I got the strangest call from my boss earlier. Mark Debar had been my boss for a while, but I'd never actually met him before. I was just the assistant after all and all of the company functions included the sales people, not the service help. But now things were different apparently and I had gotten his attention. He had heard about the big sale that me and Hale did and apparently, he wanted to take me out for lunch. I don't know if I was nervous or excited, but I was hopeful about the meeting and where it was going to take my career.

I was getting ready to go to lunch, when Hail walked in the office.

“I was hoping that you didn't have any plans, and that we could go out again.”

“Well, I didn't have any plans, but then Mark called me and wants me to meet him for lunch.”

“He called you huh?”

For some reason, he look surprised and he didn't look all that happy about it. Was he jealous that I got the attention of the boss? It didn't really feel like something that he would be upset about, but his reaction didn't make sense to me? Why was he suddenly upset?

“Yeah, is that a problem?”

He paused for a minute and looked down at the ground. Something was going on in his mind and I wished I knew what it was. Why was he worried about it all of a sudden?

“No, I just feel like I should warn you about Mark.”

“Warn me about him?”

“Yeah, he is not exactly a gentleman.”

I was a bit confused. Was he jealous because I was doing good in sales or was, he jealous because Mark was going to be interested in me? Either way, it didn't really make sense and it didn't seem like the way Hail usually acted. He certainly had not been this way before.

“Well I don't think it will be that big of a deal. It's not like he needs to be nice.”

“Oh, he is going to be nice to you Evony. Any man alive is going to be nice to you, because you have something that they all want. I know that you don't think about it like most people do, but trust me when I say that Mark is going to try very hard with you. You're too beautiful not to.”

He was giving me a compliment, at the same time he was telling me that the boss was going to try to jump my bones. It was strange to say the least and I didn't really know how to respond to it. What was I supposed to say? Was he just trying to get me all riled up before I went to meet Mark? Because if that was what he was trying to do, he was certainly doing a good job of it.

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I know how delicate you are Evony. He is not going to understand that, and I just want to tell you to be careful.”

“Do you want to come with me?”

By the way he was talking. I kind of wanted him to, but he shook his head and told me no. “Mark would not like that. Just call me if you need anything, okay?”

When Hail left, I was a little upset because he had really messed with my head. I was excited to meet the boss because I'd done something good. The sales were up since I started, and it was a huge sale last week, but now I was worried. Now I was wondering what he wanted to meet about and what he was going to do.

I drove to the restaurant with a knot in the pit of my stomach and I wanted to curse Hail for doing this to me. I'm sure that he was just doing this for one reason or another. It couldn't be true. All this was going to be, was a business meeting. Maybe he was going to welcome me to the company or something. That's all those going to be.

No amount of self-talk seemed to help. I kept telling myself that everything was going to be okay, but by the time I got to the restaurant, I had worked myself up into a tizzy, and my heart was racing in my chest. I was sure that I was going to meet some guy that was going to jump across the table and attack me, right there in the restaurant. It was silly I know, but I couldn’t help what came to mind. It was all his fault.

The valet parked my car and I was left standing in front of the restaurant with nothing but trepidation in my heart. I finally got the nerve up to go in, when I had to move to the side to let another person in. I was just standing there frozen, so I finally had to make a move. I couldn't get Hail’s words out of my head. Was he just trying to psych me out?

I gave my name to the hostess and for a moment, I was hoping that Mark would have left a message that he couldn't show up. That something would have happened, and I wouldn’t have to meet with him. It had to be better than all of the stress that I was feeling right now. Anything had to be better than this.

“Right this way. He is already waiting for you.”

That was the last thing that I wanted to hear and my stomach clenched. I was going to have to go through with this. Everything was going to be fine. Hail was just trying to mess with me.

When the hostess got to the table and stopped, I was able to finally meet Mark. He was my boss and he was the one I'd been thinking about the whole way here. He wasn't old or ugly, both what I expected from him. Mark was handsome, tall, dashing and he did have a mischievous look in his eye.

Hail was just jealous and now I could see why.

“Sit down, please.”

I thanked him for the invitation and sat down across from him. I didn’t feel like I was going to be attacked at any moment. It was clear that he was attracted to me, but that wasn’t something that bothered me too much. A lot of men were attracted to me and nothing came of it. I wasn’t going to think anything would come of this. It was Hail that had put it in my head.

“Thank you for coming Evony. You have done something big and you’ve just started as a sales rep. I should have transferred you over sooner.”

“Why did you, if you don’t mind me asking.”

“Hail suggested it. Said that you had done a couple of meetings for him. He speaks very highly of you.”

“He was a great boss and I learned a lot from him.”

“And now look at you.”

I smiled his way and sat quietly while he ordered me a drink. Apparently, he knew better. I didn’t want to say it out loud, but I knew that there was something wrong with the way this was. Mark was something different and I was starting to see that maybe Hail was right. The lunch transgressed into something else and I found myself unable to side step a dinner invitation.

I was getting myself into something. I could feel it. No matter how badly I didn’t want to, I knew that I had to call someone in as a buffer. I was going to owe Hail if he went with me, something I didn’t necessarily want to do, but it had to be better than going alone to dinner with Mark. Hail was right about him. He hadn’t leaped over the table of course, but I don’t think it would have taken much for him to have went there. He was that sort of guy. Hail had been right about that.