It was Just a One Night Stand.

I got to the office earlier than my secretary on Monday to finish up a project I had been working on. Promptly at eight, she stuck her pretty head in the door.

"Kayla's here."

Pardon me?"

Kayla...Kayla Davis...the sales manager candidate. She's waiting in the conference room."

"Hell, send her in."

And of course, it was the Kayla I knew...my Kayla. She seemed taller; the hair was far more business fashionable. The business suit was upscale and absolutely stunning. High heals only accentuated her already magnificent legs. Cute in a few short years had turned into drop dead gorgeous.

"I should have called. The look on your face says you weren't expecting it to be...me. Frankly, I wasn't really offered a choice by HR and couldn't come up with a good answer for why I would turn down a potential promotion less than fifty miles from where I grew up. If you don't think this will work out..."

I walked over, shook her hand and we exchanged the business hug. "I never look at resumes; until Janie told me that Kayla Davis was here, I had no idea. I'm tickled that you're here. HQ wouldn't have sent you down unless you were the top candidate. You were one of the sharpest people I've ever met and you wouldn't be here unless you had absolutely knocked 'em dead out on the west coast. Have a seat; can I get you some coffee?"

"I've had enough, already, Jack. It's really good to see you again. Look, I'm probably even more direct than I was when you met me, what, three or four years ago?"

"It was almost exactly four which makes you, what twenty-seven now? And I'm thirty-four. I'm sorry, I interrupted you...you were saying?"

"I was saying that, well, we have some history, albeit brief. HR feels that I can learn more working for you than from anyone else in the company. I never really thanked you for opening the door for me. Contacting you never seemed appropriate; I'd really like this to work out but if you're uncomfortable..."

"Kayla, we'll make it work out. I'd be lying if I didn't admit that you made an impression on me in more ways than one. I've thought about you often. I liked you a lot and respected you; if anything it should make it easier for us to work well together."

"So, Jack, you're still single? I didn't see a ring, although that doesn't always mean that much these days as far as men are concerned."

"Still single, regrettably, but certainly not the swinging bachelor I was when you met me. That life style lost its allure...not long after I met you. And you?"

"You know the answer...girls always flaunt it if they've got it." Kayla said, waving her ring-less finger. "This line of work doesn't leave much time...and then I've never really found anyone...anyway, no hubby and no prospects."

"Same here, Kayla, no wife on the horizon. I spend most of my nights sleeping cuddled up next to a big, smelly black lab."

"I love big dogs; we always had them when I was growing up. Maybe I can get one now that I'm going to be a little more settled."

We chatted aimlessly for a few more minutes then I took her next door to get to know my operations manager. I dialed the HR VP.

"Jack, that was fast!"

"Bud, if you remember, I'm the one who first interviewed Kayla four years ago. It's a no brainer; she'll fit in perfectly here."

"Jack, I swear I'd forgotten. We've gotten several top notch hires out of Kayla's alma matter. I haven't gotten down there as often as I should, maybe Kayla could freshen up that relationship for us."

I agreed and we signed off; the ops manager was introducing Kayla around the office finally leading her to what would soon be her new office.

Barb, my ops manager, left Kayla to make some phone calls in her new office and slipped into my office.

"She told me you actually interviewed her? Wow, small world."

"What do you think Barb?"

"She's good, very good. She's got the perfect mix; she won over the non-exempts quickly but has that underlying toughness which will enable her to deal with some of those big egos in the sales force. And she is absolutely stunning."

It had always occurred to me that under different circumstances I would have made a play for Barb; she was cute, bright, tough and blond. I liked her a lot; we worked very well together.

"I have a very special feeling in my heart for Kayla, Barb. Based on what she did on the west coast, she should excel here. Let's make damned sure you and I make it happen, understood?"

"Got it, boss, I'm totally onboard."

Kayla and I said our goodbyes a few hours later. It was a very professional parting but it was hard for me to look at her and not think back. Within a few weeks, Kayla had transitioned things in her old job, found a condo to buy with a little help from Barb and was moved in and ready to go to work. Barb and Kayla had become good friends; I was glad. They were both about the same age and Kayla could learn a lot about the ops side of the business from Barb.

