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 Sunday morning, sleeping in bed, except the bed belongs to Spencer Hwang, my new main squeeze. Plus, the Egyptian cotton sheets felt cool and soft against my naked body while visions of the previous night replayed in my mind. 

He’s three different men in one: my next-door neighbor, my boss during the week, and my lover on weekends. Wanna know how I got there? I’ll tell you, but first let me introduce myself. My name’s Daria, Daria Kent. I’m 25 and I work as an office assistant at Spencer Hwang Consulting. 

It all started about two years ago, I had it all at 23: a nice downtown apartment, a full-time job, a loving family, and an up-and-coming lawyer for a boyfriend. I was a first-year student in business school when I started working at the coffeehouse, The Java Jive, where I worked as a server. The coffeehouse had a small number of employees, and I sometimes must cover their shifts, sometimes I also work until closing time. On days when I’m not serving coffee and interacting with customers, I tend to my 90-year-old grandma who suffers from dementia, making me her caregiver because my parents worked full-time (my mom a financial adviser and my dad a physician), but they also help me with the caretaking. For over a year, I had been dating Craig, who worked at a lawyer’s office on his way to becoming a junior partner. 

One day, I took on a heavy load because it’s just one of them type of days for me; it started after class at business school (I take morning classes) when I first had to work a double shift at The Java Jive because one of my coworkers had to take an exam. Then, I had to buy groceries for both my apartment and my grandma’s house. Next, I get a call from Craig telling me he’s working late and couldn’t make it for dinner at our favorite restaurant. Finally, I got a call from my dad, who needed borrow my car in the morning because his car was in the mechanic for repairs. 

Busy days like this are normal for me; I’m busy even on a bad day, I just don’t let it show. My bad-to-worst day began started with one of the teachers at my business school didn’t show up because of car trouble and then I had to cover a co-worker's night shift, which caused me to miss a movie date with Craig. When I told him about it, he complained, and we had an argument over the phone. I didn’t want to do a night shift, but my coworker begged and pleaded because her little kids were sick, and her parents were celebrating an anniversary that night. Bad day vibes aside, I did it without showing any resentment; my bad to worse day became a little better with a visit from Spencer Hwang. That night, he came into The Java Jive with a slightly messy appearance because he had a busy day himself; his white button-down shirt had three buttons unbuttoned that stopped at his chest and his gray suit jacket had a few wrinkles. He had ordered a coffee with a shot of espresso served hot; he told me about his day while I made and served his coffee. He started his own business, a business consulting firm, a few years ago and mostly does the consulting by himself; he’s got a full plate between running a business on his own as a CEO and helping high school and college students fulfill their dreams with his mentorship program. He wanted to get know me and then we bonded over having to do so much by ourselves every day.  

He listened as I told him about my daily routine as a full-time student/caretaker of an elderly relative/coffeeshop worker and I listened to him about his daily routine as a business CEO, a mentor, and his need to have some help with his business and office in return. Spencer then went into business consultant mode when he asked me questions about the coffeehouse, I answered them while I refilled his coffee. He told me that the coffee tasted great and he admired my customer service skills, he also suggested that the customers would stay a little longer if the coffeehouse served food. 

“I told the owners the same thing one day, especially since there are two bakeries in town, one of them had just recently opened.” I said to him. 

“I hope I can meet the owners one day and give them a few pointers in making this coffeehouse a successful one.” He said to me.  

He left two of his business cards: one for the owners and one for me with his phone numbers on the back. I held on to the card he gave me and put it in my purse.  

Then one weekend, specifically a Friday, I get a call from Craig’s cell phone by way of a butt dial and heard the voice of another woman with him. I found out he was home, so I went over to his place to confront them. Craig answered the door, and I let myself in, they were both half-naked and there were two glasses of wine on the living room table, next to a stack of papers.  I instead got to know the other woman named Shelly who’s his legal assistant at the law office. I found they’ve been going out a lot, I then asked him where he went on the night I had to work late, he told me he took Shelly to the movies that night. Next thing you know, he starts complaining about how I never make any time for him and all that. Then, he had the nerve to bring up my family, I mean he’s the one to talk about family when he pays his mom’s bills and never mentions his father or any other relatives. He has no idea of the stresses (physical, mental, emotional, financial) I go through as a caretaker of an elderly relative with dementia, especially since I have been a caretaker when I was 18. I didn’t mind missing dates when either one of us was working late or going to inexpensive places every now and then, but when I’m tired from having a full day, he gets needy. We had a big, loud argument in front of Shelly, who had to calm us both down. It’s one thing to complain about me but when it comes to my family, I was not having any of it! 

