LITMIR.BIZ

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was or to do his best on an imperative sales proposal. He knew; he had his own ambition and drive to answer to, and they were harder taskmasters than any boss could ever be.

      “Obviously, I’m not the only one ready to get a jump-start on the day,” Zach pointed out.

      “At least I went home last night.”

      “So did I.”

      “And stayed there how long before coming back to work? Don’t bother to lie,” Daryl warned. “I’ll check the cameras if I have to—one of the benefits of working for a company that sells security systems.”

      Zach was tempted to find out if his boss really would check the security footage, but then he thought about what Daryl might see—Zach leaving the parking garage with Allison or worse, Zach returning to the parking garage and kissing Allison. And while Knox didn’t have a policy against relationships in the work place, Zach had never been tempted to engage in an office romance. It hadn’t been worth running the risk that his boss might think Zach had something other than work on his mind.

      The truth definitely seemed like a better option. Or at least a limited version of the truth. “I left around five-thirty for a dinner meeting. Came back at around eight—” kissed Allison for a few minutes that could have easily gone on forever “—to go over the revised blueprints for that new office complex in Peoria. By the time I checked to see what time it was, it was almost midnight. I did go home, but I was too wired to get much sleep, so I came back around six.”

      “How did the meeting with James Collins go?”

      “He had to cancel,” Zach admitted. “But I met with Riana.”

      “I see.”

      The words were noncommittal, but Zach heard everything his boss wasn’t saying. Riana might call for a meeting, but James made all the executive decisions. Until Zach could swing another meeting with the man himself, the coveted contract would remain out of reach. He knew it wouldn’t be long before he hurdled his way past Riana’s seductive roadblocks, but he was quickly running out of time and patience.

      What were the odds that the biggest contact of his career would be up for bid only two weeks before the board made their decision about the biggest promotion of his career?

      If he didn’t get the Collins account …

      Zach shook the thought away. When he got the Collins account, he’d be a shoo-in for the promotion.

      “The cancer research benefit is tonight. Riana is on the planning committee for the event, and she assured me her father will be there.” He hated black-tie events, and a crowded ballroom wouldn’t be the place to press James Collins for a time and date to present his proposal for the new jewelry stores, but at least Zach would have another chance to meet the man face to face.

      Daryl nodded as he glanced around the office.

      “So, what’s on your mind?” Zach asked, straight to the point and with the hope the other man would respond in kind.

      The slow perusal of his office couldn’t be anything but a stall tactic. The place hadn’t changed since Zach moved in five years ago. The large wooden desk took up most of the space in the middle of the room with a file cabinet in one corner and a trailing philodendron on a plant stand in the other. The plant stayed alive as long as it had only because the cleaning people watered once a week.

      No pictures, no mementos, no trophies adorned the beige walls. He kept his personal life—such as it was—separate from work and liked it that way.

      Except for last night when the two had combined in an explosive kiss. He had to be crazy to even contemplate dating Allison, and yet he’d done more than think about it, hadn’t he? His final comment the night before intimated he was ready and willing to start … something.

      He’d never been one for relationships, at least nothing serious. His career came first, and he preferred women who felt the same drive to succeed as he did. And while Allison was as beautiful, as smart, as clever as any of the women he’d dated in the past, she didn’t fit the “work first” mold. She didn’t fit any mold, he’d come to realize the night before. She was adventurous rather than ambitious, more interested in grabbing hold of the moment than reaching toward the future. A woman who would always keep a man on his toes, always keep him interested—

      “It’s about the Collins proposal.”

      Daryl’s comment snapped Zach’s attention back where it should have been in the first place. What was wrong with him? He’d never had trouble keeping his mind off a woman when it mattered. Never. And he refused to let it happen now.

      Meeting his boss’s gaze, he said, “Riana said Knox is in the running for the contract based on our initial numbers. That’s what got us through the door, but our proposal will be what slams it shut on the rest of the competition.” And the board would have no choice but to offer him the promotion.

      Silence followed his statement. Hardly a ringing endorsement from his boss. Not that Zach needed that kind of encouragement, but did Daryl really think he would blow this chance?

      “You know how important this presentation is to me.”

      “It’s important to the whole company, Zach,” his boss shot back, reminding Zach of criticisms he’d heard before.

       Not a team player…. Doesn’t work well with others …

      Damn right he didn’t! He worked hard, and he wasn’t about to let anyone else drag him down.

      Still, he took a deep breath and said, “I know. But you don’t have to worry. I’ve got this one.”

      Zach knew it wouldn’t look good to get too cocky, but if he showed any kind of weakness, Daryl—for all his mild-mannered attitude and scholarly looks—would move in for the kill. He’d pull the Collins account out from beneath Zach before he could say—

      “I think you need help this time.”

      “What?” Zach stood so quickly his chair rolled back and bounced off the wall behind him. Daryl hadn’t taken the account away, but this was almost as bad. “You can’t—” Zach checked the response when he saw the steely determination behind his boss’s wire-rimmed glasses.

      Starting over and trying for a reasonable tone despite the frustration pounding through his veins, he said, “Look, Daryl, this has been my baby from the beginning. I’ve spent months working on this. For another salesman to come in now—”

      “I never said it had to be another salesperson. One of the sales assistants can work with you.”

      Zach swallowed a derisive snort. The wanna-be salesmen were just as bad, if not worse. Scheming and striving to get ahead, to get where he was!

      “Or an administrative assistant, someone to help with the details of putting the presentation together,” Daryl suggested when Zach didn’t jump at the sales assistant idea.

      An admin. He still didn’t like it. He worked alone—always had, always would. But his boss wasn’t backing down on this, and if he had to have someone looking over his shoulder, at least he wouldn’t have to worry about them trying to take credit for all the hard work he’d already done.

      “All right,” he conceded. “If you think it will help.”

      “Great,” Daryl announced with a broad smile as if he hadn’t railroaded Zach into the idea. “I have the perfect person in mind. Allison Warner.”

      “Allie—Allison?” Zach choked out her name, grateful he hadn’t sat back down yet, or he would have popped back up like something had bitten him in the ass. “But she’s—”

      “She’s what?”

      A half a dozen descriptions came to mind, none of them the least bit appropriate. “She’s a temp. She’s only working here another two days. After that, she’s supposed to be …”

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