A week later and I was feeling a lot better about my new position at work. Just as I had suspected, it hadn’t taken me long to feel like a part of the furniture. It was probably day two that had broken the ice with myself and Sebastian as well as the rest of the crew. The moment that I had gotten back I had everyone crowded around me to listen to what had happened. Sebastian had gone straight to a meeting with David so it was just me with the rest of the group.

“So HE hit YOU?” Abbie asked, and then rolled her eyes as if to say that she was not at all surprised by this revelation.

“Yeah, and between us that guy drives like a maniac.” I said and then looked at them with guilt. Perhaps I shouldn’t be saying bad things about the big boss so early.

Thankfully Kevin had burst out laughing then, “Don’t we know it. I swear all guys with Bentley’s drive like idiots.” Then he had quickly looked up to make sure that Sebastian wasn’t around and we had all laughed conspiratorially together. From that moment on I felt as if we were a team and I felt immediately accepted by them. The boys were lovely and because they didn’t have a strict deadline to get to I actually got to see their fun side. Kevin was 30 years old but already balding – a fact that he pointed out the moment we officially met. Almost like he just wanted to get that part of it out of the way. Because of this he always wore a hat or a beanie and always seemed to make jokes that pertained to his lack of hair. While he joked about it was obvious that he was only doing so because he was embarrassed by it. He was definitely the joker of the group and his laugh could be heard no matter where you were in the office. It was loud, boisterous and extremely contagious. I took an immediate liking to him. Then there was Michael – who I saw as the yin to Kevin’s yang. He was also 30, and was very tall, with a full head of hair, and an exceptionally quiet demeanour. And yet, the two of them got on so well – complimenting each other where it was important. They were like a little team together and it was no surprise to discover that they were both friends outside of the office. Also, it seemed as if they were both in love with Abbie – with each one trying to outdo themselves in front of her. I mentioned this to her when we were alone one day and I saw her blush.

“Aw, no they don’t.” She said, but couldn’t meet my eye. She obviously knew that they were but she definitely didn’t seem like the type that would go around bragging about it.

“Oh come on Abbie. It’s so obvious. They’re both in love with you. They cannot stop looking at you.”

“Nah, that’s not true.” Her blush was getting deeper.

“Okay, forget about them. Let’s talk about you then. So… which one do you prefer?” I nudged her and winked.

She giggled. “Okay, okay. You got me. Man, you’re good at getting stuff out of people. So… I do actually kind of like Michael. You’re the first person I’ve admitted this to so please don’t say anything. He’s so tall. I’ve always been attracted to tall men. And… aw… he’s just so nice. But, nothing’s happened. Just a bit of flirtation. Kind of awkward because we work together you know. We’re just friends. But he’s a bit of eye candy for me too which is always great.” I must say, I didn’t find Michael at all attractive but I was glad that she did. Different strokes for different folks.

“Well, he definitely likes you.”

“Time will tell I guess.” Just then Michael had walked in and Abbie had walked off, her face as red as a tomato. I had a feeling Michael had noticed and I saw him smiling as he made his way to his desk. It was incredibly cute to watch. But I hope that the whole friendship with Kevin wasn’t what was getting in their way.

It was Friday now and I was pleased to have gotten through my first week. Thankfully, after the dreadful morning of day one and day two things had actually gotten better. And somehow, probably because of the accident, I felt a lot more at ease between Sebastian. Despite his cockiness and surety on everything he was actually quite nice to me on that ride to work that day and the two of us had spoken with surprising ease. Also, as promised, he had made sure to take complete blame with the car and had paid me out in full. My car, unfortunately, would not be fixed but at least I’d have the money to buy a new one. Goodbye Mr Honda – hello new beginnings. In the meantime Danielle had been dropping me off at work and picking me up on the days that she could and I’d been taking cabs on the days that she couldn’t. Sebastian had actually offered to help with lifts but I had said no. He lived at the casino so it would be completely out of his way to have to help me. I was sitting at my desk, trying to decide whether or not to visit the restaurant for lunch or eat my rather sad looking sandwich when my phone buzzed.

Hello Jane, what are you doing for lunch today?

I didn’t recognize the number so I typed back, Well that depends who’s asking. Who is this?

