One
The vultures were circling. Celia Taylor stood back, wineglass in hand, and surveyed the crowded ballroom. The fund-raiser was supposed to be more pleasure than business, but business was uppermost on the minds of her competition. Across the room, Evan Reese stood in a large group of people. He looked relaxed, seemingly in his element, an easy smile making his extraordinarily handsome face even more gorgeous. It should be a crime for a man to be that good-looking. Tall, rugged, he looked every inch the kind of man who’d be at home in the athletic wear his company designed and sold. There was an aura of confidence and power around him, and above all, Celia loved a man who was sure of himself. Given the long, searching glances they’d exchanged over the last few weeks, she’d be a fool not to entertain the idea of seeing where things could lead. If he wasn’t a prospective client. A client she wanted to land very much. She wanted the account—her boss and the agency was counting on her—but she drew the line at sleeping with a man to get what she wanted. Celia turned away from the sight of Evan Reese before she became too enthralled in just watching him. They’d performed a delicate dance around each other ever since he’d fired his last advertising agency. He knew she wanted him—in the professional sense of course. Hell, he probably knew she wanted him naked and in bed too, but she wasn’t going to dwell on that. Maybe later tonight when she could afford to indulge in a little fantasy. The problem was, anytime a big company like Reese Enterprises fired an agency, it became open season. The other agencies circled like sharks. It was a dog-eat-dog world, and in reality, she should be over there, shoving herself down his throat like the rest of her competition, but she couldn’t help but believe Evan Reese was secretly amused by the attention. He took a different hand. She was sure of it. “Celia, glad you made it. Have you spoken to Reese yet?” Celia turned to see her boss, Brock Maddox, standing a foot away. He wasn’t drinking. He didn’t even look particularly thrilled to be here. Her eyebrow rose. “A tux. Why, Brock, you look positively decadent. However are you keeping the ladies at bay?” He grunted in response, his lips curling in distaste. “Cut it out, Celia. I brought Elle along.” Celia looked beyond his shoulder to see his pretty assistant standing a few feet
