Moonlight Kisses. Phyllis Bourne

gave her insolence a pass.

      Peering through the binoculars, Cole zeroed in on the billboard. Magnification only made the damn thing worse.

      “Looks like you poked the wrong bear.” Loretta’s gravelly words went into his right ear.

      “Stiletto’s owner is not just good-looking, she’s ballsy, too.” Victor snorted in his left ear as Cole stood between them, binoculars still trained on the offensive sign in the distance.

       Bring it!

      Sage’s taunt and his own rising anger drowned out the voices of his secretary and stepfather. Anger mingled with the respect Cole grudgingly had to give her. This was something he would have done, if his attraction to her hadn’t thrown him for a loop.

      He continued to stare at the heavily made-up man on the billboard, silently ridiculing Espresso. The insult was just the kick in the behind he needed to make his next move.

      “This meeting is adjourned,” Cole said firmly as he turned away from the window.

      His department heads started to file out of the room, still buzzing about the billboard. Cole glanced at Loretta, who was looking at Stiletto’s website on her tablet computer. News of the Valentine’s Day event dominated the page.

      He smiled to himself and called out to two of the retreating department heads. “Tate, Barnes, I’ll meet you both in my office in five minutes,” he said. “You too, Vic.”

      “What are you up to?” Loretta asked.

      “I’ll fill you in when we get to my office,” Cole said.

      It was time he showed the bear the consequences of taunting a tiger.