JESSICA WALKED INTO the office, bleary-eyed and cranky from a lack of sleep. She reviewed seemingly endless potential client lists for days, trying to pick out the best prospects. And today I’m going to land the big fish.

Charlie appeared in the doorway of the office within two minutes of her arrival wearing a deep scowl. But Jessica was too excited about the upcoming meeting. Screw him, he’s not raining on my parade today.

“Good morning!” She flashed him a bright smile, imagining her fist connecting with his jaw resulting in a satisfying crack. She’d kick him while he was down, too. Oh, such great imagery to propel her through the day.

“How did everything go at Stanford? Since I got caught up at Barclay without a car, I didn’t get an opportunity to stop by as planned.”

Ha, ha! A surprised look flitted across her face. “Wait, your car didn’t show up?”

Charlie entered the office wearing a tight smile. “I don’t like games, Jessica. I’m your superior, you keep forgetting that.”

Crossing her arms, she looked him right in the eye. “You know what, Charlie? You are my boss, and I should respect that. My bad. But don’t think for a second I’m going to cower every time you raise your voice. I work very hard for you and I don’t deserve this kind of treatment.” She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “Don’t bully me. I’m not dealing with it anymore.”

A look of utter shock settled over his face. She smiled to herself. He’s got nothing.

Dr. Martin warned her about keeping stress levels to a minimum. Nobody at work knew about her condition and she intended to keep it that way. That promotion was hers. No way was she getting passed over because of her illness. She’d never give Charlie that kind of ammunition. No, she let him know she wasn’t afraid. Not anymore.

“I’m going to Secure Transact this morning to sign them. Anything you need from me can wait until I get back. I’ll get everything finished for the partner meeting next week, but please let me do my job right now.” Her heart pounded, but her voice was unwavering.

Composing himself, Charlie left without another word. Jessica let out a shaky breath and sank into her chair. Holy shit! Did I just say all that? Oh yeah, this is living for sure.

Grabbing her phone, she shot off a text to Lisa. Need to talk ASAP!

A minute later, her phone rang. “What is it? Are you okay? You have me completely freaked out!”

Jessica giggled. “If only I had a picture to share. You should have seen the look on Charlie’s face when I told him off a few minutes ago.”

Lisa gasped. “You didn’t!”

“Oh, I did. He was about to attack me for the car stunt, which would have been expected.” She chewed off a stray cuticle. “I pretty much told him to stay out of my way. Maybe the message was a little more diplomatic, but that was the gist.”

“Wow, Jess. That’s awesome. It’s about time you stood up to that prick. You’re gonna kick ass at that meeting today, and when you sign them and bring in millions, he’ll be kissing it.”

“Easy, a lot happens before the millions come rolling in, but at least signing them will be a start. Anyway, thought you’d appreciate the share.”

“Oh, yes! Hey, quick question, how do you feel about going to a concert tonight? Rochelle called and her PR firm just signed Dezzie. They’re hosting some event at the Oracle Arena and she got us VIP passes for the skybox. You interested?”

“Not really a fan of Dezzie or Rochelle, but I’m in! Think we’ll see anyone famous?” Jessica’s voice rose in excitement.

“You never know. Oakland is such a hot spot.” Lisa snickered.

“Sounds great. I’ll catch up with you later. I’ve got to get to this meeting on time today.”

Darn it. Where are those pitch presentations? She tore her desk apart, looking in all the drawers and overhead compartments. Could Charlie have taken them? She groaned, not putting it past him. The meeting wasn’t for another hour, but she wanted more prep time. She Googled the nearest Kinko’s since the office color printer was out of commission and bolted to the elevator.

It was already eighty degrees outside and the adrenaline rush was making her sweat. Great, a brisk jog is all I need now. Fanning herself with her only copy of the presentation, she raced down the street. Two blocks later, Jessica paused to catch her breath in front of Kinko’s and cringed at her reflection in the storefront window. Argh! I’m such a mess! What are the odds I can get this mop into a halfway decent-looking ponytail before the meeting?

