

### THE GLASS DOOR

By Sam Begin

Copyright © 2016 Sam Begin

All rights reserved.

Distributed by Smashwords

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

# Chapter 1

On a cold October morning in Chicago, Melissa closed the car door, looked in the mirror and smiled. In the mirror she saw a confident young woman ready to take on the world. And why not? Melissa had just graduated with an MBA from the University of Chicago and was offered her first job as a financial analyst at the Abbott and Solomon Investment House in New York. Moving from Chicago to New York and leaving her family behind was not on her top ten list but she felt that if she were to build a career in finance, New York was the place to go.

For a second, Melissa thought about her family and their reaction, Mom's shock and Dad threatening to start looking for a job in New York so that they could be closer to her.

_Oh Mom_ , Melissa smiled to herself and sighed.

Thoughts about her mom and dad and their consistent love towards her filled Melissa with a warm feeling that made her smile. Throughout her life, Melissa only knew a house where Mom and Dad enjoyed being together and family was the most important thing to everyone. She knew that her parents always wished her well.

From the time Melissa was a child, her mom had Melissa's future all planned out. "The plan" was rather simple and uncomplicated and loosely followed the princess stories that Melissa read when she was a child. The plan was that one day Melissa, while going to a coffee shop to have breakfast, would meet a prince (or at least a knight in shining armor) who would happen to be there just for her. The prince/knight would look at her and would instantly be dazzled. She, in turn, would look at him and be stunned. He would come up to her, fall on his knee and then there would be "happily ever after." The plan had several variations: sometimes they would meet in a café, or a nice restaurant, or may be at a party, or even at work. The setting did not matter but what mattered was the shock of meeting him and immediate knowledge that he is going to be in every way the right person for her to spend the rest of her life with.

Sometimes Melissa laughed at "the plan" because she knew it was not what happens in real life. Even though that was the kind of scenario that played out in a lot of the books that she read as a kid, she knew it was not highly likely to happen that way. Deep in her heart though she was hoping for "Mr. Right" to come along and make his grand entrance. She was sure that she would be able to recognize him immediately as "Mr. Right" not because he was going to have a sign that read "I am Mr. Right" but instead because meeting him was going to be such a totally amazing, profound, and unforgettable event.

Janet, Melissa's Mom, was also hoping that someone very special would come along for Melissa and in her mind she too had a part in this future plan. Janet imagined that as part of the "happily ever after," Melissa and Mr. Right/Prince/Knight in shining armor would have kids. "Kids" was the key word in her plan. Mom loved kids and loved spending time with them and wanted a few grandkids to love, hug, spoil and babysit.

On numerous occasions Janet told Melissa that she and Jim, Melissa's Dad, did not want to be "refrigerator grandparents." They did not want their grandkids to only see their photos hanging on the refrigerator and never see them in person. They wanted to get to know their grandkids and wanted the grandkids to know and remember them. Janet even said that babysitting would be free and if it came down to it, _she_ would pay Melissa to babysit those adorable little faces! So, in the end, Janet had a stake in "the plan" too—she wanted grandkids as soon as possible.

Melissa placed her purse in the passenger seat and shook her head. _Babysit grandkids? One slight problem Mom, no grandkids yet_.

When Janet and Jim found out that Melissa got a job and was moving to New York City, the whole "grandkid plan" came into jeopardy. Even though Dad made noises that he would like to look for a new job in New York City, finding one would probably be difficult. Melissa thought most car dealerships in New York City would probably already have managers and Jim had been with the same dealership on South Ave. for the last 30 years. And even though it may take some effort to find a new position, Mom said that if Melissa liked New York and decided to stay there, they would definitely start making plans to leave Chicago and move to be there with her.

_That would be a relief_ , thought Melissa, _at least I won't have to be in New York by myself, forever._ It was comforting to know that there was someone out there willing to uproot themselves after 30 years of living in the same house just to be with you. _Oh well_ , she thought, _enough of thinking, better start driving_.

Melissa put the key in the ignition of her car and turned it. The engine started with its familiar growl. At the same time that the engine roared, her phone chirped—a text. Melissa pulled out her phone and read the message. It was from her college friend, Angelina Glass. Angie was from New York and Melissa was going to spend a few days with her while looking for an apartment to rent. Angie graduated at the same time as Melissa did but was going to take some time off and travel before starting work.

_What a great idea_ , thought Melissa. _I wish I could do the same._

Angie indicated that she was going to Europe for a few weeks or a few months. She said that she would decide how long she would stay when she got tired of her travels or as she put it, "When I return home, I will be ready to go to work." However, before leaving, Angie promised to spend a few days with Melissa to introduce her to some friends and "to get Melissa's social life going," as Angie put it.

Melissa stopped daydreaming and looked her phone.

Melissa, when r u leaving?

Melissa texted back, _Now._

When will you be here?

Probably sometime Friday.

Perfect timing, right on time for our first party! Drive carefully and give me a call when you are within an hour or two.

_Will do. See you then_.

After sending her last message, the phone turned dark and Melissa put it back in her purse. The gray October sky was reflecting against the orange hue of the trees turning colors. The car was warm and it was time to go. She turned and looked one more time at her house. It was hard to leave something so familiar and comfortable but... this page needed to be turned.

"Bye, house, I hope I will see you later," she whispered.

Melissa was on the road the whole day and stopped at a hotel for the night. The drive made her whole body stiff and sore. The stiffness made her want to go to the gym and work out but by the time she had unpacked and checked in with her parents, she was too tired to do anything other than sleep. _Maybe later_ , she thought and the next thing she knew she was asleep.

Melissa got up the next morning as the sun was rising. _Just a few hours away from New York City, what a relief_ , she thought. Melissa looked out the window. The morning looked beautiful with the sun's rays starting to peek over the trees in the chilly October air. After Melissa went down and grabbed some coffee and a breakfast sandwich from the hotel breakfast bar, she was ready to go on the final stretch.

She got in the car and a few minutes later was back on the Interstate. Driving early in the morning with the sun rising was invigorating. Looking at the road ahead of her, Melissa knew that things would go well. She was starting a new job on Monday and she was very excited about that. She was tired of school and was ready to start working and earning money. Thinking about the logistics of going to work though, she knew she would have to figure out how to get from Angie's place to her work place before Monday. She had visions running around the subway station in a panic because she couldn't find where Abbott and Solomon Investment House was on Monday morning. _Oh, no_ , she thought with a shudder, _I will have to make sure that won't happen, I need to be on time my first day._

When Melissa was about an hour from New York City, she pulled into a rest area and called Angie. Her phone call went right into voicemail. "Hi, this is Angie. Please leave a message, thanks."

The voicemail beeped and Melissa smiled as she started speaking. "Hey Angie, it's me. I'm about an hour or two away. I hope that I did not interrupt your sleep. Did you party a little late yesterday? Anyway, see you later today."

Melissa pulled out Angie's address: 35 Spring Garden Street. _How funny_ , she thought, _new city, new job, new life, sure feels like spring, like a new beginning_. She entered the address into her GPS.

"Make a slight turn left and take the Interstate. Follow Interstate for the next 15 miles until exit 78..." said the mechanical voice of the GPS.

"Okay, okay," Melissa said aloud, "I'd better get going."

New York on Friday morning was very busy. Melissa hit a traffic jam and sat in stop-and-go traffic for over an hour which was probably a good thing because it gave Angie more time to sleep.

Finally, by late morning Melissa drove up to 35 Spring Garden Street. She was amazed to find that the address was a luxury apartment with a valet who jumped out and offered to park her car. She got out of her car and gave him the keys. He immediately suggested that her car could be unloaded for her. Melissa did not have a whole lot of stuff in the car because she did not bring any of her furniture. However, she did have a few bags with clothes (Mom made sure that she had a lot of new outfits ready for New York) and she was grateful that she did not need to drag them upstairs herself. After thanking the valet, she started walking towards the entrance of the building.

_I think I am looking for apartment number 564_ , she thought and pulled out her cell phone to double check. As she was checking her phone, a text message showed up from Angie.

Where r u?

_I hate it when people abbreviate words down to one letter,_ thought Melissa. _Angie usually doesn't do that, she must've just woken up and didn't feel like typing._

Melissa decided not to text Angie back and just go up and surprise her. She looked through the glass entry doors. The inside of the building was gorgeous with clean shining floors, multiple lamps and chandeliers, matching carpets, comfortable chairs and sofas, and lots of plants spread throughout.

A doorman greeted Melissa and offered to call up Angie but Melissa declined. She looked around again. There were people downstairs sitting, eating, talking and reading a newspaper or working on their tablets. When Melissa got to the elevator, the door opened and a man in a nice suit talking on his phone came out of the elevator looking frazzled.

Melissa got into the elevator and went up to the fifth floor and found apartment 564. She knocked.

Angie yelled from within, "Is that who I think it is?" The door opened up and suddenly Angie was hugging her.

"I am so happy to see you, Mel." Angie called Melissa "Mel" occasionally and it seems like it was mostly at times when she wanted to say that she was _really_ happy to see her. "I just got up and texted you. What a surprise that you are already here!" Angie exclaimed.

Melissa smiled, "It is great to see you too, I did not text you back, I wanted to surprise you." As the two entered the apartment, Melissa put her purse down on a chair.

"How was your trip?" Angie asked as she lead Melissa to the guest room which was going to be hers while she looked for a place to live.

"It was long and tiring. I am glad it is over," replied Melissa.

"Come let's have breakfast or brunch or whatever it is and I'll tell you what I have planned for us to do today," said Angie excitedly. Meanwhile, the doorman showed up with Melissa's bags and brought them in the guest room. Without hesitation Angie asked him to put the service on her monthly bill.

_What a convenience_ , thought Melissa. _It would have been a pain to bring those up_.

Angie then walked into the kitchen, started up her coffee machine and got a few breakfast bars for them to eat with coffee. Melissa sat down at the kitchen table, hesitated for a second since she did not want to offend Angie.

"To be honest with you, Angie," started Melissa, "I had no idea your apartment is so fancy."

Could Angie get offended? Maybe, but for her to get offended, it had to be something very serious. This time, as expected, Angie was not offended at all. She was her usual self, in a good mood with a big smile on her face. Angie handed Melissa a cup of coffee and a breakfast bar and then sat next to her. As Angie started to eat, she explained.

"Yeah, I kind of tried to keep it quiet in college," she said taking a sip and realizing that she needed to add more sugar to her coffee. "Didn't want to date guys who would date me for money. So I always pretended that I didn't have much." Her smile got wider. She had fooled everyone—that was for sure.

"My parents are nice to me though," she went on. "I should not say parents, my Mom passed away, it's my Dad. He's a real estate developer and gives me some money every month. In fact, when I get back from Europe, I will start working for him and after a few months, I'll open up my own company. My brother, Alan, used to work for him too and then started his own company—with Dad's help of course, and now he's doing really well!"

She was flaunting the fact that she is well off and didn't have to pretend to be middle class any more. She was very rich and not embarrassed about it. Melissa was not exactly poor herself but definitely fell more into a middle class category, her parents were comfortable but then again they did not own anything like a second house, a boat, or a plane. She always thought that Angie's Dad worked for a construction company, she had no idea her family was so affluent. It was not bad news at all, just something new about Angie that she learned today.

"Alan has been doing very well," Angie repeated in a voice that indicated that she was very fond of her brother, "and the hope is that I can do the same thing he did when he started his own company with Dad's help. Now his company has grown and like I said, is doing very well."

"Wow, the whole thing is a surprise," said Melissa a bit taken aback and slightly overwhelmed.

Angie smiled at Melissa. "I'm glad that you are here. As you know, I am going away for at least a few weeks...or a few months depending upon how things play out for me in Europe. So you can live here and hopefully by the time I get back you will not have run back to Chicago" laughed Angie.

"I was planning on finding my own place right away," Melissa protested. She didn't want Angie to feel like she had to give her the flat.

"No need for that, this place will be empty anyway," Angie stated firmly while shrugging her shoulders. "Besides, since I was in Chicago for so long, the neighbors here got used to this apartment being empty and I think sometimes they wondered if I existed any more. With you here it might keep them on their toes," she said smiling.

_I have never lived in an apartment that is so expensive,_ Melissa thought while she took a sip of her coffee. _On the other hand, maybe living here until Angie gets back from Europe is not entirely a bad idea because it will let me see if I like working for Abbott and Solomon Investment House before I lock myself into an apartment lease_.

"Thank you," she said aloud.

"No problem," Angie replied in a matter of fact tone.

Angie was done with her breakfast bar and her coffee and by then Melissa was done with her coffee too. Angie looked at Melissa and said, "Now that your living arrangements have been taken care of, do you want to know what I have planned for us for today?"

"Sure," Melissa replied, "I'd love to find out. Can I just ask that going to a gym is one of the items on the list? My body feels so stiff and achy after sitting in the car all day yesterday." She stretched out her arms to show how stiff she was.

"Actually, we have a gym and a pool in the basement here, so if you would like to we can get that out of the way first thing," suggested Angie.

"That would be great," Melissa smiled, "Not needing to go anywhere but downstairs would be just awesome."

"Glad you approve," Angie continued. "Anyway, we have to go do some makeup shopping. You know, lipstick, mascara, that sort of thing. I know you're not a big fan of makeup but I think if you are starting a new job, you have to look nice and makeup is a huge part of it here in New York so you'd better get used to it." Angie always felt that Melissa was too modest and thought that she needed to help her with opening up a little more to the world around her.

"We also have to go to a party tonight," she continued in the spirit of "the opening to the world" thought.

"I knew it, you are not a person to miss a party especially on Friday night," Melissa laughed. That was Angie for you.

"You know it, "Angie admitted and laughed too. She openly acknowledged that parties were her life.

The girls set the cups for the maid to clean and headed down to the basement for a workout and a swim. Angie informed Melissa that the basement not only had a gym but also a pool. To Melissa's amazement the gym was complete and the pool Olympic size and very nice. Her body felt better after she was able to work out and take a swim. Afterwards, they went back up to the apartment and took showers when they were done.

Once they were done cleaning up, they met back in Angie's kitchen.

"Let's go to lunch and then do some shopping," said Angie as they drank water in the kitchen.

"Sounds good," said Melissa taking a big gulp. She made sure that she drank at least 5 cups of water a day—an old college habit. "Is chicken and salad still your favorite thing for lunch?"

"You've got that right. There is a cafe nearby where we can stop and get lunch. "

"Great, show me the way," said Melissa wiping her face and feeling like her body no longer belonged to the Tin Man from the _Wizard of Oz._

About an hour later they were sitting inside the cafe and eating chicken salads and drinking green tea.

"Have you been dating anyone since we finished school, Angie?" asked Melissa.

"You know how I am. I find it hard to get attached to someone for a long time. Especially now that I am going away on a vacation. I think I will start looking seriously when I get back but probably not before," said Angie. "What about you?" Angie asked her after taking a quick sip of her green tea.

Melissa shook her head. "I've been looking for a job, not a boyfriend. Now that I found a job, maybe a boyfriend will come along too." The way she answered it, she made it clear that she was not interested in having a boyfriend at the moment and that a successful career was more important.

"I know, I heard that before," Angie sighed and rolled her eyes. "You said the same thing through all of grad school. Remember when Aaron asked you out and I said that you should go so that you could say that you've been out on one date before you graduated?"

"Don't remind me about Aaron. That self-centered, hockey playing, 'I think I am better than the rest of you' guy," cringed Melissa.

"You could have gone out with him at least once though. It wasn't like you had to marry him," Angie pointed out and took a big bite of her chicken salad.

"I know that," said Melissa. "But when I go out I want it to be magical. I want to like the guy and I want to know that he likes me back. Otherwise, I don't want to go out at all. I only want to get married if I feel that I truly love that person and not for any other reason. Oh and if he truly loves me too, of course. "

"Oh, Melissa, maybe that is the reason why you have not been out on a date for so long. Take it easy and see where things take you. One date doesn't obligate you to anything and remember that a lot of people like to play dating games so you have to be careful about the whole 'likes me back' thing," Angie continued.

Melissa shrugged. "You know that I can't take things easy, that's just how I am. I know that there is only one person out there that can make me truly happy and I hope that we will meet. If not, I would much rather be by myself."

Angie took the last bite of her salad, looked at Melissa and said sternly, "Melissa Davis, I like you a lot but sometimes I feel like I need Tylenol after five minutes of talking to you. You make things too complicated and give me a headache," she laughed, taking a sip of her drink and pushing her plate away.

"Just kidding of course," she added.

Melissa got a playful gleam in her eyes. "Let me remind you that there were many times in college that I needed Tylenol too and sometimes something even stronger. Like when..." Melissa started.

"Oh, let us not talk about those times, I am all set," Angie interrupted, making a gesture that she knew exactly what those times were.

Melissa could not help but start laughing. Life was easier for Angie, she did not take things so close to heart. She went with the flow and had enough luck for good things to follow her. Of course, having a Dad with a supply of cash was helpful too.

"Now can we go shopping?" asked Melissa as she pushed her plate and glass away.

# Chapter 2

Angie's plan was not only to go to shopping but also to make a quick stop at the hair salon. Melissa protested but Angie's argument that a few highlights in her hair would only make her look better for her first day at work was very convincing. Melissa succumbed to the idea and ended up sitting in the chair for an hour while getting highlights and a haircut. Angie waited for her and kept texting during the time.

_How can she be content with just that little thing in her hand?_ thought Melissa.

Angie and her phone were the best of friends. She was on every social network website possible. Texting was second nature to her. She loved friends, company, and parties. To her there was nothing more important than her social life. Melissa was a little bit more reserved and even though she enjoyed company and a good conversation, she did not live for it and sometimes liked a quiet evening at home. It was safe to say that Melissa was not as attached to her phone, but at the moment she was happy that Angie was not completely wasting her time while waiting for her to get her highlights.

Once Melissa's haircut and highlights were done, both girls moved to the nail salon. Melissa elected to have hers done in clear color. She did not want to appear flashy for her first day at work. Angie however elected to have hers done in a light purple color with tiny dark blue and red hearts spread all over.

She laughed and said, "Hey, they go with my attitude, don't you think?"

_They do look cute,_ thought Melissa. _Maybe one day I will feel like getting nails like that too. Or should I say, I will_ dare _to get nails like that._

"They do," Melissa agreed aloud.

After going to the salon, Melissa and Angie headed to the mall. On the way there, Angie said she felt that now that Melissa was getting a new job and potentially looking for a new boyfriend, she needed to wear more makeup.

"Forget about what you did in college. You really need to step it up a little. You'll see on your first day at work that all of the women will be nicely dressed and have nice make up on," Angie said.

Melissa had to agree. At one of the stores in the mall they headed to the beauty department. Angie wanted Melissa to buy all of the things that she had because Angie felt that she had tried them before and they worked well for her. At one of the kiosks, a lady asked them if she could help.

"We're looking to get some things for my friend. I think that she would like them in subtle colors." Angie gave Melissa a look like she was hoping that subtle colors would be ok. "She's not used to a lot of makeup so I think that starting with something that will not be too noticeable would be a good idea," Angie suggested.

"No problem," said the woman. "This is totally understandable. Let me show you what we have." The lady then proceeded to show them what she had in stock.

In the end they bought mascara, a fragrance, dark circle corrector, eyeliner, tinted moisturizer, concealer, powder and a few lipsticks. Each one of the items was carefully tried on, compared and decided upon after careful consideration. Every item Angie advised Melissa on and also explained what she herself used, how she used it and why she used it. The purchase added up but Melissa put it all on her credit card.

"Hopefully I can pay it off with my first paycheck," she mumbled as she looked at the total on the receipt. She knew that the bill was high but she thought that what Angie recommended was good. Angie was happy and proud of herself for making Melissa get all of the "stuff." While they were trying the samples, quite a bit of makeup was placed on Melissa's face and made it look more defined, fresh and beautiful.

The two girls laughed and went to the clothing department to get Melissa a suit for Monday. While Melissa did buy a lot of clothes with her mom before leaving Chicago, she wanted to indulge Angie and let her friend help pick something for her first day at work.

"We are going to a nightclub tonight," Angie proclaimed. "That is where my friends will be meeting us. I want you to meet all of them," she continued excitedly, pulling a suit off a rack and putting it into a basket for Melissa to try on. "Once I am gone, you will at least know some people and hopefully that will give you a chance to set up at least a semblance of a social life here in New York," Angie said as she was pulling a few more outfits off the shelf for Melissa to try on.

Melissa smiled. She did not have to study any more, school was over, so having a social life sounded attractive.

"Thanks for inviting me to the party and introducing me to your friends," she said simply.

"Oh, I should also mention something. Before we go to the nightclub, we'll have to have dinner with my big brother," Angie paused. "I have dinner with him every Friday evening, it usually does not take more than an hour or so," she added. Melissa noticed the familiar softness in her voice when she was talking about her brother.

"That would be great, I would love a dinner with one of your family members," said Melissa. "Where does he live?" she was curious.

"Just a few blocks away from me. My Dad, you see, got me an apartment fairly close to him so that we can see each other a lot," Angie smiled. She did not look like she minded being close to her brother. "Family is very important to us," Angie continued, Melissa looked at her and she had an expression on her face as if she was talking about someone she liked a lot and someone that mattered to her.

"Do you see a lot of each other?" asked Melissa.

"Yes, quite a lot. At least once a week. My brother is thirty two and he does not like going to nightclubs or any of those things. He used to work a lot when his company started but lately he has been letting other people do more of the work that he used to do himself. Now that he has more time. I think he reads a lot and plays golf. He's not dated anyone in ages."

_Interesting,_ Melissa thought. "What do you think about this suit for Monday?" she said aloud pulling a suit from the shelf.

Angie shrugged indifferently since that was not her choice and suggested that they try everything on. They then went to the fitting room to go through what they had found.

After the suit for Monday was purchased, Melissa and Angie went back to Angie's apartment to rest a little before meeting her brother for dinner. When they got the apartment, before going to the party Melissa took a shower and then tried out some of the new makeup. Afterwards, she checked in with her mom who was anxious to find out if Melissa had made it to New York and what she was doing.

After talking to her mom, Melissa thought about what she should wear to the nightclub. In the end she decided on dark blue jeans, a blue pleated silk shirt and dark blue shoes. She complimented the outfit with a platinum chain with a small sapphire pendant that her Mom had given her for her twenty first birthday. She loved the pendant and how it made her skin glow and stood out against the blue of the shirt. The whole outfit was rather simple and unpretentious. She was looking forward to the party tonight, if nothing else it was another chance to meet "Mr. Right" after all.

She sat down on the bed for a few seconds to collect her thoughts before walking out of her room. _This day has just flown by. I hope, the dinner with Angie's brother will go by quickly_ , _I can't wait to go to a nightclub and dance. I must remember to find out where work is before Monday morning because I don't want to be in panic mode looking for Abbot and Solomon Monday morning._ _Being late and frazzled on my first day at work would not be a good thing._

# Chapter 3

Melissa was waiting in the kitchen when Angie walked out of her room with a phone in her hand. "Yes, I know that Dad can't come back until next Friday so he will not be able to say good bye to me in person before I go to Europe. He told me about that already," she sounded irritated. She wanted to say good bye to her father in person and regretted that she could not. There was a pause and then her tone changed. "Okay, I'll see you in a few minutes, bye."

She hung up, put the phone on the kitchen table, and turned to Melissa. "That was Alan," she said. "He was asking if I am going to be on time today," she said and then looked at the clock. "I guess we'd better get moving if we do not want to be late."

Melissa noticed that Angie looked great for their night out. She was wearing an airy light dress which looked like it was made out of chiffon. It had a few layers of a dark purple translucent fabric complimented by black shoes and a black leather clutch.

"You look nice, Angie," Melissa said. Angie smiled, said thanks and started heading to the door.

"You look nice too," she pointed out opening it.

"Thank you," Melissa answered walking out after her towards the elevator.

Melissa thought again how Angie's light and uncomplicated attitude towards life was expressed in her words, her surroundings, her clothes, and everything that was associated with her. She did not take things close to heart or dwell on them-it was not in her nature. She allowed life to go on and if something happened that was not expected or not what she wanted, she pretended that it did not exist and instead tried to focus on the good things happening. Angie always acted as though even bad days tend to come to an end and the sun would come up the next day and that would mean a new beginning, something that she could always rely on.

They went down in the elevator. When they stepped out into the lobby, Melissa was surprised at how busy it was. People were rushing, going in and out. A lot of them were well dressed and seemed happy-it was Friday evening which meant it was time to party or spend time with family and friends.

In a few seconds they were out of the building. The October evening in New York was chilly and crisp. The sky was partly cloudy with some stars peeking from the openings. Even though there was a chill in the air, it was still warmer than Chicago. Initially, the cold air felt nice but after a few minutes Melissa started getting chilly. _I wish I had brought my light coat_ , she thought.

Angie turned to her and said, "I am getting cold and I wish I dressed a little warmer".

"That is funny," replied Melissa, "I was thinking the exact same thing."

"Want to go back and get our coats?" asked Angie.

"What do you think? Up to you, I guess," said Melissa.

"No, I just want to keep going. My brother's apartment is a block away. Then we can get a taxi when we to go to the club," suggested Angie.

"Sounds good to me," Melissa agreed. She was used to the cold days in Chicago, it was not like she was from Hawaii or something.

They started walking faster to make sure that the last block would go by quickly. When they finally got to Alan's apartment building, they looked great because exercise made their skin glow.

Even though it was just a few blocks away and took less than ten minutes to get there, Angie said shaking her head, "Should have taken a taxi." She definitely did not like this mini workout before a party.

Melissa noticed that Alan's apartment was as nice or even a little nicer than Angie's. _Wow, I really did not realize how well off and affluent this family is_ , Melissa thought.

They went up to the third floor and knocked on apartment #336. A housekeeper opened the door and greeted them. They stepped in and Melissa looked around the foyer. No doubt, this apartment was definitely more elaborate than Angie's. The furniture and decorations looked very nice. She could tell that an interior designer helped with decorating this place. She looked at the windows and noticed that there were no plants on the windows. Melissa's mom had flowers in just about every window in her parent's house. Violets of every color possible and a couple of orchids. Melissa's favorite was a yellow orchid that her mom had grown for a few years.

_Maybe that is not what rich people do._ _I would probably add flowers to all of the windows, if it were mine. Otherwise, it is impeccable; much more sophisticated than Angie's bachelor pad. But Angie doesn't seem to care, she probably likes it simple and approachable,_ thought Melissa.

The housekeeper led them down a hall and into a study. When they got to the study, the housekeeper indicated that Alan would be with them shortly. She then asked them if they wanted any refreshments. After taking their orders, she left.

In the room, Angie went over to the couch, sat down, and began looking through the magazines on the coffee table while Melissa stood near the entrance to appreciate the room. The study was very spacious and bright with glass shelves holding books, a sofa, comfortable chairs, and a fireplace with a white tile hearth.

As Melissa was admiring the room, a man entered the study and nearly bumped into Melissa. He looked surprised and taken aback. Melissa realized that Angie did not tell Alan that she was coming to the dinner too and felt embarrassed. She did not mean to crash the party. Angie sensed the tension and stepped in to help. She did not seem to think that it was such a big deal that she did not tell Alan about Melissa joining them for dinner.

"Alan, let me introduce my friend Melissa," Angie said as she got up and gave Alan a hug. "We went to school together. Remember, I was telling you that she just got a job with Mark Solomon's company here in New York," she continued.

"Hi, nice to meet you, Melissa," said Alan shaking her hand. He still looked surprised and seemed to struggle for words.

Alan looked to be in his early thirties, well-built, and athletic. His hair was black with a little salt in it. His eyes were light brown and inquisitive, his features were pleasant. He was wearing jeans and a light gray top with long sleeves.

"Hi Alan," said Melissa. "It is nice to meet you too."

Alan looked at her again. Early twenties, probably. Slim, but not skinny. Her figure was light but at the same time it had curves. He liked the sapphire pendant that was shining and accentuating the glow and beautiful color of the skin on her neck. The dark blue jeans and the pleated blue shirt defined her figure. _Beautiful woman,_ he thought.

Alan got over his surprise, and offered them seats. He also let his housekeeper know that Melissa will be having dinner with them.

"I've heard a lot about you. Angie told me all about you and your family back in Chicago and how much she enjoyed hanging out with you and your folks during her time in school."

"Yes, my family loved having Angie around," Melissa smiled, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Those were fun times." She shook her head.

"Is your family moving here after you?" Angie asked.

"I am not sure," Melissa answered. "They are going to see first how things go for me. But they may be moving to New York if my job works out." She paused and then she added, "I think I would like that, I mean them moving to New York if things go well with my job." Her tone got warm and low as she talked about the possibility of reuniting with her parents.

"I can understand that," Alan agreed. "I think it can be pretty challenging to be by yourself in a big city. How are you finding New York so far?" he asked looking at her inquisitively.

"A little intimidating," Melissa answered. "I think that once I meet a few people and get my first day of work is past me, things will go better."

Angie began talking again. "By the way Mark Solomon is Alan's friend."

"Yes, that's right. Mark and I have been friends for quite some time," Alan agreed.

Melissa was shocked a little because Mark Solomon was the president and owner of Abbott and Solomon Investment House.

"Speaking about meeting new people," Angie added, "she gets to meet the whole gang tonight. We are heading to the Millennium Nightclub after this. Brad, Jen, Evan, Matt, Sam and Erica will be there."

"It sounds like the whole group will be there," Alan pointed out almost rolling his eyes.

"Oh, yes. By the way, I think I Erica still has a crush on you if you are interested," Angie mentioned quickly. "She asks about you every time I see her." She looked at Alan to figure out his reaction, but Alan's lack of interest did not seem to surprise her.

Alan seemed uncomfortable talking about Erica so he immediately called for appetizers. The housekeeper came in with the drinks that Melissa and Angie had requested earlier. Soft cheese and crackers followed. Alan offered some wine but Melissa refused, she felt that she wanted to have her head clear for the party later on. He seemed to be a little surprised when she declined the glass of wine however it was her turn to be surprised when he said that he also usually didn't drink.

"Oh, come on," said Angie. "Does it mean that I am going to be the only one drinking at this party?" She laughed and took a glass of wine. "You guys are just not party people. What's up with that?" She shook her head like she was disappointed. Her disappointment however did not last long. In a few minutes she was carrying the conversation again as if nothing happened.

Melissa noticed that Angie acted differently around her brother than she acted around other people. She only took a few sips of her wine before putting the glass away. _Is she trying to keep her head clear or is she embarrassed to drink in front of her brother?_

The housekeeper opened an adjoining door and said that dinner was ready to be served. Alan got up and directed everybody into the dining room. The dining room was beautiful but at the same time simple. The china was white with a platinum border and was complemented by a beautiful white lace tablecloth. Melissa noticed that Alan seemed to like white. She liked it too. She thought that it made the apartment so much brighter and gave it a homey kind of feel. _Wouldn't change anything about this apartment if it were mine, well, other than add a flower or two,_ she thought again.

Dinner started off with a salad. The main course was Asian noodles and chicken. At the end of dinner, Alan offered everybody a cup of coffee and apple tart for dessert. Melissa always drank her coffee with a little bit of cream just to make it a little bit less bitter.

After dessert was served, Melissa noticed that Angie seemed subdued. "Alan, I am disappointed that Dad is staying in Florida and not going to come up before I go to Europe," Angie sounded upset.

"Yes, I heard about that," said Alan calmly. "I think he is very busy with the new project that he started in Florida and until it's all going smoothly I think he wants to stay there just to make sure."

Alan then took a sip of his coffee. He seemed to be trying to justify his father's actions. Angie however was unhappy about her brother's answer. Melissa felt for a second like she was intruding on a private conversation.

"This apple tart is delicious," said Melissa as she tried to lighten the mood.

Sensing her friend's discomfort, Angie agreed and took a bite of her tart and then switched subjects. "I am glad that you have been working less Alan," said Angie as she looked at the clock. She was starting to get anxious and felt like she wanted to go on to the club.

"Yes, I can do more golfing now," Alan laughed. He sounded relieved that the subject changed. "However, I still need to keep tabs on things." Alan then turned to Melissa, "What about you? Are you excited about starting a new job in New York?"

Melissa opened her mouth to answer when Angie spoke up.

"Of course she is excited about her work. She is going to be working at Mark's company!" Angie said it as if someone would be crazy to not want to. "Mark is so awesome," she added.

Alan smiled too. Melissa looked at Alan, curious what his smile meant.

"Mark is a good friend of mine and Abbott and Solomon is his baby. He has been building it for years now and it's a great place to work, I hear."

Melissa understood what they meant. They knew Mark as a friend and not as an employer but from what they heard he treated his employees well.

"As far as that great place to work is concerned, I first need to figure out where it is. I've had nightmares thinking that I will be lost Monday morning at 7:30 am and late for work. I am sure that it will not be too complicated to get there, I just need to go there once by myself and see where it is."

Alan hesitated a little and then said, "Would you like for me to show you where it is? I have been there many times."

_That's nice of him to offer_ , Melissa thought. "Sure, that would be great," she said aloud.

Angie almost choked on her coffee. Both Alan and Melissa looked at her in surprise.

Angie's face flushed when Alan and Melissa looked at her. "I'm sorry, I just got a text on my phone," she gasped.

Alan looked concerned. "What did the text say?"

"Oh," Angie stammered, "it said that someone else will be coming to the party at the club tonight."

"Really, who else will be joining you?" Alan kept pressing

"Uh, the text was a little vague but it said it was someone I haven't seen for a while" Angie continued weakly.

Alan smiled. "Well, hopefully that someone will be a pleasant surprise."

_Whatever_ , thought Melissa. _Definitely weird._

By then Angie became more interested in finishing dinner and going about her plans. Her family duties had been performed and it was time to move on to have fun. She started acting antsy and wanting to go to the night club. Finally, she got up and said, "That was a good dinner, Alan. Thanks. I think that it is time for us to go on to out next stop. The night isn't getting any younger."

Melissa got up to go too. To her surprise, Alan got up too. "I don't have much to do tonight, can I come with you?" His voice sounded eager and unbending. He was coming no matter what anyone thought.

"You coming with us?" Angie asked in astonishment. "Are you joking?" This evening seemed to have been full of surprises for her.

"Not at all," replied Alan calmly putting on his coat.

"Okay, but we forgot our coats so we can't walk. We need a ride. Do you want to get a taxi or can your driver take us?" asked Angie.

"My car will be fine and I will let Tia know," said Alan with a nod.

Tia was cleaning the dishes but once Alan told her about the car, she immediately left and came back a few minutes later and indicated that Alan's car would be waiting for them at the entrance in a few minutes.

# Chapter 4

When they got into the Alan's car, Alan offered Melissa his coat to make sure she was not going to get cold.

Angie protested, "What about me? Aren't you worried about me?"

"No, I am," Alan sounded like he was half joking and half telling the truth. "But I know that you typically don't get cold even on the coldest of days."

"Whatever," Angie muttered and shook her head. She didn't seem to be buying his excuse.

Melissa saw that Angie was upset about the coat and declined it. She would have declined it anyway, she was fine and she could see that Angie was starting to get jealous. Alan then adjusted the temperature to make sure that girls would warm up at least a little.

After paying their admission, they entered the club. This club was smaller than the ones Melissa went to in Chicago but it seemed to be better furnished. In the center of the club was the dance floor with a stage for a band next to it and tables around it. A bar was situated in furthest corner from the stage. Next to the bar was a staircase leading up to a mezzanine that overlooked the first floor.

Melissa could tell that Angie knew her way around the club. Both she and Alan followed Angie to the top of the stairs and then they all headed to a table in the corner. From this level, Melissa had a good view of most of the first floor especially the dance floor and the stage.

As they made their way towards the table, the band on stage began to play. Although not familiar with the band, Melissa thought the music was fun and seemed to be easy to dance to. The music was loud but not loud enough to make conversation unpleasant.

When they reached the table, Melissa saw five people. Three of the people were men and two were women. It was obvious that Alan knew all of them even though he limited himself to just saying hi. Angie then proceeded to introduce Melissa to everyone. The first people that Melissa met were Brad and Jen.

Brad was a real estate agent and Jen was his girlfriend. She started working for him about 6 months ago and then their professional relationship grew into a personal one as well. They looked like a nice couple and someone Melissa would not mind getting to know better. Melissa noticed that even when they were being introduced, they sat holding hands.

How sweet.

The next two people were Matt and his brother Evan. Matt owned a website development business. Evan was an IT engineer and worked for Matt.

"Evan or Matt may be worth going out with on a date or something," whispered Angie. "They are nice boys. I actually went out with Matt a few times, but it was just too weird. I've known him for too long, I think. It is hard for me to think of him as more than just a friend," Angie added.

The last person Melissa met was Erica. Erica barely looked at Melissa and immediately switched her attention to Alan. She seemed to be much more interested in Alan than anyone else.

"Where is Sam?" asked Angie. Brad took a sip of his martini and then explained that Sam sent him a text saying that he could not come today.

"Oh, what a shame. I was hoping he could give me some tips before I go on my trip to Europe," Angie said. She then turned to Melissa. "My friend Sam has just returned from a few months in Europe. In fact, because of him I am going to start my journey with a stop on a little island off the coast of England called Jersey," explained Angie.

"I've heard of it," said Melissa. "I think it's part of the Channel Islands between England and France, I've heard it's a tax haven where a lot of off shore banks are located."

"I think you are right" Angie continued. "They have an off shore zone on the island like what you are saying and so there are a lot of banks and financial institutions in the area. Sam arranged for me to do some shadowing in one of the banks for a few days. In addition, I've heard it's a beautiful island. I can't wait to go." Angie sounded very excited.

"I hope that you will have fun. Please send me an email or call. Let me know how it is going for you," begged Melissa.

"No worries, will do, maybe we can Skype or Facetime a few times," suggested Angie.

A second later, Angie noticed someone she knew and had not seen for a while at the table next to them. She finished their conversation abruptly and left to chat with that person. Melissa looked around and noticed that Alan was also nowhere to be seen.

Melissa settled in at the table while Brad told her that Alan had gone to get drinks for her and Angie. He returned shortly and offered Melissa a diet soda and placed another drink at Angie's seat in the hopes that she would come back.

As Melissa started sipping her diet soda Brad struck up a conversation. "So, Angie said you're from Chicago. What part?"

"Northbrook," Melissa replied.

"Really, before moving here I used to spend quite a bit of time commuting from Fort Sheridan to Chicago. The company I worked for there was doing some development in Fort Sheridan. I was there to assist with the construction," Brad said as he warmed up to the conversation.

"Fort Sheridan is a pretty town," Melissa pointed out. "As a kid, I remember driving there with my parents. We sometimes went there to spend time at the lake for a picnic or a walk."

As she talked, Alan sipped his drink while listening. He seemed to savor every detail that Melissa gave about her life. Erica was listening as well, she was not familiar with Chicago but mainly seemed to be listening in the hopes that Alan was going to say something.

When Melissa stopped talking, Brad suddenly turned to Alan. "Alan, you and Erica should dance. I believe that this is her favorite song."

Melissa stopped talking at this break in the conversation and looked at Alan. Alan seemed to hesitate as though he were trying to but could not think of an excuse to avoid the dance. After a moment, he got up and asked Erica if she would like to dance. Erica blushed and agreed.