Seriously? You don’t know who this is? I’m shocked. Appalled and very saddened by this news. It’s me.

I chuckled. Who is me? Oh, is it Kevin? I thought you were in a meeting.

Kevin? No, this is not Kevin. Do you have the hots for him or something? Tell me more…

Who was this? No, I do not have the hots for him. Okay, so you’re not Kevin. Uh… well I know you are not Michael – he’s at his desk and I can see him on the phone. And I doubt it’s Abbie. Is it Danielle? Yeah, I know it’s you – hey, when did you change your number?

Michael? Yet another male name mentioned. My oh my… you seem to have a lot of men at your feet. Who is Danielle? Your girlfriend?

What was going on? I was desperate to know who this was. Hmm… this is driving me nuts now. Kevin and Michael are guys that I work with. Danielle is my best friend. By the sound of this conversation you clearly know nothing about me.

Oh, but I’d like to know more.

A sudden thought occurred to me. What if this was Justin? What if he was playing some cruel prank on me? I felt a shiver go up my spine at the thought. I wanted to throw the phone against the wall. This didn’t seem like something that Justin would do but then again I never thought that he would cheat on me. Wait. Is this Justin? Because I swear I’ll change my number if it is. Please leave me alone. I felt tears forming in my eyes.

Hey Jane, sorry… I was just messing with you. It’s Sebastian.

Sebastian? That was the last person that I had thought of. And I had inadvertently just told him about Justin, which was the last thing I wanted to do.

Sebastian! Oh goodness, I had no idea. Sorry… I didn’t have your number.

That’s okay – I was just fooling around. Sorry about that. So really, what are you doing for lunch? That really was a valid question.

I’m not doing anything. I have a sandwich next to me.

What’s on it?

Cheese. Tomato.

That’s a very sad sandwich.

I know. But I didn’t have the time to make anything better this morning. Beggars can’t be choosers and all that.

Well, how about you join me for lunch then? I mean, we do have a very nice restaurant at the casino. Have you been before?

Was he asking me out? I have actually. Abbie took me. Thank you for the kind offer but I think I’m going to have to decline.

Why’s that? His next message said.

Well, because you’re my boss. I didn’t think I really needed to elaborate on that one.

That’s a silly answer. And that’s exactly the reason why you should be saying yes to me. Actually… seeing as though I am your boss… I demand that you join me. Jane, please join me for lunch.

No. No and No. Sorry, but I can’t.

So you’re saying no to your own boss?

Yes because forcing me to do something would count as sexual harassment and you certainly don’t want that title to be given to you. I stared at the words before I typed them out. I wasn’t sure if I should send them. It felt a little too bold. A little too much like I was flirting. And Sebastian really was the one person that I didn’t want to flirt with. But it was fun and I was actually quite enjoying this playful conversation. I was glad that Abbie was not around to see it happening. I had a feeling that she would be incredibly disappointed in me. But flirting was just flirting. It didn’t have to be anything else or go any further. It was just a bit of fun. I sent the message and then held my breath.

Fine fine. You’ve got me there. I certainly do not want to be cited as sexually harassing you. Well, I’m going to get some lunch ordered and delivered to my office – say in about twenty minutes – and I actually do have some work that I’d like to run through with you. So, forget the lunch thing. Let’s pretend all that didn’t even happen. I’d appreciate it if you came to see me so that we could go through all this work. You may or may not have some of the food. That’s up to you. If you want, you can even bring your sad little sandwich along.

I couldn’t help but smile at this even though the message had made me slightly nervous. I couldn’t quite figure Sebastian out. And I certainly couldn’t figure out how I felt about him. Did he like me? Did he just flirt with all the girls? Was he trying to prove a point? Did I like him? Was it just a welcome distraction from Justin? It was hard to tell. I had to remind myself to play it cool and to constantly remember what Abbie had told me about him. I tried to remember how sad that poor girl had looked after Sebastian had kicked her out of his office. The last thing I wanted was to let something like this get in the way of my work – especially since it’s a job that I wanted so badly. Still… he was incredibly convincing.

Well, if it’s for work purposes, I suppose I can’t say no. See you in a bit Mr boss man. And… keep me some food. I tried not to smile as I waited impatiently for the twenty minutes to go by.