Sugar

Dog stink was not attractive.

How could his day get any worse?

“Hello,” Helen, his most trusted PA, said.

“Helen, hi. I want you to put me through to the Carver Advertising Agency.” The sooner he got to speak with Miss Albright the sooner he could fix this deal.

Having models on his books wasn’t a problem. His company was all about trade from food to models, to beauty, to the movie industry. In most cases, their clients were contracted out, and they would only get a portion of the fee. Not only did they have a beauty line coming up along with the models, the only thing they needed was the marketing and advertising. That’s where the Carver Advertising Agency came in. Getting a deal with them that combined their two companies would be life changing for both of them. Now he didn’t have to worry about that stupid dog, he could focus on the real business at hand.

Now, he hoped Miss Albright was as giving as Sugar was.

Just thinking about the dog walker back at the park made Colton pause. It had been a long time since he’d been with a woman. Maybe after all this was over, he’d be able to give Sugar a night to remember. She’d saved him today; it would be the least he could do. The thought alone made him smile.

His day was certainly looking up.

3

Sugar stared down at the business card, feeling her eyebrows rise as she took in Colton’s full name.

Colton Ethan Richmond.

Holy shit. It was clear he had no clue who she was, but then again, she’d only given her first name. And she hadn’t known who he was, not until he’d given her his business card and she’d seen exactly whom she’d been speaking with.

Richmond Talent Agency.

Sugar lifted her head and looked over to where he’d been. There was no sight of him; he had obviously hauled ass out of the dog park.

Her company was doing business with his. In fact, if the deal went through it would be one of the biggest mergers for both of their corporations in over a decade. And she was the one holding it up, going through all the paperwork, the fine print, making sure all the Is were dotted and the Ts crossed.

She got plenty of messages from Mr. Richmond, wanting to meet, wanting to go over the specifics so things could move forward. She’d been dragging her feet, but then again, as a communication director it was her job to make sure everything was in place before signatures were delivered.

Her heart was thundering as she curled her fingers around the thick, expensive business card. She tucked that, as well as her cell, into her bag. Calling Poppy over, she attached the leash to the collar, not being able to help smiling as Boscoe trotted over as well. Once he was secured on the leash she headed out of the dog run to do a few laps around the lake.

Sugar had been partially joking about walking his dog and caring for Boscoe, but before she could set him straight, Colton had handed her his business card, the leash, and gotten the hell out of there.

She’d been left with an open mouth and no doubt wide eyes, shock filling her with what had just happened. But that wasn’t even the most shocking part. The fact that he was who he was resonated in her like a damn atom bomb. Things would obviously have to come out in the open eventually, especially when there was a meeting set for the following week, one where she would come face-to-face for the first time with Mr. Richmond.

Well, he thought it would be the first time he’d met her. His expression would certainly be amusing.

But tonight she’d bring his dog back, tell him she wasn’t about to be his employee as she dropped Boscoe off, and then she’d go home and figure out exactly how things would play out next week.

Would he be upset if she didn’t tell him tonight who she was?

Either way she’d deal with it when there was a conference room full of staff.

Sugar stared up at the apartment building where Colton lived. It was flashy, expensive as all get-out, and she wouldn’t be surprised if he had the top floor penthouse. She’d dropped Poppy off at home on her way over here, needing an hour just to talk herself into coming over here and confronting him.

She curled her hand more tightly around the leash that secured Boscoe. He sat beside her, on his best behavior, seeming excited to see Colton. Despite Boscoe having some behavior issues, it was clear he did love Colton. She looked down at the dog and saw his tail wagging. The whining coming from him as he stared at the front doors of the building told her he knew he was home and anticipated it.