text: A whisper condensed in Caroline’s ear, startling her awake. She swatted at the culprit. “Hey, relax. It’s just me.” Jeff nuzzled into her neck while she grappled with consciousness. His hands swept the length of her body with obvious hunger. She groaned and pulled away, knowingly disappointing the man, but it wasn’t supposed to happen like this. Overnighters were *not* her thing - she fully expected to pay for the accident. She whipped the comforter off her body and flushed at her own nudity in the company of another human. A glance over her shoulder revealed he was *clearly* not so embarrassed. “Let me make you breakfast. I never get to see you in the morning.” It wasn’t the first attempt he’d made at getting her to stick around *just a little longer*. She could only imagine his thoughts. A scene straight out of a romantic comedy where the morning light glowed off her messy hair and he would swoon and just know that he was in love. He’d think “this is it, she’s the one.” And finally, the swell of a ballad. Caroline bounced around the room to pick up her clothing. A shirt that led to a sock leading to a pair of jeans, only half inside-out. Her face burned knowing that Jeff was watching her. At least it was easy to find everything in the daylight. The trail of garments went cold just outside the bedroom door. The inside of her lip was already raw from previous chewing, but her teeth took no issue with tearing into it once again. She wondered if she had let the question linger too long. A buzzing escaped from the clothes stuffed under her arm, and she tried to wriggle it free from its prison on her way to the bathroom. Privacy was just the ticket. By the time she got to it, the screen read, “Missed call: Dad”. Her brow scrunched at the odd hour. “Shit.” The clock practically laughed at her joke. 9:49 AM. She stuffed herself into wrinkled jeans and shoved the phone into the back pocket. She shouted an “I’ll call you later” in the general direction of the bedroom before leaving behind a cartoon dust cloud at the door. In the elevator, her phone buzzed again. Jeff texted *miss you already* with a kissy-face emoji. He wasn’t so bad. He’s a simple man, eager to please. *What was she doing with him?* There was nothing appealing to Caroline about a white-picket fence, kids, and a dog named Spot. It seemed cruel to keep him hanging on without the promise of some kind of progress. The ding of the elevator reminded her that she was in a race and she dashed off into the lobby, very likely toppling several victims in her wake, but she was too hurried to turn and find out. The buzzing persisted throughout the morning, so Caroline silenced and quarantined her phone in the top drawer of her desk. It was time to put her nose to the grindstone and get shit done. She had complaints about her job, like anyone else, but she loved it. She let spreadsheets consume her, craved formulas, and loved the dance of her fingers on the keyboard as she entered redundant and superfluous data, even on such a tight deadline. Of course, in the blink of an eye, she realized she’d missed lunch. Her stomach growled its complaint, but her mind went right to her phone. The missed calls were piling up, but she knew if it was important, her father would leave a voicemail. She stuffed the phone back in its hiding place and headed for the beckoning cafeteria. As she headed for the stairway door, a goddess emerged. She had legs up to her eyeballs and slow-motion music video hair. Her pencil skirt had a risque slit up the thigh, but everything about her was tidy. Professional. *Sexy.* “Greta,” the celestial form said. She greeted the silence in return with a giggle. “Oh, hi. Yes, um. Caroline. Hi.” She wiped the sweat from her palms on her pants and reached for the one offered to her. They shook hands and Caroline gathered herself. “Was there something I could help you with?” “Oh, goodness. I thought you’d be expecting me!” Greta’s cheeks flushed, but she composed herself quickly. “I’m meeting with the partners today? I have an appointment. I apologize, I assumed you were one of them.” *Me? The utter puddle in front of you?* “Right. No, I’m not a partner but I *do* give excellent directions.” She turned and pointed to the conference room. “Looks like they’re all in there. Must be waiting for you.” *Lucky assholes.* “Great! Thanks, Caroline. It was a pleasure to meet you.” Her smile was dazzling. She was a freaking toothpaste commercial. “The pleasure was all mine,” she replied. And then she headed back to her desk. Caroline struggled to remain focused on the tasks that usually thrilled her. *What is she here for?* She tapped aimlessly at some keys. *Damn, I still forgot lunch.