{"product_id":"2940045950343","title":"The Merger","description":"\u003cp\u003eShe turned and smiled, one eyebrow raised.\u003cbr\u003e“Well?”\u003cbr\u003eI stood there, contemplating what the first move should be. Naturally she took my hesitation as evidence of doubt. Her smile widened. Then she turned away with a flip of her hair.\u003cbr\u003e“Yeah, I knew you were all talk.”\u003cbr\u003eIt had been like this since the two offices had merged. There was enough of a difference in our job categories that there was no real redundancy. This had not stopped me from coming to work every day wondering if it would be my last.\u003cbr\u003eShe must have been thinking the same thing. The tension between us was noticeable. As time passed and it became apparent that neither one of us would be let go, we relaxed, but the tension remained. Instead of disappearing it changed, morphed into something different. She had a whip smart sense of humor and an acerbic wit. Before long we were snapping at each, our comments amusing but with a tinge of bitterness.\u003cbr\u003eIt was a bizarre kind of flirting, but it was definitely flirting.\u003cbr\u003eShe started to invade my dreams. I assume the same was happening with her. The jibes became innuendos. The innuendo gave way to outright sexual comments.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Emily Dickinson","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47156821393648,"sku":"2940045950343","price":2.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940045950343_p0.jpg?v=1763981923","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940045950343","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}