CHAPTER 1

“Where are you, Elaine?” she said slowly looking outside the window.

          She then turned and started gazing around the room. Being part of a shiny, rich, boring crowd such as this one wasn’t the way Annalise hoped to spend her evening. She always hated participating in social events but most of the time, they were solid gold occasions for someone in her line of work.

          However, this fundraiser was a bit different than the usual ones she’d attended. And she knew exactly why it was important to take one for the team.  

          Lance Hamilton was there!

          The new ‘King of Los Angeles’ was the main attraction of the event.

          Annalise was standing way back, near one of the large windows of the ballroom, sipping white wine and observing him thoroughly, gazing away every time Lance would look in her direction, trying not to show him how impatient she was to deliver the decisive pitch and start working for him.  

          Being an advertising executive (AE) was all Annalise ever wanted. She absolutely loved her job, from the first interview with a potential client, straight to the final result. And landing a challenging account like “HL Sportswear” was the absolute dream of every single AE in the States.

          She knew there were two advertising agencies on his short list: “S&W Advertising”, the one Annalise was working for, and “Empire Promotion”, their sworn ‘enemy’. So, it was imperative for Annalise to get the job. Not only for the work itself but also for the fame, the prestige.          

          Even if Helena Christiansen, the boss of “Empire Promotion”, spent every single moment of the party near Lance, buttering him up, laughing at every joke, and talking quite loudly about everything, Annalise knew she was still very much ahead in the race.

“Go on and laugh, Helena dearest!” Annalise whispered. “Let’s see who is going to have the last laugh,” she added with satisfaction and took a small sip of wine.

          Annalise placed the glass on one of the tables and kept her attention focused on Lance. Even in his slight discomfort, he was acting with ease, making small talk, smiling, showing interest in the conversations but always very casually, throwing a glance in her direction.

          Ever since she met him, a couple of weeks ago, Lance Hamilton kept tormenting her brain day in and day out, with his dark brown eyes, his perfectly shaped body, and his breathtaking smile.

          All her dreams were haunted by this man.    

          Tall, strong, gorgeous, and intelligent, Lance was the CEO of “Hamilton Inc.”and the actual ‘father’ of “HL Sportswear”, a branch that was designing and selling sports items all over the United States. He was heir to billions and a billionaire in his own right, the most eligible bachelor in the country, and one of the youngest CEOs in the States.

          During his studying years at Harvard, he had been the captain of the Men’s Swimming and Diving Team, the captain of the Men’s Rowing Team, and the captain of the Debating Team. Annalise hadn’t been surprised to find out that Lance graduated as valedictorian.

          Accomplished, sharp, rich, stunning, powerful…

          The perfect combo!

          Lance Hamilton was all that and more… almost too perfect to be real.  Yet, he was real and he was standing in the same room with her, only a few feet away. And that evening, in particular, he was smoking hot.

          She could still remember their first meeting, in his office. So sure of himself, so eloquent… so gorgeous. During the meeting, they exchanged a few glances, and, for a very brief moment, Annalise found herself thinking ‘what if…’

          But the moment she left his office, she canceled every single ‘what if’ from her brain. Lance Hamilton was the ‘media sweetheart’ and since her experience with the media wasn’t all that great, Annalise knew she had to keep their relationship absolutely professional.

          Getting involved with Lance wasn’t an option!

          Okay, she wanted him, like every woman in this room, but he would remain a dream, a fantasy. All she wanted from him was a shot at “HL Sportswear” and she was going to get it, fair and square. Going to bed with the CEO of the company in exchange for a sure job, was out of the question.

          ‘Girl… Quit watching Lance Hamilton like he’s the only man in the world,’ Annalise said to herself and shifted her gaze towards other people in the room. ‘Stop with this nonsense and focus on your mission!’

“Hi, Anna. God, I’m finally here… The traffic was hell…”

          Annalise turned and saw Elaine Styles, her boss and mentor. She was already holding a glass of wine in her hand. The smile on her boss’s lips was telling Annalise how much fun she was already having. Elaine was cut to work this kind of crowd. More than her.

“Hi, boss!” she replied smiling. “Yep, pure hell. It took me forever to arrive here…”

“Did I miss something?” Elaine asked, gazing around.

“Not much… Just the warm-up lap,” Annalise answered.

“Listen, I know you hate these events, but this time you had to be present. Oh, here’s Lance Hamilton… And he’s under siege! Maybe you should get there and see what is going on…” she said sipping from her wine.

“No need, Elaine. He will come to me.”

“Are you sure? Maybe taking the first step and…”

          Elaine stopped talking.

“Ding, dong! The bitch is here!” she added and pursed her lips. “I thought she would unleash one of her dogs not be here in person…”

          Her face went from pale, to red, to blue in a matter of seconds. Seeing Helena Christiansen had that effect on her boss. There was so much bad blood between the two women, long before Annalise's arrival at “S&W Advertising”.

“Two days ago, she was in Paris with her latest ‘victim’…”

“As you can see, now she’s right over there, alone… doing some useless shmoozing,” Annalise replied in a simple tone.

