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Gripping the strap, Lillian Caron steadied herself as the train lurched to a stop.

"Come on, people. Get on, get off. I'm late!"

Chinatown... Downtown Crossing. Finally, State Street. Glancing at her wrist just as the train screeched into the station, she caught her balance before she crashed into the solid body in front of her. That could be the start of a love story. She should make a note in her ideas docs. Maybe she should delete the file, because becoming a real author was a dream that died with Roche-Sumner Publishing's notorious editor, Kendall. Instead, Lilli published her story for free on Novelpost.

Lilli wasn't too sure about her work in progress. She was in the middle of crafting a romance between Jeff and Justine. Readers loved it and were pleading for updates. Except, she didn't have time to write, and when she did, it felt like a chore. Although she owed them big time, she had bigger worries, like being late for work. No couple would ever be as successful as Jack and Jillian.

Eight-forty, maybe Ann slept in. Fat chance. Lilli's boss might lounge in bed on the weekend, but Ann dedicated her weekdays to working. Lilli squeezed her eyes, blocking the image of Ann in bed with muscles and flesh.

Working for Ann Fortier was a thousand times better than Kendall, her old boss at Roche-Sumner Publishing. The very thought of her caused Lilli stomach pains. Ironically, Lilli had never worried about being late because Kendall strolled in at nine-forty-five most mornings.

Following the herd up and out of the station into the cold February chill, she stepped over to the crosswalk. The gray skies made it look like night, but the day was just beginning.

A black SUV drove by and splashed in the puddle. Lilli tried to step back, but the slushy, dirty, icy mess sprinkled her winter boots and black slacks. Gray skies, shit on her pants, were all the bad omens she could handle for a Wednesday morning, but she was also running late, something Ann would definitely notice.

It was one thing to be late and another to arrive without Ann's Dunkin coffee. It surprised her to discover her boss wasn't a Starbucks' girl. Kendall wouldn't be caught dead with the pink and orange logo on her cup. It had been two years since Ann Fortier saved her from losing her soul working for Kendall, unaffectionately known as bosszilla.

She learned a lot from her tenure at the publishing company, and it wasn't all about the publishing industry. She learned she would never be a traditionally published author. As gut wrenching as the discovery was, it freed her and made time for new goals. They started when Kendall let her edit Matthew Clark's romance novel. The best-selling middle grade fantasy writer's foray into romance hadn't launched Lilli's career, but it pointed her in the right direction.

The Dunkin gods were with her when she ducked in and found a short line. Carmen smiled at her as she ordered two coffees and a bagel for herself. Ann ate a healthy breakfast after her morning workout. Maybe when Lilli hit her thirties, she would think about working out. She was lucky to be blessed with long legs and a high metabolism. Her roommate Ainsley told her once a week she hated her. Ainsley's customary curse included bitching about ice cream going right to her thighs.

With the coffees in hand, Lilli entered the office building and pounded on the up button, hoping the elevator would arrive quicker. She checked the clock on the wall four minutes after nine. Not bad. Ann hired Lilli to save her from Kendall, but also she liked her experience. At twenty-eight, Lilli had earned Ann's respect with her ability to juggle multiple balls and edit manuscripts at the same time.

Ann was busy reading, as Lilli tapped lightly on her doorjamb. She looked up at Lilli, who stood with the coffee. Her boss salivated at Dunkin cups.

"Don't drool," Lilli said, walking over to the cluttered desk. On the wall was a photo of Ann and Anita Browning, the top literary agent at DMLA. Both were dressed in gowns at the Boston Literary Banquet. Lilli wanted to attend as a literary agent with Ann someday.

Ann ignored the teasing. "Give it to me." Closing her eyes, she took her first sip. Ann was an addict. She put her cup down and looked up and smiled at Lilli. "Good morning. My outbox is full."

Lilli nodded and picked up the stack of papers. The pile would keep her busy half the morning. She returned to her desk and took off her coat, hanging it behind her door. Her own office was in front of Ann's. It was tiny, but much nicer than her open desk at Roche-Sumner Publishing.

Lilli still couldn't believe that she worked as an Assistant Literary Agent. It was a step towards her ultimate goal of becoming an agent herself. The Boston office of the reputable Dwyer Mitchell Literary Agency was small compared to the offices in New York and London.

The first sip of her coffee gave her a jump start. She tore into her bagel as she sorted her work.

"Good morning, Lilli." The deep, rich voice caused her to freeze with her boiled carb in midair. One wrong move and the piece in her mouth could get lodged in her throat.

Zachary Steele entered her office. The man had been the object of her sexual fantasies since the day she met him. Dark hair, gelled perfectly, and the most unique piercing amber eyes. His full dark brows, long lashes, and straight nose highlighted his golden eyes. Then there were his lips and strong chin. His face was shaven clean and Lilli tried not to stare. Some days he left scruff. He was gorgeous.

