"Oh no!" Annie says dramatically, still a little too loud for Maureen.

"I do not swing that way," Annie steps back, her hands to her heart. "No matter how hard you beat me!"

The women laugh harder just as her new "victim" spins and heads towards the bar to get the next round.

Throughout the next hour or so, the coworkers leave Maureen alone about Chris. They have found another within the group to make fun of. It’s nice of them to not make fun of her even when one or two of them would catch Maureen glancing over at Chris.

"Your turn," Jenny says to Maureen.

Realizing why Jenny had said that, Maureen turns to the group. "Okay, who wants a refill?"

No one really wants something. "Looks like you're getting off easy." Jenny says.

Maureen smiles and then nods. Only one refill request. She stands and turns toward the bar. It strikes her then as to how much time must have passed. The bar is crowded, far more crowded than she had realized. Maureen glances over at the table Chris where and his friends were sitting. Maureen wonders if they have left since she had last looked over.

A feeling of disappointment fills her as she finds the chair Chris was sitting at empty. She looks over at the others at the table and a spark of hope comes to life as Rudy and the rest of them are still there. Perhaps he has gone out for some fresh air or has gone to the rest room.

Shrugging, Maureen heads towards the bar.

After what Maureen believes to be too much shoveling, pushing and dodging, she finally reaches the bar. She nods towards the bartender and glances around. Maureen sighs to herself. It is Friday night and she should have known better than to come out with the girls. Crowds are not much fun. They are less fun when she has to fight her way through them. It will probably be worse when she has to carry the drinks back to the table.

However, it is Friday. Maureen should be having fun. She does not really want another drink, but figures that since she is supposed to be having fun, why not? The bartender takes her order when he comes over. It is then that Maureen realizes she may be a little buzzed. Not to mention that it feels a little too warm in the bar. Maybe it’s the crowd and the crush of bodies. She shrugs to herself as the bartender comes back a few minutes later with the drinks. Maureen pays, also giving the appropriate tip.

Taking a glass in each hand, she lifts them. Maureen realizes she has put a little too much 'spin' in her turn away from the bar. She tries to stand still and hopefully balance herself. However, Maureen's brain and logical center tells her that it is not happening. Her body almost mocks her as her legs start to give out underneath her.

A gentle hand touches her outstretched left hand while another, almost too comfortably, rests on her right waist. A strong, firm force steadies Maureen, bringing her to an upright standing position. Maureen glances at the glasses in each hand, none has spilled.

"As much as I dislike this hand, the person attached to it seems nice enough," Chris says quietly into Maureen's left ear.

Maureen almost shivers at the sound of his voice. It is purely unintentional and, until this point, Maureen had not realized that she had found him so attractive. Yes, he is interesting. He is a mystery because she knows there is something there. Well, perhaps not "knows" but it is more like an equal attraction. It is enough of an attraction for her to glance over at him every now and again. Perhaps Maureen is changing and becoming more mature? He is definitely different from anyone she has ever liked.

Then again, it could be the alcohol in her system talking and mixing up the fact that she has been feeling lonely for some time. Maybe it is using this loneliness along with her attraction to Chris. It could be all of that, but then again, it will never turn out right. It never will.

Wait, Maureen's logical center commands. What is wrong with this? She has not even started the relationship to see if it will go anywhere! Maureen almost nods. This may be nothing big or long term. But this is something she needs. Whatever, she shakes her head.

"I guess I have had a little too much to drink," she hears herself say to him, followed by a giggle.

Maureen cringes. Did she just giggle? Oh God.

"What?" Chris asks, looking at her while helping her move forward.

"I thought the same exact thing just the second after it came out of my mouth," Maureen says, silently thanking whoever is looking out for her.

Chris smiles at her. It is a nice smile and it looks to Maureen as genuine a smile as ever. It has real warmth behind it. Chris winks at her and turns to face forward, still guiding her along a few more paces.

"Are you okay to make it back to your table?" he asks as he glances over at her group of friends.

Maureen nods. With a smile, she says, "Yes. I think I can make it there. Thank you."

Maureen turns to face her friends. Maureen can see that they are all looking or pointing in her direction. A couple of them are smiling widely at her.

His hands release Maureen. She can tell he’s standing around for a few seconds longer as he watches her move off. Hopefully, he is checking her balance and not her features from behind. Maureen does not like the way she looks from behind. However, she finds that she like the fact that he is waiting to make sure she is okay before going back to his friends.

