She had a few minutes and decided on a morning break. She was, of course, in a bit of a hurry, since her desk still had a number of things piled up to get accomplished. It was one of her strong suites, though, to get things done. She’d only worked for Walters Inc for a short while but already had a reputation for being organized and was developing into a truly ‘go to’ kind of person.

Ariel Craine was tickled with her job. She’d gotten a number of different kinds of skills at school and was competent in accounting, pr and simple organization techniques.

She canvassed around for the better part of a year, after school, with her wonderful Momma, Lillian, constantly telling her to be patient. It was good advice for Ariel and the patience paid off.

She’d had an initial interview at Walters and was pleased to be called back for another and offered a job. She concentrated hard enough to be able to get up to speed with it in a relatively short time, and, by now, had been working there for almost a year.

During that time the big boss, Brian Walters, had been only there part time. it seemed that he was working on a project to expand the firm and had been busy with it. But Brian was a ‘hands on’ type of boss and certainly knew all about his workers, including Ariel. It’s just that they had only had a few brief chances to deal with each other, that is until that Wednesday morning in the break room.

She’d hurried to the break room, from her area, for a quick glass of iced tea. It was one of what she called ‘her weaknesses’.

She was humming to herself, a usual trait with our Ariel, and, concentrating mentally on what she was doing just then at her desk, turned around and ran into Brian Walters. That is, she ran into Brian Walters and poured her iced tea down the front of his pants.

Brian, that morning, was wearing a gray suit and had on a white shirt with thin blue stripes in it and a tie.

Ariel stood and noticed what she’d done; she also noticed who it was that she’d poured her tea on and, almost instinctively, grabbed napkins and started frantically wiping at the tea stain on his pants. Only, she was, in effect, running her hands up and down along his fly and pants front.

Then she realized that and dropping the napkins, fled weeping into her hands, leaving the tea, the napkins and Brian Walters behind.

At this point in her life, Ariel Craine was a petit 23 year old. She had short brown hair that was kind of feathered, a style that she liked. ‘It made it easy to deal with, ‘ she thought. She was a bit slim, though not skinny at all. She had small breasts with very pointy nipples and sported, for one and all to see, a world class, upside down heart shaped butt: her best feature perhaps.

After the break room disaster, Ariel immediately fled in tears. Brian was left just shaking his head and cleaning up and thinking about what he could, should do.

She got back to her area, and her desk and simply didn’t know what to do. There were four of them that worked this section. Marge was the oldest and had worked there the longest. It was she that noticed how upset Ariel was, when she returned from the break room

Ariel was pondering: Should she go and apologize or what. She worked with a tissue to dry the tears that had been streaming down her face, as some time passed. Then Marge was standing near her desk.

“What is it, love?” Marge asked.

That made Ariel weep again. Through the tears, with hesitations, Ariel explained what she had done.

It caused Marge to grin widely. “Really?” she asked. “To Brian?”

“Yes,” Ariel said, wiping her tears and sounding miserable. “And then...” She went on to explain how she had begun to mop at the front of Brian’s pants. “Um...” she hesitated, “You know, right there; that spot.”

Now Marge was grinning again and beginning to laugh.

“You just settle down, love,” Marge whispered to Ariel. It’ll be fine. Brian is the salt of the earth and won’t take it to heart.”

“Just don’t know exactly what to do,” Ariel said.

“Go back to work on the files that we’ve been working on,” Marge said. “And, by the way, you’re doing a super job at it.”

“Thank you, thank you,” Ariel said and hugged Marge, getting a kiss on the cheek from the older woman.

It was only a bit later that Brian contacted Marge and asked her to come to his office.

“Hey, Brian,” the older woman said, as she knocked and went into his office.

“Marge,” he said with a smile. “Please sit.”

She did.

“It’s about...” he began. She interrupted and said: “Ariel.”

“Yes,” he said. “She told you?”

“Yes,” Marge said, “Sounds like a ritual baptism to me.”

They both laughed. “I thought so,” he said. “i realize that this isn’t business as usual but it’s important to me. I feel so out of my depth here. What do I do?”

Marge smiled. “Your Achilles Heel!” she said.

“Yes, I guess so,” he replied, “Business is easier.”

“She dumped water on you?” Marge asked with a grin.