Over the next two weeks Kayla got settled in and brought herself up to speed on her new responsibilities. She was a total self starter. We chatted almost every day, either early or late. She asked the right questions, showed exceptional analytical skills and began to take on more critical responsibilities.

She put together a sales meeting with almost no input from me and it went off without a hitch. She started traveling with the sales force and visiting the outlying regions. I continued to receive nothing but glowing reports from sales reps, the region managers, the office staff and even customers as the months went on.

If a less than glowing report was going to surface, it would be from the guy who was now waiting to see me. He was the senior rep, close to a seven figure earner, full of himself, very talented and a bit of a prick and a male chauvinist. I steeled myself for his sometimes obnoxious bull shit.

"Bob! Great to see you. Damn, it's been a long day, I hope you didn't have to wait long. What can I do for you?"

Bob closed the door and plopped down on the sofa in my office. He looked tired but in spite of his sometimes obnoxious and bombastic personality, he was very good at what he did and the hardest working guy in the field.

"Look, I've never been that excited about having anyone travel with me---even you---and you were as good at this shit as I am...maybe better. So when they send a young chick down here, well that's not really fair. I checked her out with the west coast old timers; she was a hell of a star out there and they all loved her. Anyway, I was impressed that she called me and asked if I minded her traveling with me. I said, okay, since I knew it was inevitable some day. I was a real ass hole, as I tend to be, but it's hard not to warm up to her. She's really bright and she gets it...she asks the right questions. So, I figured, what the hell, and invited to come along for a second day, hell she young enough to be my daughter but she is really attractive, and frankly, a hell of a lot of fun to work with."

I didn't interrupt, knowing Bob was not done.

"Jack, I've got to tell you...I really fucked up over at United. I damned near blew the whole kit and caboodle. It's a long story, but Kayla saved my bacon...she saved the deal. And afterwards, when she told me what I'd done to almost fuck it up, I wasn't even offended. She was right on the money. She's aces in my book; I told her so. I also wrote a letter to the President and told him the same damned thing. Unless I'm mistaken she's going to have her own region before the end of the year."

"Bob, I really appreciate it. You're right, she's damned sharp and I've gotten nothing but glowing reports from everyone else but you're the toughest nut there is out there so your approval means more than all the others."

"Well, that's my two cents worth. I know she's going to be promoted quickly...probably in record time. Thanks for your attention, Have a good evening."

Bob left and I sat back thinking about Kayla with tremendous pride. My secretary Janie stuck her head in to say good night. I was just getting ready to track down Kayla to share the information when the phone rang. The HQ was an hour earlier than we were so it was probably them. It was the President.

"Jesus, Jack, I can't stand Bob and don't know how you put up with him. In the twenty years I've known the prick, I've never known him to say anything kind about management. This letter is almost gushing and much to my surprise, knowing what an ass hole Bob can be, almost sweet. I've met Kayla several times and she's one of the best I've ever dealt with and she knocked 'em dead out on the west coast. To impress that old bastard like this is almost a miracle...does she even have six months down there with you?"

"Not quite, Carl, and as much as I'd like to take credit for the job she's doing, 99% of it is Kayla. Every day I ask my secretary about something I'm supposed to be working on and to my pleasant surprise all I hear is, 'Kayla's handling that.' This is the first time since I've had this job that I've actually had time to be a manager, deal with some people issues and spend time with key customers."

"Well, speaking of people issues, I got your note on the region manager up in Charlotte, Fred, Frank? Obviously his numbers suck and I've heard other rumblings. You're note was the icing on the cake. You were pretty clear that you want to fire him before the end of the year. You know you don't have to ask for my permission but maybe the end of the year is too long. How long before Kayla could handle something like that. It's a big region and it's got some problems..."

"Well, Carl, she's virtually handling this region without much help from me, although she does have the security of knowing that I'm sitting here to bail her out---not that's she's needed it. I've got a pretty good idea about what's wrong there; I'm going to send her up there for a week or two, ostensibly as part of her training, ask her to do an evaluation and we'll see how it goes."

