The ride to Wisconsin was a total nail biter. Snow reduced visibility, and the roads were a smooth sheet of ice. If Zara didn't know better, she'd wonder if the road maintenance crews used Zambonis to clear the expressway instead of plows. In order to keep her mind off of the treacherous journey, she’d peppered Aaron with questions.

"What's your star sign?" She swallowed a sip of coffee. "I'm a Gemini.”

"Virgo.” He scowled. “Astrology is bunk. Obviously, I'm not a virgin and you're not a twin.”

"Obviously." Sweet heaven, could they have any conversation that didn't send her mind to a deliciously naughty place?

She did a quick internet search on her phone, which confirmed that Virgos and Geminis were incompatible. Per the astrology website, Geminis were dreamers and Virgos, with their focus on reality, were dream crushers. They were complete opposites. So what, if she wanted to rip his clothes off? The guy always ended up saying something to kill the mood. But she had plenty of ideas on how to keep his mouth busy.

Every time she took a sip of coffee or a nibble of muffin, his lips tightened and he gripped the steering wheel hard.

She sneezed, spewing muffin crumbs, and he gritted his teeth.

Thinking of how his budget shrinking ways jeopardized her Wondrous Worlds game and her job, she chowed down on a second muffin and brushed the crumbs from her lap onto the floor of the Audi.

He hit the brakes, nearly sending them into a spin, and she resolved to stop teasing him until they arrived at their destination safely.

"Which video games are your favorites?" she asked. Games seemed a safe enough topic.

"I never got into video games. Sudoku puzzles are more my speed."

She couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Of all the places you could have gotten a job, why choose Windy City Gaming?"

"Cheryl’s brother and I were in the same fraternity. When she used her inheritance to start the company, he told me about the job." He fiddled with the button for the defroster. "What games do you like?"

She doubted that he cared much about her video game obsession, but she appreciated his effort at keeping the conversation going. "Wondrous Worlds. It's such a great fantasy game even though the graphics suck. This summer at Comicon, I dressed as Yolanda the fearless warrior mage."

"Of course, you did." The corners of his lips turned up in the barest hint of a smile. “Nice way to generate buzz for the game.”

“My costume is wicked cool. Didn’t matter that no one was familiar with the character yet. Lots of people wanted to get their picture taken with me. Do you think I can convince Cheryl to keep Wondrous Worlds on the lineup?”

“I’m sure your pitch will blow her away.”

“If she decides to drop it, will you put in a good word for me with the company who’s buying the rejected games?”

“Of course, but I’ll do my best to help keep you and the game on board.”

“That’s a relief, thanks.” For the first time since the meeting with Cheryl, Zara let herself relax.

They exited the expressway and the scenery slowly changed from urban to rural with fewer cars braving the roads.

By the time they reached the resort, Zara had become stir crazy. She dreaded being stuck in the middle of nowhere with the uptight director, but with her game and job on the line, she had little choice.

After they parked, Aaron retrieved the luggage from the trunk.

Their cabin, while dollhouse adorable, appeared to be entirely too small to comfortably contain more than two adults.

“How many of us will be sleeping in there?” she asked.

“Just the three of us. A few more people came down with the flu, so Cheryl switched us to a smaller venue to reduce costs.”

“The company retreat consists of only you, me and Cheryl?” Talk about awkward.

“There were supposed to be eight of us until people started canceling.”

“I had no idea there was a flu epidemic.”

“While some people are genuinely sick, I suspect others couldn’t bear to leave their families at Christmas.”

A figure in a parka bounded out of the structure. “Welcome.” A striped scarf muffled Cheryl’s voice and obscured her facial features.

They followed her inside the tiny cabin.

The downstairs consisted of a kitchenette with a table and two chairs on one side and a couch on the other. A fireplace provided a warm glow. Ladders led to lofts on either side. A sprig of plastic mistletoe hung from one of the lofts and unadorned silver Christmas tree sat propped in a corner.

Cheryl unwrapped the scarf and removed her parka. Her skin had the telltale orange tint of self-tanner abuse.

Aaron leaned close to whisper in her ear. “Another causality of pumpkin spice season.”

She covered her giggles with a feigned coughing fit.

Maybe the director had a sense of humor buried deep under his uptight exterior.

