It took all the power I had not to break out into a laugh. Seeing Mary standing there, frozen like a little deer at the front of the conference room…well, let's just say that it was a look that I'd never forget. She tried so hard to play it cool, but I could see that she was barely able to contain whatever was going on inside that head of hers.

But lest you think I'm cruel, I did have some sympathy for the poor girl. However, I knew that her seeing me was probably the most surprising thing she could've imagined at that moment, and that coupled with being the center of attention during an executive meeting was something that would be enough to get her ready for the work she'd be doing here at Langford.

She needed to get tough, and fast. What better way for her to start than by throwing her into the deep and letting her learn how to swim right then and there?

Mary walked to her seat with careful, quick steps, her eyes down the whole time, as if by avoiding making eye contact with me she could just pretend the whole silly situation wasn't taking place. And I couldn't help but notice that she was just as beautiful as she was when we knew one another. Even more so, perhaps- the last vestiges childishness to her looks and bearing had melted away, leaving a stunning woman. Her blouse and skirt hugged her slim, yet curvaceous body perfectly, and the chestnut hair that had been draped over my face during our lovemaking so many times was as striking as ever. And even with her eyes downcast, I could see that those twin emeralds were just as radiant as I remembered them. She was truly in the full flower of her beauty.

But this wasn't where my mind should've been, so I refocused my attention accordingly. Mary slid into the seat next to mine, and I choose pointedly not to say a word. Sure, I could've possibly defused the situation with an in-joke or some such, but I wanted her to sweat a little. She was going to be my assistant, after all, and this was to be a trial by fire.

This was by design, of course. I didn't know exactly who Mrs. Haverford was going to choose for my assistant until a few days ago, but when she placed the resume of the chosen applicant on my desk and I saw that familiar name, I was conflicted. Part of me wanted to tell Mrs. Haverford right then and there that I had a history with this particular woman, and that another applicant would likely fit better. However, this was the candidate chosen, and Mrs. Haverford wasn't exactly the sort that would indulge such a failure to manage my personal and private life.

Not to mention, her credentials were stellar. And I knew her well enough to know just how seriously she took business; my carefree and irresponsible nature was one of the reasons that she broke up with me, I was sure of it.

Richard Langford Junior, the son of Richard Langford, the founder of our humble little enterprise, was at the front of the room droning on and on about one thing or another. Unfortunately for him, he didn't possess his father's charisma and ability to hold a room's attention so I found my mind drifting again…and not to mention my eyes. A hint of Mary's leg was visible under the table, and it took all the restraint I had not to ogle it like a horny little schoolboy.

"Your thoughts, Mr. Huntington?" he asked.

Oh my. The pressure was on.

I gave some vague answer about the general subject –an investment in a building somewhere in Manchester- knowing that everything necessary for the deal was put into place by me last week. When I first joined Langford a few years back, I was a little shocked at just how torpid some of these men were. By going for the jugular with some of these deals I'd been able to make quite a name for myself here, and my standing, salary, and numerous bonuses over the rest reflected my hard work. And as childish as it might sound, I was more than a little interested for Mary to see just what I'd done with my life since she walked out on me that chilly night so many years ago.

Soon, the meeting came to a close. My fellow executives and their assistants filed out of the room, and just as I stood to leave, Mrs. Haverford approached me and placed her hand on mine.

"Stick around," she said, "I'd like a word with you and Mary."

My eyes flicked to Mary's and she met my gaze. A small crackle of electricity seemed to course through the air, and in a way, it felt like it hadn't nearly been years since we'd last seen each other.

Once the other executives were gone, only Mrs. Haverford, Mary, and I remained in the cavernous room.

"Very good, so you've got your assistant," said Mrs. Haverford. "What have you got in mind for the little one?"

"I think a bit of putting her through the paces is in order," I said, a little grin forming on my mouth. "I've got more than a few tasks in mind that I think will keep her busy."

Mrs. Haverford stood with her hands on her hips.

"Well? Out with it. I'm going to need you for the better part of the day, and I don't want this little chickadee to be wandering around the offices with nothing to do."

