My black pencil skirt was a little tight and I was struggling to suppress the urge to adjust it as I walked across the lobby toward the bank of elevators leading up to my new job.

Usually, I’d take the stairs, but RoboTech was on the fifth floor which was about four floors too many in the heels I was wearing.

“Ms. Roberts?”

I turned and smiled at the security guard. “Oh,” I said. “Was I supposed to check in with you? I didn’t realize—”

The younger man smiled, eyeing my too-tight skirt in a way that made me feel instantly uncomfortable.

“I’ve got your badge,” he said, gaze most definitely not on my face. I knew I was a little extra boobalicious because of the pregnancy. My ass and breasts were the only parts of my body to increase in size thus far. “Mr. Sutter”—Rich, the COO—“said to give it to you. You’ll need it to access the elevators.”

I took it from him, feeling gross. This is why I’d begun to hate corporate jobs, why I’d worked at the graphic design firm with Frank and Susan. They’d had a family business, full of understanding and teamwork. With big corporations, the attitude and, often, the whole Mad Men-type climate that still existed in some circles, was deplorable.

One word to my father and this troll would literally be bankrupt, but I didn’t equate being sleazy on the same level as ruining someone’s life.

Unfortunately.

“Thanks,” I said and reached for the pass. “If you’ll just hand it over, I’ll be on my way.”

“You know,” the guard said as he pulled the rectangle of plastic back and held it out of reach. “I have a lot of power here, and if you go out with me, I can show you how that power works.”

Gross.

“I’m confused,” I said, tilting my head to the side and blinking doe-eyed up at him. “How would you show me your power?”

A wink. “That’s for me to know and you to find out.” Barf. “But I do have keys to every office in the building. I have access to some . . . interesting projects.”

And great, the guard had escalated from sleazy pickup lines to corporate espionage. Now I’d definitely have to report him.

I sighed, and his expression went from supremely confident to more than a little desperate.

Idiotic man-child.

Didn’t he understand what he was saying?

Hadn’t he signed an iron-clad NDA like I had? That paperwork alone should give any reasonable person pause. And he was just offering this up like candy to get a date? With me?

I stood by my idiot statement.

“I’ll show you,” he said when I didn’t reply. “In fact, just the other day I went into one of the offices and saw—”

“You’re fired.”

My head whipped around. Heather stood there, furious.

“I—” His arms flapped at his sides, the desperation from the previous moment turning into pure panic.

Heather picked up her cell phone and dialed a number. “Stan. Get your ass up here. Now.”

I bit my lip in nervousness when she hung up and stared at the guard. “Uh”—I hitched a thumb toward the elevators—“should I go on up?”

Heather shook her head fiercely and not one strand of her hair dared to disobey. It was pulled tightly into a bun that stayed perfectly in place. My ponytail—that I’d spent a good forty-five minutes attempting to wrangle into some semblance of control—looked positively messy in comparison.

“You’ll stay.” Her eyes flew up, pinning the guard in place with laser focus. “And you as well.” A sniff. “For the moment.”

Our trio stood there for an awkward ninety-six seconds—yes, I counted. Several people walked through the lobby, a few even pausing as though to offer help, but one shake of Heather’s head sent them on the way.

I couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the bun, or more realistically, how the bun didn’t move a millimeter.

“What?” she asked, catching me staring.

My cheeks heated. “Sorry,” I muttered. “I have hair envy.” I pointed to my mess of brown hair, which I could already feel sliding loose. “Mine is hopeless.”

She raised a brow.

“Totally inappropriate, I know.” My nose wrinkled, knowing this was my boss, but not able to stop the verbal diarrhea, I continued talking. “But in stressful situations, I tend to focus on the minute details.”

“Sharing flaws on your first day?” she asked, her mouth almost curving into a smile. “Most wouldn’t risk that.”

“I’m assuming you like me more for my work than my personality at this point,” I said. “Might as well give you reasonable expectations to start.”

Heather shook her head, but I definitely saw a smile. It lasted a whole four and a half seconds—yes, I counted again—before it disappeared.

A door behind the security desk flew open and a man with gorgeous olive skin came out. He was sporting a trimmed salt-and-pepper beard and had a network of lines around his eyes that made him appear more friendly than harsh.

“What’s up?” he asked.

“Stan,” Heather said, “meet Abigail.”

He shook my hand. “Nice to meet you, Abigail. I’m Stan. I’m in charge of security here at RoboTech.”

I nodded. “Nice to meet you too.”

“Introductions made, let’s get down to business,” Heather said. She nodded at the nervous looking guard. “We’ve got another one and this one is extra stupid.”

“Fuck,” Stan said then winced. “Sorry. Not so much as for the language as for this asshole.” He turned, gestured for another man to come from the back. “Go with Francis,” he ordered. “Now.”

“I didn’t—”

“Diego,” Stan said. “That wasn’t an invitation for you to speak. Do yourself a favor, shut the fuck up, and go in the back.”

The guard hung his head and I felt a moment’s pang of guilt before I shoved it away.

This mess was his fault. Not mine.

“How many more are left?” Heather asked when he’d gone.

“Of the old staff? Two. But I actually like those two.” He sighed. “Then again, I liked Diego, or I thought he had the potential to change.”

“Mmm,” Heather said. “If they step one toe out of line—”

“Gone,” Stan agreed. “What specifically did Diego do?”

“Offered to exchange corporate secrets for a date with this one.” She pointed at me. “Admitted to going into RoboTech offices to look at projects. Not to mention sexually harassing my new employee on her first day.”

“Fucking moron.”

“I mean for a minute there I actually felt bad for him,” I said. “Then I realized he was a giant idiot.”

Stan snorted, and I winced.

“Sorry, I probably shouldn’t have said that.”

“It’s the truth,” he said. “I’m sorry you had to deal with that. My company recently took over security and cleared house.” He sighed. “Or I thought we had. That’s not how I expect my employees to act. He’ll be gone before you come down for lunch.” His eyes tracked to Heather. “I’ll talk to him, see what he knows.”

“Make it clear to him what he’ll lose if he chooses to blab again,” she said. “Lucky it was here and now. All of these leaks need to be plugged.”

Stan nodded and left them.

“Let’s get to work,” Heather said and led the way to the elevators.