I'd been promoted to branch manager a few years ago and was very successful in that role. I prided myself highly on the output of my branch. I'd taken a new approach when interacting with my subordinates. While my predecessor used fear tactics to persuade...
I walked into my former boss, Ms. Pouvoir’s office without a knock or permission at 1:00. Her body immediately tensed at the affront someone would enter her domain without explicit permission, even though our appointment had been set an hour earlier. “Clo...
The force of nature blew past me with the anger and intensity of a level-five hurricane. The storm’s name is Ms. Pouvoir, the tyrannical Vice President of Marketing. Unlike most storms, no first name or other signs of disrespect were tolerated. She comman...
I reached for a Post-it. Where the hell are my Post-its? I left my office and walked down the hall to the office supplies closet. I slipped inside and closed the door. I flipped the light switch and nothing happened. I flipped it again and again to no ava...
"Ah, Marian. I'd like you to meet my daughter. This is Karen. She's going to be practicing her executive skills with the company for an indefinite period." Jeremy Bates had dropped by the office of Mrs. Wintergreen on a slow afternoon, with a beautiful st...
I went to see Chris late in the day when I knew most of the offices around his would be empty. You know that saying about feeling as if your heart is in your throat? That's exactly how I felt approaching his open door. I was showing up outside of his sche...
It’s a guilty pleasure knowing that the words flowing out of my mind, through my fingers, and onto the screen produce a certain titillation that keeps readers coming back for more. That feeling of turning a person on with my decadent imagination is powerf...
I felt conflicted as I rode the elevator to Roger's office. Meeting him in his private office was a departure from the usual boundaries I set for myself, and I couldn't shake the guilt that crept in. Our flirtatious interactions never crossed the line, bu...
The whole weekend, Jodie couldn’t settle. She tossed and turned in bed on Sunday night, unable to sleep. Finally, in desperation, she pulled her vibrator out from under the mattress and lay back. She let the images of Marie and Zoe wash over her; Marie tr...
Tuesday, 4:35 pm After finishing the paperwork at The Blue Beans and ordering a coffee for Natalie, I returned to the office. The rest of the coffee date with Ashlee went without a hitch, which surprised me, considering how poorly things went for her at t...
On the surface, I might appear to be just another waitress, serving up truffle mac and cheese or an exquisite steak tartare. But if you know me, you know I am always on the hunt, and tonight my sights are trained on him, that arrogant older man who walked...
With her husband already at work, Amelia lay on her marriage bed wrapped in her dressing gown. She was listening to the bustle of her twin teenage daughters getting ready to go to college; the distant sound brought a smile to her lips. Normally, she would...
I was late again. It was the third time this month and my boss was pissed last time. I pressed through the rotating doors in the high-rise office building, cursing under my breath at the throng of humans in front of me waiting in the lobby. One of the dam...
The mountain peaks offer a surprising backdrop against the immense turquoise sea. It is breathtaking. Victoria was right, this is exactly what we need. This morning, the water was clearer than I’d ever seen. We saw a massive bull shark while snorkeling. I...
Chapter One McKinley Stewart stood by the open French doors in his office and enjoyed the fragrant aroma of the flowering dogwood trees his gardener, Javier, had planted in the three-story atrium eight years earlier. The scent reminded him of the day when...