I became instant friends with Shelly before leaving Craig’s apartment that night. The next time Craig and I meet up, it was on Sunday before brunch with the family. We had a talk about our relationship, next thing you know, he brought up the argument from the other night. I defended my family to him, he defended why he was seeing Shelly, we yelled, and it was over between us. 

With Craig finally out of my life, I focused on my job, family, and school; I was through with him and his needy behind! 

One Saturday afternoon, I drove around town in my car for a little house hunting and arrived at a row of brick townhouses that were inspired by of the ones at the Upper West Side in NYC. A realtor hosted an open house at one of the vacant two-story townhouses and I decided to check it out for myself, I stepped inside and picked up a pamphlet, which included her business card, while the realtor gave a guided tour. The 2,346 square foot townhouse had an elegant Victorian exterior, and the interior contained hardwood floors; the house had four bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms, a laundry area, a fireplace, built-in bookshelves, etc. 

After the guided tour, I became interested in this townhouse, especially with its amenities and features. I then ran into Spencer, who happens to be in the neighborhood because his house is next door to the townhouse. He invited me to his place for coffee and catching up, I got a chance to see him in casual clothes, mainly a tank top and jeans. We got to know each other that day; I learned that he’s the youngest of two with an older sister, he lives with both parents and two sets of grandparents in the same house, his father’s an art buyer for a museum, his mom’s a jewelry buyer/ designer with her own boutique, and his older sister’s in graduate school. While we chatted, I briefly got a look at his muscular arms, strong hands, and almond-shaped eyes. I felt something there while being with him, just not right away; though I wondered if he feels something between us.  

That night, I went home to my apartment after visiting my family and helping my grandma. I worked on my resume while thinking about that townhouse, that and imagining being Spencer’s next-door neighbor. I then decided to take on a second job doing food deliveries to save up for the townhouse, things were going good for me until one month later.  

It started when I got a phone call from my mom while I was at work; my grandma was in the hospital, and she had suffered a small fracture in her hip. I took some time off to take care of her for a couple of days and helped with things around the house. While I was on caretaker mode, I got a call from the landlord at my apartment building, wanting to talk to me about my apartment. I wondered why the landlord wanted to talk to me about it, I mean I’ve never missed a rent payment, and my bills are paid on time.   

One day, the landlord came to my apartment, he told me that he wanted to give my apartment to a relative of his who had fallen on hard times. I asked him how long do I have before I vacate and he said by the end of next month, so I managed to pack everything, cleaned the apartment, disconnected the utilities, and moved into an extended stay hotel; all before the month was over. I went out on a food delivery and picked up an order from the nearby deli, I noticed a familiar address. I drove past the still vacant townhouse from that open house I attended and arrived at Spencer’s townhouse with his delivery. The door opened and there was Spencer with a towel wrapped around his waist, I figured he had just taken a shower because his black hair and well-built body were wet. Other than that, he was happy to see me again. 

“I didn’t know you deliver.” Spencer said, smiling at me as he received his order. 

“Yeah, I want to save up for that townhouse next door. How’s the business consulting going?” I said to him. 

"So far so good, though the workload is heavy, I'm currently looking for associates and also an office assistant through LinkedIn, the office assistant position is still open if you’re interested and the pay is very generous.” Spencer admitted. 

The sight of his almost naked body had me feeling a little excited, turned on to be exact. All that and the smile too! I couldn’t stay long because I had other deliveries and a shift at The Java Jive. 

The only office work experience I had was with the school’s front office during summer and winter break, I typed at 60 words per minute, and I’m proficient at Microsoft Office Suite, I decided to take a chance, applied for the office assistant job at Spencer Hwang Consulting, and sent in my resume. According to the LinkedIn page, Spencer’s a graduate of Southern New Hampshire University with a master's in business management and a master’s in finance degree from University of Phoenix. I then clicked on his personal social media page and found out that his hobbies include cooking, working out, and golf. 

