Karen The Temp

by Jason Jordan

Week One

They meet at a battery factory. Karen spots an online ad for warehouse work, so she visits the temp agency that placed it. Following a background check, which takes a week, she is brought in for orientation, on a Monday, then is sent from the agency to the factory a few hours later to start her job as a second shifter.
…..Jim is the supervisor of the department where Karen is assigned, and, if everything goes well, will stay for twelve weeks. The department charges used cell phone batteries from broken phones for reuse. They do this Monday through Friday.
…..Jim is more attracted to Karen than Karen is to Jim.

Week Two

What Jim likes about Karen most, at first, is her long black hair, large breasts, and shapely ass. Her being Asian is of no consequence; Jim doesn’t mind either way. Jim, white, has dated interracially.
…..What Karen likes most about Jim, at first, is not much. It’s not that she dislikes a bald, averge-looking white guy; it’s that she’s indifferent. She hasn’t yet talked to him about anything except business, because, considering he’s the supervisor, he’s constantly moving, talking to people, resolving issues.

Week Three

This week marks the first time Jim, single, talks to Karen, single, about something besides work, when he asks her: “Where are you from?”
…..Karen answers, “Here.” She asks, “What about you?”
…..Jim says, “I’m from here, too.”
…..The conversation dies quickly. Neither Jim nor Karen can think of anything to say or ask. Jim says he’ll check in later, but he’s always in the vicinity anyhow.

Week Four

Because their shift is eight hours, both receive two fifteen-minute breaks and one thirty-minute lunch. Neither smokes, so they always sit, separately, in the cafeteria—him in a booth and her in another.
…..Jim takes a window seat where he can look outside on breaks and lunches, even at his 10 p.m. break, when it’s dark and he can barely see through his reflection. He eats alone and is always back to work on time.
…..Karen sits in the middle of the cafeteria, and talks with a new friend of hers, another Asian, an ugly woman, who works the same hours in the same department. Sometimes she’s back late—no more than five minutes—but Jim never says anything, though he should.

Week Five

Karen’s friend misses work Tuesday, so Karen sits by herself during first break. Jim takes notice, decides he’ll ask to sit with her at lunch. Still during first break, Jim, alone, thinks about the best parts of his day—when Karen wears something low-cut, the tops of her breasts peeking out, and walks up and down the main aisle jiggling; when Karen bends over to lift a box; when Karen plays with her hair. Jim wants to return to work, but he’s got a boner, so he stays longer, not thinking of Karen, her body, the length he’d go to to be able to see her naked, fuck her.
…..Later, on lunch, Jim, feeling bold, approaches Karen and asks, “Mind if I sit with you?”
…..“Sure,” she says.
…..He brought a sack lunch, containing a PB & J, an apple, and a chocolate chip cookie. She’s eating a frozen dinner—fettucine alfredo. They don’t say much.

Week Six

Karen asks Jim if he’ll be able to get her hired. The economy’s in a sorry state, and she’s desperate for a secure full-time job. She’s already reached the halfway point of her twelve-week temp contract.
…..If co-workers are within earshot, he’ll tell her, “I dunno.” If they aren’t, he’ll say, “Maybe.” Very few temps are hired—they both know this.

Week Seven

Jim now only fantasizes about Karen when he masturbates. He’ll think of her in his bedroom, how he’ll pull off her top, unhook her bra, massage her breasts, suck a nipple, then another. Before he goes to sleep each night, he creates scenarios in which he seduces her.
…..They’ve been sitting with one another at lunch. Karen’s friend no longer dines with her.

Week Eight

At lunch one day, when the cafeteria is full and noisy, Karen quietly asks Jim if he’d like to get a drink Saturday night. They’d checked each other’s ring fingers long ago, and because neither mentioned a partner, they correctly assumed they were both single.
…..Jim says, “Sure, but no one can find out.”
…..“I know the place,” Karen says. She removes a pen from her jean pocket, steals a napkin from Jim and writes an address.
…..He recognizes the street, but not the number. “What’s this?”
…..“You’ll see,” she says. Karen collects her trash and stuffs it in the garbage can, walks toward their department while Jim’s gaze follows her the whole way, until she slips from view.
…..Saturday night arrives. Jim pulls up to the place Karen specified—an apartment complex—at the time she specified—9 p.m. He’s in a collared shirt and nice pants, which is essentially his work outfit, being a super and all. Jim sees the name Karen, the only Karen in the building, next to one of the buzzers, so he pushes. The occupant lets him in, and Jim makes his way up.
…..Karen opens her door, wearing a tight black dress, holding a glass of red wine. “Wine?” she says, and Jim nods yes. They exchange pleasantries while Karen prepares the wine. Drinking in is the cheapest option, and they’ll have to go somewhere later anyway if Jim’s gonna get what he wants and later, by extension, Karen.
…..After several glasses, Karen dims the lights and sits close to Jim on the couch. Her right knee touches his left. He leans in, as does she, and they kiss, softly, wetly. Jim traces Karen’s face in the shape of a backward C, planting strands of hair behind her left ear. He slowly lowers the straps of her dress, revealing a lace bra. Karen reaches for Jim’s crotch, and he reciprocates. Then he’s on top of her. She traces routes on his back and scratches so they won’t fade.
…..When he finishes, he says, “I better go,” and he does, vanishing until their inevitable encounter at work Monday.

Week Nine

They act like Saturday night didn’t happen, until Friday at lunch, when Jim asks Karen if she’d like to go out this Saturday night, though he whispers so their co-workers won’t overhear. They meet at the same time and place, do the same thing.

Week Ten

Karen considers it odd how she doesn’t know where Jim lives, his phone number, or anything personal. When she asks where he lives, he says, “Around,” or, “In the city.” He won’t give her his number either, saying, “I’ll tell you later,” or, “I’ve got yours. What do you need mine for?” In fact, during off hours, Karen wouldn’t be able to get a hold of Jim, and a quick online search yielded too many Jims with the same last name—sixteen.

Week Eleven

Same as nine.

Week Twelve
Near the end, lunch on Friday, Karen asks Jim if he’d like to come over. They adhere to the same routine until, after, in each other’s arms, Karen asks, “So, when am I gonna get hired?” She makes a point to look him in the eyes.
…..He says, “I’m not sure, but they’ll call you. After a temp is done, I get to decide if they’re worth recommending for hire. I’ll put in a good word for you.”
…..Jim will not put in a good word for her. As a matter of fact, he will recommend that she not be hired as a full-timer with benefits. The company will not call her. He thinks of these things while he’s lying on top of her.
…..New temps start Monday, and Jim wonders how many will be attractive women. He’ll single out the one he wants, begin the cycle again.
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→EMPRISE 20