chapter 3 - Getting to know each other

But this time she refused to let him take over. here

Emmie opens another button, and so does the next one. Looking down at her chest, she immediately regretted that action. Yes, four undo buttons is a bad idea. Her breasts seem to overflow from her balconette bra and everyone can see her pink underwear.

"I'm gonna damn it," Jake said hoarsely.

His voice is very different from the usual boring tone. Emmie looked up and met his fiery gaze. He was glued to her cleavage, his mouth open.

"So, do you seriously think I should be walking around like this all day?" Emmie challenged him, as she turned to the side a little, feeling her breasts move as well.

Jake was still watching the spell, and Emmie couldn't help but do it. She reached out to him and lifted his chin.

It broke the spell and he immediately fixed his eyes on hers. Her eyes were lit by a kind of fire that she felt a little anxious for her composure.

She set the lowest button and recorded the result. It was much better. Now they can see a small portion of her cleavage without exposing her entire breast.

"Well, you're pretty good in this department," Jake said abruptly. "Why are you hiding them in big blouses?" "Maybe because I want men to look me in the eye when we talk?" Emmie said.

"You just let your guard down," Jake smirked, making Emmie nearly fall to the floor in surprise.

“Maybe we should just focus on fixing this printer? Emmie replied, feeling the ground slide beneath her.

She has to keep the situation under control and right now she is about to lose her and probably did something stupid.

"It's a lot more fun to take your clothes off," says Jake.

"That will never happen. Only in your dreams, mate."

"Yeah, I know," Jake said quietly.

"Did you say?"

"What's wrong with the printer?" Jake cleared his throat and asked. He also seems to have difficulty concentrating to maintain his professionalism. Emmie felt a little better knowing she wasn't the only one affected.

What's going on here? She slightly pulled away from her attractive scent and stared at the culprit. She needs to focus and shake her head as she stares at the printer.

"He's on a rampage."

"Didn't we already agree that electrons have no emotions?"

"That's the best way to describe him. He eats all the newspapers."

"So maybe the stomach flu?"

"I thought you just said electronics have no emotions? Or disease?"

"Help desk rule number one: 'Use words the user can relate to'."

Emmie laughs.

"Sounds reasonable. You're improving yourself."

"Okay, did you check the error message?"

"Of course, it says 'Paper in area F', but I can't find anything there. I don't know if this is the 'F' or 'B' part I'm testing. "

Jake started opening all the trays he could find. Then he went back to the screen and looked at the drawing.

" Ah, that's the back. ”

He pulled the large machine forward and opened another tray that Emmie never knew existed, and handed her a smudged black sheet of paper."

"Afraid of getting your hands dirty?"

"Of course . You can take me to see Cinderella before morphing. "

Jake threw the paper in the nearest trash can and closed the tray. He seemed to enjoy teasing her at every opportunity, Emmie thought.

" Yeah, that's right. ' Jake concluded, before putting the printer back in place. "Is there anything else I can do for you while I'm there."

"No, I'm happy. Thanks," said Emmie.

"Oh, I doubt that."

"Huh?"

"I'm sure you'll find something else before lunchtime, so you might as well tell me now."

"What are you talking about?"

"On mistakes, you'd want me to correct them instead of lunch."

"Sorry, I can't see anything at the moment."

"Oh, come on," Jake urged her.

"Sorry, Jake, but I can't predict the future."

"I can. At twelve twelve o'clock, there will be an immediate emergency call from your office."

"You can't know for sure."

"Yes, I can. I recorded it. "

" Really, Jake. I'm not medium so I don't know when an error will occur. Also, there's no rule that you have to skip lunch every time someone asks for help. "Jake said before turning to walk away. 444 He had no proof, but he was clearly growing suspicious, Emmie thought, she'd better be. be quiet for a moment.

***

After work

Emmie burst into the dressing room at the nearest sports club.

Thanks to Irene and Jake, she had to work more. But, in the end, she submitted an urgent report and now she only has a few minutes to change into sportswear. She signed up for a beginner climbing course and it was their first.

She can't wait to try something new for a change. Her job requires her to sit at a desk all day, looking at a computer. She really needs to use her muscles more, and the beginner class seemed like the perfect place to start.

She saw the pamphlet in the canteen and wondered if it could be anything to her. Well, if she didn't try, she'd never find out, she thought. She even asked Irene and several other women if they wanted to participate, but no one did.

It seems that her favorite pastimes are shopping and watching TV, and Emmie can't blame them. After wearing heels for a day, all she wants is to put her feet up and relax. That's why she usually doesn't wear high heels but chooses another type of shoe that is more comfortable and less boring.

However, if she took Jake's advice, she might have to rethink both her shoes and her clothes. Maybe that's the solution to finding a boyfriend.

Well, she's not sure she'll ever want to find one at work, but since she hasn't been to other arenas it's no wonder she's still single, she thought.

She took off her pants and blouse and put on tights and a workout shirt. The new hiking boots look very comfortable, but the salesperson insists they look like this.

Class seemed to have started, she discovered, and rushed over to them.

"Name?" Ask the trainer.

"Emmie Norton," said Emmie.

"I've found you. Okay, we're just getting started. Jake is here to help you. Jake? This person comes with you,” he called out to another man before turning to the next person in line.