I cleared my throat and slipped my MacBook out of my leather bag.

"Ms. Metzger, I'll be emailing you some information that I'd like you to put in order," I said, keeping my tone cold and professional. "I expect all of this to be done by the end of the day."

"Um, certainly," she said, her tone a perfect mixture of professional and uncertain.

"And I needn't point out that this first days' worth of work will be something of a test for you. I want to see how efficiently you can work, and how you can effectively utilize the resources at your disposal to get it done."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mrs. Haverford watching the unfolding events with a careful, approving eye. She so loved it when I took a firm hand with the underlings.

"Now, unless you have any further questions, I do expect you get to work."

This was quite the understatement, I'm sure. Mary likely had enough questions to fill the rest of the workday. But none were likely about the matters at hand, of course.

"I'll leave you to it, then. Your temporary office will be room thirty-five down the hall and to the left. There you'll find a company laptop that you're more than welcome to use. The office should suffice until we can arrange a more permanent situation. That is, if a permanent situation is something you prove to be capable of handling."

Mrs. Haverford stifled a laugh. Mary looked at me with those wide, expressive eyes of hers. It was quite clear that she wanted nothing more than to wring the answer to every little question that she had out of me, and had Mrs. Haverford not been here, she just might've gotten the opportunity.

"Then I'll leave you to it. Please email me if you have any questions."

With that, Mrs. Haverford and I took our leave.

"My, my, Samuel, you certainly aren't in the habit of showing quarter to the new ones," she said as we strode down the hallway to our offices.

As we walked, I couldn't help but notice the flicker of eyes towards me from some of the newer girls that we'd brought on board in the recent months. I felt a twinge of annoyance as I realized they'd be yet more young women with whom I'd have to establish professional boundaries. It was a tricky process, but essential; I couldn't have underlings throwing themselves at me- my job was far too important for matters like that. And, unfortunately, I'd learned that coming down hard and authoritatively didn't work for young ladies in the same way that it did for men; if anything, it made them show more interest.

"Well, if she's going to be representing me, I want to make certain that she can handle a little pressure."

"Just don't frighten her off like you've done with the others. Ms. Metzger is more than qualified to handle your job, and I even get the impression that you and she might work well together, if you would give it a chance."

If only she knew, I thought.

"If she does a serviceable job on the work that I've given to her, I'm sure that she'll be fine. But you know as well as I do that this business isn't for the faint of heart."

"You're certainly right about that," she said.

With that, I reached my office.

"'Till later, Mum," I said, referring to Mrs. Haverford by the nickname I'd bestowed her with.

"'Till later, Pip," she said with a wry smile.

"Pip" was her own name for me, referring to the somewhat humble circumstances that I'd been in before I arrived here at Langford. Despite my Oxford education, to Mrs. Haverford, I would always be the urchin who made good. And I was fine with that; it helped me stand out from the scads of Eton boys from upper-class families who filled the ranks of this place.

Stepping into my office, I let out a long sigh. Despite everything, it was difficult to boss Mary around so. I wanted to catch up with her just as much as she did with me, I'm sure, and pretending that she was a total nobody to me wasn't the easiest thing to do. But it would be for the best.

I hoped.

Unbuttoning my suit jacket and stepping further into my office, I allowed my eyes to drift along the window walls of the space, out onto the city of London that stretched out into the distance, as inviting and brilliant as a sheet of jewels. Years after my breakup with Mary, I still had a hard time accepting my new circumstances.

I suppose a little catch-up is in order.

After things ended with Mary, I knew that my life was on a terrible track. Well, to be fair, I'd known this in the back of my mind for quite some time. The service industry is full of men and women with big dreams who've nonetheless managed to get sucked into the routine of late nights and even later mornings. The thought had been gnawing at me for a good while, but that night, making the mistake that I nearly did with…. -Kelly? Amy? Who knows?- and watching the woman I loved disappear into the crowds, snow falling all around us…well, it made the consequences of the life that I'd led so far abundantly clear.

