Absence

She could barely mask her disdain for the assignment, and her ambition preceded her into every room. Of course I disliked her. She cried like a child, and I felt the tears like chilled vodka melt into my fingertips. Only her laughter caught me off-guard. It was half bark, half bell. Later, the hardness in her voice, the tenuous control of tone and volume, and her direct invasion of my space I hadn't expected although I knew the argument would happen. Then there was the soft point of her hipbone against my abdomen as she shifted and curled her hips into my hand as my hand curled into her.

"Do I remember her?" I repeated as I ran my fingers over the seam of my jeans. "Yeah. The woman made an impression."