Chapter 1 – First Impressions

She walked into the seminar room with her books clutched to her chest and scanned the crowd. No one she knew was there, she hadn’t expected anyone familiar to be here really, and at that moment she felt very alone and vulnerable.

She had been asked to attend this convention by her boss at the last moment. She was hesitant to go, seeing as how she rarely traveled since her husband had died. It had been three years since she had been anywhere of note. Her boss had told her that she needed to get away, and here was a way for her to go and have a semi-relaxing weekend. She balked at it, but he had insisted, so here she was.

In truth, her boss had noticed her stress levels steadily rising, and this was a chance for her to get out of the office. He had also noticed her coming in on Saturdays, working late most evenings. He knew she had enveloped herself in her work. It wasn’t healthy, and he was determined to help her. He didn’t know if it would make a difference, but he had to try. She was going to burn out, and as callous as it sounded, he needed her productivity and input in the office. He was hoping she would come back from this convention a bit recharged.

So there she was, sitting in the large expanse of the seminar room. She placed her notebook on the chair beside her and studied the synopsis of the talk she was attending. The room quickly filled up.

“Is this seat taken?” a voice from beside her said. She jumped and looked up. A man was standing beside the chair with her book on it, looking right at her. His blue eyes pierced her, making her uncomfortable, and she averted hers. She folded up the pamphlet and flipped it in her hands nervously.

“Oh…. no of course not.” She said, and moved her books.

She glanced around the room furtively, looking for an excuse to get up and move, but realized the reason he asked was for the lack of another empty chair. She shifted herself in her chair and he sat down, relaxed a leg out in front of him, and smiled over at her.

“Gosh these talks can be so boring, don’t you think?” He asked, prompting her to talk to him. She was so pretty, skin like porcelain, eyes that spoke volumes about her nervousness. He instinctively wanted to reach an arm around her to steady her.

“I wouldn’t know,” she stated, “This is the first time I have attended a seminar like this.”

“Well, prepare to be inundated with lots and lots of useless information, good stuff to read at night to fall asleep.” He chuckled.

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. He was indeed handsome, well groomed and very rugged. She immediately thought he looked nothing like Thom, her late husband, and then stopped herself before she started the inevitable comparison sheet that she used every time she met a new man. It was hard not to, she had loved Thom very deeply. But after three years, she knew he was never coming back. Part of her wanted to move on, to find someone new, but every time she met a man she found attractive, she would heave up the wall around herself and eventually they would get the point that she wasn’t receptive and would move on.

She noticed that he was still looking at her with those piercing blue eyes, and she shifted again in her seat. Why couldn’t he just look the other way?

“By the way, my name is Corben.” He said, as he stuck out his hand in front of her.

“Nancy.” She said as she took it and shook. She felt his hand enveloping hers firmly, and she felt, for a moment, a flash of heat. She was always a sucker for strong hands. She pulled her hand away quickly, and folded it into her lap again. What was wrong with her? This attractive man was nothing more than a fellow convention attendee; she had to remember why she was here.

She was here to work, not flirt with men.

Corben wondered what her story was, why she seemed to be so nervous.

Flighty was a word he would use to describe her. He briefly toyed with the notion of how easy it would be to warm her up. The idea of taking her hair out of that bun, and making her completely relax under his touch made him smile a bit. He thought for a moment on how long he would have to work to get her screaming his name and rattling the headboard in his hotel room, but stopped himself.

She was an attractive thing, and from the outline of her hip in her long skirt, he knew she had an incredible body. He had to turn his mind elsewhere. He was going to arouse himself before long if he wasn’t careful. He cleared his throat and casually crossed his legs. Good god it was going to be hard to concentrate.

It wasn’t to say that Corben was a player; he just loved the chase, enjoyed finding women who were a challenge to bed. The challenge.

And this one seemed to be an ultimate one. They seemed to be the ones that would get him going the most, play havoc with his desires. He had bedded many women in the past that had been easy lays, but he lost interest so quickly if they were ready to jump into the sack on the first or second date. He wanted to woo women, not “fuck” them. To create a situation where the sexual tension was brought along slowly, until both parties couldn’t stand it anymore. The result was usually so intense and animalistic, and made for much better sex.

And if the chemistry was right, perhaps a partner of a more permanent sort. He hadn’t found that yet.

“So what field are you in to be attending this seminar?” She asked suddenly, looking away from him as she said it.

“I work in Toronto, for an auditing firm. You?” He responded, surprised that she had initiated a conversation.

“I’m also in Toronto” she said, “I’m a junior accountant.”

At that point, the speaker had come up on to the stage, and had started his talk. They both concentrated on the seminar, taking notes. Nancy would stop occasionally, and chew on the end of her pen, her brow furrowed as she tried to understand a concept. From time to time, she would glance sideways at Corben and notice him fiddling with his pen and generally looking bored. She began to relax. He was definitely attractive. She also noticed that he had excellent taste in clothes. A man that knew how to dress always impressed Nancy.

Historically, she had always been attracted to men who were clean-cut, well groomed and classically handsome. The men in the Spiegel ads always turned her head. She chided herself and regained her focus on the seminar speaker. She blushed a bit as she again felt that brief flash of heat when he had shook her hand.

She bolted up and into the crowd when the talk was finished, before Corben could ask her to come have a drink with him. He shrugged and picked up his books.

He would see her around again.

This was a story I started a year or so ago that I never took any further than this first chapter. I think its time to revisit our Nancy and Corben.

I feel sometimes that I put too much into this first chapter, but it's not really a simple met and greet I want for them. Of course, I will try to take it in a direction I know will work for a woman who shuts herself out of life and a very confident and arrogant man who loves women just a little too much. Should be fun!

Thank you for reading. I hope to be able to post soon.

Cardeia