Crap. She was late. Again.

Nat checked her phone, trying not to look too annoyed as she hurried across the lobby and towards the elevators. Tapping her foot, she watched as the elevator climbed to the top of the building, finally reaching the 30th floor.

“Oh thank god you’re here.”

Her assistant, Leah, was standing there looking frazzled.

“What’s up?” she asked, taking the cup of coffee Leah thrust at her.

“Carter says he needs to see you immediately,” Leah said. “Do you think he’s going to offer you VP?”

“Leah,” Nat said warningly.

“What?” Leah’s eyes widened. “It’s been a month since Matt announced he was stepping down. Carter’s going to need to make a decision soon. And you’re the natural pick…right?”

Nat hoped so—after three years of helping build Purely Pleasure with Carter Daniels, sex toy inventor extraordinaire, the company was taking off in a big way. She loved her job as CFO, but she craved more. When their Vice President’s wife had gotten an amazing job opportunity in California, Matt had decided to do the whole stay at home Dad thing while his wife pursued his dreams. Which meant there was now a job opening.

She was trying hard not to get her hopes up—Purely Pleasure had grown in leaps and bounds in the last few years and she’d gotten the job straight out of college. But maybe…

She knew the company better than anyone Carter brought in from the outside. She just hoped that he’d see it that way.

“I’ll go talk to Carter,” she told Leah. “Can you move my Skype meeting with Liberty at the Portland store by twenty minutes?”

“On it,” Leah said.

Nat strode through the Purely Pleasure offices, smiling and greeting a few employees as she headed towards Carter’s office. She knocked on the door.

“Come in,” a deep voice called.

She walked inside her boss’s office. Carter was on the phone and gestured her to come in, mouthing, sorry, just one second as she sat down.

Carter Daniels was a gentle giant of a man. A tall, affable, handsome geek who’d taken his inventions to another level when he’d started the company that was now the hottest thing on the sex toy market. Carter’s designs—and engineering skills—were unparalleled. No matter how many copycats were made—and many rival companies had tried—none could compare to a Purely Pleasure toy and their customer base knew it.

Nat looked to him like the older brother she’d never had. She’d been with him from the start of the company—and she hoped she’d be here for years to come. She loved the work, even though sometimes people got awkward when they found out what she did.

“Okay, Dad,” he said. “I’m flying out of La Guardia in three hours. I’ll be there as soon as I can. I love you. Bye now.”

Nat felt a flash of worry as he hung the phone up and she realized he looked absolutely wrecked.

“Carter, is something wrong?” she asked.

“Olivia’s been having some problems,” he said, naming his little sister. “She’s in the hospital for some tests.”

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” Nat said. “What can I do?”

He smiled. “I knew you’d say that.”

“Anything,” she promised, and meaning it.

“I’m heading to Portland to be with my parents and Olivia while the tests are done,” Carter explained. “I do have something you could help me with.”

“Name it,” she said. “Do I need to hold down the fort while you’re gone? I’m happy to.”

“I actually have kind of a personal thing I need your help with. My roommate from college, Rhett Oakes, is coming into town today. Tomorrow’s the Black and White Ball and I was going to introduce him to some investors there. Rhett owns this huge, gorgeous piece of property in Oregon. It has a lodge and hot springs and he’s looking to expand it into a whole wilderness retreat and he needs investors to do it.”

Nat raised an eyebrow. “You want me to be arm candy?”

Carter look horrified. “Oh god, no,” he said. “Rhett is…he’s a little rustic,” he said finally. “The kind of guy who can go out in the woods with nothing but an axe and live off the land for months at a time. He’s gonna need some help, when it comes to navigating the party. And you’re always been better at wooing investors than anyone else I know. You’d be a huge asset to him.”

“So your best friend is some sort of survivalist?” Nat asked.

Carter smiled. “He’s a bit of a character. But he’s a really great guy. He was a vet before he inherited River Run. Studied those sea wolves up in British Columbia for a few years.”

“Oh, I read an article about those,” Nat said, remembering. “The wolves were so cute.” She frowned. “Well, cute and vicious,” she said.

Carter’s smile widened. “You don’t mind doing this for me? I know it’s kind of a big ask and not a lot of notice.”

“I’m happy to help,” Nat said. “I don’t want you to worry about anything while you’re with your family. I will handle your mountain man friend and get him as many investors as I can. Promise.”

“You’re the best, Nat,” Carter said, getting up and grabbing his phone, a spare pair of glasses—he was always losing them—and his suitcase. “I don’t know what I’d do without you. I’ve arranged for a car to pick Rhett up at the airport, so you don’t have to worry. I’ll text you his number and you two can arrange plans for the ball?”

“Absolutely,” Nat said. “Now go. Have a safe flight.”

As he left, she let out a little sigh. Poor Carter. She prayed there was nothing seriously wrong with Olivia, she was such a sweet little girl. She’d been a late-in-life baby for Carter’s parents, so their age difference was vast, but he loved his little sister so much. He’d even created a charity to empower young girls in STEM fields in Olivia’s name when she was born.

Leah poked her head into the office. “I’ve got Liberty for you,” she said.

Nat hurried out of Carter’s office and towards her own, already mentally thinking through the evening gowns in her closet, wondering if she even had a black dress.