Liza couldn't stop thinking about Charles. She knew she shouldn't be, but she just couldn't help it. She'd barely seen him at the office for the past two weeks, and that had only made matters worse.

Her life was complicated enough without throwing in her feeling for her boss and all of the complications and confusion that came along with it. Her life had changed so much in the last couple of weeks. First, Josh had broken up with her. She didn't blame him. He wanted to live a honest, authentic life, and she was lying to almost everyone in her life. It still hurt, even if a small part of her had been relieved that he had ended it. She thought she'd found a distraction in a sexy new author, but that had come to a quick, disgusting end. What she had seen in that barn still made her want to hurl. And that was after an awkward run in with Josh and his new girlfriend, Greta. Then her nemesis Cheryl Sussman had reared her nasty, blackmailing head again. Liza was kind of proud of herself in the way she head dealt with that, plus now she had someone she could talk to about her screwed up life. She had agreed to be a case study for Dr. Ray and was hoping that her plan wouldn't backfire. During all this Kelsey had managed to break up and then reconcile with Thad, resulting in a big fat diamond on her ring finger. And how could she forget about her disaster of a one night stand with her husband? Worst mistake yet.

But despite all of this, she couldn't get Charles off of her brain. He had apparently taken his daughters out of town for a few days before leaving for a week long conference. She'd only seen him briefly in the office between trips, their eyes meeting across the bullpen. He had smiled at her, and god, that did things to her. Those intense gazes and small smiles liquified her insides. She couldn't think straight when he looked at her like that.

He would be back in the office today, and she was looking forward to seeing him again. She liked being around him, even if they were in a crowded room of people. Their biggest author, Edward LL Moore, was releasing the final book in his fantasy series, which had become Empirical's most profitable franchise. Liza had never met Moore, but had heard from Kelsey that he was a "handful." It would make for an interesting couple of days, that was for sure.

Charles stood off to the side of the stage, taking in the scene around him, waiting for Liza to reemerge from the costume tend. Times Square was packed to the brim with Crown of Kings fans. He watched Diana on stage with Edward – she was in her element. He knew he couldn't have gotten through the release without her, especially given his absence over the last few weeks.

He'd been gone for the better part of two weeks, first taking the girls on a trip out of state for his cousin's wedding before returning and departing for a business trip. He hated that he would be gone from his kiddos for a whole week, hated that he had to be away from work. From Liza. He couldn't get her out of his head, as much as he tried. Whenever he had a spare moment his mind seemed to wander back to him.

It hadn't helped that he had heard from a gossiping, newly engaged Kelsey outside of his office door that Liza and her boyfriend had split up. He knew that his morality, his ever annoying conscious had kept him from making a move on a girl who was already taken. He just couldn't do it, even though he wanted to with every fiber of his being. Now that she was single, what was going to stop him?

He'd watched her last night at dinner with Diana and Moore. Personally, he couldn't stand Moore, but he was pretty much the main reason why Charles was able to make payroll every month, as much as he hated to admit it. The man was inappropriate on a good day, and it had made his skin crawl to see the nasty old man leer at Liza. Had hated himself a little bit when he let it carry on despite Liza being visibly uncomfortable. How he had wished it was just the two of them having dinner in that darkened restaurant. He had visualized sneaking a hand under the table, touching her, teasing her. Had visualized them sharing a bottle of wine and getting lost in conversation for hours. He knew he had to get ahold of these impulses. But, good lord, he craved her. Everything about her turned him on, captivated him.

He felt the rustle of canvas and sensed Liza's presence behind him. He was grateful that she was indulging them by dressing up in some warrior princess costume for an hour or two. It seemed to thrill Edward, at least. He turned to greet her and felt like his stomach had dropped out of the bottom of his chest. He couldn't breathe, and suddenly it felt if all the blood in his body was moving quickly south.

