Dream Guy

by Dream Guy (lit)

  “It really wasn’t like that, Matt. Not really,” Annie said.

  He cut her off with, “And what the hell’s Joe Video?”

  Her chin came up. She crossed her arms stubbornly across her chest and said, “Joe Video is the perfect man. On DVD. And he’s going to open the video game industry to an entire new target audience of women.”

  Matt was dumbfounded.

  He glared at Collin. “Tell me she’s kidding, Collin. And you’d better tell me you had nothing to do with this.”

  Collin blanched. “But Annie’s idea really is a fab concept, Matt. Seriously.”

  Matt exploded. “A fab concept?” He shook his head and glared back and forth from one to the other. “You two slay me.” He pointed to his mouth and said, “Read. My. Lips. Men aren’t perfect, boys and girls. And guess what? We don’t care. And do you know why we don’t care? Because a woman’s definition of the perfect man today always does a complete one-eighty when tomorrow rolls around.”

  Collin frowned. “Well, I don’t know if many women would agree with that statement, Matt.”

  And Matt shouted, “Stuff it, Collin. You’re the most fickle woman I know.” He looked back at Annie. “Well? You can jump in any time, Annie.”

  She tossed her head, distracting him for a moment when her long, silky hair swished back over her shoulder. He hadn’t noticed, but her hair was down and loose today, instead of pulled back in a tomboy ponytail the way she usually wore it. It was also the first time he’d noticed that she wasn’t wearing slacks, but a short sundress that showed off her long, shapely legs to perfection.

  Matt’s yow-za factor kicked in for a second.

  Until his pulled groin muscle begged for mercy.

  If Annie could have fast-forwarded herself right out of the room, that’s exactly what she would have done at that very moment. She couldn’t possibly feel any more guilty about going behind Matt’s back with her idea than she already did. However, his showing up before the meet-ing was just another example of his irritating superior attitude.

  He’d ordered her to attend the meeting. And then he’d strolled into the office in that Hugo Boss oyster-colored suit that always kicked her heartbeat up a notch because the cut fit him perfectly and made his shoulders look twice as broad as they actually were.

  Wait.

  Was she nuts?

  Matt had just taken a giant bite out of her butt with a five-minute ass-chewing and she was thinking about how great he looked in his oyster-colored Hugo Boss suit?

  She shook her head and let her anger take her right back to the heart of the matter. Not for one minute did she believe Matt had shown up for the meeting so she wouldn’t have to change her plans. Or because he wanted her to have a really great evening with Dave. Matt thought Dave was a two-faced pussy—his own words, according to Collin.

  Annie gulped.

  Crap! Matt’s right.

  But forget Dave.

  It was obvious Matt had shown up for the meeting for one reason only. He didn’t think she was capable of doing her job. And regardless of feeling guilty about going behind his back and switching his idea for hers, his total lack of confidence in her ability really pissed her off.

  Forcing herself to remain calm, Annie adopted her own snotty attitude. “I’ve already told you I was sorry, Matt. But you’re not going to lure me into a no-win argument about men not being perfect and women being fickle.”

  His dark eyes took on a deeper level of coldness.

  “And,” she added, “regardless of what you think about my Joe Video concept, it couldn’t be any more lame than the one you expected me to try and salvage at the production meeting. Besides, you said yourself if we had a better idea, we could pitch it, and—”

  “Bullshit. You both knew I didn’t mean that literally.” He stood there, hands at his waist, his expression cold and threatening—like a shiver looking for a spine to run up. “Did it ever occur to either of you that I might have had a valid reason for sticking with such a lame idea? Like the fact that the idea was an order straight from the top? That J.B. himself is hell-bent on jumping on the daredevil bandwagon, regardless of how hard I’ve tried to talk him out of it?”

  Annie’s mouth dropped open.

  Collin dropped down onto his chair, limp as a rag doll.

  Matt smiled cynically. “Is that tidbit of information ‘woo-woo’ enough to suit the two of you?”

