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Vicki carefully parted the blinds and inconspicuously eyed the view of a typical Monday morning hustle at the advertising firm. Her morning work was interrupted by what she could swear was Derek's voice, followed by Annie's shy giggle. Vicki peered through the slats and saw Derek standing in front of her receptionist's desk. She admired the sleek cut of his suit and his confident stance, leaning on Annie's desk as she picked up the phone to call Vicki.
"Derek Walker is here to see you," the voice on the other end said.
"Send him in," Vicki replied, her face still pressed to the glass, smoothing out her suit and her shoulder-length auburn hair. She buttoned and unbuttoned her blazer, unsure if she wanted to appear professional or slightly disheveled. Then Derek looked right toward Vicki's office window, and a slow smile spread on his face. She moved away as quickly as she could, and mentally slapped herself. Had he just caught her looking at him?
The door to her office opened, and Vicki whirled around.
"Derek!" she exclaimed, sounding out of breath and slightly too eager to see him. He smiled but raised an eyebrow in amusement. He wondered if he knew how disarming his presence was, not just for her, but for every woman within a ten-mile radius of him. Vicki wasn't one for having a crush, but Derek's boyish good looks and unrivaled charm made her feel like she was in high school all over again, which was the antithesis to maintaining her cool professionalism.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," he said querulously, closing her office door behind him and glancing over to her desk, which was mostly clean except for a few neat stacks of reports.
"Not at all," she replied nonchalantly, unable to stop herself from imagining Derek grabbing her and pushing her up against the wall. She concealed her grin and sat down behind her desk, gesturing for him to sit down.
Derek slid into the comfortable swivel chair, leaning forward towards her. Vicki met his blue eyes, trying not to stare at his full lips, which she knew to feel as silky as they seemed.
"If I tell you a secret, will you promise not to tell anyone?" Derek asked in a hushed voice. Vicki crossed her legs, pressing them together under her desk, refraining from conjuring up all sorts of saucy responses.
"Sure," Vicki replied. She was profoundly curious, because Derek was her rival at their advertising firm. They were both overly ambitious, devoted workaholics, and always right. In the last two years they'd been working together, they'd probably only agreed to a handful of things. What kind of secret would he confide in her?
"ECR Globe and AV Energy are merging. They're announcing it tomorrow."
"What!" Vicki exclaimed.
Derek nodded. "I said the same thing. Apparently, they're shopping around for a new firm to take on a fresh campaign."
Vicki's mind raced with a thousand thoughts at once, but then it occurred to her. "You don't mean..."
Derek nodded. "That's right. You and me, working one of the biggest contracts in the firm's history. It would be a huge coup."
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