Li Mei was no ordinary girl.  No, she was all woman, of that much was Zhang Jun was sure.  Unlike many of the girls from the university, she hadn’t tried to prove just how smart or clever she was.  She didn’t use feminism as a reason for feisty banter and cutting remarks.  She hadn’t even attempted to attract him with a brash confrontation to prove how modern, strong, and equal to men she was. 

No, Li Mei was none of those things.  It was obvious that she had been more than content to enjoy her drink with her friends rather than spend her time looking anxiously around the crowded hall that had served for the last of their debate clubs’ meetings.  It was one of the rare times that the students stopped working, studying, volunteering, and whatever else they had packed into their busy schedules and enjoyed a bit of socializing without the pressure of performance.  Well, at least academic performance.

Jun knew that this annual gathering often was viewed as an American styled party, complete with alcohol and music.  The girls would attempt to appear distant and unimpressed while making eyes at a boy from a rival club, only to burst into a show of political and social critiques that was to serve as a disclaimer before any inappropriate behavior took place. 

Yet the woman that he had somehow managed to get out to the more private back alley did nothing like that.  She had been talking animatedly with her friends, her dark eyes sparkling with life.  He had caught her glance and rather than turning away with a roll of her eyes she had smiled at him.  Even after her friends had started to argue and debate with the group of friends that had followed him to her table, she had felt no need to prove herself to him.  Instead, she had met his comments and questions with humor and sly innuendos. 

He knew she was clever and proud without a lecture on history, tradition, or politics.  She had shown him that by the quipped remarks that flew off her tongue without a second thought.  A tongue that now was busily engaged in meeting his as he pressed her against the wall of the building, his body pushing against her small frame.  He felt his blood building deep inside him as his hand found her long silky hair and guided her mouth to push harder against his. 

Her hands slid up the back of his shirt, gripping at his skin as he felt her small waist and thighs.  It was so different than the Australian girls he had messed around with while in boarding school, her body exciting him in completely different ways.  Yet just as his desire was building to the point of passion a small beeping noise filled the air around them.

“It’s nine,” she muttered against his mouth, her hands leaving the home they had found near the waistband of his pants. 

“You don’t have to go,” he answered, his body lingering near hers.  “I have an apartment.”

“I don’t stay over at strange men’s apartments.”

He couldn’t help but laugh at her smirk and the way it turned her sweet face into something much more daring.  It was an unspoken challenge for him to pursue her, to convince her to miss the student-housing curfew and stay with him.  Leaning closer, he let his lips graze her cheek while his thumb gently moved towards her chin.  “Stay with me.”

Mimicking him, she moved closer and brought her lips against his in a soft, lingering kiss.  Jun felt his heart drum wildly at the teasing contact, his hand finding the back of her head and deepening the kiss.  She responded fiercely, nipping at his lip as she left a trail of kisses to his ear.  He let out a small moan as she sucked on the lobe of his ear, her warm breath making his breathing go wild.

“No,” she whispered softly between kisses, her mouth moving to his neck.  “I can’t.”  She broke contact, the little smirk still in place as she stepped out of his embrace.  He felt suddenly cold and alone with the loss of her body. 

“Why not?”

“Cant,” she said again with a shrug and that infuriatingly alluring smile.  He watched her walk away, her long hair shining in the streetlight while her firm ass swayed in a way that made it impossible not to stare.

“How do I find you?”

She glanced back, her eyes sparkling.  “I study international law.”

He watched her disappear out on to the street, his hands hanging loosely at his side.  The chill in the air did little to cool the heat that still was coursing through his veins as he leaned against the wall.  He didn’t know anyone that studied international law, but he would use every connection he had to find the fiery woman.  And when he did, he wouldn’t let curfew get in the way.

2: Chapter One

Ten Years Later

Mei sat at her desk, a computer icon blinking that she had several unanswered emails waiting for her attention while the little red light on her phone kept flashing annoyingly.  It seemed that no matter how hard she work, or how many long nights and weekends she put in, there always was some problem that demanded her precious time. 

