“What gives?” Brad was sitting across from me again after Justine left to find Erin.

“I’m going to hire her.”

He was silent for a minute. “Okay.”

I was amused. “No argument? Justine said she was awful at the interview.”

“She was. I watched a few minutes through the two-way mirror. But she can write. She submitted excellent writing samples, and whatever was in that letter sure got you to change your tune.” He nodded at the letter that was still on my desk. “So what if she gets tongued-tied? The position is for a junior copywriter, not a press secretary.”

Leaning back in my chair, I surveyed my friend. We’d been best buds for almost a decade, but even I couldn’t predict how he was going to react to what I was about to tell him. Brad was always measured and calm. Rational. My polar opposite, in fact. But this was a rather sensitive issue.

“I’m not hiring her for to be in the marketing department. I’m hiring her as my new personal assistant.”

Brad’s mouth fell open. It took him a few tries to find words. It was pretty amusing… Brad usually knew what to say in every situation. “But… you know that job is about more than just being a PA.”

“I know.”

He still looked stunned. “We haven’t even posted that position. Haven’t even decided on the language of the job description. It’s not at all straightforward like being a copywriter.”

“I know. But I want her.”

“Why?”

“Because of this.” I tapped my fingers on the paper on my desk.

“Jesus, what the hell did she write?”

“Everything. What she admires about the company. What we’ve accomplished. What we could further accomplish in five years’ time. Her vision of the company’s future.” I couldn’t even begin to explain how much her letter had spoken to me.

“She wrote all that for a junior copywriting position?”

I laughed. It did seem rather ballsy, but somehow the letter had made sense to me. “I think she knows that she sucks at interviewing, so she wanted to express her thoughts in another way.”

“Guess she was successful,” Brad said. He was eyeing Erin’s note. I could tell he really wanted to look at it, but somehow, it was personal. She’d written it for me, and she’d nailed it.

Time to change the subject. “What’s she look like?”

“Does that matter for hiring her?” Brad looked at me sharply.

“No. I’ve already decided to do that. But I’m curious.” My answer was true… up to a point. I had decided to hire her. But as my PA, she’d also become part of the public face of the company. Besides, I had to admit I really was curious.

Brad stared me down for a moment and then relented. “You already saw her. At the press conference. She’s the one NT gave the rose to.”

“That was her?”

“Yep.”

Wow. I hadn’t just targeted her because she was standing at the back. True, it was easier to send NT out to people on the aisle or in the back, but that wasn’t why I chose her. My punchline about using NT to hit on pretty women had been an understatement. She—Erin—was beautiful. Her rather plain suit had still showcased some phenomenal curves. I could still picture the way her waist nipped in but her hips flared. And even with her low heels, I’d seen she had killer legs—the kind that would look amazing wrapped around my waist

When I’d flown the drone right up to her, I’d been mesmerized. Though a prototype, the drone had top-notch cameras. As I piloted it closer, her eyes were revealed, framed by long, dark lashes. They were the kind of hazel that likely looked golden in certain lights. And the dark waves of her hair accented her pale skin perfectly. Pale except for the twin spots of rose on her cheeks—probably from being the center of attention.

That was something she was going to have to get used to.

Brad seemed to be thinking along the same lines. “Okay, so she’s an excellent writer, but the person who takes on this role will need to be able to speak in front of a crowd.”

“Yes.”

“But this girl couldn’t even speak in front of Justine.”

“So you’ve said.”

“Clearly I haven’t explained myself well enough. Erin seems like a nice young woman. Enthusiastic. Bright—her transcript was very impressive. But she completely choked during that interview. Since she’d brought that letter, she must’ve known she would. This wasn’t normal interview nerves. She’s not going to be able to do the public speaking side of the position.”

“She can learn.”

“Or, you could just hire someone who’s already a good speaker.”

“I’ll teach her.”

Brad sounded exasperated with me—a not entirely unusual occurrence. “Just like that? I forget, which semester of college did you suddenly earn a degree in speech therapy? I don’t think it’s as simple as you showing up and boom, she’s suddenly a polished public speaker ready to lead the annual shareholder meeting in three weeks.”

“There’s an idea. When is that, three weeks away?”

“Seth, I was kidding. She won’t even know the company in three weeks let alone be over whatever kind of issues she has.”

But this was all sounding good to me. Three weeks was enough time if I worked with her every day. Besides, I was at my best with tight deadlines. “Wanna bet?”

He groaned. “I wasn’t issuing a challenge. We need someone strong in this position, Seth. And I can work with her a little, but I’m not going to have much free time before—”

“I can get her up to speed.”

“You haven’t even met her.”

“I can train anybody to do anything,” I said, a bit smugly. A couple of ex-girlfriends could vouch for that. They’d been upset when we’d broken up, but damn, they’d left with some mighty fine bedroom skills.

He put his head in his hands. “This is exactly the kind of thing I’m supposed to stop you from doing. Being impulsive. Making big decisions on a whim.”

I shrugged. “I’ll tell Justine you tried. Now, about that bet…”

Brad’s face was stone, but then I saw a crack. He never could stay mad at me for long. “A hundred bucks.”

I scoffed. “We run a billion-dollar corporation.”

“All right, $10,000.”

“Still too low. Ten thousand bucks, and the loser has to do one lap around the company track in his boxers.”

Reluctantly, my best friend broke out into a chuckle. “We aren’t in college anymore. Besides, Christopher prefers me in boxer-briefs.”

“So you admit you’re going to lose? Too bad… you got a lot of wolf-whistles when you bet I couldn’t hook up with Maria Rodriguez junior year.”

“Twenty thousand,” Brad said, standing up. “And no public nudity.”

“Spoilsport. You used to be more fun.”

“And your antics used to not play out on a world stage.”

“But you love me anyway.”

Justine walked in. “Get a room, you two.”

Brad shook his head, but his tone was light, meaning I was forgiven—as I always was. “Sorry, I’m a one-man man.”

He whispered something to Justine as he headed out. Her mouth dropped open. She turned to me but I jumped in before she could speak. “Is Erin here?”

“Yes, but—”

“Good, send her in.”

“Yes, but—”

I hid a grin at Justine’s annoyance. Though she hadn’t been at the company from the start like Brad and me, I normally confided in her about everything. She seemed pretty put out that this wasn’t open to discussion. “Just send her in.”

She rolled her eyes. “Or course, Mr. Bossman, sir. Anything else? Can I get you some coffee? Tea? Arsenic?” Her falsetto made the corner of my mouth twitch upward.

“Coffee would be great. One sugar, please.”

“Sir, yes sir!” she said snapping me a salute, and headed out. If she ever did bring me coffee, I’d probably die of shock. Buying a round of shots at the bar after work? Sure. Bringing a man coffee? That was so not Justine. But that was okay, I didn’t want it to be.

She headed off in a huff, but she was polite enough to show Erin in before she stormed off.

And there she was. The woman from the back of the auditorium. The woman I’d seen through the drone’s eyes.

Up close, she was even prettier. Those curves nearly took my breath away. Her glossy hair bounced as she walked toward me. I’d always been a sucker for thick hair I could sink my hands into. And those eyes. Golden, as I’d suspected. And currently nervous as hell.

“Have a seat.”

This was going to be interesting.