THOR - ONC 2024

2. Appetisers

"Initial meetings are often not in our offices, Miss - Miss. Oh, I missed your surname, Marissa."

She laughed. "It's Graham, Graham."

"Oh!" I smiled back at her. "I had thought you were addressing me. But as I was saying, continuing our meeting during lunch is convenient for me. Besides, I owe you."

"Owe me?"

"For causing your tumble."

"A long time since I've fallen for a man."

Her sweet chuckle caused me to look up from examining the carpet lint on her clothes. "You need a brush-off."

"Hunh? What?"

I pointed to the speckles on her black fleece top and yoga pants. "You played lint roller on the carpet."

She glanced down. "Oh, and here I was, thinking you were checking me out."

"What if I'm a multi-tasker? Will you allow me to brush you off?"

"Hah!" She smiled. "A fine excuse to feel me up."

I shrugged and grinned back at her. "Perhaps, but to maintain propriety, you do your front, and I'll do your back."

We both worked at nit-picking and hand-brushing, and as I did the middle of her back, I realised she was braless. Not even the lines of a sports bra. Oh, my! But they're so ... Whoa, Graham. This is business. Besides, no more attempts at relationships.

I refocused and finished her top. Then, down to her yoga pants, finding no panty seams stirred me again. But that's the intention of yoga togs. I chuckled. As is my arousal nature's intention.

"What's funny, Graham?"

"Oh! Ummm. Ah, admiring your butt."

"Hunf! And you find it funny?"

"What? No!" Oh, God! How do I ...? Honesty is usually best. "No, it's ... I've not been aroused by a woman in a long time, and I find it delightful."

"How long?"

Hmmm. Too soon for details. "Long enough. Let me pick off the last bits; then we should go. We have lunch to enjoy and business to discuss."

After she spun slowly about for my inspection, we headed out, and at the elevators, I said, "We should start. How was Thor taken?"

"His chain was cut."

"Chain?"

"I lock his harness to something solid when I leave him to shop - even for a minute."

"How strong a chain?"

"One that needs a long-handled bolt-cutter."

"The woman who took him - alone?"

"I don't know. Too focused on her struggling to lead Thor away."

"Likely had an accomplice with the bolt-cutter. Was this a routine stop?"

"How do you mean?"

"In the chocolate shop. Regular or unusual?"

"Every Monday, they have a rotating discount. This week, it was truffles."

I nodded. "A planned snatch, not random. The woman was likely a minion, so spending time trying to find her would be a wasted effort. This is beyond the basic, cherchez la femme."

"Share shay la thumb?"

"How the French say look for the woman. One of the fundamentals in most investigations. We should focus instead on cui bono."