  He limped across the room, slammed the binder down on his desk, then lowered himself onto his chair with a groan that Annie feared had more to do with his disappointment in her and Collin than with his pulled groin muscle.

  What in the hell have I done? she thought.

  “I can’t tell you how sorry I am,” she said. “I couldn’t be any more serious than I am right now.”

  Poor Collin had his head nodding in agreement so fast he looked like a bobbing dashboard figure.

  Matt refused to acknowledge either of them.

  Annie finally walked over to stand in front of his desk. Fighting to hold back the tears, she said, “I take full responsibility, Matt. For everything. Before you fire me, I’ll go into the boardroom myself and tell Mr. Duncan face-to-face why his daredevil idea isn’t ready to be discussed at today’s production meeting.”

  Matt still wouldn’t look in her direction.

  After a few moments of agonizing silence, Annie gave up and turned to leave. She prayed her bowed head and her shoulders slumped in defeat made him feel better.

  “Wait,” he called out before she reached the door.

  Her back stiffened. Then Annie turned around.

  His expression was still cold and passive. “I know you think I’m a total ass, Annie. And I know you think I hold you and Collin back on purpose. But I want to set the record straight. Okay?”

  Annie nodded obediently.

  “A good department head doesn’t push an assistant out into the main arena unless he knows that assistant will succeed. Personally, I haven’t felt you were ready to go solo with any of your own game ideas yet. But since you’ve pushed the envelope completely off the ledge today, I guess it’s time for both of us to see just how ready you are.”

  Annie forced herself to ask, “Meaning what?”

  Matt looked down at his watch. “Meaning it’s almost showtime, Madam Psychic.” He struggled to his feet. “I expect you to join me in the boardroom in ten minutes. I want to personally introduce you before you present your fab new woo-woo concept to our CEO at the production meeting.”

  Annie moved aside when Matt half limped and half stomped past her. When he slammed their office door behind him, Annie grabbed for a tissue.

  “Don’t cry now,” Collin shrieked. “We don’t have time for a makeup repair.”

  He held up both hands when Annie shot him a don’t-screw-with-me look.

  “Damn Matt,” Annie said and sniffed into the tissue again. “He’s the only person I know who can make me feel like Benedict Arnold one minute, and Lizzie Borden the next.” And that’s exactly how she felt. Guilty for betraying him. Yet ready to look around for an ax for his making fun of her idea.

  Collin said, “It might be wise if you stuffed your bra this time.” He pushed the tissue box closer.

  Annie pushed the box away. “Would you stop it with your boob obsession already? The only thing I’m going to ‘stuff’ is my idea when I push it through the hoop in a slam-dunk sale to the CEO.”

  “That’s the spirit,” said Collin, but he added, “still, flashing your hooters at the old man couldn’t hurt.”

  Annie ignored him and pushed her hair back away from her face. “Just get the binders ready, Foo-foo,” she told him. “Woo-woo needs a second to collect her thoughts.”

  When Collin gave her some space, Annie squared her shoulders and took a deep breath to calm herself the way Collin had instructed her to do hours ago. It didn’t help. She was still shaking uncontrollably inside and out.

  God, she’d never seen Matt so angry.

&n
bsp; Not without good reason, granted. She’d admit it. She deserved the “Shittiest Employee of the Year” award, hands down. She’d been so furious over the unforgivable stunt weasel Dave pulled, she’d directed all of her anger toward Matt—mainly because he happened to be within striking distance and Dave didn’t.

  Not a mature thing to do.

  Of course, if Matt had told them up front that the daredevil idea had come straight from the top, she never would have pushed her freaking envelope off the ledge, as Matt so aptly put it. But did it really matter who had come up with the idea?

  Nope.

  Not one iota.

  The fact remained that Matt was at the helm of the boat she could end up sinking with her selfish it’s-all-about-me attitude. Matt was responsible for calling all the shots. And Matt had deserved both her and Collin’s full cooperation when he made the decision to go with the CEO’s idea.

