Billie slammed her hand down on the blaring alarm, demanding she get up and rolled over. Normally, she was the type to leap out of bed, eager to get her day started, but last night was perhaps the worst night's sleep she had gotten since her mother was sick in the hospital and there was only one person to blame.

Quentin Harrison.

He plagued her dreams. Hot, steamy dreams she had no right dreaming. Billie could almost swear she could still feel the pressure of his lips against hers from that last dream.

"Ugh!" Billie exclaimed, throwing the blanket over her head.

"Come on Billie! Head in the game! You can not allow him to distract you like this!" she scolded.

With a heavy sigh, she threw the covers off and got out of bed. "Remember, this is so you can save your Father's company and your reputation. You got this, girl!" Billie rallied her reflection as she brushed her teeth. Then the image of Quentin in his underwear, sprawled out on her sofa, sprung to mind.

"Stupid! Stupid, BRAIN!" Billie hollered, hitting her temple with each word with her palm. "Not helpful!"

Has it been too long since she was with a man? Is that why she's so revved up around Quentin? Okay, it didn't hurt that he was beautiful... Beautiful? Can she use that word to describe a man? Billie shrugged as she spit her toothpaste into the sink and rinsed out her mouth with some water.

There was no other way to describe him. Well okay, there were a few other words like dreamy, spellbinding, drop-dead gorgeous, but the worst part of it is that she found herself actually liking him.

Quentin was smart, funny. Keeping company with him was a breeze. Billie couldn't remember when she felt more at ease around someone, especially someone she was attracted to.

Billie pulled her hair back into a slick knot and dressed in her usual office attire of a pantsuit, blouse, jacket, flats, and no makeup. Feeling more in control she set off to the office.

Upon entering the foyer of Dupree Industries, Billie wondered at that sudden hush that was created by her arrival. She walked up to the front desk and the lobby receptionist looked startled to see her. The woman quickly shuffled some papers around before folding her hands upon the desk.

"Ms. Dupree? How can I help you?"

"Has my father arrived yet?"

"Um..." the woman typed a few keys on her computer and said, "No, not yet, but he's due in soon."

"Thank you!" Billie said and headed to the elevator. In the lobby she found two other women looking at her oddly, almost with jealousy if Billie had to put a label on the look, which she thought was very odd.

The elevator doors opened, and Braden, her father's MIS Director held the door for her. Billie picked up her pace and thanked him as she entered.

"Any interest in going... down, Ms. Dupree?" Braden asked with a snarky grin.

Confused, Billie asked, "Why would I be going down? My father's office is on the 14th floor."

Braden looked over at another co-worker who stood in the elevator, and the co-worker snickered.

"My bad," Braden announced before reaching past Billie to hit the number 14 on the panel. As he'd done so he "accidentally" brushed against her. Billie tried to step away from him although it was hard to do when standing in a tiny steel box.

Billie felt even more on edge riding in the elevator with these two men who for some reason kept glancing at her with far more interest than she was used to. Billie stepped off the elevator and past the cubicles of workers that were on the floor that led to her father's office.

If she didn't know better she would have sworn several people were talking about her as she took note of hushed whispers and several interested glances being shot her way. Normally there wasn't a head lifted when she walked through this room.

What the hell was going on?

"Good Morning, Ms. Dupree," an intern said with... was that a wink??? Had she somehow stepped into the Twilight Zone when she entered the building this morning?

Rosaline stood up the moment she had seen Billie enter her father's inner office space.

"Ms. Dupree?! Your father hasn't arrived yet."

"That's fine, Rosaline. I'll just wait for him in his office."

Rosaline looked hesitant but hit the buzzer under her desk to allow Billie access to her father's office.

What was it with everyone this morning? Billie wondered as she looked out the window onto the busy streets below. Have they all lost their minds?

Twenty minutes later, her father entered the office in a whirlwind.

"Billie, my love, my sweet darling girl. You've done it! I knew I could count on you!"

Billie stood up from behind her father's desk where she was working. "Did what, exactly?" Billie asked of her father as he pulled her into a bear hug.

"I know you were originally against the idea of dealing with Harrison, but I'm so glad that you've come to see reason. Your help in making this happen means the world to me."

Billie grabbed her father by the shoulders and held him away at arm's length. "Are you talking about the merger? I am against the merger. Vehemently against the merger!"

Suddenly, Mr. Dupree sobered. "You mean you taking Quentin to your place, that little stunt you pulled at the restaurant... that wasn't a ploy for you to win the Board over?"

Billie felt like someone struck her in the head she felt that befuddled. "The Board? What does the Board of Directors have to do with this?"

"They aren't happy with the idea of a Harrison either. They think I would allow Harrison to dismantle this company but I would never let that happen."

"You really think if Harrison gets a hold of this place, you'll have a choice? Really Dad? Not even you can be that naïve."

"Don't talk back to me like that, young woman. I am still your father!"

"So what? Are you going to put me on a time-out for speaking the truth about the matter?"