A burst of cold air greeted her as she opened the door. She rushed to the counter, grateful to see only one customer ahead of her, but the copy girl was so entranced with the tall light brown-haired man standing at the counter that she didn’t even notice Jessica. Oh come on!

Then, the incessant giggling started. Dammit, I don’t have time for this…

The copy girl fluttered her eyelashes as she returned the man’s credit card. “So, what’s LazerShark anyway?

Jessica’s ears perked up. LazerShark? But that’s—

“Hey!”

She spun around, startled. Her face broke into a surprised smile when she saw James. Her heart fluttered at the lopsided grin lighting up his face. “Hey yourself! Is this a little too coincidental or what?” She winked, feeling a little brazen. “You stalking me or something?”

He laughed. “It would appear so. But in reality, our color copier broke down this morning. I wasn’t too happy about that five minutes ago, but right now, I’m feeling a lot better.”

Jessica felt her face grow warm and butterflies took off from the pit of her belly. She smiled. “Me too.” She pointed to the young man at the counter. “So that must be…”

James nodded. “My partner. Chris.”

Hearing his name, Chris turned around with a curious look on his handsome face. Seeing Jessica, he grinned. “Ah, so you must be Jessica. Tell me, how much have your ears been ringing lately?” He nudged James. “Looks like the girl who got away didn’t get very far, huh? Lucky for you.”

Jessica giggled, noting that James looked like he wanted to crawl under a desk.

He glared at Chris, his face reddening. “Thanks, buddy, that was real smooth. Why don’t you just take care of the bill?” James sighed. “I’m really sorry about that, he’s about as subtle as a gunshot.”

Chris let out a hearty laugh. “Aw come on, where’s your sense of humor, Jay? Just be honest and tell her that you can’t stop talking about her. What do you have to lose?”

James shrugged, a sheepish grin spreading over his face.

Ooh, he’s so adorable…a scary shade of purple but still delicious!

“Fine.” He turned back to Jessica. “I did talk about you, a lot. I think you’re fantastic. I should have asked for your number the other night. I’ve been beating myself up about it ever since and I don’t want to waste another opportunity. If you’re not completely freaked out by this confession, I’d love to take you out.” He grinned, his color returning to normal. “What do you think?”

Holy cow! I walked away from this guy twice but something keeps bringing us back together. I don’t know why but who the hell am I to tempt fate? It’ll be a little fling, exactly what I need. I won’t be here long enough for it to turn into anything serious. We’ll have our fun and then I’ll be out of here. Lisa and Haley will be thrilled.

Chris winked at the copy girl as he took the package. He slipped past James, clapping him on the shoulder. “Good for you, man. I’ll wait for you in the car. Jessica, it’s been a pleasure. This guy’s the best.”

Jessica felt the butterflies swarm once again. Jesus, I’ve never known a guy to be so completely open and honest. The whole thing is low risk. It’s a perfect situation. I have to give him a shot. “That would be great, James. I’d love to go out with you.”

“OKAY, YOU CAN thank me now.”

James groaned and pulled the car door closed. “You know, I’m perfectly capable of handling myself, Chris. Did you need to make me look like such an ass in front of Jessica?”

“Yes. You have displayed no evidence supporting that claim so I took matters into my own hands to save you from yourself. She’s hot as hell! How did you let her walk away twice?”

James shrugged. “Do we really have to cover this again?”

“Negative. Tell me something. Are you happy you ran into her?”

“Yes.”

“And she agreed to go out with you?”

“Yep.”

“Great. So nothing else matters right now. Put all your hang-ups behind you and enjoy the time with her. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but there’s a reason why you guys ran into each other today, for the third time. Stop hiding behind your excuses and live a little!” Chris gave James an affectionate punch. “Now let’s go crush this meeting and sign on some new partners.”

James settled into the plush leather seat and let out a sigh of relief. I guess the universe thought I wasn’t moving fast enough on my own. Seeing her today confirms more than ever that this deserves a shot. There’s something special about you, Jessica. I can just feel it.