Her hand slid slowly, reluctantly, down over her stomach, pausing when it reached her pubic hair. Tentatively, she slid one finger inside of her vagina before snatching it away quickly when she realized just how wet she was. She whimpered in need, reluctant to touch herself that way, but desperately needing some sort of release. She conjured up the image of Ian’s darkly handsome face, imagined that he was here in the shower with her at this very moment, and that it was his hand cupping her damp, aching sex, his thumb whisking over the engorged nub of her clitoris over and over.

When the orgasm hit, it hit hard, enough so that she had to brace her back against the chipped tile walls of the shower to support her shaky limbs. She was breathing heavily as she slowly regained her bearings, burying her flushed face in her hands as she struggled not to feel ashamed at what had just happened.

Tessa had to hurry through the rest of her morning routine, not daring to be late since she had the bi-monthly architects meeting to set up for. But images from the stimulating dream she’d had during the night continued to taunt her during the bus ride to work. She knew it was a sign of some sort, a signal that she really, really needed to get out more and start meeting new people, and, more specifically, finding a new man. But the very thought of getting out there and actually trying to date made her cringe with dread, not to mention baffle her since she had absolutely no idea of where to begin.

As she exited the bus and entered the lobby of the office building, she tried to imagine herself going out to a club or a bar with the intent of meeting someone. Her tummy felt a little queasy as she recalled how frantic and crowded the places she and Peter had gone to that one time with her co-workers had been – the throbbing beat of the overloud music; the nausea-inducing strobe lights; how stuffy and hot it had felt inside each club with so many bodies packed so tightly together. What passed for dancing in those places had seemed more like public sex to Tessa, with couples bumping and grinding against each other in extremely suggestive ways. And while most young women her age might think a night spent hopping from one of those types of clubs to another was the most fun ever, the mere thought filled her with a cold sense of dread.

She knew without being told that Ian Gregson would never even consider setting foot inside such a place. Loud, wild, and crowded dance clubs would definitely not be his scene. Dreamily, Tessa tried to imagine what a date with someone as sophisticated and refined as he was would be like – dinner at a quietly elegant restaurant, followed by the theater or the ballet, or perhaps just a casual, romantic stroll somewhere. He would never dream of doing something as undignified as grope a woman’s ass in public, or make out with her on a packed dance floor, the way she’d glimpsed so many couples doing at those clubs.

‘What difference does it make, though?’ she asked herself in annoyance as she arrived at her cubicle. ‘A man like him is never going to be attracted to someone as insignificant as you, Tessa. So stop daydreaming about him right now, you hear? You’ll meet the right man one of these days. Probably when you’re least expecting it. You just need to think of a way to, well, get yourself out there more.’

But that in itself was a problem, she realized as she booted up her computer. She worked such long hours that she was too worn out to do much of anything besides her daily gym workout before heading home. She rarely left her cubicle during the work day, which left her no opportunity to meet any single men who worked on the other floors. After two years, Tessa knew every male here on the executive floor, and all of them were either married, engaged, or far too old for her – not to mention more or less forbidden by the strict corporate policy of becoming involved with one of the support staff. And the only man who wasn’t married, engaged, or too old for her – at least not in her opinion – was the most forbidden of them all. Not to mention the fact that he barely acknowledged her existence most of the time.

She was so naïve and inexperienced when it came to the opposite sex that she didn’t even know what sort of places she’d be likely to meet someone at. She had ruled out joining a health club or a yoga studio, since her already slim budget had now been trimmed to bare bones with Peter’s departure. So far he’d held up his end of the bargain and had deposited enough money in their checking account to help cover expenses. But Tessa felt guilty in taking his money, and knew that wasn’t a long term solution, just to tide her over until the lease on their apartment expired next spring. And at this point she didn’t even want to think about having to find a more affordable place to live. She had quite enough emotional baggage to carry around for the time being without adding to the load.

Fortunately, she had way too much work to get through this morning to dwell any further on either her disturbingly vivid dream from last night, or the looming emptiness of her life. She barely glanced up as each of her co-workers arrived, just long enough to give them a quick nod or brief smile before resuming her work. Before she knew it, the caterers were arriving with the food and beverage service for the meeting, signaling that it was time for her to start setting up.

Tessa enjoyed these twice monthly meetings with Nathan, Julia, and other staff from their office. She found it fascinating to see the brand new resort taking shape literally from the ground up, and was especially interested in Julia’s fabulously detailed sketches of what the various rooms and public spaces would look like.

She also liked Julia very much, and had struck up something of a casual friendship with the bubbly interior designer over the past few months. Julia was always kind to her, always pleasant, and went out of her way to spend a few minutes chatting at each meeting. And Julia had been in an especially happy mood as of late, as had Nathan, since the two of them were now officially a couple. Tessa didn’t know all of the story, had just heard little snippets here and there, but from what she’d surmised Nathan had broken off his engagement back in June after realizing that Julia was the woman he really wanted. And though they tried to be discreet, there was no mistaking the way they smiled at each other, or how proprietary Nathan seemed of her. Gone was the somewhat antagonistic attitude they’d initially exhibited around each other, replaced by the very obvious fact that they were head over heels in love.

Julia and the others had been running a couple of minutes late, so Tessa hadn’t had the opportunity to say hello to her before the start of the meeting. But Julia made a beeline for Tessa as soon as things wrapped up, greeting her with a happy smile.