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With a satisfied smile, Cathy watched the Germans disappear. It had been a fruitful and profitable meeting. All the major points had been hammered out, and it was now just a matter of working out the details on paper and signing the contract. The Germans were tough negotiators, but fair, and she loved crossing swords with them.

“Cat, do you have a minute?”

Cathy looked up. There was something in Lawrence’s voice…

“I want to know, Cat, how are you doing?”

“I’m fine, Lawrence. I think it all went smoothly, don’t you? The investors will be happy.”

His mouth pursed. “Yes, but how are you really doing, Cat? You’ve been at home for the last three months. We all have. How are you coping? Don’t the walls close in on you? Don’t you miss the office?”

Without thinking, she opened her mouth to give an upbeat answer, but this was Lawrence. When she’d started working for him, they’d made an agreement. They would never lie to each other. So far, she hadn’t.

“It… It’s sometimes hard,” Cathy confessed after a moment. Am I blushing? I’m not admitting to a defeat. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.

“Hard, in what way?”

“You know…human contact. To make a connection. I’m starting to eye the guy from the groceries delivery service!” It was a joke, of course. Well, she made it sound like a joke. “And how are you doing, Lawrence,” she quickly asked. “Have you been out of the house?”

“Just to run. I haven’t seen anyone. It’s… You know, when it all started, I thought it would be back to normal in a few weeks. It’s been months now. That’s a pretty long time. Sometimes, I meet a female runner, and I just want to run after her… But social distancing…”

He looked in the camera with those darned deep blue eyes.

Cathy met his glance and leaned back a little. The chair was very comfortable. She played a bit with her pendant. “You haven’t seen anyone for three months?” They were flirting. Shit, he’s so attractive. And I know he likes me, too. He’s been eyeing me since he hired me.

“I’ve seen no one outside, let no one in my house since the lockdown. I’m taking no risks.”

You must be so horny, right now. Cathy licked her lips. She knew the feeling. “Me, too. And I’m getting pretty tired of it all.” How much do you really want me, Lawrence? Let’s tease him a little. She leaned back some more and put her feet on her desk. Her black Burberry heels were gigantic on the computer screen.

Lawrence raised an eyebrow. Was there a twinkle in his eyes? Did he want to play?

“You like to take risks, Cathy?”

Oh yes, he wanted to play. He was ready to play.