or two, subbing for vacationing employees or emergency situations. She liked the variety of working as a temp, liked the short-term nature of the jobs. The Monday through Friday, eight-to-five schedule was a world away from the sixty-hour-a-week grind she’d gotten used to working for Marton/Mills, an advertising firm in New York City. There was no chance of getting caught up in climbing the corporate ladder, on focusing so much on professional goals that personal relationships were pushed aside.
The glow of a glorious sunset shone outside the office window, signaling the end of another gorgeous spring day. One more reason to enjoy working in her hometown. The April weather was beautiful, sunny and warm and perfect for shorts and T-shirts. Business casual wasn’t that casual even in Phoenix, and though Allison had left her razor-cut suits behind in New York, she did her best to dress appropriately while still being herself.
If you want to get ahead, you’re going to have to learn to dress the part.
The echo of her ex-boyfriend’s words still burned as did the memory of how she’d so eagerly buried every bit of her own personality to force herself into a corporate mold. She’d tried so hard to be the perfect girlfriend, the perfect rising star employee. Kevin had been the chosen one, the young graduate whose father was good friends with the CEO at Barton/Mills. She’d tagged along as little more than a “plus one” on Kevin’s job offer, determined to be so much more. Starting at the bottom, she’d expected to pay the professional price of hard work and long hours, but she never imagined the personal costs.
Never again would she lose herself in a job or in a man, and her choice of wardrobe was a daily reminder.
Today, she’d worn a pin-striped black skirt and black knit mock turtleneck—a perfectly respectable combination, but one kept from being too boring by the barely-there pink lace at the hem of the skirt. It was a recent purchase, and one she’d been eager to wear that day. Not that she had any particular reason to choose an outfit that did the most to compliment her short blond hair and green eyes. No reason at all …
Her steps gradually slowed and her pulse quickened as she neared Zach Wilder’s office. After two months, she should have been used to the sight of his dark hair, vibrant blue eyes and chiseled features. Even his broad shoulders, narrow waist and lean, muscular limbs should have been commonplace by now. Still, there was something about the company’s lead salesman that stole her breath every single time their paths crossed. That Zach was as wrong for her as a man could be did nothing to cool the attraction.
The old saying was true—you never have a second chance to make a first impression, and Allison’s first impression of Zach had been one of … possibility. They’d met briefly her first day at Knox with an incidental touch in the elevator that had rocked her to the soles of her stylish pumps. Weeks later, she felt like she was still reeling. As if that momentary encounter had done more than set her back on her heels, as if it had somehow thrown her off her emotional axis, threatening to send her life spinning in a different direction.
It was crazy to put so much importance on a mundane event, but Allison knew she hadn’t imagined the moment. Nor had she imagined the spark of attraction or the answering awareness burning in Zach Wilder’s blue eyes. Their first meeting still teased her thoughts with only the slightest provocation. Just the sound of his deep voice sent the memory shivering down her spine. But it was everything that happened after that meeting Allison forced herself to remember.
As in his reputation of business first—period. As in Zach keeping such a tight and narrow focus on work that she never again crossed into his line of sight.
Too bad Allison hadn’t had as easy a time ignoring Zach. Each time she walked by his office, she couldn’t resist sneaking a peek inside. She’d made a study of the way his blue eyes narrowed when he stared at the computer screen. The way his jaw clenched when something went wrong and the way the corner of his mouth kicked into a half smile when things went right.
But what she noticed most were the rare moments when sheer exhaustion hit. When Zach would rub eyes aching from the strain of staring at the computer and roll his head back on his shoulders, no doubt trying to dislodge the burden of constantly trying to succeed.
In those brief periods of time, Allison felt she was seeing the real Zach Wilder. He seemed … human. Vulnerable.
Fortunately, that didn’t happen often or last more than a split second before Zach immediately snapped back into business mode, seeming determined to wipe out any hint of weakness.
But like the bad habit it was, Allison glanced inside the narrow glass window alongside the door. His chair was pushed back from his desk as if awaiting his return, but the room was empty. She was a little surprised. From the moment she started at Knox, she’d heard all about the long hours he worked, the impossible accounts he won, the fast track he was taking at breakneck speed. Each word shot off a warning flare in Allison, illuminating the danger of a man who was driven, ambitious and willing to succeed at all costs. But along with every accomplishment, Allison heard the undeniable respect and admiration of his fellow employees for a man who’d worked his way up through the ranks to earn the position he held.
That alone was a world away from the friend-of-the-family connections Kevin had used for a significant leg up on the ladder of success.
But despite their differences, Zach still shared enough similarities with her ex-boyfriend to send Allison running … even if he was so gorgeous she couldn’t resist taking a look back.
Good thing she only had a few days left at Knox. She’d move on to the next job and leave all thoughts of Zach behind. She ran a finger across the brass placard, tracing his name, until she realized what she was doing and snatched her hand back. She hurried down the hall, embarrassed and relieved no one had had seen her mooning over Zach Wilder’s door.
Tuesday could not come soon enough, she thought as she stepped inside the waiting elevator and hit the button for the garage.
The doors had nearly closed when a masculine hand reached inside. One glance at the long, lean fingers, starched white cuff and designer watch, and a small shiver rippled from head to toe. She recognized that watch. She’d picked it out herself, on instructions from her boss, as a gift to the salesman of the year five years running.
Allison braced for what she already knew was coming, but try as she might, she couldn’t keep her breath from catching when the silvered doors opened like an unveiling of female fantasies come to life and Zach Wilder stepped inside the elevator.
Five o’clock shadow darkened his jaw, matching the hint of circles beneath his eyes. A lock of dark hair fell across his forehead, and his red and black geometric tie was off-kilter. “Zach, is everything all right?” She’d never seen him look so disheveled. He looked—he looked like she pictured he would after being kissed. Because what woman could resist running her hands through his dark hair? Or using his always perfectly knotted tie to pull him closer? And wouldn’t she love to put that hint of desperation in his blue eyes?
Allison’s face heated at the foolish direction of her own thoughts. Like Zach would ever make out with someone at work! She knew better than that. Just like she knew better than to even entertain such a fantasy when he was standing so close. She twisted her fingers together as if she might grab hold of the thoughts running loose inside her mind. The last thing she needed was for all-business Zach to guess she had such an unprofessional crush on him.
His blue eyes drilled into hers as the elevator doors slid closed behind him. Slightly out of breath from running to catch the elevator, he confessed, “I was afraid I was going to miss you.”
“Miss me?” She was afraid she would miss him too, but even as distracted as she was by being so close to him, Allison didn’t think he meant the words the same way she did.
She wanted to take a step back, to give herself some breathing room free of the enticing scent of his citrus and spice cologne. But the elevator was too small and his presence too overwhelming for Allison to escape. And maybe it was time to confront her ridiculous crush—and Zach—head on. “You didn’t miss me. I’m right here. Is there something you need?”
“I