ROYAL TOWERS ~ 2 ~ WILSHIRE & LA BREA

Hanna ran through her loft trying to assemble the things she needed for her first day at work. She finally filled her briefcase with a notepad and other essentials before sitting at her vanity. She grabbed the thermal wand and curled a few strands of hair to frame her face and then turned it off. She stood up and smoothed out her tan pencil skirt and black blouse. Then she slid into her blazer and picked up her briefcase before running out the door.

Hanna took the elevator downstairs and walked a few blocks to the metro station. Then she hopped on the first train to Miracle Mile. She hopped off a few blocks from her new office and then trekked toward the towering skyscraper. She stepped into the lobby and called the elevator.

Moments later she was standing in the lobby of the eighteenth floor, also known as the home of LA Lifestyle Magazine. She smiled at the receptionist who pointed her toward an empty cubicle near the restrooms. Hanna smiled brightly and trudged over to the desk dropping her briefcase next to the computer. Seconds later she heard a gruff male voice clear his throat.

"Miss Marin?" she turned to see a chiseled man with sandy blonde hair.

"Yes," she smiled noticing his sparkling blue eyes.

"Duncan Albert," he said extending a hand. "Senior editor."

"Oh hi," she gripped his handshake. "Nice to meet you."

"Pleasure," he smiled back revealing a healthy set of marble white teeth. "Care if I show you around?"

"It'd be an honor," she replied. "Senior editors don't usually take time out of their busy schedules to show the new girl around."

"Follow me," he laughed.

She spent the next hour exploring the office with Duncan as her guide. He showed her the usual spots like the break room and copy alcove. Then they hit up every department passing from layout to tech support.

"So," he asked as they approached her desk once again, "any questions?"

"I'm still trying to process it all," she smiled.

"Well, don't take too long," he told her. "There's a meeting in the conference room in twenty to discuss the new issue."

"Thanks," she replied. Then she glanced at him one last time. "I can't shake the thought that I know you from somewhere."

"Funny," he smirked. "I was going to say the same to you."

"I'll think on it," she said as he walked away.

Hanna took a seat at her desk and smiled brightly as she took in the huge change. She didn't quite have her own office yet but this cubicle was miles away from the arts pages of the Rosewood Observer. She finally had a job worth some iota of recognition and nothing could pry it from her. It was all uphill from here.

She gave herself a minute to snap out of her daydream and then grabbed her legal pad before heading into the conference room on the other side of the offices. A few seats were already taken when she arrived so she sat near the middle of the table by the window. Just as she took her seat, Duncan appeared in the doorway. He flashed her a smile and took the seat next to her.

"You found your way," he congratulated her.

"Not too difficult," she replied. "Although I was a little worried I would get lost in this big office."

"I hope we haven't scared you," he said cheekily.

"Not yet," she replied as a regal woman approached the front of the conference table. Hanna recognized her as the editor-in-chief Melinda Swan.

"Good morning," Melinda addressed the crowd. "As you all know, the September issue is huge for us. This is the beginning of our fiscal year and this month's circulation will determine our bonuses this year. That being said, fashion writers..."

Melinda paused when her eyes landed on Hanna. Her smile fell and she pursed her lips.

"Who do we have here?" she smirked.

"Hanna Marin!" Duncan piped in. "Our new staff writer for the fashion column."

"New girl," Hanna gestured to herself trying to break the ice.

"I hope you've adjusted to how things work around here," Melinda said curtly.

"Thanks, I-" Hanna was cut off.

"That's enough," Melinda continued. "As I said, our fashion team will have to take full advantage of LA Fashion Week to bring a new spin this month. More importantly we want to focus on..."

Hanna felt the room spinning as Melinda finished her pep talk which came across more like a call to arms than the breakdown of this month's look book. As Melinda's speech came to a halt, Hanna leaned back in her chair and caught Duncan casually giving her the side eye. She gathered her hair around her cheeks in an attempt to hide her flushed face. Then Melinda dismissed them and Duncan tapped her shoulder.

"Hey," he said tapping his pen against his notepad.

"Yeah," she smiled.

"I was going to grab some lunch," he told her. "Care to join me?"

"Lunch?" she laughed. "It's still morning. Shouldn't I get at least a little bit of work done before I take a lunch break?"

"Come on," he goaded her. "Everyone else will be too busy trying to impress the boss to notice we're gone."

"What if I want to impress the boss too?" she asked innocently.

"I was her assistant for two years," he explained. "Have lunch with me and I'll let you in on her favorite ass kissing techniques."

"Okay," Hanna said flipping her hair. "We'll have lunch."

"Excellent," Duncan smirked standing up.

She grabbed her bag and followed him out the door. They took the elevator to the third floor where the doors opened to reveal an elegant dining room. A few tables were already occupied, but clearly the staff was still preparing for lunch services.

"This is fancy," Hanna breathed.

"It's your first day," Duncan smiled. "You deserve the best."

"If I didn't know any better," she laughed, "I'd think you were trying to seduce me."

"Not just yet," Duncan said as he led her to the hostess stand.

They were seated almost immediately and large leather menus were placed in their hands. Hanna scanned the black script and her eyes went wide as she processed the hefty price tags attached to each entree. This was not how she planned on spending her first day at her new job.

"So," Duncan interrupted her thoughts, "I think I've figured it out."

"Figured what out?" Hanna asked.

"How I know you," he replied.

"Care to enlighten me?" she asked.

"Brookhaven," he said. "You were one of Vivienne's friends."

"Alison," Hanna corrected him as the memory resurfaced. "Her name was Alison."

"Right, sorry," he said quickly. "I just knew her as Vivienne for so long..."

"You know what," Hanna cut him off, "I'd rather not talk about Alison."

"Of course," Duncan replied. "I didn't mean to..."

"It's okay," Hanna said. "She was special to you too. It's just hard sometimes to talk about her. All of that is in the past now and I'd like to keep it there."

"Just forget I brought it up," he told her. "I didn't mean anything by it."

"Okay," Hanna smiled turning her attention back to the menu.

As she read the delicate script printed on her menu, she felt a pair of eyes on her. She glanced up and saw Duncan smiling at her with a goofy grin plastered to his face.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing," he shook his head.

Hanna laughed and shook it off but she couldn't help but feel flattered by his obvious attraction toward her. It was probably nothing, but a little flirtation never hurt and she could always use a little inflation of her ego, especially when she was new to the city and relatively friendless.

Ten reviews for the next chapter :)