He answered on the second knock. He stood in the gathering darkness wearing only a pair of black dress pants. His chest was bare, covered only in a light pelt of dark hair. Visions from early today—of him hot and sweaty in his bedroom—danced in her head. Not for the first time, she noticed he was a big man, much bigger than Carl’s long and lean runner’s build. Mark was more like a football player with wide shoulders and large thighs. Looking at him, she suddenly had difficulty breathing and blamed it on her cold.

“Do you remember me mentioning a fundraising event at the country club?”

Mark straightened from his casual stance. She frowned at the weary expression that entered his eyes. “Yeah, I remember. It’s tonight, isn’t it?”

“Carl asked me to go with him. Do you think you can help me decide what to wear?” She didn’t give him a chance to answer just grabbed his hand and pulled him out into the hallway and into her apartment. Once there she ushered him into the bedroom. Taking the handful of lingerie she’d already laid out, she headed to the adjoining bath. “Which one should I wear? The black one or the red one?”

She tugged on her hose as fast as she could. It was nearly six-thirty. Mark’s hand appeared through the crack in the door holding a light blue skirt suit and a white button-up cotton shirt she usually wore to church. She pulled her robe back on and opened the door all the way. “You can’t be serious,” she laughed. Her humor faded at the look on his face. Dark and brooding.

“Come on, Mark.” She slipped back out of the bathroom, unsettled by his expression. Pulling the low cut black dress from its hanger, she asked, “Is this too much?”

“No,” he said, his voice low and growling. For a minute, she thought he’d caught her cold. “It’s too damn little.”

“Mark!” She was shocked. For Mark, even that small profanity was extreme language. He was always polite and considerate when he was with her.

“You wanted my opinion and I gave it to you.” He turned on his heel and walked out the door. “If going makes you happy, Susie, I wish you luck.” They both knew he was referring to her date with Carl, not attending the glitzy fundraiser at the country club. She might have said a thing or two over the last couple of months about the crush she had on her boss. And her boss’ string of women. Whenever she mentioned the man, Mark had gotten a sour expression on his face and changed the subject. She knew he didn’t approve of Carl’s womanizing ways.