LITMIR.BIZ

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thought she lacked. The answer was going to be personal. Whatever it was, she didn’t think she could put on a brave face and take the criticism on the chin.

      Asia crossed her arms and rested her hip on the conference table. “Yeah, go in like that and he’ll snowball you.”

      “Sorry,” she said with a wry smile, “my confidence is a little shaken.”

      But it was more than that. All of her wild and sexy fantasies about Eric died a quick death during the meeting. How many times had she fantasized that he was so overwhelmed with desire that he couldn’t control himself? Her daydreams of being a sexy siren to Eric were never going to come true. The reality was a bitter pill to swallow.

      “Of course your confidence is shaken. It got knocked around a bit,” Asia said. “But you have to appear stronger and more daring than you feel.”

      “I don’t think I can.” She was never a fake-it-until-you-make-it kind of person. She was more of a what-you-see-is-what-you-get girl.

      “Fine,” Asia said. “Then accept Eric’s decision with no questions asked and stick to keeping track of uniforms.”

      Julie shuddered. “Forget that. I want this assignment.”

      “Good.” Asia pointed at the door. “Now go into Eric’s office with guns blazing and don’t take no for an answer.”

      Guns blazing. Right. Because that was so how she approached life. “This is going to be a complete waste of time,” Julie muttered as she pushed her seat in.

      “Show him that you can be just as fierce and tenacious as he is,” Asia said with a pump of her fist.

      “So he can bodily lift me and toss me out of his office?”

      Asia’s jaw tightened with annoyance. “If you want to be a decoy, you need to show that you can face any situation and not get rattled when everything goes wrong.”

      She was absolutely correct. “The police force really lost out when you quit,” Julie said as she took a step toward the door.

      “Damn right. Now stop stalling and move,” Asia ordered as she gave Julie a little push out of the conference room.

      ERIC HEARD THE TREAD of her footsteps. They were soft but the stride was determined. He tilted his head back and groaned. He should have remembered that Julie Kent was as stubborn as she was sweet.

      At least they could have it out privately. He didn’t like shutting her down in front of an audience, but Julie needed to realize that she wasn’t ready to be a decoy. Eric rose from behind his desk just as she knocked on his door.

      “Come in, Julie.”

      The door swung open and Julie peeked in. “How’d you know it was me?”

      “Lucky guess.” He crossed his arms and braced his legs. He was prepared to battle it out with Julie. She needed to know that he was the boss and the expert. She needed to accept his final answer, but he’d show some mercy. The last thing he wanted to do was crush her spirit.

      She quickly shut the door and stood in front of his desk. He thought she was a bit nervous, but Julie placed her hands on her hips and met his eyes with a steady stare. “I want to be the decoy.”

      “Never going to happen.”

      She blinked at his immediate answer. “Why?”

      “Nothing against you, Julie, but you’re not the type.”

      Julie arched one eyebrow. “Care to explain that?”

      Eric knew he would have to choose his words very carefully. “You don’t have the experience or the edge.”

      “I’ve been on the dating scene for a while,” she said tightly as she started to tap one foot. “I think I can handle myself quite well.”

      “That’s not what I mean.” His gut clenched as he thought about the men Julie dated. They were probably all gentlemen who knew how to treat her like a princess. He wouldn’t be able to compete with that. Eric viciously pushed the thought aside. “I’m sure the guys you dated were no match for you, but we’re going after a different type.”

      “No match for me? What are you trying to say? That I date a bunch of spineless computer geeks?”

      He was making this worse. Eric decided to sidestep that question. “The decoy candidate needs to think fast when she’s trying to entrap a man.”

      “And she can only do that when she has the proper training and experience?”

      “That’s right.”

      Julie tossed her hands in the air with frustration. “But how can I get experience if no one will let me on an assignment?”

      “That’s not my problem.”

      “What if you give me on-the-job training?” she asked, her eyes lighting up with enthusiasm. “You can teach me everything I need to know.”

      Teach her how to seduce a man? Aw, hell, no. That idea had all the markings of a disaster. But it didn’t stop him from imagining just how he would tutor her in the art of seduction. He blinked away the image of him caressing her soft, bare skin. “Still not going to happen,” he said gruffly.

      “I’ll do it for free,” she offered recklessly.

      If he was any kind of businessman, he would consider that offer. Gunthrie S&I had serious money problems, and they could use all the discounts and freebies that came their way. But this was Julie. He wasn’t going to risk her neck to save a few bucks.

      “If you want to be a part of the investigation, then you can help with coordinating tasks.”

      “A desk job?” She groaned and made a face. “Come on, Eric. I’m at a desk all day. I want to get out in the field. I want some action.”

      “The coordinator assignment is all I can offer you.” It was the only job where she wouldn’t be at risk. It was the only job where he wouldn’t have to worry about her. “You’re a rookie and you could compromise our cases.”

      “That’s a bunch of bull.” Julie glared at him. “You’re talking about hiring independent contractors. It’s not like you can call a temp agency and ask them to send over decoys. What would their qualifications be?”

      He should have seen this coming. He could lie and say they needed to know hand-to-hand combat, but he knew the truth would eventually come out. He might as well get it over with. “They have to be intelligent, seductive and, above all, cautious.”

      Julie’s bottom jaw shifted to one side as if she was struggling to control her temper. “So, they have to be smart and sexy.”

      There was an awkward beat. “And cautious,” Eric added.

      “You don’t think I fit those requirements?” she asked in a soft, dangerous tone.

      “Julie, a lot can go wrong,” he said as he rounded his desk and approached her. “Sometimes a guy can sense he’s being set up. A paranoid guy is unpredictable.”

      “Answer the question, Eric.”

      “You are far too innocent for that kind of work,” he said. “I’m not letting you in the field at all.”

      “Innocent?” Julie said the word in a squawk. As if she were offended by the description.

      “You see the good in everyone, which is a great trait,” he quickly assured her, “but it’s no good when you’re investigating.”

      “I can read people pretty well,” she told him.

      “What if he goes on the attack?” Eric asked.

      “That’s unlikely. And, even if it did happen, I took self-defense training.”

      He remembered her claim. “A one-day lesson?”

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