UNCOMMON EMOTIONS.

by Lynn Galli.

Chapter 1.

E veryone hates me. It's the nature of the job, but it still doesn't make it any easier. Really, it's only the people in this company that hate me. If I were an IRS agent, then everyone really would hate me. So, by comparison, only a relatively small number of people actually hate me. Not exactly comforting to think about, but it's enough to get me through this unremarkable Wednesday. Nothing extraordinary happens on Wednesdays.

Until you find yourself innocently walking down a hallway and someone reaches out to haul you into a dark supply room where the softest lips imaginable slap a languorous kiss on your mouth. Suddenly, Wednesdays become remarkable.

Since this had never happened to me before, several seconds elapsed before I realized that one, I didn't know the person kissing me; two, I was at work where I don't kiss people; and three, wow, soft, soft, expert lips. And sweet perfume, and silky hair falling over my fingers which had grabbed hold of shoulders to maintain balance. Yowza, this is a woman! Kissing me, a woman.

"You're not Raven." A husky voice spoke into the darkness after jerking back from our embrace.

My heart was hammering, and my breath came in gasps.

G.o.d, that was the best kiss I'd ever had in thirty-seven 2*

years. And it happened in a dark supply room at work. On a Wednesday. From a woman!

"Oh G.o.d, you're definitely not Raven."

"Nope, not Raven," I managed, barely.

"I'm so sorry. I saw her walking down the hall, and I thought I timed it right. Forgive me." Her hands clamped down on my shoulders in urgency. One lifted off and flicked the light switch for the room. Blinding brightness forced my sensitive eyes to blink and shy away from the light. "Holy- ! You're, you're, oh G.o.d! I didn't mean it, honest, I'm sorry.

I didn't even see you. G.o.d, this is awkward. Are you going to fire me?"

Her fear brought my racing heartbeat to a screeching halt, reminding me where I was and what I'd been doing before I got yanked into a room and kissed senseless. "No,"

I started, wishing I could remember her name. I'd only been here three weeks, and there were too many people on staff to remember everyone's name. Long blond hair, washed out blue eyes, upturned nose, freckles even, but d.a.m.n those still plump lips kept drawing my gaze. "I'd suggest you stop abducting innocents as they're walking down the hallway at work, though. In general that's not a good thing, but at work, HR would have a conniption."

"I'm really sorry, Ms. Simonini, I didn't-"

"Joslyn," I corrected her. After all, we'd been better acquainted just moments ago. "Let's forget it. I'm due in the CEO's office in two minutes, and you've got work to do, I'm sure. Work that doesn't involve kidnapping, right?"

She laughed with what seemed like a lot of relief. I couldn't blame her. I did have the authority to fire her and telling human resources would probably necessitate me firing her. But it was an innocent mistake, a pulse pounding, toe curling kiss-I mean, mistake!

"Yes, and I'm sorry for the mix up. I won't try anything like that again."

*3 "Since I'd like to keep the entire HR staff from having a collective heart attack, I think that's a wise decision."

She chuckled again, much easier this time, and her stare became more penetrating. I'd faced this stare in countless business meetings and knew she was trying to figure out what I was thinking. Since I was so off kilter about the whole capture and kiss thing, I decided to flee as quickly as possible. A hand on my forearm stopped my escape. "Um, Joslyn, if you're meeting with the CEO..." She turned me back to face her. My heart started to pound harder than after an hour doing cardio at the gym as I watched her hand float toward my face. "You're a little smudged." A thumb swiped across my lower lip, igniting the lingering sensation of tingles as she took off the last traces of our kiss.

Holy cow! I'd kissed a woman. A very pretty woman, but a woman. I'm hip, I could do this, no big deal, right? So, why did it feel like Wednesdays were suddenly my favorite day and maybe not everyone hates me?

In a daze, I made my way to the CEO's office. I existed by compartmentalizing my brain. Work is work, home is home, friends are friends, lovers are virtually nonexistent, but still, lovers are not at work. Kissing isn't done at work.

Kissing a woman for someone who'd never kissed a woman really isn't done at work.

"Ms. Simonini?" The CEO's admin jerked me out of my haze. "Mr. Paul is ready for you."

"Thanks." I smiled, feeling the last of the tingles stop with the stretch of my lips.

"Joslyn, tell me you have good news?" Mr. Paul stood from his desk and gestured me inside. Balding, thin, elderly bordering on archaic, pale skin dappled with brown age spots clung to his person as he settled onto the edge of his desk far too close to my chair for my taste.

"I haven't finished all the evaluations, Mr. Paul."

"Archie," he barked because he was used to barking orders.

4*

"Of course, Archie. I've yet to meet with finance and sales. It's still early to make any recommendations."

"I'm poised to fire everyone if you tell me. Ungrateful souls. No offense, Joslyn, but people of your generation have no work ethic. Present company excluded, of course."

