To her credit, she thought she’d done a good job of pretending the one-night stand hadn’t affected her. She had returned to Birmingham, immersed herself in work, and found the distraction a balm to her psyche. In truth, it was during that time that she’d developed a habit for working late, taking projects no one else wanted, haunting other departments on weekends. How ironic that overcompensating in defense of her encounter with Eric had ultimately fixed her directly in his path again.

  She walked over to her desk and picked up one of the books she’d bought on the way home: How to Make an Effective Sales Call. The only way she was going to be able to maintain the upper hand on Eric was if she knew at least half as much as he did.

  Their road trip loomed before her, rife with potential predicaments. Lesley was right—Eric wouldn’t jeopardize his job by making an advance towards his boss. Besides, for all she knew, he could be happily cohabitating with someone, or even be engaged. No, she wasn’t nearly as worried about any ulterior motives that Eric might have as she was about her own vulnerability where he was concerned.

  Because, she conceded, hugging the book to her chest and looking around her painfully neat office in her painfully neat apartment—she was, heaven help her, lonely. Nail-gnawingly, teary-eyed, tissue-drenchingly, chest-achingly lonely. She leaned her head back and sighed at the ceiling. She didn’t often stop moving long enough to acknowledge that ghost, but it lurked behind every late night at the office, every weeknight TV dinner, every Saturday-morning run in the park. She was ready for someone to come into her life, ready for love.

  Kate bit her lip. She should’ve taken Lesley up on the invitation to dinner with Neil Powers—even pretending that she had someone in her life over the next few days would be a welcome distraction for her vulnerable heart.

  “THIS GAG has to be good,” Eric said to his pal Winston, then took a swig from a bottle of beer. “I mean really elaborate.”

  “Something that will have people talking about you long after you’re gone?” Winston asked, mopping his forehead with a handkerchief.

  Eric grinned. “Yeah. And something that will bring Kate Randall down from her high horse.”

  “What did this woman ever do to you?”

  Eric tipped his bottle for a drink and considered his buddy’s question. “Not enough.”

  Winston’s eyebrows climbed over his glasses. “You two were involved?”

  “Not exactly.”

  “Ah. Well…is she involved with someone now?”

  Eric laughed. “The woman is married to her job. There are rumors that she might be a lesbian.”

  “Is she?”

  “No.” He frowned. “I don’t think so.” Her response to his lovemaking all those years ago came back in a rush. A sweat broke on his upper lip, and he shook his head. “No, definitely not.” And he’d die before he’d admit it aloud, but he’d avoided the company holiday parties and summer picnics because he couldn’t stand the thought of seeing fiery Kate with a mannequin boyfriend…or husband. Until today he’d been able to fantasize that she’d harbored a small amount of regret for writing him off all those years ago. She’d been the first woman to make him want…more.

  “Is she a looker?”

  Eric nodded, then caught himself and shrugged. “If you like the ice-princess type.” A facade, because he knew the heat that simmered just beneath the surface.

  “How about setting up a bucket of paint to fall on her?”

  Eric shook his head. “I did that a couple of years ago to a sales guy in another division.”

  “Mice in her briefcase?”

  “Did that to lady in production.”

  “Nail her office furniture to the ceiling?”

  “Guy in customer service.”

  “Set her up for a radio phone scam?”

  “Stockbroker buddy of mine.” Eric lifted his index finger. “And that was funny, but his wife still won’t talk to me.” He sighed. “Besides, this has to be something more…cerebral.”

  “Well,” Winston said, scratching his neck, “if she doesn’t have a boyfriend, how about sending her an anonymous love note over e-mail?”

  Eric worked his mouth back and forth and nodded. “That’s good, but it needs something…” He snapped his fingers. “A secret admirer!”

  “Yeah, string her along until—”

  “April Fool’s Day!” Eric crowed. “I’ll be on my way out the door and no one will be able to touch me!” Then he frowned. “But how can we let everyone else in on the joke?”

