A promising partnership

Businesswoman Lila Parker has a meeting about the future of her start-up. But when she makes a professional faux pas, it just might lead to love

Lila had stayed up half the night to prepare for that morning’s presentation. It was no secret the reclusive Mr. Stockton’s coveted business promised to be a boon for her f ledgling company.

Hands on hips, she checked her watch. Now where is that temp I hired?

She’d requested a seasoned temp from the employment agency. She smoothed her blouse and straightened her shoulders, and as she reached the reception area, the door f lew open. A tall man boasting chiseled cheekbones and rakish good looks stepped across the threshold.

“You made it!” Since when did of fice temp agencies employ professional models?

“Whew! I thought I was going to be late.” He pushed back an endearing shock of blond hair from his forehead then extended his hand. “You must be Ms. Parker.”

An electric current passed from his f ingertips to hers and she swallowed in an attempt to regain her wits.

“And you are?”

“My friends call me Charlie.” When he smiled, a dimple winked from his jaw.

She slipped her hand from his to point toward the kitchen at the back of the suite.

“How about preparing a pot of coffee and bringing it to the conference room to start?”

With several minutes to spare until Mr. Stockton’s arrival, she couldn’t deny that Charlie provided a welcome distraction.

Following an enthusiastic thumbs up, her temp disappeared down the hall. She mentally berated her schoolgirl behavior before taking her place in the conference room.

He returned a few moments later with a tray balanced across one sinewy forearm, atop of which sat a pot of fresh-brewed hazelnut and a dish with creamers. She inhaled the creamy scent of coffee that complemented a hint of his spicy aftershave and gulped. “Thank you so much—you can set it here.” He chuckled, drawing her attention to his full lips. “Can I get you anything else?” When she almost blurted the f irst thought in her head, she realized how much time she’d invested in her startup to the demise of her social life.

She pasted a smile on her face. “I’m good. Just a case of f irst-client jitters.”

“An electric current passed f rom his fingertips to hers.”