"Fair enough, but don't drag your feet. Later!"

As I desperately dug through my desk to find Kayla's calendar, her tired but always lovely face graced my doorway.

"Jack! Have you got a minute?"

"Yes! I was just trying to figure out where you were; you go first."

Kayla quickly briefed me on the region reorganization which she had put together. Some reps were going to be encouraged to resign; some were going to get more responsibility and hence more financial opportunity. One was ready to be promoted. One was ready to be retired. She was dead-on on every single point. I tossed her a copy of the draft reorganization I had started working on before she arrived. The recommendations were almost exactly the same; she smiled, beaming with pride. I told her about my meeting with Bob and that pretty smile got even bigger.

"Hon----I'm sorry, I did not just address my sales manager as, 'hon'---Kayla! Get with HR and get the wheels turning. Have you ever fired anyone before?"

She shook her head.

"It's not fun and we have a very special way of doing it here; if at all possible we want to make the individual not feel completely crappy about losing their job. I'll do the first one, the most senior, with you by my side; bone up on the HR manual on terminations. How quickly can we get it done?"

"Less than two weeks, I would think, maybe quicker. We're not replacing any one at this time, just combining some territories with the idea of adding back a new hire in a few months."

"Good! Because as soon as we get this unpleasantness done, I need you to go up to Charlotte for a week or two. Now the cover story is that this is just part of your training but in effect I want you to meet everyone, travel with all of the reps, visit as many key customers as is humanly possible and come back with an evaluation of the region's business. Got it?"

"Got it! And if you slip and call me 'hon' when no one else is around I won't be offended, boss. Have a great evening"

And with that Kayla spun around and existed the office and the soft sway of her hips created old familiar stirrings.

Kayla pulled the reorg together in a week, not two. She sat in with me for the first termination and handled the rest without me. From HR's perspective, she handled them perfectly. Soon she was off to Charlotte, preceded by a call to the region manager there to provide cover.

She got back two weeks later prepared to brief me. Her analysis was brilliant; she had uncovered some issues that I had not even been aware of but we were on the same sheet of music. My boss, the Zone VP, one of two, wanted to fly down to sit in as did the HR VP for a special overview. It would be my job to brief them on what would in essence be the demolition and reconstruction of a troubled region.

"I'll put it together, Jack, then we can get together and fine tune it."

I agreed. Two days later she went through a dry run in the conference room with just Barb, my HR person and me. She nailed it. It didn't need any fine tuning. The big boys would be in the following afternoon.

"Kayla, it's my job to present bad news like this..."

"I'll do it Jack, I'm ready...it's your call."

"I looked at Barb; she nodded, as did the HR guy.

The next day I drove to the airport to pick up the brass, leaving Kayla to get primed for her presentation. I was a little surprised when the President got off the corporate jet with my boss and the HR VP. I filled them in and told them Kayla would make the presentation.

"Throwing the young lady into the breach, aren't you Jack?" The President chided.

"She volunteered, Carl. She spent two weeks living up there and probably knows the situation as well or better than I do."

As expected, Kayla was fabulous. The president and my boss grilled her on her recommendations asking her repeatedly how she would handle each issue. She never faltered. She was tough; she was at the top of her game. My eyes got a little misty as I watched her perform. God she was an amazing woman!

After we were done, the President and my boss grabbed me, leaving Kayla and my direct staff to chat with the HR VP. Out of ear shot, my boss started the conversation.

"Jack, that was the best fucking presentation I've ever seen. How much did you have to do with it?"

"Almost nothing. I went over her observations and recommendations; they agreed with mine. She put the presentation together. I might have changed two words in the whole damned thing."

The president turned to me. "Jack it's a big region with a lot wrong...a fucking hornet's nest. Can she handle it---now?"

I responded without much thought. "Yea, she can; if that's what you're thinking about, I'll stay close to her once she makes the move. My other region managers are pretty sharp and don't require a lot of supervision. Other than a lateral move from a smaller region of an existing region manager, I can't think of anyone else more up to the task."