  Winston leaned forward. “We keep a log of the notes and her replies, and then on April Fool’s Day, we send the log to everyone at Handley!”

  Eric’s conscience stirred. “I don’t know about that.”

  “Okay, just the sales team then.”

  Eric hesitated, and his own hesitation irritated him.

  “I’ll make sure the notes are untraceable,” Winston cajoled, warming up to the idea. “If she’s as uptight as you say she is, she probably won’t respond anyway. But if she does respond and says something juicy—man, oh, man, you’ll be a legend.” Eric’s friend laughed, then wiped his forehead again.

  Eric pulled on his bottle of beer, mulling the idea, trying to control that swell of anticipation that accompanied the planning of a good joke. “It’s a great idea, and the timing would be perfect.” He nodded. “I could give you our itinerary so you can send the notes while we’re on the road.”

  “That’s good—she’ll never even suspect you.”

  Eric worked his mouth back and forth again, trying to decipher the dull niggling in his chest. “Still…”

  Winston snorted. “You’d do it if she were a man, wouldn’t you?”

  “Hell, yes.”

  “Then there’s your answer.”

  Eric looked at his buddy and nodded. Kate had told him herself that she expected him to treat her the way he’d treat anyone else in her position. He grinned. “Okay, let’s see how the ice princess responds to having a secret admirer.”

  He wasn’t any more interested in Kate’s reaction to a secret love interest than he would be if she were anybody else.

  Really.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Fools grow without watering.

  —Thomas Fuller

  TWO DAYS LATER, Kate squinted at the computer screen, trying to make sense of what she was reading.

  Kate,

  So that you don’t think I’m some kind of weirdo, I want you to know that I’ve never done anything like this before, but here goes…. You are a beautiful, fascinating woman, and I’d like to have the chance for us to get to know each other better. Since your business is toys and games, I’m hoping this note will appeal to your sense of romance and adventure. Waiting for your reply…

  Fool for You

  She glanced at the sender’s address—FoolforYou, with an e-mail extension of letters and numbers that gave no hint of the source. She supposed in case she didn’t reply, the man didn’t want to be identified. If he hadn’t used her first name and referenced the toy company, she might have thought the note was spam.

  Doubt and pleasure warred in her chest—whether a woman was thirteen or over thirty, the idea of having a secret admirer probably never lost its appeal. She indulged the fantasy for a few seconds, frowning when the impossibility of the note originating from a certain dark-eyed, dimpled salesman flitted through her mind. Then realization dawned—of course: Neil Powers. The man was a computer whiz and Lesley had told her that he had a crush on her—what better way to break the ice than via e-mail?

  She thought of Neil’s sandy-haired, boyish good looks and conceded that his friendly smile held more appeal than her dolls and her cat and her paperwork. She couldn’t put her finger on exactly when it had happened, but lately she had begun to long for…more. Male companionship, yes, but something more intangible—like the loving way Lesley and Hank looked at each other over their children’s heads, or touched hands when they passed in the kitchen. It was as if one picked up where the other one left off, and even though they were both interesting, intellectual individuals in their own right, to think of them apart was almost inconceivable.

  That’s what she wanted—unity. Harmony. A strong physical attraction, of course, but also a foundation of caring that would stand when the attraction cooled. When Hank looked at Lesley, there was a certainty in his expression that he would endure torture before he would allow something bad to happen to her, or do something to cause her shame, like have an affair. Kate knew it was that cloak of love that made Lesley in turn devoted to Hank and to her children.

  Kate looked back to the computer screen and acknowledged there was something very sweet and ingenuous about a secret admirer. Here was a man who was truly interested in getting to know a woman first, rather than asking a few rote questions in prelude to his conquest, as Eric McDaniels had.

  A knock sounded on her office door and she looked up to see the man himself, as if her thoughts had conjured up his presence. He smiled widely, and she was unprepared for her physical reaction to his obvious good cheer. Eric was breathtakingly handsome and seeing him standing there, his shoulders spanning the doorway, charisma emanating from him, it was easy to see why he enjoyed such success as a salesman—men wanted to be him, women wanted to be with him. He was irresistible.