_She likes him,_ Melissa thought.

Shortly, Alan and Erica were down on the dance floor. Brad looked on and laughed, "I always try to help people get together. She has liked him for a long time."

Melissa looked at them. Alan had a thin smile but Erica seemed to be in heaven. She almost looked as though she might faint in a few seconds.

When the song was over, Alan came back and tried to follow the conversation between Brad and Melissa again. As they were talking a nice looking man from the next table came up and asked Melissa if she would like to dance. Melissa seemed to be confused and did not know what to do. Alan came to her rescue and said, "Actually she promised the next dance to me, sorry." The man left.

Melissa turned to Alan and said, "Thanks."

"Don't thank me," whispered Alan, "because now you have to dance with me and that is thanks enough."

Melissa and Alan went to the dance floor and started dancing. She liked it, he was a confident dancer. His hand on her back was very supportive and she liked his smell. Her hair brushed against his chin. He didn't say much, he appeared to be just enjoying the moment.

Melissa looked up and saw Erica staring at them. That dance did not mean much to Melissa but she could tell that Erica suspected that Alan liked her. _Great,_ thought Melissa, _I haven't been in New York for even 24 hours and I have already managed to make an enemy_.

When the dance was over, Melissa and Alan returned to their table. Melissa noticed that Angie was back at the table too. Angie waved and smiled at Melissa. "Glad to see you finally dancing. Anyway, I was just telling the gang that I bumped into someone here at the club and I'll be going to another party after this. Would you like to come along?"

Melissa was starting to get tired. She was amazed at Angie's resilience. "I'm sorry," she confessed, "I'm tired. I guess that drive this morning really wiped me out. If it's all the same, I'd like to go back to your place and crash."

Angie smiled understandingly. "Sure. I probably shouldn't have dragged you half-way across town this afternoon. Are you going to be okay going by yourself? I think I gave you the keys already."

"Of course I will be okay," Melissa replied shaking her head, "I'll just take a taxi." She started getting ready to leave.

When Brad realized that people were starting to leave, he made an announcement. "Before anyone starts to leave, Jen and I want to invite everyone to lunch on Sunday. I know it's a short notice, but hopefully you'll be able to come. "

Everyone seemed to like the idea and agreed that it sounded like it would be fun. Brad then looked at Melissa and said, "I know that you're going to be busy getting situated but we would enjoy it if you came too."

"Sure, my plans are still a bit up in the air because I have to do a few things but I would enjoy coming," Melissa finished hesitantly.

"I hope you will be able to make it," Brad smiled. "Here is our number in case your plans change." Brad noticed that Alan was watching their exchange. "Alan, I know that you are normally busy but if you'd like to come too please feel free to join us."

"I'd like that," Alan smiled.

Alan then turned to Melissa, "May I take you home?" he asked.

Melissa agreed. At that point she began to suspect that Alan liked her. On the way home in Alan's car, Alan took her phone number and said that he would be happy to go for a jog with her the next morning if she was interested. She was.

"Okay, I will call you around eight," Alan said opening the car door for her.

_There we go_ , thought Melissa. _Where's the light bulb? Am I not supposed to be stunned and in awe, instead of calm and collected?_ _I guess things don't always go according to how I thought they should be._

# Chapter 5

The next morning, Melissa woke up early. Getting up felt good. She felt like she had a good night's rest and had lots of energy. She wanted to go places and do things. First thing she wanted to do though, was to call up her mom.

Melissa pulled out the phone and found her mom's number. The phone rang and rang. Finally, a groggy voice on the other side answered.

"Hi, Mom," said Melissa. "I hope that I have not woken you up."

"Hi, dear, even if you did, it is a pleasant surprise," Mom's voice became stronger and cheerful. "How are things going for you?" She did not sound upset at being woken up, she sounded happy that she had a chance to talk to Melissa.

"Well, pretty good. I met some of Angie's friends yesterday and also her brother. I am not sure but I think that he may like me," Melissa continued.

"Well, I guess that is good news, right? Do you like him?" asked Mom.

"I am really not sure. He's older than me by about 10 years. He is nice and seems gentle and calm but..."

"But..?" Her mom continued.

"But I don't feel the spark between us that I was hoping for."

"Well, sometimes things just do not happen immediately. You have to give them time," her mom pointed out.

"I know but I don't think that it's true love if it was not at first sight. You know what I mean?" Melissa asked.

"Melissa, darling, I think that you are jumping to conclusions. I think, like I said, that it is too early to tell. I think that you should wait," Mom insisted.

"Okay, I guess I don't have anything else to do. Neither do I have a lot of choices, the only thing I can do is wait," Melissa yielded.

"I agree. Give it a chance. I have to go, your father has decided he wants to try cooking breakfast so I'd better stop him before I'm cleaning all morning. Bye, sweetie, give me a call tonight if you can."

"I sure will. Bye, Mom." Melissa grinned, her dad was like a bull in a china shop when he got the urge to cook.

Melissa was on her way to the kitchen to get a quick breakfast, she peeked around the hallway and noticed Angie's shoes on the floor. _Oh, good, she is back home, thank goodness._

Melissa then put on her jogging outfit which consisted of a white t-shirt, dark blue zip up top and three quarter black running tights. Once dressed, she looked at herself in the mirror. _I think blue suits me. Why am I worried about that when I don't care for him anyway_?

Alan called at 8:00 and told her he was about five minutes away and asked if she was ready. She was. When Alan arrived, he was wearing a light jacket, running shorts and shoes on. They went for a jog in a park and enjoyed it a lot. The morning air was fresh and the sun was shining. It was a beautiful fall day.

After the jog, Melissa and Alan cooled down and talked as they walked. "I love fall days like this one, it's gorgeous but I'm not looking forward to winter," said Melissa as she stretched her arms.

"I know," Alan agreed. "Winters in New York can be long especially if you are by yourself."

On an impulse, Melissa wanted to know more about Alan. "Do you have a lot of family around?"

"Actually," replied Alan as he pulled out his water bottle and took a sip, "I have my dad around most of the time unless he's on a project. My mom passed away a few years ago right before Angie went to grad school. "

"I am sorry to hear that," replied Melissa, pulling her water bottle out as well. Melissa was suddenly curious. She felt like even though she spent a lot of time with Angie at school, she did not really know her.

"Why did Angie go to Chicago to go to school? Why didn't she stay in New York?"

Alan paused and looked like he had to think about his answer. Finally, he said, "I think that the reason why she went away is because she wanted to be by herself for a while. To prove to everyone that she could survive by herself. We, as a family, are very proud of her."

Melissa smiled. She liked Angie, she almost felt like she became her sister during their time in college. She was about ready to say that when she noticed that Alan offered his arm to her. Instinctively, she took his arm as they continued to walk. Alan then he looked at her, she looked at him. She felt the blood rush to her face and she could tell that even her ears got red. He smiled wider, in turn his smile made her feel very good. She looked at him again and smiled back.

Suddenly they stopped and Alan pointed to a building in front of them. "Hey, this is where you'll be working on Monday," he said.

Melissa looked at the tall building across the street with the sign:

Abbott and Solomon Investment House

"It's great to know where it is. Now I don't have to worry about getting lost. Thank you, Alan."

"If you would like I could have my driver to take you to work on Monday," Alan offered.

Melissa smiled, "Thanks for the offer but it looks like it is within walking distance from Angie's apartment, so I think I'd like to just walk." She did not want to inconvenience him.

They continued down the street a short distance. Alan let go of Melissa's arm and was actually holding her hand. His hand felt very warm and was much bigger than hers. Suddenly, he stopped again. This time, he stopped in front of a coffee shop and offered to buy Melissa a cup of coffee.

Melissa shook her head. "I think we'd better start heading back," she said uncertainly. "Angie may be up and I am not sure what her plans are for today."

Melissa felt confused and did not know what to do. Alan felt her insecurity and hesitation but in his case he was sure what he wanted.

"Would you like to go out with me tonight for dinner?" he asked looking at her.

Before she knew what she was saying or could think of an excuse, she nodded. "Yes," she murmured. Melissa did not dare look up at him.

"Come," he said excitedly, "I'll take you back to Angie's and I'll see you again at five this afternoon."

When they got back to the apartment, Angie was up sitting in a robe in the kitchen drinking coffee. Her hair was wet and she looked frazzled. When she saw Melissa and Alan enter the apartment, she almost choked on her coffee.

Alan gave her a look that seemed to say, _Okay, it is surprising that I'm with a girl and you are obviously stunned but could you please not show your feelings to everyone?_

After a brief conversation with Angie, Alan left. Once they were alone, Angie suggested that they go out for a quick bite to eat. "I know a great place just a few blocks away. On the weekends they serve brunch and they have the best chicken salad."

Melissa frowned. "Chicken salad this early in the morning?"

Angie waved her hand indifferently. "What's a couple of hours? Anyway, they also serve some wonderful omelets and fruit. I'm sure you'll find something good."

Melissa shook her head and grinned at her friend. Angie had a habit of eating the same thing for breakfast and lunch, dinner was where her diet varied. She did not mind eating the same things, it took her mind off food and let her focus on other things that she felt were more important in her life.

"Sure. Why don't I jump in the shower and change before we go?" Melissa agreed and headed to the bathroom.

A short time later, the two girls were walking out of the building going to the restaurant Angie suggested. The sidewalk was crowded and the traffic crawled at a slow pace. Having lived in Chicago, Melissa was used to crowds but New York was even more crowded. After several blocks, they reached the restaurant.

The building seemed somewhat plain on the outside to Melissa but inside the restaurant was bustling with activity. It was an open kitchen concept so you could see cooks working in the kitchen. It seemed like everyone was running around both in the kitchen and also on the restaurant floor. A hostess quickly seated them and gave them menus.

Once they ordered, Angie began talking. "My brother and you seem to be hitting it off. "

"He seems to be a really nice guy," said Melissa casually. "I appreciate him showing me around this morning." Melissa had no desire to discuss the issue when she was not sure of her feelings on the matter. Hurting anyone was not on Melissa's top ten list. In addition, she was afraid to say something that might be passed on to Alan and give him the wrong idea or in a way diminish what he thought about her.

Seeing Melissa's indecision on the subject, Angie changed the subject and began talking about her trip. Their conversation continued throughout the remainder of their meal.

After lunch, the afternoon went by quickly. Angie called up her friends and decided to do her own thing. This allowed Melissa to retreat to her room and read a little. She felt that reading helped her calm down and made her feel better. She was nervous about her first day of work and about her date with Alan that evening.

Melissa's phone chirped. Angie sent her a text. _I'm going out with Erica and some other friends._

Melissa texted her back. _Alan invited me out to dinner today_.

There was a pause and then a text lit up on Melissa's screen. _I hope that you have fun, I'll see you later._

Alan showed up at exactly 5:00. Melissa let him in but went back to her room to finish getting ready. Before Alan came, Melissa spent some time getting ready. Because she didn't really know him she could not decide what to wear. If she put on a more revealing dress that might send him a wrong message and give him a signal that she is interested but if she wore a more conservative outfit that might give a message that she is not interested. She simply was not sure. In the end, she put on a black strapless dress with a pretty simple, fitted and straight silhouette. She topped it off with a black light textured cardigan, black hose and black shoes.

When she walked out, Alan stopped and stared at her for a moment. Melissa was aware of his stare and she felt like her ears and her whole face were getting flushed.

Catching himself he smiled and said, "You look wonderful."

Melissa looked at Alan. He looked nice in a dark grey suit that fitted him very well. It was complemented by a white shirt and black shoes. _Nothing unusual_ , thought Melissa, a _pretty traditional combo. Guess he's a traditional kind of guy._

"Thank you. You look very nice yourself," Melissa commented.

With that, Alan offered his arm and led her out of the building to his car. In the car, they made small talk about Melissa's day. After a short ride, they came to a restaurant that seemed quiet and had subdued lighting. The driver let them out and Alan asked that the driver return for them in two hours.

As they entered the restaurant, they were greeted by the host. "Good evening, Mr. Alan, sir," he said as he pulled out two menus and began to lead them to a table in the corner. Melissa sat down and looked around. The restaurant was small but lovely and was filled with the gentle buzz of people talking, eating, and having a good time.

_This is really nice_ , thought Melissa.

Alan looked up at her from the menu and smiled. "Are you liking it?"

"Yes, I believe I am," answered Melissa. "It looks like a nice little place. Do you prefer places like these to the night club we went to yesterday?"

"Yes, I do. I am not much of a nightclub person," replied Alan. "I should say I come here quite often for business lunches and their food is always very good and the atmosphere is exactly what I am looking for." He continued opening up the menu but Melissa could tell he was not reading it.

"Speaking about business, are you still worried about your first day of work or has it gotten better since you saw Abbot and Solomon's building?" he asked.

"Actually, it has gotten worse," Melissa chuckled turning the menu page. "That building looks very big and grand, quite intimidating actually."

"I agree, but I think that the people that work there are nice," Alan pointed out trying to calm her down a little.

"Hopefully, I will find that to be the case." There was doubt in Melissa's voice because she felt that people were people everywhere.

Suddenly she felt his hand over hers, and when she looked up at him, he was looking right into her eyes and smiling. For a second she forgot herself, she could not hear the noise around her any more, she did not see the people around them in the restaurant. It was just her and him and no one else.

The second passed and Melissa collected herself. She came back to her senses and realized what had just happened. Her face again grew flushed as blood rushed to it, she pulled away her hand. Alan noticed her reaction and smiled. He pulled out the menu again and asked her what she would like to start with.

_What a relief_ , thought Melissa. _We can move on and switch subjects a little._ "You said that you come here a lot, what do you recommend?" she asked aloud.

Alan smiled, looked at the menu and said, "I always start out with the butter lettuce salad," he said. "It's always excellent."

"A salad sounds like a good start," said Melissa. She continued to read the menu and her choice of food was not only driven by what she wanted but also by what was easy to eat. She wanted something simple and not messy because she was unsure and did not want to embarrass herself by trying to eat a complicated dish.

_If I do not care for him, why do I care if I make a mess?_ _And why do I keep blushing every time he takes my hand or touches me?_ She did not have time to answer her questions as the waitress appeared.

Melissa ordered filet mignon with chianti butter, butterball potatoes and roasted mushrooms. Alan proceeded to order the same thing. They decided to wait for the decision on dessert after the main course.

Before Melissa knew it, they were talking about books, school, cooking, family, Melissa's new job and other things. Dinner went by very quickly and they decided to have coffee and split a slice of New York cheesecake for dessert. _What would be more appropriate than a New York style cheesecake for dessert on a first date in New York?_

When dinner was over, Alan suggested that they walk home. Melissa agreed and Alan called up his driver and let him know that they did not need to be picked up. Melissa suspected that a walk home would allow him to spend more time with her and that was why he proposed it. She has never had a man pursue her like that and she could not say that the feeling was unpleasant or unwelcome.

Walking home in New York on an October evening was very pleasant. The streets were not as busy and before Melissa knew it, her hand was again inside Alan's. Again, she was amazed how big his hands were.

Alan walked Melissa to the door of Angie's apartment and thanked her for the wonderful meal. "I had a great time," he said smiling. "I'd better go now." With that short goodbye, he left. He obviously was making an effort to contain himself probably not to scare her off.

Melissa got into the apartment, closed the door and leaned against it. Her thoughts were muddled. She could not decide if she liked him or not. It was not going the way she thought it was supposed to go. It was supposed to be very black and white but it was not. Things were grey. Touching him felt good, holding his hand felt good, talking to him was fun, but there was no flash of lightning or fireworks. Was it right? _Perhaps Mom is right, perhaps I should just give it more time._

Melissa went into her room, changed and took a shower. She called up her mom and told her about the dinner date. After that she watched some TV and went to sleep.

# Chapter 6

Melissa woke up Sunday morning in a great mood. It was almost Monday and she was looking forward to finally going to work. Maybe not quite looking forward to going to work but rather she wanted Monday to be over. She wanted to know if the job was worth the move from Chicago. _Even if I end up not interested in this job, at least I'm having fun_.

After a shower, Melissa towel dried her hair, put on her pink bath robe and then went to the kitchen. When she got there, she saw Angie in the kitchen having breakfast. Angie's hair was ruffled and she looked like she had hung out at a party until very late. Melissa shook her head in amazement. If anyone else had partied like that, they would have been exhausted but Angie looked great other than her ruffled hair. She was so used to partying that doing it on a daily basis did not affect how she looked.

Angie partied a little too hard for Melissa's taste. As a friend, Melissa felt like she should probably talk to Angie about it. But as she thought about it, Melissa realized that Angie was partying like this because she was done with school and now going to Europe. _She must be nervous. Hopefully, she'll settle down once she gets back but right now she seems to be going crazy._

Melissa looked at her again, Angie was wearing a huge t-shirt which made her look even smaller. It looked like that t-shirt was actually intentional and was a part of her plan as it emphasized how petite and tiny she was.

Angie looked at Melissa and smiled. "I cannot believe that today is Sunday. That is crazy. I am leaving on Tuesday and I haven't started packing my bags yet." She put her elbows on the table and put her head in her hands.

Melissa smiled back, she did not seem to be phased by the dramatic gesture.

"Angie, you always pack so quickly, I know from experience. Back at school you were always ready to go in an hour so I'm really not worried about you."

"You are right," said Angie with a nervous chuckle. "But I do think that I should leave early today from the party at Brad and Jen's just to be sure that I have enough time to pack. You know that I will be gone for at least a few weeks and that is a long time." She paused, looked at her bowl, got some cereal and poured some milk on it.

"You know, I think I am starting to kind of freak out about this whole trip to Europe." She went on quickly, "I am glad that my first stop is Jersey and that Sam just came back from there and arranged for me to stay with the same family that he did when he was in Europe. At least that makes me feel a bit easier. But I wish I had a friend to come with me to Europe. You are sure you don't want to come?"

Melissa laughed and declined. "I start a job tomorrow remember?" Angie seemed a little frustrated by her answer. Melissa was surprised by Angie's attitude, she was not used to seeing Angie stressed out. That would explain all of the partying.

Melissa tried to make her feel better and said jokingly, "Hey, you may like living in Jersey so much that maybe you will decide to stay there for the whole duration of your trip."

"I don't know about that," countered Angie, "but I do think that shadowing in one of their banks is a great opportunity and this trip is going to be fun. However, I feel like I'm getting a little nervous about the trip."

"I always get like this before trips, though," she went on mumbling.

Melissa started making herself a cup of hot tea when they heard a knock on the door and both looked at each other in surprise. Angie shrugged, "Don't look at me, my housekeeper comes Mondays and Thursdays usually, so I do not know who it is." Angie then got up and went to the door. She looked in the peephole and exclaimed, "Oh, it is just Alan!" She then turned to Melissa and whispered, "What the heck is he doing here at this time of day?" she seemed genuinely surprised.

Angie swung the door open and Alan walked in. He was wearing black jeans and light blue top. He also had a light coat on to help him keep warm in the October morning in New York. He looked very good and appeared to be very happy. On top of it, he had some flowers and a box of pastries in his hand. Angie and Alan gave each other a hug.

"I brought you and Melissa some flowers," he said as he handed her a bouquet of daisies.

"You mean you brought Melissa some flowers," muttered Angie.

Alan could not understand what she said. "I am sorry, can you repeat what you just said?"

Angie giggled and smiled. "Nothing. Nothing. Just mumbling."

"I also stopped by the bakery and got a few things for breakfast for both of you," Alan said handing Melissa the box of pastries. He smiled at her. "I hope that I am in time for breakfast."

"Of course you are," said Melissa remembering that being polite to someone is important. "Would you like some coffee?"

Seeing Alan for breakfast was a surprise. She had hoped that Sunday was the day that she was going to be able to take off from seeing him so that she could collect her thoughts and come to some conclusions about him. She then remembered that Brad was having a party and Alan was going to come. It did not look like taking a break from Alan was in Alan's plans.

"I would love a cup of coffee," replied Alan. "Thank you."

He looked at Melissa. She looked lovely with her hair wet and not yet blow dried. There was no makeup on her face but it looked fresh and glowing. She also had nothing but a robe on and he did not seem to mind that.

Melissa became aware of his stare. In order to avoid it, she opened up the box of pastries and asked him if he would like to try one. She then quickly transferred the pastries to a pretty blue plate in the middle of the table and offered Alan a seat at the table. Meanwhile, Angie was trying to understand what was going on but she could not help but feel that she was an extra person in this conversation and felt like she should leave.

Alan suddenly realized that he had been staring and attempted to diffuse the awkward situation by saying, "I would love to have the apple turnover."

Melissa placed the turnover on his plate and gave him a cup of coffee. Alan added cream and sugar to his coffee and started mixing it. After a moment, Alan said, "I just wanted to stop by this morning to see what you two were up to today and to ask if I can take you two to Brad and Jen's party today." He looked at both Melissa and Angie.

"That would be great. I want to come home early today because I have to pack and bringing you to the party will definitely make me leave before the party is over." Angie said with a grin. "You can be like a cold shower as far as parties are concerned."

"I understand," said Alan dryly. "I know I can be a trifle proper at times. I will come back in a few hours then, how about 11:00?"

"We'll see you then," said Angie.

Alan did not touch his pastry but he took a sip of coffee before getting up and leaving.

As soon as he was out the door, Angie turned towards Melissa and said, "I think that he likes you. I am not aware of him ever having a crush on anyone, so it is all very new to me," her eyes widened for a second as if she was surprised and confused.

Melissa did not say a word. She did not know what to say. She was receiving his gestures with pleasure and enjoyed his company but she was not sure if it was enough to say that she was in love with him.

Melissa left the kitchen and went back to her room to get ready for the party. It was a cookout in Brad and Jen's backyard. It was her understanding that Brad hosted the party to say good bye to Angie since she was going to be gone for a while. Melissa did not spend a long time thinking about what to wear. She put on some white stretch jeans, a pink and white stripe top and a pink cardigan. She looked nice but at the same time casual.

Angie came out wearing a cappuccino pleated skirt and a V-neck sweater of the same color. She straightened her hair and parted it in the center for a 70's look. She looked different but at the same time very attractive.

Alan showed up at 11:00 on the dot. When he entered he looked at both Angie and Melissa. "You both look great." His words were for both of them but he was looking at Melissa when he spoke. "We should probably get going. The car is waiting downstairs and traffic is a bit heavy out towards Brad's place. We wouldn't want to be late."

Melissa, Angie, and Alan arrived at the Brad's house at 11:30. When they came some people had already arrived while others were still coming. Brad saw them come in and welcomed them to his house. He looked at Alan and said, "This is the second time that I see you in two days, this is more than I usually see you in a year. What is going on?" Brad then winked and looked at Melissa.

Alan had no desire to discuss his intentions in front of a large group of people some of which he did not even know. He brushed it off, laughed and said, "I've been trying to go out more so that's probably the reason why you have been seeing me at parties lately." When Brad turned away, Alan turned to Melissa and smiled. It was a meaningful smile. Melissa smiled back.

Now I'm communicating with Alan via smiles? Am I starting to like him?

Melissa went out to the backyard and looked at the house. The house was nice, not overly big, but not too small. It was just right for a bachelor and you could tell that Brad took pride in his house. All of the paint was fresh, the lawn was turning brown because it was late in the year but you could tell that there had been quite a bit of landscaping done during the summer. There was a group of people holding drinks around the fire pit and a few people including Brad cooking over a grill.

It was a beautiful sunny day—a perfect fall day for a cookout.

Matt, the website developer, was helping with barbequing hot dogs and as soon as he saw Melissa he smiled and waved.

"Ah," he said, "here comes the new girl."

"Want some water?" he proceeded to ask taking a glass from the tray and filling it.

"I guess you can call me that and yes, I would like some water," she said taking a glass of water from him.

"Would you like a hot dog too?" asked Matt.

Evan showed up on the porch too and said, "Hi, Melissa, how are you?"

"I'm great, thanks," she replied, "and yes, Matt, I would like a hot dog."

Matt started making her a hot dog. He pulled out one of the buns and placed a hot dog in it, he added relish, ketchup, mustard and some chopped onion. What surprised her was that he did not even ask her what she wanted on the hot dog. He just placed all of the condiments on it without asking. He then proceeded to make another hot dog for Evan and again did not ask what he wanted.

_This guy is so full of himself. I can't eat that onion, I am going to have onion breath_ , Melissa thought _._

Matt and Evan then both looked at her waiting for her to start eating the hot dog. Seeing this, Melissa took a bite making sure that she was not going to bite into the onion part.

"Would you like to go out with us?" asked Matt.

Melissa almost choked on the hot dog. Matt and Evan looked at each other and laughed.

"One of us or both of us, you seem to be pretty cute," said Matt. "I would love to take you out sometime."

"I think so too," said Evan taking a huge bite out of his hot dog.

_What a barbarian_ , thought Melissa and then said, "Thanks a lot. That's very nice of you. Can I think about it?"

"No problem," said Evan. A second later he seemed to forget about it.

Melissa could not make out if they had been serious or not. They were acting just like they were making hot dogs, it did not look like they cared about anyone else's opinion or cared what people thought about them. _Now I can see why Angie only went out only on a few dates with Matt. He may have trouble getting married if he doesn't change his ways._

Melissa proceeded to change the subject and managed to talk about work. Matt was rather fun to talk to if the subject of the conversation was about him. He was happy to tell her all about his house, his car, his job, his cat, his mom, and his former girlfriend. He seemed to have no problem talking about himself but as soon the subject was switched to something else, he did not know what to say and quickly lost interest in the conversation.

Evan was a little better. He had some social skills and could deviate from himself and support a conversation about someone else for at least a few minutes. _Evan at least can communicate with other people_ , thought Melissa.

She looked back at the house and noticed that Alan was standing by the window looking _at her_. Their eyes met and he waved. He pointed to the door and walked out.

Alan came up to her as both Matt and Evan seemed to lose interest in talking to her. "Are you ok?" Alan asked with genuine concern in his voice.

"Yes, perfectly so. Thank you," Melissa frowned. _Why would he think that I'm not?_

He put his hand on her back and was guiding her back into the house when Angie rushed out of the back door and began looking at the partygoers in the backyard. "Melissa!" Angie called, she was obviously in a rush to tell her something that could not wait another second. "Melissa," she repeated.

Alan called out, "She's right here, Angie."

Angie turned and said, "There you are! Thank goodness I found you. I want you to meet Sam. He also works at Abbott and Solomon Investment House and he may be able to share a secret or two with you."

Alan looked amused, he did not think that there were any "secrets" at Abbott and Solomon. Mark was an honest and straightforward man and Alan did not think that he was capable of any secrets.

A tall, young man came out of the house and stood beside Angie. Angie turned to him and said, "Melissa, this is Sam."

After introductions, Melissa said, "Sam thank you for helping Angie with her stay in Jersey. I've never seen Angie so excited."

"Yes, I arranged for Angie to stay with the same family that I did," he said. "She is also going to shadow in one of the banks in Jersey while she is there. I think it is going to be a great experience for her before she returns and starts working here," he added.

"Who is the family she will be staying with?" asked Alan.

"The Nichols, in Jersey," Sam shrugged his shoulders as if everyone knew about them. "They love hosting exchange students and visitors from different countries. The mother stays at home, the father is a doctor and their son is working at one of the banks in Jersey or Guernsey."

"That sounds really fun, I hope that you have a great time there Angie," Melissa said.

As Angie and Melissa were talking, Erica arrived at the party. Angie looked at her and said, "Here comes another person who works for Abbott and Solomon." She took Erica's hand and pulled her in to talk to the group.

"You guys will have to help Melissa next week. She is a nervous wreck about this new job thing." Angie waved her arms in the air like she had no idea why anyone would be a nervous wreck before their first day of work.

Melissa looked at Erica and realized that she was trying to stand close to Alan. Her dress was revealing and her chest seemed enhanced and fake. Melissa also noticed that Erica saw Alan's hand on her back. The look on Erica's face made Angie flinch. If looks could kill, Melissa would be dead.

"How did you enjoy the party yesterday Alan?" Erica asked.

"I loved it," Alan replied taking a sip of his drink. "If there is someone you like at the party, it is always fun."

Erica was hoping that he was talking about her of course.

"Alan, you always make parties fun," she proceeded. It was obvious that in her eyes Alan did not have any weaknesses and was perfect.

Melissa followed the conversation between them.

A man without a flaw, oh great.

At that point, Melissa suddenly wanted to go home. Dealing with Erica and Alan was too much at the moment. She just wanted to focus on work and her first day at her new job.

After a while, Angie agreed to go home because she had to start packing. Alan left with them and took them back to their apartment. As he was leaving them, he shook Melissa's hand and said, "I hope that I will see you soon." Then he gave Angie a hug and wished her fun on her trip to Europe.

The rest of Sunday went by quickly as Angie and Melissa went to their rooms and each of them spent time getting ready for a new chapter in their lives. Angie packed for the trip while Melissa got ready for going to work the next day. Before she knew it, Melissa's alarm went off and it was time to go to work.

# Chapter 7

Melissa got up, brushed her teeth, took a shower, blow dried her hair, and put on makeup. She then got dressed putting on a black stretch Italian wool suit consisting of pants and a jacket. She complemented the suit with a silver shirt and black shoes. She hesitated before putting on pants. She could not decide if she wanted to wear a skirt or pants. After some thought, she decided to go with the pants because she felt that a skirt and hose may not be the best outfit for the first day. She wanted something more neutral. She was not taking any chances, this job was the opportunity of a lifetime.

She grabbed a breakfast bar and some coffee and then headed out. On the street she saw lots of other people going to work. They were dressed in work attire, looked busy, and even at 8:00 AM they were already texting and talking on their phones.

Melissa thought about who she would text. Angie was still asleep and Alan seemed to have disappeared.

_Why should I care about that?_ Melissa thought. _Do I care if he stays or not, texts or not? I will think about it and make that decision later. Right now, work comes first_.

A short time later, she stood in front of the Abbott and Solomon building, took a deep breath and walked in. She headed to the receptionist, an attractive young woman, gave the receptionist her name and asked where she should be going. The woman introduced herself as Amanda and then picked up the phone.

"Jessica, this is Amanda. Ms. Davis is here." There was a pause as the person on the other side of the line said something. "Okay, I will let her know," Amanda concluded and hung up the phone.

Amanda smiled. "Ms. Davis, Mr. Solomon would like to meet with you. Please proceed to room 632, on the sixth floor. After you get off the elevator you'll see a glass door with a keypad. Enter the code on the back of this card and then walk in please." She then directed Melissa to the elevators and handed Melissa a little card with Abbott and Solomon Investment House engraved on it. On the back "Room 632" and "3413" were written in black ink.

"Thank you very much," replied Melissa. She took the card and made her way to the elevators.

In the elevator, she pressed the button for the sixth floor. After a short ride in the elevator, Melissa arrived at her floor. Stepping out of the elevator into a short hallway, Melissa noticed that the carpeting and the walls were a neutral beige. Glass doors with a keypad were at the end of the hall. Going to the keypad, Melissa entered the code she had been given. The magnetic lock on the glass door clicked and Melissa entered another hall. On the wall a sign directed her to room 632.

When she arrived at Mr. Solomon's office, Melissa noticed that the door was open and so she decided to enter. She walked in the room and saw an older woman sitting at a desk. The woman looked up and introduced herself as Jessica, Mr. Solomon's secretary. She smiled at Melissa warmly. "Please have a seat," she said as she motioned to a couch behind Melissa. "Mr. Solomon will be with you in a few minutes."

After a short wait, Melissa entered Mr. Solomon's office. She saw a man in his late 30s with a pleasant appearance. He had dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. His lower chin was rather prominent but when he smiled, that prominence softened and made his face more pleasant.

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Davis. As you know, we sent you an invitation to work for us based on the fact that you were number one in your graduating class so it is nice to finally meet you in person." He seemed very relaxed and not worried that he hired someone he had never met.

Melissa smiled back at him. "It is nice to meet you too. "

"Ms. Davis, before I take you to your office, and before you talk to human resources about our company policies, I would like to talk to you about what will be expected of you and what role we hope you will be playing in the company. "

Mr. Solomon moved his pen from one spot on his desk to another almost as if he was nervous and took a sip of water before proceeding. "In looking at your thesis, you focused on loan security, specifically factoring, and the criteria used to see if a company or an individual is credit worthy and if a loan should be given to them and in what amount. It is very impressive work. We would like for you to be one of Abbott and Solomon's Financial Advisors. This is a new area for us as we used to concentrate more on wealth management and retirement planning. We have now grown big enough to where we can offer short term loans to what we think are companies that may be in trouble now but have hope of rebounding."

He paused and opened a folder that was in front of him. Melissa realized that she had a similar folder in front of her and she was not sure if she should open it or keep it closed. Mr. Solomon gestured for her to open it too. The folder had paperwork regarding the first company Melissa was to analyze.

"For your first few cases you will be working with Mr. Gary Seiden. He is our senior financial analyst and will definitely be a great resource to you. Mr. Seiden has been with us for over 15 years and he will help guide you in the right direction."

Mr. Solomon then closed his folder and stood up. He then invited Melissa to take her folder and said, "Please follow me to your new office."

Melissa stood up and followed him. He took her to a plain office with a desk, cabinets, computer, copier and a printer. The room looked rather small but neat. The door to the room had her name on it, "Melissa Davis."

After showing Melissa her office, Mr. Solomon escorted Melissa to meet Mr. Seiden. After a brief introduction, Mr. Solomon left the two of them. Looking at Mr. Seiden Melissa saw a stern, grumpy man in his late 40's who appeared to have no desire to meet Melissa or to have any conversation with her other than what pertained directly to work. He seemed to be a man who did not want to say more than he had to. Mr. Seiden was busy and acted like he wanted her to leave as soon as possible. She did.

Melissa then went to Human Resources where she had to sign an employee's manual. She then had a ninety minute conversation with the head of Human Resources about what was expected of her and what the company was going to offer her in terms of pay and benefits.

When Melissa finally made it to her office, there was a note on her desk to go and see Gary Seiden. Next to the note, was a large bouquet of yellow roses. They looked beautiful. A few people who walked by stared at them. At that point Melissa knew that the flowers would probably be the talk of the whole office that day. She moved the flowers so that they were hiding in the corner of her office and would not be visible to everyone. When she moved them, she noticed a note. Melissa opened it.

Sorry, I had to join my Dad in Florida. I will be back tomorrow. Can we have dinner Tuesday night? Hope that you are having a good first day at work. -Alan.

Melissa gasped, no one has even given her flowers like this before.

This is not helping. I can tell he's really trying hard. I need to decide what my feelings are towards Alan, I don't want to string him along but I'm not even sure that I like him.

With a sigh, Melissa got up and left her office to go to Gary Seiden's office, closing the door behind her. On her way, Melissa went by Mr. Solomon's office. Jessica saw her passing and called out, "Those are some nice flowers you got. Someone likes you a lot." She was hoping that Melissa would immediately tell her who the flowers were from. Instead, Melissa laughed and agreed with Jessica and left it at that. Jessica did not seem to be the type of person who would give up on good gossip so there was no doubt in Melissa's mind that Jessica would try to pry it out of her later.

Melissa went on to Gary's office. When she got there he was engrossed in reading something from a file in front of him. Reluctantly, he recognized that she was there and looked up. "Ms. Davis, I am obligated to discuss your first assignment with you in more detail than what Mr. Solomon did." Melissa noticed that he had on his desk the same folder that she and Mr. Solomon had. He put his hands on the folder to acknowledge it and say, "I hope that you recognize it, we both have it, consult it and explore it, please." He motioned for her to sit down in the chair in front of him. He then adjusted his glasses as Melissa sat down to listen to what he had to say.

"Mr. Solomon wants me to supervise the project," Gary continued, "we would like for you to analyze Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics. They make cosmetics and makeup, obviously. The company has been in business for several decades but has fallen on some tough times. For the last three years they have lost money and gone through much of their capital which makes getting a traditional loan more difficult for them. This is why they have turned to us for money. In addition, the son of the founder has recently become the company's president after the father died. The son's name is James Morgan and you will have a meeting with him tomorrow. It will be a business lunch at The All Seasons restaurant. Please dress appropriately."

For a second he paused again and stared at her. He did not seem to believe that she was capable of this job. He stared at her chest for a few seconds, she could tell that he was not impressed. "We will have a meeting this Friday with other department managers. At that time you will present your findings. I want you to know that the decision has already been made as to whether we will lend money to Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics. We are just testing you, so to speak. If you get the assignment right, you will get to keep your job." His tone was cold and distant. He said the last statement as though he made statements like that all day long and had let numerous people go previously. He seemed to not really care if she was here next week or if it was someone else.

He did not say anything else and just proceeded to read his file again. _I guess this conversation is over_ , thought Melissa. She got up, turned around and walked out.

She went back to her office and started reading the file that had been given to her. It consisted of financial and tax records for Morgan Makeup as well as background information on James Morgan, the company's new president.

She read for a while and then it was time for lunch. Jessica came in a few minutes before noon and asked Melissa if she wanted to go to lunch with her. Melissa did not see any reason why not.

At noon, Melissa pulled out her phone from her purse and checked her messages. One of them was from Angie. Melissa smiled when she realized that Angie probably just rolled out of bed.

_Hope your first day at work is going well_ , read Angie's text _._

Then another text from Alan. _So how about that dinner tomorrow?_

Melissa realized that she had never responded to Alan's note and that he was being persistent. She texted him back.

Thanks for the flowers. They are lovely.

A few moments later her phone chirped as she received a new text.

_No problem. I am glad you liked them. So how about that dinner tomorrow?_ Alan asked again.

_I would like that_ , Melissa texted back.

And then she said aloud, "or would I?" and sighed.

Great, I will pick you up at 5:30 then. I was thinking about going to The All Seasons, think about it, we can always change it.

_Sounds good_ , replied Melissa.

She then walked out the door of her office and saw Jessica waiting for her. Jessica and Melissa grabbed lunch at a little café across the street. Lunch for both of them was sandwich and some soup. During the meal, Jessica kept trying to find out who had sent the flowers. When she could see that Melissa is not giving up that secret, she switched gears and talked gossip about their coworkers.

According to Jessica, Gary Seiden was very quiet and just did his job. He never took part in gossip or office politics. Mark Solomon had three kids and every minute that he was not at work, he was with them and his wife. "Thank goodness, she does not work here," stated Jessica. "She calls him after every lunch to make sure that he ate and that he is ok." Before they knew it, lunch was over and then a few hours later Melissa's first day at work was done.

Melissa got home and had dinner with Angie. Angie bought a takeout dinner of chicken wraps and salad which Melissa thought was pretty good. She was relieved to put the day behind her and to sit down and eat. She was very hungry and drank iced tea with her chicken wrap while Angie sipped on a glass of red wine. Angie seemed to be relaxed and happy that she was leaving for Europe the next day. Her suitcases were all packed, she knew where she was going and nothing was holding her back.

"So, how was your first day at work?" asked Angie.

Between mouthfuls, Melissa told her about her day. "It went well. I've been given a project to work on. The company I've been asked to research is Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics. I don't know much about them so I've been reading the background information on James Morgan.

