened. They both stumbled out into the hall, and Jan had to collect herself in order to remember what her room number was and which way to go. She grabbed his hand and pulled him down the hall towards her hotel room.

Jim felt dizzy as he followed Jan. The whole thing was surreal, like a weird dream. A wave of desire shot through his body again as they arrived at the door and Jan slid the card in. She turned around as the door opened, using her ass to push it open the rest of the way. She watched him as he put his hand up on the door, opening it with her. Her bra was now fully exposed: a peach, satin and lace bra that just barely revealed the top of her nipple through the lace. Once they were through the threshold, Jim shut the door quickly, pushing Jan up against the wall again. He bent down and put his mouth on her left nipple, through the bra, and gently nipped at it. She cried out in surprise and obvious arousal, as she bucked up against him.

"Bed," she said, sliding away from him, throwing her jacket and shirt on the floor. Jim's shirt and tie fell to the ground as he pulled off his undershirt and slipped off his shoes. He guided her towards the edge of the bed, letting her fall against the fluffy bedcover. She was surprised to see the amount of hair that was on his chest. He wasn't as hairy as Michael, but still had a decent amount of hair. She found herself running her fingers through it, looking up at his eyes; desperate, longing. He was kissing her again, and pulling off her skirt at the same time. When he looked down, he noticed she was wearing a matching pair of very skimpy panties under the pantyhose. He ran his hands up the length of her legs, feeling the seam behind her calves, and then her thighs. When he got to her waist, he pulled down the pantyhose, but not her underwear. Coming back up, he ran his fingers along her bare legs, feeling the smooth skin against his fingertips. He rubbed against the crotch of her panties, noticing that they were already wet. She had her elbows propped up against the mattress, watching him, licking her lower lip over and over again. He could hear her breathing loudly and he wanted to go down on her.

Quickly, he pulled her underwear off, and watched her expression as he knelt down onto the floor and spread her legs apart. She moaned loudly and licked her lips again. He wasted no time; first rubbing his middle finger up from her vagina onto her clitoris, until he saw her head roll around and fall back as she gasped aloud. He shoved his middle and index finger inside her, quickly moving them in and out, twisting her fingers as he did so, using his other hand to pinch her right nipple. She bucked several times, crying out in short bursts.

Jim was so turned on watching her move; he was ready. He pulled his fingers out, wiping them on the side of his pants, and pulled his pants, socks and boxers off. He remembered at the last minute and pulled his wallet out, producing a condom he had in there (just in case).

Jan watched him as he slipped the condom on in front of her. His penis was long and lean, much like the rest of him. She touched herself, rubbing hard, making herself moan loudly. He quickly straddled her on the bed, pushing her up so her head was resting on one of the pillows. It wasn't two seconds before he was inside her, thrusting hard, and she was practically screaming, all he heard was a series of "oh's" over and over again. He saw nothing as he fucked her, just himself coming, imagining the feeling as he released, faster, and harder he pounded, and then it happened. With a loud gasp, he released. He collapsed atop her, a wave of emotion suddenly rolling over him.

Suddenly, everything felt wrong.

He just fucked the district manager of Dunder-Mifflin. Pam had rejected him, so he'd had sex with Jan. He felt another lump form in his chest, then in his throat, and before he knew it, he was heaving sobs onto Jan's bare shoulder. She wrapped her warm, small arms around him and clutched him tight. She knew. She had been there.

"It's okay," she whispered as his now flaccid penis slid out of her.

He rolled slightly to the side to take his weight off of her. She rolled to the side as well and continued to hold him for a few minutes.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm sorry, we shouldn't..."

She moved her hand over his mouth. "Shh. Just don't." Jan reached over and kissed him tenderly. It wasn't at all like before, but it wasn't at all like kissing Pam, either. It was protective. Comforting. Reassuring.

Jim lay there until his stomach settled down again. Slowly, he got up. "I think I need to clean up and go home," he said, looking at her slim, naked body strewn across the bed. She propped herself up on one arm and nodded. She was all angles and straight lines, except for her small, round breasts with pert nipples. Her thin, blonde hair fell against the pillow.

"Jim?" she said, as he started to walk toward the bathroom.

"Yeah?" he asked, turning around.

She studied his tall, lean body for a half-second before saying, "I'm not sorry about doing this, you know."

Jim didn't say anything.

"I don't think you should be, either."

Jim nodded, almost imperceptibly, and went into the bathroom.

===

THE END