Author's Note: Thanks to moosals for pre-reading on short notice. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

This was an entry in the Taste of the Forbidden II contest. I wrote it in three days, just before the initial deadline. As written, it was a series of drabble-length chapters put together into a one-shot. I'm posting it now as it was more intended to be read.

I am shaking as I knock on my boss's door. I've been shaking since the moment his secretary, Gianna, poked her head into my office to tell me that Mr. Volt wanted to see me.

"Come in," a muffled voice calls.

Taking a deep breath, I slowly turn the knob, pushing the door open and stepping inside.

"Ah, Ms. Swan, please take a seat," the dark-haired, middle-aged man greets me.

I cross the room, sitting carefully on one of the leather-backed chairs in front of my boss's desk, smoothing my skirt as I cross my legs.

"Ms. Swan," he begins, "There have been some very serious accusations made against you. One of our security guards noticed you entering a patient's room after hours last Friday night. He described your appearance when you emerged two hours later as 'disheveled.'"

Mr. Volt stops talking, steepling his fingers together on the desk as he looks me in the eye. I swallow thickly, waiting for him to go on, but he just continues to stare at me.

Finally, too uncomfortable to remain silent, I nod my head. "It's true," I whisper.

"Well, then, Ms. Swan — you're fired."

A/N: There are nine chapters, plus the Prologue, to make up the one-shot. After that, the story will be continued, though it will not be a long story. Right now I think it'll be 12 additional chapters, but I only have four of them written, so that's subject to change. I plan to be done writing them in time to continue posting regularly several times per week, without a break between the chapters from the original one-shot and the new material.

Chapter 1a will be up on Friday.