"Of course," I agreed because he wouldn't give me any other choice. Plus, he was paying my fee.

"Don't know why you're different, young lady, but I know we're lucky to have you help us out with this unpleasantness."

Unpleasantness? As if his company's near bankrupt status was a minor skirmish over the last piece of pizza at a company luncheon. "It's what I do, sir." And have been doing for seven years. As a turnaround specialist, I was revered by CEOs but abhorred by the company ma.s.ses because my recommendations often caused the demise of their positions. Not exactly my recommendations, more like the CEO's interpretation of my recommendations. I had a feeling that was how it would go here as well. Just once I'd like to find a company that was willing to put my recommendations to good use for the benefit of the whole company, not just its bottom line.

"Are you getting cooperation from everyone?"

His question brought back the twinge I'd felt in my shoulder as I was yanked into that supply room. The twinge had been replaced immediately by shooting surges of excitement as lips covered mine. "Yes, everyone's being very accommodating. I'm with finance after lunch."

"Fantastic. You let me know if you need me to knock some heads around."

Trying to keep my eyes from bugging out at his violent suggestion, I gave a tight-lipped smile. "That won't be necessary, I'm sure." I took leave before he got mired in more cliches.

Lunch, the first one I'd taken since arriving at this company, awaited me. I ignored the undisguised glares I *5 received as I made my way to the elevator. If I did my job correctly, at least some of these people would lose theirs, and they knew it. Add to that the fact that I start every consultation by working undercover in one of the departments and they feel I've not only betrayed their trust but also deserved to die. Yep, everyone hates me. Give that woman in the supply room a few minutes and even she'll start hating me again.

"Hey, baby." A deep voice sounded from behind me as I stood in line at the cafe in the building's lobby. Arms swung me around and forceful lips kissed me sloppily. I broke the contact immediately, never one for public displays of affection and certainly not at my place of business. What was it with the kissing today? Were Wednesdays some official kissing holiday or something?

"Don't call me baby," I stated sternly.

Chase McCovey, my lunch date, looked affronted in his own smug way. He'd been asking me to lunch every day since I'd taken this a.s.signment so close to his office. I knew I'd have to give in at least once, but I didn't think he'd try to make a claim on me at my client's home base. "Sorry, snook.u.ms, I know you hate that." He grinned, showing enough teeth to make me wonder if he had werewolves in his family tree. His thick blond hair flopped bangs onto his forehead as his head tipped toward me again.

I pressed my palms against his chest to keep him in place. "Don't call me that either." I glanced around the cafe, praying that no one from work would be witness to this. No such luck, I recognized a dozen people from my last department meeting. At least they had the cla.s.s to snap their heads around when I looked in their direction.

"Jeez, bad day, I guess," Chase muttered and took my spot in line, ordering first.

I shook my head at his increasingly annoying behavior but turned away to hide the eye roll. The blonde from the supply room was staring unabashedly at me and gave a 6*

quick grin when she caught my eye roll. Her raised eyebrows indicated she'd figured out what she wanted to know in that moment I'd tried to escape the room. Great. So much for professional detachment.

G.o.d, her kiss. Now that was how you kissed someone.

Not possessively, sloppily, with no effort or forethought.

Raven, whoever she may be, was d.a.m.n lucky.

Chapter 2.

T ablet PC in hand, I wandered through the finance division's maze of cubicles. Not quite one o'clock, so a lot of them were empty, thankfully. Normally, the hate-filled stares wouldn't faze me, but I wasn't feeling completely myself quite yet.

The door to the CFO's office was open, but no one occupied the admin's desk. I didn't want to intrude, yet I didn't want to be late either. Through the opening, I caught a glimpse of a trim, dark haired woman with her back turned. Her well-defined arms easily slipped two heavy binders from the top shelf of a bookcase. She was wearing a sleeveless sh.e.l.l in deep burgundy and black slacks that looked beyond tailored, almost sewn especially for her.

I knocked on the open door, causing her to flinch and whirl toward me. Jet black hair flipped away from her oval face and elegant neck in a chic trend that, if I had to guess, happened naturally for her. "I didn't mean to startle you," I said, catching what looked like an appraising glance as she noticed me in the doorway.

"Kelly usually makes a little noise when she's on her way in. You, on the other hand, downright stealthy." She blessed me with a genuine smile, the first I'd seen since revealing my true purpose for being at this company. The smile enlivened her face. Before it had been serious and 8*

focused; now it was graceful and engaging. So caught up in not having someone immediately scowl at me, I barely noticed that my heartbeat sped up a couple of cranks. I attributed it to the fact that my professionalism was suffering today, what with being surprise attacked by a stranger and, later, practically molested by my not-so-significant other at lunch.

"Special training," I replied easily. It was nice to have a conversation that didn't start with the words: you're not going to fire me, are you?

