Bethany didn't have to worry about running into Gabriel Blake.

Within the twenty-something-story chrome and glass B&B office building, he was up on the very top floor with the other executives. She was in the cubicle farm with the other junior desk jockeys as Christine liked to call them. The distance between them might as well be the distance between planets. And that distance was never more clear than when she caught the occasional glimpses of him.

The first time she caught a glimpse of him, two men in black windbreakers wanted to check her computer. In fact, the same group in black windbreakers were trawling through all their cubicles, checking for something. Bethany found a spot by the window to stay out of their way. She happened to look down and saw a hulking black sport utility vehicle pulled into the vehicle bay. A moment later a tall, handsome in a tailored dark suit, emerged from the back. All she could see was his thick head of hair and brow line. It took her a moment to realize it was Gabriel. He seemed so different from the way he carried himself. She watched as he paused to wait for the tall, dark-haired woman named Payton to climb down from the vehicle after him. They shared a laugh, before heading towards the entrance.

The second time she saw him she was waiting in line at the free coffee cart in the atrium lobby. She remembered she had just gotten a new wallet, but still haven't received her replacement ID and cards. Rather than spend the cash Gabriel had given her, she was going to take advantage of whatever free items she could. Then, she happened to look up and saw a crowd emerging from the shining steel and glass executive elevator featured prominently in the center of the atrium. She saw him instantly. Just as Bethany was about to raise her hand and wave 'hello,' he lowered his head to a portly, bearded man walking with him. From their expressions and tense body language, it was a serious discussion. Again she was struck by how different he seemed. Christine and the others often described him as the epitome of masculine sensuality. To Bethany, it was as if a stranger had taken over Gabriel's body. She let her hand drop and watched him walk away.

It would be weeks before she saw him again.

Christine had spent the morning arguing with a man and a woman in black windbreakers. They were denying her access to her computer. Finally, she simply called on Bethany to deliver a tall stack of thick black binders to the executive offices.

It took all of Bethany's strength to keep that stack balanced in her arms. Luckily that stack grew smaller and lighter as she handed them off to the other executive's assistants. The last face she encountered was that of the perpetually irritated Brooke.

"I asked Christine for these yesterday," the stern-faced young woman snapped at Bethany.

"There are people all over our floor. We had to let them look through everything first," Bethany replied.

That comment earned her a look of disgust from the other woman. "Are you stupid? Don't you know what's going on right now?"

"Sorry," Bethany replied, rocking back on her heels. "Can I help in any way?"

Brooke gestured at the stack. "Scan these pages. Or is that too hard for you? You can use Tim's desk since he's out this morning. Save everything to the local 'c' drive but don't touch anything else! Understand? Nothing else!"

Bethany set to work immediately. As she worked, she snuck glances at Brooke between scanning each page. Brooke was all in all a good-looking woman and always appeared polished in her uniform of sharp sheath dresses. But she wore a perpetual scowl as if she found the whole world grating. And for some reason, she found Bethany, particularly distasteful. She decided it was better to stay out of Brooke's way rather than try to win the other woman's friendship.

A commotion made Bethany look towards a long hallway.

Gabriel, flanked by a group of four or five, came swaggering down that hall toward a smaller conference room already occupied to capacity. The man sitting at the head of the table shot to his feet to make way for Gabriel as everyone else snapped to attention. Brooke dashed in a moment later and handed a sheet to Gabriel before he took a seat. He perused the sheet as he addressed a nervous-looking man to his right. From his expression and body language, he wasn't pleased with the much older man. And a thunderous Gabriel was a sight to behold. It felt like the glass wall even rippled with a charge that wafted off of him. It took some time, and much convincing before his expression finally softened. He then licked his lips and nodded in agreement, and Bethany could almost hear the sighs of relief in that room.

"Do you plan to do any work today?" Brooke snapped at Bethany on her way back to her cubicle.

Red-faced, Bethany hurriedly scanned another sheet. She fanned herself with the flap of her jacket. The sound of paper crunching in her pocket. Surprised, she pulled out a small square of folded paper. Ah yes! She forgot about the latest poorly written poem left on her desk that morning. Several times in the last week she found a flower, or a typed note on her desk when she arrived at work. There was never a hint of who might have left them. Harmless, she convinced herself. And yet... that old familiar feeling of dread creeping up her spine...

