[This is a submission for the 2013 Valentine's Contest. Please enjoy!]
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She had always been known for easygoing demeanor. Her college friends had often made fun of her that she could stand to be friends with anyone, to make conversation with a doorknob if the situation called for it.
Which is why it was such a surprise that in her very first job after college, she completely loathed her boss.
In his mid-thirties, David Harding was every bit a man in his prime. A former college football quarterback, he had made the transition to business tycoon over the last few years and now owned the business. His tall and muscular frame could not be hidden under his thin shirts that often revealed the hard muscles beneath. With piercing blue eyes, tanned skin and a devilishly handsome face, he was every woman's fantasy.
Which added to the mystery of her animosity towards David Harding. Maybe it was unfair, that she'd heard his reputation as a womanizing sex god before she even met him, and she didn't like men who slept around enough to merit that title. Or maybe it was because every word of his dripped with arrogance.
It could also be because, since she didn't pucker her lips or prance around him like an animal in heat as other women did, he tended to be less kind to her than the others.
Like now, for instance, when she was given the worst task of the year. It was Valentine's Day, and when David Harding found out from her coworkers that she was free, he had assigned her to complete the Meiser reports to send overnight. Now it was 11:25pm, on February 14, and she was still at her cubicle.
She glanced at the corner office - David Harding's - and rolled her eyes. Unbelievable - he was still there working. She'd heard of his wild adventures bedding numerous women, but of course he wouldn't have a stable girlfriend to spend Valentine's Day with. And why go on a date on Valentine's when you have to buy a girl chocolates? He could probably screw her any other day of the year for free.
With a sigh, she started to clean up her desk and went to the bathroom to wash her hands, finally ready to leave. When she went into the woman's bathroom, she heard a noise coming from one of the stalls.
Her heart began to speed up.
But the noise was gone as quickly as it had come, and she realized she'd imagined it.
Then it returned, a giggle. She gasped. Who was there?
Slowly, with trembling fingers, she opened the stall.
Her mouth fell open. Inside was a blond chubby baby with huge eyes... floating and carrying a bow an arrow. She checked herself. It was a Cupid.
And now, she was officially dreaming. David Harding's slavedriving had finally drove her insane.
But more importantly, she noticed now the creature's shocked expression. When she surprised him by opening the stall door, apparently he'd let shot one of his arrows through her. Only not through her heart.
She looked down at her groin, where a tiny magical glowing arrow had embedded itself.
Then she fell unconscious.
- - -
Annie slowly came to. She tried to stand up and found herself in a swivel chair, her hands quickly grabbing the armrests for balance. Where was she?
Her eyes came to fixate on the handsome dark eyes of David Harding himself. She was in his office.
She groaned.
"Are you all right?" he asked. He was wearing his usual dark tie over dress shirt and dark trousers, but didn't have his suit jacket on, likely because it was so late in the day. She had to admit that he looked sexy as hell.
She moaned, "What happened?"
"I heard a thud in the woman's bathroom so I went to check on you. There you were, fainted on the floor."
Her memory came back to her in pieces.
He stood up from his desk, the large male body blocking out the city lights outside his office window. Her mouth went dry. Was he always so big?
Her hands were trembling. There was such a fire between her legs. What was going on?
Her eyes wandered to the dark pants of his suit. Curious to see him. Was he big there too?
She blushed. What was going on? She hated the guy. Why were her thoughts suddenly so uninhibited?
"Mr. Harding..." she breathed, standing up. On tiptoes now, all she could see was his charming eyes, his perfectly chiseled face, his whole masculine look emanating sex. Completely on impulse, she raised herself up and his cheek, brushing her teeth over the light stubble there he'd attained from a late night of work. He was so damn sexy.
Surprised, he took a step back before cupping her face with his hand.