“It’s hard to argue with an expert,” she agreed. “But why don’t we put the job first and see what follows after?”
Cool as a cucumber. If Carly was at all suspect of these results she wasn’t showing it. But before he could ponder why, she tossed him an alluring glance that he caught with an unexpected blood rush to the loins.
Damn, she was beautiful when she wanted to be. And today, in front of the boss and their client, she’d upped the volume on her charm. Matt only saw her like this on occasion, usually during staff meetings when heads began to butt and someone needed to step in and play referee. She was good at that, a born diplomat. The type who brought sanity to all things insane—like the direction Brayton and Andy were trying to take this meeting in right now.
Glancing down at the page Andy had slid across the table, he noted his compatibility results with the other employees—and, sure enough, Carly was listed on top with an eighty-seven percent match ratio. The next nearest was Laine, another coworker he’d crossed paths with on a couple projects. He’d liked Laine, enjoyed talking with her, and even she only ranked in at fifty-four percent. To think Carly could outmatch Laine by thirty-three percent was ludicrous at best. He’d stake better odds on aliens landing in Graceland and resurrecting Elvis.
Not that Carly didn’t have any redeemable qualities. Make no mistake—the woman had a number of assets entirely compatible with his desires, and he suspected when it came to all things physical, they’d fit together quite well. Sneaking a peek down the ruffled neckline of her pale blue pantsuit, he could think of a couple things that might slip nicely into the palms of his hands. And the fruity look of those glossy pink lips was definitely harmonious with his taste for all things sweet.
But none of that took away from the fact that professionally they’d rubbed each other like sandpaper since the day he’d been hired. And the fact that she wasn’t sitting there as bewildered as he by this whole compatibility thing left him smelling something foul.
Opening a purple folder labeled Singles Inc., she pulled out a stack of what looked like business specifications. “I only had a moment to look these over, but I can already see how we can make improvements to your current software. Some of it is outdated. Not only that, but the site loads slowly. I’m gathering most of the graphics have a higher resolution than necessary. Believe it or not, a good portion of the country still connects to the Internet through dial-up. We’ll want something that works fast.”
Matt frowned and looked down at the papers in front of her. “Where did you get those?”
“A copy was left with both of us.”
“When?”
Looking a little too self-gratified, she replied, “I take it you haven’t been back to your desk in a while.”
No, he hadn’t. Though he’d known they were making announcements this morning, he hadn’t been terribly interested, opting instead to play around in the lab, testing some animation on various platforms. He hadn’t even known he’d been awarded the Singles Inc. project until Hall had popped in and told him about this meeting after noticing that Matt hadn’t accepted the electronic calendar invite.
Not waiting for an answer, Carly turned back to Andy. “I see you’ve done some customer surveys for feedback on your current site. It would be nice to bring some of your clients back to look at the new prototype. Is that a possibility?”
“I’m sure we can arrange that.”
“If not, we can gather our own group, but it’s always best to work with people who’ve actually used the site,” she said, jotting down something illegible on one of the pages.
She continued flipping through the pages of the proposal. Her copy was already riddled with notes, and Matt began feeling unprepared and a little foolish for showing up without so much as a pen. As the three of them spoke about the project, he alternately tried to keep abreast of what was going on while studying the papers in front of her, looking for something he could use to interject some thoughts of his own.
How did she manage to run away with this project so quickly? It wasn’t as if he’d been gone all morning. He’d only stepped away from his desk for an hour—two, tops—and here she was talking as though she were the team lead on this project instead of an equal partner.
And the obvious impression in Brayton’s and Andy’s eyes left him irked. He didn’t like being one-upped, and after his baseball career had ended he’d sworn he’d never be less than best again. Yet here was Carly only minutes into their new joint venture, already grabbing the baton and running ahead without him.
He recalled his conversation with Adam in the restaurant the other day, how the buzz in the office had her as a contender for the management job opening up, and an annoying curl of resentment tightened his jaw. Over his dead body. He’d worked way too hard getting to the top of Brayton’s list to let Carly Abrams pop out in front of him at the last furlong.
“What do you think, Matt?” Brayton said, pulling him from his thoughts. “I know you haven’t gone through the preliminaries yet, but any initial thoughts on the subject?”
He looked around the table, all three of them staring at him in anticipation of his answer, but he hadn’t heard a word they’d said.
“Well, um…”
As he fumbled for a reply, he caught a glint in Carly’s eyes. She was batting a thousand; he was sinking like a brick, and she not only knew it, she was enjoying every minute. But before he could embrace his irritation, she stepped in and unexpectedly threw him a life preserver.
“I don’t think their transition to Oracle will impact what we’re doing, but you might have more experience than I do.”
“Uh…no. We can feed data to Oracle just fine.” And when he looked to her to confirm he was on the right track, she faintly nodded and encouraged him to continue. “Any software we use can accommodate your downstream system.”