She sometimes wondered if she worked in one of the Chinese offices rather than the American branch of Hallware International if she would be forced to spend as many sleepless nights at her desk, pouring over contracts and legal documents.  The amount of work would probably be the same, but there was a level of efficiency in her native country that the Americans seemed to lack.  There was always so much chatter and last minute tasks carelessly thrown into the mix of normal work that it seemed like she could never get ahead.

“Hey, Mei,” a knock came at her door, interrupting her in the contracts she was responsible for ensuring were free of loop-holes that could cost the company millions.  They were for a minor merger with a small software company involved with marketing and graphics.  Overall, not a huge acquisition by Hallware, which specialized in electronic health records and insurance systems, but it still meant dealing with foreign laws, American standards, and some major paydays for the sellers. 

“Yeah,” she sighed wearily, giving the redheaded woman a weak smile.  “What’s up, Ashley?”

The woman took that as an invitation and quickly swept into the small space, shutting the door behind her.  Mei set her pen down, knowing that anytime the tall, lean woman had something to say that needed a closed door it meant for a very long, detailed conversation.  True to form, Ashley slipped off her stilettos that matched her charcoal skirt, smoothing her purple silk shirt that brought out the coppers and golds of her meticulously curled hair. 

“So,” she started with an excited smile.  “You excited for the release party on Saturday?”

“I suppose,” she answered her friend, glancing down at her paperwork with an apologetic look.  “I might be more excited if I actually did more with it than just draw up our clients support contracts.”

“True, but you are still coming right?”

“You begged me to accept the invite, so yes, I’m going.”

“Good!” Ashley beamed, her smile making her pretty face even prettier.  In Mei’s opinion, she was one of the few women who could pull off her ginger coloring and make it look playful and sexy all at the same time.  Add in long legs and a large chest, it was no wonder she had been involved in more than one office romance and the gossip that came with it.

“Is that it?” Mei asked, tapping her pen against her covered desk.  “I really need to get back to work.”

“Oh you can take five minutes.  Besides, I have something I’ve been dying to tell you!”

“Yeah?”

“Well, you know how I went to China last month?”

“Uh huh,” Mei answered, giving her friend a look to go on.

“Well you remember how I told you about that cute, tall Chinese guy?  The one that was heading our China branch’s coding for the new software?”

“Is this the guy that you could bounce a quarter off his ass or the one with the beauty-pageant eyelashes?”

“The ass guy.”

“Okay, yeah, I remember you talking about him.  You had a few meetings with him, right?”

“More than just a few,” Ashley said with a mischievous smile. 

Mei couldn’t help but smile at the grin she knew all too well.  It was the I-had-a-secret-rendezvous-and-it-was-the-best-sex-of-my-life look that she had after almost every hook-up.  Not to say that Ashley was easy, but even from the first night they had gone out together nearly six years earlier, Mei knew that when her friend was in the mood there would be no stopping her.

“So what didn’t you tell me about Mr. Ass-of-Steel?”

“Well,” Ashley said leaning forward, “I didn’t want to say anything since it would have been very inappropriate considering my supervising the project he’s been heading, but…”

“But what?”

“Well one late night meeting turned into a bottle of wine, which turned into hot desk sex like from a movie or something.  Oh my god, Mei, I’ve been dying to tell you all about it!  Seriously, it was the hottest thing I think I have ever done.”

Again, Mei smiled.  Everything Ashley did with a man was the hottest thing ever, though she had to admit the idea of a late night in the office turning into passionate encounter was something she occasionally thought about whenever she was trapped at her desk for far too long.  “Okay, now you have to spill.”

“So it started just with some innocent flirting.  I mean, he was hot for an Asian so I couldn’t resist.”

“Hang on, what’s hot for an Asian?”

“Oh stop,” Ashley laughed at her offended tone.  “You know what I mean.  He was taller than me, for one.  Then he wasn’t one of those nerdy, thin guys, and had the jaw of a Greek god.  I mean, maybe one of the shorter guys from there is okay for you since you’re barely five feet tall, but I just can’t do the dating a guy that’s shorter than me thing.”

“I’m five foot three and don’t think that makes me want one of those geeky guys from IT.”

