As she slowly pushed her remaining stocking down her left leg with her opposite toe, Katerina groaned in pain. Her entire body ached. Her new job as the sole receptionist for the city's biggest law firm was not nearly the walk in the park she'd been expecting.
She'd graduated two years earlier from one of the Midwest's most prestigious law schools, and she had hesitated before accepting the job offer. The truth was, though, that Katerina's job prospects were less than stellar. She had had time neither during her undergraduate work nor during law school to undertake any really experiential internships, and potential hirers never failed to notice.
It wasn't really fair, Katerina thought for what must have been the thousandth time. How could she have possibly found the time to build a great rΓ©sumΓ©? Barely two weeks after Katerina's twentieth birthday, her younger brother had called her with rage in his voice. All he had said was that their mother was dead and that he was not dealing with any of the "fucking funeral shit."
Katerina's entire world crumbled with that phone call, but somehow she had made it through. Her entire semester was, of course, ruined. What was she supposed to do? She'd gone home, made all the funeral and burial arrangements, sold their home, and found her brother an apartment. All in only three weeks. And even after missing three weeks of classes, the lowest grade she'd gotten that semester was a C+. Okay, she relented, maybe ruined was too strong of a word. But still, that semester was what had kept them all from seeing---
Her cell phone burst into a loud rap song, startling Katerina from her thoughts about the past and causing her to nearly trip over the heels that she'd left strewn behind her upon the floor. "Jesus, Christie," she breathed, digging the phone from inside her bag.
"Hey, lovely, what's up?"
"Oh my God, Kat, you finally fucking answered! I've been calling you all day."
"Chris. I have a job, remember?"
"Yeah, yeah, so do I, okay? Just hurry up and get ready. It's almost eight o'clock already. I'm picking you up at ten sharp, so you better be dressed and you better look hot. I don't spend my Friday nights out on the town with ugly broads, okay?"
"Fuck you," Katerina laughed. "I always look hot. I'll see you at ten, you bitch."
Christie only laughed back at her and disconnected. Katerina tossed the phone onto her bed. She had been looking forward to this night all week, and now she was so exhausted she was almost dreading it. She did have a whole two hours to get ready, though. Maybe a quick nap would spruce her up so all the dancing she was planning on doing wouldn't be such a chore. Yes, she decided, a nap was exactly what she needed.
Kat pulled her camisole up over her head and tugged the pins from her long coffee colored hair. She slid into the cool silk sheets of her extravagantly large bed wearing just her lace bra and panties. She moaned her delight at the way her mattress welcomed her body and made her instantly relax. She barely remembered to reach over and set her alarm before falling deeply asleep.
------------------------
Kat woke with a start and fumbled for her alarm clock, worried she'd overslept. But she was fine β she'd only been out for twenty minutes. Why was she awake already when she'd been so tired? "Ohhh God," she moaned as she suddenly remembered in vivid detail the dream she'd just been having.
It was about Mr. Huntington...it seemed all her dreams were about Mr. Huntington lately. And who could argue that they shouldn't be? The man was absolutely gorgeous. Well over six feet tall and deliciously broad, she swore she could feel his presence every time he entered a room she was in. He was significantly older than she was, but fine, whatever, she didn't care. His close-cropped thick grey hair was possibly the most attractive thing about him. Well, maybe. His icy blue eyes and beautiful hands certainly didn't hurt. Kat had always had a weak spot for men with nice hands.