Vanessa righted her clothing and watched as Enrique walked out, shutting the door behind him to give her some privacy.

What the hell got into me? she wondered. It was like she was a bee and Enrique was her honey. She seemed to lose all common sense when he was near; all she wanted was to wrap herself around him and never let go.

Taking a deep, cleansing breath, she walked around her desk and picked up her phone.

Lunch? I need you. It’s a 911 situation.

Vanessa shot off the text to Ella and pressed her finger on the mouse to wake her computer back up. She hadn’t even opened the first email when her phone dinged, letting her know that Ella had already responded.

Mel’s at noon.

Feeling better just knowing that she’d be able to get her best friend’s advice on her situation with Enrique, Vanessa cleared her mind of anything but work, and got down to it.

By the time she opened the door to the dimly lit bistro where she was meeting Ella, Vanessa was back in full panic mode. She surveyed the restaurant, and saw that her friend was already seated at one of the dark mahogany tables in the middle of the room.

“Please tell me this emergency meeting has to do with Dimples from the party,” Ella begged before she had a chance to take her seat.

Vanessa normally would have rolled her eyes at Ella’ flippant statement, but since she was spot on, Vanessa leaned forward and said, “Yes! I took him home that night and we had incredible, mind-blowing sex. He let me be in charge the entire time and I freakin’ tied him up. Then, he left me his number to call him, but I didn’t … Instead, I ran into him at work this morning because he’s the new intern. The. New. Intern. But did I tell him that I couldn’t see him again because we work together? Nope. I had sex with him in my office instead.”

Ella’s eyes had gotten bigger and rounder with every sentence Vanessa spat out. When her friend finished laying it all out, she sat unmoving in her seat, her mouth wide open.

“You tied him up?” Ella managed when she found her voice.

“That’s all you got from what I said?” Vanessa asked, exasperated. “What about the part where he’s interning at Fine PR?”

“Oh, you mean what happened before you had sex with him in your office?” Ella’s surprise was replaced with glee. She clapped her hands together like an excited child and gushed, “I knew I liked this guy. Tell me everything. Don’t be afraid to be graphic!”

This time Vanessa did roll her eyes, but she did so while laughing.

“Stop! I don’t know what to do. I need your help.”

“I really don’t see what the problem is,” Ella said with a shrug. “You’re both adults. You obviously enjoy being together, and, Van, you haven’t been like this about a guy in … oh, I’d say … Ever. You deserve to have fun and be happy.”

“But … work…”

“Can you please, just this one time, put yourself before the job? Give it a few weeks. See what happens. Maybe the chemistry will fizzle out and it won’t be an issue. Or, maybe you’ll find out that he’s a man who’s worth the time and effort. Don’t you want to at least find out?”

Everything Ella said made sense, although Vanessa couldn’t imagine the chemistry she shared with Enrique fizzling out anytime soon. Could she allow herself the opportunity to see where things would lead?

“You haven’t told me his name,” Ella said, butting into her thoughts. “Or about your new and exciting ‘dominatrixness,’ or however you’d say it.”

“His name is Enrique Diaz, his cousin worked at the PR firm before I started. She’s the one who recommended him for the internship.”

“And…”

We had to pause to put in our order, but as soon as the waitress stepped away, Ella was back in interrogation mode.

“And…”

“He used to work PR in the military. He got out last year and has been looking for a job, but it doesn’t necessarily translate or something, so he hasn’t had any luck. That’s why he’s taken the internship.”

“I didn’t ask for his resume, Van, I want to know the good stuff.”

Vanessa flushed, uncomfortable that she’d said as much as she did.

“I can’t tell you anything more than I already did,” she said, chuckling when Ella “booed” her. “I’ll just reiterate that I’ve never felt an attraction like this before, the sex is amazing, and he brings out a side of me that I’ve never seen before.”

“Spoilsport,” Ella said, then sighed dreamily. “He sounds perfect.”

“Thanks for meeting me,” Vanessa said sincerely. “I was kind of freaking out, and it really helped to say it all out loud.”

“Anytime, girl, you know that. I’ve always got your back,” the pretty blonde said, then her smile turned wicked and she added, “And don’t forget, I’m available anytime. Morning, noon, or night … and if you want to send pictures, I’ll gladly look them over.”

They were laughing as the waitress brought their food, and Vanessa felt a million times better about her and Enrique. She was going to give him a shot.