Liza squirmed in the costume, if you could call it that. She hadn't worn anything this revealing in public in while, ever. The "costume" was a fur bikini that left very little to the imagination. She felt herself blush as Charles turned to greet her. His eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head.

"That's the costume?" He asked, incredulous. She stood before him in what appeared to be a fur bikini. He couldn't help but let his eyes travel down her body. She was more beautiful than he could have ever imagined. His eyes trailed down her bare abdomen to her long, long legs.

"Yeah, well, it may be tiny, but at least it's fur." He felt a pang of guilt as she squirmed uncomfortably, shifting the fur cape that came with costume up around her shoulders. She had a gorgeous body, but she was clearly shy. He hated that she was being forced to parade around like than for Moore. That he was contributing to her being uncomfortable.

"I really appreciate this, Liza. This is above and beyond." He meant every word.

Liza looked down bashfully. "Anything for you. I mean, for Empirical. For the company." He smiled kindly at her as she blushed again, holding his hand out to her to help her climb onstage.

"Thank you for stepping in with Edward." She said quietly, pulling Charles's suit jacket closer around her bare shoulders. He'd been like a knight in shining armor, swooping in and pulling her away from Edward. He'd covered her with his jacket and wrapped his arms around her. She couldn't fully describe how safe she had felt in his arms.

"I should have done it hours ago." He replied, a lingering edge to his voice. When he had seen Moore touching Liza, trying to slip her his hotel key, Charles had seen red. He'd acted before thinking, jumping in and pulling her away from that old pervert. "Except…" He carried off, a little hesitant.

Liza nodded, as if she understood what he was trying to say. "He's a big deal for Empirical."

"Oh, to say the least." Sighed Charles. As much as he wished it wasn't true, his company needed Moore in order to survive. Without another big series bringing in the cash, Empirical would go bankrupt in a matter of months. "The truth is, every time that he comes to town, I can't breathe. The idea that my company, my grandfather's company, can't exist without the overwritten fantasies of some handsy old man…." He trailed off, sighing again. Here he was again, opening up to her without even realizing what he was doing. Making himself vulnerable.

"They really are overwritten."

"Thank you." There she went again, agreeing with him. If she were anyone else he might think she was trying to pacify him. But when Liza spoke, he could tell that she meant every word.

Liza smiled slyly back at him. "Are you sure you don't want to know about the sales on Amazon?"

He was distracted by her smile and only heard half of what she said. Something about the Amazon sales.

"Umm, only if they're good. What?" He smiled back at her, trying to read the expression on her face.

"It's number one by a mile."

Liza noticed his smile seemed to falter a bit as he processed the good news. Was it good news? "Oh, I thought you'd be happier."

Charles took a drink of the whiskey in front of him, letting it warm his throat as it went down. "Ahh, I'm more relieved than happy." He paused, debating whether he should say what was on his mind. The look in Liza's eyes, warm and curious and kind, gave him the answer he was looking for. "There's this small part of me that always secretly hopes that maybe this time…."

"The whole thing would just come crashing down already?" Liza could relate to that. The lie she was perpetuating, it had resulted in a great job and friends and some wonderful memories, but part of her just wished the bottom would fall out and she could start anew.

"It's a lot." Charles said quietly, his voice a little husky. "Year after year of wondering if we'll make it. And sometimes I wonder what it would be like if the bottom dropped out and I had to start over again. What would I do?" His voice faltered as Liza's hand snaked out from underneath his jacket, across the table. Her fingers touched his, ever so gently and he caught his breath.

"What would you do?" She asked earnestly.

Her question caught him off guard. He'd never been asked that by anyone. His life had been planned out for him since birth. Private school, 3rd generation Princeton legacy. He had majored in Business and English, interned at Empirical and started working as an Editor there a week after graduation. He'd married the pretty society girl, taken over the business, had children. If his life was a checklist he had worked his way through the list, methodically crossing one achievement off after another. Until the bottom had fell out when Pauline left. And here he was sitting in a dark bar with a pretty woman 14 years younger than him. A pretty girl he was pretty sure he was falling in love with. He felt free with Liza. More free than he had ever felt before. So what would he do?