So, the next day, I put in my two-weeks’ notice. I didn't have a plan, or even that much money saved, but I knew that I needed to get out of that world, and the sooner the better. The staff was sad to see me go, and I was too, but to be honest, the last shift that I worked at that bar was one of the happiest days of my life. After all, I'd made the decision that I knew I'd needed to make, and the rest of my life was open before me.

The only question was what, exactly, I ought to do with my life now.

Though I'd chaffed under the rigid structure of Oxford, it was the school where I'd been accepted. And I was nearly done with my education when I dropped out. So, after spending a few months going back and forth between menial labor jobs, I sucked it up and fired off an email to one of the few professors whom I'd gotten on with there. I laid it out, saying that I was a fool for leaving Oxford, and if they'd have me, I'd be more than willing to give the school another go. It was one of the hardest emails I'd had to write; I simply hated the idea of asking for favors from anyone.

The reply came an hour or so later, and my professor let me know that it was certainly possible to finish my education there. She'd have to pull a few strings, but it could be done, so long as I was ready to start in a month when the next session of classes began. I was –more than ready, to be honest- and that was that. I met with her and we selected my classes from what remained for my requirements, and I was once again an Oxford student.

Being back on campus was strange and comforting all at once. While the structure of classes and assignments did take their toll on me, I was happy to finally be back at a place where I could be challenged, and where I was doing something for my future. The year flew by and I finished with marks to be proud of. My decision to totally abscond from the party life that I'd grown accustomed to paid off, and I was now an Oxford grad. For whatever that was worth.

And during my time at Oxford, something else happened. I met a lovely young woman. Her name was Evelyn, and she came into my life just when I thought that love for me was something that just wasn't in the cards. After all, I hated to admit it, but Mary and I's breakup hit me quite hard, and the pain was a dull roar in the background of my mind for quite some time. So, when Evelyn and I met, the love we developed was slow-burning, almost as a necessity. But the passion soon took hold, and when she announced that she was pregnant around the time that I was set to graduate, I knew that we simply must be wed.

So, wed we were. And things were quite lovely for a time. I, through some of my connections at Oxford, came across an opening for a junior accounts manager at an up-and-coming outfit named Langford Holdings. I was lucky enough to be brought on board, and between my new wife, my new job, and the little girl on the way, I felt ready to be something that I never thought I'd be: a family man.

But life has a tendency to deal you the cards that you were least expecting, as I was soon to find out. The day that our daughter was to be born, I rushed Evelyn to the hospital. Through her pain I could sense that Evelyn was beyond excited for the new addition to our family, and I shared those sentiments.

When I look back on the day of Grace's birth, everything comes back as a wild blur. But soon Evelyn and I were proud parents of the most beautiful baby girl I’d ever seen. It was time for the two of us to start the next phase of our lives together.

And the next year was wonderful. At least, I thought so. Around the time of Grace’s first birthday I noticed that Evelyn seemed more distant. She was always a colder sort of woman, but now that Grace was no longer a newborn I couldn’t help but feel some manner of hostility coming from Evelyn. A bitter comment here, a cutting glance there- I tried to ignore it at first, but there was no denying there was something seriously amiss with my wife.

But I did what any stubborn man would do- I did my best to ignore it. I figured that she was simply going through some growing pains as a parent, and that all would be right as rain.

How wrong I was.

When Evelyn told me that she wanted a divorce the words cut through me like hot steel. I didn’t believe her at first, instead thinking this was some sort of humorless prank. But as she stared at me with those cold, narrowed eyes, her tone grim, I knew that she was serious.

Apparently, as I came to learn, she found her new life as a mother restrictive and oppressive. She wanted to go back to her old life as a working woman, to put her education to work, and to earn her own way. I begged for her to reconsider, but she had none of it. Being a wife just wasn’t what she wanted.

The divorce was as quick and painless as possible, and soon I found myself as a single father with part-time care of my daughter. I vowed to never disappoint Grace, and to always provide her with the love and comfort that she deserved.