Angie stopped chewing and almost choked. "James Morgan!" she exclaimed.

"You know him?" it was Melissa's turn to be surprised.

"Yeah, kind of," there was no excitement in her voice, rather she sounded like she was talking about someone she did not care for but she decided to say a little more about him. "He used to date Erica a few years ago. He is very good looking. I think just about every girl is after him. I think he dated Erica and then dumped her and moved on to someone else. I believe that was when Erica decided that she wanted Alan, because Alan is more stable and not after every skirt like James. In fact, Alan is typically after no skirts I would say. "

"That was more information than I needed to know," said Melissa sarcastically. "I only care about Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics and whether they are credit worthy and for what amount. Anything else is none of my business."

Angie smiled and said, "Maybe that is a good thing. You may find him irresistible if you meet him. If I were you, I would decline to meet him, this way you won't be tempted. "

Angie did not want to say much more after that. She switched subjects and did not want to talk about James Morgan any more. For the rest of the evening she talked about her trip and what needed to be done in the apartment while she was gone. They had previously decided that Melissa was going to live in the apartment until Angie came back from Europe. Once she got back, Melissa would then find a place of her own and move out. Angie felt that it would be better for the apartment if someone lived in it and did not mind the fact that Melissa was going to live rent free. Melissa loved the fact that she was going to live rent free and save up money and have the freedom to leave New York at any time since she is not tied into a lease. A win-win for both.

# Chapter 8

Melissa got up early the next day. The first thought that came to her was that she was going to have dinner with Alan that evening.

If I do not care for him, why am I excited about the dinner? Is this how it's supposed to be? Or is the fact that I am asking myself if it is right, means it's not?

_I do not know_ , was the answer that popped in her head.

Melissa put on a dark blue, knee high pencil skirt, tan hose, white shirt, and a blue cashmere cardigan. _This is as conservative as I can be._ She grabbed her usual breakfast bar and a cup of coffee and headed out.

It was invigorating, intoxicating and exciting to know that she was working for one of the most prestigious companies in New York and she was on her first assignment. _Don't blow it_.

When Melissa got to work and turned on her computer, there was a message from Jessica. "Reminder," read the subject. Melissa opened the message.

Melissa,

Just a reminder that you have a client meeting at the All Seasons Restaurant today, October 23rd at 12:00 pm. Please dress appropriately and arrive promptly. Thank you.

Jessica

In addition there was a message from Gary reminding her of the appointment as well.

Are they babysitting me or are they treating me like I am stupid? Do they really want me to make it?

Melissa then remembered what Angie had said about meeting James and that perhaps she should not meet him. But what choice did she have? She had to meet him.

She spent the morning reading more from the Morgan Makeup file and started to understand why she was given this assignment. The decision whether to give money to the failing company was not straight forward and clear cut. This was very much a grey case that hinged mainly on the company's accounts receivable and the credit worthiness of its owner.

_Good way to test me, I guess_ , thought Melissa.

The yellow roses from Alan had started to open up and looked like they were smiling back at her.

_What are you smiling at? Are you happy that Alan is coming back?_ Melissa smiled. _Wait a second, I am not supposed to smile, I am not supposed to be happy about dinner with Alan today because I am not sure about him._ She shook her head. _I have to keep things straight and not confuse myself._

Jessica popped her head in Melissa's door. "How are you doing?"

Melissa shrugged, "Not bad, just getting ready for my interview with James Morgan."

"Shame we cannot go for lunch today," Jessica continued. "But I'm sure that you will have fun interviewing Mr. Morgan. He's quite a character." Jessica cringed as if she was describing someone she did not want to go to lunch with.

"Yes, that's what people are telling me. I just can't wait to meet him," Melissa replied smiling.

"You should probably leave a little early so that he does not have to wait. If the loan is approved, he may be our client," Jessica pointed out in an indifferent tone.

"No problem, thanks for the advice," said Melissa.

Jessica smiled and left. As she left, the phone rang, it was Gary Seiden.

"Melissa, I would like to talk to you before you go to the meeting." Gary then hung up the phone.

Melissa was in Gary's office a few minutes later. Melissa noticed that today Gary seemed not as grumpy as he was yesterday and actually smiled a few times.

"Melissa, you will be going to your first meeting today," Gary started out. Melissa nodded.

"I would like to remind you that you will be representing Abbott and Solomon Investment House today and that in the eyes of Mr. Morgan, you are the face of the company." He adjusted his glasses and paused. "I suggest that you remove all emotion from the coming conversation. You have to be impartial and calm. Remember, no emotion is involved. That will help you, I think. Also, you should remember when researching to look into the company's accounts receivable and also check Mr. Morgan's personal credit report."

"Thank you," said Melissa. Gary then went back to his work without saying another word. _I guess that's his way of showing no emotion_ , thought Melissa.

Melissa went back to her office and did her work. When it was time to go, she picked up her purse and left for the restaurant. In the taxi, she was wondering why Gary told her what he did. _Maybe I will figure that out later._

A text message popped up from her mom.

_Are you doing ok, dear_ :-)?

_Sorry Mom I've been busy but I am ok. I will try to call you tonight,_ Melissa replied.

_I would love that, dear. Looking forward to it._ :-)

_Oh, goodness,_ thought Melissa. _Mom's texting smiley faces. She is going to be waiting for my phone call for sure._

Melissa walked into the restaurant and was amazed at how nice it was inside. The restaurant was lit up but the light was not too bright but instead was soft and soothing.

"I have a reservation for lunch for Abbott and Solomon," she told the attendant.

The attendant checked the reservation list. "Yes, ma'am, right this way." Grabbing two menus, the attendant walked towards the tables. "You will be in the Fountain Room, ma'am," he added. "Your other party has not yet arrived."

Melissa sat down and looked around. The Fountain Room was absolutely beautiful and spacious. Each table had a wide area around it so that the guests did not feel like they were sitting on top of one another. The sound of the fountain was soothing, pleasant, and calming. Melissa noticed that many of the people looked like they were also having business lunches. This realization made her feel better. She did not feel left out even though she was still by herself. People were talking and the room was buzzing gently with conversation.

Melissa pulled out a notebook from her purse as well as the file on Morgan Makeup. She also pulled out her tablet so that she could make notes. She barely had time to get situated when she heard a voice next to her say,

"Hello, are you Ms. Davis?"

She looked up and saw a handsome man in his mid- to late 20's looking at her.

"Yes, I am." Suddenly, she could barely answer. Her throat was dry and it was hard to speak. Her thoughts got muddled and were not as clear as they had been a few moments before.

"I am James Morgan from Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics. Nice to meet you," he said confidently.

"I am Melissa Davis from Abbott and Solomon Investment House," said Melissa amazed at how good he looked.

She felt dumbfounded. She could not say a word. Melissa grew red and she felt that even her ears turned red. She was looking for words and not finding them. She had never met any man as handsome as James. He had brown hair, icy blue eyes, and very pleasing facial features. He was tall and muscular. He smiled again and showed pearly white, perfectly straight teeth. His hair was trimmed nicely and it looked like he had a wave in it. His figure was also very nice, not too thin, not fat either, very muscular. He looked like he worked out regularly.

After a moment or two Melissa started coming back to her senses and realized that undoubtedly James noticed her reaction. He did not say much but seemed to wait for her to get over her initial reaction. It almost felt like he was saying: _You are amazed at how handsome I am. That's okay because a lot of people are._

"I believe that Abbott and Solomon requested this meeting," he said at last. "I did not realize that they were going to send someone so...young to interview me. You're much more attractive than Gary Seiden, might I add."

James made the statement with a smirk on his face that seemed to say, _You heard that I am good looking but you had no idea._ When he said that he thought Melissa was more attractive than Gary, it was hard to understand if he meant that she was attractive or not.

Melissa smiled and said, "Well...thanks, I guess. I have a few questions to ask you about your company."

"We cannot talk about the company until after we order," he said cutting her off but doing it with a big smile on his face, sort of killing her softly. He gave her a look that implied he was not used to objections to his suggestions.

"Good idea," agreed Melissa and she opened up the menu. "I am hungry."

At that point James opened up the menu too. After a moment he looked up from the menu and said, "May I recommend the organic greens with mustard vinaigrette as an appetizer? It is always very good. I generally order duck-chestnut ravioli and they are always very tasty."

She looked up at him. "Thanks for the suggestions, this is my first time here and it always helps to talk to someone who has been here before. I think I will go with what you are suggesting," she did not want to appear to be rude even though she only had duck once in her life and was really more interested in the petite filet mignon. How could anyone say "No" to him?

The waiter arrived and James ordered the same thing for both of them. After taking their orders, the waiter left and Melissa opened up her tablet and notebook and proceeded with her questions when James interrupted her. "Oh, we still have plenty of time. Can we talk about something else other than business for a few minutes?"

Melissa looked at him in surprise. _Is this guy hitting on me? What was he trying to say?_

James smiled. "You don't sound like a New Yorker. So where are you from?"

"Chicago," Melissa answered.

"And how long have you worked for Abbot and Solomon?"

"Just a few days."

James was surprised. "Really, and where did you work before?"

Melissa colored slightly. "I was a grad student at the University of Chicago."

"So, is my company your first assignment?"

Melissa bit her lip nervously. "Yes, but Gary Seiden is overseeing the project."

James waved his hand dismissively. "No, that's not what I was implying. I'm impressed that they have the confidence to have you analyze my company. You must be very good."

"Why thank you," Melissa blushed slightly. Again she did not know if he was complimenting her or laughing at her—he obviously liked to keep it that way.

James took a drink of his water and seemed to be mentally changing gears. "So, how do you like New York?"

"I like it a lot, so far. Of course having a friend from college here has been very helpful."

James looked at her. "I am sure that having a friend here will make getting to know other people easier."

"I suppose so," replied Melissa.

The waiter brought a bread basket with miniature croissants in it. Melissa tried one and thought it was divine. James also helped himself to the rolls and appeared to enjoy them too.

After a few minutes, the appetizer arrived. During that time, James continued to grill Melissa about herself, her parents, and other aspects about her life. The lunch began to feel more like a date than a business lunch. Melissa soon completely forgot that she was supposed to ask questions about Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics. She was suddenly deeply engrossed in the conversation with James. He was not saying much about himself but seemed to savor every detail pertaining to her.

Once duck ravioli arrived, the "date" was in full swing. James gave her suggestive looks that he liked her a lot. Whenever she made a joke, he found it very funny. Whatever fact or detail he found out about her, he looked as though he enjoyed getting to know her better.

James ate all of his ravioli and seemed to relish every bite. Melissa tried some but did not care for it. James did not seem to notice that she did not like the meal.

When the time came for dessert, James ordered pear upside down cake for both of them. By then, Melissa was enjoying James's company so much that she did not care that he did not ask her what she wanted for dessert.

As the dessert arrived, James suddenly looked at her and said, "This has been so much fun but it appears that our lunch is almost over. What were you going to ask me about Morgan Makeup?"

Those words were like a cold shower.

"Oh, yes, that is right," said Melissa coming back to reality and remembering what she was there for. "Let me pull out my folder." She suddenly got serious as she prepared to ask questions about the company.

"James can you tell me a little more about your company?" was her first question. She was trying to make it sound dry but it almost felt like she was asking him a personal question.

"Well, my dad started it out 20 years ago. We subcontract to a makeup producing company and just private label our products. The total revenue at the company's peak was about 10 million. We've had a slowdown over the last few years though. The fact that things have been tight has not been my fault. I had nothing to do with this decline. It is all mismanagement and other issues that were brought about by my father." As he was talking about it, he sounded like he was giving out his most intimate details, his voice was low and almost a whisper.

Melissa suddenly got more serious. "I was looking at the company's tax returns and it looks like two years ago member withdrawals were very high. After that it seems like it became difficult for the company to make ends meet."

She looked at him inquisitively, she was trying to catch his facial expressions to see what his face would betray. She was sure that something must have been going on and that he knew about it. Looking at him, Melissa saw his expression become stern.

James hesitated for a moment before continuing. "Before my father retired he withdrew a lot of money. That was his right and for him that was the right thing to do. However, it put the company into financial trouble. "

"What was the reason? Why did your father do that?" insisted Melissa.

"He had some debts. I really do not think he had a choice," concluded James. He started tapping on the table like this question was making him uneasy and he wanted to move on.

Melissa then switched gears and asked James why his credit score was in the high 600s and not higher. James said that he had a few debts that he had to refinance and this was probably what brought his score down.

"I will need a list of your debts for Abbott and Solomon," Melissa suddenly became relentless as she remembered that she really wanted this job and she needed to give the right answer to Mr. Solomon.

"I gave Gary a list of them a few weeks ago. They are mainly credit card bills," said James and looked in her eyes with a smile. "You can say that I like to live nicely,'' he continued shrugging his shoulders. ''I love luxury,'' he added. "This is why I hope that Abbott and Solomon will give me a cash injection so that I can turn the company around and go back to the life I am used to."

Melissa looked at him, he continued to smile but he collected himself. He was not showing much emotion any more.

_What a mysterious man,_ she thought.

_Why do I have to ask him all of those stupid questions for Abbott and Solomon?_ _Why can't we go back to talking about me and him and New York? But would he be here if he did not have to?_

She asked him a few more questions about his credit and the financials of the company.

James looked at her and said, "If you do not have any more questions, I must be going. I have another meeting coming up."

He definitely took the hot and cold approach. He had started hot. He really wanted to know more about her and made it feel very intimate and then suddenly he changed and made it very cold by talking exclusively about the company and then abruptly ending the meeting. He obviously did not enjoy all of the questions she was asking about his business and his financials.

After Melissa paid the bill, James offered to take her back to work in his car. She agreed. On the way back, James gave Melissa his business card and asked her to call him if she had any other questions.

"It was very nice to meet you and I hope to talk to you soon," he said in the end looking right into her eyes obviously flirting with her.

Melissa got out of his car dizzy and sure that the moment when the knight in shining armor had just appeared. She had never experienced love at first sight but she thought that what she was experiencing with James was undoubtedly how it must feel.

# Chapter 9

Melissa walked into Abbott and Solomon Investment House and headed to the restroom first. She felt that being alone for a few minutes would help her collect her thoughts and think a little more clearly. She felt like everything was convoluted in her head. She was confused and not sure what to do.

How can I analyze the company and decide if we should give them a loan when I really like the owner of the company and I'm having difficulty being impartial? Not to mention the fact that my job hinges on the right decision?

Being in the restroom for a few minutes helped. She wiped her face with a paper towel dipped in cold water being careful not to disturb her makeup. Then she tried to focus on something other than James Morgan and how handsome he was.

Melissa made her way back to her office. When she got there, Jessica was there studying her expression as though she wanted to see what impression James had produced on her. Melissa tried to hide what she felt but she was not sure if it worked. Jessica asked her how she liked the All Seasons and the food but at the same time she was looking at Melissa very intently. Finally, when Jessica realized that she was probably not going to get a lot of substantial information out of Melissa, she relented and went back to her desk.

_That woman is like gossip central_ , thought Melissa. _She certainly would be the last person I am going to share anything with._

Melissa went back to reading the tax information about Morgan Makeup and located the credit information she had requested from James. Now that she knew what happened a few years ago, she was trying to make sense of it and to justify it reading the tax returns. There was a withdrawal a few years ago that James said was done by his father but there was also a smaller withdrawal last year that Melissa could not understand and was finding hard to explain. She felt that if the company had fallen into financial difficulty after the father's withdrawal a few years ago, then why was there another withdrawal last year? _I guess that would be an interesting question to ask James,_ thought Melissa. She pulled out James's card and stared at it for a while. She really wanted to call him but definitely did not dare.

About an hour after she returned, her phone rang. The caller ID said "Alan Glass." Melissa picked it up.

"Hi, Melissa, how are you?" asked Alan.

"I'm great. I hope that you are doing well. Thanks for the lovely flowers. The whole office noticed them and has been trying to find out who they are from." Melissa was definitely not sure about him _especially_ after meeting James, but she was trying to be civil and polite nonetheless.

"Oh, no need to thank me. I hope that you enjoyed them." Melissa could almost see Alan smile.

"They are beautiful," Melissa repeated. She tried not to sound over or under excited about the flowers but tried to remain polite and respectful and wait for Alan to explain why he was calling.

"Well, I do not want to distract you from work, I just wanted to iron out the details for tonight's dinner. I believe that I am supposed to pick you up at 5:30 at your apartment and was wondering if it will be okay for me to pick you up earlier at work," continued Alan sounding cautiously excited.

"That would be fine, "said Melissa. "I am done around 4:45 so any time after that."

"I will see around 4:45 then."

"Great," said Melissa. "See you then."

Alan hung up and Melissa held the phone in her hand for a minute with the line buzzing in her ear. She thought about how she was not in the mood to go out with Alan tonight but could not think of a plausible excuse to get out of it. He was not like James, there were doubts about him. James was pleasant, funny, charming, handsome, nice...

She awoke from her daydream when Gary stopped by to ask how the lunch went.

"It went well," replied Melissa. "The company and its finances are a difficult case. I am still trying to figure things out and I am not sure I have the answer yet if Morgan Make Up and Cosmetics is credit worthy. "

Gary nodded. "No problem, we would not expect you to have an answer so quickly," he agreed with her. "I wanted to let you know that you will have a few extra days to make that decision. Mr. Solomon is going away on business this Thursday so the meeting has been postponed until next week. I believe next Tuesday or Wednesday."

"That's a good thing," said Melissa. "I know that you said that the decision has already been made by Abbott and Solomon and you are trying to see if my decision will be the same as yours. "

"Yes, that is indeed the case," Gary pulled out his phone and started reading the text that he just received. He then left abruptly and did not seem to think much of it, as though there wasn't any another way to end a conversation.

_Oh, well,_ thought Melissa, _I'd better get used to it._

Melissa went to the break room and got a cup of coffee. By the time she returned to her office it was a little bit after 3:00. Her phone rang again, "Morgan Cosmetics" read the caller ID. Melissa hesitated, her knees went weak for a second or two, butterflies appeared in her stomach and her thoughts muddled but she went ahead and answered the phone.

"Hi, I am looking for Melissa Davis," female voice said.

"This is she," said Melissa.

"Hi, my name is Jordan Smith. I am Mr. Morgan's secretary and he expressed a wish to talk to you. Do you have a few minutes to talk to him?"

"Certainly," said Melissa almost hyperventilating.

"Please hold," said Jordan.

"Hi, Melissa," said James, "How are you?"

Melissa was about to answer but he immediately proceeded.

"I am just following up on the conversation we had at lunch today and wanted to see if you have any questions regarding the company." His voice was even and matter-of-fact.

"Actually I do," said Melissa. "I was looking again at the tax returns and last year there was a member withdrawal in November in the amount of $358,500. I am not quite understanding how this withdrawal was possible with the company being in financial trouble. The company was borrowing money to stay afloat and at the same time someone was taking it? Are you the sole member? Can anyone else make a member draw?"

There was a pause on the other side and James said, "You know the whole company is very complex. How about I look into it and let you know. I will have to call up my accountant and have him explain to me what was done. I always get confused in accounting matters. You know how it is. You have a degree in finance, surely you are familiar with this type of issue," he concluded.

"Okay, sounds good," Melissa was only half understanding what he was saying. His voice was so soothing and so calming, she was almost melting just from the sound of it.

"Speaking about more questions, can I meet you tomorrow for dinner at Café X? We can grab something quick to eat and talk. "

Melissa could not believe it. He was inviting her out! She initially mumbled something and then said, "Yes, that would be great."

"Until tomorrow then," James said. "Give me a call if any more questions pop up. "

"Okay, great." Melissa then hung up.

_What a character,_ thought Melissa. _But I think he likes me. He must. He's asking me out. He wants to spend more time with me._

She started daydreaming but then reality came back when Jessica stopped by. She poked her head in the room and said, "Almost time to go home, Melissa."

Melissa looked at Jessica. She always seemed so high strung, so full of energy, so difficult to keep up with, so over the top, that just looking at her was making Melissa tired. Melissa looked at her desk and then looked at Jessica and asked, "Jessica, do they always give new hires assignments like they gave me? Honestly, it's a difficult task and I'm also having trouble understanding Morgan Makeup's taxes. It appears that Mr. Morgan himself does not have a clear understanding of them either." She sighed and looked back at her folder.

"Usually they do try to give new employees a difficult task. This way they know if they want to let the new hires go quickly." Jessica said trying to be honest.

"It is a good thing that I have not signed an apartment lease I guess," Melissa said half-jokingly.

Jessica looked at Melissa and said, "I really like you Melissa so I hope that your assignment will go well. My advice to you is to take out all of the emotion from the project and things will be easier. I know that Gary gives this advice to everyone. It is difficult to stick to that advice with someone like James Morgan. He is too good looking for his own good." She smirked again and this time left.

Melissa went to the restroom to freshen up her make up. She looked in the mirror and saw herself, she looked tired.

"I have been at this for two days and I'm already exhausted," she said to herself.

Melissa went back to her office and saw Alan waiting for her. He had flowers in his hands and looked very happy to see her. First thing he did was to hand her the flowers.

She looked at them. They were cream roses and they were beautiful.

"The flowers are lovely, thanks Alan," she said. "This is your second bouquet of flowers for me since yesterday. That is so nice of you...I am not sure I deserve them. "

"Of course you do, you are lovely like these flowers so the answer is affirmative. Would you like for me to carry them for you?" Alan asked.

Melissa nodded and gave him flowers back. Alan took the flowers in his right hand and offered his left arm to Melissa as though he wanted Melissa to put her arm through it and to lean on him. She did and they looked at each other and both smiled. His face was so close to hers at that moment, all he needed to do was lean a little bit and kiss her but he did not.

_How would kissing him feel?_ Melissa wondered. _Perhaps he did not want to be too forthcoming, perhaps he wants to wait._

They walked outside. It was rush hour and Melissa was amazed again at the amount of people and traffic. People were hurrying home as the sun was setting in the chilly fall sky. It was a very nice October night in New York and Melissa was ready to enjoy it.

"Where are we going?" asked Melissa.

Alan looked at her and said, "I wanted to go and get some dinner at All Seasons restaurant, I am sure that you are quite hungry."

Melissa suddenly had a vision of herself and James there earlier today at lunch. The thought was like a bucket of cold water, she did not want to go back and have a date with Alan there.

"I went on a business lunch to All Seasons today, I am hesitant to go back. Can we go somewhere else?" asked Melissa.

"Sure, why don't we go to a cozy little place called Evening Café, it is just a few streets down from here. I hope you will like it." Alan did not sound surprised.

"Evening Café sounds good," said Melissa. "I am sure it will be wonderful."

She looked at him. It did not seem that a restaurant choice was a battle that he wanted to fight.

_He definitely picks his battles and a lot of things do not seem to bother him. He seems to be saying that he could go somewhere else as long as he can be with me_.

"Thank you for not going to AllSeasons," she said aloud.

"You are welcome," he replied simply shrugging his shoulders as though to say, _I can go with you anywhere and it will be fun. I am not even ruling out a fast food place if that is what you want._

They were at the restaurant in a few minutes and once they were seated, Alan put the flowers on the table. The waiter came by and Alan ordered drinks, Melissa wanted some iced green tea and Alan took some lemon seltzer water.

Alan took a sip and said, "You look tired today. You have been working for two days and you already look exhausted and in need of a vacation."

Melissa sighed.

"They gave me an assignment that I am not sure I am up to and my job depends on it. "

"Really?" Alan sounded surprised.

"Yes, no kidding, I have to decide whether a loan is possible for this company that is in financial trouble. I do not think that the company will make it unless a loan is given. Abbott and Solomon have already analyzed them and know whether they want to give out a loan or not. Essentially I have to give them an answer that is the same as what they decided upon if I want to keep my job."

"I did not know that Mark checked on his people like that." Alan seemed somewhat taken aback by what Melissa just said. "What is the company that you are analyzing? Maybe I know a little about them."

"The company is Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics," said Melissa.

Alan suddenly seemed agitated. "I hope that you do not have to deal with James Morgan. He is notorious for being a jerk."

Melissa looked at him inquisitively. "What do you mean?" she said.

"James used to date Erica and then dumped her because he found someone with more money. I believe that Erica tried to keep it quiet. From what I understand, she got home one day and found him with someone else." Alan hesitated for a moment before continuing. "He also used to work at a big real estate development company here in New York and there was some history with that."

Melissa thought for a moment on what Alan had told her. "Without knowing the details of his work at that real estate company it is hard to come to any conclusions. As far as dating Erica is concerned, it is interesting, I guess, and makes him a bit of a scoundrel but speaks nothing of his business though."

"You are right," Alan continued, "but in my mind it shows what kind of person he is. I hear that he is also known for living above his means. I think that Morgan Cosmetics has been in trouble for a while and he is still living very extravagantly."

"All of this does not sound good," said Melissa shaking her head.

"Do you have anything good to say about the cosmetic company itself?" she asked looking at him and tucking her hair behind her ear.

Alan seemed to like that gesture. He paused for a second and Melissa saw the tension drain out of him. After a moment he let out a sigh and looked at her again.

"I am sorry, can you repeat your question please?" Alan mumbled finally coming back to his senses.

"I was just asking if you are familiar with the company itself?" Melissa repeated her question.

"I do not know much about the company other than the fact that they have been in trouble for a few years, I know a little about James personally and I already told you what I know." He definitely did not enjoy her interest in James Morgan.

Alan seemed to be in the mood to finish the conversation. He seemed uneasy about James and either did not want to or could not say why he felt that way.

"I am sure that with your background you will be able to tell them exactly what needs to be done and you will have a correct answer. What would you like to order?" Alan asked, quickly changing the subject.

Once their server arrived, Alan proceeded to order a steak and a salad. Melissa ordered the same. She did not feel adventurous that evening and just wanted to go home and have a cup of hot tea and stretch her legs on the sofa. Angie was gone so she had the whole apartment to herself but she tried to be polite and asked Alan how his trip went.

"It went very well but I am glad to be back. I do not like these little trips and have been trying to eliminate them. My father wanted me down in Florida so I flew down to help him." Alan took another sip of his seltzer water. "I have owned my company for a few years now and have been trying to let other people do more and me do less. I want to do things other than work now."

He looked at Melissa meaningfully. Melissa pretended like she was lost in thought. _What am I supposed to say to that?_

"I would like to get married and start a family at some point of time. I don't want to be by myself all my life." Alan was being more forward about it and was watching her reaction. She took a sip of her drink so that the glass would cover her face and not let him see her reaction.

_I hope that he is not hinting,_ thought Melissa. _It would be too early to talk about things like that._

Alan walked Melissa back to her apartment after they finished dinner. At the door, Alan gave her the flowers. She smelled them and said, "They are lovely and they smell very nice." Melissa opened the door to her apartment and asked him, "Would you like some tea?"

"I would love that," Alan said as he leaned on the door frame. They walked in and as Melissa turned, Alan put his hand around her and pulled her close to him. He pressed his body against hers and she felt him breathing quick and heavy. His hands were on her waist and her hands were on his chest. For a moment, Melissa lost track of time and what was happening around her. All she could think of was him. She looked up as Alan bent down and placed his lips on hers. She did not know what to do and just relaxed. He felt her relax and loosened his grip from around her waist. Melissa's hands moved up from his chest to encircle his neck as he pressed his body against hers even more. He could feel her chest against his. Melissa came back to her senses and tried to straighten up. He let go as he felt her resistance.

"That was very nice," he said his voice sounded husky as she pulled away still trying to stroke her hair.

"Yes," she answered touching her lip to make sure that her lipstick did not smudge.

"You know I do not think I can stay for tea today, I am starting to get tired. My flight from Florida is starting to get to me. I should probably get going," he said. He bent down, took her hand, and kissed it.

Next thing she knew he was gone leaving her more confused than ever. She smiled. _Did she enjoy his kiss? Was she supposed to enjoy this kiss? But what about James?_ She thought that she only liked James. She felt she could not like two men at the same time. It was not right or not proper and it wasn't like her.

Melissa went into her room to change and then put on some water for tea. Once the water was ready, she picked out some green tea from Angie's cupboard. She chose it because she knew that it would help her relax and feel better about things. She added honey to the tea to sweeten it and some frozen raspberries to give it some flavor. The frozen raspberries cooled the tea down and made it nice to drink.

Melissa then took her tea and made herself comfortable on the couch. She picked up her phone and noticed that she had two texts. The first one was from Alan:

Hi Melissa, thanks for a wonderful evening. Can we see each other again on Friday? May I pick you up after work?

Alan

The other one was from Mom:

_Can you give me a call tonight if you have a minute, dear?_ "

Melissa decided to call her mom first. The phone rang several times but was picked up before it went into phone mail.

"How are you dearest?" asked Mom.

"I'm fine but a little confused," replied Melissa.

"Confused about what, dear?" her mom suddenly sounded worried.

"Well..." Melissa went on to tell her about her assignment at work.

"That sounds very complicated. I hope that you get it right, dearest. I wish I could help you with that," Mom sounded genuinely worried.

Melissa then went on to tell her about meeting James Morgan.

"Mom, I am really confused because I've never felt the way I did when I met James today. It was like a lightning bolt. He is exactly what I would like a man to be and I think that I would really like to be with him. At the same time, people are telling me he is not a nice person so I'm confused. And on top of it there is Alan who I know likes me. I know he is a lot more stable but not as exciting as James and he's been asking me out a lot. "

Melissa's mom thought for a while before she responded. "Melissa, as I said before, sometimes you have to give it time. Do not take a plunge with either one of them. Wait and see how things play out. I hope that things work out with James. I would much rather you were with someone you thought was exciting rather than someone that you will just settle down with," was her mom's reply.

"I think that you are right, Mom but it may be easier said than done. I am very attracted to James and that feeling makes it difficult for me to pursue my project and to look at things objectively."

"I certainly understand that. But you should try. I do not think you have a choice," said Mom with a sigh. She was really sympathizing with Melissa and trying to understand her situation.

In view of what her mom said, Melissa texted Alan back and said that she had fun too and that she would be happy to go out with him on Friday.

# Chapter 10

The next day at work was uneventful. Melissa checked her email and there were a few photographs from Angie, she was heading to Jersey after spending a day in London. According to her photos and the email she sent, she was having a great time.

_I wish I could do that too instead of analyzing the taxes of Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics_ , thought Melissa.

Gary went by a few times, giving Melissa glances that seemed to say _I hope that you will stay here for a long time, although you may not._

At about 3:00 PM James called up. "Hi, I'm just calling about the dinner tonight at Café X. Are we still on?"

"As far as I know," said Melissa.

"Great. May I have your cell phone number so that I can text you or call you directly instead of calling your work? Being a good employee, you do not check your cell phone at work, of course." She could sense him smiling on the other side.

"Only after hours," agreed Melissa. She then proceeded to give him her number with the excitement that only giving out your cell phone number to someone you really like will bring. In turn, he too seemed to be excited to get her phone number and told her that he was looking forward to seeing her later that day.

Melissa went to the restroom right before leaving work and looked in the mirror. She thought that she looked good today. There was no tiredness or black bags under her eyes. Her yellow cashmere sweater fit perfectly and her dark blue pants accentuated her figure. She had on a lovely yellow gold coin pendant and chain that complimented the warm glow of her skin. She looked at her ears, tiny princess cut diamond studs sparkled, a present from her parents for her twenty-first birthday.

Melissa checked her phone. There were no messages. She grabbed her purse and proceeded to leave for Café X.

She got to Café X in a few minutes and James was not there yet. Melissa took a glass of water and sat at a table.

A few minutes later a text showed up on her cell phone.

Sorry, running a little late. Had to work later than planned, will be there in a few minutes. James.

_Ok_ , Melissa replied.

_What a nice guy, running late and apologizing about that. All of the rumors about him are probably just rumors. He's probably just misunderstood and is really a good person._ That thought kept coming to her and she kept repeating it, hoping that if repeated a sufficient number of times, it would be true.

It turned out that James was but about twenty minutes late. Melissa pulled up a book on her cell phone and was attempting to read it but could not concentrate when she realized that someone was taking a seat at her table.

"Hi, Melissa, sorry I am late. You look lovely today," James said quickly. It was hard to tell if he meant it or not.

"It is ok," said Melissa. "I was just reading my book."

James ignored her statement and said, "Do you always look this lovely?"

Melissa did not know what to say and smiled. _He seems to be pretty straight forward today._

They got up and placed their orders at the bar. Melissa got green tea and a chicken strawberry salad, while James got potato cheddar cheese soup in a bread bowl and a beef sandwich. When they sat down again waiting for their food to arrive, James looked at Melissa and said, "I am starving".

Melissa thought he was acting odd today. He seemed to be struggling for words and things to say, seemed to be jumping from how pretty she looked to how he was starving. Eventually, the conversation started flowing when they started talking about Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics.

"It seems to be a solid company," said Melissa.

"I agree," said James. "I think that all we need is a loan and we can get it back on track," he added.

"I still do not quite understand that withdrawal that I discussed with you earlier," said Melissa.

"Oh yes, I called up my accountant and he said that he thinks it was a withdrawal that transferred money into a retirement fund. He was not sure though. He said that he will look into it and let me know."

As they were talking, their food arrived. James took a big bite out of his sandwich.

"Do you mind if I talk to your accountant?" Melissa asked.

James was surprised by the request but tried to contain his reaction. He hesitated for a minute and then said, "Certainly, I think that I may have to sign a paper stating that it is ok for you to discuss my taxes with him and I will do that. Here is his card." He pulled a card out of his wallet and gave it to Melissa. "His name in Sam Philips from Bates and Philips Accounting. He is in New Jersey, a very funny guy but very knowledgeable. He will save anyone a ton of money on taxes."

Melissa took the card and put it into her purse. She was looking at James. Seeing him today did not hit her like a lightning bolt but all she could think of while talking to him was how it would feel if she touched his lips with hers or if she unbuttoned his shirt and he pressed his body against hers. She was trying not to think those thoughts and fight them off but they kept coming back.

She felt that James knew he was handsome and was using it to his advantage. Every gesture and movement spoke volumes about how high his opinion was about himself.

While Melissa was talking to James, she got the feeling that someone was staring at her. She turned and at a table near them she saw Alan having dinner with another guy. They looked like they were talking business. As soon as Alan realized that she saw him too, he got up and headed towards their table.

"Hello, Melissa, what a surprise!" he said. "What are you doing here?"

James stood up to shake Alan's hand but Alan withdrew his hand. It was obvious that Alan did not want to have anything to do with him.

"Hi," said Melissa. She was confused by Alan's cool reception. It did not seem like him to be rude to someone. Melissa tried to smooth things over. "This is James Morgan, of Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics..."

Alan grudgingly nodded towards James. "Yes, we've met."

Melissa continued, "James and I are having a business dinner. I am working on a project with Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics given to me by Mark Solomon. I am just gathering additional information about the company."

James was listening and gave a cocky smile that seemed to say: _You know it is not just about that, of course._

"This business dinner has been a lot of fun, Alan," James said and looked meaningfully at Alan.

Alan nodded again. His features became tight after James's comment, but he collected himself and said that he was having a business dinner too. He hesitated and then looked at Melissa and said, "I would like to offer you a cup of coffee when you are done. I am almost done with my dinner. May I wait for you?"

James seemed amused by the whole exchange. He suddenly realized that Alan was interested in Melissa and so pursuing Melissa took a whole new meaning.

Melissa did not have time to answer when James spoke. "Actually Alan, I was going to take Melissa for a cup of coffee after dinner and then I would like to take her home. So I am not sure if she can wait for you."

Melissa wanted to spend more time with James and on top of it she was not done with her questions about Morgan Makeup. She did not say a word. Alan looked at her and since she was not saying much, he said his good-byes, turned around and left. His dinner was over within a few minutes and both he and his business partner left.

Melissa felt very awkward but at the same time she felt like she had not made any promises to Alan. James seemed so much more exciting. She wanted to get to know James better and she wanted to be with him right now. Also, he paid for her dinner so now she definitely thought that he may like her.

They continued to talk about the company and its finances. James seemed to be very interested in getting the loan. He asked when she would be presenting her findings. Melissa explained that she would report to Abbott and Solomon's Board of Directors next Wednesday at their meeting. She did not tell James that Abbott and Solomon had already determined whether they were going to give Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics a loan and that this project was just for the company to decide whether _she_ was worth keeping. To a certain extent it was life and death for both her and James.

When they finished dinner, James suggested that they go to the coffee shop next door, Melissa agreed. As they were walking out, James put his arm around her waist. Melissa felt like her legs were getting soft and she was about to pass out. James appeared to be fully aware of the effect that he was having on her. He hugged her more tightly and seemed to be willing to support her if she did indeed pass out.

James and Melissa went into the coffee shop to have some coffee. At the end of the date he asked if she would like to go out with him again the next day. Melissa was excited. She did not check her phone or her schedule, instead she agreed without any hesitation, leaving him in no doubt of her feelings.

_I must try to conceal my feelings at least a little,_ thought Melissa.

James took her home, walked her to the door and said good-bye before leaving. When Melissa walked into the apartment she noticed that it had been cleaned earlier that day. She was not used to having a maid in the apartment and it still surprised her that the apartment would be suddenly clean. She went to the kitchen to get a cup of tea when she noticed a text on her phone.

Hi Melissa, I was wondering if you had a good day and if we are still on for this Friday.

The text was from Alan. She also noticed that it looked like he was still texting but then the screen stopped updating without adding any additional text as though he deleted what he was writing without sending it.

I wonder what he was going to add?

There was a voice inside her that said: _You really do not know either one of them at all and you should give them time._

Melissa switched to text mode and started to text Alan back when suddenly her phone rang. "Alan Glass" showed on the caller ID. Melissa picked up.

"Hi Melissa. So, how did your dinner with James Morgan go?" Alan asked in cool tone.

"It went very well, thank you for asking," said Melissa.

"Are you making progress on the project?" asked Alan.

"Yes, I think that I am," said Melissa. She was trying to keep her answers short and not tell Alan that she liked James or betray her excitement about him.

There was a pause. "Be careful of James, his reputation precedes him. He always chases women and has not been able to settle down and I doubt he ever will."

"Will do," replied Melissa. She did not know if he was saying that because he perceived James as competition or if what he said about James was true. But why would he lie about that?

"So, are we still on for Friday?" Alan's asked, some tightness creeping into his voice.

"Yes, as far as I know," said Melissa.

"Good," the tightness in Alan's voice faded. "I will see you Friday then.

"Okay, see you then." She let him go.

Once she hung up she realized that the reason why he called was because he wanted to make sure that she was by herself and not with James.

_Tricky, tricky,_ thought Melissa. _Things are definitely starting to get complicated._

When Melissa got to work the next day, she noticed that she had a big bouquet of flowers on her desk. The flowers were in a fall arrangement. She read the card inside the bouquet:

Thanks for a wonderful evening.

James.

_How romantic_ , thought Melissa. _This guy is after my heart. Who could do better than this?_

About an hour later, a delivery man showed up with another box of flowers. He proceeded to open it up and placed an arrangement with 100 white roses on Melissa's desk. Melissa was stunned. The cost of the flowers must have been prohibitive but they were absolutely amazing.

They were the most beautiful flowers she has ever seen. The note said:

Looking forward to seeing you Friday.

