*****

Amy drove around the back roads of Seattle for about an hour. Lucas led her out of the city, not wanting her first ride to be stressful, which she was grateful for. She loved the vehicle. It drove as if it were on glass. Even once the engine kicked on, only a purr could be heard. It was wonderful, and she didn’t want to stop. She almost forgot Lucas was even with her, which was a pretty amazing feat in itself.

“Amy, it looks like you love this car. Why don’t we head back to the lot and sign the papers so you can take it home?”

She was a little disappointed the ride was over, but she nodded and turned back toward the dealership. She reluctantly got out of the car when they arrived, her eyes turning back to the car, almost afraid that if she walked away, it would be taken from her.

“It’s all yours, you don’t have to worry,” Lucas said when she was still rooted to the spot.

“Sorry,” Amy said as she felt her face heat. She turned away and followed him inside. She forced herself not to turn around again.

The paperwork only took about twenty minutes, since Lucas was a preferred client and they had everything prepared for him. The lot had to do a final cleanup, so they told her it would be delivered to her place that night. She was extremely disappointed she couldn’t take it with her right away, but she didn’t argue with them.

Lucas led her to his car, and she slumped a bit in the seat after they pulled out of the lot. She knew it was ridiculous, but she hadn’t been like most kids, getting loads of gifts for the holidays, and new clothes anytime she wanted.

The first time she’d received a Christmas present was when she was in foster care, and though they were good people, they didn’t have much money, so the kids each got only one small item. She still had those treasured gifts and cherished each of them. The car, though … the car was nice. It was something she’d never expected to have. Even if it wasn’t really hers, it was hers to use for as long as she had the job. That was pretty exciting.

“We’ve finished all we need to today, and your apartment’s ready. Do you want to see your new home?” Lucas asked.

“Yes, definitely,” she responded, feeling her mood perk right back up. She had a hard time sitting still as they drove through the busy city. They passed the Anderson Corporation, and then went about another mile before turning off the road.

As they pulled up to a large building, she was taken aback. It looked more like a fancy hotel than an apartment complex. A huge water fountain with colored lights sat centered in the circular driveway, surrounded by colorful, lush flowers. The drive was paved with multicolored stones, looking like a path out of a fairy tale book. She watched as they passed the front doors, which were adorned with gold trim with brass fixtures. A doorman in a tuxedo stood just inside and waved as Lucas drove past.

She peeked out the window and looked up at the overhead roof, where three chandeliers hung, shooting rainbows of color as they drove beneath the canopy. It was an overwhelming thought that she’d be living in such a sophisticated place.

They pulled inside an underground parking tunnel, where he used a card to enter, before he parked in a reserved space.

“You’ll park here,” he said, while pointing out another reserved space near the elevator. He came around the car before she managed to unbuckle, then opened her door, something she was getting used to. She couldn’t admit to him how much she liked it.

She was silent as they walked into the plush, dark wood elevator and he pressed the only button available. “This elevator only goes to the lobby. It’s another safety precaution we have in place. We take the security of our tenants very seriously.”

When the doors opened to a huge lobby area that would rival the best hotels in New York, Amy couldn’t stop her surprised gasp. There was a large desk sitting against the far wall with a security guard eyeing the monitors in front of him.

“Good evening, Mr. Anderson. You’re in early tonight,” he said before smiling at Amy.

“Hello, Fred. How are you?”

“Good. Good. I can’t complain.”

“Fred, this is our newest tenant, Ms. Harper. She’ll be living in 19-A.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Harper. I hope you’ll enjoy living here. It’s a great place. I work the evening shift Tuesday through Saturday, but I live here, in apartment 2-A, if you ever need me. I already put a list of numbers in your unit, so don’t hesitate to call me anytime.”

Amy liked Fred instantly. He seemed to be in his early fifties and had one of those welcoming smiles, putting one instantly at ease. With the added security measures she felt safe, like the rest of the world couldn’t get to her if she didn’t allow it. Living in Seattle, and always in the slummier parts, had made her very aware of safety issues. More than once in her life, she’d been too afraid to sleep.

“Come with me and I’ll give you the grand tour before showing you to your place,” Lucas said.

He led her down a hallway to a state-of-the-art gym, which they quickly walked through. She wanted to pause and look at the equipment, but he seemed to be in a hurry, so she quickly followed. The next room housed an Olympic-sized pool. Her heart accelerated. Could it be real? She not only got a place, which she didn’t even care if it was the size of a shoe box, but she also got a swimming pool, gym, and more.

Her head was spinning as he showed her a hot tub, a sauna and a game room. Amy felt Lucas watching her as they toured the facility, and she made an attempt to control her expression. She failed miserably at hiding the pleasure on her face.

He showed her the private backyard garden with several benches hidden in different locations. As they passed by one of the shrub-covered areas, she spotted a young couple too busy kissing to notice their intrusion.

