Chapter 3

The drive to Lisa's apartment had been a quick one, and Lisa hadn't needed much time to pack a few business outfits into her carry-on luggage. She'd also thrown in some more casual clothes and her bathing suit just in case, though she doubted there'd be much time for that.

Karl had taken a quick look around her place while she packed in the bedroom, and he liked her style, even if it was a little sparse. This is the apartment of a workaholic, he thought to himself. Books on marketing and advertising lined her bookshelves, and there were only a couple personal pictures around the place, mostly of what looked like family members.

It was odd to have him in her apartment, Lisa realized, as if somehow the work boundaries didn't apply here. She couldn't help shake the realization that she'd be spending the next couple days with Karl. It was still work, but it would be outside of the office, and that somehow made it feel quite different. She was worried that she was forgetting something, but she double-checked everything and couldn't think of anything she'd missed.

They'd then driven to the airport and Karl had parked his car in the garage. The ticket counter had their tickets, and after a brief delay going through security they were at their gate with plenty of time to spare. Karl had brought out an outline of the proposal and had gone over the main points of it again with Lisa to refresh her memory. She was familiar with most of it, but she still admired his organizational skills. There were several aspects of the presentation, and it would have been easier to handle with three people, but he had been prepared to manage by himself; Lisa was impressed.

Once on the plane, Karl went over some more of the presentation with Lisa. He was prepared, he knew, but he'd feel a lot better with Tandi and Rebecca along. There wasn't anything he could do at this point, though, and besides, he was glad to give Lisa this opportunity.

At one point on the flight, as they were hunched over some reports, Karl looked at her closely, examining the subtle slope of her chin, her sexy eyes. Lisa absently tucked her hair back behind one ear, revealing a small, dangling earing as well as her smooth neck. Karl was transfixed, unable to look away from the lovely creature sitting next to him, all thoughts of the presentation lost momentarily. Lisa had looked up to notice him staring at her. She smiled uncertainly, and Karl snapped out of his daze.

"Sorry about that, my mind's a little overloaded right now," he lamely explained. "Let me show you one more thing, then let's put this stuff away. We're as prepared as we're gonna get this afternoon."

Lisa listened as Karl went over the short intro they'd do that afternoon one more time, trying in the back of her mind to interpret Karl's behavior. Had he been staring at her? It wasn't likely; they'd been working together for some time now and he'd never been anything but totally professional. Still, the idea of him finding her attractive was quite flattering. She tried to put it out of her mind; they had important work yet to do.

Karl was sure everything was fine as he put his notes away in his briefcase. Lisa was going to be perfect for this, he had to admit. Maybe Tandi or Rebecca would have been better, but he was beginning to think this was all for the best. He felt very good sitting close to Lisa now, he realized, as he relaxed, sitting back for the rest of the flight. He chatted easily about general office stuff with Lisa, asked her how her family was doing, light small-talk that seemed to relax her as well. When they landed she was telling him how she had a friend from college who was flying out to see her in a month or two, and Karl said he hoped he could meet her.

Once they were off the plane, things sped up again somewhat. They were a little late getting in, and so they went straight to the client's building after picking up a rental car at the airport. Karl drove while Lisa phoned in to confirm that they were still on -- they were back in professional gear.

The Wilson Corporation was a growing publishing firm that was branching out from its traditional roots in book and magazine publishing, looking to have an integrated Internet presence and an expanded range of media products. Karl had pitched some ideas to a couple of their corporate officers after having been recommended by a previous client, and they'd arranged for this presentation.

An attractive young female assistant who introduced herself as Donna met them in the lobby and brought them up to an impressive but tastefully understated set of corporate offices, where they were introduced to various bigwigs with the company. This initial presentation was an introduction to what Metro could offer them; the real meat of the proposals would be spelled out and discussed throughout the day tomorrow. Still, the first impression was crucial.