I got a call from Mr. Hwang about my job application and resume; he was impressed by the credentials. He decided to keep them both on file and would like for me to come in for an interview once I completed business school. I was thrilled and excited about this new job opportunity. 

The following year, I had finally graduated from business school in the top ten of the class; my family and everyone from The Java Jive were in attendance and they were very proud of me. I then took and completed the CAA (Certified Administrative Assistant) certification exam, purchased the townhouse, and after landing an in-person interview, got the office assistant job at Spencer Hwang Consulting. Also, my co-workers at The Java Jive threw me a graduation/new job party before I left. 

I went through the first 180 days (about 6 months) working at the office and interacting with Mr. Hwang with professionalism and courtesy, plus introduced myself to the newly hired associates. Being the new office assistant, I handled many tasks all at once; it’s never a dull moment at the office. Plus, I got myself a whole new work wardrobe for the job, channeling the office siren aesthetic with a couple of workplace appropriate pencil skirts and pantsuits, proving myself to be both professional and stylish. 

One Friday night, I came home to my townhouse and took off my shoes when I got an after-office hours call from Spencer.  

“How’s your night going?” He asked me. 

“So far so good, now that you called me.” I happily replied. 

“I was wondering if you have any plans tomorrow night.” He said. 

“I don’t think so.” I responded. 

“I want to take you out to dinner for a celebration on Saturday night. We have a lot to celebrate together.” He said. 

“I’d love to go to dinner with you.” I replied. 

“Great, I’ll pick you up at 8:30.” He said to me. 

Saturday afternoon, I decided to buy myself a little black dress for my dinner date with Spencer; it was a fitted, black velvet long sleeved dress with a sweetheart neckline that complimented my slim-thick figure. I wore it with a pair of black lace stockings, black closed-toe pumps, and wore my shoulder-length black hair into a layered wavy hairstyle.  

That night, Spencer arrived at my doorstep with a big bouquet of roses and lilies in his hand, he looked at me and said, “You look gorgeous, Daria.” 

“Thank you.” I replied with a smile. 

We went to a nearby steak and seafood restaurant for our dinner date; we celebrated the business, my job at the business consulting office, and us becoming neighbors over surf and turf and champagne.  

“Daria, I’m so proud of you as your employer. You’re professional, kind, and productive in the office. You’re the best office assistant. As a neighbor, I can’t wait to come over to your house for coffee and borrow some things.” He said to me

. 

“Spencer, you have no idea how glad I am to be your office assistant, plus you don’t have to take on so many things at once professional wise. Let’s see where this night will take us.” I replied. 

After a very delicious celebratory dinner, we then went to a jazz club where we slow danced the night away. I felt his body heat while we danced, and he held me close to him; we looked into each other’s eyes as the smooth jazz music played in the background.  I got to know him as both my CEO boss during the week and my next-door neighbor, I often wonder what’s he like in the between the sheets. We then went to his townhouse and got ourselves comfortable in the living room on the sectional sofa, Spencer sat close to me with one arm wrapped around my waist. He had me feeling some type of way, by that I mean aroused.  

“This night has been wonderful, we had dinner, and we danced. I mean, what could possibly make the night much better?” I said to him. 

“Daria, there’s something I want to give off my chest.” Spencer spoke. 

“Other than that shirt you have on?” I asked with a bit of a laugh. 

Spencer smiled at me as he said, “That too. Daria, I have been having some thoughts and feelings toward you.” 

“What kind of thoughts and feelings?” I asked him. 

“I imagined us as more than co-workers and neighbors. I once moaned your name in the shower, I thought about what sex with you would feel like.” He admitted. 

Taken back by his admission of lustful desire, I blushed for a moment and then replied, “I feel the same about you, I was turned on when you opened the door in a towel when I delivered your lunch.” 

“Well, I do like to be naked when I’m at home.” Spencer said to me. 

“Would you like to show me please?” I asked him. 

I sat back and watched as Spencer got up from the sofa, stood up in front of me, and took his time removing his clothes. I finally got to see his body up close; he was down to his dark gray boxer shorts. In my own opinion, he got the kind of body that was made for sex with his fit abs, strong arms, and firm chest.