  Almost.

  She blinked and tried to rein in her wayward thoughts. “Yes?’

  He strode casually into her office, taking in the view of the Birmingham skyline with his mouth pursed. “Nice.”

  “Thank you,” she said in a neutral tone, noticing that the roomy office seemed to shrink from the sheer volume of him. “Eric, did you need something?”

  He walked closer to her desk and she lurched forward to block the message on her computer screen—he’d be the last person she’d want to see the anonymous note. His gaze flicked in the direction of the screen, then back. “I was going to suggest that we get an early start, maybe have lunch before we hit the road, but it looks like you’re busy.”

  “Just answering e-mail,” she said with a little wave. “Lunch sounds fine. Give me about ten minutes, and I’ll meet you in the lobby.”

  His gaze wandered back in the direction of her screen and she leaned farther, fighting the impulse to turn around and hit a screen saver button to hide the message. That would look too…guilty, she thought guiltily. “Okay?” Her voice sounded high and brittle.

  Eric looked back to her and shrugged. “Okay. See you in ten.”

  She remained frozen in her unnatural position until he cleared the doorway, then heaved a sigh of relief and turned back to her screen. She hesitated, then hit the reply button and quickly typed:

  Fool,

  From your note, I gather that we already know each other. I am intrigued, but you have the advantage—identify yourself and perhaps we can talk.

  K

  Then before she could change her mind, she clicked the send button, and exhaled. At least she’d put the ball back in his court. She imagined Neil sitting at his computer, waiting for a reply to pop up in his in-box. A smile would play over his serious mouth, and for a few moments, he too would be caught up in the excitement of the anonymous flirting.

  Kate smiled herself, absurdly grateful for the distraction before going on the road with Eric. Still, her heart thudded in her ears now that the moment of departure was near. She tabbed through the rest of her messages, deleting a few, forwarding a couple to Patsy for administrative follow-up, and saving most to file for future reference. Then she packed up her laptop, retrieved her weighty briefcase, and wheeled her suitcase through the doorway of her office, closing the door behind her.

  Eric sat on the corner of Patsy’s desk, trying to coax a smile from the older woman, who, from her body language, was having none of it. Kate bit back a smile because her assistant was the only woman she’d ever seen who was immune to the man’s considerable appeal.

  “And kindly remove yourself from the corner of my desk,” Patsy was saying sternly, and Kate felt sure if the woman had had a ruler, she would have rapped his big knuckles.

  Eric unfolded himself lazily, then looked at Kate and grinned. “She loves me.”

  Kate shook her head. “I don’t think the McDaniels charm works around here.”

  He raked his gaze over her pale blue pantsuit, then made a clicking noise with his cheek. “Yet.”

  A warm thrill skittered over her shoulders, though she outwardly ignored him.

  Patsy huffed and turned to Kate. “You’re leaving early?”

  Kate nodded, then extended a sheet of paper. “Here’s our itinerary. If everything goes as planned, we’ll be driving to Atlanta today, then on to Jacksonville, Florida, tomorrow for an electronics show on the weekend, then to Pensacola Monday to meet with Lexan Tuesday, and make our way back to Birmingham Wednesday.”

  Patsy glanced at the sheet. “Are your hotels listed?” she asked suspiciously, as if she might call and make sure that Eric had secured separate rooms.

  “Yes,” Kate said evenly, her defenses rising, although she knew her secretary meant well. What Patsy couldn’t know was that her anxiety about their road trip was pushing Kate’s anxiety higher as well. She just wanted to get going—the sooner they got on the road, the sooner they’d return, on firmer ground she hoped. “Patsy, I appreciate you holding down the fort while I’m gone. Call me on my cell phone if you need to. Oh, and I’ll be checking e-mail often.”

  Patsy looked up. “Since when?”

  Heat suffused Kate’s cheeks guiltily when she thought about her secret admirer. Would he reply? “Since now,” she said lightly. “Goodbye.”