Lisa could feel the tension immediately. It was clear that some of the Wilson officers were really interested, but others seemed stubbornly indifferent. Karl stood before them in a small conference room while Lisa sat at the table with the rest of the audience, a group of about twenty men. Karl didn't seem to let it faze him, though. He handed out the materials they'd prepared, walking the men through the executive summary and stopping to answer questions as they came up. He was nonplused when a few tough, confrontational comments were made, but Lisa found the experience nerve-wracking.

After he'd finished the formal outline, Karl spent another hour or so answering questions and clarifying a few details. He'd asked Lisa to explain a few things as well, making it clear that she was his partner in this, and Lisa was proud to be working with him on such an important project. When they shook hands with everyone at the end, she felt like they'd done well, but it was impossible to read their audience's reaction.

Matt Drake, one of the junior VP's, walked them out, thanking them politely for coming and telling them he looked forward to seeing their full presentation tomorrow. Then the attractive assistant who'd met them in the lobby, Donna, made sure they were all set as far as directions to the hotel and tomorrow's itinerary. Lisa wasn't sure, but she thought Donna was a little flirty with Karl, and she was surprised to feel a twang of jealousy, but she didn't dwell on it.

Once they were driving away, Karl finally spoke up.

"Well, how do you think that went?"

"Oh, you were really good," Lisa gushed out, wishing immediately that she'd worded it differently. "I mean, I think the presentation went just as you planned, and they all seemed to follow along as if they were interested. I had a hard time reading some of those gentlemen, though."

"Yeah, some of those old codgers will probably fight this tooth and nail, but I'm not overly worried about that. You did a good job today, Lisa. I'm glad you were here to help."

Lisa felt silly, but she could tell she was blushing at Karl's compliment. He didn't seem to notice, though.

"Now, after we get checked in at the Hilton I want to go over what we'll need for tomorrow. I know we've looked at the overall plan, but there are some things I want to make sure we're ready for."

Lisa nodded in agreement, quickly getting back into professional mode.

"Plus, there are a few things they asked about we'll need to have first thing tomorrow morning. Are you hungry?" Karl looked over to Lisa, who shrugged.

"I could eat, but I don't need to right away. Whatever you prefer."

"Why don't we get checked in and order something. I don't want to make this a late night, I just want to make sure we're ready."

Check-in at the hotel was a breeze; Karl had been there several times before and knew some of the staff. Karl and Lisa had rooms across the hall from one another. They didn't need any help with their bags, so they went right up and went to their respective rooms. Karl said he'd give a knock after he'd had a chance to call his wife.

Alone in her room, Lisa felt charged up by the day's events. That morning seemed like a long time ago rather than just few hours. She checked herself in the mirror, arranging her hair and tucking her clothes into perfect place, before she realized what she was doing. Why am I primping? she asked herself. She tried to relax, hanging up her suitcase and then setting out her laptop.

The phone rang and it was Karl, asking what she wanted him to order from room service. After she got off the phone with him, she realized that she should call Steve and let him know that she'd gone out of town. She hesitated, though; he was the last person she wanted to talk to now. She resolved to send him an email before she went to bed.

"Kathy, baby, I miss you, too," Karl was saying into the phone as he flipped through his papers. "I'll tell you what, let me finish up with a couple things here, you put the kids to bed, then I'll give you another call, say, in an hour or so. Does that sound good? Great. Thanks, honey, I love you, too."

He hung up, looking at his watch. He really wanted to go over the coming day's presentation, but he didn't want to blow Kathy off. He grabbed his briefcase and headed out to meet Lisa.

Standing in front of her door, he hesitated just a moment before knocking. Maybe he should have arranged for them to meet downstairs, rather than in her room. He hadn't been thinking about how this might look before, only on getting the presentation just right. Now it occurred to him that this didn't look exactly professional. Still, they wouldn't get much work done down in the lounge, and this shouldn't take too long. He knocked on her door.

Lisa let him in with a smile on her face, and Karl found himself smiling back despite himself.

"Well, there's not too much we need to worry about tonight, I just want to touch base on a couple things."

"Sure, let's sit over there."

He set out his papers on the small round table where her laptop sat, already booted up and ready to go. He waited for her to take a seat, then took one opposite her. He'd worked one-on-one with Lisa hundreds on times back at the office, but this felt different somehow. Obviously it was under different circumstances, but he couldn't shake the feeling of tension.