Andy appeared to be pleased with his answer. “That and our new logo are the only new developments we’ve got since the preliminary specifications were drawn up.” He stacked his papers and placed them in his leather-bound notepad, then tucked the pen in its holder before closing the file. “So unless either of you have questions, we’ll let you two review the documents more thoroughly and go from there.”
Brayton picked up his BlackBerry and clicked a couple buttons before gesturing to Matt and Carly. “Schedule a meeting with me late next week to discuss your initial ideas.”
Carly made another illegible note and nodded, and Brayton turned to Andy. “We’ll get back to you shortly after.”
“Good enough,” Andy said, rising from the table. “I look forward to working with you two.” Then, snapping a finger in their direction, he added, “I’ve got high hopes for that other thing, too.”
Carly smiled and graciously accepted a handshake, but Matt couldn’t temper his annoyance. No computer program was going to assign him a lover, particularly a woman who’d be working for him before the year was out. And though Carly might be showing patience with this lunacy, he’d heard enough.
Forcing a smile on his face, he said his goodbyes and stepped out of the conference room, shaking his head and wondering how his morning managed to get blown to bits in the span of one hour. He’d come into the office feeling pretty good, all but forgetting about Singles Inc. and their survey. He hadn’t expected to be chosen for the project and had mentally wished good luck to whatever couple they’d selected.
Now he was walking out of a meeting he’d just blown on a project he didn’t especially want, newly paired with a woman who was supposedly ideal for him despite the fact that she’d spent two years loathing him.
If that didn’t spin a guy’s head, what would?
“Matt!” Carly called out behind him as she rushed to catch up with his quickened pace. He reluctantly slowed, his mood a little too sour for conversation right now, but what else could he do, break out in a run?
Instead he turned and caught a glimpse of the one other major problem with this whole scenario—that
he’d be working in proximity with Carly Abrams over the next several months. And given her ability to turn his thoughts in circles, he really didn’t need to be put to the test right now. He was trying to impress the boss, not look like an ass in front of him, and though he’d wanted to work with Carly someday, he’d prefer doing it after he landed the promotion.
A side of him thought he should just take her home to his condo, strip them both naked and not come out until he’d completely and thoroughly sweated her out of his system. But looking in those sultry blue eyes, the loose strands of satiny hair framing her face and that silky blue pantsuit hugging every curve, he doubted even that idea would prove fruitful. It would only make him want her more, which was why the coming months were most likely going to be hell.
He could see it play out before him clear as day, his history coming back to haunt him, his propensity for putting his wants ahead of his needs and ending up with nothing. Ever since he’d been released by the Nationals he’d promised himself he’d take his next career seriously. Never again would he be told he had the talent but not the discipline to make it. It had been hard enough letting go of the one thing he was good at, and now that he’d found a new career he wasn’t about to screw it up. This time he’d be the best. He’d scale to the top, look in the mirror and see a sense of pride staring back at him instead of the bloodshot dismay of a self-induced failure.
And the temptation standing in front of him had the power to derail it all. Because when he looked at Carly Abrams, the last thing he wanted to think about was work.
“What’s your schedule look like?” she asked, using a delicate finger to shift the hair away from her face. “We’ll need to get together before we meet with Brayton.”
Those blue eyes were all business, and once again it struck him how casually she was taking the news of this survey. An eighty-seven percent compatibility rate wasn’t typically brushed off when both people involved happened to be single and available.
Instead of answering her question, he leaned a hand against the wall and asked, “So what do you think about this survey? You think it’s legit?”
She shrugged casually, though he noticed a faint blush coloring the tip of her nose. “They’d said in the staff meeting a lot of the questions had been ignored. They only pulled out pieces they felt were pertinent to the work environment.”
“So they ignored the section on sex?”
The blush on her nose spread to her cheeks. “I can’t see how that would apply to work.”
“Which means our scores could have gone even higher.”
She swallowed.
“Or lower.”
He stared her down, a knowing look crackling between them as he sank his gaze into those deep baby blues. He couldn’t deny their sensual chemistry. It thickened the air and heated the space they encompassed, and unless he’d completely lost his touch with women, he’d bet she sensed it, too. The rise and fall of her chest had gone shallow, her breath growing faint as he stood inches from her breasts. She always seemed to tense up around him as if she were holding something back, and a side of him wanted to yank off the restraint and see what she held inside. Her eyes stayed fixed on his, speaking words he couldn’t quite hear, whispering something sweet yet too softly to decipher.
Take away their bitter differences and there was definitely promise there. But as much as he’d like to explore that path, what he really needed to uncover was what she thought about this survey so they could clear the air and get down to the business of this project.
Was she being the good corporate soldier, going along without asking questions? Or was she skeptical, like him, and wondering what kind of fast one was being pulled on them both? Because, heat or no heat, buying a match that high was simply out of the question.
“That percentage is pretty high,” he said. “Almost…unbelievably.”
Her eyelids began to flutter. “Like I said, who knows how much of that survey they used. If they’d used all the answers, the results might have ended up very different.”
“Yes,” he agreed, still trying to read her expression but not knowing her well enough to trust his instincts fully. His gut told him he was getting a practiced line, but he couldn’t put money on it.
