Haden sat down on his sofa and tossed his shoes under the coffee table. The weeks seemed to slip in together and he couldn’t remember if he’d been working for three months or four. The past few days had been longer than anyone anticipated. Fortunately, tomorrow was Friday and he could look forward to a relaxing weekend.

Rubbing his eyes, he yawned and nearly stretched out across the sofa. Between school shopping and Labor Day, people had tried to snatch up the deals quicker than he could keep the items stocked. Now, the Halloween products had arrived, and displays were ready to go onto the floor. He seemed to be running from one end of the store to the other.

Haden had been loaned out to other departments on a daily basis, since the first day he started. It made it difficult for him to do his own list of tasks, let alone everyone else’s. He had been putting in overtime since his first week, and occasionally he would go in and work a half-day on Sunday, before going to the mansion for supper. At least the pay had been decent.

Despite his former ignorance of the working class, Uptown Center was a very busy, very popular store. It was Walmart’s biggest competitor, and with the same items as the national store carried, it was easy to beat their prices. Unlike Walmart, UC had double coupon Wednesdays, and the store was always filled with housewives trying to save a few bucks.

Haden managed to keep Aaron happy and went out on paydays with him, but he never seemed to find the right girl to bring home. During the week, his friend would meet him at the apartment and bring back some form of takeout, so it saved Haden the hassle of learning to cook. They spent most evenings relaxing by the pool, lounging in the jacuzzi, or working out their frustrations in the gym. He had to admit, even Aaron seemed to be benefiting from his lack of finances and was enjoying the amenities the apartment offered.

With a heavy sigh, Haden stretched his legs out in front of him. His paycheck had gone into the bank that morning, but he had bills to pay over lunch. Once those were taken care of, he only had three hundred dollars left to last him for two weeks. It was frustrating, but he somehow seemed to manage, even if he was growing weary with the constant worry of running short before he got paid again. For now, he hadn’t needed to dip into his hidden stash to hold him over, but he wondered how long that was going to last.

Taking his shoes and his phone, he walked into the bedroom and put everything away in their rightful places. The past week seemed to be particularly frustrating for him. News that Kennedy had been fired made a quick procession through the centers, but there didn’t seem to be anyone upset over his absence. The guy was a jerk and they were all happy to see him leave.

Kat had been busy getting ready for the inventory that started last night, on top of an inspection with the new GM tomorrow, not to mention plans for the upcoming company party. He had only seen her twice all week, and he found himself actually looking around for her. He tried to make a point to speak with her at least once before quitting time, and he spent most nights dreaming of the beautiful blonde. If he didn’t know better, he would think he was developing feelings for the woman.

It seemed strange to think of how close he had grown to everyone in the place. They acted more like a family than coworkers. He was always happy to go to work, happy to take his breaks, and frustrated whenever Aaron texted him. Somehow, these friends seemed more genuine then the man he thought was his best friend, since his first day of kindergarten.

The sound of his phone buzzing made him consider shutting the thing off and going to bed early, but he knew he couldn’t do that. He promised Roz to be on call tonight during the inventory, and he couldn’t go back on his word. Since he started at the center, everyone was talking about how happy the woman was, how much easier it was to talk with her. They were amazed when she arrived to work three weeks ago with homemade bunuelos de viento, a light Spanish version of a fritter.

With all the time he spent with Roz, Haden learned a great deal about her. Her husband had been deported back to Mexico three years ago, along with his entire family. That left the woman alone with her four kids. She was very distressed and frustrated that her son had left college last semester and wasn’t planning on going back. He got a job working as a delivery driver for a local furniture company, and it paid well. He told his mother she needed help with the finances more than he needed an education.

Once again, his phone began to buzz, and he was forced to flip it open. Aaron was growing frustrated with his lack of club-hopping, and Haden was growing tired of his complaining. He was tempted to see if he could get his friend a job at UC, but he knew he’d get fired before he finished the training videos.

