Lillian spent the night vacillating between two thoughts. She could work for Zach, and what the hell was she thinking? Memories of her insane day confused her. Zach said they would make a good team and he would help her become an agent. Would he crush her professional dreams like he had her fantasies? Olivia. Zachary Steele had the power to make or break her. The man was an enigma. He had been nervous to meet Cunningham, and then he had to gall to smile at her. What the hell was the smile he gave her when she was chatting with the author?

She arrived a few minutes late with blurry eyes and a nagging headache from lack of sleep or her damn period, or possibly both. Calling in sick was not an option for an assistant, unless she was dying or highly contagious. She half expected Chelsea to call in sick, but she was standing by Shania's desk when Lilli stepped off the elevator. Didn't she ever work? Lilli ignored the fact she was the one arriving late.

She smiled, pretending everything was wonderful. Chelsea glared at her. "You stole my job."

"I didn't ask. I was told." She was defending a job she had lost sleep over.

"Do you know what this new guy does?"

Every agent had genres they specialized in. Ann's were all fiction, mostly romance and LGBTQ+. Justin's boss, Austin, did only nonfiction. Zach's were fiction, mystery, crime, suspense and some romance.

Lilli shook her head as she stood with the two coffees and her breakfast, a Boston cream donut. She should have gotten the chocolate croissant. It was definitely a croissant day.

Chelsea gritted her straight, white teeth. "Children's books and young adult! Can you believe it?"

It was a serious segment of the publishing market. Lilli thought of Matthew. "I know some very successful children's authors. They earn very lucrative deals and sometimes have extras like figurines and movies."

Chelsea huffed. "How am I going to get published if I work for a guy who deals with kids' books?"

Without thinking, blame it on the headache, Lilli said, "Send it to me. I'll look at it." The girl looked ready to pounce into a hug, but Lilli held her free hand up. "I can't promise I will pass it to Ann, but I'll give you feedback."

When she finally handed Ann her coffee, she inhaled the aroma and Lilli could see her boss's face relax. "Thank you." She sighed after her first sip.

"Sorry, full disclosure. I was a few minutes late, but they waylaid me out front. I somehow agreed to look at Chelsea's writing."

Ann shook her head. "Zach would have been better off if she didn't come back. Get Kendall on the phone, will you? She's been dicking me around on Leslie's timeline. Two can play at her game."

"It's early. She won't be in yet."

Ann didn't hesitate. "Then time it, so answering my call is the first thing she does."

Like magic, Zach appeared. He stood in her doorway as she changed into her heels. If only she could look graceful, but no, she wobbled a little and grabbed her desk to steady herself. Clumsy with a red face was not attractive.

Zach smiled, oblivious to her mortification. "Did you recover from yesterday?"

Lilli refused to look at him, or her mouth wouldn't work. "Barely."

"Chelsea came back. I hate when women cry."

Did he make Olivia cry? Lilli looked at the concerned look in his golden eyes and chuckled. "You picked the wrong field. The publishing field has lots of women and we all cry." Her mouth f'ing worked. He looked down and the corner of his mouth went in the same direction. He was serious. "I may make Chelsea cry again. I somehow agreed to look at her submission."

He looked up. "She never asked me. Can you show me your feedback? I don't want you taking the fall for this on your own."

Lilli should be speechless. "You seriously want to look at her work?"

He shrugged. "I want to see how you evaluate and critique. So I really want to look at your work." He walked into Ann's office, but not before he winked.

Hell! Could Zach be any more confusing? Lilli's day got better, but Ann's didn't, as she dealt with Kendall on and off throughout the day.

Late afternoon, Chelsea appeared with her coat on. Lilli was in the middle of changing the details of the timeline Ann and Kendall had been volleying back and forth. Twice in the last fifteen minutes, Ann had asked her to change something because the two women still hadn't come to an agreement. Her day was far from being over as Chelsea stood in her coat, handing her a folder. So she had printed off her submission while Lilli hadn't peed all afternoon.

"Here's my story," Chelsea said, grinning like she hadn't been working for the last eight hours.

Distracted and pissed, Lilli said, "Just put it on my desk." Lilli wouldn't have time until much later, maybe at home or over the weekend.

It was another forty minutes before she left her desk to take a much needed bathroom break. When was the last time she refilled her water bottle? She forced herself to take a few extra minutes and went to the break room. She turned to leave, but Zach blocked her way.

"Oh. You're still here?" It sounded like she wasn't happy to see him.

With his broad shoulders filling the doorway, and his legs apart, Lilli felt small, a feeling she hadn't had since kindergarten. "I have work to do."

Lilli spoke to his chest. "But your assistant left an hour ago."

He smiled and shook his head. "That doesn't mean I go home. I'm surprised to see you here. Most assistants cut out at close of business."

Lilli shook her head. "Not me." My father taught me to work hard to get noticed.

Zach laughed. "He sounds like a smart man." Lilli covered her mouth. She hadn't meant to speak her thoughts. "I have had the same lecture from my dad."

Too bad Chelsea hadn't. "My reward is to read Chelsea's query."

"Don't forget to bring it to me." Zach sounded serious as a spark of excitement caused her to smile. Collaborating with Zach might not be as exciting as Jack and Jillian on the sofa, but it would help her career.

She nodded and scooted past him before her brain froze and she said something stupid. For a girl who was competent at her job, she had a reputation for blurting out the crazy thoughts floating in her head.

Thanks to Adrian Caron's advice, when Ann worked, Lilli worked. When she finally shut down her computer after saying goodnight to her boss, it was later than usual. The day did nothing to help her headache, and all she wanted was her bed - not even chocolate or booze.

She jumped when she saw Zach in reception. She thought she was the only one left. He followed her onto the elevator and her mouth had gone back to its old ways. It was just as well because her brain was so fried she couldn't think of anything to say.

Once on the street, he said, "I'll walk with you." She looked at him, but no words came out, just an unattractive gaping mouth. "Don't look so surprised. It would be foolish to drive and pay to park and I'm not taking an Uber to Charlestown."

They fell in step, and as Lilli met his strides, she felt comfortable. It was the second time she noticed his height worked well with hers. To distract herself from his physique, her mind tossed around him, living in Charlestown. It was a popular neighborhood. Expensive, but every neighborhood was, and he was an agent earning commissions from his authors.

Just outside the entrance to the State Street station, he stopped walking. She took a step and then turned back to him. "Lilli, I feel like you don't trust me. I don't know why you're apprehensive around me."

"I'm not." She lied.

He sighed and frowned. "You need to know I worked hard for my position." He averted his eyes above her head. "I wish Ann didn't tell you, but also it doesn't change a thing. Okay?"

Lilli just stared at his golden eyes under the streetlight. It was cold and she could see his breath as warm air flowed from his beautiful mouth. She mumbled, "Okay." Anything else would have been asking too much for her brain and mouth.

They separated with him to the outbound side. One thing about working late, she had plenty of seats to choose from. It wasn't until the train lurched forward when she finally thought over his words.

What did he think she knew? What was his secret?

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