Christina, that's all I could think about. Was I crazy? Was I willing to take on the shitstorm that would probably come down on me if I took up with her? How would my clients react if they found out? And I'm sure my competitors inside and outside the office would be more than happy to let them know.

Was she worth it? Was she even a she? It was early morning and I already needed a drink. Despite everything I remembered the kisses. That was a woman that kissed me; my body and mind shouted it. Damnit, why did I have to be the good Samaritan?

Maybe she could forget it ever happened, maybe I'd never see her again. Certainly, I hadn't run into her at the office in the weeks I'd been here. I didn't even know where her's was.

I needed to get a move on. I had appointments today and needed to finish my prep work. I had spent way to much time online last night and I was going to pay for it later. I'm sure mom is going to interrogate me about why I was up so late. That woman was a human waterboard and nothing got past her. I knew she was pretty open-minded but could or would she be able to handle Christina. I had a feeling I'd need to find out and the sooner the better.

The office parking lot was pretty empty. I didn't see her car but then she told me she didn't normally drive to work to avoid just what happened last night. It sucked she had to ride a bus because some juvenile employee couldn't deal with someone a little different.

I hurried in to the building only to wait for an elevator. You'd think with no-one there the elevators would all be available but if to defy logic of course none of them were.

Finally one arrived. I entered and pushed the button for my floor. As the door began to shut an arm stuck in between them, a woman's arm. I heard her voice and looked into the face of the very woman I was hoping to avoid. She looked troubled and I fully expected her to say something about yesterday but all she said was, "did you hear about China?"

I hadn't realized it was Tony. I felt a bit foolish for a moment. He looked like he expected me to say anything but what I did. If I had known it was him I probably would have said something foolish about last night. We stood there for a moment just staring at each other until he grinned and said, "oh hell, I don't know what to say except, can we go out again?"

I was expecting the brush-off after Tony had a little time to think about what he was doing. Instead he wanted to go out again, like on a real date. I was speechless and he started to look worried so I quickly said yes.

I'm not sure the sigh that escaped was his or mine. He looked relieved and worried at the same time. All thoughts about China fled my mind until he said, "what about China?"

I started telling him about what I'd read and deduced from what little information there was. Before I knew it we were in his office with the door shut and me pinned against it as he ravaged my mouth.

He backed up for a moment to catch his breath and was about to dive back in when there was a knock on the door. Whoever knocked then tried to open the door I was held against.

Tony backed away until he was leaning against his desk and I turned and opened the door as Dan almost fell through it. I reached to catch him and he saw me and windmilled his arms, falling backward on his ass. I reached down to give him a hand and he knocked it away.

"I don't need help from the likes of you!"

I quickly pulled my hand back as he scrambled back to his feet. He looked from me to Tony and I knew he was about to say something that would probably get his ass kicked by Tony.

"I met Tony in the elevator and was telling him about developments in China and he invited me back to his office to discuss them as my office doesn't have the room.

As long as you're here you should know too."

Dan may have been a homophobic, transphobic asshole but he didn't get to be boss by not listening when there was something that might help make him and the firm money.

Dan didn't know how close he came to finding his ass right back on the floor he picked himself off of. If Christina hadn't intervened with her comment. . . .

I so wanted to kiss her again but she had gotten Dan's attention and even I had to listen as she made several suggestions. I, and the rest of the investment counselors were going to be very busy if what Christina was telling us was true. There was no reason not to think she wasn't and Dan and I both caught the urgency in her voice.

Christina headed for my PC to draft a message as Dan signed on and then dictated.

"Tell everyone what you just told me and your recommendations and tell the staff to waste no time in acting on them and sign my name. The markets open in minutes so there's no time to waste."

Christina did just that and when she finished I waited, in vain. The bastard didn't even have the courtesy to say thank you. He just turned, stared at me, and left without another word. I looked at his disappearing back and turned to Christina. She had gotten up from my desk and started to leave. I caught her arm. She looked at me with a half smile.

"You've got a lot of work to do and so do I. I hope you're ready to handle the gossip because I'm sure Dan didn't miss my smeared lipstick or the lipstick on your mouth, Tony."

She ran a finger over my lips and pressed it to them gently as she grinned and walked away. I just stared after her as the realization hit me. I may have been able to shrug off him seeing us at Brocato's but there was no way he could think that lipstick got on my lips any way other than a kiss from Christina. Well, actually I kissed her so it was nobody's fault but my own.

I should have had better control of myself but I'd been thinking of her all night and then, there she was, and I couldn't resist it. I wondered if Dan would, or could, keep his mouth shut. From her comment Christina didn't expect him to.

It was difficult but I forced my mind back to the crisis at hand. I had clients who depended on me. Others may just see their clients as big dollar signs but for many their investments were their only income and something like this could seriously impact their future. I reached for the phone and my client list as I set up a link to our traders. I was already instructing them on what to do on behalf of clients who gave me the discretionary power to buy and sell without their approval. At the same time I started calling those who made their own decisions. They usually agreed with my recommendations and today was no exception.

Several hours later I had a moment to think about Christina and this morning.

Back in my little cubbyhole of an office I took a moment to check out my appearance. As i suspected there was no way Dan couldn't have noticed the lipstick smeared on my lips, even if he hadn't noticed that same lipstick on Tony's. I hope Tony took my warning to heart because all I could see ahead of us was heartache and heartbreak.

I could feel the tears rolling down my cheeks. I finally found a man who wanted me and what did I do? I let him into my heart, knowing I couldn't give him what he wanted. If I didn't do something quick his professional and personal life were going to end up in the toilet along with mine.

There was only one answer. I had to end it and end it quick. On top of that I had to make sure he came off as a nice guy, which he was. Too nice. Why couldn't I have met him after my surgery? At least then our relationship, if we even had one, would have a chance. Right now all there would be is jokes and sly innuendos about gay sex with the tranny pervert.

It would have to be in public, where he couldn't overreact and do or say something he'd regret later. He'd probably hate me for it but I couldn't see any other choice. I just had to find the right moment, before the date he'd asked me on. I'm sure I'd dream about the date that would never happen now. I'd just have to settle for the memories of that night at Brocato's.

I kept monitoring the situation through the day. It was night in China now but I had found my excuse, the markets in the far east would open tonight and I needed to be watching when they did. I was sure our firm and its investment counselors had been ahead of the game but I needed to see how the Nisei and Shanghai exchanges reacted to see how serious this outbreak was. It also gave me the perfect excuse to delay our date and figure out how to extricate myself and Tony from the situation we found ourselves in.

I called Jessica to tell her it was going to be a late night. I only hoped the buses would still be running when I finally left. Again I regretted not driving my car to work but despite Mrs. Lukes insistence on paying for any damage it wasn't going to change the small minds who broke my tail lights or slashed my tires. If the asshole responsible for the vandalism heard about Tony his car could be a target too! All the more reason to stop things before they got that far.