"I don't know." He hesitated, but answered honestly.

Liza tilted her head and watched him. "Well, what's something you've always wanted to do, something you couldn't do because of your job?"

Kiss you, he thought. Be with you, Liza. It was the first thing that came to mind, the one thing he wanted to tell her but knew he couldn't. "Do you really want to know?" He asked softly, tilting his head, a smile crossing his face.

"Yeah, I do." Liza answered, breathless, meeting his eyes with hers. She squeezed his hand, watching as he leaned in towards her.

The moment was over before it even started. Liza glanced down at her vibrating cell phone, the smile disappearing from her face instantaneously.

"I'm sorry, I've got to go." She was up and out the door before Charles could say anything, leaving him bewildered, flustered and a lot disappointed.

Liza stood in a quiet corner at the Weber residence, sipping a glass of water with one hand and staring down at a picture of Thad. The last few days had been so surreal. She couldn't get the image out of her head. That piece of construction material falling out of the sky, killing Thad instantly, missing her by inches. Her life could have been over just as quick as his had ended. Thad's going to haunt me forever, she thought, tearing her eyes away from the picture. Kelsey was corned by Chad on the opposite side of the room, mid conversation.

She took a step into the room, hesitant. She didn't want to be here, but she had to support Kelsey. She couldn't imagine what she was going through. She caught Diana's eye and was waved over. Charles was standing next to her, looking ridiculously handsome in a black suit and tie.

"How's Kelsey, Liza?" Diana asked, sipping a glass of white wine. It wasn't even noon yet.

"I, uh, I don't really know. I haven't talked to her yet." Her eyes flickered up to Charles, who smiled down at her kindly. Diana pursed her lips and spotted one of Kelsey's author's over Liza's shoulder, stalking off to converse with him, leaving Liza alone with Charles.

"How are you, Liza?" He asked softly. She looked tired. He wanted to reach out and pull her into his arms. She had lost a friend, after all. When he had heard that she was there, that she had narrowly missed death herself, he had wanted to drop everything and go to her. She'd only been in his life for a short while now, but he couldn't imagine a life without her in it.

"I'm, uhm," She laughed, a little hysterical. "I'm terrible. It could have been me. Hell, it should have been me."

He wasn't sure what she was talking about, but he reached up and rubbed her arm. "You can't think like that, Liza. You just can't. You're here for a reason."

"And what reason is that?"

He opened his mouth to answer, but Kelsey was waving her over. Every time he got close to admitting to her his feeling, someone, something interrupted them. It was frustrating as hell. She flashed him a small smile and crossed over to her friend.

He stood there for a few minutes, watching her converse with Kelsey and Thad's brother. Smiled as Liza rolled her eyes and made her way over to the wine. He was just about to go up to her and ask her if she wanted to leave when a familiar face crossed the room. His tattoos were hidden, but Charles recognized Josh, Liza's ex boyfriend. The two spoke for a moment, their backs to him, before turning and leaning against the table. They spoke softly, but he watched as Josh sidled closer to Liza and whispered something in her ear before taking her hand. And he watched as Liza took his hand and the two walked out the front door together, not looking back.

Once again, he'd missed his chance. He wouldn't let it happen again. The next time he saw her, that was it. He was telling her how he felt.

Two days later and he still hadn't seen her. He'd been out of the office the day after the funeral, but had been sure that he would see her today. Even Kelsey was here, but Liza seemed to be conspicuously missing. He stood at the coffee bar, mixing a little bit of cream into his drink when he saw Diana stalk by him towards Kelsey, who was standing by the window, staring morosely at her phone.

He tried to tune out Diana's thunderous voice, but the mention of a non disclosure agreement and someone quitting caught his attention.

"Who?"

"Liza."

