He clapped his cell phone shut with shaking fingers.

Gen... What was she thinking?

Adam couldn't imagine that she was trying to deceive him. Genevieve had never been the sly type, never intentionally anyways, which made it all the more surprising back in high school when she and that fool Jenson started dating. It wasn't the first time Adam's mind went back to his teenager days, but it was occurring more and more frequently now that Gen had shown back up.

And it sounded strange, but... For some reason, he kept thinking about her. She'd been a cheerleader back in high school, fitting nearly every stereotype while she was at it. She was tall, gorgeous, busty, nice hips without a muffin top (usually). But she started out as a cheerleader to cheer, which was most shocking. Adam supposed nobody had really noticed her lack of gossiping during freshman year, the way she primped to match and not to show off, the passion in her cheering and not in jumping high enough to let the horny front-row preteens see up that little frumpy skirt. But they'd been acquaintances since grade school (God, was it that long ago? Jesus, he was getting old...) and Adam knew her real intentions, even though he never really got to know her. That is, before she started dating.

So how did big-shot football jock Carter Jenson happen to land one of the most innocent girls in the school? Two things were for certain: Jenson definitely didn't like her for her personality, and she wasn't very innocent anymore after that one football game... Ever since then, she was just a regular cheer bitch. She even went out of her way to make fun of... well, everyone. But that's how high school goes, right?

His cell rang again, interrupting his thoughts. The caller ID didn't recognize the number. Probably another business transaction waiting to happen. He put it on silent without rejecting the call, and then slid it across his desk again, sighing heavily. Such was his life.

Ever since he started following his father's footsteps in business, his life was smooth sailing. Relationships weren't a big deal, not that he'd had any time. The only hiccup was Jenson, coming back again and again. He'd gotten a full ride scholarship for somehow staying clean through his football career (Adam knew personally of a few extremely drunken parties, just saying) but went into business for some reason. Adam had his father's influence, but still had a lot to learn, and with Jenson working under the same company... Hell, life was a nightmare for a little while. Adam couldn't describe how much he absolutely loathed the bastard. It was just like high school all over again, with Jenson kicking into Adam's asshole half the time.

And now here was Genevieve, another reminder of those four long, dark years. Sure Jenson and Gen had split beginning of senior year. But she was allied by then, a permanent bitch despite her lack of, uh, "personal relations". Thankfully, they'd all gone their separate ways - bullies to different colleges, brainiac (not that Adam was always totally humble) to the university. He pushed away from his desk, spinning towards the huge window of his proportionately large office. Clouds littered the humid summer sky, occasionally becoming shade for the hot sun. He found it hard to breathe without sighing, and propped his elbows on his thighs to massage his temple.

Jenson was long since dead - drunk driving accident. Go figure. So why was his high-school sweetheart coming back to haunt the same company both he and Adam worked at? She was the new secretary, but her overseer was inquiring around in order to promote her to assistant manager of advertising, considering her fantastic graphic design skills.

He'd just hung up with a fellow member of the executive board, who'd just confirmed the time for tomorrow's lunch meeting (the guy had called it a "date", little bastard). Incidentally, Adam was invited. He leaned back in his chair, a hand covering his eyes. He was far too rational to believe that hiding was a proper solution, but for this very moment he couldn't help it.

She was different. He didn't think she remembered him, but it was hard to remember a girl like her. She was more... herself now. She wasn't a bleach blonde anymore; instead, she'd let her natural brunette show, and she occasionally wore reading glasses. They say old habits die hard (same thing with grudges, Adam supposed) but maybe Gen hadn't had that problem. Her words were precise, tactful, polite. No more of the bullying he'd endured from her ex, his late rival. In fact, if he hadn't recognized her name (and those startling green eyes) he might not have recognized her at all.

He turned back to his desk and rubbed his chin, feeling five-o-clock shadow. The rest of the caffeine from today's lunch had left his system in a recent bathroom break, and he could feel a long day's weariness tugging at his eyelids. He imagined that he probably looked like hell. He felt like it too.

He actually... He felt attracted to her. It was a conspiracy, he swore, but... They saw each other on a regular basis. Whether it was in passing, a shy "hi" coming from barely parted lips on her side, or on the elevator, though her cubicle was only on the 5th floor, they always managed to cross paths. And was it just him, or did she go out of her way to be nice to him? Just this morning she'd called his name (or title, rather, they weren't on a first-name basis quite yet) and caught up to him, eyes sparkling as she asked if he wanted a bagel, they had extra.

It was weird, but his suspicion was fading after only a few weeks. Maybe high school really was over. But could he betray his own logical reasoning? It's what got him this far. He wasn't particularly interested in a relationship with any other woman, but there were clearly other options. He wasn't the greatest-looking, he would admit, but he wasn't too bad off. There was Linda, a petite little lady with Shirley Temple tresses, but they only talked occasionally and he didn't find himself particularly attracted to her. He had a creeping sort of paranoia that those leather boots she typically wore weren't just for fashion... Okay, Linda was definitely a no-go. Maybe Bethany? He was entirely over racial differences, being bi-racial himself (part Caucasian, part Indian, thanks very much - Bethany was fully African-American as far as he knew) but that woman had soul. She wasn't afraid to flirt with him (or anyone else) and she was certainly well-endowed...

Still. Adam wasn't the most optimistic with relationships. He hadn't gone on an actual date with a woman for about three years, ever since he'd gotten his most recent promotion. He'd never taken a woman to his apartment. It wasn't that he had commitment issues (did he? The idea made him flinch) he just wasn't interested. The closest time was in college, when he was studying with his lab partner, and even then he'd never really felt any emotional or physical attraction to anyone in a long time.

Except for now.

Wait! What was he doing? He punched his desk in agitation. They were talking about business, not relationships. It was just a simple meeting, an interview of sorts, just to see how well she would perform under the eye of a potential new boss. It was no big deal. Right?

But Adam knew he had lost. He couldn't forget that eager gleam in her eyes, the genuine happiness that she'd gotten when he let himself smile at her, give her an assuring "yeah". He hadn't lost his cool around her, since he'd had no reason to. But now he couldn't help but admit she was cute, both in personality and looks, and the idea of one of her tiny little smiles made his heart pound. Hell, he'd just HULK SMASHed his desk thinking about her, being unnerved by her, wondering what to do regarding her.

Okay, it was settled. He wasn't just going to give up, no way. But... He couldn't approach her now. Not so close to her promotion. It would be a useful springboard either way, though. Once the board made a decision, which would, regrettably, be a few long weeks away, then he could make a move, a nice subtle one. If she got the promotion (which would be excellent, for her) then he might invite her to dinner to celebrate, his treat. If she didn't get it, though it was extremely unlikely, he could invite her grab a cup of coffee, try to console her. He knew he was taking advantage of her...

But the more he thought about her, the more he convinced himself that this... this could work. He'd have to wait about a month, one long, impossible month, no longer just for her, who was getting the promotion in the first place. Maybe... Maybe he could let go of the old grudge. Maybe he could forget about damn Jenson, who went and stole Gen's innocence from her. Maybe he could make a conscious effort to be kinder to her, to get to know her a little bit. He'd need to be subtle, of course, but he'd still do it.

Yes... This could work.