Page 11 of The Boss's Triplet Surprise

Leah shook herself, alarmed. Already, Dan had sneaked into her daydreams. She needed to be very careful. If she started thinking of him as a real boyfriend and partner, this whole agreement would become beyond painful. She needed to put aside any crush she’d ever had on Dan right now. Before there was a baby in the picture. Before they started pretending to date. Before things went too far and she became unable to imagine her life without him.

Leah took a deep breath. Then she opened her computer, where she’d been reading up on the current market for fertility drugs to help build a better marketing profile for Forenal. It wasn’t part of her job description, but she liked to think that she could play a role in helping her drug succeed.

The rest of the day passed with barely any thoughts of Dan or the baby.

CHAPTER 6

DAN

Dan smoothed his suit jacket and glanced at Leah. She was wearing a professional blouse and a pair of slacks, as always, with her hair pulled back in a clip. She gave him a slightly nervous smile.

“Are you ready?” Dan asked.

Leah took a deep breath. “I can’t believe we’re really doing this. But yes, I think I am.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll do great.” Dan peered out from behind the curtain where they were standing. “And speaking of which, I think it’s time.”

As one, they stepped onto the stage. The audience was full of doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals. Dan and Leah’s presentation was one of the first of the Midwest Medical Science Conference, a prime slot since the attendees were still fresh. Leah knitted her hands together as Dan cued up the first slide of their presentation.

“All good?” he asked. Leah nodded, and Dan stepped up to the microphone to begin.

After all their rehearsing, it shouldn’t have been a surprise that the presentation went off without a hitch. They ran through the material they’d prepared, Leah’s nerves melting into confidence that Dan admired, then took a series of questions from the audience. The attendees seemed excited about Forenal and their questions were overwhelmingly positive. Leah batted the scientific and medical questions out of the park easily, while Dan took the questions about marketing, costs, and Forenal’s place in the overall pharmaceutical industry.

“We have time for one more question,” Leah said. A woman near the back raised her hand and Leah called on her.

“I run a fertility clinic in Chicago,” the woman said. “The Blossom Center. As you know, in about thirty percent of cases, the fertility issue is a problem only with the man, not the woman. Can Forenal still be beneficial for these couples?”

“That’s a great question.” Leah smiled. “And the answer is yes. Since Forenal increases the window in which the woman ovulates, this can increase the chances of pregnancy even when there are issues with sperm count or motility.”

“Thank you.” The woman smiled and sat down. Dan held out his hand for the microphone, and Leah passed it to him.

“Thank you all for attending.” Dan paused. “We at RMA Pharmaceuticals are excited about the benefits of Forenal, and we hope you are too. Once again, I’m Dan Marley and this is Leah Adams. Please feel free to come up to us after the session if you have any further questions.” He raised his hand to applause from the audience.

As he and Leah exited the stage, she looked up at him, her eyes wide with enthusiasm.

“Oh, Dan, that went so well. Even better than I’d imagined! They really seemed excited about Forenal. Thank you so much for coming.”

“Hey, I helped with a single presentation. You conceived the drug, created it, and trialed it. This is your success, Leah.”

Leah glowed at the compliment. “Thank you, Dan. I’m really over the moon about this.”

“I’m glad.” Dan felt his heart warm at her happiness. “What do you say we grab some lunch and discuss this a little more?”

“I’d love to.” They headed for the door but were waylaid by the doctor who’d asked the final question.

“Hi. Sorry to disturb you.”

“You’re not disturbing.” Dan stopped in front of her. “What can we help you with?”

“I just wanted to say that this drug could make a real difference for our patients. I work with so many wonderful couples who struggle for years to conceive. A drug like this, with a range of applications and few side effects, could be a real blessing for those couples.”

Leah pressed a palm to her heart. “Thank you so much for saying that. I really hope it will help people.”

The doctor smiled and left but was quickly replaced by another with equally positive things to say. Dan let Leah lead the conversations. She deserved every word of praise and enthusiasm the fertility community had to offer.

When the last person had departed, Leah and Dan finally headed to lunch. Leah couldn’t stop smiling.

“I really hope that Forenal is going to make a difference.”

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