"Kissing knuckles"

Chapter 2

Cora was on her way to work. If she could, she would whistle a happy tune now, but whistling was something she had never learned properly. Many things came to her naturally, but whistling wasn't one of them. Her elated mood, though, didn't depend on something this banal. There was a grin plastered on her face constantly.

The heels of her black boots clicked on the pavement and a ray of sunshine fell on the stirred, soggy leaves that lined the cobbles. Cora saw it as a sign. Good things were coming. But she had already known that. She felt it in her bones every morning when she awoke. Earth was a benign place and her life was thriving. Never had her heart rejoiced so much and so consistently. The gods must mean well with her.

She shook her head with a light chuckle. The spring fever must have really taken its toll on her. Somehow, she kept rambling soppy nonsense in her head. It was only good she was near her office. Work would hopefully soften her exuberance.

She had been at Rosamund's gallery opening yesterday. And Robert had been there too. Of course, it was after all his sister's art gallery. But the images in Cora's mind weren't the ones from the gallery but from the night at her apartment that followed. Robert had crushed his lips on hers as soon as she had closed the door behind them.

She was at the entrance of the office building now and tried to blink away the images. This was nothing that belonged at work. She took a deep inhale and pushed open the glass door. She smoothed down her hair that had been slightly messed up by the autumn wind that raged outside. Her eyes caught him immediately. He stood next to the elevator and grinned at her, his eyes following the movement of her hands in her straightened hair. Cora lowered her eyes but it didn't help avoiding the light blush. This whole thing would be harder than she thought.

She clutched the straps of her handbag that hung over her shoulder and made a bee line to the staircase. She refrained from looking at him again and tried to reach her office without further distraction. She should at least get to do some of the awaiting paperwork. As soon as she reached her desk, she harboured the thermos flask that was filled with black coffee from the depths of her handbag and clonked it swiftly on the tabletop. Maybe she should have asked Robert to stay behind. She had gladly accepted his offer to leave the house before her, so that they wouldn't arrive at work together. She'd turned around in bed again to savour another half hour of sleep. But now she thought maybe it would be easier to be at the office before he was there.

She slumped down into her chair and huffed. She had to do some work now because the pleasure would follow soon, without doubt. Cora turned on the computer and grasped a pen to spin it on her fingers as long as it took the computer to start. She tried whistling again but there was no progress in her skills.

By midday, she had finished the necessary research for a new project and she leaned back on her chair sipping the tepid coffee that was left. A knock sounded from the door.

"Come in!" she called and straightened on her seat. The door opened and Robert's face appeared, looking at her neutrally. The corners of her lips, however, pulled up unwillingly.

"Cora, would you help me with something?" Robert asked, one hand went to the back of his neck and his expression didn't give away what he had in mind. Cora did not answer instantly. She observed his frame in the threshold. Her eyes wandered up and down his contour.

"You don't seem very busy at the moment," he added and with that he left her no choice but to raise from her seat and accompany him.

"Of course, I'm coming," she replied as she rounded the desk. Her hands smoothened the front of her ruffled blouse unconsciously. She tucked her hair behind her right ear when she passed Robert in the threshold. He led her down the corridor and Cora tried to decipher his plans. She was surprised when he opened the door to a record office. He greeted the registrar and spoke with him nonchalantly.

"Miss Levinson and I need to have a look at some records that are stored in archive section C," Robert explained to the older man. Cora's eyes widened, but she tried to suppress any further reaction.

"I see, I'm going to open the room for you," the archivist left the cosy space behind his desk and fumbled with his bunch of keys before he motioned with his hand for them to follow him. He approached an interior staircase and they descended the steps until Cora had lost track of which level there were on. The grey-haired man jingled with the keys and unlocked one of the doors.

"Well, you know that all of the documents are supposed to stay in the archive. And just inform me when you are done down here," the registrar stated and made his way back upstairs with a small nod.

Robert and Cora entered the archive room and Robert turned on the lights. It was a narrow room with shelves filled to the ceiling with folders and files. Cora let her gaze wander across the windowless room as she heard the door snap close. In an instant she felt his hands on her hips and was swirled around in his arms soon after. A devilish grin appeared on his face, or as much of a devilish expression as Robert could manage. Cora knew what a softie he was. He sealed her lips with his and she hummed at the warm contact. After a moment she pulled back.

"Wouldn't that have been possible in a much easier way? You do not need to make big plans involving the archivist," she breathed.

"No, maybe not. But I don't care about that right now," he responded. They engaged in another fervent kiss without further words. Robert pushed her backwards, not breaking the contact of their lips. She clutched the front of his shirt so as not to stumble. The fabric crinkled in her hands.

He pressed her against the shelf. His lips immediately sought her neck and sucked at her skin.

"No… marks…," Cora breathed but threw her head back and granted him more access. Her chest heaved up and down. Robert's hands wandered down her body and traced her curves. Cora's fingers slipped between the buttons of his shirt and she grazed his chest hair. Her other hand clutched his shoulder to keep herself steady. His fingers pressed into her thighs through the fabric of her jeans.

She nudged his head lightly with her chin and muttered, "I'm here, Robert…"

He lifted his head and smirked at her statement. His lips pressed onto hers again and she moaned when he lapped at the seam of her lips. His tongue pushed into her mouth and her arms looped around his neck. His hands were on her hips and while pressing himself firmly into her, he trapped her tightly between himself and the files. When her right foot slid around his leg to allow him to step nearer between her legs they were interrupted. A screeching sound signalled that the door had been opened. Cora froze in Robert's arms. His hands fell down and he stepped back making her arms therefore untangle from his neck. He turned around with swollen lips to face the intruder.

"Oh, I'm sorry… I'm coming back later…" The click of the closing door followed. Cora couldn't see who it had been, for Robert had blocked her view.

"Who was that?" she asked in a soft whisper.

"I don't know, I've never seen him," he answered turning back around to her. There was an apologizing look in his light blue eyes. He reached out to push a strand of hair behind her ear. Cora let her head fall back against the shelf.

"Fuck," she sighed.