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He'd nearly outed him A handful of euys from his dad's company, people who had been with Bournham Industries for the past thirty-odd years Loyalty truh-level business deals – and for as reluctant as he'd been to tell his dad's old pros what he was doing, it had been for the best

Jerry's words felt like fingernails on a chalkboard right now, though, because "virgin" was to Mike as "intelligent" was to Snooki

Lydia had turned hireen contacts

As he joined the crowd and rateful for the flights of steps, for his erection faded in ti he couldn't have

Chapter Five

"You kissed him? You kissed your boss the first week he's there? In a supply closet?" Krysta grabbed Lydia's shoulder, nearly tipping the spoon out of her hand and splattering Rocky Road ice cream all over Lydia's pants "Who are you and what have you done with the real Lydia?"

"I know!" Lydia wailed, shoving a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth to cut off her own sound The cold blast of thick, crearoan as her lipsthe sweet, luscious treat, herto hot, warht –

"You don't kiss guys on the first date! In fact, you have ranted since our fresheender discrimination is a worse evil than, than – than even not cohed silently, her mouth busy with the flavor and slow ht Ice cream was no substitute for his ht now, she sed and shoveled another spoonful in, trying to figure out what to say as Krysta ranted on

"Lydia, you're going to lose your job if you keep this up Soave away the job you wanted – now you're clinging to the one you have" That made Lydia stop short Krysta wasn't the practical one Lydia was The role reversal reat She needed a raine like she needed to be fired

"I won't lose my job It was just a har with the tactile memory of his hands on her waist, how they roaainst the bottoms of her breasts, the exploration a –

She looked up to find Krysta tapping her foot "You can't even finish sentences, now This froender politics in the Infore"

Ouch

This is different, she nearly said, her internal editor scrale one, always at the beginning of an affair Matt wasn't– so it wasn't really an affair It was one kiss Just one

"It was just a kiss!" Lydia retorted, her face flushing furiously

"Is heher features, her expression so prudish Lydia would have laughed if she weren't the potential transgressor and ho"

"That doesn't ht" Lydia threw the now-empty pint container in the trash and tossed the spoon in the sink She threw up her hands "I don't know anything Here's what I do know: I ca lot reading Fifty Shades of Grey to kill tiuy I had neverspot and oh, yeah, by the way, he's my new boss – hired into a job Bournhaet for nearly two years"

She huffed with indignation as she felt Krysta's attention shift froment and skepticisot to ain – and went and had uy He co her eyes, she took a deep breath, willing away the ers dipped under her shirt to find flesh, his caress burned into her

"He took advantage of you!" Krysta shifted her hands to her hips, chin jutted out, back on Lydia's side She didn't correct her; there was no taking advantage Lydia was an all-too-willing partner in that kiss, a fact she had to acknowledge as she felt herself get wet just fro about how hisaside her panties and exploring in the –

"Uh, no!" she choked out, shaking her head God, would these io away? "It was just one kiss!" she bleated, herloop Krysta eyed her warily and reached for the coffee pot

"We need onecoffee the day I have to have decaf We're not that old!" Both wohed as Lydia tamped down the full-blown arousal that just this conversation had recharged A quick look at the stove clock told her that in eleven hours and thirteen ain

"Seriously, Lyd What are you going to do about this? Student loans don't pay themselves You have so rounds into the basket, Krysta rolled her eyes "That 800 a month loan doesn't pay for itself"

A thin thread of dread began to tug at her inside, unraveling stitch by stitch as the whole cloth of her life stretched out, tight and unwinding Oh My God Krysta was right Not just right – dead right What in the everloving hell had she been thinking? Throwing away six years of college and grad school, slogging for two years as a corporate zombie for a chance to be Director of Social Media and work her way up – and she iood tussle in the supply closet with her boss?