"Really? I don't remember a cla.s.s like that at my school." She set the binders on her desk and reached over to grab her suit jacket from the back of her chair.

I watched those enviable arms disappear into the sleeves before she faced me again. "Special school."

She smiled at my joke, allowing me a peek at her perfect teeth. "Ms. Simonini?"

"Ms. Malvolio?"

"Coupla Italians, no?" A glint showed in her whiskey brown eyes. The color perfectly complimented her subtle olive skin tone, a shade lighter than my own.

"Looks like. It's nice to meet you." I moved forward to shake her hand.

"And you as well. I hope everyone's been treating you kindly during your time with us." It was issued as a statement, but her expression told me she was asking a question.

"Yes, thank you." They hadn't been, but no one else needed to know that.

A long glance from her told me she didn't quite believe me, but she pulled out a chair at the table to her left and gestured for me to sit. The first of the chief officers to do so.

Most of them used their desk and deep executive chairs to exert the aura of power over their guests. If I had to see another executive lean back and lace his fingers behind his *9 head, I was going to scream or put a can of deodorant in their offices so I wouldn't be distracted by the sweat stains.

"What was it like working for my cousin?" Her question shocked me into abandoning the task of booting up my laptop.

"Your cousin?"

"Robert." A slow grin inched across her face.

Heat touched my cheeks. I'd chosen to work in his department when I first started with this consultation. Being part of the staff was the best way to get an inside glimpse of any corporation. If you walked in as a turnaround specialist, everyone kisses your a.s.s but wants to stab you as you walk past. Things hadn't gone well in Robert's department. In fact, in the two weeks I'd worked there, I was certain most of the company's woes were stacked up inside that division.

"You're a member of the family?" I shouldn't find that surprising seeing as it was a family business. Two of the three Paul brothers acted as CEO and president, and several offspring managed on the chief and directorial levels. "Your last name," I started then wised up quickly and shook off my stupid a.s.sumption. "Oh, of course."

Her eyebrows shot up into stylish bangs. "Of course?"

"I'm a little slow. I forgot that most women change their names when they get married." I glanced down at her ring finger, surprised to find it bare. Great, she was probably divorced and I'd just made an insensitive remark. What a perfect way to warm up to someone. Batting a thousand for my Wednesday so far.

A soft chuckled sounded, interrupting my self-condemnation. "Actually, I took my mother's unmarried name when I joined the company. I didn't want anyone thinking I was getting special treatment because of a relation. Of course, everyone now knows the connection, but it served my purpose for over a year. Now, I won't change it back." The flash of grin held a wicked tint to it this time, daring me to delve further into her story.

10*

"Well, you're the CFO, so clearly it's worked out."

She c.o.c.ked her head. "What makes you think I wasn't given this position right off the bat?"

"I learned that in my special school, too," I joked.

Truthfully, I was a research fiend. Career paths of executives and managing directors always told me a lot about what I'd expect to find prior to taking an a.s.signment, especially in a family business. Often, that was the root of the company's problems.

Ms. Malvolio had a MBA, spent several years at two other firms before joining Paul Industries, and worked her way up from financial a.n.a.lyst in the firm. She'd earned her position, working harder than all of the other directors, family relation or not. Every other Paul had started out as an a.s.sistant chief first.

She laughed at my deflection. "You're good at that, and you never answered my question about Robert."

I joined her laughter. It felt good to ease up on my defenses in what I'd usually consider a guarded environment. "He has an interesting technique for motivation." I grasped for the only thing I could construe as positive about her cousin's management style.

That wicked grin flared broadly on her face this time.

"Yes, it's very used car lot, wouldn't you agree?" Then, as if she just realized who her audience was, the grin dropped out of her expression, and she straightened up in her seat. "I mean, it seems to work over there, just not something I'd try with my division."

I resisted the urge to squeeze her forearm in comfort. I wouldn't give this kind of conversation weight under any circ.u.mstance, especially after we'd been joking around. "It serves him well, yes," I agreed, easing the tension a bit. "If I'd stayed another week, though, I'm sure I would have been fired. I don't function well within the accolades-on-the-board operation style. Just as well, I guess."

*11 She gave a grateful smile then reached for the binders.

As she opened them, we heard a heavy sigh and thump outside her door. A short exclamation followed before a voice interrupted us. "Hey, boss, I'm back, just wanted to- oh!"

We turned in unison at the interruption. Only my trained stony facade kept me from blushing when I recognized the owner of the voice. Ms. Supply Room stood in the doorway. Her blush, however, was in full bloom.

"Kelly, have you met Ms. Simonini, yet?"

"Um, ah, er," she hemmed, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

"We ran into each other earlier today," I cut in, trying not to let the sensation of her lips trace across mine again.

"Nice to see you again, Kelly."