The Consultant

The Man

Dani was shaking when she left Nathan Younger's office. Her nerves were frayed and her mind was reeling.

What just happened? What the hell am I doing?

She wasn't sure what exactly had happened in the office, but to deny that something had happened would be stupid. Nathan had opened a gate, broken down a barrier, put a toe over the line - something.

Maybe I'm overreacting, Dani thought. He hadn't outright hit on her, and he had jumped back when she brushed against him on accident.

But those last few minutes were tense. It had felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room. She couldn't breathe, and her skin tingled when she stood and found herself just inches away from him.

She sat in her car for a minute, watching the few late workers trickle out into the parking lot and leave for the day. The end of her meeting played on a loop in her mind.

"Dammit. This is ridiculous!" Dani cursed at herself. She needed to calm down. She needed perspective.

She needed Jemma.

Jemma Darling had been her roommate in California. Jemma had put up an extra room in her apartment for dirt cheap considering the beachside location, and Dani had jumped at the opportunity. She learned later that the low price point was supposed to compensate for Jemma's bizarre personality. Apparently she'd had trouble keeping roommates in the past, but Dani had come to love her new roommate's quirks. Jemma was an actress, though Dani had never seen her in anything in the two years they lived together. She'd come to suspect "actress" was a loose term; Jemma was more of a socialite - a Holly Golightly type.

Dani jammed her headphones into her phone, putting an earbud in her right ear and cursing her car's broken Bluetooth system for the millionth time. She dialed Jemma, then backed out of the parking lot and started for home.

"What's up love?" Jemma called everyone love.

"Hey. I just had the weirdest meeting and I'm not sure what to think about it..." Dani launched straight into the details trying to remember everything. Had she instigated? Flirted? Made any indication that she was anything but a professional?

When she was finished, there was silence for a minute. Dani started to worry - Jemma was never quiet.

Then Jemma blew out a sharp breath. "Oh girl. What am I going to do with you?"

Annoyed, Dani snapped back, "You're going to tell me what to do!"

At that Jemma laughed. "You hate when I tell you what to do. But I'll tell you what I think. I think this guy is fresh out of a divorce. You're young, you're cute, and he's thinking you're probably a little insecure as a professional because of it, which translates to a prime opportunity for him."

Dani balked, "I'm not insecure!"

"Of course not. But the questions he was asking, about your age, your experience, even your fee, those were all meant to get under your skin and make you question yourself. He's baiting you. I bet you're dying for his approval right now, aren't you? Otherwise you wouldn't have called me." 

Dani thought about it for a minute, then conceded that Jemma was right. "Damn it. What the hell do I do? I'm not risking this job."

"You're interested in him!" Jemma gasped.

It would be stupid to deny it; Jemma always knew when Dani was interested in a guy. Sometimes even before Dani had admitted it to herself. It was eerie. "So? I can't act on it. Do I just ignore it?"

Jemma's light tone turned serious. "Dani, if you're asking me, then you're already in trouble."