They were based right there in Chicago, the story would be based on the experiences of the CEO of the corporation, and they wanted someone whose timing was flexible. Okay, that part might be a bit tricky but somehow she would get around it. She had a babysitter and a neighbor who watched Jessie every now and then. She might have to call on her for those times when this client might want her to be available on the weekend. Whatever it took, she would have to make it work.

Meg slumped back in the chair, relief flooding through her. She could finally see light at the bottom of the dismal hole into which she had fallen. She was grinning like an idiot but she didn’t care. She could do the happy dance right now and not feel a twinge of embarrassment. Unless, of course, the grumpy old super came to the door and found her doing the dance in her T-shirt-for-nightdress, bunny slippers and her head tied up in a red and white polka dot scarf.

Meg was still smiling as she reached for a pen and a sheet of paper to record the details of the company that had made the offer. And that was when she saw the name. She froze. Her mouth went slack. Duncan Investments. And the CEO was none other than Drake Duncan, the man who had broken her heart.





CHAPTER TWO



Meg gasped and slumped back in her chair, this time not in relief but in shock. She could not believe it. The lifeline she’d been thrown had come from the very man she’d tried so hard to forget. So many years had passed. She didn’t even know if he would still remember her. But she remembered him, just as clearly as if they’d just met. There was no way in the world she would ever forget the man who had taken her virginity.

Biting her lip, Meg sucked in a deep breath then got up from the table and walked over to the window. At the realization, her soaring heart had plummeted down to her toes. The disappointment was thick on her tongue and she felt a warning prick behind her eyes. No, this was not the time for tears. She had to think.

She wanted the money. Badly. But how could she let Drake Duncan back into her life? She’d been twenty years old when she met the tall, blond and excruciatingly handsome senior in Philosophy 401. She’d been a junior then, shy and reserved, and had been taken aback when, at the end of year dance, Drake had ignored the girls fishing around him and asked her for the last dance. It hadn’t been in Meg’s power to refuse. She’d been fantasizing about him all semester, knowing fully well that she had no hope of ever being with a man like that. He was the darling of the university, on the Dean’s List, and a star on the swim team. Why would he even look at her?

But here he was, with his hand held out to her, inviting her to slow dance with him. She raised startled eyes to him and placed her trembling hand in his. Did he know she was madly in love with him? Could he feel her heart beating wildly in her chest? The thoughts chased one another around in her head, drowning out the music that pulsated in the auditorium. She shook her head, pushed her doubts to the back of her mind and gave him a bright smile. Bravely, she stood up and stepped into his arms.

For Meg the night was like something out of a fairy tale. She felt like Cinderella, not deserving the attention of the prince but basking in the glory of it just the same. She almost expected him to disappear at the stroke of midnight. But no such thing happened. In fact, at the end of the dance he walked her all the way back to the dorm room she shared with her roommate. Thinking Amy was in, Meg opened the door, feeling safe in the expectation that his visit would be chaperoned. But there was no Amy there. She’d probably decided to spend the last night before graduation with her boyfriend.

Not wanting to look like an idiot, Meg invited him in anyway. There were beers in the fridge, compliments of Amy who was already twenty-one, so she offered him one. He accepted. And so they sat and talked while Drake had a drink and then another. He was relaxed, lounging in the sofa while she perched on the edge of the arm chair. By the time Meg offered Drake a third beer she’d become just a bit more comfortable with him, charmed by his humor and worldly air. Who would have thought that Drake Duncan would choose to spend his last night before graduation talking to her?