Alan.

_Between the two of them they certainly are keeping the florists in town busy,_ Melissa thought smiling inside.

Melissa picked up the phone and called to thank Alan. His secretary, who sounded like an older woman, transferred Melissa to him. When Alan answered, his voice wrapped around her and she felt like she was in a cocoon, safe and nice. He assured her that she deserved the flowers since she has been working so hard. He also said that she deserved them because she was beautiful.

Melissa started thinking that maybe she should attempt to get closer to Alan but then she thought about James. That thought felt like a sudden frost in the middle of a summer day. Immediately, she was out of the cocoon and back to reality.

After she hung up, Melissa continued working on the project. An email came from Gary in the middle of the day. Gary reminded Melissa that she had about a week before the meeting and at the meeting she would have to say yes or no to the Morgan Makeup loan.

She replied, "Gary, thank you for the letter. I am working on it."

Melissa went to the break room to get some coffee. She was surprised when she bumped into Erica in the break room.

"Ah, Melissa," Erica said with a stifled smile as she sipped a freshly made cup of cappuccino.

"Hi, Erica," Melissa felt awkward.

"I hear that you are working on quite a fun project. Would you like some help? When I started I had a mentor but he was not very helpful. But if you need anything, just let me know."

Melissa wasn't sure if Erica's offer was genuine. She remembered her recent encounters with Erica and felt the only the reason why Erica would offer to help would be to undermine her. Knowing this, Melissa knew that she had to decline any assistance from her.

"You know that they usually do a difficult project whenever a person starts here so you should not feel like they are singling you out," said Erica.

"I thought so," said Melissa. "Thank you for offering to help but I think that I'm all set at the moment."

"They let a lot of people go," added Erica with a sly smile. "You have to get it right if you want to stay." She took another sip of her cappuccino after saying this to hide her expression.

"I understand," Melissa nodded.

"I had to go through the same thing," said Erica. "I could go to lunch with you and give you a few suggestions on what you could do," she suggested.

_That's right, the best way to get rid of your enemy is to make them think you're their friend._ Melissa understood her move.

"Yes, we could do that," said Melissa trying not to pinpoint a date so that she could get out of it.

Erica perceived that Melissa was not really interested in having lunch. "You know, I might be able to give you more information about Morgan Makeup if you are interested. It might help..."

Melissa gritted her teeth but smiled at Erica. "Sounds good." Melissa then carefully took her cup of coffee and made her way out the break room.

_I do not need her advice_ , thought Melissa. _Why should I care what she says? Whatever she says would probably be wrong anyway._

As Melissa left, she looked back and saw Erica standing in the doorway staring at her. Melissa realized that she was a new piece in Erica's chess game with Alan. An unexpected piece that was keeping her from getting Alan.

_Oh great_ , thought Melissa, _she hates me and I do not even know if I want what she wants._

At 3:00 PM the phone rang. Melissa saw caller id show up as Morgan Makeup. It was James. Blood rushed to Melissa's face and her hands began to tremble. She did not know what was going on around her any more. The only thing she could see was the phone. She answered it and tried to pretend that she was not excited.

"Hello?" said Melissa imagining that she was answering a phone call from her mom to make herself sound less anxious.

"Hi Melissa, it's James," he said calmly. "I wanted to follow up on our meeting last night and see if you need any additional information?"

"At this time, no, I don't. I'm still going over all of the information I have," Melissa replied.

"Good. I also wanted to know if you received the flowers I sent you?"

"Yes," Melissa smiled, "I did. They are lovely."

"I'm glad you like them. That's why I got them for you. I also wanted to make sure that we were still on for going out tonight?"

"Yes," Melissa breathed out. "I am looking forward to going out tonight." Melissa could not keep the excitement from her voice."

James paused. He sensed Melissa's excitement and she realized that she betrayed it. His voice warmed.

"I'm glad that you are looking forward to tonight. There is a little French restaurant in the shopping village a few blocks away from your office. Would you like to meet there at about 7:00?"

"Yes, that sounds like fun."

"Great, then I'll see you then, bye." James finished and hung up.

Melissa hung up and replayed the conversation in her head. She felt that the whole conversation was like a movie. She was playing a role and watching herself saying things. It was almost too good to be true, too good to be real. He liked her, he liked her a lot. She was sure of it. This was the second time he was asking her out. He would ask her out again, she knew it.

Melissa found it hard to work for the rest of the day. She could not focus and could not wait for the day to be over. She tried to contact James's accountant. There was another discrepancy that she found in the company's books but his accountant was not available. She also tried to analyze James's credit score. She was trying to understand why it was in the 600's. She knew that he said that was because he had outstanding loans but she was not sure that was the case. She wondered if he may have missed a payment or two on his loans but her data didn't say if he was current on all of his loans. She was thinking that she should ask James those questions when she saw him again.

Jessica popped in and asked if she could have lunch with Melissa the next day to catch up. Melissa did not mind and they decided to go get some salads for lunch the following day.

Melissa also got an email from Angie. She said that she arrived in Jersey. Angie thought it is the tiniest, cutest island ever. She said that driving was difficult because everyone drives on the wrong side of the road and the maximum speed on the island is 40 mph. She loves the pubs and the nightlife. The pace of the island is slower than London or New York City but she likes it. She thought that everyone is friendly and laid back. The family she is staying with is wonderful. The father is a doctor, the mother is a homemaker, and the son works for a bank, his name is Liam and she has a HUGE crush on him.

_Already?_ Melissa thought. _She just met him, a few hours ago and she already has a crush that she's telling everyone about it. That is so Angie. Boy, are you in trouble, Angie. Not the first time though. We'll have to wait and see what happens_.

When work was over, she went home and spent some time thinking about what she would wear. She found a steel colored strapless dress in crinkled silk chiffon with a sweetheart neckline and pleated waist with added boning for extra support. She put it on, the dress was knee length and Melissa thought that it was perfect. She also added a white cardigan to keep her warm on the way to the restaurant.

Melissa was getting ready and she felt euphoric. She was excited and felt like she was in heaven. A date with _him_ , what could be better? No, a _second_ date with him which pretty much meant that he liked her a lot.

Melissa ran out and got a taxi. She did not feel the ground under her, she felt like she was flying, she was so excited. She got to the restaurant first before James did (again!) and got seated. She placed her purse on the table and looked at her phone. A text popped up on her screen,

_I am sorry I am late again. I will see you in a few minutes_.

_That guy is always late_ , thought Melissa. _Alan isn't. But I guess that is not the most important quality in a guy._ _Is James really excited about this date? Would he be late if he was really excited? Maybe he just gets delayed. I probably shouldn't come to conclusions when I don't have enough information._

James showed up looking like he had been running. He came up to her, shook her hand, held on to it and then bent down and kissed it.

_What a gentleman_ , Melissa thought as she held her hand out and enjoyed the little pause afterwards when he held on to her hand for an extra second.

Then he sat down at the table and looked at Melissa and said, "You look beautiful."

"Thanks," said Melissa, yet again trying to figure out if he meant it or was pretending.

They placed their orders and started their conversation. James talked about the weather and the traffic. Then he suddenly got serious and asked Melissa again how the project was going. When she said that she found another discrepancy in the company's accounts receivable, he looked upset.

"One of the write-offs just does not make sense to me," Melissa said. "It is a much larger amount than one would expect for your company's size." James suddenly grew very serious.

"I hope that you will be able to figure out the reason for the write-off," he said touching the side of his face and trying to collect himself.

"My whole life hinges on this loan. If I don't get the loan from Abbott and Solomon Investment House, I am done. I have debts and I have other problems. I really need the money." James paused. "If the company goes under, I'll have to declare bankruptcy and I'll have to sell off the company's assets and shut the doors. Then I and a lot of other hard working people will be out of a job," he continued. His face grew stern and upset. It was obvious that his life depended on the loan and it was extremely important to him that he secured it.

Melissa looked at James and noticed that his face softened for a moment. She thought that he wanted her to say that the loan _will_ be given to him and he had nothing to worry about.

She felt that she could not say that. In fact, she was lost and did not know what to say. He was trying to put her on the spot and she realized that she needed to try to avoid that and change the conversation to something more productive.

She smiled and looked at James again, "I am sure that once I talk to your accountant, he will probably be able to easily explain the write-off," she tried reassure him.

She tried to sound confident but she was unsure. She had to come up with the right decision and give the right answer. Her job, her whole life seemed to hinge on it.

But what was the purpose of her life without him? Maybe she should stop analyzing everything and just recommend that the loan be given to Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics and hope that it was the right answer. At least it would increase her chances of being happy.

James started talking about his family and how his father had passed away a few years ago. His mom was still alive but she retired from the company after his father's passing. He said that his mother moved to Florida after retiring and has been enjoying the warmer climate a lot.

"Do you talk to her often?" asked Melissa.

"I really do not like to be by myself," he said, then he paused and it was obvious that he said something that he did not want to so he tried to rectify it by saying, "Yes, I do talk to her once a week actually. What about you, do you talk to your parents a lot?" It was obvious he was trying to change the direction of the conversation.

"I do," said Melissa. "I usually talk to them once or twice a week."

They went on talking about their families, books they like to read, movies they watch, and other things. James did not bring up the loan any more throughout the evening and made it sound as though he had completely forgot about it.

At the end of the evening, James took her back to the apartment and tried to hold her hand on the way back. Holding hands did not go well. Melissa thought it felt lifeless and it did not produce the same effect as what she had been hoping for. She was really excited before the date and was really excited during the date but suddenly she was not that excited any more.

Melissa was not sure why but suddenly she was seeing James in a different light, he was no longer as exciting as he seemed to be originally. He was more human with debt problems, a failing company, and not wanting to be by himself. He did not like the books that she liked. He did not like the movies that she watched. He wanted to be out at a party while she preferred to spend more time with family.

Melissa was suddenly seeing that the match may not have been made in heaven. Being with James felt like pretending to be someone else that she was not. Trying to prove to someone all the time that she should be liked. She could not be herself and be liked for who she was. She felt as though she was not good enough for him but maybe if she tried really hard he might like her but just a little bit. She did not want to give up on him yet but she was not sure if he was ever going to see her as worthy of his attention.

At the door to her apartment, James wished her good night and let her go after that. He seemed to be relieved that the date was over. Melissa went inside to think. She thought about Alan. He too started to change in her eyes. Originally, she thought that he was too old and now she did not care, it did not matter anymore. He was more like her than James. She could see that and understood that in her head but not as strongly in her heart. With Alan she could be herself, she did not have to pretend to be someone else or try to be someone she was not.

She called up her mom and told her about her date with James. Her mom, being the voice of reason, was happy that she was analyzing what was going on and was also happy that Melissa was starting to look at things differently.

"Dearest, sometimes you think that you know someone and you do not, you really have to give people time, only time will tell you their true character," she said.

Melissa sighed and agreed. She went to bed thinking about Alan and how happy she was that she accepted the date with him tomorrow.

# Chapter 11

Melissa spent the morning calling up Mr. Phillips, the accountant for Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics. The accountant could not explain one of the charges. It sounded like they both realized that the charge was not legitimate.

"I just plug in the numbers that I am given. Perhaps, you should call up James Morgan and ask him why the company was charged over $300,000 in advertising fees. It seems to be highly excessive for a company of their size but that is the number that I was given,"

Mr. Philips said. He made it sound like he had no further explanation and had better things to do that day.

Melissa hung up but she was not satisfied with the answer and felt like she did not know what else to do to try to figure it out. First, she asked the owner of the company and in addition she asked the accountant, but no one could give her a reasonable answer.

Melissa took the folder and headed to Gary's office. The office door was open and she peered in. Gary was, as usual, somberly looking at his files. He looked like he had the most boring job in the world. Melissa knocked softly on the open door. He raised his head and took off his reading glasses. "Ah, come in, please."

Melissa walked in and sat down in the chair. She pulled out the folder and looked at it for a few seconds before beginning.

"Gary when I went to school all of the spreadsheets we analyzed were legitimate. With this Morgan Makeup's books, I'm lost and not sure what to do. There are a few discrepancies and unusual amounts in charges that I cannot explain. I cannot decide if they are legitimate or not. I would think that if they were not legitimate that Abbott and Solomon would not consider giving them a loan. If they are legal, why are the numbers not adding up?" she asked in a rush.

Gary was listening intently, chuckled and said, "Melissa, welcome to the real world. When people start out they always get a very difficult company to analyze because otherwise it would not be a hard task.

Mr. Solomon always finds a company that is gray and it is hard to say if they are good or bad...that is until you start digging really deep. I suggested that since you have not made a decision yet," he continued, "you have not dug deep enough. I would go on."

Gary started looking back at the files on his desk and just like Mr. Philips, made it sound like he was done with her and did not even need to say good bye to her.

Melissa got the hint and left. She thought about James and thought that her physical attraction to him was very strong but emotionally she was starting to get tired of him.

_Time, time, time...that is all I need_ , thought Melissa, _and all I have is just a few days._

Melissa was going to lunch with Jessica that day. She decided that Jessica may be a good person to ask about information on Morgan Makeup. When Jessica stopped in a few minutes after noon, she looked serious.

"I almost cancelled our lunch. Mark is upset. One of the loans is not going too well. Apparently, the investment has not been doing too well and this morning they had emergency meeting trying to think of how they can withdraw funds. So I've been running around, calling attorneys and brokers. I've been on the phone all morning and haven't been able to do any of my own work! You know how it goes." She smiled a tired smile.

"How has your morning been?" Jessica asked with a sigh. She seemed to be hoping that she could switch to a different topic and forget about her work for a few minutes.

"Compared to your morning, mine went fine."

They entered a cafeteria. Melissa ordered chicken salad with cranberries and walnuts. She tasted her salad. The cranberries tasted delicious, the sweet and tart taste mixed together reminding her of Thanksgiving and the fall.

Jessica took a steak sandwich and orange juice. Jessica was not skinny but she did not look like that was a problem for her. It was obvious that she enjoyed her food. However even though she was fuller, she still looked after herself.

For a few minutes they talked about New York and how Melissa was coping with it. Eventually, Jessica asked Melissa who the person was that sent her the roses the other day.

_She is so hungry for gossip_ , thought Melissa.

She hesitated for a second and did not know if she should tell her about Alan. _He does not work here so the name may mean nothing to her._

"His name is Alan Glass," she told her.

Jessica was so surprised, she almost fell out of her chair.

"The Alan Glass? Oh my goodness."

"Do you know him?" it was Melissa's turn to be surprised.

Jessica took a bite of her sandwich before continuing. "Well, just a little bit. He is on the board of directors of Abbott and Solomon and it is my understanding that he has invested significant amounts of money in the company," Jessica sounded very respectful of Alan. "I guess I should add that Mr. Solomon is his personal friend," she seemed to be justifying why he invested so heavily in the company.

"I am shocked. I don't think I have ever heard of Alan dating anyone. He is a really good man though," Jessica smiled. "He is great, I think that there is a line of girls wanting to be with him. How did you meet him?" Jessica was curious.

"I went to school in Chicago with his sister and then when I moved to New York, she introduced us," Melissa explained.

"From what I know about Alan, he is always very polite and very honest. Like I said, he is a great guy. If I were you I would give him a chance." Jessica went on to take another bite of her sandwich. Melissa appreciated her honesty and straightforwardness.

_I have been trying to give him a chance,_ Melissa thought and switched subjects. Jessica seemed satisfied though, now she knew who gave Melissa the flowers so there was no doubt that the whole office was going to know about it by the end of the day.

"Jessica I know that you are tired of work and all of that after this morning. However, I wanted to ask you a quick question related to work and see what you have to say about it. Is that okay?" she asked.

"Fire away," said Jessica.

"I have been working on the project trying to analyze Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics. In their tax records, it seems that there has been a certain amount of money that was withdrawn from the company a few years ago. James Morgan explained that his father took it and then the father passed away shortly after the withdrawal." Melissa paused and was thinking about taking a bite of her salad but she changed her mind because she felt that what she was talking about was too important.

"In addition, last year they seemed to have spent a large amount of money on advertising, much larger than would be expected or would be prudent for the company with financial woes. I asked the owner and he directed me to the accountant, accountant directed me back to the owner. So I am running around in a circle here."

She paused again. She had not even formulated a question when Jessica said, "Why don't you call up the advertising company and ask them?"

"I had not even thought about it, but will they tell me?"

"I think that you would have to pose as someone from Morgan Makeup in order for them to discuss it with you," Jessica said slyly as if she did things like that every day. "It may be worth it for you to keep your job." She smiled. "You like it here, right?"

"I do," said Melissa.

"By the way," Jessica said with a face that she only had when she was about to share some gossip, "did Alan ever tell you that James was fired from Alan's father's company, Glass Real Estate, about 5 years ago?"

Melissa was shocked.

James fired? Oh, my God. So that is what Alan was trying to tell me but probably could not. Now it makes sense.

Meanwhile, Jessica seemed to be enjoying the shock on Melissa's face. It was exciting for Jessica to tell someone the juicy gossip and then to see their reaction to what she had just told them.

After a moment, Melissa was able to speak again. "Do you know why he was fired?" Melissa asked.

"The rumor is that it was for attempted embezzlement, I think."

Melissa sank deeper into her chair. It was truly crazy what Jessica was telling her. Melissa realized that she was revealing too much of her emotions. She decided to change the subject. Melissa went on talking about new fashions for the fall. She discussed her new sweater and Jessica's new wallet. Jessica had recently bought a brand new designer wallet and loved it. After a few moments, the topic of Morgan Makeup and James was completely forgotten.

As soon as lunch was over, Melissa returned to her desk and continued to work on the project. After several more hours of questions about Morgan Makeup's finances, Melissa looked up the phone number for Paramount Advertising, the company Morgan Makeup listed as their advertising agency.

Once she found the number, she picked up her cell phone and dialed the number. She made sure that her number came up as blocked so that they would not know that it was her calling. According to Morgan Makeup's records, they had spent $300,000 in advertising during the previous year.

"Hello, Paramount Advertising how may I direct your call?" said a pleasant feminine voice on the other side of the line.

"Hi, I would like to talk to someone about doing some advertising," said Melissa.

"Very good," said the voice. "Let me transfer you to Laura, she handles with new clients. What is your name?"

"Jamie," Melissa coughed, she was having a hard time lying.

"And the company are you calling from?"

"Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics," _another lie_. "I'm new here but I believe that we have worked with you before."

The woman on the other side paused. "Do you have an account number?"

"No." Melissa then heard the clicking of computer keys.

"I'm not finding your company in our system. What is the address of your company?"

Melissa gave Morgan Makeup's address and heard more typing.

"I do not believe your company has an account with us. I have no record of Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics in our system," the woman said in a reassuring tone. "Is it okay if I put you on hold while I transfer you?"

"Yes, certainly," Melissa mumbled.

After a few minutes of talking to Laura it was decided that Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics would be receiving a new client packet and then they would go from there.

"Thanks for calling us," said Laura. "We are always excited when new clients come on board."

"No problem," said Melissa and hung up. She felt numb and was in a daze. The game was getting more interesting.

Melissa needed to comprehend what has just happened. She could not believe what the lady from Paramount Advertising has just said. Melissa needed time to think. She did not want someone showing up and finding her like this so she went to the restroom and closed herself in a booth and just listened to her own breathing until she calmed down.

When she returned, Melissa saw two messages on her phone, one from Alan and one from James. In Alan's message he asked if he could pick her up tonight at 5:00. In James' message he was asking if she would like to go out tomorrow. James's voice on the phone was so soothing and so irresistible, she still liked him a lot in spite of what she was finding. She tried to imagine a message in her head where she told him that she was busy but she could not. He was like a magnet and she could not resist his attraction.

Melissa called James back and they agreed that they would go out for dinner tomorrow at 6:00. James gave her the name of the restaurant where he wanted to meet her. Melissa agreed.

A little bit after 5:00 Melissa went down to the lobby and saw Alan waiting for her. Looking at him, she thought he looked great. He was wearing blue jeans, a white t-shirt and green sun faded sweater. He was an epitome of coziness and looked very relaxed.

Melissa came up to him. Alan looked at her. She was slightly pale but very nice. Her makeup was subtle but defined her face. Her skin was smooth and had a glow to it that he loved. He was dressed a little more casual than she was but then again he was picking her up at work.

"Hi, you look great," he said as she got closer. Alan then bent down and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Melissa turned. She noticed that a few people from work were watching. She directed Alan out of the building because she did not want people to notice. Jessica gossiping about her was enough.

Thoughts and emotions bubbled inside Melissa. She could not hold it any more. Once they were out, she turned to him. "Alan, why did you not tell me that James was fired from your father's company?" she asked him bluntly.

Alan was shocked. He stopped and looked at her. "I was going to but I did not know if I could. I wanted to do some checking first because I did not know if that information was confidential or not. Remember, he was fired from my father's company and not mine. I was going to tell you today." He sounded like he meant it.

"James worked for my dad a few years ago before his father died and he took over Morgan Makeup. He was let go because of suspected embezzlement. My Dad preferred to sweep it all under the rug and just get rid of him. On top of it, James attempted to sue my Dad when he was let go. The lawsuit was dismissed but it was not a good thing for the company all the way around."

They had stopped while they were talking but then began walking again. Melissa was curious. "Why wasn't he working for Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics?" she asked.

"He did not get along with his father and was only able to work there after his father passed away," Alan explained.

That was definitely a new card in this game. The more she got to know James, the more she had reasons not to like him. She tried to forget about him now and just enjoy her evening with Alan.

"What are we going to do today?" asked Melissa totally switching gears.

Alan smiled, glad the subject had changed. James Morgan was not a pleasant topic of conversation for him. "I wanted to do something low key tonight and had my housekeeper cook us dinner. I was hoping that we can eat and watch a movie or something like that," he smiled at her. Melissa could tell that he was relieved that the conversation about James was over.

"What movie would you like to watch?" he asked.

"Something funny, a comedy," said Melissa.

_I need something relaxing after this week_ , she thought.

Alan thought for a moment. "I don't think there has been anything really funny out lately. Maybe we can find something from a few years ago."

"What's your favorite movie?" Alan asked.

"I don't really have one," said Melissa. "I go through periods when I like this movie or another."

"Well, when we get home, we can see what is available and you can pick something," said Alan.

The lobby of Alan's apartment was almost empty when they arrived. They got in the empty elevator, Alan pressed the button for their floor, and the doors closed. He glanced at Melissa across the elevator. The next thing that she knew was that he stepped closer to her. Suddenly his hand was holding hers, Melissa was almost standing by the wall, he turned and gently pushed her against the wall with his whole body. She was amazed at how much strength and force was in him. She could not move but she did not object. He then bent down, took her face in his hands and kissed her.

Alan knew that the elevator was almost to the third floor and as fast as he had begun, he stopped and let go. They both enjoyed it. Melissa realized that it was an impulse and he had followed it. She thought that she was glad that he had impulses like that when he is with her. _Would James?_ She did not know.

When they got into the apartment, Alan's housekeeper was finishing up preparing dinner. She left shortly thereafter leaving them by themselves. She had made Reuben sandwiches that smelled delicious.

Melissa and Alan loved them and decided to have some blueberries and ice cream for dessert. Alan pulled out blueberries and put them on the plates while Melissa was in charge of serving the ice cream. She had some difficulty scooping out the ice cream because it was so hard. Alan noticed that she was struggling.

He came behind her and kissed her neck. While still behind her he gently took the ice cream scoop and said, "Allow me."

He then served the ice cream while standing behind her. His hands were serving ice cream but his body was touching hers. She could feel him changing and at some point he started breathing deeper and she was feeling like she wanted to be with him now.

She took his finger, put it into ice cream and then put it into her mouth. His hands then moved and touched her chest. He slowly turned her around and started kissing her. Her hands went up around his neck. She did not know what being with a man felt like but she knew that he wanted to be with her. The feeling of being desired was to a certain extent even better than the feeling of desiring someone. She wanted James, she knew that but at the same time the feeling of being wanted by Alan was a driving force as well.

A moment later she came back to her senses and remembered that she wanted to get to know both him and James better before she took the plunge. Gently, she pushed him away. He was a little confused because he wanted to go on but as soon as he felt her pushing him away, he let go.

He was still close to her, his forehead was touching hers and he whispered, "Why?"

She pulled a little away, looked at him and said, "I'm not ready yet."

He nodded and smiled. By then he calmed down, kissed her hand and said, "I will wait as long as it takes."

They moved into the living room. Alan suggested a movie and they ate dessert while sitting on the couch. The movie was funny and went by quickly. As they sat on the couch, Alan moved close to her and put his arm around her shoulder.

_We are like an old married couple,_ thought Melissa. She liked the fact that she did not need to pretend with Alan. She did not need to be someone she was not. She did not need to be constantly tense being afraid of making a mistake. With Alan she could be herself and relax.

Alan seemed to enjoy the movie. He also seemed to enjoy holding her. At the end of the movie Alan suddenly started hugging her tighter and when she looked at him, drew her closer to himself and kissed her again. She did not feel like the ground disappeared under her legs but it felt very nice. They were hugging each other after kissing.

When they stopped hugging, Melissa thought for a second.

Why am I trying to convince myself that I do not care for Alan? Why am I trying to convince myself that I cannot stop caring for James?

"I should probably get going," Melissa said. That seemed to be a reasonable answer when things were not clear. Melissa got up and started heading back to the hallway. She put her shoes back on and thought that Alan was going to stay in the other room but he was right behind her and did not seem offended at all.

"I'd like to walk you back home," he said.

"I would love that," Melissa answered.

He walked her home and on the way home they talked about Angie. Alan knew that Angie was having a crush on the son of the family she was staying with. The issue, Alan said, was that the son's family did not approve of the match. They did not want him to leave the island and were placing impediments in their way.

"I do not have much hope for it," Alan said. "I think that she will move on in a week or two, knowing Angie, you know how she does not take anything close to heart," he added.

"Oh, I know," said Melissa with a sigh.

"May I see you tomorrow?" he asked at the door.

"I am having dinner with James from Morgan Makeup tomorrow," Melissa said.

Alan suddenly looked very worried. "Having dinner with him after what I told you about him. Is he hitting on you?" he asked point blank.

"I do not know. It is supposed to be a business dinner, my job hinges on this project and if I fail, Mark will let me go. The more information I can get from James, the better off I am," she said justifying her decision.

Alan did not seem to be happy with her explanation. He wanted to be with her she could tell.

"How about Sunday then?" he asked. "Want to go for our usual jog together?"

Melissa smiled. "Sure," she said.

Alan kissed then her, gave her a hug and then let her go.

Melissa walked in, closed the door, grabbed her head in her hands and slid down to the floor. At that moment she was more confused than ever.

# Chapter 12

The next morning Melissa was drinking coffee when she thought about the fact that she had not talked to her Mom for a few days. When she called her up the phone went right into voicemail. Melissa left her a message, "Hi, it's me. Give me a call when you can. Thanks."

_Wow, it is weird that Mom and Dad aren't answering. It's Saturday morning and they usually drink coffee and read the morning paper at this time,_ Melissa thought _._

Melissa worked out and then went down to the basement for a swim. Working out always made her feel better. She then decided she wanted to work on the project for a while, since it was due next week. She opened up the files and tried to work. She soon discovered that between her thoughts about Alan and James she was not able to concentrate. _Why is it that at the time when I really need to focus I cannot? My job depends on this report and I cannot focus._

Once she realized that she was not going to be able to concentrate on work, she decided that she would focus on what she would wear for her date tonight. She decided on a beaded vintage inspired champagne colored dress. The dress had a straight silhouette that fell above the knee. It was translucent at the knee level and the beads made the dress look stunning. Melissa was sure that James would be bound to notice her and if not her, the dress for sure.

The date was at 6:00 but Melissa was so nervous that she started getting ready at 3:00. She took another shower to make sure that she could blow dry her hair and curl it at the ends. Then she put her hair up a little at the top and placed a few champagne colored pins with beads on them in her hair. Her hair was shiny and the beads accentuated the health and volume of her hair.

She put on silver colored pumps to go with the outfit. Then she looked in the mirror. Seeing herself, she thought that she looked good. Everything looked good, everything fit right. She didn't want to change anything. All she could do was hope the date would go well.

Melissa still had some time before she met James so she turned on the TV and started watching a movie. Watching a movie helped her relax a little. Her mom still had not called back so Melissa tried again. Again her phone call went right into voicemail. _I think I will try again a little later and if I cannot reach them, I will call up Aunt Sharon_ , she decided.

At 5:30 Melissa left and took a taxi. She got to the restaurant and this time James beat her. He was already waiting for her at the table and when he noticed her, his eyes got wider and he gave her a measuring look. She loved the look, she knew that she was wanted at least at that particular moment.

"You look stunning," he said. He said it like he meant it. Melissa believed that at that moment he meant it.

"Thanks," she said.

She looked at him, his hair was falling at his forehead and his eyes were blue with a cold hue to them.

_His face is so handsome, how can it not take anyone's breath away?_ thought Melissa.

There was a pause. "Did you have any trouble finding the restaurant?" James asked.

Melissa smiled with a twinkle in her eye. "None what so ever, I took a taxi."

James smiled. "Amazing how that works." As Melissa sat down, he offered her a menu.

Melissa took the menu and started reading it. James did the same. He then suggested calamari for the appetizer and balsamic chicken with roasted potatoes as the main course. A waiter came and brought in some bread and butter. James suggested that Melissa order some wine but she declined. Keeping her head straight was more important than anything else. She was already feeling dizzy just looking at him. Adding wine to the equation would not be in her favor.

They had some of the bread and talked about the weather. James changed his mind and ended up ordering quail with roasted potatoes and white chocolate raspberry sauce while Melissa took the balsamic chicken since James had suggested it.

After a few minutes, the conversation shifted to Morgan Makeup. "Melissa, I just want you to understand that there is nothing more important to me than getting this loan next week." James had a note of desperation in his voice. He took a sip of wine that he ordered and added, "My whole life depends on it."

"I understand," said Melissa. "Speaking about that," she continued, "I wanted to ask you about your company's advertising costs. Did you deal with Paramount Advertising last year? Did they run the ads for your company?"

"Actually," James said after he ordered a refill of his wine, "we dealt with Number One Advertising. Since then they were purchased by Paramount advertising right at the end of the year." He sounded truthful.

"Oh, I understand," Melissa answered.

She then pulled out her phone and wrote down "Number One Advertising" in her notes. She wanted to check if that was the case.

Annoyance played across James' face. After a moment of thinking he spoke. "So, are you going to recommend my loan and in the amount that I requested?"

Melissa bit her lip as she thought. "I am not sure," she said at last. "The meeting is on Wednesday so I still have a few days to work on it. It seems like the company has a pretty strong financial foundation," she continued.

"It certainly has," James agreed. "If I can get the money, I can turn it around and expand it. He sounded sure of himself, she liked that, being sure of himself made him attractive.

He looked at her hair and the pins with rhinestones in them shined back at him, her eyes and her lips were mesmerizing. "You truly look amazing today, Melissa," he said. The tone of his voice was so warm and calming. "I would like to get to know you better," he added softly looking into her eyes.

She looked at him, surprised by his forwardness. "I would like that too," Melissa responded smiling.

The waiter came in asking if they were interested in dessert.

"I think I will pass tonight, I am full," James said.

"I am full too, thanks," was Melissa's choice.

After James paid, they left the restaurant. "May I take you home?" James asked. There was a taxi outside the restaurant that they got into. In the taxi, James moved close to her and put his hand around her shoulders all the way to her apartment building.

When the taxi stopped in front of the apartment, James turned to her and said, "May I come in?" he asked.

"Sure," Melissa answered. "Would you like some tea?"

James nodded in agreement. Once he paid the fare, they went up to her apartment.

When they walked in, Melissa went to the kitchen to make some tea. James followed her. Melissa put the water on the stove and pulled out a few bags of green tea.

As she was pulling out the cups from the top shelf, James came up behind her and hugged her from behind. Melissa stopped what she was doing as she felt him kiss her hair from the back. She turned and fell into his arms. His breathing grew heavy as he grabbed her face and started kissing her. Next thing she knew she was being carried into her bedroom.

When he put her down on the bed, she had a second to collect herself. "No, James wait."

He looked at her in surprise and continued touching her. He intended to give her one more kiss. He acted as though women in his arms usually did not protest and so she could not be serious. She tried to get out of his arms and could not, he was so much bigger and heavier than her.

"No, James, no," she said again. He loosened his grip slightly and seemed unsure as to what he wanted to do.

Next thing they knew they heard a knock on the door.

James completely let go of her, sat up on the bed and said, "Who is it?"

Melissa looked back at him with her hair ruffled, "I have no idea."

She got up and went to the door. She looked back into the room. James was staying in the room sitting on the bed. He looked as though he was trying to get himself organized.

Melissa reached the front door and opened it. Her mom and dad were standing at the door smiling. Melissa could not believe it.

"Mom, Dad?" she gasped as she started hugging them. "What are you two doing here?" Melissa could not conceal her surprise.

"We missed you and we wanted to come for the weekend and see if there is anything we can do to help you settle down in New York," Mom said.

They both walked in smiling. James walked out of the room to observe the family reunion. After a moment he cleared his throat. Everyone turned and looked at him. Melissa paused for a moment. She seemed to have momentarily forgotten that he was also in the apartment. She then proceeded to introduce him.

"James, as I'm sure you have gathered, these are my mom and dad," Melissa said.

James stepped forward with a smile on his face and shook hands. "Mr. and Mrs. Davis, it is so nice to meet you. Melissa has told me so much about you."

"It's nice to meet you too James," said Jim. "I like your name." He continued with a smile. Melissa then began to move the group into the living room as the tea kettle began to whistle.

"James and I were just going to have tea," said Melissa. "Would you like to have some too?"

"Actually," James interrupted, "Melissa, I should probably be going. I have some work that I need to do and I'm sure you and your parents have a lot of catching up to do."

Melissa's parents looked at each other and Jim spoke again. "We are sorry if we interrupted..."

James smiled again. "No, nothing at all. We had just gotten back ourselves." James then picked up his coat, indicating that he would like to leave as he began walking towards the front door. Melissa followed. At the door she said something to James and then he left.

Melissa came back to the living room where her parents were still standing. Melissa noticed that they seemed confused by what had just happened.

"My, people come and go so quickly here!" her mom said lightly.

Melissa shook her head, confused by everything that had just happened. Melissa's mom turned to her and gave her a meaningful look.

Melissa looked back at her and said, "Yes, that was _the_ James, Mom."

"He is very handsome," Mom pointed out. "You know when a man is handsome like that it is hard for them to stop changing girlfriends because everyone wants them. If one girl wants them, all of them do. You have to remember that. "

"I understand that," Melissa said. "Things have actually gotten even more complicated than what you would think."

Melissa led them to the kitchen and over a cup of tea she told them about the project, the advertising expenses and the discrepancy in Morgan Makeup's books. Both of her parents listened intently.

Finally her father spoke. "You know, sometimes when something looks like a duck and walks like a duck, it is a duck. Unfortunately, if you are finding all of these things wrong with the company, maybe there is something wrong with it."

"Melissa," Mom added, "you have to take the fact that you like James out of this equation, you have to be impartial. If he likes you, no matter what you recommend, he will understand."

"I think you are right, Mom," Melissa answered. "Unfortunately, it is easier said than done."

Melissa's parents were staying in a hotel nearby and after visiting a while longer, they left to go and retire for the day. They promised to be back in the morning.

After Melissa's parents left, a text message came from Alan.

Just wanted to check up on you.

Next, her phone rang. Her caller ID said "Alan Glass."

"Hi, thanks for your text. I'm fine," Melissa smiled. "How are you?"

"I'm doing fine too. Are we still going for a work out tomorrow morning?"

"Yes, like we planned. I wanted to go swimming in the apartment's pool in the basement tomorrow morning as part of the workout, if that is okay with you."

"I would like that," he answered without hesitation, "that would be a great idea. What time?"

"How about 10:00?"

"Sounds good. Do you want to go out for lunch afterwards? Maybe get some sandwiches or something?" Alan asked.

"That would be great. My parents are here for the day. Would you mind if they tagged along?" Melissa asked, there was some hesitation in her voice. She did not know if bringing her parents would be too much. Melissa wanted to have lunch with him and she also wanted her parents to meet him.

"Not a problem. I would like to meet them," Alan said. He did not sound upset at all, in fact quite the opposite, he almost sounded like he was excited to meet them.

"So, how did your business dinner with James Morgan go?" There was hesitation in his voice.

Melissa frowned. "Not so well. There are still a lot of questions remaining about his company. I still don't know what I am going to do Wednesday," Melisa answered.

She was getting tired of James, his mind games, her attraction to him, and the uncertainty of whether he was pursuing her or the loan. Things were so much easier with Alan. Yes, he was not as dazzling, but he was much more stable and so much easier to read.

After Melissa hung up, she went through her wardrobe and tried to find an appropriate swimsuit to go swimming with Alan tomorrow.

She had bought one a few months ago. It was a pretty swimsuit that she did not think she was ever going to wear. She pulled it out and placed it on her chair.

_Tomorrow will be the right day to wear this one_ , she thought.

# Chapter 13

Melissa got up the next morning and decided to not take a shower because she was going to go swimming. She also did not eat much because she knew that she would be working out soon.

She went through her wardrobe thinking about what she would wear after her swim. Alan indicated that the restaurant he wanted to take everyone to was elegant. She decided on a two-tiered embellished, light green, spaghetti strap dress. The dress had scoop neck and was slightly translucent at the knee level.

After she decided on what to wear, Melissa went into the bathroom to get ready. She didn't put on any make up before her workout so she put her hair in a bun to have it out of her way while she was swimming. Then she put on the new swimsuit that she found the evening before.

The swimsuit was stitched over the shoulder and had a center ruching down the torso. The swimsuit had a metal ring at the bust level and was white in color. If anything could accentuate her figure, this swimsuit was it. She then put on her robe and went down in the elevator to the pool. While in the elevator, she sent a text to Alan telling him to meet her at the pool.

She was swimming for a few minutes when Alan joined her. She specifically went down to the pool by herself so that she could make a grand exit out of the pool to get his attention. She waved at him and then started to come out. As she went up the stairs and revealed more of her figure, Alan froze. This was the least amount of clothes he had ever seen her in and he seemed to be enjoying the view.

Melissa had seen that sort of look from guys before. Normally, that look made her feel uncomfortable but from Alan, she enjoyed it. _He is surprised_ , she thought as she smiled to herself.

Alan came up to her and said, "You look amazing today." He then put his hand on her waist, drew her closer and gave her a kiss on her lips.

Melissa knew that she was desired and that knowledge was intoxicating. Her pulse began to quicken and Alan could sense her desire.

Suddenly, the sharp realization of their surroundings came to both of them. They stopped and let go of each other. Neither Melissa nor Alan cared for public displays of affection and the impulse to kiss was momentary.

Alan and Melissa then got in the pool and swam for an hour and then went upstairs. They both felt tired but were happy and excited.

Alan had brought his clothes and went to Angie's room to take a shower and change. Melissa went to her room and closed the door. She did not want any temptation that might happen if she left the door open.

They met up a short time later in the living room. As she greeted him, Alan looked amazed again. "Are you going to continue doing this to me today?" he asked and then came to her and gave her another kiss. This one was deeper and more intense than the one at the pool.