  Patsy glanced at Eric, then back, and gave a curt nod. “Good luck.”

  Kate had the feeling Patsy wasn’t referring to the Lexan Electronics account.

  “I’ll take your suitcase,” Eric said, reaching for the handle.

  “No, thank you,” Kate said, stepping past him and walking down the hallway. On this trip she would have to seize every opportunity to exert her authority. “Let’s get going.”

  Eric watched her walk away from him, the flare of her hips accentuated perfectly by the pale-colored slacks that fit snugly in the rear, then gave way to full, draping trouser legs. Nice.

  He smiled to himself, wondering if Kate’s earlier preoccupation with her e-mail had anything to do with the note Winston was supposed to send today. She had certainly seemed jumpy when he was in her office, as if she was trying to prevent him from seeing something on her computer screen. Had she succumbed so quickly to the idea of having a secret admirer? It would seem so, else wouldn’t she simply have deleted the message and been done with it? And even her secretary had found it odd that she would be checking her e-mail often. Was Kate hoping for another note from her mystery man? He and Winston hadn’t discussed the frequency of notes, just that he would respond as often as she did, using the basic wording that Eric had written on a cocktail napkin.

  Eric’s smile deepened. This trip might prove to be more interesting than he’d anticipated. He was going to enjoy watching Kate squirm while she decided whether or not she wanted to strike up a virtual romance with a virtual stranger.

  When she stopped and bent over to adjust a strap on her suitcase, causing the fabric of her slacks to tighten across her rear, his groin tightened involuntarily. Ah, hell, who was he kidding? He was going to enjoy watching Kate, period.

  At the sound of a deliberate throat-clearing, he turned his head to find Kate’s secretary staring at him pointedly. He grinned and saluted, then strode after his fiery, unflappable boss.

  Well…unflappable for now, anyway.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  The heart of a fool is in his mouth.

  —Benjamin Franklin

  “THERE’S A SECRET to direct sales,” Eric said loudly over the rushing wind, gesturing with one hand. He was sprawled in the camel-colored leather driver’s seat of his black convertible Porsche Targa, and Kate was holding on to her hair to keep it from flying off her head.

  She glanced at the instrument panel, lifted one eyebrow, and shouted, “Driving twenty miles an hour over the speed limit?”

  He grinned, his closely cropped hair barely lifting in the wind. “That’s number two. Number one is establishing a long-term relationship.”

  She nodded, thinking how ironic it was to hear that from a man who seemed resistant to the idea of having a long-term relationship in his personal life. She was also thinking she might have taken notes if not for the fact that they were zooming down the road at eighty miles an hour, topless.

  “Don’t you think it’s a little cool to have the top down?” Kate yelled, shivering in her coat, wishing she’d brought her gloves. They were barely an hour down the interstate toward Atlanta, and she was already feeling high maintenance.

  “The temperature is perfect,” Eric shouted. He was minus a jacket and seemed comfortable, his tie flapping happily past his left shoulder. “Just this side of brisk—it’s good for the skin.”

  “But not the hair,” Kate muttered, spitting out a hank of it and skimming her medusa locks into a hand-held ponytail. She longed for sunglasses to shield her stinging eyes. She should’ve known Eric McDaniels wouldn’t drive a typical salesman’s car—a sedan or a van or an SUV. What was it he’d said? I don’t do things small. It followed, of course, that even his car had to make a statement—fast, sleek, sexy.

  It suited him, the cad.

  She studied the steel-gray sky, hanging low enough to touch. “It looks like rain,” she shouted.

  “Naw,” he said with a dismissive wave. “It’ll blow over—you’ll see.”

  She saw all right—she was looking straight up when the first big drop of rain hit her in the eye. Within seconds, they were being pelted with a cold spring downpour. Eric pumped the brake, flipped on his turn signal, and eased to the right shoulder of the road. Kate held her arms over her head to make an ineffective hat. She groaned as icy water dripped under her collar and down between her shoulder blades.