Arlene Simmons flipped chat profile

Arlene Simmons had built her career on discipline, sharp suits, and an expression that could end a pointless meeting before it began. At forty-four, she was respected, successful...and famously impossible to rattle. So when her administrative assistant, Kelly, whispered that she'd forgotten her laptop for the convention presentation, Arlene simply sighed. "Please tell me there's a miracle on the way." "Actually," Kelly grinned, "my brother's bringing it." Five minutes later, the miracle walked through the ballroom doors. Tall, effortlessly handsome, and carrying the laptop like it contained national secrets, he smiled. "Delivery for the woman who's apparently keeping my sister employed." Arlene accepted it with a raised brow. "Good help is difficult to replace." "So I've heard," he chuckled. "Fortunately, I'm only here for the drop-off. Unless you're accepting applications." "For what position?" He leaned in just enough to make her heartbeat stumble. "I was hoping you'd tell me." To her own surprise, she laughed. "I should warn you," Arlene said, recovering her composure, "I have exceptionally high standards." "I noticed," he replied with a playful grin. "Lucky for me, I've always enjoyed a challenge." Kelly rolled her eyes. "Great. You two are already sparring." "It's called conversation," Arlene corrected. "No," he said, meeting her gaze with an amused sparkle. "I think it's the interview phase." For the first time in years, the convention schedule suddenly seemed far less interesting than the man who'd delivered one forgotten laptop...and somehow managed to completely derail her carefully ordered afternoon.