Lucy Monroe - Satisfaction Guaranteed

The first book in the Goddard Project series

When the subjects of Beth Whitneys favorite fantasy and worst living nightmare walked through the office door together, the day from hell took a nosedive.

And really, that shouldnt be possible. Only Beths shocked vision was telling her that it was. In Technicolor.

It wasnt bad enough that shed woken extra early to avoid the alarm clock only to discover that rather than sleeping like good kittens, Mozart and Beethoven had spent the night shredding the perfect silk drapes shed installed on her condos living room window only a month ago. The toaster had burned her bagel, and her mom had called with yet another candidate in her campaign to rejuvenate Beths nonexistent love life. All before eight-thirty A.M., and her arrival at work hadnt improved a thing.

Her in-box had been filled with the usual urgent requests, but two messages had sent her head spinning. They were hiring a new agent and her boss wanted the new recruits office ready by early afternoon. And Ethan Crane was back from his latest assignment and working out of the home office for the foreseeable future. Which meant that she was back to catching glimpses of him that sparked erotic fantasies no good girl would admit toeven to her very best friend. Even to her cat.

And he would tease herjust like he always did, making her notice him. Upping feelings shed rather pretend did not exist and none of which she would ever allow herself to act on. Not only was the man way out of her league, but he was all wrong for her. He was an agent. He was also too sexy for words and the one man she didnt think would balk at her most secret daydreams.

She balked at them though.

They scared her to death. Almost as much as he did. And there he was.

Maybe she should have let her mom fix her up with Mr. Eligible. Beth needed some kind of diversion to stop her body reacting so strongly to Ethans presence.

The only problem was, no other man measured up. Not even her worst waking nightmare. If seeing her former fianc for the first time in three years could not tamp down her bodys response to Ethan, nothing would.

Following the two men and wearing a look of benign benevolence she knew was a better cover than sand camouflage in the desert was her father. He was also her boss, which was why she didnt leap from her chair and demand to know why in the heck he hadnt seen fit to warn her of Alans arrival.

Okay, so it wasnt as disturbing as Ethans, but her dad had no way of knowing that. For all he knew, seeing her former fianc for the first time in years was shredding her wounded heart. She almost laughed at the image that thought provoked. Her dad was neither maudlin, nor poetic.

She would settle for marginally sensitive, but that seemed a far off dream, too.

All three men were talking and didnt notice her reaction to their arrival. Thank goodness. Her dad saw far too much as it was. She managed to school her expression into a cool smile just as Ethans green gaze landed on her.

Even mentally prepared for it, her heart ran wild and the secret desires shed been fighting since coming to work for her father nearly two years ago pooled low in her belly.

However, she managed to keep her breathing and her voice relatively even as she said, Good afternoon, gentlemen. Ethan, you have two critical messages on your voicemail and a follow-up on e-mail. I assume you had your phone off during lunch?

The subject of her most private fantasies smiled in a way that always sent shivers to interesting, if embarrassing, places. We didnt want to be interrupted.

Darn.

I assume Ive got a few messages that cant wait either. Her dads faintly narrowed gray gaze said hed noted her slight in dealing with Ethans stuff first.

Good. Shed meant to annoy him. Not unduly. She was a professional after all, but there was no way that he could not know that he should have warned her that he was bringing Alan Hyatt into the office. Only as usual, hed ignored her feelings and done things his own way, no doubt with some scheme in mind. He never did anything without a plan, but whatever it was, she had no intention of falling in with it.

She and Alan were done. Period.

A man who stood you up at the altar did not deserve second chances. And if her dad could not see that then he was blinder than shed always believed. A man that vision impaired shouldnt even have a license to drive. And shed tell him that, too, when she got a chance.

Right now, she would do her best to project professional decorum. Yes, Mr. Whitney. You have several messages, but the most pressing is probably the one from the White House.

His jaw clenched. He hated it when she called him that. He agreed she couldnt call him Dad in the office, but he insisted she at least use Whit like the agents did. When she called him Sir, he knew she was annoyed. When she called him Mr. Whitney, he knew he was in deep trouble.

His eyes were acknowledging that truth now. Smart man.

Ill leave you to show Alan to his new office while I go take care of it then, he said.

Hes working here? she asked, her composure cracking slightly as the reality of why the other man was with her father sank in. Hes the new agent?

Thats right, her dad affirmed with subtle punitive relish. Im sure youll do a fine job of making him feel welcome.

Shed make someone feel welcomelike the State Departments internal auditorin her dads private files. Her eyes glittered with promise her dad chose to ignore as he bid the two agents a good afternoon and headed to his own office.

Oh, he was so going to hear about this later.

If youre busy, I can show Hyatt his new digs, Ethan offered as the silence stretched on after her dads hasty exit.

She looked up at him and then at Alan, her usually quick thought processes sluggish in the face of a situation shed never, ever, not in a million years and a day, expected to face. Her dad had hired the man who had humiliated her in front of friends, family, and political hangers-on.

Are you too busy, Beth? Alan asked, his dark eyes probing, his tone implying more to the words than was on the surface.

He was tall, dark, and dangerously attractive. He knew it too, but for a while she had been someone special to him and vice versa. If he really was going to be working for The Goddard Project (TGP), then she would have to learn how to deal with his daily presence. She might as well start now.

Besidesit might be a good idea to set a few things straight. She didnt know what her dad had told Alan about her, but whatever it was, she wanted him to know the truth.

Their past would stay in the past.

She smiled at Ethan, though her jaw felt like cracking from the effort. Thanks, but its fine. This is part of my job. And you have phone messages to answer.

Ethan nodded, but didnt turn to go immediately. His green gaze was locked on her with disturbing intensity, as if he was trying to see inside of her to that place she kept hidden from everyone else. She couldnt imagine why. As far as she knew, the sandy-haired, to-die-for good-looking agent considered her a talking piece of office furniture.

And that was exactly the way she wanted it, too. Did you need anything else?

Ethan shook his head and turned to leave, no indication of discomfort at being caught staring in his manner. His tall, muscle-honed frame moved off down the corridor with easy grace she both admired and envied. The man was too confident for words. And too much of everything else besides.

Do you two have something going on? Alan asked.

Beths gaze jerked back to him. Me and Mr. Cool? I dont think so. You, of all people, should know I dont date agents.