“Psh, maybe with heels on.  Don’t think you have me fooled, I’ve seen you barefoot in sweatpants.”

Mei smiled a little, glancing down at the very tall heels she wore to give her some much needed height.  It was amazing how when she first started at Hallware some of her coworkers and the company’s clients didn’t take her seriously due to her size and schoolgirl appearance.  Granted, now that she wore her hair shorter with edgy angled layers and tailored her designer suits to be the epitome of sharp she was spoken to as an equal rather than a little girl. 

“Whatever, Ashley.  So back to your Asain fever.  You started flirting with him and then…please don’t tell me you did this in the middle of some big meeting.”

“Oh no.  Just a little bit of a lingering handshake, or making sure I had an extra button open, that sort of thing.  Then, since he was the project head, I had to meet with him one-on-one to hammer some things out for the release.  That’s when we really started to flirt.”

“And how long did it take before that turned into hot office sex?”

“Exactly one night,” she said with a wicked grin.  “Seriously, Mei, I don’t know why you ever left China if all the men are like that.  He just picked me up and threw me on the desk like it was nothing.  Men just don’t take control here like that.”

“I think the American men do just fine,” she answered with a shrug.  “Besides, that’s hot for maybe a night or two, but eventually it gets old being treated like a doll.”

“Says the woman that is constantly dating huge men.  Not all of us have the luxury of being tiny compared to everyone else.  Maybe if I got some of those meatheads you end up with I would get sick of being picked up and thrown on the bed too.”

“Well they never turn out to be good for much else, so consider yourself lucky there,” she answered, thinking of the small string of boyfriends she had over the past ten years.  None of them had anything interesting to say if it didn’t involve the gym, high protein diets versus high fat, or how much they could bench.  Sure they were great to look at and she did enjoy the way her small, toned frame looked in pictures next to them, but there was nothing there.  They didn’t stimulate her the way she needed for a relationship to actually be, well, a relationship.  In the end she ditched them nearly as fast as she had found them.

“Maybe,” Ashley said, her blue eyes glazing over a bit while a sly little smile pulled at her lips. 

“What are you smiling at?”

“I haven’t told you the best part yet,” she answered, beaming.  “After I left we kept up a slightly scandalous correspondence.”

“You’re still in touch with him?”

“Well, yeah,” Ashley said with a roll of her eyes.  “How could I not after hot desk sex?”

Mei gave her friend a warning looking, silently reminding her of her last office relationship that led to her nearly losing her job and her ex being sent back to the London office.  She doubted that human resources would have come down on them so hard for breaking company policy if it hadn’t been for the more fiery side of her ginger friend rearing its ugly, irrationally angry head after he called it quits.  The last thing Ashley needed was to get too excited about a man that she had some level of supervision over again.

“You didn’t use your work email, did you?  You know that HR checks those.”

“No, no, personal emails, Skype, those sorts of things.  And don’t give me that look, I know what I’m doing, Mei.”

She sighed, giving her friend the smile that she wanted.  “Alright, you’re a big girl.  I don’t need to tell you to be careful.  So is this internet affair going anyplace?”

“Well that’s just it.  He’s coming into town tomorrow for the release since his team did most of the technical work, but he talked about maybe taking some vacation time and staying longer!” she finished, letting out a girlish squeal.  “Isn’t that like a fairytale or what?”

“Sounds like you won’t be getting much work done, is what it sounds like.”

“Well neither will you, at least not this weekend.  You have to come out with us tomorrow.  I’m getting a few other people together from my old job too.  So no working at all this weekend.”

“Ashley, you know that I have a lot on my plate right now.  Especially with the acquisition of Tigertail Programs.  I’m going to be tied to my desk for the next month at least.”

“Oh come on!  You can leave it until next week.  One weekend won’t kill you to take a break.”

“Ha, that’s funny,” she said, rustling the papers in front of her that belonged to the newest company that now operated under Hallware International.  “Maybe you have a little break with the release and everything this week, but for the rest of us the world keeps on turning.”

“One weekend, Mei.  That’s all I ask,” she said, making her big blue eyes look like a puppy begging for treats.  “Please.  Just two silly little days.”

