had arrived one morning to find the hallway outside of her office polluted by roving gossip reporters. Juliane had told herself that she would be featured on all the major networks one day; she had just hoped it would be for her work rather than her relationship. Shortly after that morning, she had been moved into a new location offering more privacy.
Determined to prevent a similar occurrence, and to further protect her identity as well as the sensitive nature of her work, she demanded that a fake name be used on the hallway nameplate and directory. Her day-to-day contacts within the ACI had moaned about accommodating each of these requests, but she didn't hear any complaints about the additional publicity her notoriety had brought to the organization. If anything, she was convinced that they were partially responsible for at least a few tips-offs to the media about where to find her.
Just as the frenzy began to die down, Louis would materialize somewhere close to the campus, launching another flurry. The media seemed to know when he was nearby even sooner than she did. She had told Louis exactly how little she appreciated the interruption these unplanned visits caused to her routine. She had even used tiny words for his benefit, but if anything, he had made an even greater point of appearing in the most unexpected places. It was almost as if he enjoyed throwing her off balance.
Most unprofessional thoughts about Louis's preferred strategy for working his way back on to her good side filled her thoughts as she arrived at her office. She realized that she although she hadn’t turned the key, the door swung open without effort. She could have sworn that she had secured her office the night before, and she worried for a fleeting moment that someone might have stolen sensitive documents. Then she saw him. Louis was comfortably sprawled in her desk chair as if her chair was located in his home rather than her office. His feet rested on top of the stack of applications, and Juliane felt her pulse quicken as she took in the sight.
She tried to maintain an expression of annoyance. This was her place of business. It was her sanctuary. How dare he let himself in like he owned the place? Okay , she conceded, perhaps he did own it, but really? How hard would it have been to call her first? Louis, as usual, seemed not only impervious to her displeasure, but even further relaxed. He stretched even further in the chair as she shut the office door, calling to mind images of other calisthenics they had enjoyed together. Her unruly body tingled with anticipated pleasure.
She noticed that he wore a well-broken-in pair of jeans as well as a wrinkled button-down shirt. His collar was open at the top, providing a tantalizing hint at the muscular chest beneath. His chin was darkened with stubble from a missed shave, a far cry from the tailored man she had first met. Louis must have come directly from his jet to her office. A sense of smug satisfaction warmed Juliane. “One of these days you should tell me how you manage to sneak in here so easily. Let me guess, the company has recently appropriated a teleportation machine.” She laughed as she bent over to store her purse in the modest credenza at the back of the room.
“I have access to more technology than you’d ever believe, but appropriate? The way you say that makes it sound like I just go gallivanting around the world stealing other people’s ideas,” Louis said. She felt his eyes on her backside as she stood. She was pleased with the knowledge he was also affected by her presence. When she turned, she found Louis standing at full attention behind her. He placed one hand on her waist and twirled her around the rest of the way until she faced him. His height forced her to stand on her toes to give him a chaste kiss. She wouldn’t make this too easy on him. He had broken into her office, after all.
Louis growled, “Speaking of travel, I’ve just crossed the world three times.
Determined to prevent a similar occurrence, and to further protect her identity as well as the sensitive nature of her work, she demanded that a fake name be used on the hallway nameplate and directory. Her day-to-day contacts within the ACI had moaned about accommodating each of these requests, but she didn't hear any complaints about the additional publicity her notoriety had brought to the organization. If anything, she was convinced that they were partially responsible for at least a few tips-offs to the media about where to find her.
Just as the frenzy began to die down, Louis would materialize somewhere close to the campus, launching another flurry. The media seemed to know when he was nearby even sooner than she did. She had told Louis exactly how little she appreciated the interruption these unplanned visits caused to her routine. She had even used tiny words for his benefit, but if anything, he had made an even greater point of appearing in the most unexpected places. It was almost as if he enjoyed throwing her off balance.
Most unprofessional thoughts about Louis's preferred strategy for working his way back on to her good side filled her thoughts as she arrived at her office. She realized that she although she hadn’t turned the key, the door swung open without effort. She could have sworn that she had secured her office the night before, and she worried for a fleeting moment that someone might have stolen sensitive documents. Then she saw him. Louis was comfortably sprawled in her desk chair as if her chair was located in his home rather than her office. His feet rested on top of the stack of applications, and Juliane felt her pulse quicken as she took in the sight.
She tried to maintain an expression of annoyance. This was her place of business. It was her sanctuary. How dare he let himself in like he owned the place? Okay , she conceded, perhaps he did own it, but really? How hard would it have been to call her first? Louis, as usual, seemed not only impervious to her displeasure, but even further relaxed. He stretched even further in the chair as she shut the office door, calling to mind images of other calisthenics they had enjoyed together. Her unruly body tingled with anticipated pleasure.
She noticed that he wore a well-broken-in pair of jeans as well as a wrinkled button-down shirt. His collar was open at the top, providing a tantalizing hint at the muscular chest beneath. His chin was darkened with stubble from a missed shave, a far cry from the tailored man she had first met. Louis must have come directly from his jet to her office. A sense of smug satisfaction warmed Juliane. “One of these days you should tell me how you manage to sneak in here so easily. Let me guess, the company has recently appropriated a teleportation machine.” She laughed as she bent over to store her purse in the modest credenza at the back of the room.
“I have access to more technology than you’d ever believe, but appropriate? The way you say that makes it sound like I just go gallivanting around the world stealing other people’s ideas,” Louis said. She felt his eyes on her backside as she stood. She was pleased with the knowledge he was also affected by her presence. When she turned, she found Louis standing at full attention behind her. He placed one hand on her waist and twirled her around the rest of the way until she faced him. His height forced her to stand on her toes to give him a chaste kiss. She wouldn’t make this too easy on him. He had broken into her office, after all.
Louis growled, “Speaking of travel, I’ve just crossed the world three times.
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