Dani lay in her bed listening to the rain falling outside. She had had only a few hours of restless sleep before the problem that was weighing heavily on her mind had awakened her. Lightning flashed and illuminated the room. She reached out and brushed the strand of dark, curly hair out of her lover's face. At least he was sleeping peacefully.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Only a year ago she had almost given up hope that she would find true happiness. The years since Danielle had graduated from college had been long and lonely. She started a small business by combining her two loves - music and computers - and specializing in web design for musical acts and radio stations. Early on, Dani had learned what was expected of her to get jobs, but she wanted to make it because of her skills, not her looks. It took persistence, but her talent prevailed and soon she found herself designing sites for large radio stations and well known musical acts.
Her professional life was finally where she wanted it to be, but her personal life was a mess. There had been a series of failed relationships. She had always had a rule about not dating clients or people in the music industry. So she dated the business and technical men that she met through her work. It had been a path that had never worked for her. They were stuffy and serious. She was professional, but shy. She longed for adventure and travel and fun. What they gave was networking, business deals and using her as a trophy. Dani's last relationship had ended so badly that she was left doubting herself. She had sworn off any hope of ever being loved and decided to throw herself into her career.
But fate had other plans for Dani. The Backstreet Boys' organization had seen her work on other fan sites and approached her with an offer she couldn't refuse. They would give her webmaster duties of the official sites, she would tour with the band and be responsible for daily updates, and she would be the lead designer on all computer-related projects. The salary wasn't too bad either. The only downside was that she would have to give up her other clients and work exclusively for the Backstreet Boys. The chance to travel the world won out, and she became the lead web designer for the Backstreet Boys.
She met the boys for the first time the day she signed her contract. They spent the day in meetings discussing their ideas for the site. Howie was instantly taken with her and had asked her out that same night. She turned him down despite the fact that he was one of the sweetest and most handsome men she had ever met. Dani had explained to him her hardfast rule against dating clients and he had decided to settle for friendship. Temporarily. He'd put a plan into motion to gain her trust and eventually her love. It took him a few months, but he had won her heart and they hadn't looked back.
Everything Dani had ever dreamed of was within her reach. She loved her job, had traveled the world, and Howie was even talking about leaving his bachelor days behind him. The loneliness was gone and she was beginning to think that happily ever after was possible.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Dani knew sleep wouldn't come if she didn't try to solve this problem. She slipped out from under the covers and retrieved her panties and Howie's oxford from the floor beside the bed and put them on. She kissed him on the forehead and headed downstairs to her office.
Dani sat looking around her office in the home that she and Howie shared while waiting for her computer to boot up. He had designed it for her as a welcome gift when he'd asked her to move in with him. The walls were faux finished to look like an old stucco garden wall and were adorned with Thomas Kinkade original paintings. Her favorite artist. His work made her think of her days growing up in the Deep South. There was a sitting area with a forest green overstuffed sofa and two leather side chairs. The coffee table held a vase of fresh tulips. Howie made sure that her office always had fresh flowers because he knew how much she loved them. Her work area consisted of a U shaped desk with two computers, a workspace, and all the assorted office equipment a person could possibly need. The only uncluttered portion of her desk contained a picture of her and Howie in Spain and another vase of fresh flowers. This time hyacinth and freesia.
Dani settled down to her work and opened the prototype of the soon to be released enhanced CD of the Boys latest album. She stared at the strange symbol on the screen, puzzled. "I know I didn't put that in there," she mused. "That's the most useless design element I've ever seen." She thought to herself as she tapped into the files trying to determine how the symbol had gotten on "her" CD. "What the hell?" she exclaimed, her eyes widening as the file appeared on her screen. "Oh my God!" she whispered.
"Hey baby, couldn't sleep?" Howie said as he entered the room and walked towards her. Dani jumped. "Sorry," he said leaning down to kiss her head. "I didn't mean to scare you. Is something wrong?"
"Uhmmm, no. Just a little glitch in the programming. Nothing I can't handle," Dani assured him as she scrambled to close the files. Howie slid his arms around her shoulders and hugged her from behind. "Are you sure? You look pretty worried, and you've been distracted all night."
"It's nothing." Dani said as she stood up and turned to face Howie. She wove her hands into his curls. "I'm sorry I've been distracted. Why don't you let me make it up to you? Let's go back to bed," she purred, as she began nipping at his lips.
"I have a better idea," Howie said as he began to unbutton the oxford that she had borrowed from him.
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