“I did it!”

“Good for you,” Lola said. As did Nana after I called her to tell her about it. And the guy who sold pretzels on the street outside the building. I couldn’t seem to stop myself from telling people.

Seth said I’d earned a break, so we weren’t meeting for our afternoon training session until five. I spent the afternoon practically skipped around the office—which wasn’t the smartest idea in a building where there were frequently little robots around making deliveries or cleaning.

Brad had stopped by to outline the next steps and who should be on the team to move ahead with the project. It would involve focus groups, market research, prototypes—all things I didn’t know much about but was very eager to learn. I still couldn’t believe it that Seth-Tech was going to go ahead with my idea.

Justine congratulated me, when I ran into her in the breakroom, fixing herself some coffee. “It was a solid presentation.”

I laughed. “That’s high praise given how badly I did at the interview.”

Justine nodded, not denying it. She picked up her coffee, turned, and leaned against the counter. “What changed?”

“Seth’s been helping me work on my public speaking skills.” That was the other thing I’d been super excited about this afternoon. Seth. The intimate connection we seemed to have now. After all, he’d spanked me. He’d touched me all over. He’d stroked me where no man ever had before. And then we’d finally shared a real kiss. Two, actually. I couldn’t help finger my lower lip when I thought about that, but I refrained this time because Justine was eying me steadily, as if she could read my thoughts. Predictably, I reddened under her gaze.

“He’s an Alfa Romeo,” she said between sips of coffee.

“Huh?” Was that like an alpha male?

“A Dodge Viper. Or an Aston Martin.”

Somehow, I was missing something about this conversation. “I don’t understand.”

“He’s a two-seat sports car. Fast. Powerful. A helluva fun ride. But not a good long-term value.”

Oh. She was warning me off Seth.

“Take him for a spin if you want to. If you haven’t already. But he’s not the guy you settle down with. For that, you need a minivan. Plenty of room for future rug rats and soccer equipment. Automatic doors. His and hers cup holders. That’s what you want long-term.”

I took a step back and felt the edge of a table behind me. I leaned against it, trying to match her casual posture. She was assuming a lot, and I didn’t want her to think she’d gotten to me. “Who says I’m looking for a reliable vehicle with good gas mileage?”

Her eyebrow quirked upward, but she didn’t look mad. She seemed amused by my answer. “Honey, you practically have ‘minivan’ tattooed on your forehead. You want the house with the white picket fence. The two point four children. Little League and the PTA. That’s not Seth.”

Now I was getting angry. Justine didn’t know me. She didn’t know what I wanted. I mean, I did want all that someday. But right now, I was just enjoying what was happening between Seth and me. Of course, I wasn’t entirely sure what was happening between us, but I really liked the direction it seemed to be headed in. “I take it that’s not you, either?”

“I’m an Audi R8.” That was another sports car, presumably. It made her sound exotic, not boxy and clunky, like the car she’d assigned to me.

“I guess you and Seth have a lot in common.” A flash of pain jolted through me at the thought. From what I’d read, she’d known Seth almost as long as Brad had. She’d been a year behind them in college, but the three of them had been very close. After college, Seth and Brad had immediately started this company whereas Justine had tried a few different positions before ending up here.

For the first time, Justine looked down, swirling her coffee in her cup. As long last, she said, “Probably a little too much in common.”

What did that mean? Did she like Seth? Had they ever gotten together? If so, the flash of pain in her eyes proved that they weren’t now. “So maybe he needs something different. Maybe he needs to hang out with more minivans.”

“Maybe,” she acknowledged. “But don’t be surprised if he outpaces you after the warm-up lap.”

My knowledge of racecar lingo was pretty minimal, but I knew what she was saying. “Seth outpaces everyone.”

She nodded. “He’s definitely in his own class.” She straightened up, flipping her ponytail back over her shoulder. “Anyway, congrats on the presentation. It really was well done.”

“Thank you.”

“I never would’ve believed he’d get you ready in time for Vegas, but now I’d say there’s a fighting chance. Good luck with it.”

What? What about Vegas? “Wait a second.” I hurried after Justine who had her hand on the door to the hallway. “What happens in Vegas?”

“You sound like that advertising slogan,” Justine said, her gloominess from a moment before lifting. “I meant the annual shareholder meeting next week. Seth didn’t tell you it’s always in Vegas?”

“No, he didn’t.” He hadn’t mentioned the shareholder meeting at all.

“Oh, well, it’s actually pretty fun. The company foots the bill. And after you speak at the morning session, you’ll probably have some time to explore the Strip. You’ve been there before, right?”

“No, thank you,” I said distractedly, and Justine gave me a funny look before exiting. My mind was swirling in several different directions. A trip to Vegas—next week. Me speaking in front of the shareholders—next week. Me! Surely Justine was wrong. There’d be no reason for Seth to take his personal assistant to something that important, was there?

* * *

“Come in,” Seth said when I knocked on his door. He was over at his mini-workstation, tinkering with some kind of device with a lot of wires. I knew he had a much bigger workshop downstairs in the development labs, but he also seemed to have plenty of equipment in here.

When he saw it was me, he smiled and walked over. “I was just about to head down to the auditorium. It’s not quite five yet, is it?”