_No one is around_ , thought Melissa.

The kiss was interrupted by a knock on the door. It was Melissa's parents. Alan and Melissa separated. Alan gave a look of frustration. Melissa smiled and then giggled. The frustration melted and Alan began smiling too.

Melissa then went to the door and let her parents in. The introductions went much more smoothly than the ones with James the day before. Alan seemed to be trying to impress them and to get them to like him.

After the introductions, they all left the apartment and went to the restaurant. When Melissa was away from her dad and Alan, her mom took her hand and said, "You look great today, dear. This man makes you glow," she sounded excited.

Melissa smiled.

This man makes you glow? That's an unusual way of putting it but I guess it's true.

After a short walk they came to a beautiful French restaurant. They entered and after a short wait, they were seated. Jim was across from Janet and Alan was sitting across from Melissa, next to Jim.

"It's quite a surprise that you came up for the weekend," said Alan to Melissa's parents.

"Yes, we wanted to surprise Melissa," said Janet. There was a smile on her face and she looked very happy to be with her daughter.

"We miss Melissa so much and wanted to make sure that she is ok, by herself in a big city like New York." Melissa's mom was warm and she wanted Melissa to know that they were there for her.

Initially, Jim did not say anything, but then he seemed to change his mind. "We want to live close to Melissa and we figured we would come up here and see how it is. Just in case we decide to move here." He did not like to play games and spoke his mind.

Melissa laughed. "No, you might not want to jump the gun on that. I may be relieved of my duties next week," she said, "if...I don't get my assignment right." Her voice quivered a little. She was afraid and didn't make any bones about it. This produced an avalanche of encouragement. Everyone began telling her that they are sure that she will do great.

"You'll do fine, Melissa," said Jim.

"I am sure that you will do very well, dear," Janet said.

"I think that you will be okay, you are being too hard on yourself," said Alan.

Alan then attempted to lighten the mood by changing the subject. He began talking about his company and how when he started it he had worked long hours but lately he had been able to enjoy life more and scale back quite a bit.

"All I need," he said, "is a family and my life will be complete."

He looked at Melissa meaningfully. She did not look away. Both Jim and Janet noticed the pretty straightforward hint.

Melissa smiled. She felt comfortable with Alan. He brought out the best in her and made her feel the best that she could be.

"Well, I guess we'll have to wait until the end of the coming week to shape our plans better," Jim said going back to the subject of Melissa's work.

"What do you mean?" Melissa asked.

Jim looked at Janet and got a light nod from her. "I am thinking about requesting a transfer to NYC. I talked to the general manager and he said that I can potentially request a move," Jim explained.

"We would like to be closer to you, Melissa," Janet added.

Alan smiled. He seemed to like the fact that her parents wanted to be with her. After her parent's news, the lunch continued. The food was excellent and everyone had a good time. As the meal was winding down Alan cleared his throat.

"There is a flower exhibition at the Gardens today. Would everyone like to go? It would make an excellent afternoon activity, I think," Alan suggested.

Everyone agreed and after lunch, they went to the flower exhibit. The exhibit was beautiful, they had not only flowers but also a butterfly exhibit that was small but fun. In addition to the exhibit, the organization putting on the show was also selling flowers. In the area where they were selling flowers, Melissa found a yellow orchid and set it aside. Immediately, Alan took it and paid for it.

Once they had finished with the flower exhibit, Janet and Jim said that they had to go back to their hotel room. They were tired and had to get ready for their evening flight back to Chicago. They were sad to go but hoped that the visit was going to help them to eventually be closer to Melissa. They also seemed satisfied with what they saw and seemed happy to have met Alan.

After Melissa said goodbye to her parents, Alan and Melissa walked quietly back to her apartment until Alan broke the silence. "I enjoyed meeting your parents."

Melissa smiled, "I think that they liked meeting you too. You seem to have an easy way with people."

Alan paused thoughtfully. "Angie would disagree with that. She always tells me that I'm boring and unadventurous and to be honest, I do find it difficult to meet new people. I deal with too many people who try to be something that they are not. But I felt different with your parents. They seem pretty down-to-earth and their openness was refreshing. You're very lucky to have them."

"Yes I am," she agreed.

They reached Melissa's apartment and Melissa opened the door. Alan took her hand and kissed it.

"I will see you soon Melissa," he said.

# Chapter 14

The next day was Monday, two days before the meeting. Melissa woke up and felt groggy as though she had been drinking heavily the night before.

_I wasn't drinking, so why do I feel like this?_ " She felt exhausted from all of the stress of the new job and the assignment. What if she was let go? What would she tell all her relatives back in Chicago? How embarrassing would it be? For the first time since she started working at Abbott and Solomon she did not feel like going to work.

On top of her stress at the job, there was her personal life as well. _Maybe that is because I think I like someone but I'm not sure about him and because there is someone else that I think deserves to be liked but I'm not sure I like him enough to be happy with him. Not a great combination,_ she thought.

She took a shower and dragged herself to the kitchen. She did not feel like having breakfast and elected to proceed with just having some coffee. She did not feel like putting on any makeup and the only thing she wanted was for the day to be over. She took her cup of coffee and added a little bit of cream and sugar. She felt like getting dressed simply too. She put on a polka dot top and she added a scallop-detailed sweater and sand colored pants.

Melissa got to work and turned on her computer. First thing she noticed was an email from Gary. In his email, Gary reminded her of Wednesday's meeting. At the end of the email Gary indicated that he would like to help her if she thinks she needs any help. Melissa laughed to herself, she still did not know what to recommend and was not sure if Gary could help in the matter.

At 9:00 AM a courier came in with a bouquet of pink roses. They were very pretty. They came in a silver colored vase and she did not think she has seen flowers that were more beautiful.

There was a note in the flowers. Melissa pulled it out, it was inside a white envelope with the name of the flower company on it etched in gold.

There was a card inside that read:

Thanks for spending Sunday with me. Alan.

Melissa started crying after she read the note. _He is trying to be so nice to me. Why don't I give him a chance?_

About 30 minutes later, another courier came over and brought another bouquet of flowers. This bouquet was a vase with pink lilies in it. Melissa took the bouquet and thanked the courier who left immediately. Melissa pulled out a note, _Thanks for a great date. I hope to see you soon and I hope to hear good news Wednesday._

The note was signed, "James". Melissa took it and looked at it again. James had not called or texted since their date on Saturday.

Why does someone who is so good looking have to be so insensitive? Maybe he was too busy? After all, he did run a company and was trying to save it. Who knows?

It seemed to Melissa that he was showing less enthusiasm for her than what she has been showing for him. It was a hard thought for her but she had to admit it.

Melissa knew that she was allergic to lilies and within a few minutes, her eyes started to water and she knew that she had to take the flowers somewhere else. She grabbed them and went to Jessica.

Jessica was on the phone when Melissa came in.

She covered the phone with one hand and said, "Can you wait a minute please?"

Melissa nodded.

As soon as Jessica was off the phone, she turned to Melissa and said, "Are you here to see Mr. Solomon?"

"No," Melissa laughed. "I am here to give you some flowers provided you are not allergic to lilies. I got them this morning and my eyes are already watering."

She pointed at her flowers and when Jessica looked at her face, she thought that she was crying.

"Oh my goodness," exclaimed Jessica. "Are you ok?"

"Yes, I am. Just the flowers are making my eyes water."

Jessica said that she had no problems with lilies, took the flowers and as she put them on the table, Mr. Solomon walked out of his office. Right after him Melissa noticed Alan stepping out.

"Hi, Melissa," said Mark. "How is it going with the assignment? Wednesday is the big day, huh?"

Melissa wanted to answer but it did not sound like Mr. Solomon required a response as he kept on talking.

"Yes, Wednesday is the big day. We are going to have everyone here. Oh, this is Alan Glass. He is one of our biggest investors so he comes over to chat quite often."

"Hi, Melissa," Alan smiled.

"Hello, Alan," Melissa replied. "Thanks for the flowers. They are beautiful."

Jessica looked at both of them and said.

"Yes, the lilies that you sent are gorgeous but they are making her cry."

Alan looked at the vase with the flowers on Jessica's desk and a tissue in Melissa's hand and realized that someone else sent Melissa flowers.

"I see that mine are not the only offering," he said dryly.

"I am afraid I have to get back to work," Melissa said as her face reddened. She was trying to get out of the conversation because she did not want Jessica, and subsequently the whole office, to know all of the details of her personal life.

Melissa excused herself and went back to her office and closed the door. After a few minutes of work there was a knock at her door.

"Come in," she responded.

Alan came into her office and closed the door.

"Hello again," he said politely but Melissa could tell that he seemed agitated. "Melissa, was it James again who sent you the flowers? "

"Yes, it was," Melissa said.

"Pompous jerk," Alan mumbled. After a moment he seemed to calm himself. "Anyway, it is a good thing I ran into you, I was going to call you. I am attending a fundraiser for a children's hospital here in New York on Wednesday evening and I was wondering if you would be kind enough to accompany me," he asked.

"I would enjoy that," Melissa smiled.

"Do you have a formal evening dress?" Alan asked.

Melissa paused for a moment. "No," she replied.

Alan nodded. "I'll have someone bring a catalog to you later this morning. Please pick one and give them a call. They will know to put it on my credit card and will deliver the dress to you tomorrow morning." He then stopped before continuing.

"May I come over tonight for a cup of tea?" he asked. "I can help you to put finishing touches for the project."

Melissa dreaded tonight, she did not want to be by herself so she agreed without hesitation.

"I will be there at 6:30," he said. "Do you want me to grab some takeout?" he asked. "I know that you have to finish the report. I would imagine you will not be able to cook tonight. "

"That would be great," Melissa answered.

"I will see you tonight then," Alan said. He bent over, kissed her on the cheek and left.

Melissa went to the kitchen, grabbed a cup of coffee and went back to her desk. She needed a few minutes to collect her thoughts again.

When she got back to her office, Melissa looked up Number One Advertising and called them up. The phone went straight to voice mail and said, "Thank you for calling Number One Advertising. We have now merged with Paramount Advertising and are here to serve all your advertising needs. For sales, press one..."

Melissa hung up, she already talked to Paramount Advertising and they had been clear that they had never dealt with Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics. It seemed like James was trying to muddy the water and make things more complicated and difficult for her to understand the overall picture.

Melissa looked at the roses, they had opened up a little since the time that they were delivered and looked like they wanted to tell her something.

She then thought about James, his dark hair and the iciness of his eyes. The image of him was striking. The thought of him felt immediately like a pang of pain.

Melissa spent the rest of the day making a power point about Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics. She thought for a while and broke down the report point by point. Eventually she came to the conclusion, closed the power point and told herself that she tried to do her best.

"I did my best. If I do not make the recommendation that they want and they let me go, so be it," said Melissa. "I know that I tried the best I could."

It was almost 5:00, Melissa grabbed her things and went home. She got home, quickly changed and started getting ready for Alan coming. She decided to put on casual grey sweats and a light blue sweatshirt.

Melissa had a few minutes so she called up her mom, asked her how their trip home went and how they were feeling. After that was cleared up, Melissa switched subjects and wanted to talk about something else.

"Mom, I really do not know what to do. I felt a huge spark with James when I first met him. I did not have a spark with Alan. But now a few days into it, I am not sure about James any more. And I am starting to become more and more sure about Alan." She paused. "I feel like James is playing games with me and Alan does not."

"Sweetheart," Mom said, "A lot of times, you will find out that you may be attracted to someone but it does not mean that it is a good person for you to spend the rest of your life with. The spark may be meaningless after a while."

"Mom," Melissa paused for a second. "Do you love Dad? Did you feel a spark when you met him?"

"Melissa, I love your Dad today more than I loved him yesterday and way more than what I loved him the day we met. Knowing him better allowed me to fall in love with him more. He is a wonderful man," she answered.

"Did you feel a spark when you met him?" Melissa asked again.

"No, not really," Melissa's Mom laughed. "We met in college at a party and no I did not feel a spark. I thought he was handsome and I might like him if I got to know him better but that was about it."

They would have talked more but Melissa heard a knock on the door. She quickly hung up. She opened the door and to her utter surprise she saw Erica. Melissa did not want to let her in, so she just stood in the doorway holding the door.

"Hi Erica," she said. "How are you?"

"Hi, Melissa I just wanted to let you know something. I tried calling you earlier today but your line was busy. "

Melissa had a difficult time believing that.

She almost said, "You could have left a message." But instead she said, "Oh, that's not a problem."

"I wanted to let you know that I found out that Mr. Solomon has recommended that Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics receive the loan of 2 million dollars. The loan will be used by the company to expand and grow," Erica said. She paused. "I am not sure it is the right thing for me to do to tell you my findings but I just wanted to tell you. "

Melissa went speechless. Was Erica risking her job to tell her or was she trying to set her up so that the company would let Melissa go and she would go back to Chicago, away from Alan? She did not know.

"I understand," Melissa said eventually. "Thanks for letting me know. I hope it was not too much of an inconvenience for you," she managed to add.

Erica smiled faintly and left.

Melissa closed the door and felt like crying. She wanted things to be simple and they were getting more and more complicated. Now that she had made her decision, someone came and tried to tell her what the company recommended. Should she go back and review what she already said or should she change her power point presentation?

She thought about it and decided that she had finished the power point and her recommendation was all set. She did not want to tell Erica what she recommended for the fear that she was going to tell everyone. It suddenly dawned on Melissa that finding out what Melissa was going to do may have been Erica's ulterior motive. She was probably hoping that Melissa was going to say whether she was or was not going to recommend the loan and then Erica could tell everyone and get her fired. Erica probably did not even know if the loan was recommended or not, she probably just came up with it. Melissa thought sourly.

_Forget about it_ , Melissa told herself.

Melissa had a few more minutes before Alan came and decided to look through the catalog and order the dress. She did not have a chance to do it during the day because she was too busy at work. She was in the middle of looking when Alan came with a takeout. He came in and came up to her, gave her a kiss but did not hug her since his hands were filled with bags.

"Ah, looking at the catalog," he noticed.

"Yes, I'm having a difficult time picking one out," she said.

"Maybe I can help?" he offered.

"Sure," Melissa shrugged her shoulders.

Alan is certainly not Mom as far as clothing advice is concerned but since no one else is around why not give him a shot?

Melissa showed him a couple dresses that she thought would look good but then he noticed another dress with a v neckline and some crisscross straps in the back. It was floor length with a small train. The color of the dress was stunning. It was pearly pink but because of the fabric it shimmered.

Melissa looked at it and smiled. "I like it," she said simply.

I think you will look very nice in this dress." Alan smiled imagining her in the dress.

Alan took the catalog and immediately ordered the dress. Once he finished he hung up the phone and spoke to Melissa. "It will be delivered to tomorrow morning," he said closing the catalog. "The Concierge downstairs will have it."

"Let's eat," he added. "I am hungry."

Melissa pulled out two plates and poured two glasses of water.

If she were married to him, is this we how we would be having dinner every day?

Alan probably thought the same thing. He turned and noticed his roses on Melissa's desk. He smiled that she had brought them home with her.

He went back to serving dinner. He got food from a Chinese restaurant and now he was serving Chow Mein noodles and white rice, cashew chicken, and broccoli beef. Melissa ate a little bit and then she got up and started to make herself a cup of tea. A cup of warm herbal tea at night was a must! She felt that it calmed her down and also helped her sleep. Alan never drank herbal tea but today he decided to try some.

While the water was boiling, Melissa went back to eating. Alan was almost done eating when he pulled out dessert. "Ta da, I forgot to tell you that I also grabbed some dessert." It was a blueberry cobbler.

"From a Chinese restaurant? How weird," said Melissa.

Alan shrugged. "Yes, the restaurant has some odd additions to their main fare but it is pretty good."

The blueberry cobbler with herbal tea tasted very good. Melissa started to relax as all of the worries of the day went away.

Alan took her hand and said, "I want you to stop worrying about this. If they do not think that you are good enough for them, you can come and work for my company. I am not kidding, by the way."

Melissa laughed. "I am not really worried about that any more and I am not worried that I will be fired, it's just I am not used to failing. I've always been a straight A student." Melissa placed her cup back on the saucer. "Failure is not something I deal with well," she added.

Alan looked at her and said, "I know that you will try to do your best. And that is what really counts, at least I think so." The tea was done and they quickly cleaned the dishes.

After cleaning the dishes, they moved to the living room and turned on the TV. Alan sat down next to Melissa and hugged her. She was tired and the show was boring. A few minutes later Melissa fell asleep in Alan's arms.

Melissa felt Alan pick her up and put her on the bed. He covered her, gave her a kiss on the cheek and left.

# Chapter 15

Melissa woke up the next day sleeping in her bed and dressed in light grey yoga pants and a light blue sweatshirt. The details of the previous evening came back to her. She thought about Alan and about how he had never tried to take advantage of her. Knowing that made being with him feel easy and fun.

There was a note next to her that read:

Melissa,

I am going to be away in New Jersey today. I will see you tomorrow.

Tuesday was uneventful and went by quickly. Melissa put some finishing touches on her presentation. No one talked to her on Tuesday, it seemed like it was the quiet before a storm. People did not know if she would be there after tomorrow or not so they were taking a wait and see approach.

After work, Melissa stopped by the apartment's concierge desk. The dress was delivered in a large plain white box with her name and address taped to the box along with the company's return address. She thanked the concierge and then went up to her apartment to try on the dress.

The dress was beautiful. The fabric was soft and shimmered whenever she moved. The fit was also very good. Melissa was relieved about that because she didn't think there would have been any time for alterations. Carefully, Melissa took off the dress and placed it on its hanger and put it in her closet. She then pulled out her phone and texted Alan.

Got the dress and it looks great. Thank you.

Melissa's phone chirped a few moments later.

I look forward to seeing you in it tomorrow.

Turning off her phone, Melissa then ate a light dinner and began to rehearse her presentation. After working on the presentation for a couple of hours, she decided to call it a night and went to bed early.

# Chapter 16

Melissa woke up early on Wednesday and went down to the gym to de-stress a little. Working out felt nice. Even though she kept telling herself that she was not worried, her stomach was in knots.

At 7:30, a text came from Alan.

Good luck today.

Melissa texted back.

Thanks.

Melissa put on a grey pencil skirt suit. The suit allowed her to project a professional look but at the same time feel feminine. The jacket had a soft scoop neckline so Melissa put on her platinum chain with the sapphire to accentuate her skin. She thought that a diamond pendant would have looked nice too but she did not have one. In spite of that she felt confident today. The grip that James had on her heart had started to loosen and that made her feel better.

Melissa grabbed a cup of coffee and a breakfast bar and went to work. When she got to work, there was a note on her desk telling her that she could go to conference room and hook up her computer to the projector for her presentation. She decided that it would be a good thing to prepare so she went to the conference room with her laptop.

The conference room was large with a table that seated twenty people as well as a small table in the corner of the room for refreshments. Around the large table, cards with people's names were placed in front of each chair. Melissa walked around looking for her chair and as she was looking she noticed a card with James Morgan's name on it. She shuddered. Nearby, Melissa noticed Alan's name on another card. She felt her blood rush to her head as she started having a mild panic attack. After several deep breaths, she collected herself, went over to the refreshments table, and got a glass of water.

Once Melissa felt better, she went back to the table and found her name at one of the places. She then hooked up her computer to room's Audio and Video equipment and tested her presentation to make sure it was working. After she made sure that everything was ready, she went back to her office.

When Melissa got to her office, she noticed that Gary had sent her an email. She read it:

Today is the big day, I am sure it will go well for you. See you in the conference room.

His messages were always dry and short with no emotion involved—just like him.

At 10:50, Melissa got a phone call from Jessica asking Melissa to proceed to the conference room. Melissa thanked Jessica, looked at herself in the mirror, took a deep breath and walked in.

The conference room was lit up and full of people. Every seat was taken. James saw Melissa and waved. "Hi Melissa how are you?" He then got up and pulled out her chair for her.

Alan was there too and he was sitting across the table from her and smiled when she looked at him. His smile was reassuring and supportive.

Mark Solomon began talking after Melissa sat down. "Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce our new employee, Melissa Davis. Several weeks ago, we got a request for a 3 million dollar loan from Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics. Mr. James Morgan is here representing the company today. Ms. Davis was given the assignment of analyzing the request and today she is going to present her findings and recommend whether or not the company gets the loan."

Mr. Solomon turned to Melissa and asked, "Are you ready, Melissa?"

"I am," she answered. Jessica gave her a remote for the projector and after testing the equipment for a moment, Melissa got started.

"Let me start out by saying that the task of deciding whether Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics deserves a loan has been very difficult. It is not a straightforward case and required a lot of research before I could make my recommendation."

Melissa switched the presentation to the first slide. She glanced at James and he had a wide smile on his face and nodded when she started. She then looked at Alan. Alan did not change his facial expression, he simply nodded slightly. That was encouragement enough.

"Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics was started in 1995 by Mr. Sterling Morgan. The company specializes in decorative cosmetics such as lipstick, mascara, eye shadow, foundation, powders and concealers. In 2008, the company's founder, Mr. Sterling Morgan, died. Since then, the founder's son, Mr. James Morgan has been in charge of the company." She took a sip of water.

"The company was started with $100,000 of initial capital investment and grew steadily in the next 10 years reaching its peak revenue in 2005 of $3,000,000. After 2005, revenues have steadily declined. Last year, its revenue was $1.8 million."

Melissa paused and took a sip of water. The room was quiet as everyone was watching her intently.

"Several weeks ago," she continued, "Abbott and Solomon Investment House received a request from Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics asking for a $3 million business loan. The letter said that the money will be used to develop a new line of organic and all natural makeup which should boost the revenue and revive the cash flow for the company."

"During the last week I analyzed the company's taxes for the last five years as well the company's current cash flow. One of the reasons why it has been difficult for the company to stay in business or let alone grow, was the fact that in 2008 $300,000 disappeared from the company's accounts. I was told that Mr. Sterling Morgan took the money right before he died. However, according to company's accountant, the withdrawal happened in August while Mr. Sterling Morgan passed away in March of that year. This leads me to believe that Mr. Sterling Morgan had nothing to do with the withdrawal of the money."

"Additional money is listed to have been used for development of new cosmetics and supposedly was given to a company, Gelard Development. However, there is no record that Gelard Development has ever done any work with Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics. I checked on this several times and as far as I can ascertain, Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics never hired them to do any makeup development."

Melissa looked at Mr. Solomon and she could tell that the smile on his face was fading slowly. James was not smiling any more. Alan had the same expression that he had when Melissa started out.

"In addition," Melissa said, "I noticed another discrepancy in Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics tax returns for last year. It is listed that the company spent $300,000 on advertising. When I checked with Paramount Advertising, which is the company that is listed in the Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics accounts, they said that they have never done any work for Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics. I later learned that Paramount Advertising acquired a smaller advertising agency at the end of 2010. It was alleged that the company's advertising was done with that advertising agency instead of Paramount Advertising. However, I have been assured by Paramount Advertising that all of the records from the other agency have already been transferred and they stated again that they have never done business with Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics. It is my conclusion that since Morgan Makeup has only one shareholder, it is up to the Board to decide whether they would want to assume that the above shareholder was involved in taking the money."

Melissa paused. The room grew even more quiet. Melissa clicked the remote and displayed her last slide. Taking a deep breath, she concluded her report.

"It is my recommendation that Abbott and Solomon Investment House declines the request for a loan to Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics due to large discrepancies in tax records and the company's need to sort its own finances before getting a cash injection. It is my opinion that the money will be wasted and that there will be no return on investment."

Melissa paused. Everyone suddenly realized that the presentation was over and started talking. James got up and looked at her in indignation. With that look, Melissa realized that he never wanted to go out with her again. They were done. He then turned and left.

Once James left and order was restored in the meeting room, Mark Solomon spoke. "I am surprised that Mr. Morgan's request had gone so far in our loan process before these discrepancies were revealed. I believe that it was our intention to give Morgan Makeup a loan. Now, I believe that may no longer be the case. I ask the Board to consider the information we have received from Ms. Davis and officially vote on the matter."

A second to Mr. Solomon's request for a vote was quickly given and the vote was taken. In a unanimous vote, the board formally rejected the loan request.

After the vote, the Board's secretary moved on to next item on the meeting's agenda. As the Board members listened to the secretary Mr. Solomon spoke softly to Melissa. "Melissa, thank you for your thorough work. I believe that your job is secure. Welcome to Abbott and Solomon Investment House."

Melissa gave a deep sigh and said, "Thank you." She was done and free to go back to her office. She then got up, unplugged her computer, and went back to her desk.

When she got back to her room, she sat at her desk and rubbed her forehead as she tried to collect her thoughts and analyze what had happened. A few moments later, a quick knock at her door ended her reflection. Jessica poked her head into the office.

"May I come in?" she asked.

Melissa smiled faintly. "Of course."

Jessica entered and closed the door behind herself. Melissa saw that the woman could hardly contain herself. "It's a scandal!" she started. "The Board is upset that the Morgan Makeup loan got so far through the process before all of this information came out. They feel the request should have been rejected a long time ago." She paused to take a breath, Melissa could tell that she had run over to her office.

Melissa started to say something but she did not want to tell Jessica that she had just hurt someone she liked. So instead she said, "Seriously?"

Jessica nodded. "Mr. Solomon is requesting an investigation and a review of the company's loan procedures to avoid something like this in the future," she said. "This is unofficial, but I just wanted to let you know."

Melissa looked at her and said, "How about Mr. Morgan? Is he ok?"

Jessica looked back at her in disbelief. "Who cares about him? Anyway," she continued, "I've got to get back to my desk. Mark is having a discussion with Gary about the whole thing once the meeting is over so they might need me for something." She then got up and walked out.

Melissa sat for a second after Jessica left, thinking about what to do. She decided that she wanted to talk to her mom so she got her phone out of her purse and closed the door to her office.

She dialed her parents and after she explained to them what had happened, her mom said, "Melissa, James may have been good for a fling, but probably not for a long term relationship. Look at his reputation and his track record, darling. Why don't you give Alan a try? I know that Alan is all about family and I think if you give him a try, you may not regret it."

Melissa thanked her mom, hung up and thought about what she had said. Her phone chirped. A new text message. Melisa saw that it was from Alan.

Excellent speech. May I pick you up at 6:00 tonight?

_That would be great._ She texted back.

Melissa received an email from Jessica a little later on. In the message she asked Melissa to come to Mr. Solomon's office the next day at 10:00 AM.

The rest of the afternoon was uneventful. There were no text messages nor any exciting phone calls. Melissa finalized her report on Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics and placed it in the folder. She then began to think about her new assignment and knew that seeing Mark Solomon the next day would probably be about that.

# Chapter 17

Before she knew it, it was 5 o'clock. Melissa practically ran out the door. She knew that she only had an hour to get ready for the gala. Once she got to her apartment, she jumped in the shower, dried her hair, applied makeup, and was ready to put on her dress. She looked at herself in the mirror. She looked good, a little tired but good. She put on her high heels and the pink shimmery dress that she and Alan had picked out and was ready to go.

After getting ready Melissa went to the living room to sit down for a moment. She got a glass of water and was sitting on the couch when Alan knocked on the door.

She opened the door and there was Alan waiting for her in a tux. He looked at her in the light pearly pink dress. The fabric shimmered and showed every detail of her figure.

Melissa noticed that Alan had something under his arm as well as a bouquet of white roses in his hand. He gave her the roses and as she stretched out her hand to take them, he took her hand and kissed it and then gave her the flowers. Melissa blushed.

"Thank you for the flowers," she said, "they are beautiful."

"That's not all," he answered.

"Not all?" Melissa was surprised.

Alan pulled out a jewelry box from under his arm. Melissa took a step back, she was not sure she should take jewelry from him, it was too much.

Alan opened up the box and Melissa gasped, inside was a beautiful diamond pendant with a platinum chain. The diamond looked like it was about a carat, pear shaped, and pink in color. It had a little white diamond up at the top where the chain and the pendant came together. It looked amazing. Melissa knew that pink colored diamonds were one of the most beautiful and expensive of fancy colored diamonds. She touched the diamond in utter disbelief. Alan took the diamond out of the box and asked, "May I?"

Melissa was starting to find it difficult to resist him. He smiled as he stepped behind her and opened the clasp to put the necklace around her neck. Once the chain was on, he kissed her neck. He paused waiting for her reaction. Melissa turned and melted in his arms, he did not jump to kiss her but instead just hugged her and held her tightly. Initially, she was tense and tight, but after a few seconds she relaxed and just enjoyed the moment.

He let go and said, "I think if we do not leave right now we are going to be late. "

She agreed and got her clutch. They went downstairs and as they came out of the elevator, Alan offered his arm and Melissa put hers through his. She enjoyed doing that. She then leaned on him as they walked. She realized that leaning on him felt good. Beneath his suit he felt solid and strong, like leaning on a rock.

They got out of the building and into a limousine. Alan turned to her and was holding her hand. "The diamond looks beautiful on you," he said.

Melissa smiled. She was a little bit nervous and did not know what to expect because she has never been to a charity gala before. Alan seemed to be confident so if she just follows his lead, it would be ok, she thought. She was starting to understand that being with Alan would mean becoming one of New York's elite and privileged class.

Melissa thought about James. Thinking about him was always frustrating. He had not called or texted today and she had a feeling that he was not going to ever again.

They arrived at the venue. An attendant was there to assist the guests as they got out of their vehicles. As they were getting out of the limousine, Melissa noticed many photographers. Alan got out first and then helped Melissa out. He took her hand and was leading her to the entrance. Photographers were taking pictures of them and the lights of cameras and flashes were blinding.

Alan and Melissa walked into a brightly lit hallway and proceeded to go through security. Once past security, they entered a large hall filled with lights, people, drinks, food and noise. When they walked in, Melissa went to the restroom to check her makeup and outfit.

The restroom was carpeted and nicely furnished. The walls were thick and blocked out most of the noise from the hall. On the wall next to the vanity was a full length mirror. Looking into the mirror, Melissa was amazed. The dress fit nicely, her face was no longer pale and now had color in it, the diamond around her neck was sparkling and added warmth to her skin. She realized that being with Alan made her perceive herself differently. She was suddenly not by herself, she was wanted and desired by him and that felt great. Melissa went on to adjust her hair and went back to the hall.

Once she was back in the hall Melissa looked for Alan when she heard someone calling her name. She turned and saw Erica with a small group of people. Melissa was hoping to avoid her but could not. Erica waved at her and a few seconds later Melissa came up to them. Erica was in a knee length yellow dress that fit her very well.

As she got to the group, Melissa realized that James was among the group. He looked impressive in his tuxedo but she noticed that he was purposefully avoiding eye contact with her.

Erica proceeded to introduce Melissa to everyone. "This is Melissa Davis. Melissa has just started working at Abbott and Solomon and is doing really well."

Melissa smiled. She never knew when Erica was being sarcastic or was serious. Melissa nodded her head in greeting.

"That is a great place to work at," said one of the guests.

"I agree," Melissa said.

"Melissa just did a project on James's company," said Erica looking at James. James did not say much but from his expression, Erica had opened a wound.

"Well, how is your company doing?" one of the guests asked James.

"Not too bad," James answered blandly. A pretty blond girl with the face and figure of a model came up to James. She took his hand and rubbed his arm all the way up to the shoulder in a familiar motion. James did not turn towards her as she did this as though he knew who it was and had been with her for a while.

Then looking at Melissa he said, "Please let me introduce my girlfriend Sasha. She is a model at the Jack Smithfield Modeling Agency." The girl hanging onto James smiled and said, "Hi."

_He has a girlfriend._ Melissa could not believe her ears. Then she realized that James had never said that he did not. _He may even have a wife for all I know._

"How long have you two been dating?" asked Erica.

"Oh, a few months," Sasha said. "We actually met in the summer at the Ballet Gala," she added.

"You had better look after him well, Sasha," Erica archly told her. "I know a few people who are after him," Erica finished giving Melissa a sly look.

They have been dating for a few months. So he was pretending to like me in order to get approved for the loan. He probably never liked me, not even a bit. Why did I even think about him?

As all of those thoughts went swirling through her head, Melissa tried to show no emotion and continued to smile. She needed to remain civil and polite. The conversation turned to something else that was not important to her and she tried to say a few things to help with the flow.

James did not seem to be embarrassed about trying to go out with her just to get the loan. He seemed to be fine with it and continued participating in the conversation as well.

What a slime ball. He must have done it before. And who knows why he is with Sasha? He seems to like her. Hopefully, she doesn't have a hefty bank account or a large inheritance that he wants, Melissa thought.

At that particular moment she felt bad for Sasha. Being with a guy like James was only temporary.

Melissa felt crushed but at the same time relieved. Crushed because she knew that he had just been using her but relieved because she was tired of his mind games and tired of feeling that she could never make him like her no matter how hard she tried.

After a few minutes, she excused herself and went on to try to find Alan. As she turned around, she saw him walking towards her. She looked at him suddenly in a different light.

Alan did not play mind games and he liked her. Wasn't that enough to like him back? She did not feel the lightning bolt when she first met him but she sure felt it now. She looked at him and she felt a wave of warmth come over her. She felt like it was just him and her in the room. She wanted to go him, be hugged and protected by him, and just be with him.

As he came up to her, Alan seemed to sense the change in her. He then took her hand and asked if she was okay. Melissa smiled and nodded and they walked back to his party.

When they got to his party, Melissa immediately recognized a few faces. Mark Solomon was there as well as a few people Melissa had met at Brad and Jen's party.

"Hi everyone," Alan said, "this is my girlfriend, Melissa." Everyone smiled, Melissa smiled back. He had just officially called her his girlfriend. Mark was a little surprised by Alan's introduction but seemed genuinely happy.

_His girlfriend?_ Melissa tried the phrase in her mind a few times and liked the sound of it. _Things seem to be developing quickly with Alan,_ she thought to herself.

Alan then introduced several other people who worked at Alan's company. Melissa first met John and Peggy Gordon. John was middle aged pleasant man who happened to be the president of Alan's real estate development company. John had nice manners which made being around him tolerable even if all he talked was business. His wife, Peggy, looked as though she had never worked a day in her life and her job was only to look after herself.

Melissa also met Steven Williams who was chief financial officer of the company. Steven was there by himself, he said that his wife was on holiday in England with their two kids and having a "jolly good time."

Another person with the party was a Vietnamese man named Anthony Pham. Anthony was the executive vice president for property development. He seemed quiet, polite, and a quick thinker.

Once the introductions had concluded, the group broke up into smaller clusters. Several of the employees began to talk amongst themselves while Mark began talking to John and Peggy as Melissa and Alan walked over to them.

"John and Peggy, nice to see you. Its been quite a while. What have you been up to?" asked Mark.

John smiled. "We've been busy. Work has been relentless this year so we had to stay close to home this summer."

Mark looked surprised. "That bad?"

John shook his head and smiled again. "That _good_. We're having a great year. Revenue is approaching two billion. Both our residential and commercial divisions are doing very well..."

_Two billion in revenue? Well at least I won't have to wonder whether Alan wants to be with me because he wants a loan,_ thought Melissa dryly _._

As they continued talking, Melissa looked at Alan. He seemed to be looking in another direction. Melissa followed Alan's gaze and saw James with Sasha talking and holding hands. Alan seemed to realize James was there with his girlfriend. He also realized that James had been using Melissa and that Melissa now understood that.

Alan grew tense at the sight of James. Melissa squeezed his hand tightly to get his attention. Looking at Melissa his features softened as he seemed to understand that James was no longer a competitor.

"I am sure he will split up with her in a year or two," mumbled Alan.

"What did you say, Alan?" asked John Gordon.

Alan laughed, "Just mumbling to myself."

After talking for a while, Melissa noticed that her group was moving into another room where tables were set up for dinner. Dinner was excellent. There was also entertainment with a small band performing old soft rock favorites.

The dinner started with salad and French bread as an appetizer. It was followed by the main course of chicken, vegetables and roasted potatoes. Dessert was a pear tart with a little bit of whipped cream. Alan had a little bit of coffee with his dessert but Melissa declined. She felt that she had eaten enough and was feeling full.

Melissa enjoyed herself sitting with Alan and his company's executives. They had been nice to her even though they seemed to have been surprised that Alan brought a date. Before she knew it, dinner was over.

At the end of the evening, someone representing the charity gave a speech thanking everyone for coming and for their donations. After the speech, the guests began to leave table by table to avoid the general chaos of everyone leaving at the same time.

While they waited their turn to leave, Melissa stepped aside and called her mom. Before calling, she made sure that no one was around to hear what she was saying.

Melissa heard the phone connect and begin to ring. After a couple of rings, her mom answered.

"Hi, dear, how are you?" her mom asked.

"Mom, I am kind of upset right now," she answered. She paused and took a deep breath. "Alan and I went to a gala this evening and we just saw James. He came to the gala..." Melissa took another pause, "with his girlfriend." Saying that was hard. But when she said it, she could now speak faster. "His girlfriend is very pretty and a lot younger than him."

"How are you holding up?" Her mom's voice was filled with love and concern.

"I feel broken into pieces but it could have been worse. What would have happened if I had given him a chance?"

"Melissa, dear, one of the things that you have to realize is that it is very important to learn to distinguish who wants to be with you for who you are and who wants to be with you because they want something from you. Look at the signs, he was playing games with you from the beginning. He was always wishy-washy and did not act like he knew what he wanted." She stopped for a second and then said, "Did he ever tell you that he loved you?"

"Goodness no," was Melissa's response. "He hinted that he liked me but that was about it. He never even said that he liked me actually."

"Melissa I hate to say it but I think all he wanted was for you to approve his loan. That is probably all that he was interested in," was her mom's verdict. Melissa loved that her mom. She did not beat about the bush and told Melissa point blank what her thoughts were.

"Because of this, I feel like first impressions are meaningless, you really have to get to know the person." Melissa noticed Alan waving at her like he wanted her to come.

"I agree," said her mom. "Some people can be together for years and they still do not know each other. Relationships are a bit of a gamble."

"Mom, what do I do? I liked someone and he was just playing games with me. Now, I am afraid Alan might be playing games too and I'm starting to like him...a lot."

"I don't think he is playing games, Melissa. He seems to be a nice guy. At some point you have to decide if you want to give him a chance."

Melissa noticed that her table was starting to stand up and leave. She quickly explained to her mom that she had to go and hung up the phone. Melissa then went back and wished good bye to Alan's co-workers. Everyone stated that it had been nice to meet her and expressed hope to see her again.

# Chapter 18

Alan and Melissa walked out. It was dark, and getting cold outside. As they got into their limousine, Alan made sure that the temperature in the car was warm and then he moved closer to Melissa and hugged her. She leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Who were you calling?" asked Alan.

"Just my mom," Melissa said. "I wanted to hear her voice for a second."

Melissa started thinking about Alan. He had overlooked all of her "dates" with James. He seemed to like her the way that she was and she did feel that she had to pretend to be someone that she was not. He always seemed to be there for her and try to help her any way he could.

Limousine stopped and Melissa realized that they were in front of Alan's apartment building. She looked at him and their eyes met.

Alan took her hand and said, "Would you like to stay?"