Emmie turned and gasped when she met a pair of familiar gray eyes.

"Jake? Not yet," Jake swore. "Are you following me?"

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm a climbing instructor. How about you?"

"Looks like your ultimate victim."

Emmie tries to recover from the shock.

"God, I never thought I'd see you here. I think the heavier gym is yours."

"It just shows how little you know about me." Jake let the comment hang for a while. “Also, I have to somehow maintain my volume so that I can continue to weed out powerless users,” he quips.

Emmie just nodded. Always shocked to see him here.

"Oh damn, we can do what we come too. Come on," he said as he led her to a section of the climbing wall.

Emmie followed him, observing his body in more detail, now that he was wearing sports clothes. She concluded really beautifully.

"Have you ever climbed a mountain?" he suddenly turned around and asked.

"Uh, no, never," Emmie admitted nervously, trying to stop before stepping directly at him.

She should know better than holding her ass, she chills herself.

"Fear of heights?"

"No. Uh, not I know," she corrected herself.

As she looked at the wall in front of them, she began to doubt. It will be a long fall, she thought, shivering a little.

"Don't worry. You don't have to climb to the top yet," Jake interrupted in his train of thought.

“We'll start with the top rope, so you'll be safe. If you fall, you won't fall very far. Put your belt on first. "

He's holding a bunch of harnesses in front of her.

" Put your foot here, "he pointed to two buckles in front of her." And that will go around your waist," he said, pointing to the widest belt.

Emmie put one foot in each buckle, he pulled the belt up to the waist and tightened it. I pull the belt to check the tightness.

"Good, that should do the trick."

"Something tells me you're probably in a bind," laughed Emmie.

"You don't want to know," Jake smirked. "But it has to be tightened, or you'll lose it. Then it won't be as effective."

He gave her a piece of metal.

"Hold this."

"What is this?"

“An insurance company. That's your brake pedal. "

He gave her another piece of metal.

" And it was a carabiner lock. You use it to attach the straps to your harness,” he said, showing her how to attach them together.

He stood right in front of her and so close that she could detect his fresh, masculine scent. Wearing a t-shirt and baggy workout pants, he looks a lot more relaxed and approachable than in business clothes.

He grabbed the nearest rope and put it on the leash. Guiding his hands, he showed her how it worked.

"Drag here if you're down and want to slow down."

"What if I fall?"

"You won't," Jake assured him. "I'm holding the other end of the rope, and you know I can support your weight."

Emmie remembered.

"Okay, so where do you start?"

"Put some powder on your hands first," he pointed to a sling bag and smirked.

Judging by his smile, Emmie almost felt like he wanted her to put her hands in his pants.

"Can't I wear it too?"

"Sure. But we don't have enough for everyone, so we'll have to share mine."

Emmie grabbed the headband and moved it around a bit. It's scary to trust your life on a small piece of metal.

“Put your left foot over it and start climbing,” Jake pointed to a small step in the wall.

Emmie did as he was told and tried to find a place to put her other leg. She found one and slowly began to climb.

"Use your feet to stabilize yourself. Remember, legs are stronger than arms."

Emmie put her arm around a small step and tried to find a firm foothold where she could stand. She couldn't bring her eyes down.

"Stretch your legs out."

"What?" Emmie almost lost her leg in surprise.

"The next one is further to your left."

"Ah."

For a second, Emmie thought he was talking about something completely different. She could barely stand it. His hands were shaking from the exercise.

“It's pretty hard,” she told Jake as she slowly made her way up.

"You really work your muscles well, don't you?"

She could easily hear him smirk even though she didn't dare look to see if she was right.

"Beautiful view," Jake exclaimed.

"Don't distract me. I'll fall on your head."

She heard him laugh sincerely. It was nice.

"Not a chance," he said nonchalantly.

“Wait and see,” said Emmie.

He is too sure of himself. It made him extremely uncomfortable.

Emmie's legs were shaking a lot, and she wondered how long she could keep climbing before she fell. She is breathing heavily.

Suddenly her left foot lost its grip and she tried to hold it with her hand.

"Let go!" Jake ordered.

She felt the rope tighten and she was hung on the wall. "Let me slide. Put your feet against the wall and lean back!" Jake ordered. "I'll keep you."

She felt the rope holding her back and his voice calmed her enough to focus on the descent for a moment.

Back on the ground, his legs trembled with tension and they seemed to want to give in.

“Good first time,” Jake said, placing a hand on his shoulder and patting him reassuringly.

"It's heavy," Emmie breathed deeply.

“You will become stronger. You just need to practice. But you have to use your feet more than your hands. Your legs are much stronger, remember? "

" Thanks for holding onto the rope, "Emmie nodded to her.

" Nothing. Why don't you take a break You can try again in a moment,” he suggested.

"Okay," Emmie couldn't agree more, and she curled up on the bench and drank some water.

His muscles are shaking with tension. Pressing down on the wall required more energy than she imagined, but it was probably much more effective than her usual yoga classes.

Looking at Jake, she could easily imagine how much muscle he had gained. He's not a lazy computer geek, no.

She watched Jake instruct a young man in his class. Suddenly Jake turned to her as if he knew that she was watching him.

"You`re up next, Emmie. And after that we'll try bouldering."

***