It didn't help that Lisa still looked as stunning as ever tonight, even after a fairly long day of last-minute travel and working. He watched as she tucked a stray wisp of hair back behind her ear and found himself transfixed by the sight of her neck, the graceful curve of her jaw line. He shook his head, trying to focus.

A few minutes later when room service knocked, Karl got up to get it. Lisa watched as he let the waiter in and tipped him, letting herself admire his easy, confident manner. She felt so excited to be working with Karl on such an important project, and she found herself drawn to him even more than she had in the past. He was just so good at what he did.

Well, it's more than that, she admitted. Being with him like this, alone together in a hotel room far from home, felt like they were secretly breaking the rules. She knew he didn't think of her that way, but she found herself wondering if he found her attractive. She straightened her skirt slightly as he brought their food over to the table, suddenly aware of her body so close to his.

Karl bent across Lisa to set the trays down, inadvertently brushing her shoulder with his arm, and he noticed his hands were shaking slightly. What was wrong with him? It wasn't like they were kids on a date. Still, it was an effort to keep his eyes off of Lisa, much less his hands. She looked so hot tonight. She uncrossed and crossed her sexy legs, pulling at the edge of her skirt, and Karl cleared his throat to cover his discomfort. He took a seat next to her this time, pretending not to be aware of their nearness.

Lisa was intensely aware of it, though, and it excited her. Was Karl feeling what she felt? He went on with his comments about the presentation, but she thought he was acting differently towards her. It was hard to be sure, though; each passing moment with him now only made her feel more and more aroused. She remained outwardly professional, but she had to resist the urge to lean into him as they went over the documents.

"Well," Karl said, standing up, "I think we're about as prepared as we're going to get." He started crossing the room, anxious that he might say or do something inappropriate. "Let's call it a night. Get some rest tonight, you'll need it."

Lisa followed him to the door, only inches away from him when he turned, his hand on the knob. He looked into her eyes and smiled, and Lisa bit her lip in anticipation. The urge to kiss him was so strong now.

"See you tomorrow, Lisa," he said softly, then turned and quickly exited.

Lisa let out a sigh as soon as the door shut, her hands on her hips. She realized that she was trembling a little, her heart racing.

"Get a hold of yourself, Lisa," she said under her breath. "What's wrong with me?"

She began unbuttoning her blouse, trying to clear her thoughts and concentrate on tomorrow's work, but her body was working against her, reminding her of how strongly she'd been attracted to Karl.

About a half-hour later Karl hung up the phone in his room. He was sitting on the bed, having removed his work clothes while talking to his wife, and now wore only his boxers. He kicked up his feet and grabbed the remote, figuring to catch the late news and go to sleep.

He felt much better after talking to Kathy again. He didn't know what was coming over him, but he'd been ready to wrap his arms around Lisa, and might have if he hadn't gotten out of there when he did. She was just too sexy tonight. After the long trip and the stress from the presentation, he must just have some steam to burn off. He let his mind wander, fantasizing first about fucking his sexy wife, Kathy. Later those fantasies became vivid images of fucking little Ashley in one of her school-girl outfits, squealing as he pumped her sexy little bod silly.

But eventually his imagination drifted back to images of Lisa. Lisa, who was right across the hall from him, probably getting ready for bed herself. What did she wear to bed, he wondered. Neglige? Cotton PJ's? Panties and a bra? Nothing at all? Much as he tried, he couldn't get the thought of her out of his mind.

Breakfast the next morning was back to normal; Lisa was nervous about the big day, and Karl was too preoccupied with all the details going through his mind to worry about how sexy Lisa looked (though he did notice that yes, she still looked as hot as she had the night before). They scarfed down the continental affair in the lobby restaurant, then took the rental car to their potential client's building. On the way they talked about the presentation some more, but both of them felt fairly confident at this point.