Melissa looked away for a second and then nodded "yes".

Alan smiled and got out of the car, turned and helped her out. Once out of the limousine Alan again offered his arm to Melissa and they walked into the building.

As they went in Melissa leaned on his shoulder. Melissa realized that this was one of her favorite things to do as they walked together. She turned to Alan, smiled and looked up at him. He looked down at her and smiled back.

They walked into the apartment. Alan's housekeeper was gone and they were by themselves. Alan went into the kitchen and offered Melissa some tea. She did not want any but she took a little bit of water. Alan did not feel like drinking tea or coffee either so he also took a little bit of water.

He then came to her and put his hand on her waist and gently pulled her towards him. He put his second hand on her hair and pulled her face towards his. Alan then bent down and started kissing her. He did not rush this time but did things slowly as though to savor the moment. He acted deliberately and did not want to disrespect her by being in a rush.

Melissa relaxed. All she wanted to do to follow his lead and be what he wanted her to be. She softened in his hands and responded to his lips pressing against hers.

Alan stopped for a moment, took her chin in his hands, and looked in her eyes. "Have you had a boyfriend before?" he whispered.

Melissa shook her head.

Alan smiled. "We'll have to take things slowly then." He picked her up and carried her into his bedroom and gently put her down on the bed. He then took off his jacket and got next to her and started kissing her again. Melissa reciprocated as all of the stress of the last few days melted away.

He started to undo the button on the neck of her dress but had some trouble with it. Eventually, it came loose and the dress simply fell off. Alan admired her figure and noticed her underwear which were simple with some lace on the bra and on the panties.

Melissa then undid his shirt. She admired how solid Alan's arms and chest were. He wasn't cut like the college students Melissa had seen in college, instead he had a solidness that came from years of physical activity. After a brief pause, Alan's pants were soon off.

They took a break from undressing again and went for another kissing session. Melissa loved this because she simply relaxed and was guided by Alan. He was passionate and eager with his kissing. At first, his kisses were playful but after a few minutes they began getting deeper and more intense.

"Are you ok?" Alan asked.

"I'm fine," she answered.

Alan then started working on the Melissa's bra and before she knew it the bra was undone. Melissa smiled playfully and held on to the bra with one of her hands. Gently taking her hand away from the bra, Alan then pushed the bra down. When her breasts came free of the bra, he smiled.

Her breasts were fresh and perky. They were not big but at the same time not small. They seemed just the right size. "They're perfect," he said as he began to breathe heavily. "They're beautiful."

Alan pressed his face against her breasts. He then proceeded to get on her and kiss her chest. Melissa could tell that he was enjoying her breasts. Sometimes he would stop and then run his fingers on them. This caused her breasts to become firm.

Melissa began to feel her heart beat faster. She started feeling sensations she had never experienced before. She suddenly felt a heaviness between her legs that needed to be relieved.

Alan removed her underpants and his fingers began running everywhere. This made the heaviness between Melissa's legs even worse. Her breathing became faster.

Alan then took off his own underpants. Melissa looked at him in surprise, a slightly nervous smile spread across her face. He smiled and took her hand and placed it between his legs. She touched him gently at first and then with more firmness. She did this a few more times and he began to moan.

_I think he likes that_.

Alan crawled down and started using his lips and his tongue between her thighs. The sensation was so intense that Melissa almost blacked out. A few minutes of this led to an explosion and a relief.

"Would you like to do that to me?" he asked.

Melissa hesitated for a moment, what he was asking was new and unknown but she smiled and agreed. He moaned with pleasure and a few minutes later climaxed as well.

When it was over, they hugged for a while and Alan said, "Let's take it one step at a time. It was fun. I hope you enjoyed it. "

"I did," she said simply.

Alan hugged her again and then they went to sleep together. Melissa woke up in the middle of the night. Alan sensed that she was awake and began touching her. His hands were everywhere, gently caressing her body. Before Melissa knew it, Alan was on top of her. Feeling his weight on top of her felt good. They went on a very long kissing session and then Alan moved to her chest and then down lower. Melissa reciprocated and after they had both climaxed again, she fell asleep on Alan's arm.

# Chapter 19

Melissa woke up the next day at her usual 6:30. Alan was lying next to her looking at her. When she opened her eyes, he simply said, "Good morning, Melissa." He then smiled and started stroking her hand.

Melissa smiled back and said, "Good morning." He bent down and kissed her face and then took her hand and kissed it.

"Last night was wonderful," he said.

"I agree," she said. Reality then came back and she sighed. "I have to go to work, Alan."

"I know," Alan answered.

He got up and made a phone call. He returned a few minutes later. "The concierge is bringing you some clothes right now," he said.

"Where from?" asked Melissa.

"They have access to a store downstairs that is open 24/7. I told them your size so they are bringing something suitable for you to go to work in. I don't think that your pink shimmery dress would be a good thing to wear to work." He smiled.

Alan then went to his bathroom and started the shower. Melissa went to another bathroom and started to shower there. By the time she was done, her clothes were waiting on the bed.

The clothes consisted of a white blouse, blue skirt, blue cardigan and blue shoes. Nothing fancy, just something to survive the day in.

Alan came out and began to dress. He put on dark grey suit and a white shirt with black shoes. Melissa looked at him as he dressed, he looked very good.

Alan stopped and noticed that she was watching him. He came up to her and gave her a hug and then bent down and kissed her again.

"Come, I want to take you somewhere for a quick breakfast," he said.

_A quick breakfast. What day is it? Tuesday? Wednesday?_ Melissa could not remember.

They went downstairs to a little café that served coffee and pastries. Melissa had some coffee with hazelnut flavor and a biscuit with some egg. Alan ordered the same thing. He was beaming and looked very happy.

"I would like to see you tonight," he told Melissa.

Melissa smiled. "Okay," she agreed.

"May I pick you up after work?" he asked.

"I would like to go home and grab some clothes," she said.

"That would not be a problem," he said.

"Why don't you pack a bag for a few days and I will come and pick you up? How about 6:30?" Alan sounded very excited about her staying with him for a few days.

"Sounds good," she answered.

Melissa got to work and after a few minutes Gary came in and said, "Excellent presentation yesterday. Congratulations, Melissa." His congratulations were dry and his facial expressions bland. She was always surprised he remembered her name."

"Thanks Gary. I followed your advice you know," she said.

"Which advice?" He ask as though he gave out a lot of it.

"You said to separate feelings from facts and I did. It helped me a lot."

Gary laughed, "Oh, yes, I did say that when you started out." He then stopped. Melissa could feel that the conversation was over. Gary, in his usual manner, then turned around and left.

"Gary is Gary," Melissa murmured to herself. He always seemed to finish conversations abruptly and when he did not feel like going on with a conversation, he did not. He just walked out and was done with it.

A little after 9:00, Melissa got some flowers. The flowers were lavender roses with mini white hydrangeas. The combination of the two looked beautiful and Melissa loved it. There was a note inside, "I am looking forward to seeing you tonight. Alan."

Flowers are becoming a daily occasion.

Jessica was going by and poked her head through the door. When she saw the flowers she smiled. "Someone likes you a lot Melissa."

Melissa smiled. "Have you got a minute?"

Jessica shook her head. "Can't. Mark needs for me to do a quick errand but when I get back I want to hear everything."

Jessica left and Melissa rolled her eyes and wondered what she was going to say that wouldn't be all over the office by the end of the day. With a sigh, Melissa got up and went to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee.

As she walked into the kitchen, Melissa saw Erica. It was too late to retreat. Melissa did not appreciate the comments Erica made yesterday to Sasha about her needing to look after James. Melissa knew that Erica had meant her and no one else.

"Well, it looks like you passed your assignment," Erica said in a cool tone.

"It appears that I did." Melissa said as she opened up the cabinet and pulled out a cup. She then went over to the coffee machine and started making coffee. She hoped that Erica was not going to say much more.

"I am glad that you did not listen to me," Erica said.

"I typically do not listen to other people especially if I do not feel they have my best interests at heart," Melissa said.

"That is a good thing," Erica pointed out as she got some yogurt out of the fridge and pulled out her cell phone.

The conversation was over. Suddenly Melissa realized that Erica had not known that Abbott and Solomon had recommended the loan to James. Erica had simply wanted to recommend something to see if Melissa would become her friend and then use their friendship to break her and Alan up.

_Whatever._ Melissa thought as she left with her cup of coffee. She did not want to think about Erica any more. Whatever Erica had wanted or tried to do was meaningless.

At 10:00 Melissa got a phone call from Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics. James was on the line asking if he could have lunch with Melissa today.

"I'm sorry James, but I am busy," Melissa said.

She had no trouble telling James "no" after having such an enjoyable night with Alan, and the best part was still to come and she knew it.

James became upset. "I just do not understand why you are rejecting me," he said angrily. "I have been nice to you and you should reconsider the loan to my company," he argued.

"James," Melissa said, "I do not have time for this, I am sorry, I am busy. As far as the loan to your company is concerned, I have made my recommendation and the board voted on my recommendation. I do not see a reason to change that recommendation unless you can provide more information."

There was a pause. "I am afraid I have given you all of the information."

Melissa was quiet. She really did not want to repeat that the recommendation was already made.

James waited for her to say something. He realized that she was not going to and then said, "Do you have anything to say?" he asked.

"Not really," Melissa answered.

She was really not in the mood to discuss with him the fact that he had attempted to shamelessly use her and probably would have but for the fact that her parents came to town and interrupted them. Just the thought of it made her shudder. James wanted to be with her for the sole purpose of getting the loan.

The thought that she actually liked him initially was bad enough now. How would she have felt if she went all the way and had let him take advantage of her? She stopped that chain of thought because it was getting too painful.

James was quiet for a few seconds. "I guess I will talk to you later, Melissa," he said.

"Good bye James," she responded.

The line went dead.

Melissa hung up and gave a deep sigh. At least her hands were not trembling and she did not have butterflies in her stomach when she had talked to him.

_Thank goodness I do not have to play games with him any more. He can find someone else to play games with him_.

Melissa's phone beeped—a text message. It was Alan:

_I cannot wait to see you tonight_.

Melissa smiled.

_Just a few more hours_. She sent back to him.

Melissa's alarm chirped. It was time for her to go to Mark Solomon's office as per his request the day before. Melissa got up and went to his office.

Jessica was on the phone and motioned for Melissa to go in as she continued to talk. Melissa went to Mr. Solomon's door and knocked.

"Come in," she heard.

Melissa opened the door and entered the office. When she walked in, Mr. Solomon was sitting at the end of a table and there were a few more people including Gary sitting around him.

"Come in, Melissa." Mr. Solomon said when he saw her. "Please sit down." As he gestured to an empty chair.

Melissa sat down and Mark began talking.

"Let me start out by saying that you did a great job with the project that you were given. We had intended to give the loan to Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics and now we have obviously changed our minds after what you found."

Mr. Solomon paused. He consulted his notes and looked back at Melissa. "You have potentially saved us a few million dollars," he continued. "I would like to offer you a promotion. We will set your salary at $75,000 a year instead of the original $50,000. I would like for you to do the same thing that Gary does. I want you to oversee the work of our other financial analysts. You will be given files and you will have to analyze them and then make a decision whether you want to grant a loan or not. We will also have a few big projects coming up. Some pretty large business loans and I want you to be in charge of them."

Melissa smiled and said, "Thank you. "

Gary nodded. "I think you did a good job too."

Mr. Solomon continued, "I also want you to meet a few people you will be working with more closely."

He went on to introduce the executives that were with him.

Mr. Solomon mentioned that she would now have to come to the weekly meetings with the heads of the departments.

Melissa glanced at Gary. He seemed a little nervous but with him it was difficult to tell if he was concerned.

When the meeting was over, Melissa went back to her desk and called up her mom. She told her that she still had her job and was even offered a raise and a promotion. Her mom was very happy. Melissa did not mention the night that she spent with Alan.

# Chapter 20

After work, Melissa ran home and got her bag ready. First, she threw in underwear, clothes, pajamas, and finally some toiletries. When she had finished packing, she really wanted to take a shower but ran out of time.

Alan was there at 6:30 sharp. He walked in and gave her a kiss. Not a wimpy kiss, a real kiss. He did not seem to be able to contain his excitement.

He noticed that she had her things packed and ready on her bed. He took the bags and then called an attendant. Within a few minutes, there was a knock on the door. The attendant introduced himself and asked what needed to be done.

"Please take all of these things to the black car that is in your loading area, the driver will assist you." Alan gave the attendant some money.

"Yes sir, thank you, sir," said the attendant and started loading Melissa's bags on a luggage cart.

Alan looked at Melissa. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," she said.

A short time later, they were on the way to Alan's apartment. As they were riding in the car, Melissa realized that she was very hungry.

When they walked into the apartment, Melissa could smell a freshly made dinner. Alan's housekeeper came out and said that dinner was ready.

"Thank you, Tia," Alan said. "You may go for today, we will see you tomorrow."

As soon as the housekeeper left, Alan came up to Melissa and put his hand on the side of her face. She liked his touch but she was not looking up at him. His hand touched her neck and then went down to her back.

Melissa put her head on his shoulder. When she did this, Alan used his second hand to hug her. She looked up and as soon as she did, he bent down and kissed her. Then he picked her up and started walking towards the bedroom.

"I was thinking about taking a shower first," she said.

"We can do it after," Alan insisted. He had waited the whole day and looked as though he could not wait another minute.

He put her gently on the bed and then things started happening faster. They were both began to breathe heavily and kissing each other. A few minutes later, all of their clothes were off. Alan was sitting on the bed, while Melissa was standing. He was taller and much bigger than her so even though she was standing, she was only slightly taller than him.

His hands were holding her back and he was enjoying her breasts. The kisses were invigorating and made her tremble. His hands went up and touched her chest and then went down below her waist. Alan moaned. She threw her head back, his touch was winding her up too. She liked him looking at her, to be admired by him, to be loved by him. He laid her down and continued caressing her. She also touched his chest and his back. She was amazed at how solid he felt.

_I guess I never realized how big he is_.

His hands were roaming and then they started to work their way lower and lower. All of the nerves between Melissa's legs tingled with pleasure. Each time Alan touched her she felt a small explosion. Then she gasped when he put his finger inside her. Alan covered her mouth with a kiss. He got on top of her and she enjoyed the feeling of him on top of her, he felt heavy, warm, and big.

She felt something pushing on her and a few seconds later she experienced a new sensation and she realized how big he was. This took her by surprise and was something that she had never experienced before.

She looked at him and moaned softly. He kissed her again and muffled her moan. He tried not to hurt her and went slowly, trying to not push hard. She enjoyed the new feeling. She also knew that Alan wasn't playing games and that he genuinely liked her. Alan waited for her to climax and then climaxed himself.

When they finished, they were both exhausted and sweaty. Alan rolled off her and said, "Melissa, I love you."

"I love you too, Alan," she answered. She said it and surprised herself because she really felt it.

Alan moved closer to her and kissed her again. She moved closer to him and buried her head in his chest and listened to his breathing. They were quiet for a few minutes, just hugging each other and enjoying the moment.

Eventually, Alan got up and went to the bathroom. Melissa got up too, put on her bathrobe, and went to the other bathroom. As she walked to the bathroom, Melissa thought how pleasant and fun the experience had been.

Melissa went in the bathroom and turned on the water. She took off her bathrobe and once the water was warm, she got in the shower. The shower was a stand up but seemed rather large to her.

After a few moments, Alan walked in the bathroom too. "May I join you?" he asked.

"Oh, I do not know," she tried to sound doubtful as she played hard to get.

"You do not know?" Alan repeated. "Let me try to convince you then," he said smiling. He opened the shower door and walked in.

Once in, he gently pushed her into a corner and pressed his body against hers and kissed her. He looked at Melissa and admired her. Melissa's skin was slick and glistened from the water. Her breasts became firm from his attention.

"I would love to make love to you right now but I think that we have to take things slowly," he said.

"Thanks," she said. Melissa felt a little sore and did not think another session would make her feel better.

Alan then lathered up her bathing sponge and helped her take a shower. She, in turn, helped him. When they were done, he got out and handed her a towel. She took the towel, dried her hair, and then wrapped herself in it. Once out, she put on a t-shirt and some yoga pants.

Alan came back a few minutes later. He was dressed similarly in some sweats and a t-shirt. "Let's eat," he suggested. He then left the room and went into the kitchen to serve. After a moment, Melissa followed him.

Tia, the housekeeper, had left the food on warm so everything was ready to eat. Alan pulled some seltzer water out of the refrigerator for himself. Melissa got some cranberry juice for herself. They had grilled chicken with Alfredo sauce, pasta and broccoli.

They both devoured their meals. They ate quietly as both were hungry and thinking about what had happened. After the main course, they had dessert and coffee. Tia had baked an apple pie that went well with the coffee.

When they finished eating Alan said, "I would like to take you somewhere this Saturday."

"Where?" Melissa asked.

"I would like for it to be a surprise," he answered mysteriously.

"Okay," Melissa agreed. "Sounds good." She did not feel it would be fair to spoil the surprise. _Probably he wants to go to the movies or something like that_.

"Also my Dad is coming to town on Sunday and I would like for you to meet him," he added.

"I would love to meet your Dad," she agreed.

At that point, Alan switched gears and started talking about work. "How was work today?" Alan asked.

"It was good," she said proudly. "I got a promotion. Mark raised my salary. He wants me to take a more supervisory role and oversee projects and check on things that other analysts are doing."

"Ah," said Alan. He seemed distracted.

Melissa looked at him and began to get upset. He was obviously not interested in her work at all. "Shouldn't you say congratulations or something?"

Alan immediately realized his error and attempted to smooth things over. "Congratulations, Melissa. That is quite an accomplishment to be promoted after being at Abbott and Solomon for such a short time. I don't recall Mark promoting anyone as quickly. But after a few days you may look at things a bit differently," Alan said.

"How so?" Melissa asked.

"I cannot tell you at the moment," Alan said smiling.

"But I would really like to know," Melissa was trying to insist.

Alan came to her and helped her get up. He hugged her and said,

"It's a surprise. You'll just have to wait. I am sorry. Just one more day."

Melissa began to wonder if Alan got in touch with Mark Solomon and they were going to transfer her to a different department or transfer her to a different office.

After dinner, they went to bed. Each of them read a book for a few minutes and then they talked for a while before falling asleep in each other's arms, tired and happy. Alan cared about her and limited himself to just a few kisses before going to bed.

"I love you, Melissa," Alan repeated.

"I love you too," she said giving him a kiss and falling asleep.

# Chapter 21

The next morning, Melissa was out of bed first and in the shower getting ready for work. She knew that she had a few assignments that she needed to complete that day. Alan was up shortly after her. He got up and started getting dressed too.

"I would like to take you for breakfast and then to work," Alan said.

Melissa smiled. "I'd like that."

He took her to breakfast and Melissa was back at work at 8:00. The morning was uneventful and at lunch Melissa called her mom.

"Mom, I stayed with Alan yesterday..." Melissa paused. "It was very good...I think I love him."

Melissa's mom paused for a moment before answering. "I'm happy for you," she said. "I think that Alan is a very good man and I think that you would be very happy with him."

"Mom, he is older and not exactly the person I initially thought I would like to be with but every time I give him a chance I have been very happy. I tried to tell myself that I would not be happy with him, but I have been. It has taken me a while to realize that I don't have to pretend to be someone I'm not with him. I also like the fact that he doesn't play games."

She went on to tell her mom about her promotion and all of the other things that happened to her over the last few days. Telling her these things made Melissa realize that she felt calm, content, and happy. Her mom was very happy to hear about the promotion and especially about Alan wanting to be with her.

"You like him a lot, don't you?" Melissa asked.

Janet laughed. "Yes, he is a very likable young man," she answered.

The day went by quickly. James did not appear, it seemed that at that stage he understood that Melissa was no longer interested in him and had gone away.

_What will he do?_ Melissa asked herself. _He probably will attempt to find another investment company to get the loan from or file for bankruptcy. I don't know, and it's not my problem._ With that thought, she forgot about James.

At the end of the day, Melissa went down to the lobby of the building. Alan had asked her that morning if he could pick her up after work and she agreed. As she was about to exit the building, she noticed James standing in the corner of the lobby looking at her.

It was too late to retreat, they had both seen each other. As soon as James realized that she noticed him, he moved towards her. Melissa stopped.

I do not want Alan to see me with him, thought Melissa.

"I need to talk to you," James said.

"I am afraid we have nothing to talk about," Melissa answered and tried to walk away from him.

"I have missed you, why are you ignoring me?" James asked.

"Excuse me," Melissa said. "What are you talking about? Two days ago, I met your girlfriend at the gala. I am under the impression that you are taken."

"She is just an escort," said James

"Just an escort???" Melissa argued. "She said you have been dating for a few months."

"That's what she thinks but not me," James responded.

Melissa seethed inside.

I know that he and his girlfriend are dating. He must be desperate and he still thinks that he has a grip on my heart. He must think that if he can turn things around by dating me he can get the loan.

Melissa looked at him and said, "Look, I just want to go. I don't think that this conversation is getting anywhere."

She started turning around when James said, "No, wait." He then grabbed her hand. Melissa was trying to get her hand out of his grip but could not.

Suddenly someone's hand was on Melissa's back and the other hand grabbed James's hand and pushed it away. It was Alan.

"Let go of her, James, and get out of here," Alan said firmly. Melissa felt like crying but she knew that she was at the entrance to the building and if she started crying, things would get more complicated. People may notice and it might become a topic for gossip.

Alan came close to James and was speaking right in his face, "You need to let go, James. If I see you one more time coming up to her and harassing her, you will regret it, I promise. So leave her alone."

James smirked, turned around and started to leave.

Alan was aware that Melissa's coworkers might see the scene, so he just said to Melissa, "Come, let's go."

When they got to the car, Alan helped Melissa into the passenger seat and then went to the driver's side. Once inside he turned to Melissa and asked, "Are you okay?"

She started crying and said, "Yes, I think so."

"I don't think so, you don't look like it," Alan said.

He bent over and hugged her the best he could from the driver's seat. "I am sorry," he said. "I think he will go away after this. I will make sure that he doesn't bother you, I promise."

After a few minutes, Melissa stopped crying and started looking out the window. She was starting to feel better.

Thank goodness it is Friday.

Alan saw that Melissa was calming down so he attempted to divert her attention. "I have some unexpected news. My dad and stepmom are flying in early today and I was hoping that all of us could go out for dinner tonight. I know that we talked about having dinner on Sunday with them but they cannot wait to meet you and I can't wait for them to meet you either. I talked with them and we thought that we could meet tonight at 8 o'clock. Would that work for you?"

Melissa thought for a moment before replying. "That would be great. I would love to meet your dad and your stepmom. I just need to find something to wear."

They went back to Alan's apartment. When they walked in, Alan said with a sigh, "We are finally alone." He pulled Melissa towards himself and hugged her. She just rested on his shoulder for a while. She was getting used to leaning on him. As soon as she looked up at him, he took it as an invitation and kissed her.

When the kiss was over, Melissa went through her overnight bag and was not able to find anything that she felt would be appropriate to wear for meeting Alan's parents. She walked out of the room and told Alan.

Initially, he offered to take Melissa to a store but she declined. Melissa felt that she would not have enough time to buy something. If she didn't find anything appropriate in the store, what would she do then? Melissa felt that going to Angie's apartment was the safest thing to do. After some thought, Alan agreed.

When they got into the apartment, Alan pulled out his tablet and started doing some work while he waited for Melissa to get ready. Melissa went to her room and started going through her clothes to find something nice to wear. Eventually, she found something she thought was appropriate and that Alan would like. She changed and retouched her makeup. When she was done she walked out of her bedroom. Alan stopped working and looked at her.

Melissa was wearing a beaded jewel neck jacket in white with a peony pink pencil skirt, white pumps and a pink suede shoulder bag. He immediately noticed that she was wearing the pink diamond necklace that he had given her a few days ago. It matched the outfit well and was shining against her skin and the white jacket.

A smile appeared on his face and he got up to meet her. Alan touched her face, put it into his hands and said, "I would love to go to the bedroom with you right now but we are going to have to put it off by a few hours. Dad and Kerrie are waiting."

Melissa noted that Alan also looked good. He was wearing black suit pants and a light blue shirt with a black coat.

He has been looking happy lately.

Alan pulled her towards himself and said, "I love this necklace, thanks for wearing it." He paused and stroked her face and her hair. "It is a shame we have to go that dinner," he sounded genuinely disappointed. He bent down and whispered in her ear as if there was someone else to hear it. "I cannot wait to take your clothes off."

Melissa giggled and they kissed. In a few moments they were on the way to the restaurant. With his driver at the wheel, Alan got in the back of the car and sat with Melissa. Sitting close to Melissa, Alan placed his arm over her shoulder and hugged her most of the way to the restaurant.

# Chapter 22

The restaurant they were going to was in an upscale hotel that was owned by Alan's dad. When they got to the restaurant, the host informed them that Alan's dad and stepmom were already there. The host took two menus and escorted Alan and Melissa to the table.

The table was in a corner of the restaurant and had partitions that made it more private. When they reached the table, Melissa saw Alan's parents reading their menus. After brief introductions, Melissa started assessing the situation. Alan's dad, Andrew or Andy as the stepmom called him, was in his late 50s. He was wearing a dark grey suit with a white shirt and a dark blue tie. From his manner, Melissa could tell that he was used to being the boss and it did not seem like he cared whether people liked him or not. He wore glasses and had a tendency to look at everyone while smirking. Melissa got a sense that Andrew did not care for her. He didn't say anything but she could tell from his attitude that he was not impressed.

Alan's stepmom, Kerrie, was in her early 50s, thin, with long brown hair, tiny porcelain teeth and a large fake smile. The smile seemed to be pasted on her face and it was difficult for Melissa to tell what the woman was really thinking. She struck Melissa as being a syrupy sweet kind of person who could turn around and stab someone in the back and do not feel bad about it. Melissa looked at her and she was not sure whether she liked Kerrie or not but she was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.

"So where did you meet?" Kerrie asked. She was trying to be polite and initiate at least some sort of a conversation and dissipate the tensions that seemed to already be building.

"We met through Angie, Melissa and Angie went to school together," Alan responded.

Andrew ignored what was being said about Melissa and changed the subject entirely. "Alan, did you ever meet with Paul Miller from The Miller Investment Group to discuss our plans to expand the apartment complex in upstate New York?"

Alan was surprised by the change of subject. "Well, I called him a few days ago and I have a meeting scheduled with him early next week," Alan answered. He seemed to have been taken aback by the question. It was obvious that Alan did not want to discuss business but it seemed that is what his dad was set on doing at the moment.

"How is dear Angie?" Kerrie asked ignoring Andrew's question.

Alan was happy to talk about anything other than work. "I just talked to her a few days ago, she is still in Jersey. At this point of time she is not sure she would like to proceed with her trip because she has been having so much fun in Jersey. I think that she also likes someone on the island and has no desire to leave."

"Is that right?" Kerrie seemed to be surprised. "I thought that she would have already toured Europe by now." It did not sound like Kerrie cared too much for Angie. To Melissa, it seemed obvious that Angie did not talk much to Kerrie because she had no clue as to what was going on with Angie.

"Yes," Alan continued. "Apparently the family she is staying with has a son who is working at the same bank Angie has been shadowing at and they are having a fling but it seems like the fling might be getting serious. At least it is serious enough to the point that she is not going anywhere else at the moment."

Kerrie laughed and Andrew smirked.

"Well, I am glad that things are going well for her," Kerrie said, she did not have much to say and just seemed to be buying time. Kerrie then tried to shift the conversation back to Melissa.

"What do you do Melissa?" she asked.

"I work at Abbott and Solomon Investment House," Melissa answered.

"Ah," Andrew seemed to warm up to this topic. "Don't you do quite a bit of business with them Alan? Didn't you say you have a lot of capital invested with Mark?"

"Yes, I do," Alan responded.

"You know," Andrew said. "I am starting to get tired of the Florida project. It is too hot down there. Now that everything has been streamlined I may just send Leo down there to get things going."

Kerrie turned to Melissa, "Leo is Andy's assistant and helps him with his projects all the time."

"Oh," Melissa said.

Alan attempted to get conversation back to Melissa.

"Melissa just started working at Abbott and Solomon a few weeks ago and she already got a promotion. She worked on a project involving Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics and did really well. In fact, Mark was so impressed that he gave her a raise," Alan sounded very proud of her.

"That scoundrel James Morgan," Andrew rolled her eyes. "I'm tired of hearing about him, his troubles, and his stories of living above his means," Andrew said firmly.

Alan did not say much. He did not look like he was interested in discussing James with anyone. Alan tried again to change subjects, "I heard it is going to be a beautiful day tomorrow, sunny and warm. What are your plans for tomorrow?" Alan asked Andrew and Kerrie.

"We do not have any at the moment," Andrew said.

"We will probably go to dinner at the club tomorrow," Kerrie said. "I am also supposed to get my nails and hair done in the morning and Andy is getting a massage in the morning."

"What about you, Alan?" Andrew asked. He seemed to avoid the phrase "You and Melissa" and was trying to separate them from each other in his conversation and in his mind.

Melissa realized that she had been cut out of the conversation for the last few minutes and Alan's attempts to draw her in were not successful. She sensed that Andrew did not want to talk to her or for her to even be there.

The waiter came up and asked them what they would like to order. He started out with Andrew. Andrew ordered mac and cheese with lobster and truffles. Kerrie took a salad and grilled chicken. Alan ordered the filet mignon with some mashed potatoes, carrots and peas. When it came to Melissa, the waiter turned to her and said, "And for you ma'am?"

"I would like the petite sirloin steak and a baked potato with salad as an appetizer," said Melissa.

Andrew bent towards Alan. "Sirloin steak is for poor people. We do not order sirloin steaks," he whispered.

"Dad, if that is what she wants, let her order it," Alan said. "And it is not for poor people, she likes it because it is lean. " Alan said while Melissa was still ironing out details of her order with the waiter and in the hopes that she did not hear what his dad just said. Andrew however on purpose said it loud enough to where everyone heard it.

The waiter heard what both Andrew and Alan said and waited for the order to be completed. Kerrie looked away and pretended like she did not hear any of the conversation. After a pause Melissa said, "I've changed my mind and I would like to have the mac and cheese with lobster and truffles."

"Very good, ma'am, may I say this is an excellent choice," the waiter commented.

Once the waiter left, Melissa noticed Andrew smiling.

He seems to like it when he gets his way.

Kerrie tried to change subjects by asking Alan what he was planning to do for Christmas. Alan began talking to her and then Melissa excused herself and went to the restroom.

When she got to the restroom, she reapplied her makeup and then took a deep breath. This dinner was turning out to be complicated. She had hoped that it was going to be like the dinner that she and Alan had spent with her parents. They loved Alan and treated him like he was family from the beginning. She realized that his family was different. They were more well-off than her parents and they seemed to be trying to make her aware of the fact that they were coming from completely different circles.

I'm just fooling myself. This is not going to work out. He has a lot more money than I do. I'm no match for him. All I want is a quiet life and a family and I don't know if I can have it with him. He needs someone who is like him, not some girl from the Chicago suburbs."

Melissa took a deep breath and decided that when they got back to his apartment, she was going to talk to Alan. She went back to the table and as she came to the partition that separated their table from the rest of the restaurant, she heard Andrew say in an agitated voice, "Alan, she is not someone you want to be with. She is plain and poor. I am sure that she is only after your money. Look at her, she is a gold digger. I know that she is trying to trap you. Mark my words, a few years later you will be in court battling for custody of your kids and giving her millions for nothing. You need to find someone like you, someone with money, connections, someone that will be an equal to you."

Alan said something, Melissa could not hear because he was further away than Andrew and spoke more quietly. Next, Andrew said angrily, "I do not agree with that, Alan. I think that you need to dump her..." he paused for a second because he had so much anger.

"Today," he finished.

Alan again said something that she could not hear. Melissa noticed that Kerrie seemed to be staying out of the conversation and not taking sides. It seemed obvious to Melissa that this was an issue that did not concern Kerrie. She seemed to only want the argument to be over.

Melissa hesitated for a second and then went back to the restaurant entrance. She made her decision, she felt that she did not have a choice. There were a few attendants at the entrance and she came up to one of them and said, "Excuse me, I am not feeling well. I need a taxi."

The attendant looked at her. She was indeed as white as a sheet.

"No problem, ma'am," he said. He picked up the phone and within a minute a taxi was at the entrance.

"Would you please inform my party that I will not be returning to the table because I am not feeling well? And can you please wait about five minutes before you tell them?" Melissa asked the attendant.

"Yes ma'am," the attendant said, "will do."

Melissa walked out, got into a taxi, and gave the driver the address to her apartment. The taxi started moving and Melissa leaned back and closed her eyes.

She felt like she has just fallen into a sink hole, she could not remember if it was dark or light outside, if the road was busy or not. All she could think about was Alan. A few days ago she was not sure she wanted to be with him. Now she felt that the world came to an end because she did not think he wanted to be with her.

_How things have changed_.

Her cell phone rang and Alan's number showed up. Melissa just let it go into voicemail. It rang again and again but she did not pick up.

When she got back to Angie's apartment, she opened the door, walked in and threw the keys on the kitchen counter. A few hours ago she left this apartment happy because she was with Alan. Now, she was back but mentally on the opposite side of the spectrum. She could not believe it. Two hours and she was thrown in an abyss of grief.

She heard a text message come and she did not even pull the phone out of her purse. Next, the home phone rang and she did not answer. It rang a few more times and went into voicemail. The light on the phone started blinking but she did not care. It was over.

She was not sure if she was hungry or not. Was it night or day? She did not know. It did not matter, all she was focused on was Alan and how she was not with him anymore. Her hope of life with him was over.

What about the Saturday surprise Alan had promised?

She went to the bedroom, got into bed without undressing, turned off the lights and closed the door.

A few minutes later she heard a knock on the door. _Who could it be?_ She knew it was either Alan or maybe an attendant. It did not matter.

Moments later there was another, more persistent knocking. Melissa opened her eyes at the sound of the knocking and then closed them when it stopped.

A few seconds passed and there was no more knocking.

_Thank goodness_.

She closed her eyes again when she heard someone moving in the living room and Alan's voice calling her name.

She did not move.

Alan knocked gently on the door and opened it a little.

"Melissa," he whispered. "Are you okay?"

She did not respond.

Alan walked in and repeated, "Are you okay?"

"No, I am not," she replied. "You should probably go Alan."

"Why did you run away?" Alan asked.

"I heard what your dad said about me," she answered. "I realized that things between us cannot work out."

Alan sighed. Then went around the bed and sat on it on the same side where she was laying down.

"I'm sorry," Alan said. There was pain in his voice. "I am very sorry about what he said. What he said was not right and you did not deserve it." Alan took her hand.

"He usually is not like that," he continued. "I do not know what came over him. He is not used to meeting someone I date. In fact, I think that this was the first time. I was really taken aback by his reaction."

Melissa opened her eyes.

"But isn't he right? I think we are just fooling ourselves." She shook her head.

"No Melissa, we are not," Alan argued. "I know that you are not after my money. I know that you love me, I also know that I love you. "

He squeezed her hand gently. "Can you please look at me?"

She did not look at him. He sighed and said, "Melissa, not everyone is going to approve of our relationship for whatever reason. Some of them, like my Dad, may be jealous or may feel like you are taking me away from them. Others may just envy us. What their reason is, does not matter. Remember that you and I always have to take each other's side in those kind of arguments and stay strong. We cannot let them ruin things for us, they are not worth it. Yes, he is my dad and I owe him a lot. But I am now independent and his word is not everything."

He paused.

"Please do not let him get between us. I promise he will not see you again until he apologizes."

He stopped and waited for her answer.

Melissa could not take it any more and just started sobbing. Alan crawled on the bed next to her and gave her a hug.

"Melissa, I love you," he said. His hand was hugging her and pulling her closer to him.

"I love you too Alan," she whispered taking his hand and pressing it against her face.

He bent down and kissed her. Then he held her quietly until she stopped sobbing.

"Would you like something to eat?" he asked. "I know that you have not had dinner."

"I have nothing in the kitchen," Melissa answered.

"Let me check." Alan got up and went to the kitchen. Melissa heard some rumbling and then a triumphant shout came from the kitchen a few seconds later, "I found some cold cereal," Alan called out. It sounded like he was going through the refrigerator. "But don't get too excited, there is no milk."

Melissa laughed.

Alan returned to the bedroom. "Sounds like a takeout night," Alan continued. "I can order something," he said. He grabbed his phone and called a restaurant for a take out. "Food will be here in about 30 minutes," he said after he hung up.

"May I make some tea for you while we are waiting?" he asked.

Before Melissa could answer, he was back in the kitchen making tea. He came back shortly with a cup of hot green tea and in a few seconds Melissa was sitting at the kitchen table sipping it. She felt like a child who had lost a toy and suddenly was reunited with it and could not understand why she was originally upset.

"I am sorry I left like that," she said quietely. "I mean the way I left the restaurant." She looked at his face trying to read his emotion. Alan smiled back, happy she finally looked at him.

"Oh, not at all, you had a reason to. It was a good thing you did not see my Dad again and left. I hope that it will be a lesson to him. If he does not change, he will not be able to see us anymore," Alan sounded very determined.

Alan emphasized the word "us" and Melissa caught on to it.

She had not expected him to take her side. She was sure that he was going to side with his dad and that things were over.

"Alan," Melissa said, "if you are looking for someone who is going to love being in the limelight, being in the papers, being famous, I am not a good person for that. All I want is a family and kids and someone who loves me. I am not very ambitious. There is nothing more important to me than my family."

Alan walked back to her, took her hand and kissed it and said, "I can see that in you and that is why I want you."

"You can?" she was surprised.

"Definitely. I could see that in you and your parents. I want to become a part of your family, someone who is important to you."

Melissa looked at him, taking in every detail of his face. "I think that you already are."

Alan bent over, touched her face and kissed her.

"I have heard that makeup sex is supposed to be very good," Alan said with a hint of a smile on his face.

Melissa giggled.

Alan picked up the phone and called up attendant downstairs. He asked for them to hold on to the restaurant takeout and he will be down to pick it up within a few minutes.

Alan hung up the phone and turned to Melissa. "Don't want them to interrupt us." He was then next to her, holding her face again, and kissing her.

"I love you," he said. "Please remember that."

"I love you too, Alan."

He started taking her clothes off. When her blouse was gone, he paused to admire her bra. Melissa had bought a lace bra that she was hoping would impress him. It did as it revealed pretty white lace. He undid her bra and started kissing her chest. Soon her skirt was off too and then he realized that the bottom part matched the top. It was a sheer white lace bottom that left little to the imagination. He smiled when he saw it. Without taking it off, he figured out that she got a Brazil.

"Oh...my...God," he exclaimed. "Who showed you that?" he asked.

"I looked it up on the Internet," she said laughing. "I got a razor at the drugstore and kind of figured out the rest."

His breathing grew heavy and quick. Suddenly, all of the clothes were off within a few seconds. "I think I would like to try something new today," he said, "if that is okay with you." Melissa nodded.