Opening up his texts, he saw six messages from that day, all from Aaron, and all begging him to come out to play. He drew a deep breath and wondered if he should call one of the many girls from work and invite her out instead. He hadn’t been on a date since…Haden frowned as he set his phone aside.

Come to think of it, he hadn’t been on a real date since high school. He met with women at bars and clubs, took them to dinner, did a little wine and dine routine, then took them to bed. A real date, with dinner, a movie, a little dancing, was far from his normal style of going out.

Haden closed his phone and left it on his bed, then walked into his bathroom. He brushed his teeth and pulled his clothes off, sighing at his pale skin. His once dark tan was fading with the hours spent inside the store, or in his apartment. He remembered the weeks he spent on the beach in the south of France, or Spain. He even managed a few hours at the seaside in England, but here, the only time he got outside was after work, and usually, the sun was setting.

He took his clothes back into his bedroom and tossed them in the hamper. So far, since moving into his own place, he managed to take his clothes home to get laundered when he went to supper at the mansion, and it looked like it was going to be the same this week. It wasn’t like it had been in college, he thought. Then, all he had to do was call for laundry service and had clean pressed clothes the next day.

Again, his phone began to buzz, and he grunted as he considered another night of his friend’s complaining. He had stopped on his way home and picked up tacos, so he wasn’t hungry, but he knew his friend would want to go get a drink at least. Putting him off an extra day would be the least of his problems. He still had the weekend to listen to Aaron’s grumblings.

Picking up his phone, he pulled up the messages and saw one from Tina, the lead over women’s clothing. He had supplied more people with his number then he could ever remember, but most of them had been coworkers. It was always better to read their messages than those of his friend’s. At least they didn’t appear to be copied and pasted.

A bunch of us were talking about getting away from the chaos tomorrow. We’re going to go out to Micky and Mindy’s for drinks after work to celebrate the end of the inventory. Please join us.

Haden smiled and quickly texted his agreement, then flipped the lid shut. The prospect of going out with the people from work sounded a lot better than sitting at home or lounging by the pool. At least he would have an excuse to get out of clubbing with Aaron.

Haden sat at the table, the remnants of a piece of pepperoni pizza in front of him, a bag of chips opened by his arm, and his phone in his hands. He’d sent Aaron a message declining his invitation out. He knew his friend would be upset if he told him he was going out for drinks without him, so he offered him a harmless lie and told him he had to work.

The door opened, and Haden glanced at the clock on the wall. He still had twelve minutes before he had to be back to work. He watched as Kat stepped into the room and walked directly to the soda machine. She filled a cup with ice then held it under the diet coke. He watched her as she sighed deeply before taking a drink.

“Tired?” he asked, causing her to turn quickly, a shocked expression on her young face.

“I’m sorry,” she told him with a weary smile. “I didn’t see you there.”

“It’s no wonder. No offense, but you look like hell. When was the last time you took a break?”

“Let me think,” she said with a smile, walking to his table. “What day is it?”

Haden chuckled, then pushed the chair out for her, waving a hand to the seat.

“Join me,” he offered. “I could use some company.”

“I don’t want to interrupt you.”

“It’s just my friend,” he explained, shutting his phone and slipping it back into his pocket. “He’s upset that I don’t have enough time to party with him like we used to.”

“Is the job cutting into your social life, Mr. Dalton?” she asked, sitting down beside him and taking a chip from the bag he pushed in front of her.

“No, I think my job is cutting into his. I will never admit this again, and I will never admit it to my old man, but I sort-of like not getting dressed up and going out every night. It’s alright once in a while, but I think I’m turning into a homebody, as Aaron would say.”

“Does your father know you have a job?” she asked, taking a drink from her cup.

“It was his idea, actually,” Haden smiled. “He thought it was time I settled down and stopped running all over the place.”

“When I first hired you, I thought you were a bit of a playboy.”