Suddenly, Maureen finds herself facing him. Her mind tells her that she has lost her balance and is falling forward. Or is it backwards, since she is now facing him? Maureen finds it odd to be asking herself this question as she is falling. Someone has moved by Maureen quickly and bumped into her.

Maureen can feel a pair of hands grab her arms to hold her in place. Her body, however, screams unexpectedly. Maureen did not realize before how sensitive her body is tonight. She feels her nipples graze his chest through the material of her shirt. Her mind focuses on the feeling like tiny electric shocks of pleasure reaching into her mind from her nipples. Maureen almost curses when the excitement of it and the feeling of her body fill her mind.

Chris moves his hands to help her steady herself and bring her back to a standing position. This makes it worse for Maureen. She can feel herself moving slightly to the side, making her nipples move along his body again before being steadied.

Maureen will think back on this and wonder if it is a combination of the drinks, her attraction to Chris and/or the fact that she has not been with someone for a long time. Maybe it is just because of the conversation she had with the girls that stuck in the back of her mind when the shock of the sensation reveals her excitement.

"Are you..." Chris doesn’t get to finish his question.

Maureen can feel herself lean in and he seems to be doing the same.

"Hrmph!" he says as someone bumps into them from both sides.

Maureen can feel herself pushed up against him while someone bumps into him. His arms hold her steady but more of their bodies touch. She can feel his lips touch the corner of her lips. However, Maureen's eyes close as her mind takes in the feel of his body against her body. She shivers and her body almost melts onto him.

Suddenly, Chris pulls back, putting an inch or two of space between them.

Maureen opens her eyes and sees him looking at her.

"I'm sorry!" he says with equal honest emotion showing on his face.

Maureen shakes her head and says, almost laughing, "It is okay. Interesting timing."

"Okay, maybe we should head to our respective corners before we get pushed into some positions even more embarrassing or awkward," he finishes with a wink.

Maureen wants him to try a couple of those positions. Her body nods and her mind wants to agree. Instead, Maureen smiles and nods.

As Maureen walks away, she turns her head to look at him over her left shoulder. She can see that Chris is still standing there, looking at her.

"It was not that bad a position." Maureen says to him.

Chris chuckles as he winks at her and then turns toward the bar.

"Did he just kiss you?" Annie asks as Maureen reaches the table.

"No." Maureen laughs. "Plenty of pushing and shoving out there."

"It sure looked like a kiss from here," Maureen hears Annie say as she turns to look over once more.

She can barely see the table where Chris and his friends are sitting.

"You want to keep me company? I need a smoke," Julie asks before Maureen can sit down.

Maureen nods. She is feeling a bit too warm and still a little buzzed. The cool air should help, she thinks to herself. Her drink can definitely wait.

Maureen steps aside to let her coworker stand. Julie takes Maureen's wrist so that they can head out together. Maureen thinks it is a good thing because the crowd seems to sway and people keep pushing into both of them. As Maureen and Julie near the bar, they can see Chris holding two pitchers of beer.

Chris sees Maureen approach and stops moving. He almost loses his balance as someone from behind shoves into him. Smirking in the direction of the offender, he quickly steadies himself. Turning back towards Maureen, he winks.

Julie stops near him and leans in to say something to him. Maureen can see him lean his head down a little so he can hear her. Chris nods to her in response, she guesses it was a question. Julie pulls back, smiles and resumes walking in the direction of the door. Chris steps to the side so they can pass.

Crap, Maureen thinks to herself.

Maureen opens her mouth to ask Julie what she asked Chris but feels herself being shoved from behind. Maureen reaches forward with her free hand to steady herself.

"Ow!" Chris says into Maureen's ear.

“I'm sorry!” Maureen says to him as she looks up.

"Um, okay. But could you not squeeze so hard?"

Maureen is confused so she looks down at her hand. Her hand, it seems, landed right around his crotch area.

"I would help you remove your hand but my hands are otherwise occupied," Chris says to Maureen, lifting the two pitchers in each hand.

"Oh my," Julie says, "You are such a forward woman." She looks down at Maureen's hand. Julie grins and looks up at Maureen. "Aren't you?"

Maureen immediately snatches her hand back.

"I didn't mean to. Honest!" Maureen says loud enough for the both of them to hear.

"Mm-hm." Julie says, unconvinced.

Before Maureen can say anything, Julie tugs at her wrist.