“Yes,” he said, matching her grin. “And then she went on to wipe the front of my pants. I was agog.”

“Must have been exciting,” Marge said.

“You’re enjoying this too much,” he countered.

She laughed and held up a hand: “Okay, I’ll behave. She is lovely, kind and competent and really shapely.”

“I noticed,” he said. “Help me.”

“Of course,” Marge said. “Simply ask her to lunch or dinner; lunch might be easier at first, with the two of you being at work and all.”

“I think you’re right,” he said, with a return smile. “I really owe you for this one.”

“Just be nice to that girl,” Marge said. “She’s like family by now.”

“My very best,” he promised.

“I thought so,” Marge said with a smile and kissed his cheek before they separated.

A bit later there was a knock on the office door.

The door opened and Brian Walters stood there. They all looked up. Ariel noticed right away that he was wearing a clean pair of slacks.

She didn’t know what to say or do. He was smiling.

“Hey, Brian,” Marge said. “How’s the big boss today?”

“Fine, thanks,” he said.

Ariel was extremely nervous right away. The whole scene from the break room played again in her head. In a vain effort to not break down again, she said: “Oh, Mr Walters, I’ll pay the cleaning bill. I’m so sorry.”

He held up a hand and said: “First of all, it’s Brian and there is no harm done. Maybe I should thank you for the baptism but I must say that I have already been baptized once and don’t think I needed a repeat performance.”

There was giggling throughout the office from all the women there.

There were still tears on Ariel’s face but now she put her hand over her mouth and was giggling as well into her hand. He was smiling.

“No harm done,” he said, “And no cleaning bill to be paid at all.”

“Thank you, sir,” she said, still on the verge of her emotions.

He decided it was best if he just jumped right in: “Do you have lunch plans?”

“Um, no,” she said, not very sure about what was happening.

He turned to Marge and the other ladies in the office and said: “Do you mind terribly if I were to capture Ariel and drag her off to lunch?”

He got a chorus of ‘not at alls’ from around the room.

“Shall we, you and I go to lunch?” he asked, turning to her.

“Oh,” she said, once the invitation sunk into her mind, “I’d like that. But I’d love to treat, to say ‘sorry’ for the ‘baptism’ and all.”

“I guess not,” he said, “Me with a lovely luncheon companion; a treat for me and I will foot the bill. Hope you’re hungry.”

“Famished,” she said, smiling up at him.

He turned again to the other ladies in the accounting office and said: “Okay, anything for anyone, while we’re out?”

“Desserts, I think,” Marge said, and the others echoed her statement.

“Desserts it is then,” Brian said. Then he turned to Ariel again and said: “Ready?”

She was, by this time, glowing and said: “Yes, thank you.”

She turned her face to the other ladies in the office, as Brian’s back was turned and gave them a huge grin. Then she got both a nod and a wink from Marge, as she and Brian were leaving the office.

They settled in a small Italian place that was a favorite of Brian’s. He was known there and greeted by name by the hostess.

“And welcome to your lovely companion,” the hostess said to a smiling Ariel.

“She cooks my books in accounting,” Brian said; the hostess smiled and Ariel giggled behind her hand.

They sat and she said: “This is very nice of you, asking me to lunch.”

“Well, for one thing,” he said, “I wanted to make sure that there were no lasting problems between us for you throwing a drink at me.”

She shrieked but caught the noise in her hand; he was grinning.

“Next time,” she said, “Wetter!”

“Okay,” he said, holding up a hand. “I’ll behave.”

“Don’t just know that I want you to; you’re so exciting,” she said. Then she reacted and said: “Don’t know if you tell a man that.”

He smiled and said: “Of course you do, and coming from pretty Ariel, it’s a true treat.”

“You treat me so nicely,” she said, blushing, “And I know that it’s not because I’ll cook any books.”

“Too bad,” he said, smiling.

“I am, however, an excellent cook,” she mentioned then.

“Mmm, have to try that out sometime,” was his reply.

“Is that maybe okay,” she asked, “I mean, if I were to ask you to dinner at home?”

“That would be lovely, anytime,” he said.

She flashed him a huge smile, as their lunches came. They spent time over their lunch telling about themselves and getting to know each other better.