  God, could I possibly feel any more guilty?

  No wonder Matt didn’t think she was ready to go solo on any game design ideas. She’d been acting like a spoiled brat for months, pissing and moaning because big, bad Matt wouldn’t let little crybaby her be the leader.

  In all reality, Matt should have fired her on the spot.

  Unfortunately, the fact that he hadn’t fired her was a double-edged sword. Annie was immensely relieved in one respect, and borderline terrified in the other. She just couldn’t shake off the coldness in those ink black eyes of his. Petrifying.

  It had to make her wonder if Matt was simply giving her enough rope to hang herself at the meeting. Or had he decided to be the bigger person and let her finish what she’d started, despite that she’d gone behind his back to do it?

  Damn. Damn. Damn.

  She never should have gone behind his back like that.

  Never.

  Especially not after their accidental night together. No matter how much they both tried to pretend otherwise, things had been strained between them ever since that one regrettable night. But talk about hot sex! Whew. Annie absently fanned her face with her hand. Matt had stripped her down to nothing and made her beg for things she never even knew she wanted.

  At least she’d awakened first the next morning and slipped quietly out of his apartment while he was still asleep. She’d fully expected him to take her aside on Monday morning and give her a long speech about it being bad company policy for the boss to date his employees, blah blah blah. Instead, Mr. Cool had chosen to pretend the night never happened. Basically, end of story, as Matt was so fond of saying.

  And after this meeting, it probably will be the end of the story for me at Paragon.

  Annie sighed when Collin walked up beside her and handed over the binders. “You’d better go, Annie. The last thing you want to be is late.”

  Annie nodded. “Wish me luck. If Matt fires me after the meeting, promise me you’ll keep in touch.”

  Collin scrunched her hair a few more times and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “You wouldn’t be going to this meeting if Matt were going to fire you,” he assured her. “Just remember two things. Screw ’em if they don’t like Joe Video. And take no prisoners.”

  “Take no prisoners,” Annie repeated.

  She took a deep breath and wobbled in the direction of the boardroom on her four-inch-heel Manolos, a silent prayer on her lips that after the meeting she would still be able to afford an occasional pair of three-hundred-and-fifty-dollar shoes.

  CHAPTER 3

  It had taken some fast talking, but Matt had made it through phase one of damage control by the time the other department heads started showing up for the monthly production meeting. He’d appeased J.B. temporarily by assuring him the daredevil game was coming along nicely. And then he’d told J.B. another bald-faced lie.

  He’d told his boss that Annie’s idea was so unique he needed J.B.’s expertise and input before he gave Annie permission to waste any more time on the concept.

  The unique part had piqued J.B.’s interest.

  The asking for his help part had stroked J.B.’s ego.

  Would you deliver a truck filled with snow to Alaska COD, please?

  Matt looked across the room at the imposing man talking with some of the other department heads. J.B. Duncan could easily pass for Colonel Sanders’s twin both in looks and in shrewd business sense. With the exception that J.B. always wore Armani instead of plantation white and string bow ties. And that J.B. was so health-

  conscious he wouldn’t have eaten a piece of fried chicken if someone held a gun to his head.

  God, I hated lying to the old man like that.

  As rigid and stubborn as J.B. could be, he was a fair man who always stood behind his employees and constantly urged them to reach their full potential. Matt tried to clear his conscience by reminding himself he was doing the same thing for Annie—standing behind her decision, even if she had made it behind his back. That might have worked, had he still not been so angry with her.

  He should have fired her. That’s what he should have done. Now there was a chance they both might be fired after this meeting. There was no way J.B. Duncan was going to go along with Annie’s off-the-charts idea.

  Joe Video.

  What a joke.

  That’s the main reason he’d wanted Annie to attend this meeting. She’d get the picture real quick. There was nothing glamorous about having your idea chewed up, spit out, and thrown back in your face. He should know. Been there. Done that. More times than he cared to remember.

  Matt smiled to himself, thinking how Annie would react when they all started firing questions at her at once.

  They’ll rip her apart like a pack of pit bulls.

  But he wouldn’t let them tear Annie completely to shreds. Even if she did deserve it. He wasn’t that heartless.

  “Okay, people. It’s meeting time,” J.B. announced.

  Matt panicked when J.B. started walking toward the head of the boardroom table. The old man was a stickler for punctuality.

  Where the hell is Annie?

  She’d better not have walked out on him. What she’d better do was to have the decency to walk through that door and clean up the mess she’d gotten them both into.

  I’m a dead man, Matt thought when J.B. sat down.

  But his rescue squad arrived wearing four-inch heels.

  Under the circumstances, Annie didn’t expect even a lukewarm reception from Matt when she walked into the boardroom. But when he smiled one of his dazzling smiles and welcomed her like a long-lost friend, Annie knew the fight was on.

  She stiffened when he hurried to her side and placed a hand lightly on her shoulder. She felt like punching the crap out of him when he kept it there.

  “I’m sure everyone recognizes Annie,” he said, smiling as he looked around the room.

  This is where the lukewarm reception came in.

  Most of the department heads didn’t even look in her direction. J.B. Duncan at least had enough manners to nod politely. But then he dismissively turned back to the guy sitting on his right to continue the conversation they’d been having when she first walked into the room.

  Matt whispered out of the corner of his mouth, “Friendly bunch, huh?”

  Wonderful, Annie thought. Maybe I should have stuffed and fluffed.

  Matt started up again. “I asked Annie to attend the production meeting this month because . . .” He stopped and chuckled slightly. Then he shook his dark head a few times. Finally, he threw his hands up in the air dramatically. “To tell you the truth, guys,” he said, halfway apologizing, “I asked Annie to give you a brief outline of the idea she’s come up with because the concept is so unique we’re really not sure how marketable it will be. Right, Annie?” He gave her shoulder a squeeze that wasn’t very friendly.

  Annie was only one second away from giving a quick knee-jab to a certain pulled groin muscle when Matt made the wise choice and removed his hand from her shoulder.

  “And that’s where you guys come in,” he continued, rub
bing his hands together. “We need your input. We encourage you to bombard Annie with questions. And we hope you can point us in the right direction with Annie’s, well, unusual idea.”

  Furious didn’t even touch what Annie was feeling. Matt left her side and walked around the table. As luck would have it, he took a seat directly across from the only place left for her to sit.

  So that’s how he’s going to play it, is he?

  Her idea had suddenly gone from “woo-woo” to “unique.” And good old nurturing department head Matt was just trying to help his bumbling little fledgling leave the nest and find the right direction for this ridiculous idea of hers.

  Well, she could play at that game, too.

  Annie smiled and said, “Before I give each of you an outline, I want to thank Matt personally for recognizing that my idea does bring something new to the table. And for giving me the opportunity to present it to you at this monthly meeting.”

  She felt a few daggers from his cold black eyes whiz past her cheek.

  “Because my idea isn’t your usual cookie-cutter type of game,” she added, “I hope everyone will keep an open mind and think outside the box while you evaluate its marketing potential.” She smiled purposely at Matt before she said, “Or, as we like to say in the creative department, push that envelope completely off the ledge. Right, Matt?”

  The look on Matt’s face reminded Annie she needed to make a last will and testament.

  She ignored him and walked around the room placing binders in front of everyone seated. She also placed a binder in front of Matt, even though his unexpected attendance at the meeting meant she wouldn’t have a copy of the outline for herself. She seated herself at the table, trying to look confident, as she clasped her hands in her lap to keep them from shaking.

  “Shall we begin?” J.B. Duncan said. “Joe Video,” he read aloud before he impaled Annie with a look that made her sit up straight. “Why don’t you start by giving us a thumbnail sketch of exactly what the Joe Video game concept is, Miss Long?”

  Annie didn’t falter. “Joe Video is the perfect man. On DVD. Or to put it simply, sir, Joe Video is going to open the video game industry to a new audience.”