"Why did you kiss Harrison's boy if you weren't trying to help me sell the idea to the Board of Directors that we have nothing to worry about from Harrison? Showing a united front was just the shove they needed."

Billie felt sick. "How did you know I kissed Quentin?"

"From the picture?"

"What picture?"

Billie's father paled. "You really have no idea what I'm referring to?"

Billie's eyebrows raised, her head cocked to one side, "Uh, no! That's what I've been saying to you since you've come into this office."

"Oh, dear! Um..."

Billie felt even more anxious, if that were possible, with all this talk of a kiss and a picture. Her father was now pacing the office muttering. "Dad! What is going on?!" she demanded to know, standing in front of him, forcing her father to stop.

He took a deep breath and walked over to the intercom on his desk, pushing the button to call out, "Rosaline can you bring in the Society page of the paper please?"

"Yes, sir!" Rosaline said and within seconds she was in the office handing it to her father.

"Thank you, Rosaline. That's all."

The woman looked relieved she would not be staying. Rosaline nodded and shut the door behind her.

"I'm talking about this picture," Mr. Dupree said, handing the society page over to Billie.

There it was in black and white, her in a passionate lip-lock with Quentin on the balcony of her apartment building.

"But? How? They were all in the lobby. There wasn't a photographer in sight."

Her father shrugged at her quandaries, as he certainly didn't have an answer for them.

Then she thought back to that kiss, the way Quentin expertly maneuvered her into his embrace, how he said, what was it again... "I'm sorry for this... for everything."

He wasn't talking about her problem with all those photographers waiting to snap a photo his father caused. He knew there was a photographer in the alley. He totally manipulated her, used her, and got what he wanted.

"Son of a ....!"

"Billie Dupree!"

"Not now, Dad! I can't believe I almost fell for it. Again! I must be the dumbest... AHHH!" Billie threw the paper aside.

Now all the looks she received upon entering the building, Braden's snide remark on the elevator, the intern's wink. All the pieces fell into place. "I'm going kill him!"

"Now sweetheart!" Mr. Dupree grabbed a hold of his daughter's arm before she could make a b-line for the door. "I think you should take a moment to cool down before you rush off and do something rash."

Do something rash? That's what she did when she allowed, no when she kissed Quentin on that balcony, now her eyes were open to what a low down dirty sneak he really was. No his murder will definitely be pre-meditated.

"He used me! You all are using me! I'm sick of it! I'm just some pawn in some twisted game you're all playing. This is MY LIFE your messing with, and you don't even care!"

She wrenched her arm free from her father's grip and stormed out of the office. Rosaline jumped in her chair when the door slammed behind Billie. Billie punched the elevator button but when the doors opened and Braden stood there with a smug expression on his face. Billie groaned and took the stairs.

Tears stung her eyes but she refused to cry as she jogged down the 14 flights of steps and out into the street. Billie put her sunglasses on in case it became evident that she was upset. She knew from this moment on her life was not her own, who knows when and where the press would be lurking. She's become a subject of interest and she'll need to be more diligent if she was expected to protect her privacy.

Billie walked past the corner newsstand. The picture of her and Quentin was plastered on the front page of every gossip rag, the society page of every paper, she was surprised Quentin's father didn't take out a billboard ad while he was at it.

Billie bit her lip as she read the headline of one tabloid. Billie made her purchase and made up her mind. Well not exactly made up her mind. She needed to cool down to think and there was only one place to do that.

With a quick turn on her heel, Billie got to the garage in her father's building and retrieved her car. Putting the paper down beside, her. "Stupid, so stupid... how could you think?" Billie asked no one as she pounded her fist against the steering wheel.

"Not again, Billie. Never again!" She pulled out of the garage in search of the one person she knew could help her.

***

Quentin turned off his alarm annoyed with the device for ruining the perfect dream involving him and a nearly naked Billie doing delightfully wicked things to one another. If reality was anything like that dream he had a reason to get out of bed but Quentin was too much of a realist to know that was true.

He had to talk to Billie about the photographer in the alley. Why hadn't he said something when he had the chance? He was with her all evening.

Rolling out of bed and getting into the shower, he knew he must set the record straight. The sooner the better. Going for a more casual look he opted for sneakers, jeans, a t-shirt, and a sports jacket. He felt confident enough in his looks to know at least he had that going for him. He'd need every tool in his toolbox to get through these next few hours.

He walked out to the kitchen to find Donavan looking pissed off for some reason. "What's wrong with you?"

"The Ice Queen. Really? That's who you were with last night?"

"How did you?"

Donavan pushed his phone at him which had an article from the Times pulled up on it, but Quentin couldn't pay attention to the words as the picture of him kissing Billie on that balcony was blatantly mocking him in full color. Damn. His father. He didn't expect him to move that fast. Once again he underestimated his father's lust for the kill. He had to find Billie. He had some major damage control to do.

Quentin pushed the phone back at his friend and raced for the door.

"Quentin?!"

Donavan calling his name stopped him in his tracks. "We'll talk later. I really don't have time right now," and with those words, Quentin departed on a race against time.