Kensington Publishing Corp.

       http://www.kensingtonbooks.com

      Contents

      Chapter 1

      Chapter 2

      Chapter 3

      Chapter 4

      Chapter 5

      Chapter 6

      Chapter 7

      Chapter 8

      Chapter 9

      Chapter 10

      Chapter 11

      Chapter 12

      Chapter 13

      Chapter 14

      Chapter 15

      Chapter 16

      Chapter 17

      Chapter 18

      Chapter 19

      Chapter 20

      Chapter 21

      Chapter 22

      Chapter 23

      Chapter 24

      Chapter 25

      Chapter 26

      Chapter 27

      Chapter 28

      Chapter 29

      Chapter 30

      Chapter 31

      Chapter 32

      1

      Monday morning at 7:45, Adam Carlyle stepped out of his Renaissance Center office and stood next to Tia Edwards’s workstation. With a laptop in one hand and his chocolate suit jacket in the other, Tia’s boss placed his computer on the edge of her desk before sliding his arms into the suit jacket.

      “I’ve got a meeting at eight with Reynolds. After we’re done, I’m holding a staff meeting with the legal department in the fifteenth-floor conference room.”

      “Do I need to be there?” Tia brushed a wayward curl from her eyes. Silently, she hoped Adam would say no. She had plenty to keep her occupied until he returned from his meetings.

      Her boss folded his arms across his chest, considering her question. “No.” He glanced at his wristwatch. “I should be back around noon.”

      Tia nodded.

      “I’ll need drafts of the Swinson, Jamison, and DeVry’s briefs when I return.” He straightened his tie and smoothed the front of his shirt.

      “Got it.” She tapped her to-do list with the point of her pen. “It’s on my agenda for this morning.”

      Adam picked up the laptop and tucked it under his arm. “Hold down the legal department. I’ve got my cell phone, and the computer will be on if you need to contact me. See you around twelve.”

      He hurried down the hallway, then turned and disappeared down another corridor. Tia smiled. After two years of working for the vice president of Legal Services at Gautier International Motors, she still believed she worked for a great guy. When Adam offered her the position, Tia hesitated in accepting it. He seemed so demanding and forceful that she questioned whether she’d be able to meet his requirements.

      It was never an issue. There were days Adam expected everyone on his team to go full force, kick butt, and work as hard as he did. On other occasions, if he knew she had a school project due, he sometimes gave her the afternoon off. He was a kind, considerate boss who understood her busy school schedule and offered compassion and support for her educational pursuits.

      Since Adam would be away for a while, Tia settled back in her chair and finished her cup of coffee before tackling her work. She spent the next few minutes tracking a freight ship slowly cruising down the Detroit River toward Grosse Pointe while sipping a mug of caffeine elixir. Once she swallowed the last mouthful of coffee, Tia started her daily routine of returning phone calls, retrieving voice mail, making appointments, and sorting incoming mail. After those tasks were completed, she concentrated on the legal documents Adam requested.

      A little before noon, Tia placed Adam’s briefs, mail, and messages on his desk. Head down, she made her way to the door, focused on the remaining tasks on her to-do list.

      “Whoo! Watch out,” Adam called, barely missing a head-on collision with Tia. He sidestepped her lithe frame with a guiding hand on her arm.

      “Sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

      “Obviously.” He grinned, taking the sting out of his observation as he crossed the floor to set his laptop on his desk. He turned to her as he removed his jacket and placed his cell phone on the charger.

      Tia asked, “How did the meeting go?”

      “Very well.” Adam hunched his shoulders and then stretched. He pinched his chin between his thumb and forefinger. “Some information came out of my meeting with Reynolds that I need to share. Let me grab a cup of coffee while you get your stuff.” He reached for his mug. “I’ll be right back.”

      Tia watched him leave the office. Something’s up, she thought. Adam’s body language revealed important information. She’d seen him like this before. Something important happened at the meeting.

      Heart fluttering in her chest, Tia swiftly returned to her desk, grabbed her computer, and switched on voice mail. Adam always returned from his meetings with Reynolds with a boatload of work to do. Work didn’t worry him, so this had to be something different.

      By the time Adam made it back from the executive lounge with his cup of coffee, Tia had settled in a chair in his office with her computer opened to a new document, ready for whatever new assignments he was about to share.

      “Let’s get started.” He shut his office door and took his place behind the desk. “The legal department is going to expand.”

      Oh, man! This is huge, she thought, typing this into her document. Since opening his U.S. office in the GM Renaissance Center two years ago, Reynolds had been very cautious about his hiring practices. The president of Gautier International Motors lectured his staff on erring on the side of fewer, instead of more, employees. But why was Adam concerned?

      Her