“Why do you want me there so bad?”

“Besides the fact that you’re my friend?”

“Yes, besides that.” 

“Well, you’re from China, he’s from China, so why not?"

"I'm from Hong Kong."

Ashley gave her a dismissive wave.  "The same difference.  You're still from China.  It will make him feel more at home and some of his team that will be here too.”

“And the truth comes out,” she sighed.  “You need me to distract his colleagues so you can go get it on with Firm-Ass McGee while I get stuck staring at a bald, middle-aged man with fish breath.”

“His team isn’t that bad.  At least not the ones that will be coming with him.  Who knows, you might even like some of them.  It would at least get you away from all those boring, stuffy lawyers for a night.”

Mei had to concede that at least in the last point, Ashley was right.  She was by far the youngest in the legal department for their main corporate office and probably had the most personality.  Granted, that wasn’t too hard when most of the legal team dealt with patent and copyright law, leaving only her and few others to take care of all the other legal aspects of being a very quickly growing international company. 

Sensing that her friend was giving in, Ashley continued to beg.  “Please, Mei, I know you have a lot going on, but I need you.  Most of his coworkers don’t even speak English.  I won’t get to spend any time with him if the other Chinese guys are constantly hanging around him.  Please, please, please?”

“Just Saturday and Sunday?” she asked with sigh, feeling her ability to say no quickly deteriorating.

“And Friday night…and maybe a few lunches next week when we don’t have meetings scheduled.”

“Wait?  Lunches too?  Come on, Ashley.  I can’t be giving up time during my week.”

“It’s just lunch, it’ll be only an hour.”

“Or three.  I know you, Ashley.”

“Mei, seriously, I need you to do this for me.  You’re my only friend that’s a girl and Chinese.  I need you.  Please.”

“I can’t, Ashley.”

“Not even for a new pair of Jimmy Choo’s?”

Mei stared at her friend, unsure whether to believe her little bribe or not.  But after seeing the desperation on her face, she knew that she was being serious.  “It means that much to you?”

“I’ll even throw in a Michael Kors bag and one of those Greta dresses that you like so much.”

“Geez, Ashley.  You don’t need to do that.  Fine, I’ll do my best to make myself available if you absolutely have nothing else you can use to entertain him.  But you’ll owe me more than a pair of shoes if I get behind because of this.”

“Oh! Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Ashley squealed, leaping up from her chair and giving Mei a tight hug.  “Oh you’re the best!  I can’t wait!”

“Yeah, yeah.  Now get out of here so I can work.  If I’m going to be losing time I need to make it up somewhere,” she answered, pointing to the door.

“Thank you again, Mei!  And remember, tomorrow night you’re mine.  So pack something cute to wear out.”

“Go!”

Ashley gave her one last smile as she dipped out of the office.  Mei stared at the door for a moment, taking in what she had just agreed to before turning back to her stack of papers.  She knew it meant that she would be showering in the office locker rooms and wearing her backup blouse tomorrow.  There was no way in hell she would have time to get home to pack anything that Ashley would find acceptable for a night out.

“Oh well,” she sighed, picking up her pen.  “She can’t get everything that she wants.”

3: Chapter Two

The plane ride had been long and filled with nothing but talk of code, local gossip, and the various wild conjectures on what the release party was going to be like.  Jun, of course, knew that most of the wild beliefs held by the two men that accompanied him to the States wouldn’t happen even in the craziest of corporate parties.  His coworkers, though, never had the luxury of spending much of their youth in foreign boarding schools.  For that matter, they didn’t even have the luxury of living in the pseudo-westernization of Hong Kong to at least give them a taste of what an American party was like.  It left them with thousands of questions on whether there would be keg stands and people dancing on tables like in the Hollywood films.  He did his best to be patient with the two men, reminding himself constantly that they had barely left the Hebei providence, let alone China.