And to keep this end of the bargain, I threw myself into my job. I plugged away at this damn firm, putting in sixty-hour weeks, doing all the work that the men and women above me thought that they were above. And it paid off- Senior Accounts Manager a year, Junior Executive a year after that, and before too long I was doing such a cracking good job that they realized they would be fools to keep someone like me in the lower rungs.

So, I became the youngest senior executive in Langford Holdings history. And I'd drawn the attention of Richard Langford, the founder of the company. Evidently, according to him, he saw in me something that reminded him of himself during his youth. He took me under his wing, and soon I was bringing more money into the firm than any other pair of executives combined. There was even talk that Richard was grooming me to take his place one day, though I choose not to indulge silly gossip such as that.

My love life had left a little to be desired during that first couple of years at Langford. Between my long hours at work and Grace, something as frivolous as going on dates sounded absolutely mad. But once Grace was old enough to be enrolled in pre-primary school, I had a little more time to get back out into the dating world. I wasn't all that in favor of doing it, I might add- the pain from Evelyn still felt quite raw. But I knew that I couldn't simply become one of those men entirely buried by his work, only to look at his life at forty and realize with horror that he'd neglected love.

Love, however, wasn't what I'd find.

Instead, I found an endless string of young beauties who were more than enamored by what I had to offer. And though the relationships that I'd have with them wouldn't be the most…in-depth things in the world, they were a welcome distraction. I was even getting something of a reputation around the office, and this was despite my keeping my "affairs" out of the workplace. But, as fun as the playboy life was at times, I couldn't help but feel that I was doing Grace a disservice by denying her a mother. No one could replace Evelyn, to be sure, but that didn't mean I shouldn't try.

And that brings me to today. Here I was, a single father bachelor working as an executive in one of the most successful financial firms in the city. If one were to go back in time and speak to me in the throes of my party years, asking me just where I saw myself in five years, this would likely be the last guess I'd make.

But life is funny like that. And my new assistant was proof of this maxim.

The day flew by; I had more than enough work to keep me occupied. And the tasks that I'd assigned to Grace weren't just busywork- they were affairs that I'd desperately needed to get in order for the next week. So, once five o'clock rolled around, I called for Mary. I wasn't quite ready to have the talk that I knew was inevitable, so I had one of the girls from the secretary pool, the one who'd be transferring my scheduling needs to Mary, in my office when Mary arrived.

A gentle rapping at the door announced her presence.

"Come in," I said.

The door opened carefully and quietly, followed by the slender figure of Mary stepping into the office.

"Hi, I'm just he-…Wow…"

Her eyes went wide as she looked around my office, her gaze tracking along the walls that looked out over the city. My office did tend to have that effect on people, but to be fair I'd gotten this prime little pad just as much through luck as I did acumen- when the bump to senior exec came, there just happened to be a departure in the ranks. Richard Langford felt that this office would function as a bonus of sorts, a thank you for my hard work. But I was mainly in it for the espresso machine.

"Yes, Ms. Metzger?" I asked, turning my attention to her.

Her eyes flicked to the secretary, who flashed Mary the narrow-eyed look a woman always seems to give another who she feels is moving in on her territory. I could sense that Mary quickly got the hint that this wasn't the time for the conversation.

"I've gotten the work done that you've asked," she said, her voice meek.

We'll have to do something about that little mouse voice of hers, I thought. Not fitting of an assistant of mine.

"Very good," I said. "Just email them to me and you can toddle home for the day."

Maybe a little harsh, but like I said: I needed to get her good and tough for this job.

"Oh, OK," she said. "Thank you."

Not sure what she was thanking me for, but alright.

Mary turned to leave, but I had one last little bomb to drop on her before she did.

"Oh, Veronica," I said, turning my attention to the secretary. "Would you mind taking Ms. Metzger aside and going over my scheduling with her? I want to take care that she gets Grace's schedule down; I can't afford to have any mistakes."

"Of course, Mr. Huntington."

"Alright, off you both go then," I said, trying to suppress my smile.

Veronica got up and led Mary out of the office. Mary's beet-red face and dinner plate eyes were the last things I saw before the door clicked shut.