Sorry it’s long, skip to part 4 for the good stuff.

I was enjoying a quiet end to my day at work when my phone buzzed. It was Gary, my boss. He was the director of the company and I supervised an awesome team of designers for him.

“Hey Gary” I answered the phone reluctantly because I knew he wouldn’t be calling me this late unless it was an emergency. Emergencies in the advertising industry usually constitute a rush job or a deal gone sour.

None of my projects have gone south lately, mostly because of my team of brilliant and creative geniuses.

“Mel, I have a high profile client coming to see you in half-hour, he needs several banners created by the end of the week. Don’t worry about printing. Just give them the files and they’ll take care of it.”

I knew it.

I was planning on heading home and binge-watching Archer tonight. This is probably my tenth time watching archer, but that’s irrelevant!

“Sure, I’ll go get things set up” I politely agreed to meet with these “high profile clients” of his.

I asked Damien and Jessica, my lead designers to attend the meeting but since it’s late, I gave them the option to dodge if they wanted.

Being the responsible workers they are, both agreed without hesitation.

To be completely honest, it did bother me that they had no reservations about their night being ruined.

Anyhow, I got my things ready and walked to the meeting room when I saw Mary, our assistant escorting two gentlemen my way. I had to do a double-take when I saw them.

One wore a casual jacket over a T-shirt, looking professional, but sexy as hell and the other one wore an expensive-looking polo and jeans. The lack of a collar in the casual jacket brought out the dark brown chestnut color of his hair. There was no doubt about it- he was gorgeous.

I stood by the glass door, admiring the duo until Mary came over and introduced them to me.

They were Gary’s “high profile clients”!

They definitely looked the part!

I introduced myself hoping that my face wasn't blushing. Just in case it comes up, I thought of a quick excuse.

”my designers will be here shortly, please make yourselves comfortable! Can I get you a drink?” Gary kept a good stash of drinks in his office for clients like this.

Try both refused any drinks.

The client that introduced himself as Josh made it a point to say that he’s the client and the casual jacket gorgeousness is his friend.

I didn't quite understand the complexity of their relationship, so I complied.

I made sure to talk to Josh, and explained how the process works.

Ed, relaxed in his chair, his eyes darting to whoever was talking but mostly stayed on me.

After a few minutes of discussing the details of the project, I handed the conversation to Jessica so she can take over her tasks.

It was my turn to sit back and relax.

I watched them both carefully, trying to figure out what makes them high-profile. Several times, I met Ed’s darting eyes and smiled.

“I’ll take that drink you offered” Ed’s silky voice was directed at me, but it interrupted Jessica. I noticed for the first time, that he had a bit of an accent, possibly British. I was adamant to make sure that Jessica was respected as she is the lead designer, but there was something about his voice that made me jump up and walk to Gary’s office.

I prepped a tray with a bottle of whiskey, a couple of glasses and a cup of ice.

When I returned, Josh and Jessica were back in the discussion.

I placed the tray next to Ed, and he turned towards me and started a separate, quiet conversation.

”I'm sorry that the timeline is short,” he told me quietly, his accent a little prominent than before.

” it's ok, we should be able to handle it. My designers are outstanding ” I told him, smiling.

”that's great, exactly what I'm looking for,” he told me, handing me a glass of whiskey. It took me a second to realize that he poured me a glass, something that I had never experienced before.

”oh I shouldn't drink,” I told him, placing the glass down.

”why not?” he looked confused. confusion suits him because the expression on his face made him look 10 times sexier.

”I'm working!” I mumbled, trying to get a grasp on my thoughts. They were wondering away into crazy places, doing crazy things with the man that is now only a few inches away from me.

His tongue clicked, and he grabbed my glass off the table and handed it to me. ”tell your boss that Josh’s friend made you drink.” he smiled playfully. I took a deep breath and held it in hoping my heart would stop beating so fast.

”Besides, your work is done here. Looks like you have a capable team.”

I took a sip, and raised by eyebrow ” I do!”

If I had the choice to drink, I would much rather drink something that is lighter, so I can drink for longer. I knew, taking the glass meant that I will not be useful for the remainder of the meeting.