The day flew by for Lisa. She was amazed and impressed with the way Karl handed every situation that came up throughout the day as they met with various managers and decision-makers, each with different priorities and concerns. He deferred to her often, giving her every opportunity to shine, and she felt quite good about how she'd done. They'd ended up staying well past five, going over different points and explaining in great detail about various elements of their proposal.

Karl couldn't have been more pleased with the day. The presentation went even better than expected, and he knew before they left that they'd cinched the deal, even though they probably wouldn't officially hear anything for several days. The guys who had been his primary contacts were pleased as well, and thanked him profusely for doing such a great job of convincing their superiors that they'd made a good call.

Karl also had an additional boost to his spirits on their way out of the building. While Lisa was in the washroom, Donna slipped him a business card, telling him not to hesitate if he needed someone to show up around town while he was there. Her demeanor was flawlessly professional, but there was no mistaking the look she gave him when she shook his hand. After she'd stepped back into the offices Karl had checked the card; she'd written her home number on the back.

Karl deposited the card in his pocket with a smile, feeling on top of the world. When Lisa came out, she couldn't help grinning at him either, obviously excited about their prospects for landing the contract. It had been a long, challenging day, but they'd both done quite well. Karl just smiled back at her.

"Let's go."

Once down in the car, pulling out of the garage, Karl broke the silence.

"Lisa, that went better than I'd hoped. No matter what happens, you should be proud of the work you did today. I don't want to jinx anything, but that was really, really good."

Lisa beamed. Coming from Karl, those words of praise were the best thing she'd heard in a long time, and she felt great.

"Thanks so much for this opportunity, Karl. I really appreciate the trust you placed in me. I thought it went well, too."

"Well, now we see what happens. They might have some follow-up questions later on, but chances are we've covered everything they could possibly need to know."

He looked over at Lisa, appreciating once more what a lovely woman she was, in addition to a solid professional. She smiled back at him, then looked away somewhat shyly.

Back at the hotel, Karl invited Lisa into the lounge for a celebratory drink. "Just a quick one," he assured her. "I've got to call my wife before it gets much later."

Lisa happily agreed, and they went into the lounge. The room was dimly lit with some light jazz playing over the speakers. Only a few people sat at the bar. Along the far wall small booths offered more private places to sit. As soon as they'd sat down a waitress appeared and took their orders. Karl was visibly relaxed now. When their drinks arrived a moment later, he lifted his glass towards her.

"A toast," he exclaimed, clearly pleased, "to a great presentation and, hopefully, to a new client."

Lisa clinked her glass against his, grinning. They both took large gulps of their drinks, and Karl chuckled slightly as Lisa put hers down empty. Karl downed the rest of his as well, signaling to the waitress for another round.

"Wow, I feel so energized right now, Karl." A warm sensation was rising in Lisa's chest, and she knew it wasn't just the booze.

"Me too, Lisa," Karl said enthusiastically. "Me too. Of course, it's still way too early to tell which way this one will go, but I have a really good feeling for it."

He smiled at her as the waitress replaced their empty glasses with fresh drinks, and Lisa didn't turn away, smiling back at him. She looked so incredible to him then, her face slightly flushed from the quick shot of alcohol, her raven hair framing her classically beautiful features. Without thinking she licked her lips as she reached for her glass again, holding eye contact with him, and he raised his drink to hers once again.

"I have to say, I'm so glad I got to see you in action," she gushed, not stopping to second guess her thoughts. "I've seen you with clients before, of course, but this was tremendous. Everything was so flawless, nothing could trip you up. It was like watching a master at work."

Karl laughed at that, but nodded in agreement with her. "You were in rare form yourself, partner. I mean it, you were perfect, exactly what we needed for this account."

Their mood had become quite informal all at once, but neither one minded. It felt so natural to be there, alone together, no longer just colleagues but something more.

Karl excused himself at one point to go call his wife, and Lisa watched him as he went to use his phone in the lobby, acutely aware of how attracted she was to him now. She didn't want to examine her feelings, not wanting to ruin the evening. For the moment it didn't matter that Karl was married, all that mattered was that they were together. When he returned another round of drinks was waiting for them, and Karl seemed pleased that she'd taken the initiative to order it.