Her pulse started racing, seeing the couple so obviously in love they couldn’t keep their hands off each other. She didn’t notice if Lucas had spotted them or not, but she wanted to get back inside before she had any further erotic thoughts about her boss.

“What do you think so far?” he asked. Amy tried to keep a cool expression, tried acting as if she were used to living in similar places. It wasn’t like he didn’t know about her previous home, though. She finally gave up pretending and spun in a circle as she laughed aloud. She almost grabbed him in her excitement, but at the last minute, she pulled back.

“I can’t believe I get to live here. I know I should act all cool and collected, but I just don’t care. I love this place and don’t think I’ll ever want to move out,” she said, a huge grin splitting her face.

“Well, you may want to reserve judgment until you see your actual apartment,” he said as they returned to the lobby.

Lucas pressed the elevator button and stepped inside when the doors opened. They rode to the nineteenth floor in silence. Amy had to fight the rising giggle of disbelief in her throat at her good fortune. As they stepped off and she looked around at the extra-wide hallways with beautiful paintings strategically placed, Amy finally realized the enormous size of the complex.

When she was told it was a corporate apartment building, she’d assumed it only had a couple of floors with minimal units. But, from what she was seeing, there must be several hundred units.

As they walked down the hallway, she noticed there were hardly any doors. They came close to the end when Lucas stopped and placed a key in a door.

“There aren’t many doors up here. How many apartments are on each floor?” she asked, almost afraid to see how big her place was.

“This floor only has two living units. We have four floors with three-bedroom apartments, six floors with two-bedroom, and the rest are all one-bedroom. The first two floors house our temporary units, where traveling business associates stay. All the rest are permanent residences,” he replied. “This floor is also used for conferences and has several rooms available for meetings. We conduct business here often.”

“Oh,” Amy replied, not really knowing what else to say.

They walked inside, and Amy’s breath rushed out. The apartment was enormous. There was a vast entryway, tiled in comfortable earth tones, leading to a beautiful living room. The furnishings looked new, and there was even a big-screen television.

“Esther left you this gift basket she thought you’d enjoy as a welcome home gift,” Lucas said as she gazed at a large package on the table overflowing with popcorn and chocolates. A note said to enjoy her new home, and was signed simply, Esther.

She was touched Esther would do something so nice for her. She’d have to make sure and send her a thank-you card, then take her to lunch. Lucas stood back and let her wander through the apartment. There was a nice-sized room set up for a guest, should she bring anyone over. The main bathroom was decorated in her new linens, with a few added touches of bath and body washes from nice boutiques.

She opened the door at the end of the hall and was stunned by the master bedroom. There was a huge four-poster bed in the middle of it, covered with the purple comforter she’d picked. It was the kind of bed she’d always dreamed of owning. She walked over, jumped into the middle of it, and let out an infectious giggle.

“I don’t know what to say. I’ve never known a company to be so generous. It makes me feel guilty having all this when so many people don’t have even a third of it. What if the corporation hates me in another six months? What if I’m a complete failure and can’t do the job, after all? This is so much pressure.”

“Amy, we wouldn’t have done this for someone we didn’t have full confidence in. You’ve been doing fine, and I hate to repeat myself, but we offer this to all executive officers.”

Amy smiled as Lucas stepped out of the room. She wasn’t receiving any treatment they didn’t offer anyone else, which made her feel better. She didn’t want to stand out. She didn’t want to feel guilty for what they’d given her. She wanted to just enjoy what she had and for now, at least, it was all hers.

Amy walked back into her living room. Lucas was standing with his back to the wall, watching her. Here goes, she thought. He didn’t look as if he was planning on leaving anytime soon, and she just wanted to de-stress and enjoy her new place. If things were different, she’d be able to imagine the two of them snuggling up on the couch, watching one of her romantic comedies, but that would never happen. She needed to let her excitement come out, smile hugely, and dance around her new living room. She couldn’t do that until he was gone.

“Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to do all you did today. This place is amazing. It’s better than I could’ve ever imagined, or hoped for, though I really don’t need all the space. If you want to move me into a smaller apartment and save this one for an employee with a family, I’m fine with that.” She was talking quickly, so he couldn’t interrupt.

“I’m not saying I don’t love the apartment because I do. It’s seriously more amazing than any place I’ve ever even seen, let alone lived in, but it just seems to be such a waste of space for only me,” she rattled on.

Amy figured if she spoke first, he wouldn’t make the demand she was thinking he was about to make. She wasn’t going to sleep her way to the top, no matter what he thought of her after the way she’d behaved the night before. She wasn’t that hungry for success.

Well, she was hungry. It was just a much, much different hunger. She’d get over it as soon as she had some alone time to really think. She kept telling herself that, but she was having serious doubts about her own reasoning.

Uncomfortable silence drifted through the room as she paused. It looked like he wasn’t leaving until she made him.