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with our little sister. Every other man in town would be chomping at the bit to get in her pants."
    And see that black thong up close.
    "We have to protect the business," Reid added.
    Oh, yeah, the business. Chase remembered the bachelors forever pact the three of them had made when they were twelve. They'd renewed their pact when they'd forged their business venture. Marriage and families would only rob time from the company. And right now, the company was the most important thing in the world to Chase. Next to his friendship with Reid and Lance, of course.
    He'd grown up an orphan nobody, had been teased his entire life about his jailbird dad, his tainted name. Chase tried to form a mental picture of his father, but the only image that surfaced was prison bars and a number on a pair of orange work overalls. After that, there had been the endless barbs from the other kids about being the son of a murderer. The fights and scrapes he'd gotten into when he couldn't stand the ridicule. Being rejected by a stream of adoptive families. Holidays spent alone. Always feeling like an outcast. Anger had simmered and festered inside him, almost destroying him. He'd promised himself that one day he'd show this town that Chase Holloway was someone worthy of their respect.
    Making a success out of this company and building a decent reputation and name for himself in Savannah had to take precedence over a personal life. And definitely over his untamed libido. If he had to handle Maddie for her brothers to ensure success, then hell, he'd accept the job as baby-sitter. He'd just be sure to buy a pair of kid gloves before he saw her next. He'd have to forget that black thong and those delicious-looking cherry-red toenails, too. And that toe ring. And that... that insatiable kiss.
    Reid poked his side. "Chase, you listening?"
    "Yeah, no problem," Chase said. After all, Maddie was almost his kid sister.
    "But remember," Lance added, "Whatever you do, don't ever tell Maddie we asked you to do this."
    Chase nodded. "Don't worry. Maddie will never know."
    * * *
    The last three days had been hell. Friday morning, Maddie dragged herself out of the Lend and Loan, battling depression. First the Small Business Association had turned her down, then every bank in town had dittoed the response. She'd reached the end of her list. Darn it; how could she start her business if everyone in Savannah refused to give her a chance?
    The excuses varied, but the results had all been the same. She didn't own her house, so she couldn't use it as collateral. Her brothers had borrowed to the hilt for their own business so she had no one to co-sign a loan for her. Worse, there were the whispered looks behind her back, the raised eyebrows; obviously her TV appearance had been noted, and she'd been blackballed by all the businessmen in town.
    She sighed as she thought about splurging on the new car. A dumb impulsive decision. At the time, she'd never dreamed there would be a problem with her business loan. Although she hadn't officially applied for funding, Jeff had hinted that he'd put in a good word for her so she'd thought it was in the bag. Obviously she'd been wrong.
    And now she had the van payment as well.
    But Jeff's support had come before Sophie's show. She should have waited until after she'd secured the loan to issue her ultimatum to Jeff. What had she been thinking? Not only was Jeff prominent blue-blood Savannah, but he was on the board of the Savannah Economic Development committee, friends with all the entrepreneurs in town, and he was related to the mayor. He'd probably called everyone he knew and advised them she was a nutcase, not to loan her a dime.
    She'd obviously bitten her own self in the ass!
    The expression on Jeff's face when he'd seen that flaming red heart instantly materialized in her mind, and Maddie shuddered. She'd purposely avoided his bank this week hoping to secure the money she needed elsewhere. She didn't relish the idea of begging him