Thankfully, Hallware had been kind enough to give him and his two project leaders separate rooms, allowing him the chance to breathe and let his mind wander to more enjoyable things.  He was excited to see the finished product of what had consumed his life for the last year.  Already, the new electronic record software had been purchased by some of the leading hospitals in the world, leaving him the sense of pride over creating a quality system.  Still, he could only think about work for so long before his mind went back to a more unexpected perk of the project; Ashley Harding.

She had been in his head for days, his mind replaying their late night encounter in his office, followed by the images it conjured from her very descriptive emails.  It was those thoughts that really occupied his mind as he attempted to curb his jetlag in the large king sized bed.  He normally didn’t like to mix business and pleasure, but it was difficult to resist when the woman involved was exotic, charming, and very, very open about what she wanted.  It had reminded him of the Australian girls from the neighboring boarding school during his teenage years, making him take a risk he normally would have passed on.

Still, no matter how fun or exciting Ashley Harding was, he doubted the attraction would last longer than a few months.  It was clear from their correspondences that she had little interest in actually getting to know him, or letting him know anything about her beyond various bedroom fantasies.  He knew that in the end that was a good thing, especially considering the little bit of gossip he had gleaned from some of his associates about some sort of relationship she had with a marketing head that ending in a very nasty split. 

A bit of fun won’t kill you, he told himself as doubts began to creep up in him whenever he thought about how far his relationship with the American crossed the appropriate boundaries in company policy.  She was, for all intents and purposes, his supervisor even if she didn’t work directly with him and his team.  She was the lead on the project that had demanded his attention nearly every free moment he had over the past year.  It was probably the reason why he had jumped so quickly on her obvious flirtations when she came to finalize his contribution to Hallware’s latest software.  She had been so enticing, especially after practically being celibate during the course of his work, making it so hard to restrain himself.

A smile crept up on his face as he thought about their last meeting together, how it had gone late into the night.  There was no self-control on his part, which seemed to be exactly what she had wanted.  Letting his mind focus on that, rather than the potential consequences of their little fling, he shut his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

 

 

It was nearly five in the evening when the sound of his hotel phone woke him from his deep sleep.  His mind felt foggy as the fading images of his dream floated from his memory.  There had been a wall and a body pressed against his, the ringing of the phone seemed to mesh with an annoying beeping noise until the fleeting images completely escaped him. 

Staring at the ceiling he groaned, his body aching from his dream while his head pounded from the jetlag.  Swinging his arm out, he clumsily grabbed the receiver and gave a very groggy wei.

“Jun?” a woman’s voice answered before growing fainter as the person spoke to someone near her.  “This is Jun Zhang’s room, right?”

He could make out a soft assertion from the front desk staff that yes, they had given the woman the correct number.  Rolling, he brought receiver closer to his ear, his brain fighting off sleep.  “Shi…yes, this is Zhang Jun.”

“Jun!” the voice squealed, conjuring up the vibrant redhead it belonged to.  “Are you ready to head out?  Or do you want me to come up?”

There was a hidden question in the last bit, her voice dropping its girlish qualities and becoming velvety smooth.  He knew that Ashley had been building up their reunion for the last two weeks, sending him pictures and emails that left very little to the imagination, but he had no desire to be physical with anyone at the moment.  Even if his dream had left him unsatisfied, his body was sore from being on a plane and sitting in airports for the last twenty-four hours.  He felt stiff, tired, and not the least bit social.

“What are we doing tonight again?” he asked, rubbing his eyes.

“I’m going to show you the town a little and then we’ll get some food and drinks with friends in about an hour.”

He sighed and glanced over at the clock.  He had meant to be up nearly two hours ago so he could shower and unpack, but that didn’t look like it was going to happen.  “I overslept.  Give me thirty minutes and I’ll be down.”

“I could come up.”

“As much as I would like that, I think it would make us very late to meet your friends.  Just let me shower and change and I’ll be right down,” he finished hanging up the phone.  He was sure that the redhead was frowning at his brusque manner, but he had asked her to be a little considerate of the time difference.  Still, he had promised to do whatever it was that she had planned, even if a night out was a bit ambitious on his first day in the States.

