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face. She could feel his stare as she rushed down the hallway. She felt a twinge of remorse at having dismissed him so quickly. She would apologize later. Right now she needed to get some space between her and—well, everyone.
    Once in the open lobby, she felt her breathing slow down and she reduced down her pace. She marched to the reception desk and intercepted two guests, welcoming the distraction that giving good customer service provided her.
    “Hi, I’m Raina, the manager.” Raina said. “Did you enjoy your stay with us?”

    * * *
    T he next morning when Raina got to the hotel, she started her usual rounds. This involved visiting most of the areas of the hotel, especially those frequented by the guests. She circled the ground floor, noting the expensive chrome-plated fixtures were perfectly polished, artfully arranging magazines on tables and straightening vases overflowing with fragrant flowers.
    When she was done, Raina took the huge elevator to the lower level and reveled in the silence there. Some days it seemed she barely had a chance to breathe. In the polished reflection of the elevator doors she noted her crisp, professional-looking suit approvingly and tucked a stray curl back in place. Her makeup highlighted her best features—her wide brown eyes, her full lips—but was subtle and elegant. She looked both “no-nonsense,” but also approachable and friendly. It was, she thought as she smiled wryly at her reflection, a hard balance to pull off.
    As the elevator doors opened, she took a deep breath to steel herself for the day. She exchanged curt greetings with a few housekeepers who were cleaning the rooms which had recently been vacated. She took a peek at another room with the door ajar and to her pleasant surprise she spied Christopher atop a ladder fixing a bulb in the chandelier.
    “Hello there,” she called out.
    “Hey yourself; feeling better?” Christopher said, without taking his eyes away from the chandelier.
    “Yes, I am,” Raina said, noticing his legs muscles and rear end that were accentuated by his perfectly fitted pants.
    She felt herself grow warm when her eyes wandered further up, resting momentarily on the bulge in his trousers. She turned away in shame. This wasn’t like her. She was not given to ogling at men, especially those that she worked with.
    Raina had not lied to Pervy Roger. She always kept away from her coworkers, and especially her subordinates, which had saved her a lot of headaches in the past. She’d seen too many office romances turn sour and she strongly discouraged dating amongst her employees.
    Still, Christopher, with his well-muscled body and a deep voice that seemed to come from the very base of his stomach, could make a woman question her principles.
    “Can I help you with something?” His deep voice held a trace of laughter, almost as if he knew what she had been thinking. But that was, of course, impossible, she told herself. Still, she felt embarrassed at having been caught staring at him like a school girl with a crush.
    “Are you settling in well?” Raina asked in what she hoped was a normal tone of voice. It sounded a bit strangled to her own ears. She wiped her damp palms against her skirt and hoped he wouldn’t notice.
    “I am, thank you. Your friend Kelly is very … helpful .”
    Christopher said the word “helpful” in a suggestive way, which meant that Kelly was trying her luck with him. As much as she liked Kelly, the information gave her a bad taste in her mouth.
    “I just bet she is,” Raina muttered under her breath.
    “What was that?” Christopher asked as he descended the ladder.
    “I said I bet she’s very helpful!” Raina responded in an artificially chipper voice. He gave her a curious look.
    “Ah, yes. Well, yes. Helpful.” He cleared his throat and then asked the question he had clearly been waiting to ask her. “Was that another of the bosses I saw leaving your office?” Christopher said.
    Raina sighed aloud.