"Come on, let's go before you start to do the nasty with him right here."

"I..." Maureen starts to say but she can feel herself moving towards the door.

Maureen turns to look over her shoulder at Chris. Chris laughs, and then nods in her direction, raising one pitcher in salute.

Maureen mouths the word 'sorry' towards him.

* * *

Maureen asks Julie what she had said to Chris.

Julie laughs and says, "I asked him if he was single." She takes a drag from her cigarette and continues, "Since you were too afraid to ask." Julie winks and shrugs, "I definitely had nothing to lose so I asked for you."

Maureen laughs, "Thanks, but he is not my type."

"He may not be your type but you've been staring him naked the last couple of hours."

"What do you mean by 'staring him naked'?" Maureen asks, curious.

"When you look at him," Julie says and takes another drag, "it looks like you are imagining him naked. You know, the way you look at him."

Maureen turns to face Julie.

"How long has it been?" Julie asks.

Maureen thinks she understands the question but Maureen asks anyway. "What do you mean?"

"You know." Julie says, pointing her cigarette in Maureen's direction. "How long has it been since you have been intimate with someone?"

"I..." Maureen starts to say, trying to figure it out in her head.

"That long, huh?" Julie laughs.

Maureen can feel her cheeks turn red. This is something she rarely discusses honestly with anyone, herself even, let alone with a coworker. She sighs and shrugs, unable to help it.

They both turn their heads in the direction of the door as they hear it open and the noise from the bar grows louder for a moment. They can see Chris stepping out. He turns and sees them. Smiling, he walks in their direction.

"Well," Julie says as she takes a last drag and drops the remainder onto the ground. "Let me let you get to business," Julie says as she snuffs out the cigarette with her foot. A cone of smoke flies from the corner of Julie's lips as she walks in the direction of Chris. "You really should give her your number, you know," Julie says to Chris as she passes him.

Chris stops; a curious look fills his face. He turns towards Maureen.

Maureen watches his approach; she remembers the feel of him. Her body remembers more clearly than her mind. The memory of the touch of her nipples running across his chest makes her shiver again. Maureen wonders if it is the effects of the alcohol or if it is the effects of too many lonely nights. She wonders, remembering the conversation with the girls.

"Hi," Chris says as he stops in front of Maureen.

"Hey," she responds.

"How are you feeling?" he asks.

"Good," Maureen says but decides to continue. "Better. It was getting a bit warm in there."

Chris nods as Maureen looks into his eyes. Maureen notes that they seem a creamy sort of brown. She did not notice them before. Maureen should have noticed when they were so close from each other earlier.

"Heh," he says with a shrug.

Maureen cannot help but feel that there is something about him. She thinks about the touch again and Maureen can feel a strong desire to feel him growing. She does not want the conversation to end. It is strange to think that she would want to continue the conversation. Maureen has never been big about conversations, especially when they are about nothing.

Thinking fast, she asks, "What about you? How are you feeling?"

"Beat up," Chris says quickly, then reaches up with a hand to rub the back of his head.

He chuckles.

Maureen imagines grabbing him, pushing him against the wall. She wants to feel him against her body again. She wants to feel her nipples touch his skin. Maureen can feel her body responding to her thoughts and she feels herself shifting her feet.

Maureen laughs, a little too fast, she thinks.

"I am really sorry about hitting you."

"It is okay. I am over it," Chris laughs. "The guys will never let me live it down though."

"Oh..." Maureen says.

From experience, Maureen knows that men usually do not like it when they are embarrassed in front of their friends. Not that it wouldn’t embarrass women, or her, but it is definitely a big hit to a man's ego. The experience usually sours any relationship or makes it that much more difficult to continue the relationship.

"Don't worry," Chris says to Maureen. A grin spreads across his face. "I told them you felt me up when I went to get them beer."

Maureen laughs, remembering her hand on his crotch. Her left hand twitches, resisting the idea of reaching out again to touch him there. The feel of it again would be great. The thought of it pulsing to life in her palms, ready to give her pleasure...

Maureen shakes her head and looks into his eyes. "I didn't hurt you there did I?"

Chris chuckles and says, "Don't worry. Takes a lot to get him all excited."

Maureen looks slightly disappointed, and she wonders if he is gay.

Chris realizes what he said and quickly adds, "Wait, that sounded bad. You can get him really excited fast."

Maureen giggles.

"Um, that sounded bad too didn't it?" Chris says, blushing.

(End of Part 2)