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room, bouncing among the furnishings. The door closed softly behind her. “Nice, big office you have here. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
    “It’s a perk of being one of the partners.” Victor grinned. “We always get the best stuff.”
    “Oh, I didn’t realize you were a partner. Your title is ‘Chief Consultant,’ right?” She now stood in front of his desk, clutching her briefcase against her stomach.
    He gulped as he peered into her shimmering green eyes. “Yes. But it’s just a worthless moniker. I made it up myself. I stay out of the day-to-day operations and try to keep a low profile.” He gestured for her to have a seat.
    She nodded and smoothed the back of her black skirt before sitting.
    He waited until she was in her chair before he sat. Then he clenched his teeth, feeling like an idiot. He had forgotten to shake her hand. That would certainly tip her off to the informality of this interview. Nonchalantly, he slid his hand across his pants and rose slightly in his chair. “How rude of me. I didn’t shake your hand.”
    She followed his lead and stood up just enough to lean forward, reaching across the desk. “I guess that’s the proper job interview protocol, right?”
    Victor smiled and kept his eyes on hers as they exchanged a firm handshake. Unfortunately, she had bent forward enough to barely show her full breasts peeking out atop her tight blouse.
    As she eased back down in her seat, her hand went to her blouse’s top button, tugging it up toward her neck.
    Shit, she caught me looking , he thought. Time for a quick subject change . “So, Ms. Green,” he said, “I’m glad you were able to meet with me on such short notice.”
    She shrugged, then pulled a notebook and pen out of her briefcase. “It’s not like I had anywhere else to be. You knew that, Mr. Barboza.” She smirked. “Would you mind telling me how you knew about Doyle Construction?”
    “I knew where you worked because your mother mentioned it when we spoke.”
    “Yes, but how’d you know they were shut down this morning?”
    He half-smiled and folded his hands on the desk in front of him. “Coincidence, I guess. New York is a big city but it’s still a small world. You’d be surprised how many people I know around here.” Before she could speak again, he picked up her resume and continued. “So, you’ve worked for two companies since graduating college. One of them Fortune 500.”
    “Yes.”
    “Which company was your favorite?”
    “Lowdon and Shore, definitely. They promoted from within and offered a wonderful benefits package. I would have stayed there if they hadn’t cut most of my department. I hoped to stay till retirement.”
    “That’s good to hear.” Victor stared at the resume, thankful he’d made notes in the margins to remind him of what to ask. Otherwise, the excitement he felt from seeing her right in front of him would have caused his mind to go completely blank. “We’re looking for employees who wish to stay with us for the long haul. And we offer excellent benefits as well, to ensure we keep our best people.” He put the paper down and looked at her. “Are you planning a move back to Chicago, or would you like to stay in the area?”
    “If I can find a decent job here, I’ll gladly stay.”
    “Great.”
    Her eyebrows lifted. “If you don’t mind, could you tell me more about the position I’m being considered for? I couldn’t find any job listings on your company website.”
    “Yes.” He breathed deeply, trying to remember the vague job description that he now realized he should have written down. “It’ll be called Public Relations Liaison. You’ll work with each division as needed to help us streamline our overall business marketing plan.”
    “Who would I report to?”
    He glanced down at her resume. “This office. So, do you have any experience in finance at all?”
    “You mean, I’d report directly to you?”
    “Yes.”
    “I’ve never heard of a job like