Page 2 of Trouble

“You can lean on me,” he said without taking his eyes off my shoe, probably because I was wobbling unsteadily above him on my highheel.

I didn’t want to, but I also didn’t want to fall on my arse, so I awkwardly placed my fingertips against his ginger mane to steady myself while I tried to pretend I didn’t see the amused looks frompassersby.

Nothing to see here, people, just a woman in a business suit, making a complete twat out ofherself.

I glanced down at the young man kneeling in front of me. He seemed fully focused on my foot, and I briefly wondered what kind of obsessed handyman had zip-ties in his jogpants.

Handyman, complete Adonis, kind helper of strangers. If he’d been a decade older, he’d have been my dreamguy.

But he’s not, you absolute pervert,I mentally scolded myself. He looked to be several years my junior, and I wasn’t exactly some hot bloodedcougar.

The only thing that got close to my lady parts these days was my trusty MagicWand.

Just as the wordsMagic Wandflashed through my head, the young man looked up with that wicked smile curving his lips, as if the knew what sort of thoughts were running rampant through myhead.

“There you go, that should hold you through theday.”

I blinked and looked down at my shoe. He’d looped the zip-tie around the heel and secured it around the sole, managing to stabilize itcompletely.

“Wow,” I muttered, momentarily shaken out of my embarrassment by complete awe of his MacGyver skills. “Thank you so, so much. You’re an absolute life-saver.”

“Happy to help a pretty lady,” he said, giving me a friendlywink.

Only, he was still crouched down in front of me, and that wink made me realize his face was right in front of mycrotch.

Oh,God!

“I, um, h-have to get to work. Thanksagain!”

This time, my shoe supported me perfectly when I spun around toflee.

2

Audrey

“You’re late,”Eileen said the second I stormed into our office like a panicked goat, arms full of the still-sopping report. “What were you thinking, being late the one day you have a morning meeting scheduled with Perkinson, of all people? He’s already been waiting ten minutes, and you know how hegets.”

“I know, I know!” I threw my handbag on my desk and pulled my emergency supply of Kleenex out of a drawer. “I had an accident. Now just help medab!”

* * *

“I’m terribly sorry,Mr. Perkinson. I had a bit of a disastrous morning,” I hurled out the second I stepped into the meeting room, a stiff smile plastered across my lips. “I trust Nadine’s been keeping you withcoffee?”

“Tell me, Miss Waits, is it normal procedure for Caslik Consulting to assume their clients have nothing better to do than wait all morning for a young woman to waltz into work long after business hours havecommenced?”

I gritted my teeth, somehow managing not to lose the fake smile despite my sudden urge to throw the damp-despite-my-best-efforts report in his face. I’d only been assigned to Perkinson the previous Thursday, but he’d already become my least favorite client of all time. “I can only apologize and assure you it won’t happenagain.”

“It better not,” he rumbled, irritation clear on his pudgy face as he swiveled around in his cushioned seat to face the table. “I don’t want to have to remind your boss how much money I’m prepared to walk away with if he can’t get me a halfway competentconsultant.”

I did my best ignore the dig, despite my temper flaring up like a hot burst of acid in my gut. I’d worked hard for my position at Caslik, and before that, I’d busted my arse at university so I could prove to my parents I was good enough, smart enough. My career was everything to me, and to have this arrogant pig insult and threaten it gave me rage-induced acid reflux. But I swallowed my anger and, despite the urge to slap the haughty bastard, smiled until my cheeks hurt. If he actually followed through on his threat and went to my boss with a complaint about me, I’d be having a rather unpleasant chat with HR before I couldblink.

Perkinson brought in the kind of money that had everyone rolling over like over-excited puppies. He was my first major client, and up until last Thursday, I’d been absolutely thrilled. His company was my first major account, and I knew that if I did well with him, I was that much closer to the senior position my manager had been dangling in front of me like a carrot for the past threeyears.

“Have you had an opportunity to consider the branding options for your new vodka we went over on Thursday?” I said as I sat down in front of him, doing my best to ignore the throbbing vein in my temple. I wasn’t about to let a man like Perkinson snatch away what I’d been working so hard for for so long. Mel, my older sister, was made managing director of the snazzy little design company she’d been working for for the past ten years just last Christmas, and I’d not heard the end of it from Mum and Dad.Perfect Mel, with her perfect life, and her perfect promotion.No, I was getting this client wrangled, whatever it took. I could live with my anger for a fewweeks.

“Yes, we’ll be going with the upscale Playboy demographic. I want every man to get hard when he sees a bottle of our booze. He needs to think that buying Perk Vodka turns him into literal James-fucking-Bond. You got it, sweetcheeks?”

Okay, so apparently I’d also be swallowing my pridetoo.

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