“Hey, you two, get a room.”
He glanced over his shoulder. It was Craig Hale winking and wearing a wide grin.
“Get a room?” he asked.
Instead of answering, Craig simply began humming the Singles Inc. television jingle as he slipped by and continued down the hall.
Carly didn’t look amused. “That’s right—you missed the meeting this morning.” She sighed. “The survey results have made us the latest in watercooler humor. I’m hoping everyone loses interest over the weekend.”
Still watching Craig disappear down the aisle, he said, “Sounds like I picked a good meeting to skip.”
“Yes, and why did you, by the way? People have been itching all week for those survey results. I thought you would have been there, as well.”
Matt shrugged. “I didn’t figure I’d get the job.”
Her eyes darkened and in an instant the mood cooled. “So you didn’t go to the meeting because you didn’t think it would be about you.”
“No. Not exactly. I just…” He searched for a way to rephrase that but came up empty. Okay, maybe that was true. Maybe he hadn’t been interested in Singles Inc. or who got the job because he’d expected it wouldn’t be him. Too many other people in the office had been likelier choices. But he wouldn’t have said it like that.
“I had better things to do.” There. That was much better.
“Like what?”
“Like my job.”
There was that glare again. What was this woman’s problem with him? One moment he could swear the space around them was about to ignite, the next she was scoffing him off as a cad.
Opening her folder, she flipped to a page that looked like a print of her calendar. “I’m open early next week. Will that be enough time for you to look over the project documents?”
“Ample.”
“Then how about I schedule some time for us to get together?”
“My schedule’s open.”
She forced a smile. “Okay, then. I’ll do that.” Then she stepped past him and strode back to her desk without another word.
Great. His first team project at the firm had already started off on two left feet, and they were barely an hour in. And they were supposed to be perfect for each other? If this was their idea for right, he’d hate to see wrong.
“WHERE ARE YOU?”
Carly pressed her cell phone to her ear. She could barely hear the caller over the screams of a nearby toddler clutching a pink-and-yellow soccer ball in her aisle of Thriftees Sporting Goods. Carly moved on to an area quiet enough to continue her conversation.
“Bev, is that you?”
“Where the heck are you, in a torture chamber?”
“The toy section at Thriftees, so I guess that would be a yes.” Zigzagging down the aisles, she added, “Did you know there isn’t a single purple backpack for sale in the entire San Francisco Bay area?”
“Did you try Deal-Mart?”
“I’ve tried everywhere, but I’m going back there right now. At least the one I saw there had a couple of pretty purple flowers on it.” She all but ran toward the exit.
The double doors slid open and she stepped out into the heat of an unseasonably warm evening, enjoying the weather while it lasted. Anyday now the fog would return over Marin County, bringing a chill to the evenings again, but for now she was comfortable in shorts and a tank top even though it was nearly eight o’clock.
“What’s that sound? Are you eating?” Carly asked.
“Uh-huh,” Bev said. “I found a box of Froot Loops in the back of the pantry. I’m a little stressed out right now. They’re talking about cutbacks at Kurt’s work, and he’s the new guy on the job.” Carly pulled out her car keys and unlocked the door to her Grand Prix, sli
ding behind the wheel and starting up the engine as Bev continued. “Kurt says not to worry, but you know me.”
“If Kurt says not to worry, don’t. He’ll be fine. He always lands on his feet.”
“Yeah, and I always end up gaining fifteen pounds in the process.” After another moment of crunching, Bev added, “But seriously, I wasn’t calling about that. I wanted to know how your meeting went with Matt. I was surprised he didn’t show for the meeting. Do you think he knew he’d already been chosen?”
“It didn’t seem like it when we met this afternoon. I think he genuinely didn’t expect to get the project, so he didn’t give a squat about who did.” Shaking her head, she muttered under her breath, “How self-absorbed is that?”
She backed out of the parking space and made her way through the lot.
“Do you think anyone suspects you tampered with the survey?”
“Not a bit. In fact, you should have seen Mr. Hall. He was crazy over the fact that Matt and I matched so closely. He and Andy McGee were practically giddy, which was a little weird.”
“And what about Matt?”
“I think he was skeptical at first, but I put that to rest after the meeting.” Carly smiled as she waited at the light. “You should have seen me. I was smooth as silk.”
“You?”
Carly didn’t miss the humor in the tone. “Yes, me. I can pull off a scam on occasion, and this was one of them. Basically, the project is mine and all worry and doubt are behind me.”
“You sure? I was a bit concerned when I saw how high you two matched. You didn’t have to come that close, you know.”
Accelerating into the on-ramp of Highway 101, Carly relaxed and headed north for the purple-flowered backpack. “Trust me, this deal is signed, sealed and delivered. Hall has completely bought into this. As of this afternoon, how I got on the project is history. Now my only task will be dazzling the boss with my talents.”
“So you did it. You actually pulled this off.”
“Oh, yeah. I’d say it’s safe to declare this round a victory.”
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