Forcing himself up, he made his way to the pristine hotel bathroom wondering yet again what he was doing.  She was enticing, sure, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that the brief relationship he had with Ashley was not a very wise decision.  Something just didn’t feel right as the reality of what they were doing finally settled in.  It was easy enough to ignore any nagging doubts when the only contact he had with her was some emails and a few Skype messages, but their little indiscretion back at his office definitely would have been enough for him to lose his job.

Just be cautious, he warned himself as he stepped under the hot water, letting it soak his shoulder length hair.  Just be cautious.

4: Chapter Three

It was nearly six when Mei’s phone buzzed for the seventh time, the message similar to all the rest.  Ashley wasn’t one to forget promises, nor did she trust the workaholic lawyer that she had sweet-talked into giving her some of her precious time wouldn’t find some excuse to bail.  Mei knew it was only a matter of minutes before her friend started calling.  Incessantly. 

Sighing, she marked her place in a very thick document before doing a quick check of her appearance.  Her eyes looked tired and her hair lank from her night at the office, but she really didn’t care too much.  She was sure that there wouldn’t be anyone worth trying to impress at Ashley’s little impromptu gathering.  Her colleagues from her old job were nothing but pretty-boy salesmen that could talk sweet but had nothing to say after the initial pick-up line, while she doubted any of the colleagues of Ashley’s hot-desk-sex would be anything more than the typical sort that worked with computers.  All in all, she fully anticipated an evening filled with her forcing an empty smile while her mind constantly reminded her of how much work she needed to finish.

“Just try to have a good time,” she told herself as she straighten her green silk blouse and smoothed her skirt.  “Lord knows she’s about the only person that even bothers to invite you out anymore.”

Solidifying her resolve, she left her office and found a cab before her mind could nag her into reading one more article or subsection.  It always was difficult for her to turn off the strong work ethic that was instilled in her at a very young age.  Even if her upbringing was far from typical, she wasn’t immune to the high standards of Chinese parents, or the guilt that often reared its ugly head on the few occasions she did try to put work to the side and have some fun.

Make an appearance, have a drink, then go home and sleep for a few hours, she told herself as cab pulled in front of one of the more trendy bars in town.  Mei normally avoided those types of spots on the belief that it was ridiculous to spend more on a single drink than she would on a whole meal.  It was yet another trait picked up in her youth, although being frugal ended when it came to her favorite labels.  There was something to be said about spending money on a look that earned the respect of the middle-aged male colleagues that would otherwise disregard her due to her size.

She quickly paid the cab, giving him a half-hearted thanks as she pushed her to-do list to the back of her mind.  The night would be long and unbearable if she kept thinking about work, especially with the way Ashley could almost sense when her focus wasn’t on the here and now.  Mei had learned early on in her friendship that if Ashely thought she wasn’t having fun a glass of wine would be replaced with shots and a throbbing hangover in the morning.  And if there was one thing she truly couldn’t afford to do was be stuck in bed with a pounding headache. 

“Get your game face on,” she muttered with a small laugh as she pulled her cheeks up into a bright smile. 

Yet before she even had a chance to take more than a step or two towards the door a British voice called out to her.  “Mei?  Is that you?”

She turned to see a tall, slender man with a mess of perfectly disheveled brown hair that along with his thin glasses gave him a sort of sexy professor look.  Her mouth dropped slightly as the man cheerfully walked towards her, his grin making his nerdy look utterly adorable.  “Craig?”

“Yes indeed, darling!” he smiled as he grabbed her hand and shook it.  “Fancy seeing you out in this part of town.  I thought you lived on the west side.”

“I do,” she answered as she tried to make sense of the situation.  “What are you doing here?  You haven’t been to headquarters in what?  Two years?”

“Two and a half, not since I…well not since Hallware launched their radiology software.”

Mei nodded, filling in the gaps for the man responsible for her friend’s notorious office meltdown.  Craig Allgers had not been sent back to the States since he broke up with his then long-term girlfriend, Ashley Harding.  It was still a wonder that neither of them lost their jobs, though at the moment Mei found herself more curious as to what the man was doing outside the bar that was currently hosting a gathering set-up by his ex.