Kat smiled when he laughed. She liked the sound of it, though she had been locked up for so long, she hadn’t heard it in a while. Despite her solitude with the computer, the inventory, and even her excellent rating on the inspection, she was able to focus the cameras on him from time to time. She would watch him interact with the other workers and felt a stab of jealousy.

“My friend always liked the label, but I often wondered what it meant. I never considered it for myself, but now that I think back on it, I guess we were both prime examples of the term.”

“You should let your dad know he was right. I have to admit, I really didn’t think you’d work out here. Oh, sure, you have a great personality, and everyone likes you. I even have customers leaving positive feedback for how friendly you were and how great you are at willing to help them locate items. But I never thought you had the focus you needed for the job.”

“And now?” he asked with that half-grin that made her heart skip.

“Let’s just say you’ve surprised me as much as your father, even when you’ve made mistakes. Unlike a lot of people, you don’t hide from them and you make amends for them quickly.”

“What mistakes have I made?” he asked her with a frown pulling his eyebrows down across his brown eyes.

Kat chuckled as she tried to take a drink. The man was an expert at emotional switches. One minute he seemed condescending, the next he was open and friendly.

“What about the time you put the display of wine at the end of the baby aisle?” she asked.

“That was on purpose,” he assured her with a boyish grin. “I figured a person would need a break after dealing with crying kids all day.”

“And the condom display at the end of the beer?”

“Consider it. What happens when you start drinking? I was doing my civic duty by offering a way to avoid unwanted pregnancies and STDs.”

Kat laughed, and he smiled. It had been a long time since he’d heard her laugh, and he was eager to keep it going.

“You’ve made a few mistakes yourself, Ms. Gage,” he told her.

“Like what?” she asked with an amused frown.

“What about the time you told Jose to help measure that woman with the new boobs for a bra? Or when you took the till down to Amber with a stack of fifties in place of the fives?”

“I have to do things to shake people up,” she said with a shrug of her shoulders. “It’s just to make certain they are paying attention.”

“In your attempt to shake people up, Jose has a woman stalking him, and Amber about had a stroke when she tried to give a hundred dollars as change for a ten.”

The two laughed openly, then Haden looked up to the clock and realized his break was nearly over.

“I have to get back to work,” he told her reluctantly, the smile on his lips assuring her he didn’t want to stop talking with her. “I have an ogre for a boss, and she’ll strip me down to the bone if I’m late.”

“I’ll take care of her,” Kat assured him, standing and walking to the door beside him.

“Listen,” he began, holding the door closed so she couldn’t leave. “A bunch of us are getting together tonight after work for a drink. A sort-of celebration for getting through inventory and the inspection without any major hick-ups. Come with us. You need to unwind as much as anyone.”

“Thanks, but I have to get home to my sister. Another time perhaps.”

“I’m not letting you take a raincheck. You’ve been locked in that office for days. You look like you haven’t had a decent night’s sleep in weeks, and nobody has seen you eat anything more than a donut. You said your sister was seventeen. So, let her spend the night with a friend, and come out with us. I’ll even drive you home, so she can take your car. Granted, my car is nothing like a Lamborghini, but it’s reliable, and I never drink enough to get drunk. At least not if I’m driving. I’ll even get you home promptly by midnight before you see my POS Honda turn into a pumpkin.”

Kat laughed as she lowered her eyes. Going out did sound like fun, but she was the manager. She really shouldn’t be fraternizing with her employees on a social basis.

“Come on, boss,” he said in a low, almost seductive tone. “Even a workaholic needs a break now and again.”

“Alright, but only one drink. I can’t afford to be distracted.”

“Are you working tomorrow?” he asked, aware that he was late clocking back in.

“No, but…”

“Then you’ll take the night off and enjoy yourself. It would do your employees a world of good to see you as a person, and not an ice-princess.”

“Who calls me an ice-princess?” she asked with a firm demanding tone.

Haden raised his eyebrow, causing her to blush softly when she realized how she sounded.

