Tanya grabbed a coffee and a banana at Starbucks on her way to catch the subway. The day before, she made Sarah ride the subway with her to Greener Communications so she could time her commute. Just like she had planned, she arrived fifteen minutes before she was supposed to.

Entering the tall glass building for the second time in less than a month, she began to second-guess her attire. Dressed in a black-knit, long-sleeved blouse, a lavender and black pin-striped wrap skirt that fell just above her knees, and black knee-length boots, she felt her attire was suitable. At least when she left home. Sarah, who was a fashion goddess, had even given her approval. But now as she made her way to the bank of elevators, she could not help but think about the comments Sarah had made about Mr. Greene.

Tanya would not be working for him directly and did not expect to meet him right away, but she didn’t want anyone to get the wrong idea about her intentions if Mr. Greene’s reputation preceded him as Sarah indicated. Yet, when she walked, her wrap skirt flapped open, exposing a little thigh with each step.

Although her dress was covered underneath her long, grey coat, she knew it wouldn’t be hidden much longer. Juggling her coffee in one hand and balancing her purse and laptop bag on her other arm, she was jostled by a crowd of people pushing their way into the elevator.

Suddenly, Tanya found herself slipping on a slick spot and she was going down fast. Her arms flailed wildly about in an attempt to steady herself and maintain her balance. There was nothing to do but prepare for the impact of falling flat on her butt onto the hard, marble floor. She only hoped she didn’t sustain any severe injuries, and that the coffee lid stayed intact.

“Oops, watch your step.” A hand grabbed her gently underneath the arms and snatched her up just before impact.

“Thanks,” she mumbled, embarrassed by six sets of eyes upon her, waiting for her to board the elevator. Everyone pressed in to make room for her and her savior. She pushed the button for the forty-third floor.

As the elevator doors closed, she looked up into the eyes of her rescuer and smiled. Hazel eyes twinkled back at her before glancing away in a dismissive manner. Attempting to hide in the crowd, she couldn’t wait to arrive at her floor to escape the confines of the elevator.

Tanya silently wished that nobody on the elevator would get off on the same floor. She dreaded the thought that one of those people on the elevator would also be a coworker. It was already a horrible start to her first day.

The red digital numbers ticked off with each ding. By the time the forty-third floor arrived, two people remained with Tanya on the elevator. As luck would have it, her rescuer stepped off the elevator with her.

“Be careful to watch your step,” he advised, before he departed to the right.

“Good morning, Mr. Greene,” the receptionist called out after him.

He smiled devilishly at the receptionist and winked, whistling as he went along.

Tanya’s heart knocked against her chest as she stood staring after him. That was Andrew Greene?

* * *

Her first week at her new job had gone off without a hitch, other than the near catastrophe on her first day. Her new boss, Veronica, was demanding, but brilliant. She was glad she had not seen Mr. Greene again. Apparently, he had flown out later that day for a business meeting, and had not returned to the office yet.

Tanya hustled her way out of the subway station and made it to the office in record time. She smiled looking at the clear blue skies. Though it was an extremely cold January day, it wasn’t so bad for a Monday morning. She had spent the entire weekend working to Sarah’s chagrin. It had taken several denials and a final promise to attend a party the next weekend, before Sarah let her off the hook and left the apartment.

As Tanya rode her way up the crowded elevator, she was glad she had a head start on her workweek by putting in the extra time over the weekend. She hummed to herself as she exited the elevator and made her way down the hall to her office. She was early and was not surprised to see the receptionist had not arrived at her desk yet.

Dropping her bags in her office, Tanya made a beeline for the breakroom to grab a fresh cup of coffee. She had finished her almond milk latte on her way into the office and knew she would need more caffeine to move her day forward.

Someone had already brewed the coffee by the time Tanya arrived in the breakroom, and she was grateful she didn’t have to sit and wait. Grabbing a fresh mug from the cupboard, she turned back to the coffee machine and refilled it. After adding some sweetened creamer, she turned to head back to her office and bumped into a wall. A wall of firm, thick chest muscles.

“Mr. Greene!” Tanya shrieked.

“For fuck’s sake!” he jumped, after the hot coffee spilled down his chest. “Great. This is exactly what I needed today!”

“Oh my goodness! I’m so sorry,” Tanya apologized, grabbing a paper towel and attempting to dab at his shirt.

Snatching the paper towel from her hand, he began to blot his shirt himself. “I’ll take that!”

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize you were right behind me.”

For the first time since his arrival, he turned those hazel eyes upon her. “It’s you! Are you always such a klutz?” he asked accusingly.

“I…I…I’m so sorry. I’m not usually this way. I don’t know what’s come over me. I’m in a new city, and this is a new job, and all of these things around me are perhaps scattering my brain. I’m just all over the place, I guess,” she prattled on nervously. She bit down on her tongue in an effort to stop the flow of words cascading from her lips like a waterfall.