Instead of getting on top of her, he picked her up and placed her on top of himself. That allowed him to see her and to be able to touch her. The visual stimulation was almost too much. She held his hands and then he released one of his hands, the next thing she felt was him inside her. In that position he was able to go much deeper, it was almost painful. He perceived this and stopped. Carefully picking her up, he gently laid her on the bed before going back to his usual position. He waited for her to be done, before finishing himself.

He rolled off her sweaty but happy. She turned her face to him.

He took her hand and kissed it, "Thank you," he said, "that was fun."

They laid in each other's arms for a few minutes and then Melissa stomach gurgled. Alan got up on one elbow and said, "I am going to call and see if they can bring up the food."

"Okay," she answered.

He got dressed and called downstairs. Dinner was there a few minutes later.

After dinner, they took a shower together. Melissa loved holding him and being held by him in the shower with the hot water streaming down their bodies.

They decided to stay in her apartment for the night because it was getting late and, according to Alan, they had a busy day ahead of them tomorrow. When they got into bed, they hugged each other for a long time before falling asleep.

# Chapter 23

Melissa got up early the next morning before Alan and quickly jumped in the shower. When she was done she brushed her teeth, did her morning skincare routine, wrapped herself in a towel, and then walked out. She went to the kitchen to get some water and to start the coffee machine. Melissa got a bottle of water out of the cupboard and realized that the coffee machine did not have coffee in it.

Alan heard Melissa rumbling in the kitchen and got out of bed. He walked to the doorway and quietly stood there watching her. Melissa's hair was wet, the towel clung to her figure and her legs were showing nicely. He realized that she was getting coffee and was trying to make sure that coffee would be ready by the time he woke up.

There was one little problem—coffee was on the top shelf. Melissa tried to reach it but could not. Initially, she thought about getting a chair but then she thought that if she stood on her toes she should be able to get it. She tried and as she was reaching for it, the towel unwrapped itself and fell on the floor.

Alan now had a full view of her. Seeing her back uncovered and the profile of her breasts was enough. He stepped forward behind her. Melissa was surprised by him being behind her and tried to pick up the towel on the floor. He came closer and took her hand. Melissa blushed. Alan loved the fact that she was blushing even though he had seen her without clothes before.

Picking her up, Alan set her on the kitchen counter. Her breasts were now level with his face. He started sucking on both of them and in a few seconds they were both erect. She threw her head back and arched her back. He put his hands on her breasts, enjoying the feel of them. They were full and tight. He started touching her knees and worked his way up her legs. As he was doing that, he began kissing her.

Realizing that the counter might become a distraction, Alan gently picked up Melissa and carried her back to the bedroom. He placed her on the bed and shortly he was on top of her.

His weight was pleasant to Melissa. It was nice to feel him on top of her as she began to appreciate his size and strength. She arched her back and touched his chest with her nipples.

Alan groaned and could no longer hold back. He was suddenly breathing quickly while moving back in forth in a rhythmic way. For him making love to Melissa was more than just sex, it meant that he wanted to give her the ultimate pleasure, something that no one else could give. It also meant that he wanted to be her friend, her best companion, someone that he hoped she would want to share things with first.

To Melissa, making love meant that she wanted to be his and wanted to make him happy and in the process he would make her happy too. She climaxed and a few moments later he did too. He rolled off next to her and moaned.

Melissa began thinking about how making love made everything better. Yesterday, they were fighting and upset and suddenly they were making up. Making love was a salve that helped their relationship. It healed the hurt. It brought them together and allowed them to connect in a way that they couldn't before. It helped their feelings grow.

"I love you Melissa."

Melissa noticed that Alan made a point to tell her that he loved her after each of their lovemaking session.

"I love you too, Alan," Melissa responded.

They went down to the gym a few minutes later to work out. After the workout they went to the pool for a few minutes to relax. While in the pool Melissa asked Alan, "How did you get into the apartment yesterday?"

Alan disappeared under water for a second and when he reappeared he said, "Oh, I have Angie's keys just in case. I never had to use them before that is why it took me a few minutes to figure it which key would work."

"That would make sense," Melissa said. Now she understood how he was able to get in.

After their workout, they went back to Melissa's apartment. Alan was still keeping the details of today's appointment under wraps so she had no idea where they were going or what they were going to do.

"What should I wear today?" she asked.

"I think you should wear something nice. We are going someplace in the morning but I cannot tell you where and then somewhere fun in the afternoon. Oh, by the way, tomorrow we are going to a gala. Just a heads up," Alan shrugged his shoulders. "Not a big deal, just wanted to let you know."

"Okay," Melissa said. She was starting to get used to all of the events that Alan needed to attend. She understood that he did enjoy them as much as other people but he did not have a choice, it was just something that he had to do.

Alan called someone up and a few minutes later his Saturday outfit was brought to him. He was wearing khaki pants and a plaid shirt. He also put on a light coat. After all it was November in New York City.

Melissa chose skinny ankle jeans in cream color and a white t-shirt with a pink cardigan. She also put on her pink diamond pendant.

"You like that, don't you?" Alan asked smiling before giving her a kiss.

"I love it," Melissa answered.

First they went to a bakery for breakfast. Alan chose to have some oatmeal with peaches and cream and a coffee and Melissa picked chocolate and almond filled croissant and a coffee.

Melissa noticed that Alan was acting very happy during breakfast.

"I am really glad that we talked yesterday," he said. "Sometimes you have to let it out so that things can get better."

"I agree," Melissa said. "I think that things needed to be addressed before they became a big problem."

Alan smiled. "I enjoyed making love to you yesterday. That lacy underwear was...awesome."

Melissa giggled. "I enjoyed making love to you too," Melissa said simply.

"We will have to try it out again tonight," Alan winked.

"I am going to have to think about it," Melissa laughed taking a sip of her coffee as she tried to play hard to get.

"What?" Alan said. "Don't make me take you back to the apartment right now. Just thinking about you in your underwear is not helping. Because of that, we can't leave right now." He smiled. "I am not in a position to get up right now in a public place, we are going to have to sit here for a few minutes."

Melissa laughed. "I do not really feel sorry for you," she said.

"I know," he answered. "Wait till tonight, I will not feel sorry for you either." Alan laughed.

In a few minutes, the car with Alan's driver showed up and they got in.

"Where are we going?" Melissa asked again.

"It is a secret," Alan was not giving up. He obviously felt very strongly about not telling her what is going to happen today.

He did not give any directions to the driver. The driver apparently knew where to go and obviously he was given instructions ahead of time. Melissa watched, curious where they were going. After a few minutes and several turns, Melissa realized that they were on Fifth Avenue. The car stopped and they got out. Alan took Melissa's hand as they walked down the street. They stopped in front of a store a few buildings from the intersection.

Alan turned to Melissa. "We're almost there. Could you close your eyes for a few moments and let me lead you?"

Melissa agreed and after a short walk, they entered a store. Alan said to the attendant, "Hello, we have an appointment at 10:30."

"Very good sir," was the answer. "Are you going to be picking out what we discussed a few days ago?"

"Yes, we will," Alan answered.

"Can I open my eyes?" Melissa asked.

"Sure, now you can," Alan said.

Melissa opened her eyes and was dazzled by the bright lights. She immediately realized she was inside a jewelry store. Not just a jewelry store but an _expensive_ jewelry store with lots of sales people.

One of them stepped forward and introduced himself. "Hello, I'm Jason. May I help you find something today?"

Alan nodded. Jason smiled, "Before we begin, may I offer you something to drink, a soft drink, coffee, water?"

Melissa and Alan both asked for water. The salesman disappeared for a few moments and after he brought them their water, he led them to a separate room where they all sat down. Once seated, Jason asked, "Are you familiar with diamonds?"

"I know a little bit about them," Alan answered. Jason looked at Melissa.

"I do not know much about them," Melissa said.

"No problem," Jason said making it sound like he was used to this response. "In that case let me start out by giving you a crash course on diamonds. Every diamonds is classified by four "C"s which are cut, clarity, carat and color. I would like to add that in addition to 4 Cs there is also the shape of the diamond.

Jason looked at them, "Are you following so far?"

"Yes," Alan nodded. Jason then pulled out a chart with a drawing of all of the diamond shapes available.

"The most traditional shape which also has the most brilliance is the round shape. The next most popular shape is the princess cut which is square but also has quite a bit of brilliance. The emerald cut is a step cut that looks like an inverted pyramid. There is also the cushion cut which has bulky facets and looks great in a halo setting. The radiant cut has trimmed corners and can be quite brilliant too. The remaining cuts, the marquise, oval and heart shaped are beautiful but not as commonly purchased." Jason obviously knew a lot about diamonds and enjoyed talking about them.

Melissa bent over and asked Alan, "What are we doing here?"

"We are buying your engagement ring," Alan whispered back. Melissa was shocked.

Jason didn't seem to notice their conversation as he continued his lecture on diamonds. "The cut of a diamond is very important and there are classifications that we can talk about. The clarity refers to how clean from inclusions a diamond is. This scale goes from internally flawless to I3 diamonds which have inclusions that can be seen with the naked eye."

"The color of the diamond that can go from colorless to yellow in color. In addition, we, of course, also have fancy colors available such as pink, blue, green, and red if you are interested. Do you know what color of a diamond you would like?"

"I think I would like colorless, please," Melissa responded to Jason. "This way it matches whatever I wear," Melissa whispered to Alan.

"Great choice," Jason agreed. "They are the rarest of diamonds."

"Have you thought about the shape you would like?" Jason wondered.

"I am not sure," Melissa looked at Alan. He helped her out and asked, "Can you show us a few examples?"

"Certainly," Jason said. He left and a few minutes later returned with a few examples of the different diamond shapes. He showed them a beautiful D colored round diamond, an E colored princess cut, a D colored emerald cut, and a an F colored cushion cut diamond.

None of the diamonds had prices on them.

"How much is this one?" Melissa pointed to the round cut diamond.

Jason hesitated to answer and looked at Alan. "I do not think that I am at liberty to answer this question," Jason said. "I believe that it was requested that prices not be mentioned."

"Do not worry about the price, just pick what you like," Alan reassured her.

"Okay," Melissa said. She looked at the different styles and colors. After some looking, she felt that she liked the iciness of the colorless diamond. "I definitely like how icy a colorless diamond looks," Melissa commented. The color was then decided.

As far as the shape, Melissa liked the cushion diamond in a halo setting but at the same time she also liked a princess diamond.

Alan chipped in and said that he also liked princess cut diamond.

"It is decided then," Melissa said. "Princess cut it is."

"Now that we have decided on the color and shape," Jason said. "We have to decide on the size. What size are you interested in?"

"5 carat," Alan said.

"5 carat? No, Alan that is too big," Melissa protested. "I want something smaller. Between 1 carat and 1.5 carat will be plenty big," Melissa argued.

"Why is that?" Alan asked.

"Because if I am going to wear it every day, I don't want something big and gaudy. Bigger does not mean better. What about getting an internally flawless diamond but maybe a smaller one, would that work? "

"I guess...it would," Alan yielded.

Jason brought out a few rings with colorless internally flawless princess cut stones. Some of the stones were in solitaire settings and others had side stones.

"I think that the next step would be for you to decide what setting you would like," Jason pointed out. "Just remember that you should be thinking about wedding bands and how they would match with the setting for the engagement ring."

"That makes sense," Alan agreed examining one of the rings closely. He seemed to be leaning towards a solitaire setting.

They ended up choosing a solitaire setting because Alan felt that it did not take away from the center stone and he liked it. Melissa agreed with that. For her wedding ring, she mentioned that she wanted a channel set princess cut band in platinum. Again she did not want the ring to be too big. Jason brought out a few and she picked one while Alan picked just a plain 4 mm platinum wedding band.

Jason left and in a few minutes he returned with the ring that they picked. It was wrapped in a pretty green box and was handed to Alan.

"Can you leave us for a few minutes?" Alan asked handing Jason his credit card.

"Certainly sir," Jason answered. He disappeared with Alan's credit card, closing the door behind him.

Alan took the box, opened it and took the ring out of the box. Then he got down on one knee and asked Melissa, "Melissa I know that this has been a whirlwind but I know that asking you to marry me is the right decision. I know that we have not known each other for a long time but from the first day I met you, I knew that I would be foolish if I let you pass me by. Would you like to be my best friend and my best companion for the rest of my life? Will you marry me?"

Melissa's eyes got watery. She could not believe that just a few weeks ago she was leaving Chicago and coming to New York. Now suddenly she was getting engaged to Alan. It was like a dream come true.

"Yes, I will," Melissa said once she was able to speak. Then she grinned. "You kind of cheated a little and got a hint that I was going to say yes, when I helped you to choose the ring."

Alan laughed, "You are right, that eased my anxiety a little." He put the ring on her finger. She loved it. She loved that he did not just go and get one, he brought her in and asked her opinion.

Alan is a good man. He doesn't pick people to be nice to, he just treats everyone well.

Jason came back and asked, "Excuse me sir, were you interested in getting wedding bands as well."

"Yes, Jason, that would be great," Jason seemed thrilled with Alan's answer. "May I be the first to congratulate you both. If you will excuse me, I will be back in a moment," Jason disappeared again. He returned a few minutes later, Alan signed the slip and they were done. "We wish you all the best, sir," Jason said. "And to you too ma'am. If you need anything else, please let us know."

"We certainly will," Alan responded.

Melissa could feel the ring on her finger. It felt nice. It was not too big and not too small. It was just right.

_I will have to call up Mom_.

"What will your Dad say?" Melissa asked.

"It does not matter," Alan answered. "What mattered is what _you_ had to say."

Melissa thought that they would go back to the apartment but she soon realized that their car was driving in a different direction.

"Where are we going?" she asked Alan.

"We are going to a secret place where we can share the rest of the day together and have fun. It's a hotel I know of where we can get some pampering and have some one-on-one time."

"Oh," Melissa answered. She did not know what to say. Alan was really trying hard. She noticed that he had a faint smile on his face. Melissa realized that he has been thinking about this day for some time. He had obviously done a lot of planning.

They arrived at the hotel a short time later. After checking in, they were escorted to one of the lofts. When they got to the door, Alan picked Melissa up and she giggled. After crossing the threshold, Alan gently let her down. They entered a living room complete with a fireplace and a wet bar. Alan gestured to Melissa that they should continue through the room. They entered a short hallway that lead into a bedroom. In the center of the room was a large bed. In the corner of the room were a few chairs and a table. On the table, Melissa noticed an amazing tropical flower arrangement, a bottle of champagne, strawberries, and some chocolate on a plate.

Melissa looked around, earlier she thought that Alan was nice but now she understood that he was amazing. "Alan, I am shocked," she was struggling for words and did not know what to say. "Everything is so unexpected and I am a little overwhelmed."

"I know," Alan said and then he came up to her, took her hand and kissed it. He then hugged her and gave her a kiss. "You do not have to say much, just stay with me."

After a few moments Alan asked, "Would you like to go for a luxurious spa treatment just to warm up a little?"

"I would love to," Melissa said.

Alan went to the phone and called the reception desk to let them know that they were ready for a massage.

They proceeded to another room in the suite that was candlelit. Melissa got undressed to her underwear and so did Alan. After a few minutes, two massage therapists arrived. They asked about health history for both Alan and Melissa. After a few minutes they decided that Swedish massage would be the most appropriate because Melissa did not have a lot of experience with massages.

"Ma'am, you may consider taking off your underwear," one of the therapists suggested and walked out of the room.

"Take off my underwear?" Melissa asked Alan hesitantly. "Is that what she said?"

"Yes, she did," he laughed, taking off his underwear and using the towel to cover himself.

Melissa followed suit and Alan turned and watched her as she was laying down. She quickly got under the towels face down and blushed.

Alan laughed again. Melissa kept blushing even though they have been together for a few days.

The therapists knocked on the door and Alan asked them to come in. Melissa wondered if the therapist was going to take off the towel, but after watching the therapist for a few minutes, she noticed that she only uncovered the part of body that she was massaging.

Alan realized that Melissa was embarrassed and said, "They are going to be draping, so do not worry," he smiled.

As the therapist began kneading her body, Melissa could feel that she was getting more and more relaxed. The massage lasted an hour and by the end of it, Melissa's body felt very relaxed. She could not believe how pleasurable it was. She felt like all of the tense spots and knots had disappeared from her body. At the same time, her body felt a little sore from her first massage experience.

When massage was over, therapists blew out the candles and walked out of the room. Alan got up and asked, "How was it?"

"It felt very good," Melissa replied and then she described how her body felt relaxed but at the same time sore.

"I agree," Alan responded.

He took her hand and Melissa did not get a chance to wrap herself in her towel, all she could do was grab it and kind of hold it in front of her. She followed him and they went into the next room.

The next room was also candlelit with pink and white rose arrangements all over the room. There was a Jacuzzi in the center of the room and when they got closer to the tub, Melissa noticed that there were pink and white rose petals in the water.

Alan turned to her and asked, "Are you interested in a bath?"

Melissa thought that getting into a tub and have water take the soreness away was a good idea. Holding Alan's hand with her right hand and towel with her left, she began to walk to the tub.

A smile played across Alan's face.

"Ma'am," Alan said, "it looks like you are now engaged. May I see your ring, please?" Melissa had no choice but to raise her left hand and in the process her towel fell down.

She realized that is what Alan planned and giggled. Alan now had a full view of her undresses and he was enjoying it. He stepped in the Jacuzzi, stretched out his hand and helped her in.

Before Alan could sit down on the bench, Melissa began kissing him. Working her way down she first kissed his lips, his chest, and then lower. Soon she was on her knees. She really wanted to do something to please him after what he has done today. Alan groaned with pleasure.

A few minutes later, Alan returned the favor. Melissa moaned from the pleasure of his touch and heightened emotion. Her body felt a lot better after being in water and after a few minutes they moved on to the bedroom. Alan picked Melissa up and took her to the bed.

For a while they just lay on the bed hugging. Eventually Melissa started getting excited and Alan could feel her nipples get hard. That turned Alan on and in a few minutes, Melissa was on top enjoying him. She could feel him much deeper in this position and was okay with it today; however, Alan wanted their usual position and a few minutes later he was on top. They both climaxed and then lay in each other's arms.

"Am I getting any more surprises?" Melissa asked as she picked up her head and rested it on his arm.

"Of course," he said. Though, he did not elaborate on what it was.

Melissa began to wonder what this new surprise would be when she noticed the time. It was already past 3:00 and they missed lunch. They both realized that they were hungry. They ate some strawberries and chocolate that had been delivered to the room when Alan announced that they would be going out for dinner that evening.

"Want to have an early dinner?" Alan asked. "I am still hungry."

"Sure," Melissa said, she was starving.

They went to a restaurant in the hotel. Melissa noticed that it had a French name and when they walked in, the hostess escorted them to a private room that had one table inside. They sat down and ordered.

Melissa was ravenous. The snack they had in their room had done little to satisfy her hunger. She looked at her menu and tried to decide.

"I would recommend the filet mignon. It is very good," Alan suggested.

They both ordered filet mignon with green beans and French potatoes.

"I am glad we did not order an appetizer," Melissa said. "I'm so hungry, I just want the main course."

Alan laughed. "Having certain activities will do that to you," he winked.

"Really, do you mean going to a jewelry store?" Melissa pretended she did not know what he was talking about.

"Yes, exactly. Going to a jewelry store," Alan laughed. He then stretched out his hand and took her hand into his.

When their meals arrived, both of them were ravenous. There were several minutes of silence as both of them ate their meals. Even after the steak, they both felt a little hungry so they decided to take dessert.

Their waiter suggested the apple cinnamon tart with vanilla ice cream. After a little thought, they both agreed. A short time later, the desserts arrived. After Alan took his first bite, he said that it tasted very good.

"I agree," Melissa said, "it tastes great."

They devoured the desserts and drank their coffee. As they were finishing up, Alan became thoughtful for a few moments. "Would it be okay if you and my dad try to make up?" Alan asked.

Now Melissa became thoughtful too. Finally, she said. "Okay, how would we do that?"

"Tuesday evening I would like for you..., I mean us," Alan corrected himself, "to have dinner with my dad and my stepmom again. Or should I say, try to have dinner again?" Alan said.

"Okay," Melissa said, "we can try it again." She was not really sure that things could be worked out between them so quickly but she was willing to try to make Alan happy.

"At the dinner, I will tell my dad and Kerrie that we're engaged."

Melissa was confused. "So can I tell my parents that we're engaged today or do you want me to wait until Tuesday?"

Alan was silent for a moment. "I think you can tell your parents. They will be happy for us but I asked my dad to apologize for what he said. He agreed that he would write you a letter. I would like to have him do that before I tell them the news of our engagement."

Melissa wanted to tell her parents but she also didn't want any problems with Alan's parents. "I think I'll wait until Tuesday to tell my parents too. I want both parents to know at the same time."

Alan smiled. "Thank you. I'm glad that you understand and want to try to work things out with my parents."

"I would like for us to make up, I don't like fighting with anyone," Melissa agreed.

After dinner, they went back to Alan's apartment. When they got into the car, Melissa leaned on his shoulder and rested on it all the way home. Once they got home, Melissa changed into pajamas, she was exhausted. Alan changed into pajamas too and they had some tea and watched a movie together. Melissa enjoyed the fact that he was there for her. She was amazed that no matter how much time he spent with her, he never seemed to be tired of her and the only emotion that he felt was that he wanted to spend more time with her and share more things with her.

# Chapter 24

When Melissa and Alan got up Sunday morning, Alan reminded her that today was the day of the gala. He asked her if she had anything to wear to it and after she went through her wardrobe, she decided that she wanted to try something different and said that she did not have anything to wear.

Melissa suggested that they go back to Angie's apartment to get something for her to wear but Alan did not want to. He wanted to go and get something new for her that day. Getting things for her made him happy.

After breakfast, they drove to a boutique in downtown New York. When they walked into the store, a nice looking, older lady greeted Alan. "Hello sir, it is nice to see you again," the woman said.

"Hi, Marcy, how are you?" Alan asked.

"Very good sir," Marcy replied. "I hope that you are doing well."

"I am doing fine, thank you. Marcy, this is my fiancée, Melissa Davis. Melissa, this is Marcy Brown, the owner of this boutique. Marcy, could you take good care of Melissa?"

"Certainly sir, I will do my best," Marcy replied. "If you will follow me, Ms. Davis and explain what you would like to purchase." Marcy motioned for Melissa to follow her further into the store.

"Certainly, just a moment, if you please," Melissa looked at Alan in surprise. "How does she know you?" Melissa whispered so that Marcy could not hear her.

"I came here with Angie a few times," Alan said. He proceeded to have a cup of coffee and pull out his phone. I'll wait in the waiting room while you try things on."

Melissa smiled and nodded. "Be back soon." She then turned and followed after the boutique owner. Once she caught up to the older woman, Melissa explained to her about the gala today and not having the right outfit.

"Oh dear," Marcy said. "I hope that we can find something for you quickly. "

They went to a catalog and when they opened it up, Melissa was surprised that it started with underwear.

"Every outfit starts with underwear, darling," Marcy said with a sly smile on her face.

They went through a few and Marcy said, "Melissa, you have a beautiful figure. You do not need to hide anything, only accentuate things. Why don't you go with something relatively simple? I think that you should go with white translucent underwear with filigree lace trim," she said pointing to the outfit. "I also suggest this strapless bra because if you decide to go with a strapless cocktail dress, it would work better."

"It looks nice," Melissa agreed.

The underwear was easy to pick. The dress was more difficult. They were looking at dresses for a while. Eventually, they decided on a strapless red gown that was figure forming up above waistline and loose fitting and flowing below the hips. It accentuated her chest and hourglass figure.

"Show your man what you have," Marcy laughed. "The combo of that underwear and the red dress is sure to drive him crazy," she whispred.

She packed the clothes and Melissa happened to see the bill. It came close to $1800.00.

"Oh, that's quite a bill," Melissa mumbled. She almost choked when she saw it.

"Mr. Glass said that it will go on his credit card," Marcy said, "so you don't have to worry about it, darling."

By the time Melissa changed back into her clothes, Alan was waiting for her with the bags in his hands and phone next to his ear talking to someone at work.

"Yes, we need to expand our markets, maybe head down to North Carolina or South Carolina because right here in New York City there is too much money and too few deals. I think that a few apartment complexes in those areas would be a great investment. Let us talk about them tonight, Jack. "

There was a pause.

"Sounds good, I have to go now Jack," Alan said. He then hung up. "Are you ready?" he asked.

"I am," Melissa said and they went back to the apartment.

Melissa did not want to ask him any questions about work on the way back. She felt that talking about his work did not make them closer.

When they got back, they had about two hours before they had to go to the gala. Melissa pulled out the computer and read her emails. Alan was reading the newspaper in the meantime and then worked on his tablet.

As she was going through the emails, she noticed an email from Angie.

Hi Melissa,

Just wanted to let you know that I will be coming back this Monday. Please don't tell anyone. I want it to be a surprise. I fell in love here in Jersey—imagine that. I'm not continuing on my European tour. Instead, I'm going to come back to New York. There is someone I want everyone to meet.

Angie

Melissa could not believe it. _Angie is in love? Apparently it was even serious enough for her to cancel her tour of Europe and come back. Could she be getting married? Melissa wondered._

Melissa sat thinking for a few minutes. Once she had collected her thoughts, she knew that it was time to start getting ready to go to the gala. She really wanted to tell Alan but she could not since that was what Angie requested.

_I guess he'll find out tomorrow_ , Melissa thought.

Alan was in the kitchen reading a newspaper. Melissa came up to him and put her hands on his shoulders and started massaging his neck and back. He stopped reading and just relaxed. Taking her hand, he led her around his knee and a few seconds later Melissa was sitting on his lap and he was hugging and kissing her. After a few minutes of this it became obvious that if it went on, Melissa's time to get ready for the gala would be shortened considerably.

"I have to get ready if you want me to be done on time," Melissa said as she gently pushed him away. He reluctantly let go.

"Just wait till we get home," Alan said with a smile.

Reluctantly, Melissa got up and went to the bathroom and took a shower. Once she was dry, she put on the new underwear. Melissa thought the new underwear looked very good on her. Being translucent, there was no imagination needed.

Alan initially opened the door a crack to check on her. Once he realized that she had only her underwear on, he came in. "Am I missing anything?"

Alan was already dressed in a shirt and pants but he didn't have his jacket on yet. Coming up to Melissa, he hugged her, "You look beautiful."

"I wish we could be late," he said, "but I guess it would be rude." He held her for a few minutes, not saying much. Reluctantly he separated from her and said, "We shall have to put it off until we get back from the gala." Then he tucked away a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"I think that may be a good idea," she said. "I still have to blow dry my hair."

"I guess we will have to put it on tonight's to do list," Alan smiled. He hesitated for a second. Melissa recognized that when he did this he usually was getting ready to say something important. She stopped to hear what he was about to say.

"There is something I would like to talk to you about. I was wondering if you would like to quit your job and start getting ready for our wedding? My company is making enough money to where you would never have to work again if you didn't want to. Once we are married, you could focus on us and eventually our children, assuming that you want children."

Melissa became lost and confused. She had spent almost 20 years of her life in school and in her mind she was going to graduate and use her knowledge to work, advance, and become something significant in the company where she worked. Now her world was upside down.

Instead of becoming something significant herself, she had the option to live her life in comfort and not have to work or worry about money. However, the price for that comfort would be to live in a shadow of a man—a good man that she loved. She would be Mrs. _Alan_ Glass instead of being Mrs. _Melissa_ Glass. How would that affect her identity? Would she forget herself just to be with him? An obvious answer was not coming to her and Alan noticed that.

"Melissa, you are the most important person in the world to me. I have money and I would like for you to focus on making us a nest. I have been eyeing a property in the Hamptons that I feel would suit our needs but I think that it needs some renovation to be ours and I would like for you to do this for us."

Melissa started crying. Alan gave her a kiss and that calmed her down and Melissa said, "I would like that. But your offer puts my whole world upside down. I need to think."

Alan gave her a hug. "When the wedding is over, maybe we can buy a house for your parents somewhere close so that they can spend more time with you. What do you think? Would you like that?" Alan asked.

"That would be great," Melissa replied as she tried to get out of his arms.

Alan pulled her back towards him and hugged her again. After a few moments, Melissa whispered, "I really need to get ready for the gala." Alan sighed and reluctantly let her go.

He turned and started to leave when Melissa asked, "Where do you think you're going? I can't possibly get dressed in time without your help."

Alan's smiled and returned when he realized that he was needed. With enthusiasm he helped Melissa put on her red dress. Because the dress had a zipper on the side, Melissa could not zip it herself. Once her dress was on, Melissa quickly put on her makeup and she was ready to go. Reluctantly, she did not put on her engagement ring.

Only until Tuesday then I can wear it whenever I want.

When she was done dressing, Alan looked at her appreciatively. Melissa looked stunning. The combination of youth, beauty, pretty clothes, and being in love filled Alan with desire.

As she came to him, Alan offered her his arm. Melissa took his arm and rested her head on his shoulder as they left the apartment and made their way to the elevator. "I love you Alan," Melissa whispered.

"I love you too Melissa," Alan looked at her intently.

Once they got into the car Alan looked at Melissa, "By the way, I would like for us to set the date for the wedding so that you can start picking your wedding dress."

Melissa smiled, "I think that I am going to have to call my mom for her to come and help me."

# Chapter 25

After a short drive, they reached their destination. Melissa wasn't familiar with the building or any of the nearby landmarks. Their limousine stopped and they got out of the car and on to a red carpet. They made their way to the entrance amid photographers and flashes.

When Melissa and Alan entered, Melissa noticed a line of women filling out slips of paper. "What are they doing?" she asked.

Alan muttered something under his breath. "I forgot, after the dinner is a charity auction. One of the things they will be raffling off will be dances with the ladies in the audience. If your name is selected the men from the audience will bid on having a dance with you. Unfortunately, I wouldn't be able bid on a dance with you. You don't have to do this if you don't want to."

Melissa looked at all of the women filling out their names and thought. "I think we can risk it," said Melissa smiling. "It is for a good cause, right?."

After filling out her ticket, she gave it to one of the attendants and then she and Alan entered the building. Inside the building was a large open area. Guests were spread throughout in little clusters talking and in the center was the dance floor. As they started walking, a man separated himself from one group and made his way to Alan and Melissa. As he came close, he stretched his hand out to Alan in greeting.

"Alan, it is great to see you," the man said.

Alan shook his hand and the man then began to talk business but Alan stopped him.

"Jack, this is my girlfriend Melissa Davis," Alan said introducing her. "Melissa, this is Jack Spaulding, he's an investor and we've worked on several projects together."

Melissa smiled. "Very nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine, Melissa," Jack said with a slight bow.

After some small talk about the weather and the roads, Jack and Alan switched to talking about a new investment opportunity in North Carolina. Alan seemed to be very interested.

As Melissa listened to their conversation she began looking around. A few groups away, Melissa noticed Erica talking to a man. Melissa's eyes stayed on the man's back for a few seconds. She then realized that the man was James. Melissa's legs felt weak for a few moments.

Even though she knew that she was done with him, seeing him was painful. It reminded her of how wrong and foolish she had been for considering him. How he had deceived her into believing that he liked her and how she had almost let Alan pass by.

Seeing the two together made Melisa's throat dry. She felt that they were talking about her. Erica was very interested in Alan and James was very angry at Melissa.

James turned and looked at her, he bent his head acknowledging Melissa's presence. He seemed to understand that when he looked at her it made her feel uneasy.

Melissa took Alan's hand. He turned and noticed that she was very pale.

"Are you okay, Melissa?" he asked.

"Yes, I think so," she mumbled. "I am going to go and get some water."

She turned around and made her way to the table where beverages were being served. When she reached the table, she saw Alan's dad was there too. He smiled at Melissa and she smiled back. She did not know what to say.

"I hope that you are doing well, Melissa," he said.

"I am, thank you," Melissa answered. "I hope that you are doing well, too."

"Are you wearing this dress so that you can lure Alan in?" he asked suddenly.

Melissa was about to tell Andrew that she was already engaged to Alan but the reply died in her throat. _I can't tell him Alan wants us to wait until Tuesday._

Seeing her hesitate, Andrew continued in a rush. "Melissa, you cannot marry him. You are not a good match for him, you come from a lower class than he is from. He needs someone like Erica. Her father and I have been planning their marriage for a while. Now, our plans are ruined by a girl from Chicago that does not even know anyone in New York. You cannot give him what he needs. Do not think that I will give up easily."

He paused.

"I will give you money if you leave and never come back. How much do you want? A million, five million? Whatever it takes. You must promise me that you will leave him alone?"

Melissa was angry but the suggestion that her feelings towards Alan were false and that she could be bought off was a cold slap in the face. "I cannot believe what you are saying. I am certainly not going to take your money. Now please excuse me but I must get back to Alan."

"This is my last warning," he said. "I am not going to be playing games any more," he added.

Melissa was so angry with Andrew that she forgot why she had come to the refreshment stand. Turning back to where Alan was still talking with Jack Spaulding, she nearly collided with a waiter.

"Would you like something to drink ma'am?" the waiter asked.

"Water please," she said suddenly remembering.

The waiter handed her water.

"I think you will need something a lot stronger than water tomorrow Melissa," Andrew smirked.

"Thank you for your advice, I should be going now." With that, Melissa walked back to Alan.

When she got back, Alan noticed that she seemed upset. He concluded his conversation with Jack and went to her. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. I'm fine," Melissa answered. Trying to distract Alan, Melissa asked, "Is your dad here?"

Alan thought for a moment. "No, he said that he and Kerrie were having dinner with some friends tonight and wouldn't be able to come to the gala. Why do you ask?"

"I thought I saw him while I was getting my water."

"Really?" Alan sounded surprised. "I can give him a call if you'd like."

"No, if you think he isn't here then it was probably someone else."

Alan took Melissa's hand and began walking to the dance floor. "Would you like to dance?" he asked.

"Certainly," Melissa said as she began to regain her composure. They joined couples slow dancing on the floor. Alan had his hand on her waist. He pulled her closer and whispered, "I cannot wait to get home."

She looked up at him and smiled.

"I will go to Mr. Solomon tomorrow and give him my two week notice," she said. "But I am very scared."

"Why?" Alan asked. "It will be okay. We love each other and that is all that matters."

Once the set was over, they went and sat down at a table. A server came to them and asked what they would like for their dinner. They made their selections and a short time later, they were eating.

Their dinner was very good and after the meal there was the auction. An announcer came with an assistant who was carrying a small box filled with the papers that had the ladies' names written on them.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I'm glad that you all could make it to the annual gala benefiting our children's hospital. Now we are having our auction. In the box behind me you see all of the names of just about every lady in the audience. Four names will be drawn at random and the men in the audience will bid for a dance with the lady selected. The only man who cannot bid during the auction is the gentleman who accompanied the lady. Now without further delay, let's select the names."

The assistant shook the box a few times and then the host drew the first name. "Gertrude Strouse."

Polite applause was heard as a thin older woman stood up.

"Gertrude, please come over here so that we can start the bidding," said the host with a wide smile on his face.

The woman made her way to the dance floor. When she reached the floor the bidding began. The bidding was spirited as several older men vied to dance with her. The man who won the auction ended up paying $8500 for the honor of dancing with her. After winning, the older man came down to the dance floor and joined Gertrude.

The host announced another name and again another older woman was picked. The bidding to dance with this woman began as Alan and Melissa watched quietly. Another man won and came down to join his dancing partner.

A third woman was selected and was younger than the first two women. As she made her way to the floor Melissa heard applause. Once she was on the floor the bidding to dance with her began.

The host announced, "The final name will be selected in a moment after my assistant mixes the names." The assistant mixed the names and pulled out one of them. He handed the envelope to the host who unwrapped it and announced, "The final name in the auction is 'Melissa Davis.'"

Melissa grew red when her name was called. Alan squeezed her hand and smiled. "It's only a dance, it should be fine."

Melissa stood and walked to the dance floor. When she reached the floor, the bidding to dance with her began. Several men seemed to be bidding to dance with her. However, because a spotlight was shining in her eyes, Melissa couldn't see who was bidding.

Eventually, the bidding to dance with Melissa ended. The winning bid was $9800,000. Melissa heard applause and saw the man who would dance with her. It was James.

_How does he have money to pay for this dance? I thought he was broke,_ Melissa thought.

James came up to Melissa and the music started. Melissa was mortified. All of the four couples started dancing including Melissa and James. She looked at the crowd trying to see Alan but couldn't make out any faces.

James spoke first. "I bet you your boyfriend cannot wait to take this dress off you," he started.

Melissa did not respond.

"He was your first one, wasn't he?" James added.

Melissa continued to remain silent. She just wanted the dance to be over and be done with the gala.

"Well, he may not be your last," James laughed. "His father is really against you, I don't think your romance is going to last."

Melissa could not take it any more. "I appreciate your concern for me, but if I were you, I would focus more on your own affairs. Don't you have better things to do than waste your time on me?"

"Oh, no," James said, "this has been very fun and quite profitable for me, Melissa."

The next thing she knew Alan cut in but James did not seem to mind, he seemed to have said everything that he had wanted to say to her.

"May I?" Alan asked.

"Of course," James said and nodded.

Alan looked at Melissa. "He looked like he was saying mean things to you, I could tell by the glint in his eye," Alan said.

Melissa was relieved to be with Alan again and did not want to explain to Alan what James had said. "He was a little mean," Melissa conceded, "but then again that is how he is."

When the dance was over Melissa was mentally exhausted. She just wanted to go home. As they were leaving the dance floor, Alan's father greeted them. Alan was surprised. "What are you doing here Dad?"

"Just finishing some business son," Andrew said and gave Melissa a meaningful look.

Alan seemed confused. Weren't you having dinner with some of your friends tonight?"

Andrew smirked, "Kerrie didn't feel well this afternoon so she canceled the whole thing. So rather than go there by myself, I decided to come here instead."

"I hope that Kerrie is feeling better soon. I guess we will see you two this Tuesday," Alan replied.

"Yes, Alan, we cannot wait. I will send Melissa an apology as I promised." Andy took a sip of his drink. "I feel that apologizing verbally is not enough so I will write a letter. I feel terrible about what I said last time."

"Thanks Dad," Alan sounded relieved. "I knew that you were going to turn around and help us in the end."

Alan bent down and kissed Melissa on the forehead.

"Okay Dad we will see you later," Alan said.

With that Alan and Melissa left the gala.

When they got back to the limousine, Melissa did not know what to think. She had just been threatened by two people and she did not know if she should tell Alan or not. She felt like she was sitting on top of a volcano that was about to erupt. She knew that James was upset with her because he did not get the loan and was probably going bankrupt now because of lack of money.

Alan's father was also upset with her because he had plans for Alan and now those plans had been derailed. It did not sound as though he liked it. From what she knew, Alan had not had a girlfriend in quite a while and she came as a shock to everyone. Andrew had made it clear that he did not want his son marrying some girl from Chicago.

But what about her? Melissa loved Alan and she loved everything about him. She knew girls who got married just to be married so as to not to be single. Her relationship with Alan was not like that. She loved him and she wanted to be with him.

When they got home, they had barely walked through the door, when Alan picked her up and carried her to the bedroom.