"By now, I mean within the week."

"Not a problem."

The President spoke. "Get with HR; make it happen. Listen, we're not staying over, we've got another meeting to go to. I had your secretary call us a car. A few parting words of congratulations and we're out of here."

Within half an hour everyone had departed other than Kayla and me, sitting alone backin my office.

"I'm going to miss your smiling face around here. Congratulations. You're the new region manager in Charlotte. We want you there within a week. I'll have Barb put a team together to do a thorough audit. I'll go over and relieve the current manager and hang around to get you off on the right foot, but then it's your baby. And yours just may be the fastest promotion to sales manager in history."

We talked for a few more minutes and then agreed that it was time to close up. We hugged, probably longer than we should have and then parted.

It all seems like ancient history now. It was nasty for a few weeks, but Kayla righted the troubled Charlotte region and finally had time to actually move. Within a year the location was back on track and headed for a damned fine sales year. I acquired and trained a new sales manager but there would never be another Kayla. Six months before my thirty-sixth birthday, sitting in my office after everyone else had left, the phone rang.

"Jack, it's Carl. Are you ready to move?"

"Pardon me?"

"Your boss is about to get his own division. I need a new Eastern zone VP. The National Sales Director---you know him, Ray, you trained him---is ready for a promotion. He's going to take over down there. I'd like to promote Kayla to replace Ray, are you okay with that?"

"Absolutely, she's shown what she's made of in Charlotte."

"You know the drill, I want this done fast! Do you mind calling Kayla and telling her? I'd love to do it myself but I've got to go meet with some fucking stock holders."

"Consider it done."

I dialed the Charlotte office knowing that Kayla would still be there.

"Kayla! Jack."

"What's up boss, long time no talkie?"

"You're moving again...we're both moving again. It's windy city time. You're the new National Sales Director and I'm the new Eastern Zone VP."

"When?"

"You know this company, yesterday."

"I'll report to the VP of Sales and Marketing, right? You won't even be in my chain of command?"

"Are you that anxious to get away from me?"

"You know better than that Jack, I was just thinking that, well we'd be in the same city, I wouldn't be working for you and we could at least go out to dinner or a movie without any protocol issues."

"I'd like that very much."

"So would I. It's been too long since I could just let my hair down, you know, laugh, be playful...with an old friend."

"I look forward to it."

"I've got to run, Jack, I've actually got a date."

"Best of luck, hon." I said hanging up the phone.

Kayla and I were both moved and in our new offices in a matter of weeks. In the headquarters, our offices were once again only a couple of doors apart. She bought another condo and I bought another house, this time in an upscale locale close to the lake. We were busy as hell for the first several months and never got around to dinner or a movie. As I was packing up to go home one night, her lovely visage graced my office door.

"Jack, when's your birthday?"

"Ah, let me see, next Thursday, the fourteenth. Thirty-six. And you're creeping up on the big three-o, well twenty-nine, actually and as I recall, your birthday is next Saturday. I know, I checked with personnel."

"Jack you and I don't have a lot of real friends here and I hate birthday parties but if you were to ask me out to dinner next Friday, I'm free and I'd say yes. Sort of a combined birthday dinner...together, unless you would be uncomfortable..."

"Kayla, nothing would make me less uncomfortable than spending the evening with you. I have been trying to screw up my nerve to ask you to dinner. There's nothing in company policy that says we can't go out together, now that we don't have a reporting relationship."

"Jack you were a fantastic boss; you never let our brief history remotely affect your judgment or the way you treated me. Thank you. As much as I enjoyed working for you, I'm glad that I don't now. We were pretty good together in more ways than one. I'm going to stop now, I'm over reaching. Let's have dinner together next Friday and take it from there. Are you okay with that?"

"More than okay. Next Friday, then."

"Sure."

Six years had passed. Certainly I had feelings for Kayla; I had pushed them back and always been completely professional with her. If I was honest with myself, Kayla had changed my life; I felt a genuine affection for her and found her physically attractive. When I picked her up the following Friday evening, I began to sense that my feelings were moving beyond simple affection.