“I’ll drive, so call your sister and tell her your plans. Have her pick up your car and offer her money for a pizza, or a movie. I’ll meet you out front promptly at five o’clock.”

Haden opened the door and left the woman alone in the room to deal with her nerves on her own. She took her drink and slowly began up the stairs but paused halfway to her office. She gasped when she realized she had just agreed to a date with an inferior.

“What’s the matter?” Gina asked, joining the woman on the stairs.

“I think I’ve just done something horrible,” she whispered, then hurried up to her office.

“What have you done?” Gina asked, a deep frown caressing her dark brows as she closed the door behind them.

“I just agreed to go with Haden to get drinks after work.”

“So? It’s not like you’ll be alone with him. There will be a group of us going, and you need the break.”

“But he told me he’d drive, and he’d take me home. I can’t afford to be caught with my guard down. I’m his superior.”

“You’re also a woman who hasn’t been on a date since college. Nobody is going to care if you’re with him or not.”

“What if corporate finds out?” Kat asked, pacing her office as Gina sat down to watch. “I could lose my job.”

“CDE cannot dictate how you conduct your life off the clock. It’s not like he asked you to sleep with him or run away to Tahiti.”

“That’s right,” she said, pausing in mid-pace. “It’s just a drink with coworkers. Nothing else.”

“Exactly. Now, stop acting like an ice-princess, and get finished. We’re leaving at five.”

Kat watched her friend walk to the door, a frown pulling her slender brows down.

“Who calls me an ice-princess?” she called after the darker woman, who chuckled softly and closed the door behind her.

Kat stood at the mirror in the employee bathroom. She had taken out her rarely used makeup and applied black eyeliner to her blue eyes. She added a soft dusting of color to her cheeks and a bit of mascara to her long lashes, which made her eyes appear almost seductive. She brushed her teeth, ran a comb through her hair, then applied a gloss to her full lips. With the final touches of her favorite perfume, she stepped back to inspect her appearance.

She didn’t look too bad, she thought, even if the makeup made her look older than her twenty-four years. She had called her sister, as Haden suggested, and was subjected to nearly fifteen minutes of praise for accepting a date. Chrissie brought her a dress and heels when she came to pick up her car and insisted that she try to look young and carefree, instead of cold and stern.

“Not bad for an ice-princess,” she told her image, smoothing her hand down the tight black dress.

The image of Haden flashed before her eyes, and she knew she was developing feelings for him. She looked forward to his visits and she used the security cameras to search the store for him. His smile was intoxicating and seeing it made her stomach jump and pulse race. He was handsome, everyone knew it, including him, but it was more than his looks. He was kind, caring, and gentle, and she couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to be in his arms.

With a deep sigh, she glanced at her watch. Four fifty-five. She had just enough time to grab her purse and lock her office before she had to meet with Haden. A strange jump twisted her stomach, and Kat realized she was anxious to see the man outside of work. She couldn’t imagine he was much different than he usually was, but her nerves wouldn’t allow her to concentrate on anything beyond the fact she was going out with a man.

Haden had gotten off work early, taking advantage of the time and went home. He showered and freshened up, trimmed his beard and brushed his teeth. He applied a splash of the expensive cologne, then slipped into a pair of charcoal grey dress pants and a white Armani shirt. He knew how women reacted to a man in a suit, but he hated wearing jackets and found the dress clothes did just as much as a suit and tie.

He removed a pair of black socks from his drawer, then went into his closet and looked through the hundred pairs of shoes he had. He frowned when he considered how much money he spent on them. It was no wonder his father was as upset with him as he had been.

Haden chose a pair of black leather Bally shoes, and his favorite Belstaff Imperial Leather Jacket then went into the bedroom. He sat down on the bed and slipped his feet into the comfortable, rarely worn thousand-dollar shoes, then reached for the Rolex his father had given him for Christmas two years ago. He knew the people he was going out with were far from being the typical style he tried to impress. Showing off his wealth would be callous and crude, and he didn’t want to make anyone feel out of place.

He tossed his watch back into the drawer on the bedside table, along with his diamond and onyx cufflinks. He rolled up the sleeves of his shirt twice, adding just a bit of casual to the class. Leaving the bedroom, he walked back out to the living room and tossed his jacket to the back of the recliner, then looked at the clock on the stove.

Four twenty. Still plenty of time for him to pull his nerves under control before he went back to the store. He glanced at his image in the mirror above his sofa and smoothed his hair back with his fingers. He liked the natural appearance without looking like he’d spent an hour combing his hair.

Taking one last look at himself, he smiled. Dressing up always made him feel like the son of a billionaire. He told himself he was dressed to impress, but the only one he wanted to leave a lasting impression on was Kat.

The fact that she was a simple girl, unafraid to pull her hair back into a ponytail, made him reconsider the clothes he had chosen. If he hadn’t met her sister coming into the store when he was heading to the lockers, he would never have been so bold as to wear an outfit that cost more than his monthly salary.

Chrissie was an attractive young blonde with blue eyes. It wasn’t hard for him to identify her as Kat’s little sister. They looked identical, except for age and height. Kat was a few inches taller, but they were both lovely. The girl stopped when she saw his name badge, then smiled brightly up to him.

“You’re the new guy,” she said as he moved closer to her.

“Excuse me?” he asked her with an amused frown.

“You’re Haden, the new guy. Are you joining the others for drinks tonight after work?”

“Yes, I am,” he answered with a smile.

“I’m Christina, but everyone calls me Chrissie. I’m Kat’s sister. I came to pick up her car, and I brought her a dress. She hasn’t been out on a date since before our folks were killed, and I don’t want her to go out in her jeans. She looks amazing when she’s dressed up.”

“I’m sure she does,” he told her with a slight frown.

“Do you know if she’s in her office? I have to pick up my boyfriend. We’re going to the beach for a picnic.”

“Sounds like a lot of fun.”

Haden walked her to the hallway that led to the employee area of the store, then paused. He couldn’t shake the information the girl had just offered him, and a sudden realization of what his boss was having to live with filled his mind and heart.

“The last time I saw Kat, she was in her office, but if you can’t find her, Tasha can page her overhead,” he told Chrissie. “Have fun tonight but stay safe. I know your sister really worries about you.”

“Yeah, I know she does. But we won’t be alone. We’ll have three other couples with us. It’s not like you can do anything dangerous in a group.”

Haden fought the urge to laugh at the girl’s innocence, then watched her hurry down the corridor to the stairs. He glanced at Gina who had come out of her office, and smiled, then looked around to see if anyone was paying attention to them. He motioned for her to follow him, then went into the locker room.

“You’re Kat’s friend,” he began in a quiet voice. “Outside of this place, I mean.”

“Yes. We went to school together. In fact, she’s the one who helped me get this job.”

“Can I ask you something personal? I don’t want you to betray any kind of trust, so if I’m stepping out of the box, just let me know.”

“Sounds serious,” Gina said, sitting down on the bench as he opened his locker.

“Chrissie just told me Kat hasn’t been out since before their parents were killed. What happened to them?”

“It was a Saturday morning, and they were heading to the hardware store for weed killer,” Gina said with an amused smile that quickly faded from her dark face. “A sixteen-year-old kid had been up drinking all night. He’d had a fight with his girlfriend and had decided life wasn’t worth living. He had a gun and was planning on killing her and himself. He wanted to be with her for eternity. Stupid damn kid.”

“What happened?” Haden asked again, sitting on the bench beside her.

