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and good friend, nearly skipped into the room, her bright green earrings jingling softly; her dark eyes were bright with excitement. “You really missed a good Frisbee game this afternoon. Walt and Brian nearly killed each other. I didn’t know before today that contact Frisbee existed. Whatcha working on?”
    I clutched the sketchbook to my chest. “Just doodling. Nothing, really.”
    Lily flopped onto my bed, folding her long legs beneath her. “I wanted to see if you could help quiz me. I’ve got a chemistry test tomorrow, and some of these elements are tripping me up.” She shoved her bangs away from her forehead, the silky hair flopping right back into its previous position the moment her hand fell away.
    “Sure,” I agreed, yanking open my desk drawer. “No problem. Just let me put this away . . .”
    “Oh, come on, let me see. You know I love your drawings,” Lily cajoled as she reached for the sketchbook, fluttering her long lashes. “You don’t have to be embarrassed.”
    “I’m not.” I gripped the sketchbook tighter. The spiral binding cut into my palm. “It’s just . . .”
    “Hey, you know I love your art. When have I ever said anything mean about it?” Lily pouted, her normally thin lips going impressively full when pooched out like a manipulative kindergartener’s.
    I sighed in defeat. “You haven’t.”
    “Oh yeah, and you haven’t told me how the job search went today!” Lily bounced on the bed. “So give me your drawing and tell me while I ooh and aah over your talent.”
    “Dammit, Lil,” I groaned, but passed the sketchbook anyway. The chair legs scraped across the wooden floor as I turned the chair so I could face Lily.
    Lily flopped the book open to the silky red ribbon bookmark. Her jaw went slack, almond eyes rounding as she took in the sketch. “Holy shit, Hales. Who the hell is this?” Her voice was breathy, almost reverent.
    “That,” I said with a weak smile, “is my new boss.”
    “Holy shit,” Lily repeated in an awed whisper.
    “You’ve got that right.”

Chapter Three
    Neill
    I scraped the last of the shaving cream away with the razor and splashed my skin clean. Streaks of white foam swirled down the drain. A bracing pat of aftershave cooled me, and I scrutinized my reflection.
    Calm, cool, put together. Not too bad . I pulled on a simple heather-gray tee, making sure the hem was straight. With a last adjustment of my belt buckle, I looked again. Yup, confident. In charge. The boss .
    With a mental eye roll, I turned away from the mirror. I still had a lot to learn about being the boss. Tasha had reminded me of that last night after I’d hired Hailey without so much as having her fill out an application. The only things I knew about her were that she was a college student, loved art, and was hotter than four-alarm chili.
    “Serves me right, letting my cock do the thinking,” I muttered as I left the bathroom. “Maybe we won’t get burned.”
    The girl in question should be there already, learning the ropes from a reluctant Tasha. I couldn’t blame Tasha for her misgivings. She hadn’t met Hailey the night before. The girl might be a drug addict, or a kleptomaniac, or worse. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that she was the right person. Perfect for me—er, the job.
    I grinned as I grabbed my helmet and headed out the door. I couldn’t pretend that I didn’t want to get to know Hailey better. She was gorgeous, with thick brown hair and smoky hazel eyes that sparkled when she smiled, her petite body curvy and soft-looking. She loved art, her laugh made me instantly hard, and she had good taste in music. She met all my qualifications.
    Of course, the last girl who’d met all of my qualifications had done her damnedest to ruin my life. I glanced back at the house as I walked across the driveway. If not for Karl, I’d have been homeless for the second time in my life, thanks to Gretchen’s habits.
    A dark cloud fell over my memory then, and I lost