Her greeting failed to leave her tongue as she almost choked on the bagel in her dry mouth. His presence caused her saliva to disappear.

"Good, she has her coffee." He smiled and motioned to Ann's office. "May I."

Lilli nodded. She should have expected him. Ann had never not wanted to see Zach unless she was meeting with a client.

Her bagel felt like a lump in her stomach as he shut Ann's door. So much for her fantasies. Zachary and Ann's relationship wasn't entirely professional. If Ann wasn't so wonderful to work for, Lilli would hate her. She was jealous. Why did Ann get to have his lips? And oh Lord, she couldn't think of his body. He was tall, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist.

Being five-ten herself tall was important. Ann was shorter, so she could have a shorter man. Her boss didn't deserve him, and it wasn't because she had at least five years on him, probably more. Lilli's blue eyes should really be green. Checking her jealousy, she focused on her work while trying not to think about what was happening behind the closed door, especially when she heard Ann's laugh.

She had a stack of dream crushing rejection letters to send. Lilli had received enough to be reminded each word she typed would chip away the confidence of the aspiring authors.

After receiving her share of rejections and Kendall telling her she'd make a better editor than writer, Lilli gave up on her own dreams. She began writing for fun and publishing online. After scraping her original work, she focused on Twilight fanfiction and gained a huge following. Her readers' comments and accolades healed her wounds, even so, she faced watching other authors succeed and have opportunities she missed out on. That was when she vowed to become the person who could fulfill the dreams of others.

Meeting Zach brought back her desire to write an original story. He was too beautiful not to be the leading man in a novel. Office Secrets was not a very original title, but the cover advertised sexy secrets. It helped to know a professional cover designer. At first it floundered after she posted it on Novelpost. Slowly readers found it and her novel was chosen as story of the month. Then it hit number one on the romance tag, followed by others. The views soared from twenty-four thousand to five hundred thousand in less than six months.

The door opened, and Zach walked out, stealing her attention. "Have a good day." Zach winked as he left Ann's office. Lilli's face was red and her mouth dry as she answered the ringing phone.

"Kurt Dwyer, for Ms. Fortier," the voice over the phone said.

He was the Dwyer in Dwyer Mitchell and worked in the New York office. She put the call through but had too much work to speculate about what the call might be regarding.

Ann waved to Lilli as she walked past her desk for her lunch meeting. Lilli had made the reservation, hoping one day she would meet with authors over colorful green salads with a small piece of salmon or avocado at trendy restaurants.

The tempo of the agency changed during lunch. Lilli used the time to work without interruptions. Ann relied on her to wade through the many submissions sent by potential writers, hoping to be one of the chosen. Only a select few ever made it past her desk for consideration.

The office only housed three Literary Agents. Boston was small potatoes compared to New York. She tuned out the talking in reception. Chelsea, a bubbly twenty-two-year-old recent graduate, was holding court. She was pretty, but she tried too hard. The blonde was Zach's assistant. Lilli had to remind herself Ann was more senior with a corner office. She was the only assistant with a window. Except for gray February days, it was a perk.

If she had Chelsea's job, she'd be fired for having a dry mouth and being tongue tied all day long. Working for Zach would be career suicide.

Chelsea's high pitch voice carried into Lilli's office. "He said Ann..."

She walked out of her office because she didn't want to be left out. As a trustworthy assistant, she also made it her business to involve herself if Ann's name was mentioned.

Lilli stood in the doorway, while Chelsea gossiped with Justin, the other assistant, and Shania, the receptionist. Lilli was the oldest in the group. No one stayed an assistant for long. Most took their job for the connections and a publishing deal, but left because of burnout. The girls looked at her like she was a washed up loser for still being an assistant. Meanwhile, she thought they were green and inexperienced.

"What's going on?" Lilli said.

Chelsea rubbed her hands together. "Zach had me make a reservation for two."

"Tonight?" Who went out on a Wednesday night?

Chelsea's excitement had Lilli gritting her teeth. She bounced as she said, "No tomorrow. Do you think he'll ask her?"

All eyes turned to Lilli. Ann was dedicated to her career. Did she think Ann was sleeping with Zach? Unfortunately, yes. Did she think they were serious? "Nah." Oh God, I hope not.

The only reason she liked Ann was because she was discrete. Lilli had too many dreams that would be crushed if Zach and Ann became an official couple. Lilli's heart would break in two. She wanted to be the one having a romantic dinner with Zach, instead of writing her fantasies on Novelpost.

And so it begins. Please remember to vote 🌟 and add this book to your reading list. I love your comments.

A word about Lillian Caron. If you are just meeting her, welcome! She may have less degrees of separation from every story I have written than most people in Hollywood to Kevin Bacon. Try it with an inline comment or challenge me.