Craig gave a little nervous laugh, his hand moving to the back of his neck in a motion that use to make Ashley claim she had the most adorable boyfriend in the universe.  “So…how have you been?  What are you up to tonight?”

“I’ve been fine, but what are you doing here?  I didn’t think you had anything to do with the release.”

“I don’t.  I’m actually here because of Tigertail.  I’m heading the reimaging of their products once the acquisition is finalized.”

“That won’t be ready for weeks yet.”

“The suits upstairs aren’t ones to wait for formalities,” he said with a little chuckle.  “I’m actually meeting some of the lads from my team here if you would like to join us for a quick one.”

“Well, I’m actually meeting Ashley.  Here.  Right now.”

His smile faltered and a sad look filled his eyes as he glanced in the direction of the bar.  “She would be here if you’re out and about, wouldn’t she?  Any chance you ladies might be heading elsewhere?”

“Doubtful.  She’s been planning this night for the past week.”

“I see,” he answered in a tired and sad voice, his brown eyes lingering on the sleek bar door.  “You probably need to be getting inside, I imagine.  I wouldn’t want you late on my account.”

Mei had never seen her friend’s ex look so dejected as he stood there, flashing her an empty smile.  She had expected him to react to Ashley’s presence with arrogance or apathy, but Craig, like always, had surprised her.  Instead of acting like the one that had decided to end things he looked more like a puppy that had been left out in the rain.  It made her wonder, not for the first time, what had actually happened between him and her friend for the lovably sensitive Englishman to want walk away.  “You know, the bar is pretty big.  I’m sure you could get in there to meet your friends without her even noticing.”

“No worries.  You go on in, I have to make some phone calls anyways,” he said in an overly jolly tone.  “I’m sure the lads will be wanting a change of scenery soon, anyways.”

“Alright,” she said, giving him a hard look.  “Are you okay?”

“Oh I’m brilliant.  Just lovely.  Don’t worry about me, Mei, I’ll be around shortly.”

“Okay, well it was nice seeing you.  The office has been dull with you back in London.”

“It was nice to see you too, darling.  Have a wonderful time out tonight.”

“Thanks, Craig,” she answered, giving the broken man one last look before heading to the door.  

She had genuinely liked the Englishman and loved how happy he had made Ashley.  He had been the only person the fiery redhead had dated that could handle her tantrums and spontaneous decisions.  He had a great calming influence that was just what her friend had needed while completely adoring every odd little quirk that was Ashley.  Mei had truly believed that they were in it for the long haul, that her friend would be the proud owner of a massive diamond ring and a movie-worthy happy ending.  What had changed for the couple, she could only guess, but it had devastated Ashley and supposedly hadn’t been easy for Craig by the rumors that floated their way from London.  Even now he looked like he wasn’t healed from the experience.

Mei was so lost in her thoughts over her friend’s old relationship that she nearly tripped when Ashley snuck up on her and wrapped her in a large hug.  “Oh my god!  You’re finally here!”

“Yeah, sorry,” Mei mumbled, doing her best to put on a smile despite the mixed emotions she was feeling. 

“Seriously, I was starting to get worried.  Jun looks like he’s about ready to fall asleep and why wouldn’t he?  I always forget how boring my other friends are.”

“They’re not boring, they just like to talk about work a lot.”

“Well I need you to spice things up a bit.  I need him awake and energized for later tonight,” she finished with a wink as she wheeled her around a large glass bar to long table that was surrounded by a few men and women Mei had seen from time to time at different events Ashley put together.  Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, their chatter and laughs rolling in waves over the club mix the bar liked to play loudly.  Everyone, that is, but one man.

Mei couldn’t help but notice him as he glanced in their direction, his grey dress shirt looking like it had been poured on his tall, lean body.  It was like looking at a Versace spread in a magazine, the way his long dark hair brushed the edges of this strong shoulders, his dark eyes locking onto hers with an intensity she had only felt one other time in her life.  Just like then, a zing of electricity moved from her chest down through her stomach as she took in his square jaw and angular cheeks realizing just who it was that she was about to meet.

“Mei,” Ashley sang out happily, unaware that her friend had stopped moving.  “I would like you to meet Jun Zhang.”