Giving into Temptation

Part 2

Chapter 3

FBI Headquarters Tuesday - 10:15 am

 

Melinda walked out of the Assistant Directors office and headed down the hall. Their meeting went as expected, the both of them pretending nothing had transpired between the two of them that weekend before.  He played it well and she, well she felt like a complete fool. She had spent the rest of the weekend locked up inside of her apartment. He was on her mind constantly and she knew she just needed time until things settled down in her brain so she could move forward. A hundred thoughts ran through her mind that weekend. Should she leave the DC Bureau and return to Utah? Should she transfer to another division, where she could work under another superior? Or should she just accept her mistake and pretend, like they were doing now. It seemed easier in her mind to run, but that wasn’t her. She never ran from her problems and this should be no different. Walter was a good man and a good Assistant Director. She should consider herself lucky and be grateful things turned out the way they did. They could both be out of a job if their indiscretion was ever discovered. Their choice to forget and move on was probably the best for both of them.

 

It was hard sitting across from him during their meeting. He looked so good and the only thing she could think about was his hard body over hers, his touch, and the way he kissed her. That was what was really messing with her mentally, was the way he kissed her. If it would have just been sex, well, this would have all been a lot easier on her but it wasn’t just sex. Perhaps she was reading too much into it. She received her orders from him and then left avoiding any small talk. He didn’t give off any signals and was straight and to the point during their brief meeting. Melinda sat at her desk and closed her eyes taking in a deep breath. She would get through this. There was no other choice.

 

The week dragged by and when Friday came Melinda decided to check out a new gym down the block from her apartment. She didn’t feel comfortable returning to the FBI gym so had to find alternative means for working out. The gym was extremely nice and was packed for a Friday night. After been given the tour, she changed into her work out clothes and located the area where the treadmills were located. She grabbed an empty one down the ways from a young man, who obviously was a runner himself by the shape he was in. After their workout he struck up a conversation with her and she discovered that many of the local PD and government employees frequent this gym. The young man, Josh, was no exception. Turned out he was a lieutenant for the D.C police department. The two talked for a while and exchanged phone numbers with the promise to get together for dinner sometime. When Melinda returned home that evening she felt exhausted from the week and collapsed onto her couch pulling out Josh’s number from her pocket. He seemed like nice enough guy and possibly exactly what she needed to get over last weekend. Setting his number on a side table she promised herself to call him next week to go out. He was tall, cute and seemed like genuine enough guy. She really just hoped he would get her mind off Walter.

 

That weekend her sister called to check up on her. They talked to one another on a weekly basis and Melinda had avoided her last weekend, not sure if she should tell her what had happened between her and Walter. They were extremely close and Jane had a good sense when something was going on with her sister. As they spoke, Melinda steered the conversation towards Jane’s kids and things that were going on in Utah trying to avoid her life completely.

“Alright, enough about us. I want to hear something exciting about your life in D.C.”

“Not much, just work. You know how it is.”

“Have you met anybody?”

“Yeah, uh, actually I met someone recently at the gym I joined. Nice guy, works for the D.C.P.D.”

“Have you two gone out yet? What’s he like?”

Melinda told her what she knew about him, hoping this would satisfy her sister’s curiosity.

“Melinda, I’m sensing there is more. Something going on at work?”

“What? Don’t do that Jane. Things are fine, really.”

“All right. Would you tell me if things weren’t?”

”Of course I would.” Then silence. “Probably not, but I don’t need you worrying about me. I’m a big girl you know.”

Jane didn’t respond on the other end making Melinda feel a bit antsy. Then Jane spoke.

“I have never judged you little sister. Of course you don’t have to tell me everything. I just want you to be ok.”

Melinda let out a sigh. She knew she needed to talk to someone about this and she knew her sister was the only one she could trust never to tell anyone.

“If I tell you something, you have to promise never to breathe a word of it. Not even to Michael.”

“I knew it!”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re a genius. I know. I’m serious though.”

“I promise. Are you in trouble?”

“No, nothing like that. It’s…I did something…uh well.”

“Spill it Melinda, what did you do?”

“I slept with the Assistant Director. No, let me refrain that. There was very little sleep involved and a lot of hooking up.”

Silence on the other line.

“Not the Assistant Director you report to?”

“Yes, that one.”

She told Jane about how she had run into him at the bar, his inviting her back to his place and what had transpired from there. She spared the details of their encounter but hinted that is didn’t end at just one romp and that she had stayed the entire night.

“Problem now is, I can’t seem to get him out of my mind. I don’t know what to do Jane. I’ve considered coming home, maybe rejoin my unit there.”

“But you wanted this job so bad, you worked your ass off to get there. You would let something like this send you backwards?”

“You’re right. I know. I’ll get past this. I know I will. I have to.”

“Is he treating you any differently? Acting weird or more of jerk or anything?”

“No, Walter is great. Nothing like that. He has been completely professional.”

“Except for the, sleeping with an agent under his charge part. You care about him don’t you?”

“I don’t know what I feel except confused at this point.”

 

When Melinda hung up the phone with her sister Jane she reflected on their conversation. She was surprised that Jane had refrained from giving her own advice on the matter. Jane just told her that it would all work out and to be open to meeting new people, telling her she needed to seriously consider going out with the guy from the gym. Her sister believed she was lonely, a new city, being away from her family and that she just needed to meet some new people and start dating again. Melinda knew she was right and decided that was probably the best advice.

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Skinner returned to the Bureau gym that Friday night. Although he knew better he was hoping Melinda would show up. He had only seen her once during a brief meeting that week and he felt as if he was going crazy not being able to see her. When she had left his apartment that Saturday morning he had seen the tears in her eyes when she pulled away from their hug goodbye. He felt like the biggest asshole on earth but knew that he had to try and separate himself or things would get out of control. He couldn’t believe that he had developed such strong feelings for her in such a short time. Initially what he had thought was lusting after a young agent under his charge, had turned into something so much more. They connected in a way that he had never experienced with anyone. He had considered a hundred times calling her that weekend, to see if she was ok. In all honesty, he wanted to hear her voice, possibly even see her again. But knew that was not a good idea and forced himself to stay busy to avoid becoming weak in his resolve.

 

Shaking the thoughts out of his head, he focused on running on the treadmill as fast as his legs would carry. If he had to kill the feelings with physical pain then that is what he had to do. It was going to be a hard weekend for him and he hoped things would get easier as time went by. Seeing her in his office that week and trying to keep the mask of nothing had happened was extremely hard. He had wanted to ask her how she was, talk to her some more about what happened, apologize for his actions.  But they had been through that and they had agreed to brush it under the carpet.

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