Just Dare Me.... Stephanie Bond

her knees quaking, her voice leaving her. Instead, she visualized walking into his office Monday morning, declining his offer to sit, calling him “Bruce,” and telling him that she wanted—no, that she deserved—the CEG account.

      But each time she visualized Bruce’s face, he looked incredulous, skeptical and stupefied at her request.

      But when she returned to her apartment, now carrying McGee because he couldn’t maneuver the stairs, an idea popped into her head. She rifled through her briefcase, and pulled out the company’s full-color annual report. Inside was a picture of Bruce Noble, his face nearly life-size…and smiling. She tore out the photo and pasted it onto a piece of cardboard, then cut along the outline of his face. Then she fastened the cardboard face to the front of a ball cap.

      “McGee, come here, sweetie.”

      He lumbered over and stood patiently while she settled the cap onto his meaty head.

      “Perfect,” she said, then stepped back to stare at Bruce Noble’s smiling face. “Mr. Noble, I want the CEG account.”

      McGee barked, his jowls bouncing, not unlike her boss’s.

      “Why?” She picked up the green suit and held it against her. “Because I’ve assisted on the account for two years—I know the products, I wrote most of the literature, and…”

      McGee barked, as if prompting her.

      She pulled the clasp from her braid and ran her fingers through her long hair, releasing it into all its furious glory. “And I deserve this chance…Bruce. I’ve given this firm six years of my life, and I’m good at my job. Just as good at Dell Kingston. And I’m tired of being overlooked…by everyone.”

      The memory of Dell’s mocking smile as he’d pulled her to her feet flooded her with stinging humiliation all over again. He’d teased her, dismissed her, just like the others.

      But Monday morning, she thought determinedly, she would be noticed…for all the right reasons.

      3

      DELL PRESSED the elevator button and drank deeply from his large cup of coffee, trying to wake up. He’d gone mountain biking yesterday morning in the summer heat, then spent the afternoon rock climbing. It had seemed worthwhile—even enjoyable—at the time, but this morning his ass was dragging and his joints moaning.

      He nodded to the security guard, the only other person in the lobby at this early hour. But Bruce Noble was always in his office before most people were out of bed, and Dell had decided to use the opportunity to formally request the CEG account. Formally because it was a near certainty that he would get it—he was a senior account executive with an impeccable track record. And CEG was a perfect fit for him because he spent most of his free time outdoors pushing his body to new limits.

      Plus, stuffing his resume with A-list accounts was the shortest route to success.

      Success meant early retirement.

      Early retirement meant having the time to do the things he enjoyed most.

      Ergo, CEG was an important brick in his career path.

      Still, he didn’t want to appear presumptuous. It was best to follow protocol and plead his case to Noble so that there would be no misunderstandings.

      The elevator doors opened and he stepped inside. Behind him he heard the click of high heels on the tile floor, a sound that always spiked his pulse.

      “Hold the elevator,” a female voice called.

      He pressed the open button, then looked up to see a tall, leggy woman stride across the lobby like a beautiful colt, her slender figure clad in a trendy green suit, her long legs extended farther by a pair of those high-heeled, pointy-toed shoes that made his cock jump. God, he loved those on women.

      She walked into the car and murmured, “Thank you.”

      He took a deep drink from his cup to cover his frank perusal of the beauty next to him. Her hair was the color of a red maple tree in full fall flame—spectacular.

      Damn, what was it about redheads lately that had him so worked up?

      Actually, except for the fact that this woman was polished to a professional shine, her makeup glamorous, her posture self-assured, she reminded him a little of…

      He inhaled a mouthful of scalding coffee and sputtered like a car engine. “Gabby?” he gasped.

      She turned to him, eyebrows arched over the most gorgeous green eyes he’d ever seen. “Yes?”

      He blinked. Wait a minute—he had seen those eyes before, only…were her lashes always so long, her mouth always so wide and inviting? “You look…wow,” he said, stumbling over his words.

      The blush that pinked her cheeks was the first sign of the old Gabby. “Were you planning to push the button for our floor?”

      Feeling like an idiot, he stabbed at it three times before it lit up.

      “Did you have a nice weekend?” he asked, still reeling.

      “Yes, thank you,” she responded, tucking a long lock of hair behind a delicate ear.

      As they climbed, he tried not to stare, but couldn’t drag his gaze away from her profile. The transformation from ugly duckling to siren swan was just short of miraculous.

      Desire swelled in his midsection and suddenly, the prospect of Gabby assisting him on the CEG account held even more promise. And she must be entertaining similar thoughts of a collaboration, he reasoned with smug satisfaction, or else why would she be dressed like that?

      The elevator doors opened and she walked out in front of him.

      “Um, Gabby,” he said.

      She turned back. “Yes?”

      “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about the CEG account.”

      “What about it?”

      He pulled out his most charming smile. “Well, I’m going to need some…help. And I know that Courtney found you indispensable.”

      The tightening of her mouth told him that Courtney had not been that forthcoming with her about her value.

      “I was hoping you’d be willing to share your expertise with me, now that I’ll be taking over the account.”

      Her eyes clouded slightly. “Has Mr. Noble officially assigned the CEG account to you?”

      “No…not officially,” he felt obligated to say. “Actually, that’s why I came in early, to talk to him about it.”

      A small smile curved her mouth. “What a coincidence.” Then she turned and walked away from him.

      Dell stood there nodding, too distracted by the swing of her shapely backside to fully comprehend her words. Then he blinked—what had she said? Something about a coincidence?

      His eyes widened. Surely she didn’t mean…He scoffed—she couldn’t possibly think…

      Alarm blipped through his chest when he realized that Gabby hadn’t gone in the direction of her cubicle, but in the direction of Bruce Noble’s office!

      GABRIELLE STOPPED at the closed door of Bruce’s office, inhaled deeply and knocked. She was feeling more than a little off-kilter from her encounter with Dell, but she had to focus on her goal.

      “Come in,” Bruce called.

      She drew on the strength of a weekend of rehearsing with an amiable Bruce Noble cutout that followed her around the apartment and smiled at her across the kitchen table, while she picked at her microwave entrees and McGee munched the kibble in his doggie dish. She could do this. With a deep inhale, she opened the door and walked in.

      “Good morning, Bruce.”

      Her boss squinted at her, then his eyes