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“Yes. So?”

“So, sixty-percent of our revenue comes from national defense, and not just our nation, while twenty-five-percent of our work is in active contingency areas. All of our buildings have full gyms with training rooms that are barely used, on top of which we have an aggressive military recruiting program.”

“All true.” Alex stood captivated by her knowledge of his company. She hadn’t been there that long, but seemed to be a D.G.I. encyclopedia, rattling off information like she’d been there for years. And I didn’t think she could get sexier.

“Well, what if employees with these unique skills volunteered their time to teach varying levels of self-defense or martial arts, or both? It reinforces the image of a strong company that’s also focused on employee protection and support. This would give us a recruiting advantage, and a public image that says strong companies start with a strong workforce.”

He looked at her one last time, a gaze that penetrated through to her soul. Her shudder was nearly invisible, giving him full witness to the vulnerabilities she masked. She’s not simply beauty and balls after all. She’s got brains too. I’m going to marry this girl. He smiled inwardly, and strolled past her without looking at her, opting to hide his insistent desire to whisk her into his arms. He opened the door.

“Make it happen, Ms. Taylor.” Once his footsteps disappeared down the hall, Madison burst out a little happy dance, but, as she rocked it and turned in place, the door filled with the small group who’d reserved the room next. Enjoying the impromptu recital, a unison aw erupted as she cut her performance short. She scrunched her face, forcing a grin to mask her mild embarrassment, and pushed through the applauding onlookers.

6

Alex entered his executive floor conference room, where Paco and a small team quickly sat upon his arrival. There were leather-bound dossiers at each seat, with a full itinerary for his twenty-two-day globe trot starting tomorrow.

A member of the team began. “Fourteen countries in twenty-two days? Just verifying you’re good with that, sir.”

“Actually,” Alex studied the agenda, “I’m not. I’m going to need you to add Paris and Milan, in that order.”

“Yes, sir,” as the older man quickly annotated his notepad. “Tack on two days to the end?”

“Yes,” Alex reviewed several pages, then put them down. “Twenty-four days. Sixteen countries with France and Italy added. That’ll work. Now, let’s do a play-by-play strategy for each location.” As three enormous monitors lowered from the ceiling, the blinds in the rooms went down, with the presentation simultaneously casting to D.G.I. offices around the world.

Rick, the VP for Global Strategy, started with his remote to activate the presentation and go through the massive report in exhaustive detail. “We’ll start in South America, make our way across the Middle East to Asia, then ricochet back via Europe to meet key stakeholders. Locations and agenda overviews start on slide five.”

Paco texted Alex’s phone. Alex picked it up, but didn’t lose a step of the presentation.

While reading and replying to the text, he asked, “Rick, I thought the Japanese were good with the initial plan. Why the extra day?”

“No change in the original deal,” Rick answered. “They’re adding a request, the complication of which will tack four hours to the next day, but should prove quite lucrative. That, and they really insisted on a dinner and presentation in your honor.”

“Lucrative always works, and I appreciate their hospitality. Please continue.” Rick did so, and Alex engaged in a text tennis match with Paco.

PACO: Paris AND Milan? You’re hardly the shopaholic. Business, or pleasure?

ALEX: Business is a pleasure.

PACO: You might be fluent in five languages, but votre français est merde. Très atroce. Perhaps you’ll need a translator.

ALEX: Hardly. Mandarin is the new language of money, but won’t be needed as both parties I’m meeting speak Italian. And with me out of the country for nearly a month, you’ll be covering roughly 120 meetings.

PACO: Exactly 128, asshole.

ALEX: Hey, it’s not like I’m hitting Dubai, so you’re not missing the real shopping.

And with that, he set the phone face down, determined to ignore any further texts or annoying glances from the Paco peanut gallery. Currently on slide eighteen of two-hundred-and-twelve, he knew he’d be right there for several hours more.

Alex motioned the attendant for coffee.

7

A month since her encounter with Alex Drake, Madison was on cloud nine, feeling like she’d really made strides as a member of the D.G.I. team. Corporately, she’d excelled. Trending came naturally to her, and unlocked new opportunities for D.G.I.’s global expansion. Her insights came from a mixed-bag of experience, natural intuitiveness, and abundantly easy-going people skills.

Likewise, her small starter class on basic self-defense had exploded into full offerings twice a day, four days a week, offering different techniques and skill levels. Every instructor volunteered their time, and while the students were grateful, the success gave Madison a sense of purpose that helped fill a painful void. The instructors, primarily vets, relished paying it forward while keeping their skills sharp. She learned so much more through their comradery, and, though she kept her private life just that, they all recognized the loss she concealed.

Preoccupying every second of every day was an evident coping technique. And it had almost been enough to keep Alex Drake out of her mind. But every now and again, she couldn’t resist rubbing her wrist, and losing herself in the reverie of his strong hand around it. Of him inches from her. His strength. His smell. His smile.

Arriving at her desk, she was ready to tackle another day. But this day, she was faced with a new challenge. A little box from Tiffany and Company, placed neatly in the center of her desk, stared up at her with that seductive “come hither” look that only the blue of a Tiffany box can. She picked it up and studied it, convincing herself it couldn’t possibly be what it seemed. If Jack had taught her anything, it was to embrace a healthy amount of skepticism. Unsure what to do, she set it to the side of her desk, diligently working around it for the rest of the week. Every-so-often, curiously admiring it.

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