First Love: Jake & Sabrina (interracial romance) *completed story* {prequel}

Chapter Three

The next morning, Sabrina was stunned yet pleasantly surprised to find the brand new, sleek computer system set up at her desk. In the looks department, the new machine was like night versus day, compared to what she had been working with the past few days. Hopefully, it performed just as well, too. A bubble of warmth spread through her as she grabbed the small note that lay across her shiny new keyboard.

See you at noon.

The bold, masculine writing that scrolled across the white sheet left her giddy with anticipation. The next few hours, Sabrina kept herself busy but found it hard to concentrate with her excitement.

Oh, relax already. This is not a date, she reminded herself.

But it was Friday, the end of her first week on the job, she that only added to her excitement. There was also a lightness in the air that made today feel less frantic than it had felt earlier in the week.

"Hey, pretty lady, is that smile for me?"

Sabrina looked up from her monitor to find Dale peering down at her from the semi-tall panel that served as a wall for her cubicle. She had been so lost in her head, she hadn't heard him approaching.

"Only if you have those comps for me to review."

Dale groaned. "They're in production now and should be ready soon. In the meantime, I was going to grab some coffee. Want to come?"

Sabrina glanced at the clock on her computer. It was ten fifty-five. In an hour, she would be having lunch with her cutie from IT. A wide smile formed on her lips and she didn't care how silly she must have looked to him.

"No, thanks. Maybe next time."

But there would be no next time. Ever since Jake's comment, she had been a little more aware of Dale's subtle flirtation but was careful not to encourage it beyond friendship. She should have picked up on it earlier, and it annoyed her to think that she was, once again, missing the signs. But with Jake, the signs were loud and clear—and so was her attraction to him.

Exactly one hour later, Jake was at her cubicle. He knocked lightly on the thin panel of her workstation, looking much too good in faded jeans and a dark gray polo shirt. The strength of his broad chest and toned arms were unmistakable.

"You ready?"

She nodded and grabbed her wallet.

Today would be her first time venturing down to the company cafeteria, which was very popular among the employees. With her budget, she was forced to bring her lunch, which she usually preferred anyway. But from what she overheard around the office, the food was good and reasonably priced.

"Thank you for setting me up with my new computer this morning," she said as they made their way to the elevators. "You must have gotten here real early."

He shrugged and flashed an alluring smile, the one she found very sexy. "Actually, it was done last night. I figured there was no need for you to wait if I could get it done then."

Sabrina glanced at him, surprised. "You must have been here late, then. I didn't leave until seven."

"Yeah," he said with another shrug. "We were here late setting up equipment for some big, important meeting happening next week."

There had been buzz around the office about the big pitch meeting for a popular client, which would involve a few people from senior management. To think he had taken time last night to set up her computer made her feel special.

When the elevator arrived, Sabrina hesitated. There was enough room for them to squeeze in, but thinking of the long ride down with that many people crammed inside brought on the familiar tightness in her chest. If they hadn't had a long ride down, she would have endured. But it would be too long a trip for her to keep her anxiety at bay. There was even a strong chance she would have a full-blown panic attack the moment the doors shut and the thought kept her feet planted where she stood.