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Tiny letters danced across the screen in front of Kim’s eyes. Exhausted, she rubbed at her eyelids. Working at a computer for hours at a stretch wasn’t exactly restful. But when she could work no more, she went to one particular Internet site, where she could relax a little. There were stories there that she read again and again.

Very special stories. From woman to woman.

Slowly, Kim let herself slip into the tale. The woman with the chestnut brown hair sank back on the couch, and the other woman leaned over her –

“Ms. Wolff?”

Kim spun around. Her boss stood in the doorway. Silky chestnut brown hair fell across her shoulders, shiny and seductive. Kim swallowed.

“Are you working on something urgent?” her boss asked. “Or could you come see me right now?”

“I can . . . come,” Kim managed with an effort. That was certainly true. She probably could’ve, almost.

Sonja Kantner, department head and object of Kim’s restless dreams, glanced briefly at Kim’s computer screen, but she was too far away, the screen stood at too sharp an angle, and the letters were too small. Kim thanked all the goddesses in heaven for that.

“Let me just save this.” Kim felt heat rising to her face. She hoped she hadn’t turned beet red. Lucky for her that she didn't usually suffer that fate.

“Fine, do that.” Sonja Kantner nodded, then turned away.

Kim watched her luscious backside disappear from the doorway. Did she have to be so attractive? It was a daily torture.

SIX WEEKS EARLIER

Six weeks ago Kim had seen her new boss for the first time, in the conference room at Sonja’s introduction to the company. Kim had nearly fainted. She immediately began working out a plan for how, “for reasons of strategic importance to the company,” she could move the department head’s office – normally immediately adjacent to her own – to the other end of the hall, or better yet, to another floor. Or even better still, to another building.

After relating a few of his new department head’s career highlights, the CEO gave the floor to Kim’s new boss. “Why don’t you start by introducing yourself, Mrs. Kantner?”

He stepped back, and Sonja Kantner stepped forward. She repeated, in slightly different terms, what he’d already said about her work history, but Kim wasn’t interested in all that. What interested her was something Sonja Kantner had said right at the start: married, no children.

“Yet,” she added with a charming smile.

She’d guessed right. Kim almost sighed when she received confirmation of what she’d already known anyhow. Sonja Kantner was straight, and solidly so. But what good would it have been, even if things were otherwise? Kim brooded some more over her plan to ship her off to another building. Maybe over in Eichhalde. Didn’t they have branch offices in other countries than Germany, too? Couldn’t Sonja be assigned overseas?

Kim knew one thing, at least: She wouldn’t be able to stand having her new boss so close to her for long, every day, almost every minute. Or perhaps Kim would get used to her and the attraction would fade with time? Kim examined Sonja Kantner’s body once more from head to toe as she spoke. No. No, the chances of that were exceedingly slim. The opposite was more likely to occur.

The assembly started to break up, and Kim was about to leave when the CEO waved in her direction. “Ms. Wolff? Would you come over here, please?”

Kim took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. Courage! She walked over to the two of them, and he introduced her with a smile. “This, Sonja, will be your closest coworker, Kim Wolff. Kim, I’d like to formally introduce you to Sonja Kantner.”

Sonja smiled and extended her hand to Kim. Kim would rather not have touched her, but she could hardly be rude, after all. Sonja’s hand was soft and warm. Once they actually touched, Kim would have preferred never to let go, so it was left to Sonja to draw back after the appropriate interval, which she did.

“I’m glad to meet you, Kim. I hope we’ll work well together.”

Work together? Kim thought, but aloud she responded with what was expected of her: “I hope so, too, and I’m looking forward to our association as well.” She smiled in a way that she hoped came across as confident. The tingling that had slowly spread from her hand throughout her entire body somewhat hindered her ability to be precise in her reactions.

“You’ll take Sonja on a tour of the company and show her everything, won’t you, Kim?” her CEO surmised, in a tone of friendly command.

Kim tried not to gulp. “Yes,” she replied, the effort required to control her voice making it sound very soft. “Of course. I’ll show her everything.” If only that were possible! What Kim would have liked to show her . . .!

Sonja laughed. “But not until tomorrow! Today, I still have to tour the executive floor.”

