Candy reached for the bell to be let in but it was rainy and cold as only early spring can be in Bridgeport, and she was wearing her favorite dress, the red one she’d made. The one that made her feel as if she could take on the world or at least a cranky boss. She was really glad Karen would be walking her through the first week or so then at least she’d have a better idea what she was dealing with once she was on her own.

She didn’t see anyone in yet when she peeked through the window. Karen had said to go ahead and let herself in. A stiff breeze wrapped the cold around her so she started digging through her huge purse. She should change to something smaller but she was just so used to carrying everything her mother had needed if they left the house. She shrugged. She liked being the person who could help someone out when they needed something. A minute later she was sticking her key in the lock.

Most of the lights were off which seemed strange. She was a little early. She’d been too nervous and excited to sit around at home. Popping sounds, like a car backfiring or paint cans exploding in a fire made her jump. She dumped her bag on Karen’s desk and followed the sound. Karen had given her a quickie tour of the place when she was here last time but said she’d give her the full tour today. Still if something was falling apart or worse, exploding, she should probably call the police or, wait should she call the police? It didn’t seem like anything shady went on here but the cache of weapons had looked ominous, even if they were locked up.

The popping got louder as she approached yet another unmarked door. Really, would it kill them to have a few signs put up for the new girl? By the time she opened the door the popping had stopped but the space she looked into was nearly pitch black and her eyes were still getting used to the lack of light when she heard a man’s voice and a grunt. When the blasts started this time there was no muffling wall or door to contain the sound and she screamed, covering her ears, and her heart threatened to explode like she was the one being shot.

The shooting stopped immediately but then the yelling started.

“Who the fuck are you? How the hell did you get in here?” She was so startled she just stood blinking at the two guys confronting her. The one she could actually see from the light spilling in from the door was young and well, handsome as heck. The other was further back in the darkness and looked hunched over but he was the one yelling at her. When her eyes got used to the dark she could see he wasn’t hunched over but in a wheelchair. Still, he was holding the biggest handgun she had ever seen and wasn’t happy she was there. She did the first thing that popped into her head and ran like her life depended on it. She got as far as the end of the hall when the younger guy grabbed her by the shoulder.

“I- I was supposed to meet Karen. Just let me go. Please. I didn’t see anything, I swear.” The younger guy grinned more, then he stepped aside when the older guy rolled up. It suddenly occurred to her that this was her boss. Somehow when Karen had said he was in a wheelchair she pictured someone, well, thin, sickly even, not this guy who was all muscle.

The younger guy grinned at her but he hadn’t let her go yet. She was so close to being able to leave.

“What do you think we should do with her boss?” His wink at her was as startling as the gunfire from a minute ago.

“Let’s start with how the hell you got in here.” If she weren’t wearing a dress she might have slid to the floor, but no matter what the circumstances, she tried to act like a lady. She took a couple of deep breaths and eventually managed a full sentence.

“Karen. She gave me the key. I was supposed to start work today. I’m the replacement office manager. I’ll just go now. Please let me go.” The boss shook his head no when the kid looked back at him for orders, then kept talking.

“Karen had the kid this weekend, the bruiser showed up early. Guess she didn’t have a chance to call you.” The young guy smiled and she felt a little less terrified but the older guy was still scowling at her.

“I don’t remember her saying anything about finally hiring someone. What is your name again?

“Candy, Candy Grant. Just let me go and I won’t talk to anyone.”

“Talk to anyone about what. What the hell are you talking about? What do you think we were doing?”

“I don’t know, I don’t want to know. Just let me go, please.”

The younger guy stared her in the eye. Then he started talking like a hostage negotiator or maybe her therapist. “Take a deep breath.” He waited while she actually did. “Nobody is going to hurt you. We were just practicing on the range. That was the gun fire you heard. We’re the good guys.” Then his lips tipped into a full grin. “Unless you like younger men and bad boys in which case, I can be very naughty.” His eyes dipped to her cleavage and then raked over her hips. Maybe it was the adrenaline or the smile he gave her but while he should have been slapped, it took away her fear.

She snorted and pulled herself up to all five foot three of her height. “Trust me, I’m more than you can handle.” He backed up half a step with his eyes wide. That was when the older guy started laughing. His laugh was like melted dark chocolate. A little bit of a bite, but mostly a smooth silky rumble. It made her weak like chocolate did too. She took the distraction as her chance and turned on her heel, walking away from both of them. If her keys weren’t in her bag she would have walked straight to the car and left. This had to be the worst first/last day of work ever. They were parked between her and the front door by the time she got there. By this point they had turned on all the lights, at least it made the place look less ominous.

“Hey, don’t go. I’m sorry we scared you. Really, no evil plans going on. I’m Axel Cyzyk.” The young guy stuck his hand out. Instead of shaking hers he kissed the back of it. She could only manage blinking at him. “And this pain in the ass is Jameson.” He cupped his hand to his mouth as if to hide what he was saying, then talked loud enough you could have heard him back on the firing range. “Don’t worry, we feed him enough red meat that he doesn’t gnaw on the office staff. Most of the time.”

She had her first chance to get more than a quick look at the boss. If she had to guess he was older than her. The salt and mostly pepper high and tight buzz cut had ex-military written all over him. The bottom edge of, she would have to guess, the Marines insignia peeked out under the sleeve hem of the gray t-shirt clinging for dear life to his bicep. His shoulders were so broad they dwarfed the chair he was in. His chest... She realized she was staring just as the man cleared his throat. Busted. Yeah, worst first day ever. She managed, barely, to bring her gaze up to meet his eyes. A pair of flame blue irises with near black rims met hers. She narrowed her gaze and glared back at him. He narrowed his and smirked at her. If she had to guess he preferred his meat raw and still running. The silence stretched between them when Axel started laughing.

“Oh, this is going to be interesting.”

She turned her attention to Axel. The boy, okay, young man reminded her of an oversized Rottweiler puppy, sweet, good natured, with training probably even dangerous, and no doubt was going to chew some poor girl’s heart up and spit it out. “No, it isn’t. I don’t need this job that badly.” Cranky was one thing. Threatened with a gun was another.

She turned and took a step past them toward the door. A gloved hand caught hers. The fingertips of the gloves had been cut out and his fingers were warm against her wrist. She could feel his fingertip find the scar there and explore its texture. She steeled herself for his reaction but his face held the same intense look he’d had all along. If he had guessed anything he wasn’t letting on. His steadiness soothed her shredded nerves but she didn’t understand why it would. She stared at the hand and then followed the arm it was attached to. Yeah, his chest, a girl could stretch out and sun herself on a chest that broad. Too bad he wasn’t a different, calmer, quieter even, guy. His grip slipped to hold her hand.

“Fuck, don’t go. I’ll do anything. Karen is out for three months. No one would even take the job if I interviewed them. If I don’t have someone looking over the paperwork... Hell, I’ll probably screw something up and get sent to jail.”

“More likely kill someone,” Axel said in an offhand way making it sound like it had happened before. Then he turned to her. “Please. Think of the widows and orphans you’ll be preventing.”

She cocked her head to the side. “If I had to guess, most of you guys are single and just hooking up.”

“Well then, think of all the women who would be left unsatisfied.” She couldn’t help it, she laughed. This kid was somebody’s heart break, not hers, she couldn’t deal with a puppy that big anymore. Jameson still hadn’t let go of her hand.

“No more scaring me. Do it again and I walk, regardless of the widows and orphans.” Jameson nodded his head and Axel grinned crossing his heart. She let go of the man’s hand and suddenly shivered. She had no idea she was so cold until now. “A place like this can’t run exclusively on testosterone and adrenaline. Where is the coffee maker?” Candy huffed a few breaths in and out.

Making coffee wasn’t enough to shed all of her nervousness but it helped. Making food wasn’t the best coping mechanism when you lived alone but it was better than the alternative. She should probably leave. Go find a job in some library where she could hide and not have to talk to anyone. Then what was the point?

She could still feel his fingers’ warmth on her wrist. He hadn’t asked, not many people who noticed it did but he hadn’t shied away from her either. If he could take it, so could she.