The twenty minutes took forever to go past, but when they were up I suddenly wished I had more time and I hoped I wasn’t going to regret saying yes to Sebastian’s offer. It’s just a business meeting and a small lunch, I told myself over and over again. I didn’t understand why I felt so confused anyway – I certainly did NOT want to be with Sebastian and I was not looking for a relationship. There was no way that I was even close to ready for such a thing. I wondered briefly if it were because I had been in a relationship for such a long time and had forgotten what it was like to flirt with other men. If so, then my feelings were not real at all. I was simply excited at the prospect of another man finding me attractive. Although I couldn’t quite imagine that he was actually attracted to me. Abbie had pointed out a few of the girls that he had been with and I remembered clearly the girl with the short dress that had come to see him. He was the type of guy that liked models on his arm – not ordinary woman like me. I had a feeling that he probably wanted to see how far he could push me. This infuriated me. Also, Justin had proven that he had never been into me in the first place – his eyes were always on someone else – and this had made me think that perhaps no man would ever truly be interested in me ever again. This didn’t infuriate me. It saddened me. I knew that I didn’t have Danielle’s long legs. Or a face that didn’t need makeup to look pretty. I knew that I was too short. And too plain. And too normal. And yet… I hadn’t imagined that Sebastian had flirted with me. Had I?

Again, I was grateful that Abbie wasn’t around to see me go into his office for lunch. I tried walking very softly so that Michael wouldn’t notice me but he had his head down and looked very heavily involved with his phone so I figured I was safe on that bet. Although I wasn’t sure why I was suddenly so ashamed at going to see Sebastian. He was my boss after all. I knocked.

“Come in.” His voice was a sing song, the melody beckoning me.

I opened the door and walked in. “I’m here for our meeting.” I said although the minute I said the word meeting it sounded as if it had a double meaning. I cringed and hoped he hadn’t noticed.

“Great! Glad I could twist your arm. Close the door behind you so that we don’t get people coming in and stealing our lunch!”

I closed the door and then sat opposite him. I was well aware that only a few days ago I had sat across from him a nervous wreck after discovering the guy that I had spilled coffee all over was also my boss. Just then his phone rang and he mouthed an apology before picking it up. While he spoke I got a chance to take him in. I was hoping that the more time I spent with him the less attractive he got to me – but so far my attraction to him was only mounting and I could feel myself getting more and more frustrated in his presence. Did he really have to be this good looking? His work attire differed depending on the mood and today he definitely meant business. Just yesterday he looked cute in jeans and a t-shirt, a hoodie pulled over when the afternoon chill set in. He’d looked younger then, and I felt more relatable to him. But today he was wearing a tailored suit of dark grey, a black shirt and a deep blue tie. There was no doubt in my mind that this suit had been made for him and not just bought at a shop because it fit him perfectly. I wondered what it would be like to get clothes made specifically for me. I battled to find clothes that suited me because while I had very big breasts I was also quite short. Things were either too long, or too tight or too short and I was constantly getting things fixed. Whenever I found an outfit that fitted me perfectly, like a good pair of jeans, I’d buy like three of them so that I wouldn’t have to go shopping for a while. While Sebastian talked on the phone I listened to his voice and smiled at the easy way in which he spoke to people. He had a way of either making someone feel small and significant or grand and important. Right now he was making the person on the other side of the phone feel incredibly special. When he finally put down the phone he apologised to me.

“Sorry about that Jane. I’m so rude. I called you in for a meeting and then I took a phone call. I promise to ignore any others that come in.” I noticed that he had emphasized the word ‘meeting’ just as I had. I pretended not to notice.

“No problem at all. Work is work. It must be done.” I said, trying my best to act as professional as possible.

“Indeed. Work IS important. But breaks are equally important. I told myself when I took on this job that I wouldn’t work so hard that I wouldn’t even get to appreciate my life. So I’m a big fan of still having fun in amongst the busy times. And also… a man has to eat and I’m starving.” Why did he look at me when he said that? “Now, let me take you through this wonderful array of food. I didn’t know what you liked so I took the courtesy of ordering pretty much everything. I hope you left your sad little sandwich behind?”

I chuckled. “Yep, it’s still sitting on my desk. Looking even sadder now that I have decided not to eat it. This looks amazing though. Thank you so much. How did you get it all here so quickly?”

“Oh my dear, you underestimate the powers of being the boss.”

“This is very true. I’ve never known such power. I’m glad to see you are using it towards getting food. This impresses me.”

“You are impressed by very strange things. Does this impress you?” He held up a mini quiche and I smiled.

“Oh yes. Very much.”

He handed it to me. “How about this?” He held up little stack of bacon, cheese and cucumber.

“Yes. Even more so.”

He handed it to me. “And this?” It was a piece of pickle.

I pulled a face, “Oh no. Definitely not.”

“You see,” He said and put down the pickle, “I’m getting to know a bit more about you now. I’m glad to see you’re not a fan of pickle. It’s awful stuff. Not quite sure why anyone would actually eat it unless they were forced to.”

“My motto in life is why eat pickle when you can eat bacon?”

“Great philosophy.” He put a piece of bacon into his mouth and smiled and I moved uncomfortably in my seat as I looked at the way his mouth had moved. I couldn’t stop thinking about what that mouth might feel like on mine.