Bethany crumpled up the sheet and tossed it into a trash can. She was at work, surrounded by people. There was even a security guard strolling down the hall.

Unwittingly, she glanced over at the conference to where Gabriel was. He had taken off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves as he gestured at a marked-up white board. Just the sight of him, so big and strong, eased her tension. She stroked the strands of her ponytail absently as she watched his movements...

"Drooling over the boss?"

Bethany jumped, startled by the voice behind her. She spun around to see a young man in a pressed white shirt and slacks leaning against the cubicle partition. She recognized his sandy hair and smiling green eyes as the man she ran into by the elevators. Joel.

"I — wasn't — " she stammered. Her cheeks burned red hot. How long had he been standing there, watching her watch Gabriel?

"Don't worry about it!" Joel said, flashing her a toothy white smile. "Just don't let Brooke catch you."

Bethany stared at him blankly. "Brooke?"

He leaned forward to say in a low voice, "She sees every pretty girl as competition. Poor thing. Probably read one too many romance novels where the boss falls for his assistant. She's dreaming of the day Gabe finally realizes that she's not like other girls. But ‌he has to see her as a woman first. Know what I mean?"

At that moment, Brooke's head popped up over the partition. She scowled at Bethany and Joel for a moment, then disappeared again.

Joel tilted his head towards the conference room. "Looks pretty intense in there. Is this about the security breach or the EU thing?"

"No clue," she confessed.

"I think I saw on his calendar something about NuVision coming in today to renegotiate their contract." He cocked his head to one side. "But I bet you wouldn't tell me even if you knew. You must be tired of people fishing for information by now."

She batted her lashes at him. "What do you mean?"

"Now that the word is out that you're close to the boss, I'm sure people are lining up to get information about him through you."

That made Bethany lower her gaze. "Word travels fast."

"This is a pretty competitive business in case you haven't noticed. Some are ‌worried you'll use your connection to leap over them. Others probably want to use you to put in a good word with him. Oh! And don't look now, but Brooke's been shooting daggers at you this whole time."

He looked back and lifted his hand at that scowling face. "Hey, Brooke! Glad to see your bright, sunny face sweetie!"

Brooke's scowl deepened, but she ducked out of sight.

"Be nice," Bethany admonished him behind a suppressed smile. Despite his easy manner, and her inclination to like him, life taught her to be cautious. "So which one are you?"

His green eyes softened, and he seemed almost shy. "I'm the guy who finally worked up the nerve to ask a pretty girl to lunch. So? Are you free today?"

Bethany had anticipated that question, and she already had an answer. She waved her hand over the two neat stacks of paper. "Christine is still waiting for me to help her with another project. And since I've been here all morning scanning these pages—"

"Well, you still have to eat, don't you?"

"I usually bring lunch."

He looked at her from beneath his lashes. "It took me all week to work up the nerve to get to this point. And I talked too much and blew it, didn't I? But you have to forgive my horrible disability. I have this disease called 'foot in mouth.' "

Bethany shook her head as the corners of her lips tugged back into a smile. That smile turned into a chuckle.

Encouraged, Joel rapped his knuckle on the top of the partition. "Tell you what, I'll come by your desk later in case you're not too busy. And yes, I know where to find you."

With that, he left without waiting for her response.

Bethany watched Joel walk away. She had to admit that she found him handsome and easy to talk to. No doubt his flirtatious personality must be very popular with most women. Most. Was he the one who had been leaving flowers and poems on her desk? No. Asking her to lunch directly seemed more his style. She wondered what it would be like if she accepted his lunch date. He was very easy to talk to, and he made her smile. In fact, she was smiling after him before she turned away...

...And found Gabriel looking at her through the glass wall of the conference room.

He stood there as if he had been in the middle of something else when he was caught off guard. His sharp gaze darted from Bethany to Joel's retreating back, then back again. Though he looked flushed beneath his tan, it was hard to discern what he was thinking. That moment lasted but a second before someone wanted his attention.

Bethany returned to her work but her trembling hands dropped those pages several times and her knee knocked into a chair. That earned her more glares from Brooke. Sweat down her back made her shirt stick as she couldn't shake the earlier image of Gabriel from her head. He seemed... Stunned? Hurt? But why?

For the rest of the morning, she kept her head down and jumped at Brooke's every command. Luckily Gabriel disappeared after his meeting. No. This distance between them didn't span planets. It spanned galaxies.