I am distracted as I return phone calls and write up the company memo about the upcoming in house conferences we provide for our team. Leo and Mitch were all about team building activities, so every spring we hold a week long faux holiday for our employees. Lunch, activities, and half days are provided for them. Do to our company structure, our turnover rate is nearly perfect. Our employees will be here for the long haul, with the exception of birth and death. I briefly wonder if I will lose my job when people realize I’m a high quality hooker.

No, I’m not a hooker. I don’t take money. I don’t take money.

The phone on my desk rings twice and I know what it is. My lunch hour is over and it’s time to face Camden

Here goes nothing, I say to myself as I leave my office. I think of my mother’s quote about women being like fish. If I keep my damn mouth shut, I won’t get in trouble. That’s exactly what I’ll do. I’ll be a fucking fish.

I arrive at the door of the conference room, take the biggest breath I’ve ever taken, and pull the door open. Three sets of eyes look up to me. I plaster a smile on my face and quickly make eye contact with my two friends and then the old friend that I spent an incredible few days with many years ago. I do a double take to see he is walking toward me with a hand outstretched.

He is much older than he was the last time I saw him, and while he is still attractive, I feel nothing as he comes closer to me. Every time I spent thinking about this very moment was a waste because there’s no chemistry. Not anymore and not for me. Part of me is relieved and I instantly know that I can do this. I can pull off this meeting as Luca, not Lucia, and he will never know a frigging thing.

“Ms. West, I presume,” Camden says as he approaches me. No, he doesn’t recognize me. He looks at my clothes and dismisses me. I have an awkward look on my face, almost like I am constipated but smiling at him with excitement; like a full on geek, nerd, socially inept wannabee CEO of the biggest freak club in Chicago. It’s great. He has no idea who I am, and since I am about to fake a bad coughing fit to leave these two idiots to finish the meeting, there won’t be much more to this little reunion…ever…again.

“Hello Mr. Steel. Good to meet you. I hope you like coffee and donuts,” I say flippantly and walk to my seat, far, far away from pilot man. As I grab a croissant, I catch the guys looking at me and while I see them looking off kilter most days, it takes me a moment to observe their complete lack for words, expressions, or anything else as they take me in. Surely, they think they just saw a ghost.

“Yes, thank you,” Camden says, pulling me out of my quick staring match with Mitch and Leo. I’m so going to be up to my eyeballs in explaining. I assure myself that after I leave this office, Lola will be getting a long phone call to help me with the story I’ll tell my friends about my wardrobe change. We never discussed that the day before and I am losing steam on creativity right now. I’m even disappointing myself on this. Normally, I am such a great actress. It seems I can only tap into my naughty side. I sigh at the thought.

So be it.

“So, gentlemen. Should we begin?” I raise my eyebrows at Mitch and Leo. I quickly flash my eyes over to Camden, who is already looking through the print outs, totally oblivious to the alternate universe we are living in at this moment.

“Right. Yes, Mr. Steel, my partners and I came up with a top marketing strategy that’s both in line with your company’s needs as well as the twenty-first century.”

Mitch is quite interesting to listen to. Why haven’t I ever really paid attention to his marketing pitches before? Oh yeah, because I was always dreaming about jewelry and fucking. I feel like a completely inadequate friend. Then, I think back to Heath and warmth spreads through the apex of my legs and I’m fully aroused just thinking of my time with him. Fuck me. I’m finally reconnected with the man that made me the girl I am, trying to play now you see me, now you don’t at the same time, and I want another man who I will absolutely never, not once, see again.

“Luca?” Leo says my name and I quickly look up. “You’re going to talk to us about the smart phone application for Steel Charter clients.”

I know what the fuck I am going to talk about. Jesus.

“Of course I am.” I smile. “Mr. Steel, I believe that we went over the statistics of smart phone usage over the last week globally in section A of this proposal. There was a reason for that, because people love their smart phones. When questioned, some people said that if their tablet or device was ever lost, they would consider suicide.” I hold up my hands as he chuckles. “Their words, not mine,” I say.

And now is the time in this little game I like to call, choke the ever- loving fuck out of myself.

I quickly take a sip of coffee, purposely inhaling an itty bitty portion of it, and it begins. Boy, I play it up. I am quite possibly the most wretched, loud choker that ever lived. I am red and splotchy, bending myself over in the chair. All three men are up, trying to help but I won’t let them anywhere near me. I feel the cough leaving me and damn, time to go.

I put my hand over my mouth and plead with Leo, water starting to flow from my eyes right before I book it for the conference room door. I’m safe. Oh God, I’m safe. Thank God. I am so brilliant. I am so God damn brilliant.

I make my way to my office, shut the door and lock it, before lying down on my love seat.

I am safe. No more Camden. No more ugly outfits. No more losing my shit over nothing.

I ignore every single knock and phone call for the rest of the day. They are probably all thinking I’m having a meltdown for totally botching that presentation, but whatever. Steel Charter was never going to become our client.

***

My office phone reads six o’clock. I quietly close up my computer and make my way to my door. Just as I am closing it behind me, Mitch comes around the corner, looking happier than I’ve ever seen him and I really don’t get it. He should be completely pissed at me, but no, he is in pep rally mode and I am confused.

“I was just about to break down the door to get to you. We got the contract, Luca!” He is beaming as he tells me this. I can’t help but smile before I realize just exactly what he is talking about.

“He picked Divider?” I ask as the astonishment and fright claim every single molecule in my body. Everything is shutting down and I am becoming numb.

“Hell yeah, he did! One caveat, though. His partner wasn’t able to make it this morning. I guess he owns another business and could only get an afternoon flight to Chicago. We are signing the papers over dinner. Come on, they are waiting for us in the conference room.”

My feet won’t move and I can’t breathe. What the mother fucking god damn shit ton of stupid bull shit is he talking about?

“Why didn’t anyone tell me?” I ask, completely horrified.

He rolls his eyes precisely the way I always do, throwing a little shoulder action in.

“You’ve been in a hole all day, remember? I finally realized I had an extra key to your office when you came out. Come on, they’re waiting.”

My stomach is in my throat as I follow Mitch like a little puppy dog. I try to think of all the ways to get out of here without any bodily harm to myself. I can’t think. I can’t breathe. I can’t…

I can’t believe what I am seeing as we round the corner. In my receptionist area, my eyes fall on the man that gave me days of exquisite love making, mind blowing orgasms, and dreams of being every day since our separating. I am speechless and sick and excited and about to scream.

“Luca, meet Heath Landon. He’s my business partner. Heath, this is the lovely Luca West,” Camden introduces us and immediately steps back for us to do our obligatory greeting.