“Do you know why?” My brain cycles back to the image of my hands in Carter’s pants. His come on my—

I shake my head. Brad would have no way of knowing any of that, but it’s the only connection I can make.

“Nope.” She looks at each of us in turn. “Is there a problem?”

“No problem at all.” Carter motions for me to lead the way. “Thanks, Kylie.”

“Any time.” She offers him an encouraging thumbs-up before whispering, “You’ll do great!”

You have got to be kidding me.

With an awkward cough, Carter glances down to the floor as I pass, and we both step into Brad’s office.

Brad Kingman has that air about him—you know the one, where it’s clear he thinks he’s a little better, a lot smarter, and leagues more connected in this town than you are. He also does that thing all the best intimidating people do where he stares directly at you when he’s speaking. When you talk—if you’re important enough for him to actually listen—he’ll make you feel like the most fascinating person in the world. But be ready: If you call, you’d better know what you want to say. If you come to his office, get it out—and quickly. He doesn’t do polite small talk and doesn’t schmooze.

But when Carter steps through the door, it’s like a Brad Kingman I’ve never seen before stands to greet him.

“Carter,” he says, grinning widely. He rounds the desk, reaching out to offer a hand. “It’s good to meet you, son.”

Son?

Carter’s posture tweaks initially as he’s taken aback, but he recovers quickly. “It’s good to meet you, too,” he says, shoulders straight, chin up, and grip strong as he shakes Brad’s proffered hand. He looks calm.

Good, he’s done his homework.

Brad claps him on the back and motions for him to take a seat before turning his attention to me. “Evie. It’s been quite a madhouse around here, hasn’t it?”

He pulls out a chair for me and I give him a smile in return. “It sure has.”

Circling back around his expansive walnut desk, Brad takes a moment to look at each of us in turn. “Have you met?”

I glance at Carter, offering a wan smile. “Yeah, we know each other.”

“See, this is what I’m talking about,” Brad says, “this is a team. Carter, I want you to know that Evie here has become my right-hand kid. Any questions you have, anything you need, Evie is the girl to talk to. Understand?”

I feel my cheeks warm under the simultaneous compliment and condescension of right-hand kid and the girl to talk to.

“Absolutely,” Carter says, glancing at me a little uneasily. “She’s been nothing but helpful so far.”

Brad raps the knuckles of one hand against the desk and leans back in his chair. “That’s good to hear. Now, if I had to guess what’s cycling through your heads this morning, I suspect there’s a bit of confusion about what’s going on—am I right?”

“Pretty much,” Carter says with a small laugh.

“I get that. I do get that.” Brad straightens, hands folded in front of him. “Evie here will tell you that I am all about playing as a team, Carter. And here at Price & Dickle we are only as strong as our weakest player. Isn’t that right, Evie?”

I say through clenched teeth, “That’s right, Brad.”

“Which means we need every player to be able to knock it out of the park. I brought the two of you in here together for a couple reasons. The first is that between the three of us, I think you two are the best we’ve got. I’ve heard a lot about you, Carter. It’s why I snagged you from TV-Lit—you belong in Features. You two can bring our department back into the game.”

He pulls two files from the bottom of a stack and opens the first.

“You started as a finance clerk at a boutique agency in New York?” he asks, and Carter nods. “And what did you learn from that?”

Carter shifts in his seat, glancing at me before returning his attention to Brad. I didn’t know this.

Obviously, there’s going to be quite a bit I don’t know. So this is a first: getting to know a potential boyfriend through a thinly veiled grilling session in our boss’s office.

“Well, of course I heard a lot of gossip,” Carter admits, smiling easily. “There are agents who act like anyone not involved in a negotiation isn’t really there. Because of that, I overheard conversations I probably shouldn’t have.”

To my own ear it sounds like he’s underselling for some reason, still keeping his cards close. If I’m right, Brad knows it, too.

“That’s it?” Brad asks.

Carter hesitates for a moment. “It’s a good way to learn how people handle pressure, observing it from the outside. You learn to catalog everyone’s reaction, anticipate who will do what when the shit hits the fan.”

Brad smiles, and because I know Brad, I can tell he’s amused by Carter’s casual swearing. By contrast, he would wince and chastise me for doing the same. I feel queasy. I knew Carter was charming but secretly hoped it had something to do with my wanting to bang him. Apparently not, because he’s playing Brad perfectly, too.

“Start at the bottom and take what you learn to the top,” Brad says, nodding.

Carter grins, and charisma seeps into the room. “Something like that.”

Brad scribbles down a couple of notes and turns to me. “Now, Evie here, she could talk a grenade out of exploding. That’s a skill you want to learn, Carter. Lots of people can be decent agents, but it takes a special one to spot talent, and an even better one to keep it. There’s been a stumble or two . . .” He pauses meaningfully. “But for the most part, she’s proven she belongs with the big boys. Hell, she’s trained some of the best agents in this town.”

I bite my tongue. It’s unlike Brad to hand out praise so baldly, and I brace myself, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“Now, like I said, I think you two are the best we have, but I’ll be honest. I don’t know if we can keep you both—”

“What? ” we both say in unison.

Brad holds up his hands, motioning for us to let him finish. “Your compensation is comparable—which is why I have you both in here—and I don’t know if P&D will have the room to renew both contracts. At least not here in LA.”