After they sat together for several minutes, he leaned over to look into her eyes. He looked so concerned, and Taylor smiled at her physical reaction to his countenance. She felt warmer and more relaxed just having him there. The tightness in her chest had all but disappeared, but she was left feeling exhausted.

She nodded. “I think I’m fine. Thank you so much.” She knew that she’d probably experienced a mild panic attack, in response to her frustration with Tom. She had never experienced feeling dizzy or faint, but she thought it was probably because she hadn’t really eaten yet.

She took a deep breath, and said as calmly as she could, “My boss just told me that I’m staying the weekend in Chicago because my client can’t make up his mind about what he wants.”

Graham asked, “But you really wanted to go home sooner?”

She shrugged. “I don’t care so much about that.”

She looked into his eyes to decide if she should talk about the real predicament. When she saw the laugh lines around his eyes, she decided he was a nice person and therefore couldn’t imagine not telling him. “This particular client is… Well, he… we… have a short history. But he’s engaged now. And then my boss just told me outright to ‘do whatever Tom wants’, but I don’t think he understands what he’s asking.”

Graham nodded. “What can I do to help?”

She smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. “That is really sweet. Thank you. But I don’t know what anyone can do. Tom likes to remind me that we were sort of together, and he still tries to hit on me.”

He seemed lost in thought, then asked, “Can you just tell him you’re not interested anymore?”

Taylor looked down at her hands in her lap, completely ashamed of her affair. “That’s part of the problem.“

She took a deep breath. “I suppose I used to be interested, but then he got engaged, and I did make it clear that I wasn’t interested anymore. But he thinks it’s a funny game to fluster me. He just doesn’t take it seriously when I say that it’s never going to happen again.”

Graham asked, “So he knows you’re still attracted to him, and he teases you?”

She hadn’t admitted that to herself, but she found herself nodding.

He asked, “Does he take you seriously professionally?”

Taylor thought about it. “For the most part, he takes me seriously. But today he was being an absolute dick. When I tried to ask him a question, he kept turning it sexual.”

Graham asked, “Legally, can you report this, or talk to your boss?”

Taylor laughed heartily, and ended up snorting.

She covered her face, embarrassed. Then she explained. “I am his legal representation. I suppose I could advise him to stop.” She kept laughing, but then let out a big sigh.

Graham thought again, then said, “I know this isn’t the most feminist of solutions, but… If you had a boyfriend, would it help this guy get a clue?”

Taylor smiled at Graham, and playfully batted her eyes. “Why, Graham, are you offering to pretend to be my boyfriend?”

He smiled and shrugged. “I mean, if I have to.”