I arrive in the lobby at 4:59 am. I find both Ana and Taylor speaking with whom I assume to be our morning driver. Ana is in running tights and a fitted exercise jacket zipped all the way up. Taylor is in his usual workout attire as am I. Ana gives a sweet smile when she sees me striding toward the group. She hands me a water bottle, and we load up into a Mercedes SUV.

Ana and I sit in the back seat for the drive into the Black Forest. There is little light other than the car's headlamps to illuminate our travel. The group remains quiet for the ride. Just over an hour later, we pull up to the trail head. Small slivers of light are beginning to break over the horizon. Our driver stays with the car. Ana and I stretch a bit before beginning the hike.

The trail begins wide enough for Ana and I to walk side-by-side. Taylor, ever the dutiful CPO, stays about twenty paces behind us. He is close enough to keep us in sight but too far to hear any conversation.

For the first half a mile or so, we walk in silence. Running water can be heard close by but remains unseen. We are walking up an easy incline that is surrounded by ancient trees from which the the haunted forests of fairy tails were born. We hear birds waking up and calling to each other while trail side brush camouflages the stirring ground creatures. I am struck by how different the birds sound and the flora smells from any American forest. As much as this feels like a familiar hike, it also feels exhilaratingly different.

We reach a turn in the trail that reveals a stream descending down the mountainside. We cross a narrow wooden bridge to the other side of the stream. Ana goes first. When she pauses at the railing to look into the bubbling water, I know that she is meditating on the present. I follow suit. I close my eyes for a moment to absorb the sounds and smells of the German mountain morning.

After the bridge, the trail narrows so that we walk single file. We go on for another bit. I refuse to allow myself to check my wrist for the time. I know that Ana is staying in the present and not getting lost in what we will be doing later in the day. I attempt the same. Although the hike is not strenuous, I do feel the burn in my calves as we work our way up the mountain. I enjoy the views of both the forest and Ana from behind.

As the sun makes its full appearance, the air warms considerably. Ana removes her jacket to reveal a sports bra underneath a loose tank that is banded at the waist. I hold back a moan of discontent when she ties the jacket around her waist and covers her backside.

We have been on the trail for at least an hour if not longer. We have made considerable progress. Ana must stay in shape. I am not surprised, because her body is perfection. Though, I have not seen her exercise during our travels.

Eventually the trail widens back out. We come to a small wooden sign pointing towards a turn off. Ana seems to know where this little side path leads, and we take it. About a quarter of a mile in we arrive to a large clearing with the impressive remains of a medieval stone castle. Several stone walls remain standing with wide arches where windows once stood. We walk into the dirt interior which is open to the sky above. Vines and trees overtake parts of the crumbling structure, but enough exists to imagine the noble life that once inhabited it.

I find a staircase that allows for visitors to climb to the third floor of one of the walls. A narrow mezzanine has been built at that level for tourists to view the castle's remains from above. This time, Ana chooses for me to go first. Once we are to the height of where the second floor once stood, I look back to see her white-knuckling the railing.

"Afraid of heights, Ms. Steele?" I tease.

"Just when my safety is dependent on the engineering concepts of the thirteenth century," she teases back in good humor.

"Fair point, well made."

When we reach the third story mezzanine, Ana seems dubious about letting go of the stair railing to walk along the metal catwalk. I offer her my hand as she takes the first step from the stone stairs to the mesh grating. To my pleasure, she continues gripping my hand while holding the catwalk railing with her other. I lead us along the walkway. We reach a large arch in the wall and receive a breathtaking view of the mountain and the valley below us. Ana takes in a breath of excitement and gives my hand a tight squeeze of delight. We stand side-by-side and soak up the awe-inspiring view.

Ana pulls out her phone and convinces me that we need to take a selfie with the view in the background. Next, I take her picture, and she insists on taking one of me. Two more hikers ascend to the catwalk and offer to take a picture of the two of us. Ana wraps her arm around my waist and put my arm around her shoulder. Ana gives the gracious visitors a "Danke Schön" in thanks. She leaves her arm around my waist as we continue to make our way along the mezzanine. This feels right and comfortable.

Eventually, we make our way back down to the ground level. I go first and frequently turn back to check on Ana. Although she grips the railing tightly, she does not let her fear slow us down. She's a brave girl.

Leaving the castle grounds, Ana finds a trail marker different from the one that we took here. She has not led me astray yet so I follow her without question. We travel through the woods. A stream cuts in and runs beside the trail. The path arrives to a widening of the flowing water. Ana encourages me to remove my shoes and socks as she does. We pull up our pants and step into the crisp mountain water. We traverse our way across the stream. The water runs shallow in parts, no more than ankle deep. We make our way to an elevated stone large enough for both of us to sit. The stream runs deeper in this area and we leap from rock to rock to reach our perch. I scoot myself back and pull Ana up to sit beside me. The sun has already warmed the rock's smooth surface. It feels good in contrast to the cool waters we just crossed. I lie back with my arm out to the side. Ana joins me and rests her head on my upper arm. The sun warms us. She turns to face me.

"I'm glad that you joined me this morning. I wasn't sure if you were a hiking kind of guy."

"Thanks for inviting me. My brother and I hike together when I have the time. I've never done this while traveling for business, though. Is this why you wanted to delay our meeting in Frankfurt until this afternoon?"