He gave me a one-armed hug, and then nuzzled the top of my head with his nose. “God, your hair smells good. What kind of shampoo do you use?”

“Something strawberry,” I said. “Am I going to Vegas next week?”

“Of course, didn’t I tell you? There are a lot of things for a PA to do, set up meetings, pass out programs, coordinate with the hotel staff… but we go to the same place every year, so most of that’s already been taken care of.”

His words were casual. His tone was casual. But I’d been spending a lot of time with him lately, and I knew he was hiding something. His body language was slightly off.

“And… am I supposed to speak at this meeting?”

“I would hope so. Unless I do something stupid and you give me the silent treatment.”

God, I wished he’d stop trying to be funny. “Please, just tell me. Am I supposed to make a presentation at this meeting?”

His grin vanished at the tone of my voice. “Yes.”

“In front of the shareholders?”

“Yes.”

“How many of them?”

“Probably about a hundred.”

A hundred people. He wanted me to speak in front of a hundred people. Next week. Suddenly, my legs were wobbly. I needed to sit down. Or get some air. Maybe that’s what I needed. My chest was tightening up. Shakily, I walked to the open sliding glass door and out onto his balcony.

Grateful for the fresh breeze, I leaned against the rail, closing my eyes. The sun was low in the sky. Closing my eyes, I breathed as deeply and as slowly as I could.

I sensed Seth’s presence behind me before I felt him. He pressed against me from behind like he often did at the podium. His hands ran down my arms and then grasped the rail next to mine. Still with my eyes closed, I leaned my head back, resting it against his neck.

“I love strawberries.” Seth’s words confused me for a moment until I realized that he was referring to the scent of my hair.

“Why are you doing this?”

“Because you smell really good.” He pushed his pelvis against my ass for a moment. “And feel really good.”

His body felt good against mine, too, but I couldn’t let myself get distracted by that. “I mean the shareholder meeting. Why me? I haven’t even been at the company for a month.”

“Because you can do it.” Seth nuzzled my neck with his lips.

“I’m not so sure that’s true. But it’s also not a reason. Brad could do it, too. Or Justine. Or pretty much anyone who doesn’t shut down when speaking in front of an audience.”

“You addressed the board today, Erin. That was a huge step for you. I just want to keep that momentum going. I want you to get past this.” He planted a kiss just below my ear. “I think you’re going to have a brilliant career, and a great future at this company, but only if you can get past your fears.”

For a moment, I was silent, trying—and failing—to ignore how good his touch felt. But that didn’t change the fact that I couldn’t understand why he was rushing me so much on this. Even if I didn’t have any public speaking issues at all, it was still insane to have a brand new employee address the shareholders. It didn’t make sense and I told him so.

Seth sighed. “I know it must seem that way, but I’m not sure you realize how far you’ve come in such a short time. I want you to go even farther. I’ve never taken things slowly. I’m more of a rip-the-bandage-off-quickly guy. Or a learn-to-swim-by-diving-in-the-deep-end guy. So yeah, I am throwing you in the deep end, but I truly believe that you’ll swim, not sink.”

That seemed so reckless. “What would be the harm in splashing around in the shallow end for a while longer? Or wearing those little inflatable thingies on my arm? We could keep doing the training sessions, and maybe sometime I could make a short presentation in the auditorium. To Brad, Justine, and the others, but in a more formal setting. Even that feels like a big next step, and it’s nothing compared to the shareholder meeting.”

“Let me ask you something,” Seth’s words sounded a little muffled against my throat. “How long have you had this problem with public speaking?”

“Forever,” I said instantly. “When I was a child, I stuttered, and I spoke up as little as possible. Later on, when the stutter was gone, I became paralyzed with fear when it was time to speak in front of a group.”

“Almost your entire life. That’s too long, Erin. Too long to deal with the doubt and insecurity. I know I’m not a professional, but it feels like our training sessions are working. You’ve come so far in such a short time. Every instinct tells me we should keep pushing. Shoot for the stars. You deserve to be able to live your life without this fear. Could you please just try it my way? I know you can do this.”

I stared at the horizon for a long moment. The sun was just about to dip under the tree line, and the sky was turning pink. The beautiful scene was calming, but I knew the thing that held my panic at bay the most was Seth. His touch soothed me. Somehow, he’d figured that out and he’d used it to help me get this far. I never would’ve believed his techniques would work, but there was no doubt they were.

Still, this was a big jump. Like skipping from second grade to the senior year of high school. But when was the last time anyone had cared enough about me to push this hard? To spend so much time helping me? Most CEOs never would've hired me in the first place—but he did. And then he took it on himself to help me—and he did.

So maybe I should trust him on this. He’d been right about everything so far. I did feel like I could have a strong future here. Help the company. Help people like Nana. And maybe help myself. Seth was right, going through life with a crippling fear was no way to live. If there was a chance to fast forward to a place where I was able to speak my mind in front of a crowd, maybe it was worth it to take the chance.

On top of all that was Seth himself. I didn’t want to let him down. He truly believed in me, and he seemed to want this so badly.

It could end in disaster.

But it could open doors to a life and a career I’d never dreamed I’d have.

And either way, it would mean spending more time—much more time—with Seth. And that was something I desperately wanted.

“Okay, I’ll try.”