Take time to recover.

You and Rebecca tidy up as much as a few sheets of tissue will let you. She tugs her clothes back into place, scribbles a phone number on a sticky note, stuffs it in your pocket, and gives you a soft, almost chaste kiss. ?Dinner,? she reminds you. ?Tonight. Pick me up at seven.?

?Absolutely,? you tell her.

She disappears with a wink and a grin, leaving you with a fully repaired and operational computer, and with fifteen minutes to spare before the conference call. You sit at the keyboard, download the pie chart the Brad from Accounting sent you, work it into your document, and mail it off to Ms. Wu. Then you hit the restroom to clean up a little more thoroughly.

When you arrive at Ms. Wu?s door to let her know that the report is in her mailbox, you see that Jackie has gone home for the day. You peek at a clock on her desk. 5:05 P.M. The conference call should have already started.

The sound of Ms. Wu?s voice from behind her door tells you that your assumption is correct. You can only make out a few words, but they?re the usual corporate business-speak: ?synergy? and ?leverage? and ?opportunities?. You ease open the door so that you let your boss know that the information she needs is ready.

As you expected, she?s behind her desk, wearing her wireless earpiece, giving a statement to the other participants in the conference call. Ms. Wu is in her mid-thirties and strikingly attractive, though she wears her hair pinned up in a no-nonsense bun, and you have never seen her smile. Today is no exception. When she notices you at the door, she finishes her sentence and mutes her earpiece with a touch to her ear. ?Is my report done?? she asks.

?It?s in your inbox.?

She nods, unmutes her earpiece -- and then, strangely, beckons you in with a gesture. You hesitate, then step into her office, closing the door. Ms. Wu continues to speak for a few more minutes, utterly ignoring you, and you start to wonder whether she?s forgotten about you, when she says, ?... so that?s the overall company strategy. For the next part of the call, I?d like to ask our Chief Financial Officer to take over. Jack??

She taps her earpiece again, and looks back at you. ?I wanted to thank you for getting this report to me on time. I know you had some trouble, but you came through in the end, and I appreciate that.?

Compliments from Ms. Wu are rare enough that receiving one makes you feel as if she told you that you were getting a fifty percent raise. You?d prefer the raise, of course, but a pat on the back from the boss is a good way to end the week. ?Thanks,? you tell her.

?On that topic,? she says, ?I?ve been seeing a lot of good work coming from your desk. You have a strong work ethic and a solid business sense. It?s clear to me that you?re one of the people who keeps this company running.?

Ms. Wu hasn?t spoken this many words to you in one sitting, ever, let alone offered this kind of praise. You?re a bit daunted. ?I, ah ... I just like to make sure I?m doing my part.?

?Well, it?s a pleasure having someone like you working here. In fact, I?ve been meaning to have sex with you.?

?That?s very, ah...? Your brain replays what she just said to you, and whatever it was you were about to say simply dries up and blows away. You stare at her and wait for her to rephrase that so that it makes sense.

?I thought that someone with your attention to detail and your drive to succeed would make an interested sexual partner,? she says, as she stands up and away from her desk. She?s wearing a close-fitting black dress today, whose hem rides very high on her thighs, and whose top is cut very low on her chest. She is half a head shorter than you, but her body (shown off to its fullest by her tiny slip of a dress) is smooth and toned, from her round shoulders, to the lines of her collarbone, to the rise of her breasts, to the elegant lines of her legs, to her lovely feet, which stand in delicate strappy heels.

?I?m double and triple booked for most of the evening,? she tells you, ?but the other company executives will be handling most of the rest of the conference call, which gives me a little freedom for the next half hour. I may need to field questions now and again, but I think we can work around that. That is, of course, if you don?t have any conflicts right now.?

?I?m pretty sure I?m free,? you say.

She crosses her office to meet you, and without further preamble, begins unbuttoning your shirt. You start to duck close to kiss her, but she stops you with a couple of fingers on your lips, then taps her earpiece. ?Yes,? she tells someone on the conference call as she unfastens your pants, ?we have foreseen that as a possibility, and we?ve prepared several contingency plans. I believe my vice president of Marketing can explain in greater detail...?

With your assistance, she has you stripped nude in short order. She steps back from you, takes hold of the hem of her dress, and peels it up and off her body. After she drops the dress to the floor, she is left standing in a black lace strapless bra and black lace panties. She has to field another question then, but she turns her back so that you can unhook her bra. She then guides your hands to her panties so that you can tug them off her hips and slide them to the floor while she explains this quarter?s earnings per share.

She steps out of her underwear, leaving on her heels, and turns back to face you. Her breasts are small, but well-shaped, and her nipples are standing firm. Lower down, a small patch of dark hair disappears into her crotch below the perfect curve of her abdomen.

As you admire her, she taps her earpiece to mute it. ?Where should we start?? she asks you.