She giggles. "No, I wanted to delay the meeting in Frankfurt to give your German team the chance to figure out why their numbers suck so bad and to come up with a plan before seeing you again."

I turn my head to face hers. I raise my eyebrows in question.

"In my experience, people are most invested in fixing a problem when they believe the solution is their own. You gave the team several strong suggestions yesterday. You and I both know that they are at the office bright and early this morning working through those suggestions. Any one of your ideas will improve their performance. Let them pick which idea they want to implement. In fact, by the time we make it to Frankfurt, I hope that they forgot that it was you and not themselves that thought of the solution. Instead of reminding them that you solved their problem, let them remember it as though they fixed their own errors."

"I'm not one to let poor performance go unpunished. They would not need my ideas had they been on top of their own problems from the start. Why should I reward them for fixing a problem of their own making?"

"Oh, I think that every person sitting in that conference room yesterday is clear that they have disappointed you. They all know that your trust in their abilities is greatly diminished. You will be breathing down their necks for many years to come as a result of this one bad quarter. Let them feel like you still have a little faith in them this afternoon."

I nod and absorb Ana's advice.

"Let's not talk about business right now," I suggest.

Ana giggles and nods.

"What should we talk about, then?" she asks with a bit of a playful tone.

I am suddenly very aware of how close our faces are to each other as we lie on the rock. I roll so that my body mirrors hers. Her head remains on my arm.

"Hum," I stroke my chin in mock thought. "We could talk about the broken zipper on your dress or we could talk about what happened once your dress came off…"

"Christian!" She gives a light slap to my arm and then covers her eyes in embarrassment.

"Or we could not talk at all. We could find some sort of other activity to do right now."

"CHRISTIAN!"

This time her slap is not gentle.

"What? Are you regretting what happened between us, Ms. Steele?"

With her hand over her eyes again, she replies, "Oh my gosh! Are you really going to make me talk about this?"

I reach over and lower her hand so that I can see her face.

"We don't have to talk about anything that makes you uncomfortable. I just want to make sure that you know that I would never, ever expect you to do anything with me that makes you uncomfortable or that you did not want to do."

Ana's eyes open a bit and she looks at me to go on.

"Ana, this is all new to me. I have never crossed the line like that with an employee before. What happened between us, I wanted. I mean, I really enjoyed what we did. That being said, I know that the evening was fueled with a lot of alcohol. If anything that we did, that I did, made you feel uncomfortable, I want you to know that you can tell me without any fear of it affecting your job. You are an excellent assistant."

My heart is beating wildly. I want Ana to tell me that she liked what we did and that she wants to do more of the same, but I am also cognizant of our precarious situation. Ana closes her eyes again. After a pause that feels several beats too long, she speaks.

"Wow. I appreciate your integrity. You are right, the other night involved a lot of drinking and just the whole excitement of the casino and being in Baden-Baden. It felt very James Bond-y."

I am afraid to breathe. This conversation is not starting in the direction that I was hoping. I stay silent, willing her to elaborate.

"I don't regret anything about what we did or how things played out between us," she continues.

Ok, this sounds promising.

"It's just not how I would have wanted things to happen."

I frown, not understanding what she is trying to tell me. Is she saying that she liked making out but does not want to do it again with me?

"I'm not saying this right. God, this is so embarrassing." Her hand goes back to cover her eyes. "I've, um, never, you know…"

I reach up and uncover her eyes, taking her hand in mine.

"No, I don't know, Ana. What are you saying?"

"It's just that, well," she takes a long pause. "I'm a virgin. I've never had sex before. Trust me, I was TOTALLY into what we were doing. I know that if I hadn't fallen asleep, we would have definitely taken it to that level. I mean, I know I wanted to take it to that level. It seemed like you were down for it, too. I'm pretty sure that it would have been epic. Trust me, I have thought a lot about how great it would have been. It's just that I'm not sure if I'm the kind of girl who can do the whole one-night stand, no feelings attached, kind of thing. I think that it would have meant something to me that I'm not so sure that it would have meant to you."

By the end of her confession, Ana is barely whispering. She has the rare gift of being able to be completely honest even at her most vulnerable.

"Ana, it's important to me that you know two things. First, I am floored that you have never been with another man. Men must chase you at every turn. You are right. You deserve so much more for your first time than drunk, hotel sex. You deserve hearts and flowers and a man that worships you."

This makes Ana smile. What I would not give for one of her soul-soothing giggles right now. Her beauty distracts me.

"You said two things. What's the second?"

"The second, and more important thing that you need to know is that I could never settle for just a fling with you. You are the sexiest, smartest, funniest woman that I have ever met. Having you with me makes me a better man. Please give me the chance to be the one who gets to worship you. Let me give you the world, hearts and flowers included. With you, I want more. I want more, because I know that being with you would mean everything to me."

I give Ana time to absorb what I am telling her. I pray that I do not overwhelm her. What she does next takes me breath away.

Instead of replying, Ana rolls over on top of me. She looks straight into my soul and then closes her eyes and kisses me. She kisses me like I am her oxygen. I cradle the back of her head. She grants my tongue entrance between her two, plump, warm lips. With Ana on top, our bodies make the promises that our hearts seek. On a rock, in the middle of a stream, on a mountainside, in the German Black Forest, we both jump all in to whatever this is. Whatever this is feels big and important and like our lives may never again be the same.