_Show your man what you have_. Melissa remembered Marcy's words from earlier that day.

Melissa pretended that she could not take off her dress and got stuck with the zipper. Alan started helping her to unzip it and when the dress slipped off, his hands were running all over her.

"Did I tell you I like the underwear?" Alan asked with a grin. "I kept thinking about it during the gala."

Within a minute all of her underwear was off, Melissa was pinned to the bed and being kissed all over. She thought about it and it was surprising to her that every time they made love, it felt like the first time.

After a few moments, Alan got up and sat on the bed. Melissa got up with him and was in his lap. Alan was inside her, but he was not moving back and forth. He let her be in charge and let her decide what she wanted to do.

Initially, she was not moving but then they got into a rhythm. For a minute or two he was not touching her breasts and that made her ache for his touch. She arched her back to make her breasts stick out but he contained himself to make his touch later more explosive. Soon, she could not take it any more and while moving in a rhythmic motion, arched her back again and touched her own chest. Immediately, her nipples became erect. Alan moaned and cupped her breasts in his hands and began to squeeze them. She gasped and started to move faster on him. He started rubbing between her legs at the same time and she almost passed out from the pleasure. She gave a throaty moan.

"You liked that?" Alan asked.

"Yes," Melissa panted.

When it was over, they were lying in bed with Alan hugging her.

"Are we going to be tired of each other after a while?" Melissa asked.

"No, never," Alan replied. He paused and then continued, "We will just get into a routine. A routine is not a bad thing."

"I agree," Melissa said sleepily before falling asleep.

# Chapter 26

Melissa got up the next day and realized that Alan was already in the shower. Curling up, she stayed in bed for a few minutes to try to get a few more minutes of sleep.

Alan got out of the shower, sat on the bed next to her, and said, "Time to get up Melissa."

She stirred and opened her eyes. Alan bent down and kissed her. "Are you going to give your two week notice today?" he asked stroking her face.

"Yes, I will," she said.

"Good," Alan smiled at her reassuringly. "Tomorrow I want to show you the property in the Hamptons that I've found. I would like to buy it so that we can start renovating it. We also have to set a date for the wedding. I think no more than six months from now, if possible," he said buttoning up his shirt and putting on his tie.

"That sounds exciting," Melissa said sitting up on the bed. What he was saying did sound exciting to her but at the same time overwhelming.

"I have to go," Alan said smiling. "I have a meeting with Jack at 9:00 and I still want to review some paperwork before the meeting." Giving her a kiss, he then left.

Melissa got out of bed and then jumped in the shower. After a quick bath, she dried her hair. Within twenty minutes she was ready for work. She then grabbed a breakfast bar and a cup of coffee before going to work.

When Melissa got to work, first thing she did was to call up Jessica and ask if Mr. Solomon had time to see her. Jessica told her that he would be able to see her in half an hour.

When she walked into Mark's office, he was at his desk writing. When he saw her, he set his pen aside. "Melissa, how are you today? What can I do for you?" he asked.

Melissa sat down. "Mr. Solomon, it has been a pleasure working with you for the last few weeks. However, I would like to give you my two week notice."

Mark Solomon did not appear surprised. He began to smile before he spoke. "I talked to Alan earlier and he told that he might be needing you full-time to help select and renovate a house as well as to get ready for a wedding. So I am not really shocked about your notice. I think that if you chose to stay, you would have done well for yourself. However, I do understand where you are coming from."

He paused and called up the head of Human Resources. He explained to her what was going on. Once he hung up, he spoke to Melissa again.

"It is the policy of our company that once someone gives a two week notice, we relieve them of their duties immediately so that they can tie up any loose ends and make for a quick and smooth transition. I would like to follow this procedure in your case as well. Once your exit interview is over, you may pack your personal belongings and go. Good luck Melissa. I am sure I will see you again soon and..." he smiled again, "congratulations on your engagement."

Melissa thanked him and went to Human Resources for her exit interview. Her exit interview took only a few minutes. Once Melissa was done, she went back to her office, collected her personal things and left.

As Melissa was leaving she stopped by Jessica's desk to say good-bye. Jessica was sad to see her go and when she asked why she was leaving, Melissa tried to dissipate things and avoid the subject. Seeing that she wasn't going to get any good reasons as to why Melissa was leaving, Jessica wished her the best and then went back to work.

Melissa left the building and looked back. Just a few weeks ago she was fighting for a job and the right to stay and now she left voluntarily to be with a man that she loved. She could not believe how things had changed so completely in the last few days. Angie was coming back today and Melissa couldn't wait to tell her everything that had happened.

On the way back to the apartment, Melissa stopped by a coffee shop to grab another cup. She asked for a light roast with some cream and sugar. She got the coffee and first smelled it, it smelled like morning, a happy morning when you knew where you stood and what you wanted.

A tabloid on a newspaper stand caught Melissa's eye. The headline read: Real Estate Heir Dating Woman Who Is Dating Someone Else. On the front page was a photo of Alan and her entering gala yesterday and then a picture of her and James dancing. Grabbing the newspaper, she started reading the article.

The normally camera shy Alan Glass has been getting out lately with a new girlfriend. The heir to one of New York's most successful real estate empires built by his father, Andrew Glass, was recently seen with a woman from Chicago, Melissa Davis. Ms. Davis is an employee at Abbott and Solomon Investment House. While it appears that Alan Glass is interested, it seems that Ms. Davis is not wasting any time. We have exclusive photos of Ms. Davis cheating on Alan with James Morgan, the heir to Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics.

There were the photos that Melissa already looked at and then there was a photo of her and Alan leaving the jewelry store and a close up photo of her ring. Then there was a picture of her and James kissing and hugging and another photo of her and James kissing on the street with people walking in the background. Melissa looked at the picture and knew it never happened. _Must be Photoshopped._

Melissa was shocked. _So that is what James and Andrew were talking about yesterday._ After a few moments, Melissa calmed down enough to pull out her phone and call Alan at work.

"I am afraid he is not available at the moment, he is in a meeting," his secretary said. "Would you like to leave a message?"

"Yes, please," Melissa replied.

After a brief hold, Alan's voicemail beeped. "Alan, this is Melissa. Please call me as soon as you get this message, there is something very important I need to tell you."

She hung up and went home. Melissa waited but there was no phone call after half an hour. She tried Alan again and again she only got his voicemail. At that point Melissa tried calling Alan on his cell phone. Her phone call went right into voice mail again.

Melissa tried to occupy herself by doing something but she found that she could not focus, so she decided to go to Alan's office. After a brief cab ride she got to his office. Melissa walked into the building and looked up his real estate company in the building's directory.

As Melissa rode the elevator, she realized that she had never been to Alan's office and that very few people would know her. The elevator stopped, the door opened and she walked into the reception area.

The reception area was spacious and well decorated with art work, sofas, and a satinwood reception desk. The receptionist, a pleasant looking woman, stopped typing on her computer when she saw Melissa and asked if she could help.

"I am looking for Mr. Alan Glass," Melissa said.

"Do you have an appointment with him?"

"No," Melissa replied.

"And your name, ma'am?"

"Melissa Davis." She did not know if it was ok to tell the woman that she was engaged to Alan so she decided not to say anything about that.

The receptionist called up Alan's secretary. After a brief conversation the woman hung up the phone and spoke to Melissa. "I am sorry Ms. Davis. Mr. Glass is busy at the moment. Would you like to leave a message?"

It was obvious to Melissa that neither woman knew anything about her and did not know that Melissa and Alan had been dating. At the same time Melissa did not know if Alan had seen the photos already or not. Was he hiding from her or was he busy?

"Yes, can you please tell him that I stopped by?"

"Certainly, I hope that you have a pleasant day."

"Thank you," Melissa said and walked out.

She went back to her apartment and did not know what to do. She tried calling her mom and could not reach her as the phone went directly into voicemail. _It must be time for her swimming class or something._

Eventually, she ate lunch in the apartment and watched some television. Melissa put on the engagement ring Alan had given her as she tried to feel her connection with him again.

A little after 2:00 someone opened the front door to the apartment. _It is Alan,_ thought Melissa as she ran to the entryway. When she got there, Angie and a man were standing at the entrance. Melissa had totally forgotten that Angie was coming back today.

"Oh, my gosh," Melissa exclaimed, "it's you Angie. I am so glad to see you." Melissa was so happy to see her, the hours of sitting in the apartment by herself had been driving her crazy.

"I am happy to see you too," Angie said as they hugged. "This is Liam, my boyfriend. I brought him to New York for a few weeks to introduce him to family and friends."

Melissa looked at Liam. He was a tall and handsome Englishman in his mid-to-late twenties with brownish red hair and grey eyes. He immediately smiled showing straight, white teeth in a wide smile.

"And this, Liam is my best girlfriend in the whole world, Melissa."

"Hello, Liam," Melissa said as she shook his hand.

"How are things going on here and why aren't you at work?" Angie asked.

"It's a long story," Melissa stated as the events of the day began to reassert themselves in Melissa's mind.

Angie came close and looked at her. Leaning close she whispered in Melissa's ear "Have you finally managed to lose your virginity?"

"I actually have," Melissa laughed.

"Oh, my gosh." Angie stepped back in surprise.

"You will have to tell me who the lucky guy is," Angie said and then she noticed Melissa's engagement ring.

"And you're engaged? I cannot believe it." She sounded shocked "To who?"

Melissa hesitated and then finally said, "I am engaged to Alan."

At that point Angie sat down. She was speechless. Liam stood there concerned but with no idea of what was going on.

"Could you get her some water?" he asked Melissa.

Melissa got her some water and after a few moments Angie was able to speak. "Thanks," she whispered, "I'm fine now."

Liam smiled and squeezed her hand lightly. "I'm glad to hear that. I didn't know if I could do CPR. It would have been embarrassing to tell my father I forgot what he taught me." His British accent sounded cute.

Angie gave him a sour look. "Thanks, I'll remember it next time I feel like I'm going to pass out." She then softened her tone. "Liam, my brother Alan is engaged to Melissa. This might not sound too surprising but Alan hasn't dated anyone in quite a while. Everyone, especially my Dad, was sure that he was going to die a bachelor. Now he is engaged so I am not sure what to say."

She then looked at Melissa and smiled. "I'm very happy for both of you, I'm just really surprised. Please do not take it the wrong way." Angie sounded a little apologetic.

"Congratulations," said Liam.

"Thanks," Melissa said.

By then Angie had got over her surprise. "I _love_ your ring," Angie said.

"Thanks, I like it a lot too. We both picked it," Melissa told Angie.

Suddenly, Alan stormed in the apartment. He looked like a thundercloud. Melissa got up and ran to him.

"Alan I have to talk to you. I left you a few messages this morning."

Alan turned to her, his face etched in anger and hurt. "I believed you. I loved you. I was going to give you everything I have. What have you done?" He paused to let her respond but she was quiet.

"You have been leading a twisted life, dating me and that jerk James. Don't you know what he is? And now I am a disgrace to all of New York. Everyone is laughing at me. Oh, my God, I have been so stupid," he raised his arms and dropped them grabbing his head and sat down.

"What is going on?" Angie asked.

Liam looked confused and like he just wanted to crawl into the closet and hide. This was not exactly the reception he was expecting from Angie's family.

"Alan, please let me explain," Melissa started out.

"No, I do not want to hear any more explanations. I am done."

"Alan, please..." Melissa started.

"No, you please Melissa," Alan yelled. "I loved you, my whole life was in front of you and you took it and tore it into shreds. I trusted you, I wanted to have family with you and you were leading this sick double life. My dad was right. You probably only wanted my money and you wanted to keep James for his looks. Isn't that right?" he looked at her waiting for an answer.

"No, Alan, that's not right. I..." Melissa started again but Alan did not let her go on. He was furious and could not control himself.

Angie decided that this was enough and that she needed to intervene. "Whoa, Alan, slow down, can you explain what happened?" Angie had never seen her brother so furious.

Alan took a deep breath and said, "Melissa and I got engaged last weekend. I put all of my life on the line for her. And look at this." He pulled out a mangled newspaper and gave it to Angie.

Angie looked at it for a second, it took her a few seconds to find the photo of Melissa and James kissing and when she did, she said,

"I cannot believe this, it must be a mistake. "

"It is," Melissa said faintly.

"Enough lies," Alan said. "I am done. No more." He then grabbed his phone and started to walk out.

Melissa tried to run after him and grab his hand. He shrugged off her hand and continued to leave. A moment later he slammed the door in Melissa's face. Melissa covered her face, bent down on her knees, and started to cry.

Angie came to Melissa and tried to hug her. Melissa was inconsolable and continued to cry no matter what Angie said. After a while, her sobs became less deep and less frequent and she started calming down.

Angie patted her back and said, "Melissa, it is going to be okay. He just needs time to calm down. I am sure that there is a rational explanation to all of this."

When she spoke, Melissa's voice sounded distant and faint. "There is, but I am not sure what it is. Other than the fact that someone Photoshopped me into a photo where James was kissing someone else."

"That is possible," Angie said. "Alan will calm down, just give him a little bit of time," she added.

"Okay," Melissa said. She got up and went into her room, closed the door, and started to think as she sat down on the bed. She could hear dishes clinking in the kitchen and Angie talking softly to Liam. After a few moments, Melissa heard a knock on her door.

"Melissa would you like some tea?" Angie spoke through the door to her.

"Yes, please," Melissa answered.

Melissa then heard a knock at the front door. There was some conversation and a few moments later, a knock on her door. Melissa opened the door and saw one of Alan's assistants with two bags filled with her clothes. The assistant also had an envelope in his hands. He gave the envelope to Melissa and then left.

Melissa opened the envelope. Inside was a note. Pulling the note out, she read:

_Do not bother to return the ring_.

Melissa put the note away. She then took the bags, went into her room and closed the door. At that point she made up and her mind and knew what she needed to do. She sat down at the table and wrote a letter.

Alan,

I would like to start out this letter by thanking you for giving me the best time I have ever had in my life. It was not only fun and exhilarating but also it was comforting to know that there was that one person in my life who would always take my side no matter what. It was great to know that there was someone who wanted to love me and have family with me.

In addition, that person happened to be thoughtful, fun, and for the short time was not only my lover but also my best friend.

I do not know where those photos came from, nor do I care to know. I am sure that the truth about them will come out one day. My consciousness is clear and I am not guilty.

I loved the ring that you gave me. I do not think I have a right to wear it or keep it anymore, so please take it back and I hope that you can give it to someone you can love.

Thanks,

Melissa

She folded the letter, placed it inside an envelope and took the engagement ring off her finger and placed it inside the envelope too. She wrote Alan's name on the envelope, sealed it, and placed it on the bed. She then went through her drawers and placed all of her clothes inside her bags.

"Melissa, your tea is ready," Angie called out.

"Be there in a second," Melissa replied. After checking her bags, she went to the kitchen and had tea with Angie and Liam. She drank her tea with them and talked to them but her heart wasn't in it.

"We are heading out to a nightclub tonight, care to join us?" Angie asked.

"I have a headache, I am sorry," Melissa said, "maybe next time."

Angie was disappointed but seemed to understand that Melissa wanted to be by herself. After her tea, Melissa excused herself and went back to her room.

In the room, Melissa re-checked that all of her belongings were packed. When Angie and Liam left a short time later, she left too. Taking her keys, she went down to the lobby and talked to the doorman. A short time later, her bags were brought down and packed in her car.

Melissa got in the car and drove to the Interstate. She was so upset she did not feel like calling her parents or anyone else. As she drove, the tension and frustration of the day slowly began to drain away.

_What am I going to do when I get home?_ As she traveled, Melissa was not sure what her plans would be. She knew that she was going home, she would rearrange her life, and apply for jobs. Hopefully, in a short time, she could then start a new life somewhere else.

The thought of not being Mrs. Alan Glass was still a shadow that was painful to think about. What would she be doing if she were still with him? Probably talking about the house in The Hamptons or possibly getting ready for the wedding.

The wedding would have been a major undertaking. Creating a guest list, choosing a venue, deciding on the food and caterer, choosing a dress, flowers, and jewelry. In short, all of the decisions that would have to be made. That chain of thought was getting much too painful and so she tried to think about something else.

She stopped at a motel for the night. She did not drive far that evening because it was late when she left and her eyes were tired. At the front desk, she noticed the tabloid with her face on it. The attendant followed her glance and then took a long look at her and said, "Aren't you the girl from that newspaper?"

"Kind of," Melissa answered.

The guy smirked and handed her the key.

_Great, I'm a celebrity now_ , she thought. She then went to her room, took a shower and went to bed.

Melissa got up the next day and at about 9 o'clock and got a phone call from Angie. After some hesitation, she picked up the phone.

"Oh My God, Melissa what are you doing? Where are you?" Angie sounded frantic.

"I'm on the interstate and I'm going home to Chicago," Melissa said calmly.

"I cannot believe it. Melissa, you can't just run away."

I need some time. Just a few weeks will let me get my head straight again. Seeing Alan would be too painful now." She paused. "I am sorry Angie, I need some time. I hope that you understand."

"No, I don't understand," Angie argued. "I think that being with friends would help." Angie then took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "Anyway," she continued, "I guess a few weeks break would probably be good, but Liam and I are going to come to Chicago to see how things are going for you. I am going to buy a plane ticket today. How about in 3 weeks? Is that fair?"

"Yes, it is fair," Melissa answered. She smiled at her friend's persistence. "Thanks Angie." She felt like her voice was beginning to crack and that she would start crying so she hung up.

# Chapter 27

Angie got dressed and went to Alan's office. When she got there, she spent some time trying to convince Alan that the newspaper story was a mistake and that she did not believe that it was Melissa.

Alan did not say much during the conversation. Instead, he sat impassively and did not respond. Finally, Angie got upset, her tone grew cold as she spoke. "You have probably ruined the best thing that's happened to you Alan, and if that is your choice then so be it. I think that with time you will understand how foolish your decision was." Angie then handed him the letter that Melissa had placed on her bed and left.

Once Angie had gone, Alan opened the letter and read it. He then pulled out the ring from the envelope. Reading the letter and seeing that Melissa did not take the ring upset Alan. The frustration of the last two days had increased with Angie's visit. _I have to do something, if I don't I will go crazy_ , he thought _._

Not knowing what else to do, Alan plunged himself into his work. He became a driven man and began coming to work early and staying late as he did when he had first started his company. When he got home, he was exhausted with sleep being his only comfort.

Melissa had just finished working out and was back in her room changing when her mom knocked on her door.

"Honey."

"Yes, Mom."

"I'm going to the grocery store to get something for dinner, would you like to come?"

"Sure," Melissa replied, "let me finish changing and I'll be down in a minute."

Melissa's mom went downstairs to get ready while Melissa finished getting dressed. It had been two weeks since Melissa had returned from New York. When she got back to Chicago, she had been mentally and physically exhausted. Her parents suggested that she take some time off and live with them as she got her life back in order. She was grateful for that time and after a few days she felt a little better and started working out again, shopping, reading books and applying for new jobs.

Thinking about Alan was still painful for Melissa but fortunately her parents were understanding. Slowly she was starting to get her life back in order. She already had some interviews lined up for the following week with a few local companies. She hoped that one of the interviews would work out and she could start over. With that thought, Melissa finished tying her shoes and went downstairs to go shopping with her mom.

At the grocery store, they were in the frozen section when Melissa started feeling strangely. Looking at food began to make her feel ill. At first she tried to ignore the feeling but when they got to the deli to buy some meat and cheese the feeling became overwhelming."

"Mom, I'm going to go to the beauty section for a few minutes."

Her mom glanced at her as she replied, "Alright dear, I'll meet you there."

In the beauty section, the feeling began to fade but Mellissa noticed that her sense of smell was now sharper. Even though she was several aisles away from the deli she could still faintly smell the chickens cooking in the rotisserie. _What is happening to me?_

Shortly, Janet caught up to Melissa. "What happened in the deli? When I looked at you, you were white as a sheet."

"I'm not sure," Melissa replied. "I must have eaten something that didn't agree with me this morning. But I'm feeling better now."

Janet looked at her with a critical eye. "I suppose. You do look much better now."

They continued their shopping without further incident and by the afternoon Melissa had forgotten all about it. However, the next morning even without grocery shopping or looking at the food, Melissa felt sick again. A thought crossed her mind that was exciting and horrifying at the same time. _What if I'm pregnant?_

After getting dressed, Melissa got into her car and went to the nearest pharmacy. Once in the store, Melissa bought a pregnancy test and soon drove home.

At home, she took the test and saw two lines on the test stick indicating that she was pregnant. Melissa almost fainted. Taking the stick, she went downstairs to show her mom.

"I think you need to tell him," was Janet's first thought.

"I can't," Melissa said. "It won't change anything. Not now. I am sure he will find out eventually. I do not want him to think that I did this to hold on to him and to get his money. "

Janet nodded although she didn't appear to agree. "I understand your decision. But the most important thing to do now is to have you checked out. I'll make an appointment for you with Dr. Whitehall."

Later that day, Melissa went to see the doctor. Melissa's appointment went well and the doctor confirmed that Melissa was indeed pregnant. However, over the next several days, the morning sickness got worse and Dr. Whitehall put Melissa in the hospital because she could no longer hold down any food at all.

Melissa hated the hospitals. She disliked their lack of privacy and the fact that a nurse always came every two hours to take her vital signs which didn't give Melissa a chance to get much sleep but especially disliked the hospital food. _How can they mess up Jello and chicken broth?_

Sitting in her hospital bed, Melissa channel surfed between morning shows. As she groused, Melissa saw the Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics logo flash on the screen as a morning show host began to talk.

"Those of you who use Morgan Makeup can breathe easier. The company, which has been having financial troubles over the last few years has announced that they will not be filing for bankruptcy. James Morgan, the head of Morgan Makeup, announced that the company's impending bankruptcy was no longer an issue. The company received a major cash injection from an unnamed supporter to help with the company's finances and to renovate the existing facility in New York. Mr. Morgan is excited about the future of the company," the host said.

Melissa was stunned. _Where did he get the money from? Who would be crazy enough to give it to him?_ Another bout of sickness came over her. She leaned her head on the pillow and waited for the latest wave of sickness to go away.

An attractive woman walked into the offices of Alan Glass Real Estate. She noticed the expensive furnishings but didn't pay them much attention. Walking purposefully, she went to the receptionist.

"May I speak to Mr. Alan Glass please?" she asked.

The receptionist gave her a long look. The woman was young and very pretty. "Do you have an appointment?" she finally asked.

"No."

"May I have your name and your reason for wanting to speak to him?" the receptionist asked.

"I am not anyone that he knows or remembers," the woman said quietly, "and the matter is of a personal nature."

The receptionist's look grew cold. After a moment of silence the young woman continued. "My name is Sasha and I am James Morgan's ex-girlfriend. I wanted to give Mr. Glass some information about Melissa Davis."

The receptionist then dialed Alan's secretary. A few minutes later Sasha was sitting in Alan's office.

"What can I do for you?" Alan asked after Sasha introduced herself.

"I am not going to take up a lot of your time. I am here to tell you something that has been bothering me for a while," Sasha said.

Alan was confused and looked as though he did not understand what she was talking about. He thought that he may have met her before but he was not sure.

Sasha took a deep breath. "Before I tell you anything, you must promise that you will not tell anyone. In fact, I want you to sign a paper stating that you will not tell anyone who told you what I am about to reveal to you."

Alan hesitated, the conversation was getting a little weird. "What are you going to tell me?" he asked.

"It is about Melissa Davis," Sasha responded with a small smile. She pulled out the paper and gave it to Alan to sign.

Alan read the paper:

I, Alan Glass, will not tell anyone who told me information about Melissa Davis and the photos in the tabloid.

After a brief moment of thought, he signed and handed the paper back to Sasha. She folded the paper and put it inside her purse.

"I wanted to let you know that your father, Andrew Glass, paid three million dollars to my ex-boyfriend, James Morgan, in exchange for him taking a photo of me and James hugging and then Photoshopping Melissa into the photo."

Alan was stunned, " _What_ do you mean?" Color began to rise in his face.

Sasha was taken aback by his response and decided that it was time for her to go. She got up and started to walk towards the door.

"Please, can you tell me more?" Alan asked desperately.

"I have nothing else to tell you," Sasha replied but then seeing his desperation she pulled out a photo of her and James kissing. The same photo that appeared in the tabloids and handed it to Alan.

"Oh, my God," Alan breathed. He grabbed his head and began holding it in his hands with his elbows resting on the table. The last few weeks has been an emotional roller coaster for him.

"What have I done?" His eyes were moving back and forth in a fit of confusion. By then, Sasha was almost at the door.

"Wait, why did you tell me this?"

"I met Melissa once. She is a nice girl. I felt bad for her. Also, James dumped me a few days ago for someone else so this is my way to get back at him," she said with a hard look in her eyes. Sasha then opened the door and walked out.

Alan sat very still for a while. He did not know what to do. He had missed Melissa every day but had been too offended to do anything. _I may have ruined my whole life_ , he thought.

Getting up he grabbed his coat and ran out. As he left, he spoke to his secretary. "Ariana, please cancel all of my appointments for today."

Going to the elevator, he pushed the down button. When the elevator doors opened, he punched the button to his father's office floor, which was a few floors below his.

Walking into his father's office, Alan looked like a hurricane. Andrew was at his desk, busy reading some paperwork and did not look up as Alan entered.

"I want to ask you something," Alan said, his voice quivering with anger.

"Can it wait?" Andrew asked still focusing on his paperwork.

"No," Alan seethed. "I need to talk to you now and it cannot wait a _second_." He slammed his fist on the table.

"Okay," Andrew said as he looked up and put his reading glasses down calmly.

"Is that true that you gave three million dollars to James Morgan in exchange for fake photos of him and Melissa kissing?"

"Who told you that?" Andy's face did not change.

"It does not matter," Alan argued. "Is it true?"

"To answer your question, I was trying to protect you from yourself. She is not worthy of you. You can do better and I could see that I could not persuade you otherwise."

Hearing this from his father, Alan's anger dissipated. He felt like the ground beneath him had disappeared. He searched for words to express his emotions and could not. Finally, he spoke sounding tired and disappointed, "I cannot believe that you would be capable of something like that. Dad, you saw that I was very happy with her and yet you chose to try to separate us for your own selfish reasons. I cannot believe it. I do not want to talk to you ever again after this." With that Alan turned and began to leave.

Sensing he had miscalculated Alan's reaction, Andrew tried to salvage what he could. "Remember where your wealth came from," Andrew called to Alan as he walked out. Alan did not even look back. He left the room, slamming the door behind him.

Alan then drove to Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics. The building was older but it looked like work was being done to renovate the exterior. Once he parked, Alan went to the company's entrance.

The lobby of the building was all glass and stone giving the interior a bright but cold feel. When Alan reached the reception desk, he asked if he could talk to James Morgan.

"Do you have an appointment?" asked the receptionist.

"No, my name is Alan Glass and I am an acquaintance of Mr. Morgan's."

The receptionist called James' secretary. After a few minutes, James came out to the lobby to greet him.

Smiling, he walked to Alan. "Hello Alan, to what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you?"

Alan came to him. "You bustard, I owe you this," and then punched James in the face. James stumbled backwards and sat down hard on the ground.

Looking up at Alan with alarm, he asked in a panicked voice, "What was that for?"

"That was for Melissa, for faking photos, and for almost ruining my life. You'll not get away with this. You will be hearing hear from my attorney and the money that you received from my father will probably be given to your attorney to pay for your defense." With that he turned and started to leave the building.

The receptionist came to James with a box of tissues. Behind him, Alan heard James call out in a shrill voice, "I'll sue you for this!"

Turning, Alan looked at James and said in a calm voice, "I look forward to seeing you in court." He then turned back to the exit and left the building.

Once Alan was back in his car, he went to the airport. Within a few hours his corporate jet was landing in Chicago. When he arrived, Alan called Angie and told her what happened.

"I told you Alan, but you wouldn't listen," Angie said. She then softened her tone and continued. "Liam and I are coming to Chicago too in a few days. Hopefully, we will be able to help you if she does not want to talk to you."

"Do you think she will forgive me?" Alan asked nervously.

"I don't know. You will have to ask her, she has been hiding from me these last couple of weeks. I think I remind her of you and this is her way of coping with the pain."

Alan got Melissa's address from Angie and went to her house. Thirty minutes later, he pulled up in front of her house and got out. The house was small but looked cozy. He thought about her growing up in this house, imagined a little girl getting out and running to the school bus on weekdays, and playing basketball with her dad on weekends. He wanted to be a part of this house and a part of this family. He went up the stairs and rang the doorbell.

After a few seconds later Jim opened the door. He was shocked when he saw Alan standing at the doorstep with flowers. "Alan," he said, "what are you doing here?"

"Hello, Jim, I am here to talk to...Melissa," Alan stammered.

"Oh," Jim said. "Okay." Jim paused as though he was trying to think of what to say. After a moment, he stretched out his hand and shook Alan's hand. "Come in."

As they walked into the hallway, Jim called out. "Janet, can you come please?"

"What is it, Jim?" When he did not respond she said, "Coming, dear." Janet was down within a few seconds. She saw Alan and realized that he had come to reconcile.

"Oh, Alan," she came to him and gave him a hug, "I am so glad to see you."

Alan was surprised by Janet's hug—here he thought they would not even talk to him. "I'm happy to see you too," he replied. Alan was relieved that Jim and Janet hadn't refused to let him come in. "May I see Melissa?" he asked.

Alan noticed that Janet became slightly uncomfortable at his request. After a few seconds she replied. "Alan, she's not here. She's in the hospital."

Alan grew pale. "Why?" he asked.

"It's a long story. Why don't we go and see her and she can tell you what happened herself? I was getting ready to go when you came."

Melissa was tired and hungry. She still had bouts of sickness but it was getting better. Dr. Whitehall was concerned with her electrolyte levels because of her morning sickness but otherwise was pleased with Melissa's progress.

Now that lunch was over and all of the afternoon tests were done, Melissa was alone with time to think. Since she learned that she was pregnant, the last few days had been both a sad and happy time for her. The pain of being separated from Alan was counterbalanced by the joy of having the baby. She felt happy or sad depending upon what she was thinking about, the baby or Alan.

She had been coping by engaging herself in different activities and keeping herself busy. She tried to break up her day into sections and then occupy every section with something she had to do. She has been reading a book, doing some embroidery, watching a movie a day, spending time with her parents, but mainly resting.

This was the time of day when she watched a movie and waited for her parents to visit. As she rested, she heard a knock on the door. The door opened and Janet stuck her head into the room. "Melissa there is someone here to talk to you." Janet then left and Melissa sat up on the bed.

Curious, Melissa looked when Alan came in. He walked in slowly like a reluctant boy who was guilty of something and knew it. Melissa saw him and immediately forgave him for all of the pain she has been through for the last few weeks.

"Melissa," he mumbled, "how are you?"

When she did not say anything he continued, "I'm sorry. Weeks ago, I said that we could get through anything as long as we stay together and the first test of that, I let you down."

"You do not have to say you're sorry, it was just a big misunderstanding," Melissa said.

Alan came to her and hugged her. They held each other for a few minutes. Alan had his lips right next to her ear and whispered again,

"I'm so sorry."

Melissa started crying.

"It's okay," Alan said holding her face and looking into her eyes, "please don't upset yourself."

Melissa hugged him again and their lips met. The pain of the last few weeks washed away as they found each other again. After a few moments together they separated, smiling at each other.

Alan felt that at that point he could ask her what was on his mind. "Why are you here? What happened?"

Melissa laughed a light, happy, laugh. "I am pregnant," she stated simply.

Alan was stunned and sat in silence on the bed next to Melissa. It took him a moment to understand what is going on, then he pulled her back to himself and just held her. They embraced for several minutes, not saying a word.

# Chapter 28

The elegant dark BMW drove up the gravel driveway and skidded to a stop. Once the engine was turned off, Angie and Liam got out of the car and started walking to the front door.

The late spring weather was warm and the day was bright. Angie smiled at Liam as they enjoyed the day in Southampton together. They arrived at the door holding hands and rang the doorbell.

After a few moments, Tia answered the door. "Ms. Glass and Mr. Nichols, it is nice to see you again," she greeted. "Please come in.

Mrs. Glass told me that you were coming."

Angie and Liam entered the house. The entryway was bright and airy. A narrow entryway table in the corner of the room had a small bouquet of spring-time flowers giving the room a warm, friendly feel. French doors separated the entryway from the rest of the house.

Tia opened the doors and ushered Angie and Liam through the house to a patio. On the patio was a teak table and chairs. "Please make yourself comfortable while I get her," Tia said as she motioned to the chairs.

"Is Alan here too?" Angie asked.

Tia nodded. "Yes, Mr. Glass is here. He is on a conference call right now but he will join you when it is over. May I get you anything?" Tia asked.

"Iced tea, please," replied Angie.

"Water," said Liam.

Tia then left with their orders while Angie and Liam made themselves comfortable.

Once Tia left, Liam turned to Angie. "I still can't believe that you drink iced tea. It just isn't right," he said shaking his head.

Angie smiled. "It's still not too late for you to start drinking iced tea. Our wedding is still not for a few weeks."

Liam grinned. "Are you kidding? If I did that I'd never hear the end of it from my buddies."

"Well, then I guess you'll just have to get used to my iced tea," Angie replied as she looked around the patio. "They really made a lot of changes since we were here last."

"It's almost a new house," Liam agreed.

"I can't believe how much brighter the house is. Melissa was saying that the interior decorator they hired is really good. Maybe we should consider her for our house."

Liam shrugged. "We'll see. We have to find a house first."

The patio doors opened and Melissa came out. She was dressed comfortably in shorts and a floral blouse. She was heavier now because of the pregnancy but a calm happiness seemed to fill her. "Angie, Liam, I'm so glad you came."

Angie came to Melissa and gave her a hug. "You look wonderful and the house is beautiful. How is everything going?"

Melissa gestured for Angie and Liam to sit down as Tia came with their drinks. As she sat, Melissa unconsciously rubbed her stomach. "If you don't mind, sitting down is a little easier for me. Everything is going well for us. The doctor is happy with the way the baby is growing and everything is going much better now that I'm able to hold down food.

Fortunately, both Alan and my parents have been a real help with everything."

Angie smiled. "So, is it true that Alan has scaled back from work?"

Melissa nodded, "He's been wonderful. He's gone to every doctor's appointment and now he's only working from home. He has conference calls two or three times a day and a lot of email to go through. He's been tele-commuting now for about two months and his business has been doing great."

Angie shrugged her shoulders like she was not surprised. "Alan spent a long time making his company. He has a lot of good people working for him. Now, it's a well-oiled machine that can practically run itself." Angie then changed subjects. "So, how do your parents like living in New York?"

"They love it," Melissa said simply. "They sold their house and Alan helped them buy a new one in Sag Harbor. When they aren't over here helping, they're over there unpacking. They're about twenty minutes away which is nice. Not too far, but not too close either."

"So your dad likes being retired?" Angie asked.

"Dad is threatening to go back to work," Melissa joked. "He says it was easier. Mom has him making a vegetable garden and he has been reading his books or watching baseball but I have a feeling that things will change a little for him after the baby arrives. So how are things going for you? How is the preparation for the wedding?"

Angie took a sip of her iced tea before answering. "Well, we wanted to see how your check-up went and to see if you're still going to be able to be a bridesmaid."

Melissa nodded. "The doctor gave me a clean bill of health and said I'm able to do anything...within reason. I would love to be your bridesmaid."

Relief played across Angie's face. "We're so happy to hear that. You see, Liam..." she gave him a hard look, "invited all of his friends from Jersey to come and they _all_ accepted. So I'm wanting to make sure that I have enough bridesmaids to counteract his crowd."

Liam spread his hands helplessly. "What can I say? They all want to meet the woman who stole my heart. That and the fact that Angie offered to buy all of them plane tickets."

Angie rolled her eyes and shook her head dramatically. "I just hope I'm not starting a British invasion."

Melissa smiled. She could tell that Angie was very happy and excited about the wedding. "I take it the wedding preparation is going well. How about everything else?"

"Busy," Angie breathed. "Very busy. As you know, after Dad and Alan's fight last year, Dad decided it was time to retire."

Melissa nodded quietly. While she wasn't angry any more at what Andrew had done, she still found it difficult to talk about him. "Yes, he sold his company and moved with Kerrie to...Hawaii?"

"Yes, that's right," Angie confirmed. "However, Daddy didn't sell all of the business. He gave me a portion of his client list to help me get started. Fortunately, Liam has been here to help. In addition, last month Liam also got his real estate agent license."

"Congratulations, Liam," Melissa said. "I'm sure that you'll find that license very useful in this family."

"You got that right," Liam agreed. "I've already sold six properties since I got my license."

"Liam's a natural," Angie enthused, "and his business background has helped make a few of the deals possible."

Liam smiled modestly. "You gave me a lot of help, love."

"It sounds like you two are doing well."

Angie smiled at Melissa's statement but then became thoughtful. "Do you think you and Alan will be able to forgive my dad for what he did?"

Melissa became uneasy. "I have never been able to hold a grudge, and over the last few months I've been able to forgive what Andrew did. Alan, however, is still quite angry at his father. I can't promise anything but I will talk to him."

Angie nodded. "Thanks."

As they talked, the patio door opened again and Alan came out. "Angie, Liam," he greeted. "What brings you here?"

Angie came to Alan and gave him a hug. "We haven't seen you and Melissa for a few weeks and wanted to make sure you were doing okay."

Alan smiled as Liam shook his hand. "We're doing fine. I just got off the phone with Jack and it is now official, we're opening up an office in North Carolina. Everything should be up and running by the end of next month." Alan looked to Melissa, "Looks like we may be doing some house shopping in North Carolina soon."

"Are we moving there?"

"Yes," Alan confirmed, "but only for part of the year. I've heard it's nice during the winter but I'm not too sure I'd want to live there year round."

Relief played across Melissa face. "So this will be our summer home? That's good," she smiled, "I have put a lot of effort into this house and I love it."

"So Alan," Angie interrupted, "I heard that you are now scaling back and working from home. How does it feel?"

"Very good," Alan confirmed. "Melissa and I are really enjoying our time together."

"Well, if you put as much energy into making your family as you did building your company, I'm sure that you will be happy with the results," Angie concluded.

"I already am." Alan agreed as he held Melissa's hand. He then became more serious. "During my conference call, I talked to our attorney, Steve Pierson, and he told me that he heard that James Morgan is in financial trouble again. Apparently, the money he received from my father was not enough. He's already burned through it and now Morgan Makeup and Cosmetics is filing for bankruptcy."

"I heard that Morgan Makeup was filing for bankruptcy, too," Angie confirmed. "Apparently, the new girlfriend he had was very high maintenance but since he ran into money problems, she left him..."

Melissa heard what they were saying about James Morgan but didn't pay much attention to it. She was happy being with Alan and glad that she had seen James for who he really was. Melissa found that focusing on her life with Alan was the best thing that ever happened to her. It gave her purpose and it gave her a task that she enjoyed. With the upcoming arrival of the baby, her life was well rounded and complete.

###

Thanks for reading my book. If you enjoyed it, would you take a moment and leave me a review at your favorite retailed?

Thanks,

Sam Begin