“That conniving tramp! She’s up to something, Anna! I know she is…” Elaine went on, trying to calm down.

“Isn’t she always?” Annalise questioned her. “Let her think she’s going to get the gig.”

“Last year, she shamelessly stole three major accounts from us… 'Thanks to her' I lost half of my agency. I lost my precious independence, my life as I knew it, my family… I never needed a partner, but I had to accept David's proposal since this was the only way to save what was left of the agency... I want her annihilated, Anna! Snatch this account from her agency and make her bleed! Make her suffer like never before!”

          Elaine finished her drink and put the glass on the table near her.

“Relax, boss! I got this under control!” Annalise told her smiling sweetly.

“Are you sure?”

          Annalise looked straight at Lance Hamilton who was practically drowning in the middle of the crowd. Then she gave a half gaze to Elaine.

“Hello, have we met?!” Annalise asked smiling. “Since you hired me, you trained and taught me everything you knew, Elaine. When I say I got this… it means I GOT THIS! Lance Hamilton is mine. I know it and he knows it too.”

“Sweetie, I know how good you are. And I like your confidence. But I don’t trust that bitch, not one bit. Please, stay focused!  Lance Hamilton is our ticket out of the financial mess we’re in, Anna!” Elaine said slowly. “Without his money, we are doomed. Keep that in mind.”

          She looked at Elaine with a confident smile on her lips.

“You allowed me to take the lead and play this as I see fit. Still, I’m not going to do the schmoozing dance… Not because I don’t want to, but because he’s kinda expecting this from me. The fact that I’m not there to kiss his ring, is a point in our favor, trust me! He needs to see that we are not like the others. Are we desperate to work on his brand? Yes! Do we need to show it? Absolutely not! Besides, after our last meeting, I sensed his desire to work with us. And you know I got a sixth sense about these things. Lance Hamilton will come to me by the end of this evening.”

          While she was talking to Elaine, for a long second, Annalise looked in Lance’s direction. From the other side of the room, Lance was doing the same thing, checking her out quite intensely and brazenly.

“I spent hours and days of my free time putting together the perfect plan. He is going to set a meeting and he is going to hear my pitch. If not, feel free to kick me out of the agency,” she countered.

“Anna…”

          Her almost motherly tone eased Annalise down. She turned her attention over to Elaine trying to avoid getting distracted by Lance while trying to reassure her boss of their victory. In order to do her thing with Lance, Annalise needed Elaine to be as calm as possible.

          Elaine Styles wasn’t the easiest woman to work with. She was harsh, demanding, and hard-headed but she was also extremely fair, understanding, and loyal. The agency was struggling to maintain the course, and landing an account like “HL Sportswear” would save everybody, including David White, Elaine’s business partner, from always worrying about the future of “S&W Advertising”.

“You of all people know how much I suffered because of this job. Since our first encounter, I told you everything that happened in San Francisco. Every single ugly, nasty detail. You trusted me and gave me a chance. I told you I won’t fail you. Ever! And you know I keep my promises.”

“Anna, I have faith in your abilities. I know what you can do. I know that you’re extremely good and devoted to your work and our agency. I trust you and I always will, no matter what. But not everybody is playing fair. There are a lot of snakes in this business, like that bitch over there.”

          Elaine’s voice almost broke. This time, Annalise looked closely at Elaine and noticed something that she had never seen up to that point. The make-up she applied was very tasteful but couldn’t cover entirely the dark signs under her eyes. Elaine looked so tired.

          Since she had to bow her head down and accept David White’s partnership, Elaine was eating, breathing, and sleeping “S&W Advertising”. Now, since her divorce was finalized, she was more than ever committed to her work.

          Her boss’s determination motivated Annalise even more. She knew she had to try every single trick she had up her sleeve to land this account in order to give her boss some room to breathe, take some weight off her shoulders, and allow Elaine to live a life out of the office.

          Besides, this may be the perfect way to thank Elaine for believing in her when no one else did, Annalise thought.

“It’s going to be just fine, Elaine. Now, go and mingle, have fun, if you can, and let me work my magic…” Annalise added and gently gave her boss a push.

“Very well, I will,” she replied and looked in Lance’s direction. “Good luck, kiddo!” Elaine added and left Annalise alone.

          Annalise took a deep breath and turned her back to the crowd, showing a fake interest in the view outside but, in actuality, focusing on Lance’s reflection in the window. It was a good way of noticing his every move without being too obvious.

          She saw him leaving his small group and coming straight towards her. Lance’s way of moving was as smooth as that of a panther approaching the prey, but she stood there, calm, cool, and collected, even if her body was practically buzzing with excitement. Lance was messing up all her senses, but even so, she had to keep a poker face and talk to him like everything was just fine.

“Hello, Annalise!”

          Lance greeted her in such a sensual way she almost stopped breathing.

“It’s so wonderful to see you again,” he went on while she was turning to face him.

          ‘This is it! It’s showtime!’ Annalise thought. ‘Play it well, girl! Play it cool!’