The CEO melted at her charming smile just as Kim had, only he was permitted to let it show; Kim wasn’t. One day’s reprieve! At least she had that!

“Then until tomorrow.” Sonja smiled at Kim once more. “What time will you get in?”

Kim forced out an answer. “At eight.”

“Good.” Sonja smiled. “I’ll be here at seven.”

“This really wasn’t necessary, Kim.” Mrs. Kantner greeted her, beaming.

Already in such a good mood this early in the morning – this was going to be something! When had she gotten up? Kim had been punctual, but Sonja was already sitting at the desk when Kim entered her office.

She came over to Kim and extended her hand. “Good morning,” she said when she’d reached Kim, and her eyes delved into Kim’s with an irresistible gaze.

She probably had no idea what effect that had on Kim . . . what effect she herself had on Kim –

“You could just as well have come in at eight,” Sonja continued. “I know I get on everyone’s nerves by being such an early riser. But I like to catch up on things in peace and quiet first thing in the morning. When there’s no one here yet. Otherwise there are some things I’d never get to.” Her laugh was enormously likeable.

She’d only just started. What was there for her to catch up on? Kim nudged herself into an understanding smile and withdrew her hand, which Sonja was still holding. “You’re right about that,” she agreed. “Although I prefer to do it in the evening, when everyone else is gone.”

Sonja Kantner laughed once more and went back to her desk. “To each her own.” She turned to face Kim. “How late do you stay at the office in the evenings?”

“Sometimes until ten. But I usually don’t come in until –” Kim broke off. Perhaps she shouldn’t reveal to her new boss what time she normally came in in the morning.

Sonja smiled. She was too clever to be led so easily astray. “You don’t normally come in at seven or eight, do you?”

Kim sighed. “No,” she admitted. “But I’ll change that, of course,” she added hastily. “If you’re here at seven, I will be, too.”

“That won’t be necessary. As I said: I know I get on everyone’s nerves by being such an early bird, but I don’t demand it of anyone else.” Sonja kept smiling. “Although by ten o’clock in the evening, I’m usually in bed. So we ought to agree on some time in between.”

In bed? Kim looked at her. How seductive must she look lying in bed, if she was already this attractive during the day? She was sure to have wonderful negligees for nighttime . . . and if she wore nothing at all . . .?

“What’s the earliest you can be here?” Sonja was paging through a file on her desk, something her predecessor must’ve left behind.

Kim had to tear herself away from her un-businesslike thoughts. “Eight-thirty?” she suggested. She could probably manage that, just about.

Sonja looked up. “Fine.” She smiled once more in that unbelievably likeable, almost loving way. “And if it’s more like nine sometimes, that’s not a problem. I suspect that was the time you really wanted to suggest, am I right?”

She must’ve graduated from a great many leadership seminars, to be this good. “Yes,” Kim admitted.

“We’ll thrash it out together eventually!” Sonja laughed. “Will you show me around now?”

Thrash it out together – what a nice image, Kim thought for a moment. Then the two of them left the office for the tour.

And they really had thrashed things out together, so to speak. Working with Sonja was a pleasure. What Kim found less enjoyable was the physical proximity that usually went with it, and which Sonja showed no inclination to limit. She leaned over Kim’s chair when she stood behind her and Kim had to show her something on the computer screen. When they met at a conference table to discuss something, she sat very close to Kim so they could study the same papers. Again and again, she smiled when they talked – always purely business, of course – and brushed casually against Kim’s arm, raising goosebumps that were visible for miles – or would be, if Kim hadn’t made a habit of wearing long-sleeved blouses to work.

Straight women! It never occurred to them that women might also be receptive to such temptation. In that respect, only men existed for them. Kim was already dreading the approach of summer. Her T-shirts and short-sleeved blouses would have to rot in her closet, and she would sweat like hell. But she still preferred that to letting Sonja Kantner see how she felt.

On the other hand, Kim also yearned for that physical closeness. To a certain extent, it was sweet torture whenever her boss called her over or approached her to work . . . when she was so dreadfully close, and yet Kim couldn’t come any closer.

Never would Kim have dared to touch her the way Sonja carelessly touched Kim, just brushing her arm like that.

Kim would’ve exploded – on the spot.