The best revenge is to be unlike him who performed the injury – MARCUS AURELIUS

"Well, well… I'll be damned. You're really here? Finally, things around here will get more exciting."

Cat smiled broadly as she recognized the rich, smooth voice and looked up from sorting her files. She thought she saw Nathan taken aback a little, but then the stupor on his face faded as he returned her grin.

"Nate, what are you doing here? Are my eyes deceiving me? It's so good to finally see a friendly face after so many-it's been what?"

He came around the desk and she stood up to be enveloped in a warm bear hug.

"Eight-too-long-years babe and right back at ya. Now should I be insulted that you seem to have forgotten that I work here already?"

Right. The employee files she still had to go through, stat. She couldn't take any more surprises.

"That's right. I actually haven't yet made my way through all those boxes-"

But whatever she had been about to say was forgotten as Alex chose that moment to walk into her office.

"Well… if this isn't the most heartwarming reunion," He drawled sarcastically. "Nathan, I assume you still work for me and I'm compensating you over indulgently for it?"

She realized that the piercing look Alex was giving her was because she was still holding on to Nate's arms after their hug. Suddenly Cat felt her heart give a loud thump and her stomach felt undecidedly queasy. Wait, sure Nate and she had had a brief rocky dating history in high school which then turned to friendship, long before she'd met Alex in college. He knew that. She'd told him of her one and only relationship before she'd left. She had no reason to feel this awkward or guilty. But as chatoyant clashed with jade eyes, Cat nonetheless dropped her hands and stepped back.

Unfortunately, on the other hand, the rocky history she had with Alex couldn't be stated in such clear-cut terms. So the out-of-body experience she was having with these two men being in the same room with her after so many years should have bordered on the absurd. But the farcical situation was only serving to put her teeth more on edge. For God's sake, she hadn't even been on an actual date in the past eight years. Except for those times when she'd tried desperately to feel some sort of connection with those strangers. One of whom she'd picked up at a bar and the other had been some mark and turned into failures of the epic kind where she'd not even been able to bear their touch. Her love life had not seen this much action since...well, eight years ago.

"Don't be like that boss. I was just welcoming our brand new Government liaison."

She winced inwardly at Nate's cheerful tone and looked at Alex, the picture of calm, but Cat could feel the waves of anger rolling off of him.

Calm before the storm broke, was more like it.

"I don't care, Nate. What I care about is for you to review all the project files for the Sierra project and submit a risk-reward analysis report by the end of the day."

"Yeah, okay," Nate laid a hand on her shoulder and said, "Sorry Cat, duty calls. Drinks later?"

"Cat has some prior engagement this evening, Nate. She won't be available to you," Alex answered for her in an icy tone.

What the hell?

"Some other time then…?" Trailed Nate sportingly while rubbing her shoulder.

"I don't think she's going to have much time for socializing while she's here," Alex answered even more frostily as he moved to stand between them.

"Okay. If she's sure...?"

At this point, she thought Nate was a little surprised to see Alex behaving so domineeringly toward her. She grew fed up with their posturing and spoke up.

"She can answer for herself. Thank you, Alex," Cat returned dryly, stepping next to Alex who was still blocking her from Nate's view. "I'm quite capable of accepting and rejecting social invitations on my own," She flashed Alex a huge fake, sweet smile.

"I'll call you to set it up. Bye Nate."

"See ya around babe."