“He was trying to reach her on his cellphone and ran a red light. He slammed head-on into their car at seventy miles an hour. They were killed on impact. Kat had just graduated college, so she was out looking for an apartment when the police showed up on her doorstep. Chrissie was only fourteen. She called Kat, but the police refused to speak to Chrissie without an adult present. When Kat came home and found out what had happened…”

Gina paused speaking, remembering the horror her friend had gone through. She knew Kat would be upset if she learned she had told Haden about her past, but he knew the man had feelings for her, even if he didn’t realize it quite yet. She also knew, from the many times she’d walked into the office to see Kat staring at him through the security cameras, that she was developing feelings of her own.

“Her dad was a doctor with the homeless center,” Gina continued. “He didn’t make a ton of money, but he had invested wisely, and he had an insurance policy that helped Kat pay off their house. She was given temporary custody of Chrissie but had to go to court to prove she was a reliable adult. It was an awful, stressful time in both of their lives. Since then, Kat has devoted all of her free time to her sister.”

“That explains a lot,” Haden said, standing up and removing his orange vest before tossing it into his locker. “She’s very distant from me. Is she like that with everyone?”

“Not really,” she said, watching him toss his badge into the metal box then closed the door and locked it. “I think she has feelings for you, but she’ll never act on them because she feels like she’s your superior, and it’s against company policy. After everything she went through with Kennedy, she’s probably the last person who would ever fraternize with an employee.”

“What happened with Kennedy?” Haden asked, leaning back against his locker.

“Kat has always been very pretty, and like most teenagers, she liked to play around with makeup. All it did was make her look older and quite beautiful. Kennedy and Gardner, the old manager of this club, liked to impress their authority on young girls. Kennedy caught her alone in the breakroom and started propositioning her. He pushed her into a corner and started feeling her up, but Kat is a smart woman. She fought him off and broke his nose, then ran out for help. Kennedy was put on probation, and four center managers were fired for their involvement with him. Kat received a settlement and paid for her college, so her parents wouldn’t have to.”

“I never liked that guy,” Haden grumbled. “I’m glad she didn’t give into him.”

“She’s never given in to any man,” Gina chuckled, standing and walking back to the entrance of the room.

“What do you mean? Is she gay?”

“No, nothing like that,” Gina smiled. “She’s a virgin.”

Haden stared into the eyes in the mirror, remembering the conversation clearly. He hadn’t been with a virgin since he was a virgin, and he wasn’t sure if he was the right guy to help her rectify that problem.

He was about to leave the apartment when his phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket, took his jacket off the back of the recliner, and flipped the lid open as he locked the door.

“Hey Aaron, how’s it going?” he asked, heading down the hallway to the elevator.

“Do you still have to work late, or can you slip out for a drink? I’m bored stiff if you know what I mean.”

“Some of us are getting together for drinks,” he told his friend, hating the idea of lying any more than he already had.

“Great. I’ll meet you. I’d love to get to know these people who have taken you away from me.”

“Look, there are some facts you have to remember before I’ll tell you where we’re going,” Haden told him as he stepped into the elevator, thankful it was empty. “Nobody there knows me as Valentini. My name is Dalton, and I’ve been traveling around Europe since I got out of high school. If you can’t keep up the charade, then I’m not telling you where we’ll be.”

“Hey, listen, I’ll tell everyone you’re bloody Prince Charles if it gives me something to do tonight.”

“Most of the girls that work at the center are underage, so watch yourself,” Haden warned. “I don’t have the money to bail you out of jail once you get your ass arrested for trying to seduce a child.”

“That only happened once, and that was in Cancun. It’s not my fault she had the body of a thirty-year-old. What fifteen-year-old kid has tits that big?”

“She did, and it cost me two million to settle out of court before you were locked up for life in a Mexican prison.”

“Okay. How about this. I’ll keep my flirting to a minimum until you tell me the girl is old enough to enjoy my affections.”

“Sounds great. We’re meeting at Micky and Mindy’s in Encino. It’s about a mile from UC. Can you find the place on your own?”

“I’ll find it, and my Pantera and I will meet you there.”

Haden hung up the phone with a deep sigh. He had a feeling this was going to be one night he wouldn’t soon forget.