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broke my stare for a moment. On the one hand, I wanted to just start this meeting already so I could get to work. But on the other, I was petrified he might single me out once he began to speak. Quickly, I tried to think of every possible outcome and prepare a suitable reply for each one.
    Yet as I mulled my options over, I found my urges tugged at me. Peeking through strands of my hair, I stole a secret glance at him. His suit, dark blue in color, had the faint hint of a shine to it. It clung to his body as if it were custom cut just to fit his muscular physique. His tight ass shifted back and forth as he chatted with Holly, presumably giving her the sorts of orders CEOs do.
    As I at last broke my gaze upon him, I happened to look across the table at a couple of the other female lab workers again. Except this time, they’d caught me staring. Heat flushed to my chest, coloring me like a human thermometer. But before I could look away, both of them smiled at me.
    One of them even wiggled her eyebrows.
    I swallowed and sunk further into my seat, dropping my now clammy hands in my lap. As I did, strands of my blond hair closed in around my eyes, providing me a bit of respite from my shame. But the worst was yet to come. It was a matter of time until Gabe noticed me sitting here.
    What would he do? Say? I fretted he’d make some joke or teasing comment at my expense, sending the entire gathering into a fit of laughter and leaving me humiliated in the process.
    I couldn’t believe my luck.
    All the possible comebacks to his imagined jibes jumbled together in my brain. I had no idea what I would say, or do. My attempt at a disappearing act didn’t go unnoticed by Colin. He leaned in towards me.
    “Fiona,” he began with a voice barely above the sound of a whisper. “Are you all right?”
    Snap out of it! Damn it Fiona!
    I nodded and, after grabbing hold of the arms of the chair, straightened myself in it.
    “Yes, I’m fine,” I replied, in a voice with volume that matched his own.
    This couldn’t possibly get any worse. Turns out the man who’d hit on me twice with an impressive arsenal of charm was apparently my boss . On top of that, my coworkers caught me undressing him with my eyes and Colin, well, he must be second guessing his decision to hire me at all considering the way I was behaving at the moment.
    But just when it couldn’t get any worse. It did. Much, much worse.
    For no sooner had I returned to an upright position in my chair, than Gabe finished his conversation with Holly. As he did, he turned to face everyone seated at the conference table. Taking measured steps in our direction, he clasped his hands together behind his back for a moment and then began to speak.
    “I’ll keep this discussion brief everyone. The document Holly gave to you will provide all you need to know about the new project, which we’re terming the Link Protocol. I’ll expect each of you to familiarize yourself with the details of it as it relates to your role in the project.”
    As he started to speak, it was as if I witnessed a literal transformation take place before my eyes. Gabe appeared to be just as much at ease addressing a room full of people as he did making flirting small talk.
    Just the idea of speaking to a large audience made me ill. But he rattled off commands with a mix of authority and elegance. It was as if he were talking to a room filled with his best friends. It’s not like he wasn’t irritating enough already with his charm and teasing.
    Now this.
    Bastard.
    Frustrated, my worried state shifted a bit. As I listened to him speak, the reality was that if I hadn’t had the experience I did with him, I wouldn’t see him as anything other than what he was in the moment.
    The boss.
    Gone was the barfly playboy. In his place, a confident, articulate leader who was more than qualified to be in the position he was stood before us. Whether it was rehearsed or spontaneous, an excellent, well-reasoned description of