“Uh… so… about that work you wanted to discuss?” I said and took out my notebook and pen, desperate to think about anything else other than his mouth.

“Ah… I like a woman that is all business. Okay, well here’s what I’m thinking.”

He launched into a few ideas for my campaign and I was surprised to find that he really did have work to talk to me about. I wasn’t sure if I was relieved or disappointed at that. Nevertheless his ideas were good and I was glad to be talking business. For a small moment I almost forgot that I was hoping for something else to happen in the meeting. Almost.

“So, what do you think?” He asked me.

“Honestly? I think those are great ideas. Definitely something that I can incorporate quite easily into my campaign – which by the way is going very well. I’d like to hold a meeting at the end of next week if you don’t mind – just to update everyone on the statistics. I’m well aware that I’m the new girl so I also don’t want to tread on any ones toes. I would rather let everyone know what I’m doing and hear their thoughts. I think it’s something that I can do well by myself but even better with everyone’s input.”

“Great idea, not many people think that way. Everything is better when done in a team. And yes of course. Chat to Abbie and get her to set something up.”

“I’ll do that. Thanks Sebastian.”

“So, are you enjoying it here? Glad you got the job? Is this the type of place you could imagine working at for a while? I mean, messed up car aside.”

That made me smile, “I am actually – messed up car aside. It’s very interesting and I’m learning a lot. And I really like everyone on the team. And I can definitely picture myself staying here.”

“Yeah, they’re a good bunch. And you’re right about the job – it suits you. I knew it from the moment I saw you in that meeting on your first afternoon. The way you commanded the room like that. I tell you what Jane, I was very surprised at that. That was not at all the same Jane that I had seen that morning, embarrassed over spilled coffee. I half expected you to run out the door when I asked you to stand up and yet you did it with so much grace and self-assurance.”

“I guess I’m just confident when it comes to my work.”

His eyes glistened and he stared at me without looking away. I was desperate to look somewhere else but for once I couldn’t stop myself from staring right back at him. I could literally feel my entire body start to shake. “I liked your confidence. And I liked your shyness. You’re like a little walking contradiction, you know that.”

“Like the Green Day song.” I said, and squirmed in my seat and looked at my hands, which were crossed firmly into my lap. Suddenly I was too nervous to look back up at him. I didn’t know what to do with myself.

“With good taste in music too. Can I tell you something Jane?” He asked.

“Yeah… of course.” But I was still looking down at my lap.

“I want you. I want you so badly right now.”

I looked up suddenly. “Wh – What?”

“I want you so badly Jane. I don’t know what it is about you. You’re very different to the type of women that I normally go for. And yet, I cannot stop thinking about you. I cannot tell you how wild you are making me right now.”

I was startled by his bluntness and the sudden turn this conversation had taken. “But you don’t know anything about me.” My voice was timid.

“Well, I think I know enough. I know that you like bacon and cheese, and little mini quiches. I know that you detest pickles and that you name your cars. I know that you hate wearing high heels and you love alternative rock music. And the thing I know the most… well I know how I feel whenever I see you.”

I felt my mouth go dry. I thought of Abbie and the warning bells went off in my head. I had to stop this from happening before it got out of hand. I had to make sure that I wasn’t just one of the girls that he got into his bed simply with a few nice words. I wouldn’t be that type of girl. I rolled my eyes at him. “Oh please, you’re just thinking with your dick. Just the way all men do.” Then I stopped myself. “Oh my God, I cannot believe that I just said that to you. I’m so sorry. I think I just crossed the line there. Sorry Sebastian. I’ve just met a few bastards lately, but it wasn’t fair for me to say that to you.” I could not believe I had just called my boss a dick. The very same boss I had been fantasizing about and who was now flirting with me just as I wanted but wouldn’t admit. Thankfully he was smiling at me.

“Well, I’m not one of them. I’m not a bastard. And I can totally believe that you’d say something like that to me. Just the same way that you shouted at me when I crashed into you. You’re a feisty one. And I like that about you. I’m sorry but can’t help it – I really do want you so badly Jane.”

I took a step back. I wanted him too, of course I did, but I was too afraid of what I was doing. Of who he was. Of what Justin had done to me. I wanted to run out the door and yet I also wanted to stay inside. He stood up and came towards me and I noticed a bulge in his trousers. I couldn’t believe that I had managed to turn him on. Me! I mean, this was a man that could easily make it onto the cover of a magazine and I was just plain Jane. And yet, I could see that he wanted me. And that he wanted me badly. I felt my body responding to his stare and I knew that no matter how much I tried to deny it that I wouldn’t be able to resist him.

“Sebastian, I – “

But before I could finish he came forward and started to kiss me. He was much taller than me and even though I was wearing heels he had to bend down to kiss me. I understood why Abbie liked tall men now – there was something so desirable about him reaching down for me like that. His hands were in my hair, touching my face and the longer we kissed the more intense it became. The only guy that I had kissed for the past several years of my life had been Justin, and even when we had first met the kiss had been nothing like this. This was a kiss that I would never forget. It was hot, heavy and passionate and I felt the whole room steam up around me. I never wanted it to end. “Oh God.” I groaned the moment we pulled away and then I leaned in for more. I couldn’t get enough of him. When he stopped me I thought I was going to cry out in frustration. But he just smiled at me, that lopsided mischievous grin, and locked his office door. Then he looked back at me and took my face into his hands. “Jane, I want you.”