Ariel mentioned that she lived with her Mom Lillian, that her Dad had died of a heart attack 18 months previously.

“So, it’s the two of us now,” Ariel said.

“It’s grand that you take care of your Mom,” he said, putting his hand over hers, when he noticed the tears in the corners of her eyes.

All eyes were on her, when she returned from her lunch. She was smiling all the while, and got a cheek kiss and a ‘good for you’ from Marge in the office.

The office ladies were also pleased with the desserts that Brian brought back for them.

When Ariel got home from work that afternoon, her Mom was waiting for her.

“Sweetie,” Lillian said, gathering Ariel in for a hug.

They hugged with great affection and Ariel, kissing her Mom’s cheek said softly: “Momma, I have to talk to you about today.”

“Oh,” Lillian said, “Things happened.”

“Yes, and they have me so at odds,” Ariel said.

“I have the kettle on and it’s a while until dinner, why don’t we have a cup of tea and talk about it.”

“Yes,” Ariel said. “I’ll just change quickly into something more comfortable.”

The tea was ready by the time that Ariel came out of her bedroom dressed in a tee shirt and a pair of running pants.

They settled in their favorite room and Lillian said: “Okay, talk to me.”

“Well, Momma,” Ariel began, “It’s about the boss, Mr. Walters.”

“Yes,” Lillian said to give Ariel encouragement.

“I spilled a glass of tea on his pants today in the break room,” Ariel went on.

Lillian put her hand up to her mouth, feeling a mixture of dismay and also a bit of humor.

“That’s not all,” Ariel said.

“Oh,” Lillian ventured.

“Then, without thinking, I took my napkin and began to blot the stain on his pants, right over his fly!”

Now Lillian was grinning.

“What did you do?” Lillian asked.

“When I realized what I was doing,” Ariel said, “I’m afraid I fled in tears.”

“Oh, sweetie,” Lillian said, pulling Ariel into a hug.

The hug was great, it was medicine for Ariel. Then she continued her account of the day.

“That’s not all, Momma,” Ariel said then, having calmed down a bit from the hug.

“Oh, what else?” Lillian asked.

“He came to our office later, wearing clean pants by the way, and asked me to lunch,” Ariel said. “It was so nice and he was so nice.”

It was another loud ‘Oh’ from Lillian then, accompanied by a huge grin.

“Momma,” Ariel went on, “I don’t know what to think or what to do.”

“Anything else?” Lillian asked.

“Well, I did kind of suggest that he come to dinner some time; I’m afraid that I was bragging about my cooking.”

“Well, we both know how good you are at that,” Lillian said.

They sat for a few moments and Lillian asked: “Well, tell me, do you like him? I don’t mean as the boss; I mean do you like him?”

“Oh, Momma, I do,” Ariel said. “I’m just afraid of making a kind of fool of myself; not sure what to do.”

“Well, I think,” Lillian said, sitting next to Ariel and holding her hand, “That you might just let him make the next move. If he was being polite and showing you that the tea accident wasn’t an issue, that’s one thing. If, however, he has thoughts, maybe intentions about you, he’ll ask you out again, and then you should know.”

“Oh, Momma,” Ariel said, hugging Lillian. “You are the very best of the best; you always have been.”

“I love you too, my sweet, sweet Ariel,” Lillian said, as they shared another hug.

It was the very next day. Ariel was in the break room taking her break, when the door opened and Brian entered.

“Is is safe to come in?” he asked. “Should I be wearing a rain coat or a slicker?”

Ariel giggled into her hand and then said: “If you weren’t the boss, I’d tell you how horrible you are.”

“Hey,” he answered, “I am the boss and you just did.”

He was grinning and she put her hand over her mouth and was giggling into her hand.

“Glad you’re here,” he went on. “Wanted to ask you if you might be free for dinner on Friday night?”

She gave him a dazzling smile. “I am free.”

“Good, then dinner for us out?” he asked.

She smiled broadly and said: “Mr Walters...”

He interrupted her then: “Hey, hey, it’s Brian; after all, you’ve already seen to my baptism.”

She was giggling behind her hand again then.

“Yes, Brian,” she said, emphasizing his name, “I’d love to go out to dinner with you. I just need to tell Momma that I won’t be home for dinner on Friday.”