Chapter One
Liz
Leaning over, I carefully shaved my left leg. Water from the shower head pooled over my hair, dripping down my body, erasing the shaving cream I’d spread over my skin. I felt fresh. New.
Once I was done with my shower, I dried off, carefully blow-dried and flat-ironed my hair, and got started on my makeup. I was careful to remember all of the tips Amy had pelted me with the last time she’d helped me get ready.
Of course, she’d been helping me get ready for a date. Today? I was just going to work.
Seemed kind of crazy that I was taking such care with my appearance on a work day, but today, work was special. Special why? Because my boyfriend was the new CEO, and he’d just saved everyone’s jobs by acquiring my company.
He was, quite literally, a hero.
I could still remember the relieved looks on everyone’s faces when he stood in front of us to announce that his company, Tolbert Developments, had purchased Gamerz Group. There’d been cheering, and even some relieved crying. Anya, a single mother of two, had wept openly, so happy to keep her job and be able to continue providing for her kids.
Today was a day for celebration, and for looking my best. I grabbed a coffee at the drive-through café in downtown Mill Valley, not even caring that I had to wait twenty minutes in line. I was leaving early—even earlier than Jamie, whose car had still been in his driveway when I left.
Finally, I made it to San Francisco. I parked in the parking garage. My heels clacked over concrete and echoed in the garage as I made my way to the office. I stopped at the coffee shop on the corner and got myself a fancy drink, then carried it with me into my office building. When I got off the elevator, coffee in hand, an old jazz song, “Moondance,” was stuck in my head, and it took every ounce of my willpower to keep from swaying to the tune as I walked.
Amy was standing near the door to the office—it looked like she’d gotten here seconds before me.
“Well, somebody woke up on the right side of the CEO’s bed,” Amy whispered with a smirk.
“What? No,” I said, laughing. “We weren’t even together last night.”
Mishka Underwood was no longer our company CEO, but Jamie had assured her that she still had a job here at Gamerz Group, so she was already making the rounds—her specialty. Amy squeezed my elbow in solidarity and went to her own work area, a table she shared with two other designers.
We stepped through the office doors together, and I walked over to my own work space. The table was situated next to some other desks, and I got myself situated, leaning back in my rolling chair and turning on my computer.
Amy caught my eye from the other side of the room and gave me another knowing smile. I just shook my head.
The atmosphere in the office could only be described as jubilant and determined. Everyone still seemed so relieved that they had their jobs, and at the same time, they were determined to impress the new boss. Made total sense to me—I knew I certainly wanted to impress him.
My computer finally came on and was all warmed up. Immediately, an interoffice chat message showed up on the screen.
AmyEverrson: How are things really going?
I knew she was asking about my relationship with Jamie but no way was I discussing this on the interoffice messaging system. Yes, the chats were ostensibly private but I remembered as well as anyone the sheaf of papers I’d signed that basically said anything I did on this computer was fair game to whoever wanted to look into it. Just because my boyfriend was the CEO didn’t mean I could go talking about personal details.
LizMason: They’re fine.
I turned around to face her and rolled my eyes, frowning. Then I pulled my cell phone from my purse and texted her.
Liz: Things are going strong. I really like him. But I can’t talk about this kind of stuff at work.
Amy: Sorry. Just habit, messaging you that other way. Have you guys talked much about what his position here means for your relationship?
I puzzled over the question. I wasn’t sure what she meant. I mean, nothing had changed since Friday—we were still dating, after all.
Liz: No… why? What does his position have to do with our relationship?
Amy: I didn’t know if you guys had set ground rules or anything.
We hadn’t set any kind of rules, and we’d barely had a chance to talk about work. We’d spent the weekend making love and enjoying each other’s company—it had felt all the sweeter because the week before, I’d nearly broken up with him.
Should we have set some ground rules? I imagined us stopping in the middle of a lovemaking session to write out a list of commandments on a legal pad. If we’d done something as ridiculous as that, I’d have laughed.
Thinking about the weekend with Jamie had me smiling to myself.
Amy: I can see you over there with that dumb grin on your face. You’ve got it bad, girlfriend.
I grinned even harder and wrote back, Yeah, maybe I do.
Jamie entered the office at that moment. I didn’t see him walk in because I was texting Amy but I felt the atmosphere change dramatically. It was as if a collective swoon went up through the room. Men and women alike were in love with Jamie, grateful that he’d saved our jobs.
Sensing the difference in the air, I looked up. Jamie was wearing a crisp, dark gray suit, and his dark brown hair was styled perfectly, a little messy on top as was the current style. His jaw was clean-shaven, but I knew that by five o’clock, he’d be sporting a sexy shadow of a beard.
He looked like a corporate Adonis… and he was mine. I could barely believe it.
The man next to him was unfamiliar—he looked to be in his late thirties or early forties, with black hair and dark, assessing eyes that scanned the entire office.
They walked past my work area. I sat back a little bit and looked up at Jamie, smiling.
Jamie didn’t notice me, or if he did, he pretended not to. Instead, he and the other man walked right past me and to the hallway that led to the private offices of Gamerz Group.
What the hell? That didn’t make any sense. It wasn’t like he’d been afraid to talk to me last Friday here, after he made his announcement about the acquisition.
I couldn’t help but feel like a little scalpel had wedged itself into my heart. Not hard enough to really do much damage but there was a definite sting there.
Grumbling inwardly, I put my phone back in my purse, closed the interoffice text messaging app on my computer, and pulled up the calendar of upcoming app launches.