Megan Clark paced the reception area of PCM Enterprises, still unable to believe she’d made such a boneheaded mistake. And she had absolutely no one to blame but herself.

Well, herself and Parker Manning’s idiot assistant.

But, no. Megan couldn’t pass the buck to the other woman. This had been her project, her baby, her stupid, lame-ass mistake.

All she’d wanted to do was prove to the folks at The Fix that Jenna hadn’t made a mistake in hiring her. That she actually had a brain and could help out with all of the various tasks at the popular bar. Most important, she wanted to help out with the marketing, because that was Jenna’s area, and Jenna had taken a risk and offered Megan a job, even though The Fix was on a tight budget. And even though Megan knew buckets about makeup but next to nothing about marketing.

Still, she was the one who’d come up with the idea to start advertising the entrants in the Man of the Month contest instead of just the winner. Get people excited to see who was competing against each other.

And she was the one who’d wanted to up the game a bit where the entrants were concerned. Yes, most of the guys who entered were total hotties, but very few of them were local celebrities. Which meant that very few people were paying attention. But if they could get some of the local television guys or wealthy business owners … basically anyone who made the news or the tabloids regularly, that would be a total plus. Especially if the guy was a social media draw.

And Parker Manning was about as social media centric as they came.

He came from a Texas oil money family, but he’d lived in LA for a while. He’d dated actresses, dabbled in producing, and been front and center with two successful companies that he’d turned around and sold right after they hit big.

Rumor had it he’d tripled his net worth within a year, and the starting number in his family trust fund had been none-too-shabby.

Everyone at The Fix had agreed that he’d be a great guy to have on the contest slate, and since he and Megan had run in the same circles in LA, she’d assured Jenna she could land him.

In fact, she’d not only run in the same circles, she’d actually crossed his path. Once, he’d even asked her out, making clear that he was very, very interested. She’d been tempted. He had a bad boy reputation, so he wasn’t a guy she’d want to date, but back in LA she’d been wilder and stupider, and there’d been a definite tug in the area of her nether regions.

She hadn’t accepted his offer, though. That was about the time she’d started dating Carlton. And he’d made it very clear that she was his exclusive property.

She shivered, remembering those months with him. Remembering more why she’d bolted.

She’d left Los Angeles without looking back, and her first sight of Parker in Austin had been an unpleasant twinge. That was part of why she hadn’t asked him to participate personally the first time. She’d put the request out through his assistant, who’d told Megan that Parker would love to be part of it.

But apparently his former assistant was a space cadet—and Megan was a stupid idiot for not making sure the signed agreement had been returned.

Now Parker was pissed because his picture was on flyers for a contest he knew nothing about, and Megan had to somehow dig herself out of this hole.

She had no idea how she was going to manage that. She hoped their past acquaintance would smooth the way. And groveling was definitely on the menu.

“Ms. Clark?”

At the sound of her name, Megan stopped pacing, probably to the great relief of the overly coiffed receptionist.

“Yes?”

“Mr. Manning will see you now. If you’ll just follow me?”

She drew in a deep breath, then nodded as she fell in step behind the leggy blonde. Parker’s office was down the hall. A corner office, of course, and when the receptionist opened the door, Megan was struck by the stunning view of the Capitol building, the University tower, and a wide spread of the Austin skyline.

More than that, though, she was struck by the sight of the man who stood in front of his desk, leaning casually against it in a light gray suit that looked like it cost more than she made in a year. Possibly two.

His eyes met hers, an icy blue that somehow radiated heat.

“Ms. Clark,” he said, his voice a sensual tease. “I understand we have a little problem.”

“I—well, yes.” She sounded like an idiot, but dear God, he was distracting.

His eyes swept over her in an inspection so slow and intimate it left her with the distinct impression that he’d seen right through her simple black dress. “Fortunately, I have a solution.”

“Oh,” she said. “Um, what?”

That wide, sensual mouth curved up with obvious amusement. “I thought that would've been obvious, Megan. I want you.”

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A note from JK: