Dream Guy

by Dream Guy (lit)

  Annie purposely glanced over at his Jeep. “Upgrade to the current department head’s Jeep? Thanks but no thanks. I’ll stick with my punch buggy.”

  He laughed. “I was only kidding, Annie. Your purple punch buggy suits you.”

  Annie raised an eyebrow. “I’m going to take that as a compliment.”

  He grinned. “I meant it as a compliment. I have a classic car myself. I wouldn’t part with it for anything.”

  Referring, of course, to his babe-magnet Corvette.

  Ribbet. Ribbet. Ribbet.

  She needed to get out of Haz-Matt’s deadly range.

  Fast.

  “Thanks for the ride,” Annie said. They were, after all, alone in the depths of the parking garage, nothing to keep her from turning toward him if he gave her any inclination that he might want—

  God. Wrap this up and do it quickly.

  “I’m glad we cleared the air about everything,” she said, never once looking up at him as she fumbled through her purse for her keys.

  He drummed his fingers on the top of her car. “Yeah, me too,” he said, obviously reflecting back over the conversation himself. “You were right. It was time we talked everything out. We’ll work much better together as teammates. I mean, now that we don’t have any personal . . .” He paused for a second. “What is Collin’s favorite word? Issues?”

  Annie only nodded, still afraid to look directly at him. She unlocked her car door and tossed her purse and the bag with her dirty clothing in the back. She was only one second away from sliding behind the wheel to safety when Matt said, “Annie.”

  She tensed. But she forced herself to look at him. He was way too close for comfort. She could smell the heady scent of his cologne. Even feel the heat from his body. Almost taste his lips against hers. Her brain was terrified he would tell her to call him if she changed her mind about an occasional booty call. And her heart was terrified that he wouldn’t.

  “I just want you to remember one thing,” he said, his eyes searching her face.

  Annie held her breath.

  “If we do put on the gloves in front of the TV cameras, remember it’s just business. Nothing personal.”

  “Nothing personal,” Annie repeated.

  She was still repeating those two cold and hopelessly impersonal words to herself as Matt followed closely behind her out of the parking garage.

  CHAPTER 6

  Annie arrived at the Bank of America Plaza on Monday morning, the ink on her new lease on life still too wet for her to believe any of it. But at least now she could stop worrying that any underlying personal issues she had with Mr. Nothing Personal would keep them from achieving their goal.

  Once they did achieve their goal, she’d be rid of Matt anyway. Except for one of those occasional nods in the hallway maybe, and a monthly production meeting.

  End of that story.

  But thankfully, the beginning of a new one.

  She’d already decided she would give up her postage-stamp-size loft apartment. Scale up to something maybe not that much larger, but classy. In a singles complex this time. With neighbors she’d actually want to spend time with. A complex that would have all of the amenities anyone could ask for. A twenty-four-hour fitness center. A killer clubroom. Indoor and outdoor pools.

  No more sitting around the pool war zone at her current building while the Carson twins, Joey and Johnny, tried to outsplash each other in a cannonball competition. No more emergency lifeguard duty because elderly Mrs. Simpson tottered too close to the edge of the pool and instantly sank to the bottom because she wouldn’t let go of her walker.

  Maybe she would buy herself a new car.

  Or not.

  The thought of giving up her signature VW bug quickly pushed that idea to the back of her mind. She loved that car. Ridiculous purple paint and all. It was paid for. It was in perfect running order. You didn’t have to take out a loan for a trip to the gas pump.

  No, I’m not giving up my purple punch buggy, no matter how much money I make.

  She would travel instead. Take one of those singles cruises. She was footloose and fancy-free again, wasn’t she? She’d even send loser Dave a postcard from some romantic tropical island—Having a great time. Glad you’re not here!

  Annie was still smiling over the possible postcard opportunity when she walked into Paragon’s reception area. Kathy stood up from behind her desk the second she saw her walk through the door. By the time Annie reached her desk, Kathy had her in a bear hug.

  “I’m so proud of you, Annie,” Kathy gushed. “You’ll be the first woman ever to head up the creative department at Paragon.”

  Annie frowned when Kathy let her go. “I see Collin has already made his rounds this morning.”

  Kathy grinned. “What gave you that idea?”

  “I wish I could say I’m as optimistic as our company cub reporter,” Annie said with a sigh. “A lot could still go wrong with the entire project.”

  “Don’t talk like that,” Kathy said. “You have to think positive. And you’re certainly dressed for success again today. Makeup and all.”

  Annie frowned. “Did I really look that horrible on a daily basis?”

  “No, of course, not,” Kathy said. “I’m just saying you’re smart to move a step up on the office appearance ladder, Annie. J.B. has his eye on you now. And believe me, that man doesn’t miss anything.”

  “Thanks for the warning.”

  Kathy nodded and looked her up and down again. “That navy suit really does look good on you. The skirt is short enough to show off your legs. And that orange blouse really perks. It’s bold. Fresh. A perfect department head fashion statement, if you ask me.”

  “Yeah. Orange is in, in, in,” Annie mumbled, then tossed her hand in the air and headed down the hallway to her office.

  Dammit, she decided. Collin’s daily gossip report needed to stop. She was just the person to see that it did. However, when she walked into their office and found Collin bustling around the room watering his plants, all she could think about was what a close friend he really was to her.

  He smiled when he looked up and saw her. “Good morning, sunshine.”

  Annie walked directly to him and gave him a big hug. “You didn’t tell me you took time to rid my apartment of any sign of Dave’s homecoming when you went to pick up my clothes. But thank you, Collin. I don’t think I could have faced going home to that reminder, even on Saturday.”

  He hugged her back. “No problem. You’ll be happy to know I found a good Swedish home for the robe. And I put your black teddy in your bottom bureau drawer for future use.”

  Annie pushed away from him. “Get out! About the robe, I mean. I thought you said the pilot ignored you every time you got around him.”

  Collin batted his eyelashes dramatically and placed the watering can on his desk. “He did always ignore me,” he said, hitching a hip to sit on the corner of his desk. “Until I showed up at Backstreet with Trey Saturday night.”

  “Trey? As in William’s gorgeous partner Trey?”

  Collin nodded. “But Lars didn’t know Trey and I were just good friends. He was livid. Practically threw me over his shoulder and carried me off the dance floor.” Collin grinned. “Take notes, lovey. There’s nothing like the green-eyed monster to bring out the beast in a man.”

  “Just please tell me this guy’s name really isn’t Lars.”

  “Ya. It is Lars. Lars Svenson.”

  Annie laughed. “If you were trying for a passable Swedish accent, you’re going to need a lot of practice.”

  “Oh, I plan to spend plenty of time practicing with Lars,” Collin teased. He reached out and took her hand when he added, “But I’m serious, Annie. I really, really, really like this guy. Really.”

  Annie squeezed his hand. “Just be careful, okay? Proceed with caution. Safeguard your heart from the very beginning.”

  “Get my own hidden-heart toetoo?”

  Annie shook her finger at him. “My toetoo is nobod
y’s business, Collin Adair. That means running your mouth about it here at the office or anywhere else is strictly off-limits. Got it?”

  Collin’s hand flew to his mouth. “Oops,” he said. “Too late.”

  *    *    *

  Matt looked to the left, then to the right. When he was sure he didn’t see a single soul he knew, he ducked into Latte Land.

  The line of people waiting, however, was long enough that his mind wandered back to the air-clearing discussion he’d had with Annie on Saturday night.

  The fact that occasional scrape-you-off-the-ceiling sex wasn’t going to be in their future was actually a relief. It was best if they did keep their relationship platonic and businesslike. Annie had told him herself she was going for Olympic relationship gold. He wasn’t even ready to try out for the qualifying team.

  But he’d thought about her the entire time he worked on his short game at his favorite golf course Sunday morning. And about Collin’s know-it-all theory. Could it really be that simple? Was the reason Collin and Annie were both so adamant about their personal relationship hunt merely some subconscious yearning to belong?

  Collin had told him all about Annie’s famous father who died before he could marry Annie’s mother and before Annie was born. Tough break for any kid.

  He tried to imagine life without both of his own parents and he couldn’t. They’d both always been such a big part of his life. He always called and checked on his folks every Sunday. Last night, his mom had asked him the same question she asked him every Sunday: “When are you going to bring a nice girl home for us to meet, Matt?”

  Funny, but this time when his mom asked that question, he thought of Annie. Maybe because Annie was exactly the type of woman he would want when the time came for him to settle down. She was smart, had a terrific sense of humor, and was gorgeous, of course. But something more. Annie had the uncanny ability to make him wonder—briefly—if maybe he was cheating himself by holding on to his single-guy life.

  Briefly being the key word in that train of thought.

  Besides, Annie wanted a lapdog kind of guy who would follow her around like a lovesick puppy. Adoring her twenty-four-seven, didn’t she say? Well, sorry, but he wasn’t the guy for the job.

  However, they needed to be friends to work well as teammates. That was the reason he was standing uncomfortably in line at Latte Land now—Annie and Collin’s favorite new get-me-started-in-the-morning pit stop.

  He frowned, thinking how Collin had died laughing when he’d called Collin earlier to say Latte Land would be his treat today. Matt had finally hung up on him. Now he understood why Collin had thought his stopping by Latte Land was so damn funny. This was not a place he planned to be caught in again, team player or not.

  When he left Latte Land, Matt was still praying no one he knew would see him. He walked quickly toward the nearest group of elevators with a latte in each hand.

  But wait a minute.

  As he got closer, Matt realized there were three extremely pretty women waiting in front of the elevator, all literally beaming in his direction. Matt squared his shoulders and sent them his best how-you-doin’ smile.

  Man, oh, man.

  How lucky could a guy get?

  Standing right in front of him were a blonde, a brunette and a redhead. All in the same group. What were the odds of that happening?

  If this was the type of reaction he got by being brave enough to stroll through the lobby of the Bank of America Plaza with a latte in each hand, maybe getting in touch with his feminine side wasn’t such a bad idea.

  “Good morning, ladies,” Matt was about to say when it registered that they were looking past him. Not at him. In fact, all three of the incredibly gorgeous women ignored him completely when he walked up and stopped beside them in front of the elevator.

  Out of curiosity, he craned his neck around, looking for the source. He found it when the tall blonde said, “Now that’s the type of man women fantasize about.”

  Matt frowned. The guy was tall, dressed fit to kill, and had his jet black hair slicked back and bound in a Steven Segal queue at the nape of his neck. He was okay-looking except for the hair, Matt supposed, not that he was accustomed to checking out other guys. But the type of man women fantasize about?

  Matt frowned again.

  He’d heard that expression all too recently from Annie during their infamous production meeting.

  Jeez.

  Was he imagining it? Or did all three of the women actually sigh when the guy smiled back at them? Luckily the guy had the good sense to keep walking farther down the corridor to another elevator. The way these women were acting, the poor dude never would have made it out alive if he’d gotten into the elevator with them.

  “I bet he’s famous,” the brunette gushed.

  “If he isn’t, he should be,” the redhead said.

  Give me a f-ing break, Matt felt like saying. But when the bell dinged and the elevator doors slid open, Matt offered another bright smile and said instead, “After you, ladies.”

  They didn’t even look in his direction.

  The blonde motioned to the brunette, who grabbed the redhead’s arm. In a flash, all three women headed off to where the guy was still standing, saliva practically dripping from their skillfully painted lips.

  “Women,” Matt mumbled and barely made it through the elevator doors with only an inch to spare before the doors closed behind him.

  He poked the button for the thirty-second floor with his elbow, then stepped to the back of the elevator. Not only was it the first time he’d ridden up to the thirty-

  second floor carrying two foo-foo lattes, but it was also the first time he could ever remember riding in any Bank of America Plaza elevator alone.

  “Women,” he mumbled aloud again.

  But he wondered in spite of himself if the blonde, the brunette, and the redhead were acting out their fantasies three elevator cars away.

  When Matt walked into the creative department, a Latte Land cup in each hand, Collin looked at Annie and held out his hand.

  “If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I never would have believed it,” Annie said. She grabbed a ten-dollar bill lying on the top of her desk and slapped it into Collin’s upturned palm.

  “I’m the one who should be paid,” Matt grumbled. “For the dignity I lost going into that place.” He handed over a cup to each of them.

  He was ready to launch into a rant when Kathy appeared in the doorway of their office, all aflutter.

  “There’s a guy up front claiming he has an appointment with you, Annie.” Her puzzled look drew her eyebrows together in a straight line. “I didn’t know what to tell him. When did you start taking appointments?”

  Good question, Matt thought.

  “The bartender,” Annie and Collin said at the same time.

  “What bartender?” Matt asked.

  They both looked in his direction.

  “The bartender Annie met at the salsa bar on Friday night. She wants him to be Joe Video,” Collin said, as if that made perfect sense.

  Matt frowned and looked at Annie. “How much tequila did you drink Friday night?”

  Annie said, “I never dreamed the guy would take me seriously, Matt. Honest.”

  Matt glanced at Collin again. Now Collin looked confused. “I take it you don’t agree with Annie’s statement?”

  Collin grimaced. “Sorry, Annie, but you were pretty convincing. You even had the whole bar cheering because you assured the bartender you were going to make him a huge video game star.”

  Matt shook his head and looked at Annie. “A bartender turned video game star. Another one of your fab concepts, I suppose.”

  “Oh stop it. Both of you,” Annie said. “You’ve heard of a Kodak moment? Well, I had a tequila moment. What do you want me to do? Call the hasty inebriated decision police and turn myself in?”

  “What I want you to do is get rid of the guy,” Matt said a little too sharply. “There’s
too much at stake to drag a bartender in off the street and expect him to double as a professional actor.”

  Her buzz-off look told Matt he should have been more tactful.

  She pointed her finger at him. “We made an agreement. You agreed I had full control when it came to the development of the game. Even choosing the actor to play Joe Video.”

  “Actor, Annie. Not some bartender,” Matt reminded her.

  “Guys,” Kathy pleaded. “Would you please stop arguing and tell me what I’m supposed to do? I need to get back to the front desk.”

  “Send him in, Kathy,” Annie said, tossing Matt a look that challenged him to say differently.

  “Yes, Kathy, by all means send the bartender in,” Matt said. “Lucy here has some ’splainin’ to do to her bartender about the tequila moment she had last Friday night.”

  When Kathy hurried off, Matt walked over to his desk and dropped down onto his chair. “What?” he said when Annie and Collin both kept glaring at him.

  “Let me handle this,” Annie said, her hands on her hips now. “This is my mistake and I’ll correct it.”

  “My lips are zipped.” He made the motion with his fingers across his mouth.

  “Keep it that way,” Annie told him.

  When the bartender walked into the room a few seconds later, Matt was glad no one expected him to utter a single word.

  He couldn’t have.

  He’d been shocked into silence.

  Annie’s bartender was the guy from the lobby.

  “Holy guacamole,” Collin muttered loud enough for Annie to send him a stern look.

  But Collin’s reaction to the tall, dark, and handsome man walking toward her was dead-on. The last thing this man looked like was a bartender. He was one wicked hot hunk with all the Armani and Gucci trimmings.

  Thank you, José Cuervo!

  Hasty inebriated decision or not, Annie knew she’d made the right one.

  “Good morning,” she said, extending her hand as her brain scrambled around trying to come up with his name.

  He saved her the embarrassment. “Enrique Romero at your service. As you requested.”