An After Hours Proposal : Love in Two Office Parties

Shelby, shy and tentative in her personal life, has a confidence in her abilities in her new job as a paralegal that help make her transition to the workplace easier. She is young, and this is her first real job - one that holds great potential to make or break her career, since it is with the prestigious New York City law firm of Adams, Barton and Collins, LLC.

Her mentor for the first week's orientation turns out to be the son of two of the partners. He appears to be working in a job well below his ability level, but he makes it clear this is what he enjoys doing and does not have huge aspirations at the moment of changing his position. He is good at what he does, and he exudes self-assurance and personality.

From the second Shelby meets Dylan, she feels a connection, at first a worrisome one that leaves her wondering if his charming disposition and good looks will allow her to concentrate and do her best work. Their week of working in concert for her orientation alleviates these fears yet in moments throw her off kilter in directions she is not sure she is ready to be moving.

Dylan is excellent at his job, but he is far too charismatic and distracting in more primal ways than Shelby should find comfortable. He is also very sweet and gentle with her when she lets him know she is not ready for a workplace relationship. In reality, she is not ready for a relationship at all in her life; she's still holding on to a sad past.

Life on the job goes better than expected for Shelby, and things with Dylan do as well. They truly become a respected team, and fast and really solid friends. Personally, the pull on Shelby to let the friendship go more in the direction of Dylan's interest genuinely surprises her. She finds him to be considerate, old-fashioned, and patient.

Still, his willingness to let her move at her own pace does nothing to quell her desires for what she thinks is all his idea. She realizes she is truly falling fast for this man....