I spent the entire morning listening to Loke explain the concept of publishing, how to recognize material worth passing on, and how to file the paperwork in the system. At first Loke seemed really shy whenever he started talking, but after a little while, he finally became comfortable enough to explain everything to me without any hesitation. I was grateful for how thorough everything was explaining because by the time my lunch break came around, I felt like I knew everything as if I'd been working here for months.

Gray came around to collect me for lunch, to which I invited Loke to come along.

He smiled. "Okay."

We decided to find a spot to eat outside of the building. After ten minutes of walking, we settled on a small cafe where we got coffee and sandwiches. While we ate I took the opportunity to get to know Loke a little bit. I learned that he's the oldest of twelve children, his girlfriend left him a while back that left him pretty heartbroken, and he decided to take up a publishing position because he found a passion for story-telling. Also, he and Gray have been working closely together since they both started at the same time. According to Loke, Gray is pretty popular among the ladies in the office.

"Well, at least until Natsu walks in the room," Loke said.

Gray groaned in frustration.

"Who's Natsu?"

"He's an ass," Gray snipped.

"Meaning..?" I pushed.

Loke smirked. "Natsu is the son of the CEO of Magnolia Publishing, Igneel Dragneel," Loke started. "He's also the office's reputable playboy."

"He's an ass," Gray repeated. "How an airhead like him even gets that many girls is beyond me. He doesn't even like half of them."

"It sounds like you don't like him much," I joked with Gray.

"No kidding," he said. Then he turned to me with a serious look in his eye. "Lucy, as my best friend in the whole world, promise me that you'll stay away from Natsu."

I laughed. "Don't worry, Gray. I have no interest in dating right now - especially playboys."

After the three of us returned from lunch, Loke and Gray took their leave back to their own desks while headed to mine. When I got there I noticed someone was sitting in my seat. The person sitting there had a full head of salmon-colored hair with broad shoulders that you could easily see through his white shirt. He was quietly sitting there, reading through some of my paperwork from this morning with one leg over the other like this was where he was supposed to be. To avoid any more time being wasted I made a noise to draw his attention.

"A little busy here," he said.

I made the same noise.

This time he whirled around in the chair. "I said -" He stopped when he noticed me. Suddenly a huge smile broke across his face. "New girl," he said.

"Um...hi. Who are you?"

Suddenly I could hear whispering going on around me. I turned to look at everyone and most of them - which were girls - were talking to each other in hushed tones as they looked at me and whoever this guy was at my desk. I did my best to ignore them while I tended to my problem at hand.

"The name's Natsu," he said with the same smile.

So this was Natsu Dragneel, the CEO's son and company playboy. He looked like everyone else in here: black slacks, button-up shirt, although his hair was messy. He was really attractive; no wonder all the girls took to him. He was...hot.

Lucy, as my best friend in the whole world, promise me that you'll stay away from Natsu, Gray's words echoed in my head.

"Hi, Natsu," I said. "I think this is my desk."

He stood up and looked around at my work space with mock confusion on his face. I couldn't tell if he was messing with me or being genuinely serious. Either way, I had work I needed to get done and he was in my way. When he looked back at me this time, he had a smirk on him that sent a jolt through me. For a moment I thought I might tip over from the effects of his expression, but I did my best to balance myself out.

"Ah," he finally spoke, "so it is." He stepped around me and I caught a whiff of his cologne and for a moment I was lost in it. I had never smelled anything like that before.

Shaking my head back to reality, I quickly sat down in my chair and hung my purse up before collecting my work and getting started. I decided the best thing I could do right now was to ignore whatever just happened. It was my first day and I was determined to make an impression.

"Just so you know," a voice came from beside my face. I turned to see Natsu leaning down beside me, merely inches from me. "I run this department. So if you need anything, I'm just over there." He pointed to the large office beside Ms. Scarlett's.

I gulped. "N-Noted."

He snickered. "Talk soon, Lucy." He walked into his office and shut the door behind him.

I found myself holding my breath and when I exhaled, I realized I had been holding it for some time. Who was that guy and what was his deal? I get he's girl magnet, but something about being near him...it's a mystery about the pull he has. I have never felt the need to be so close to someone in my whole life.

No, I can't let myself get distracted by anything right now. I still have work to do and hours I have many hours to go.

I got home from work a little after five and I was beat. As soon as I closed my front door, I kicked off my shoes, undid my shirt, and headed straight for the kitchen. I opened my fridge, and of course, I didn't have any groceries. I wasn't expecting my first paycheck until some time next week, so I had a decision to make: I could either order in again or I could gather up enough energy to pick up some stuff to last me until then. It's not like the grocery store was far from my place, but I had a decision to make.

To the store!

I grabbed a cart and started making my away around. I grabbed some fresh fruits and vegetables, some canned food, and some meat from the in-store butcher. My cart was just about full when I was ready to check-out. I stood in line for some time, patiently waiting the people in front of me to finish up so I could get out of here. All I wanted to do was go home and soak in a hot bath before I went to bed. At this point, it was after six and I was done for the day. I'm not even sure if any cooking was going to be done tonight.

As I started putting my things on the counter, something crossed my mind: how was I going to get all of this home? I mean, I could've called Gray and asked for a drive, but after yesterday and him working all day today, I really didn't want to hassle him anymore. I guess I could carry it all home and get a good workout. I could really use some work on my upper body strength.

I grabbed all of my bags, which were really heavy and I had to walk two blocks, and staggered out of the store. I made it through the parking lot before I needed to put my things down to give my arms a break. Damn it, how was I supposed to get these home without having to stop every two minutes?

"Hey," a voice called from behind me. I turned to see that it was...Natsu?

He walked over to me wearing the same thing he wore at work, only the first two buttons on his shirt were undone, exposing his throat and somewhat of his collarbone. His pink was just as messy as before and he looked more casual, which made him look hotter.

"Hey," I said in a small voice.

"What's all this?" he asked, motioning to my shopping bags.

"Groceries."

He smirked. "I can see that. I mean, where are you going with all of it?"

I rolled my eyes. At this point, I just wanted to get everything home.

"I'm going home," I responded, not trying to hide my irritation.

Natsu threw his hands up in a defensive position. "Whoa," he said, "I mean no harm, Lucy."

God, I couldn't help but feel my heart skip when he said my name. It sounded so smooth coming out of his mouth, I couldn't help but want to hear him say it again. I never knew such a response could really exist outside of what I read in romance novels.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I'm just trying to get home."

"With all that?" I nodded. "By yourself?"

"Yes."

Natsu stood there, examining my bags in silence, hands deep in his pockets, biting his lower lip that only made him look cuter. I'm not sure how long he stood around for, but I was sure he completely lost his reason for being here, or so I thought.

"I have my car," he said. "I'll give you a ride."

My eyes widened. "N-No, Natsu, I'm -"

That sexy smirk was back and my words failed me immediately. He didn't just smirk at me, he looked me dead in the eyes and he slowly stepped towards me until he was once again inches from my face. I gulped and I wanted to move away or say something, but my body failed me. Only now did I realize how much taller he was than me; staring straight I'd be looking directly at his chest. I felt like I was going to fall over at any moment.

"Come on, Lucy," he said in a low, seductive tone. "One ride. I don't mind."