"Liza quit?!" Diana's response felt like someone had bashed him in the head. Liza was gone? How? Why? He could feel the blood rushing to his head, his vision blurring. She couldn't be gone. He needed her in his life. He took a few deep breaths, trying to control the bubble of anger inside of him.

"I'm going to make some calls, find out where she took a job." He'd do whatever he could to get her back. A promotion, a raise, anything it took. He needed her.

A day later, Charles sat in his car outside the Paramus Mall. He couldn't believe that she was working here. What had happened between her and Kelsey that had been so catastrophic to force her to flee to the suburbs?

He'd been thrilled when Kelsey and Diana had both declined trying to lure Liza back to the company. This was his opportunity. Even if he failed to convince her to return to Empirical, maybe, just maybe, he could convince her to take a chance on him. He wanted her, in whatever capacity she would allow.

He walked into the mall, which was surprisingly crowded, ignoring the gaping looks he got from the nearby women sitting on a bench near the door. He consulted the mall directory, locating the store that Kelsey had named. He felt his pace and his heartbeat quicken as the store came into view. Now he just had to find her in this maze. He wandered around for awhile, scanning every person that came into view. Making his way into the men's section, he saw a tall girl with shiny brown hair organizing ties in a display. Her back was to him, but her profile was unmistakable. Liza.

For a moment he stared at her, the rest of the world fading away. He couldn't see anyone else, couldn't hear anything else. He watched as she quietly arranged ties, like this was part of her everyday life. How could she just so nonchalantly act like this was normal, like this was a life that she had been living for years?

He swallowed hard, suddenly desperate for something clever to say. He couldn't stand here gaping at her like a fool. She was going to turn around eventually. Taking a deep breath he stepped forward, slowly climbing down the steps into the display area.

"I'm looking for something…bold, but not too crazy." He said slowly, trying to keep his voice even.

Liza stiffened as she heard his voice. It couldn't be. Her heart quickened as she glanced at the reflection in the glass. It was him.

She turned, glancing at him nervously. She knew that they would find her eventually, especially since the run in with Lauren's mom. But she hadn't expected that Charles would come here himself.

"Uhm," she stammered, grabbing a purple tie off the display, "How about this, um, purple paisley." She held the tie out to him, his finger grazing hers as he took it from her.

"Trying too hard." He smiled at her.

"Can't be scared of fashion."

"What are you doing here, Liza?" And what can I do to get you back, he thought.

"You wouldn't understand."

"I think I do. Look, I know when you're young, you think you're responsible for all kinds of things that you have nothing to do with. But you're not. Most things in life are out of your control. You work hard and you try to be good, but shit happens."

He looked at her earnestly, silently pleading her to come back. She bit her lip, glancing down at the floor.

"I appreciate you saying that."

"We want you back at Empirical." And I want you in my life. I want you, Liza, he thought.

"I don't know, I…."

"Just think about it." He turned to leave, laying the tie on the glass display top. Charles put his foot on the step, but stopped and turned, looking at Liza. In that second, he knew what he was going to do.

"While you're at it," he said quietly, huskily. "Think about this." He crossed the few steps to her and cupped her face in his hands. And kissed her, finally, like he had been longing to do for months.

Liza felt like her body was on fire. His lips were on hers, gentle and soft, but warm and intense at the same time. His hands cupped her face, his thumbs grazing her cheekbones as he pressed his body against hers. He pushed against her before pulling away reluctantly. His hand still grazed her face as he pulled away, looking down at her. Her lips were parted slightly, her eyes wide. Her lips had been soft and warm, and all he wanted to do was to kiss her again, and again. He could spend the rest of his life kissing her. But they were in the middle of a crowded department store, so he pulled away slowly.

"I will definitely give that a lot of thought." Liza said, unable to tear her eyes away from him. That had felt so good. He smiled, nodded and turned away, grabbing the purple paisley tie as he went, leaving Liza to wonder what the hell had just happened.