“Well, I hope you’re better at your job than you are at walking,” he retorted, throwing the paper towel into the garbage can.

He stalked out of the break room, leaving her staring dumbfounded after him. Tanya’s feelings were hurt. Nobody had ever spoken to her so harshly.

“What’s wrong with me?” she muttered to herself. Shaking her head, she was embarrassed by her first two encounters with her boss. He would forever remember her as a bumbling idiot. Tanya knew she would have to work that much harder and allow her work to prove herself. She needed to prove that she was intelligent and diligent before she lost her job.

* * *

“Mr. Greene called an emergency meeting in conference room D. Apparently, Isabelle Manning’s husband is launching a suit against the company. He claims her involvement with the company led to the ruin of his marriage. Trust me when I say Andrew is not pleased about this one at all. Heads are going to roll,” Thad Pembroke stated, stopping by Tanya’s office. He was the administrative assistant for the marketing department and loved gossip.

Isabelle Manning was a public relations nightmare. She was an actress who had risen to stardom at the tender age of eleven, modeling for a teen clothing line. Since that time, she had become one of Hollywood’s elite. Her last eight movies were box office hits. However, she was also known for her partying and wild escapades. She relocated to New York with her husband and hired Greener Communications as a way to help turn her image around.

However, Isabelle had recently become embroiled in a bitter divorce, after her husband learned she had been unfaithful to him on more than one occasion. One of those affairs was rumored to have been with Mr. Greene, the owner of the communications firm.

“Okay, well, let me gather my things and I’ll be right there.”

“If I were you, I’d prepare myself for a lot of screaming and shouting. Andrew has a temper, but hell hath no fury like your boss, Rebecca, when she’s worked up. And, they might take it out on you,” he warned.

“Why?”

“You’re the project manager, and your employees dropped the ball on this one. The woman you replaced should’ve been responsible, but someone must take the fall,” Thad replied, popping his yellow and black polka-dotted suspenders, before flouncing out of her office.

She’d quickly learned that Thad was a bit dramatic, but he was a great source of information. Tanya would just have to remember never to share anything personal about herself with him.

She wished she had time to gather more details before the meeting, but she had to be on time. The last thing she needed or wanted to do was give Mr. Greene any more reasons to doubt her abilities to perform the job. Being unprepared for this meeting might accomplish just that.

Gathering her laptop and phone, she quickly made her way down the hallway. She looked left and right as she turned the corner, fearing she might run into her an irate Mr. Greene yet again. When she made it into the conference room, she was glad to see she was the first to arrive. Plugging in her laptop, she settled down in her chair to pull up any files and media stories she had on Isabelle Manning.

Within minutes, the conference room filled up with Thad, Mr. Greene, Ken from legal, Veronica, the company’s expert on damage control, and Rebecca, who was Tanya’s direct boss and the chief marketing officer. Ken filled them all in on the details of the lawsuit.

Tanya quickly learned that Ken had discussed the case with Mr. Greene and Rebecca earlier. She reasoned that was probably why Mr. Greene was in a foul mood so early in the morning. Even though she regretted running into Mr. Greene, Tanya was glad she had the second cup of coffee to remain alert.

After Ken provided the details of the case, Veronica updated everyone on Isabelle’s background. She had been involved with several actors and powerful men before her husband, always creating a firestorm after the relationship ended.

“Andrew, the best defense here is to acknowledge the affair, and let it die down over time,” Veronica advised.

“Why the hell do I need to defend my actions to the media? Better yet, why the hell do I need to discuss my affairs with anyone? Who I am sleeping with is my business!” Andrew defended, slamming a fist on the conference table, causing Tanya to jump in her seat.

“It is your business, but when you’re the head of a major firm like Greener Communications, you’re bound to be in the public eye. You know this, Andrew. You aren’t new to this!” Veronica was fuming.

“I don’t give a damn, Veronica!”

“Well, you should, Andrew! It would make your life easier, and our jobs a lot easier as well,” Veronica argued.

“Veronica, that’s why I pay you. To keep my name out of scandals!”

Veronica, a tall, brunette woman with exotic features, squinted angry eyes at Andrew and leaned across the table. “You pay me to keep your name out of scandals, Andrew, but when you’re on the arm of a different woman every few days at high visibility events, you make that job damn near impossible! What did you do to cause this catastrophe? Use her for a few weeks, and then break it off after you slept with her? Did she bore you, Andrew?”

Veronica stood up and left the room, slamming the door behind her. Andrew hardly noticed her departure. He tapped his fingers on the table as he stared out of the floor to ceiling windows. The room was so silent, you could hear a pin drop.

“Ken, meet with Isabelle’s husband’s attorney, as well as Isabelle’s, and find out what they want. I want this story shut down immediately,” Andrew ordered in a much calmer tone than his original rant.

“I’ve already got appointments scheduled with both.”

