Falling for the Boss by Elizabeth Lennox

it.  If only he hadn’t glanced down at her legs.  Why couldn’t he break this obsession he had with her legs?  Hell, he admitted to himself, he had an obsession with her whole body. 
     
    Victoria was wearing an ankle bracelet.  It was demurely under her stockings but he could see it plainly enough  He could also see the worried look on her face although she tried to hide it.  It warmed a place deep inside him to know that she felt something for him, even if it was only concern for his erratic behavior. 
     
    Clearing his mind, h e turned back to everyone and looked at his calendar.  “Okay, we have three more days here and we have a major issue.  What are the goals for retention and what plans do we need to put into place to get there?” he asked to the group, starting the daily brainstorming meeting. 
     
    They talked for several hours and came up with a draft plan for the office.  By one o’clock in the morning , Thomas said it was time to pack things up.
     
    “Hey, boss.  Isn’t the company party this Saturday night?”
     
    Thomas stared blankly at Bob for a moment.  He’d had another flash of Victoria ’s legs as she shut down her computer and stood up.  He couldn’t follow along with the conversation.  “Excuse me?” he asked.
     
    Bob repeated his question and Thomas looked dow n at his calendar.  “Oh, yeah.,” he said, punching some keys on his computer to bring up the next week’s schedule.  “W e’ll all be able to make it.”
     
    “What’s going on?” Victoria asked, not having this event on her calendar or having heard about it before. 
     
    Mike smiled evilly as he explained, “It’s the one night a year where the boss has to take us back to DC and hang out with us without giving us orders.”
     
    “I’ll be giving out everyone’s assignments for the next month this coming Saturday night,” Thomas joked. 
     
    “I’ll bring my notebook,” Bob fired back , winking at Victoria .
     
    Thomas turned to Victoria .  “It’s the annual ATI ball.  The attire is black tie.  You probably got an invitation in the mail but haven’t had a chance to sort it out from your bills yet.  I should have mentioned it sooner but it slipped my mind,” he grimaced. 
     
    Victoria nodded her head as she put her computer and her notes into her bag.  But her mind was spinning.  She had to go to a formal ball in six days time?  How in the world was she going to find a dress in time for something that formal? 
     
    The next morning, she called Laci and talked to her for a little while.  Once the pleasantries were over, she casually asked her sister for a favor.  “Laci, do you have a little time this week to do me a huge favor?”
     
    “Sure!  I don’t have any papers or exams.  What’s up?”
     
    “Well, there’s this party Saturday night.  I need a for mal dress but I don’t know if I’l l have any time to go shopping.  Do you have anything I can borrow?  Or would you be able to pick up something for me?”
     
    Laci chuckled.  “Let me get this straight.  You’re so desperate for something nice to wear around Mr. Hunk that you are willing to trust your baby sister to hunt out an appropriately demure dress for you to wear?”
     
    “That about sums it up,” Victoria said, cringing at the idea.  Laci and Victoria had completely opposite taste in clothes.  Victoria was more sedate whereas Laci liked the strong, vibrant colors and more daring cuts.  “Would you try?  And not be offended if I need to go out on Saturday to get something different ?”
     
    “I’ll be happy to go on a shopping spree.  I’ll even get several dresses for you to try on.  When’s the party and when are you coming home?”
     
    Victoria reviewed her day timer, running a tapered fingernail down through the rest of the week.  “We’re scheduled to fly in early Friday evening, but from the way things are going, I’d venture that it’s probably going to be late that