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couldn’t have been much older than I
was, and whom I liked immediately.   Every one of them seemed pleasant and professional, which was a relief
after the hell I’d just been through with Blackwell.
    And then in
walked Brock Wenn himself.
    Because he
stopped in Blackwell’s doorway with his back to me, I saw him before he saw
me—and I have to say, given how long it had been since I’d been with a
man, that there was something about this man that drew me toward him in ways
that usually told me to run in the other direction.   I had no idea what was different about
him, but I couldn’t deny what I felt.   Brock Wenn was nothing short of strikingly good-looking, and my hormones
went into overdrive before I quickly looked away so Blackwell wouldn’t catch me
staring at him.
    I pretended to
continue to fill out my paperwork while I listened to their conversation.
    “Well, well,”
Blackwell said to Brock.   “Good to
see you.   And I have to say that you
look handsome.   Perfect suit.   Brooks Brothers?”
    “It is,” he
said in his baritone voice.
    “Given what
Madison is wearing, it’s refreshing to see a suit that’s actually been properly
tailored.”
    He looked over
at me when she said that, our eyes met, and I felt his gaze sweep over my
body—and then he gave me a discreet wink that seemed to suggest, “Don’t
worry about this—I’ve got your back.”
    “What’s wrong
with what Madison is wearing?   She
looks terrific.   You know, I might
have been gone for a few years—”
    “To Wharton,”
she interrupted.   “Where apparently
you overachieved and forgot about the rest of us.”
    So, he’s a
Wharton grad? I thought.   Promising. . . .
    “Yeah, to
Wharton.   But whatever.   And I never forgot about anyone, so
let’s put that on the record.   That
said, what I do remember when I was a kid is that sometimes you can be a bit
harsh.”
    “ Moi ?   Never.   I speak the truth—always.”
    “Not in
Madison’s case you don’t.”
    “Anyway,”
Blackwell said, almost too quickly as I heard her stand up.   “Enough of Madison.   You have paperwork to fill out if you want
to work here, which I presume that you do.”
    “I do.”
    “Then come with
me,” she said, taking him by the arm as she stepped out of her office.   “Your office is just over here.   You’ve already talked with Alex about
what he and Jennifer expect of you?”
    “I have.   I’m researching a new biotech that is on
the verge of going into final trials for some hot new breast-cancer drug they
have in development.   Last night, I
read up on them—what they’ve been working on sounds promising on the
surface, but we’ll see.   I’ve agreed
to write a report so that Wenn Pharmaceutical can decide whether they should
consider a buyout.”
    “Last night?”
she said, just loudly enough so that I could hear her.   “Well, there’s real commitment
for you.   Staying up late to focus
on your work.   Good for you.   I hope it didn’t get you into any
trouble with your girlfriend. . . .”
    “Girlfriend?”
he said.   “I live with two roommates
in the Village—male roommates.   I don’t have time for a girlfriend.”
    “Oh?” Blackwell
said.   “No time at all?”
    No time at all?
    “I’m focused on
my career right now.   A girlfriend
can wait.”
    “So sensible,”
she said.   “Because after all, at
your age, career is key.   How old
are you now?   Twenty-eight or so?”
    “Twenty-seven.”
    We’re the same
age , I thought.
    “Then good for
you for staying the course.   When
you lean into your thirties, you’ll still be a powerhouse of good looks, and
the women will flock to you.   But
career first.   And then a girlfriend
in, oh, three or so years from now.”
    “That’s the
plan,” he said.   “Unless the right
woman comes along.”
    “She won’t.”
    “And how do you
know that?”
    “I just know
it.”
    “My mother
wants me to be engaged now.”
    “Well,