“This is Blake.” I answered the phone, distracted with a new sales report that showed Out & About Apparel had ticked up a few points and the gap between us grew wider.

“Mr. Sayers, do you have any idea why I’m staring at a Space Invaders arcade game and two confused delivery men?” Poppy’s tone was all business, totally professional, with just a hint of amusement.

“An arcade game? Hmm, I haven’t the slightest idea. Perhaps you have an admirer?”

“That’s doubtful. There’s this…bribe vibe coming from it,” she said like it was a serious thing.

“A bribe vibe?”

“Yeah, it feels very bribe-y. I’m afraid I’ll have to return it.”

That wasn’t going to happen. “You can’t return it without playing at least one game, Poppy.” I like the way her name popped off my tongue, like an explosion. “You know you want to.”

“You just want me to keep it and be all grateful to you every time I look at it.”

Was Poppy flirting with me? She damn well was. “Not at all. I want you to think of me when you look at it. When you play. Hell, when you run into it in the middle of the night.”

“That kind of thinking could lead to stalking. I would think a guy like you wouldn’t court that kind of danger.”

“A guy like me? Handsome as sin and ten times as charming?”

She barked out a laugh. “Wealthy, Blake. I’ll bet you’ve had your fair share.”

More than a couple but I didn’t want to talk about that.

“Sorry. It’s probably scary when you live through it. Anyway Blake, I appreciate the gesture but really, there’s no need for this.”

What was it about this woman, constantly turning me down? I couldn’t remember the last time I had to work this hard to get a woman interested. “There’s never a need, but I thought you’d like it.”

“Why,” she asked suspiciously.

“Because I saw you wearing that shirt in a photo with you and Maple. Okay a few shirts.” She was silent for a long moment and my teeth clenched waiting for a response. One more mistake and she might stop taking my calls altogether. Then a loud, raucous laughter spilled from her mouth.

“I loved that shirt. It was my first find at the thrift store and I turned it into a tank top and wore it until it fell apart. I wore it all the time. Maple hated it.” She laughed again, so amused by her memory.

“And the game?”

She laughed again. “I still have an old Atari 2600. And it works.”

Dammit, now I really was starting to like her. I needed to take control. “I assume you have other games?”

She snorted. “I’m not an amateur, so of course I have other games Blake.”

I loved the way she said my name and now I knew my path. I knew the way forward and it began with working Poppy Masters out of my system so I could take her company. A two pronged attack would be best. Maximize my odds and all that. “Then we have to have a game night.”

“A game night? Do a lot of game nights on your jet, do you? Or maybe it’s the yacht for Monopoly.”

“You’re a regular Kevin Hart aren’t you?” Another sexy laugh escaped and I gripped the phone tight, ignoring the other places that grew tight. “You know, a night where two people of equal, more or less, gaming skills go head to head in a battle for the ages.”

“You have a flair for the dramatic.”

“I have been told that before, you know. But I accept it as the compliment you meant it to be.” That laugh would fuel more than a few late night fantasies. Or maybe real life fantasies. “So what time should I stop by for game night?”

“You shouldn’t, Blake. Look, this is fun, talking on the phone and even flirting a little, but I’m not going to let you seduce me just so you can get your hands on OAA.”

She was smart to be cautious because right now I felt like the fucking Big Bad Wolf. “What about letting me seduce you because you know you’ll like it. You’ll come hard and often.” Maybe it was too much. Too forward, but she was a woman who was straightforward and I assumed she appreciated it in return.

“You think pretty highly of yourself, don’t you?”

I had to laugh because she was nothing if not blunt. “I do, because I haven’t had any complaints.” I was a damn good lay and I knew it. Soon, Poppy would know it too.

“You wouldn’t though, would you? I mean, you’re handsome sure, but you’re also rich and influential in some circles. What most women might consider a catch.”

“I like where this is going,” I tell her, feeling uncomfortable in a way I couldn’t describe.

“So maybe, in their desire to please you and seem like good future wife material, they aren’t being honest about your, ah, carnal skills?”

“Damn Poppy, don’t hold back.”

“Just a theory. I could be wrong, but I won’t be finding out.” She was so confident she could resist me but I could hear the thread of desire in her voice, giving it a slight wobble and pitching her voice lower. Poppy might not want to want me, but she did.

“Then you’ll have no trouble resisting my charms tonight. See you at six.” I ended the call before she could tell me not to come.

“Real smooth, Blake. It’s like you totally…oh!” Lacey grinned as she bounced in and took a seat on the edge of my desk. “So, where are you taking her?”

“Who?”

“Is that how we’re going to do this, the hard way? Fine. Where are you taking Poppy, the woman whose company you’re attempting to take over while you try to get her in bed?”

“It’s not like that, Lacey.”

“No? You just happen to want the one woman in the world who can give you the thing you want most. Right.” Arms crossed, she rolled her eyes and grunted her disapproval. “I really hope you know what you’re doing.”

“Don’t I always?” My decision making was one of my best skills. I set my sights on a goal, plan out every step and execute each one to perfection until the goal is achieved. It had helped me take Peak Adventures international.

“No, but you always think you know what you’re doing.” She hopped off the desk and turned away. “Good luck.”

“Is that why you came in here?”

“No.” She shrugged again, smiling with her whole face like she used to when she was a girl. “I came in here to bitch at you about the apparel again but you already look so down I couldn’t pile on.”

“Well, I appreciate it.”

“Not that it would matter anyway,” she said as she walked out of my office.

Maybe my baby sister was right and I did need to take a closer look at the apparel, but first I needed to see behind the scenes. I spent the rest of the day gathering data from the research department to get the answers I needed. There was so much to go through because we were constantly in search of answers on demographics, market share, buying trends and any other factor that could help us sell more of our goods to more people.

The answers were, at best, inconclusive. Clearly we needed to do better and there was a problem somewhere. Peak Adventures was one of the top names in outdoor sporting equipment and extreme outdoor sporting goods, but people went to my competitors for apparel. My company needed OAA and as much as I hated that fact, I was more determined than ever to make it true.

“Mr. Sayers it’s time for you to leave.”

“What time is it?”

“Five thirty. There’s a car waiting downstairs,” my assistant said as she grabbed my jacket and shoved in my arms. “There’s a call for you, Mrs. Sanchez. She wouldn’t say what it was about.”

“Thank you, Meg. Don’t stay too late.”

“Good evening, sir.”

Meg was the best assistant I’ve ever had and I’d already gone through four before I found her. She was smart and capable, efficient and she doesn’t take any shit from me. Kept me on schedule and dressed appropriately for any occasion. And best of all, she was happily married with no designs on me.

I slipped into the back of the car and answered the call on my cell. “Good evening, Victoria.”

“Blake, I’m calling with good news,” she said because Victoria Sanchez wasn’t a woman who wasted time with niceties. “Robert Krakauer and I have decided to sell you our shares, which now gives you twenty five percent stake. Get to work on the rest, Blake.”

The call ended and I stared at the screen. “What is up with women hanging up on me lately?”

I closed my eyes and laid back on the seat, letting the sounds of the city fade away. I needed to clear my mind before seeing Poppy again. This was too important to leave anything to chance.