Andrew nodded his head. “Thanks, Ken.”

“With all due respect, Andrew, Veronica was right about one thing… We should acknowledge the reports and attack it from that angle. There’s no point in lying about something the public knows is true,” Rebecca advised.

“Did I say lie? No, I simply said I don’t see why it needs to be acknowledged at all,” Andrew refuted.

Rebecca continued. “Twitter’s going crazy with this story. It’s trending on Facebook, and Instagram users are sharing all of the pictures Isabelle’s husband shared on his account. Top Gossip is all over this story, and the biggest question is why did you become involved with her knowing she was married?” Rebecca stated. “That’s the one we’re working to put a twist on now. Married women aren’t usually your type.”

“Isabelle’s marriage was in trouble, and she needed a friend in her corner!” Andrew exploded, standing up pacing the room.

“Yes, but from the pictures, it looks like a lot more than friendship,” Rebecca intervened.

“How the hell did the team not get ahead of this? If you all would have been doing your jobs, we wouldn’t be in this situation! Who was supposed to be in charge of the team who was working on Isabelle’s campaign? Tanya’s been here a week. Rebecca, you should have taken the lead on this transition. Do I have to do everything?”

Andrew turned an infuriated glance in Rebecca’s direction. Tanya was relieved she wasn’t being blamed, as Thad had warned. Andrew’s eyes then landed on Tanya.

“Get with Thad and gather all the details to turn this entire thing around. Not just the reputation Isabelle had before this, but including this. I want to hear the details of the campaign by morning!”

“Yes, sir,” Tanya mumbled. She had been reviewing a file she found.

By the end of the meeting, there was a plan in place to protect the company’s image and attack the allegations. The room began clearing out, and Tanya disconnected her computer and prepared to leave the conference room.

Andrew stared out the windows overlooking the bustling city, which he had been doing most of the meeting, except for the times he was yelling.

“Tanya,” he called out, without turning around.

“Yes, Mr. Greene,” she answered, turning around to face him.

His back still to her, he ordered, “Close the door and stay a moment.”

Tanya set her computer on the table and followed his commands. Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest as she waited to be reprimanded for the earlier coffee incident.

“I’m not certain everyone is taking their responsibilities as seriously as they should. If they were, the allegations about this would have never come to light. I want the team focused on turning Ms. Manning’s image around, but I also want you to create a team that does the same for the company. And I want daily reports from you on the progress of it. You’re a fresh set of eyes, and I would like you to oversee this project making sure every detail of Ms. Manning’s image is seen in better light. She’s giving us another chance, and I don’t take that trust she’s placed in us lightly. Is that understood?”

Tanya stood with her eyes glued to his back and her tongue glued to her mouth. She was uncertain what to say, and she tried to gather her thoughts. This was her opportunity to prove to him she was not the idiot she was sure he perceived her to be.

“Of course. Did…did you have any recommendations for who you would like on the team? I mean, I can figure it out. I…I just want to know if you have any suggestions?” Why can’t I speak like a normal human when I’m around him?

He simply shook his head and ran his hands through his thick thatch of dark hair. “I’m leaving that up to you,” he said, in a deep, troubled tone.

Tanya shook her head to clear the chill that ran down her spine at his voice. He was her boss. Why were her thoughts turning to how sensual he sounded? Why was her breathing starting to speed up? Was she sweating?

“Don’t make a mess of this, too!” His thunderous tone cleared any thoughts she was having as she grabbed her laptop off the table.

“Yes, sir,” she muttered, running to the door and fumbling with the knob.

Thad was waiting for her when she returned to her office. She kicked the door closed behind her, and began hooking her laptop back up to her docking station.

“Well, how did your first big meeting with the boss man go?” Thad’s smile indicated he was enjoying every minute of the drama.

“I have no idea of what that was in there, but it was uncomfortable, and you, sir, did not prepare me for anything.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You don’t know what I’m talking about? Why did Veronica storm out? She’s supposed to be in charge of damage control!”

“Oh that,” Thad said, waving a hand in an indifferent manner. “She knew his reputation, and she still pursued him. In the beginning, it was a fling, and then she developed feelings for him. That man has no feelings, except down there,” Thad explained, pointing at his crotch.

“They’re involved?” Tanya asked, trying to push down an unexpected emotion of disappointment.

“Not anymore. They had a couple of dinners, a night of great sex, and the next morning she thought it was to be an office romance. Unfortunately for her, he was onto someone else. Poor Veronica can’t seem to accept that she’s been replaced, even though they were never really a thing.”

“How do you know all of this?”

“We all work crazy hours. When girls need to talk, they come to me.”

“When were Veronica and Mr. Greene involved?”

“Just over a year ago. I don’t know why she won’t go to work anywhere else. She has talent and connections. It’s like she’s out for revenge or something. I have no idea,” Thad stated, shaking his head.