They swayed together to the slow song, Alex resting her cheek on his solid shoulder. He looked down at her tenderly, not believing this moment. He had admired her from afar for a long while, too unsure to risk making a move. She was beautiful and confident, and she didn't seem to find him attractive. He had overheard her telling a colleague that she was 'fond' of him. But now he found himself in her flat, after she had invited him on a date and she was holding him. As the music faded, she lifted her face and looked at him, her expression filled with desire. He leaned towards her, willing her to accept his kiss, this token of his feelings, despite him being a proud and broken man. Their lips met and brushed each other, exploring gently, and wet and welcoming with the promise of a shift in boundaries. He stroked her face, and hair, his feelings a mix of longing and respect. She was his colleague, he was her boss, but this evening they were a man and a woman, dancing and longing in an embrace that was as old as time.

There was a sharp knock on the door. They both paused, looking surprised. The outside world intruded upon their carefully constructed evening, for the second time. "I'll see who it is and get rid of them," said Alex, flustered but still filled with longing. "You head for the bedroom..." she trailed off realising what she had just implied. She smiled at Gene, placing another brief kiss on his face, with the promise of more to come.

She pulled open the door, looking very uncomfortable. It was Jim Keats. He looked at her and knew, just knew what he had interrupted. He felt like he'd lost control, how could they be together, tonight? He thrust the photos he'd had developed at her, hoping that would cause a change in direction.

"Go away," she shouted, snatching the brown envelope with the pictures and putting them straight in a drawer. "You nasty hyena, just go away," she repeated forcefully, losing control of her temper.

She slammed the door in his face and crossed to the bedroom. Gene was waiting, still in the same state of dress, clearly unsure of what the interruption might have meant. She closed the space between them, stepping close to him again, then removing his jacket. She stroked his hair, then his face, her fingers finding themselves on his lips, tracing them, wanting them. He let out a breath he hadn't realised he was holding, and they picked up where they'd left off.

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Alex felt his eyes on her as she woke from a deep and restful sleep. He began tracing a curvy pattern on her bare shoulder, before leaning down to place a gentle kiss where his hand had been. He was sitting up, looking at her, again unsure of her response. She wasn't surprised, over the last three years she had been very difficult to read.

"Morning beautiful," he ventured.

Alex smiled. "You were incredible last night," she said genuinely. "I can't believe I waited so long, I must have been mad." As her words sunk in, she followed up with an emotional kiss, leaning up to meet his lips. She realised at some point he had brushed his teeth and hadn't smoked since. "Mmm, minty," she added smiling again, voicing her thoughts aloud.

"We are going to be late in this morning Bolly," Gene responded, as he pulled the covers back over them.

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