Cheryl handed her a tissue. "If you’re coming down with the flu, maybe you should head home. Aaron and I can sort things out.”

“I’m not sick. Once I heard the flu was going around, I started taking tons of zinc and vitamin C.” Zara thrust the foil package toward Cheryl. “I made these this morning. They’re pumpkin walnut.”

“My favorite.” Cheryl dug out a muffin and took a bite.

Images of vertically challenged orange men singing and dancing filled Zara’s mind. If Cheryl channeled an Oompa Loompa, then Aaron was Willy Wonka, full of candy goodness. Where the hell did that thought come from? Must be from excessive horniness. Since ending her friends-with-benefits relationship with Warren, she hadn’t gotten laid. Her New Year’s resolution was to get back out into the dating scene even if it meant giving online dating a go.

Aaron shrugged out of his coat and brushed snowflakes from his thick, dark hair. “That was one hell of a ride. I’m sure we’d both like the opportunity to freshen up before plunging into work.”

“There are only two bedrooms.” Cheryl gestured to the lofts.

“I’m good on the couch,” Aaron said.

“The sofa doesn’t pull out into a bed.” Cheryl pouted. “Anyway, you’re too tall to fit comfortably. Maybe we should double up.”

“I’ll manage,” Aaron said.

Cheryl pulled him aside for a private conversation. She rubbed at the coffee stain on his shirt, letting her hand rest on his chest until he brushed it away.

Zara escaped to the bathroom. After giving herself a pep talk in the mirror, she climbed the ladder to the loft. At the sight of Aaron sitting at the edge of the bed, her hormones went into a frenzy. A compulsion to push him down on the sky blue comforter and climb on top of him overcame her.

“Having you pitch your project may not be the best idea. I can make a case for keeping Wondrous Worlds in development.”

Heat rushed to her face. “Do you expect me to botch the pitch?”

“Not at all. Spending the holidays with your family would be more fun than being stuck in a cabin watching projects get slaughtered.”

The guy was full of mixed messages. If he didn't want her to stay, why make a case for her to attend the retreat and haul her suitcase to the loft?

She crossed her arms. “I’m not going to leave the fate of Wondrous Worlds to a Sox fan and an Oompa Loompa.”

He let out a bark of laughter, and the shock of it sent quivers down to her toes. “Orange was never Cheryl’s best color.”

His rare display of mirth dissolved her anger and her brain traveled back into naked Aaron fantasy land. She bit her lip to keep from offering to share her bed. Not that she'd get any sleep with all that sexiness next to her.

“Okay, we'll give this a shot,” he said.

She nodded and bent to unzip her suitcase.

He stood and headed toward the ladder. Before he reached the edge of the loft, he turned. “We need to join forces to make this as painless as possible. Whatever happens in this cabin, stays here."

“Deal,” she said. “No pranks, I promise.”

“When we get back to the office, I want my green sticky notes back.”

She crossed her fingers behind her back. “Sure,” she lied. She'd replace his notes with orange ones. Take that Willy Wonka.

After unpacking her suitcase, she joined Aaron in the living area.

"Why is it so hot in here?" She yanked off her sweater, revealing her white t-shirt with its cartoon Yolanda graphic, as designed by the original artist. The one she had to fire when Aaron slashed the Wondrous Worlds budget.

He nodded at the decal on her shirt. "Is that your Mage thingy?"

"Yep, that’s Yolanda."

"And this?" His fingers lightly brushed along the outlines of her tattoos.

"Mario from Super Mario Brothers." Her nipples hardened.

"And this?" The movement of his finger on the flesh of her inner arm raised goosebumps.

"Zelda." Her voice sounded breathy.

"This?"

"Qbert."

"These?" He traced up to her collarbone.

"Space Invaders." Hot damn, she was going to spontaneously combust.

Cheryl stepped out of the bathroom. "Did marketing authorize the use of the image?" Her voice was a bucket of cold water.

They moved apart.

“I didn’t think to ask for approval,” Zara said “This is the only shirt I had made. It’s for personal use only,”

Cheryl pursed her lips.

Even though she was sweating, Zara slipped her sweater back over her head. What a terrible start. In addition to losing her game and her job, she worried that Cheryl would slap Zara with a lawsuit for her unauthorized use of the Yolanda image.