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CHAPTER ONE
Phoebe Monroe somehow knew, as she woke up to the early morning sunlight filtering in through the half-closed curtains of her hotel room, that this day was going to be something special.
She was young, and new to the world of business conferences, but her boss had entrusted her with the task of making the company look good during this weekend-long event.
She had arrived a day ahead of time to ensure that everything went off without a hitch.
If she played her cards right, there could be a promotion in this for her—or at least a significant bonus at the end of the year. Either way, it was worth it to show up for this all-expense paid weekend in a hotel in the middle of nowhere.
She had hoped, when she had first heard about the trip, that it might take her somewhere fun, or at least somewhere warm and sunny.
The longer she thought about it, however, the more she realized that the destination was not really the point. No matter where she ended up, she was not going to waste her time out partying like many of her peers likely would.
This was an excellent opportunity to show her boss what she was made of, and she was not going to ruin that by letting her wild side show.
She agreed without so much as a second thought, and the weekend of the conference arrived quickly.
Arriving a day early was just one of the many ways Phoebe had planned to impress her peers.
Unfortunately, she had not accounted for the fact that many of them probably would not be showing up until the last minute, and likely did not care at all whether or not she was there a day early or a month early.
She had arrived after a late flight the night before, to find that she was the first person aside from one guest speaker to check in to the conference hotel.
After a few quiet drinks from the hotel bar, she had gone to bed early, and woken with the sun the next day.
“I’m going to do great,” she said to herself, before she ever got out of bed. She laid there among the comfortable, clean white sheets of the king-sized bed, and relaxed for a while as the sun slowly rose.
Phoebe was always the kind of person who had to talk herself up before she could make a move in life.
She was a driven, professional kind of person, to be sure, but she got nervous, just like anybody else.
At only twenty-five years old, she was the youngest employee at her office who was not a college intern.
She had moved up the ranks a little bit since her entry-level job a few years ago, and she showed a lot of promise.
Her boss frequently liked to give her small chances to prove herself.
This was the first time she had been sent on a bigger, more important mission.
CHAPTER TWO
The conference itself was not one of the biggest events of the year, but it did give Phoebe the chance to discuss some upcoming projects from her office with a handful of important people who would be in attendance.
She was expected to summarize these projects at a small discussion panel on Sunday afternoon, and to answer any questions that might arise in response.
She and her boss both agreed that there probably would be no questions, but that simply making the presentation on her own was great experience.
Phoebe was excited to have this kind of chance after just a few years with her company.
“The day won’t start itself,” she told herself after lying in bed and thinking about the upcoming weekend for a little longer.
Finally, she rolled out from between the sheets and stumbled to the bathroom to get ready for the day.
Most of the events were not scheduled to begin until later that night, but she thought she would spend some time getting a little work done in the lobby in the meantime.
If nothing else, it would give her the chance to do some people-watching and check out the other attendees as they trickled in for the conference.
About a half hour later, she was dressed and ready to go. Her short blonde hair was cut into a cute bob that she had slightly curled and styled into the perfect shape, which framed her face in just the right way. She had accented her pale skin and bright blue eyes with just a little bit of natural makeup, to give off the appearance of effortless beauty.
Although she had not been a part of the conference scene before, she understood how far a little extra attention to her appearance could take her.
Surrounded by powerful men, she was not afraid to play to her sex appeal, at least a little bit. To complete her ensemble, Phoebe had selected a simple green sleeveless dress in a professional style, cinched at the waist with a brown belt, and a pair of work-appropriate heels.
She had gone back and forth between wearing pantyhose or leaving her legs bare, but ultimately chose sheer hose for that added bit of maturity. Pleased with her appearance, she grabbed her favorite brown handbag, her laptop, and her paperwork, and scurried out the door.
When she reached the elevator, she found it occupied by one other person.
The figure in the elevator belonged to a tall, tanned woman with long, straight black hair and dark eyes.
She was wearing a dressy black business suit with smart heels, which led Phoebe to believe she was probably a part of the conference as well.
The two of them rode a few floors down in silence, until the other woman disembarked on the second floor.
“Love the dress,” she said to Phoebe as she exited the elevator.
Phoebe caught herself blushing. She had not been complimented like that by another woman in a long time, and this had come so suddenly that she had been completely unprepared for it.
“Thank you!” she said, unsure if the other woman had heard her or not.
