The most distracting boss of allâ¦
For driven businessman Luke Savage success is the only option. So when gorgeous marketing intern Jess Sherwood waltzes into his office and casually informs him that his newly inherited vineyard has an image problem heâs outraged! Sheâs naive, overly ambitious, a know-it-all⦠And all Luke can do to stop her talking is kiss her senseless.
Eight years later the vineyard needs a boostâand Luke needs a hip new marketing strategy to save it. Jess may drive him crazy but sheâs the right woman for the job. Their only problem is how to keep their minds on work and off that kiss!
IT WAS ONLY A KISS
Luke suppressed his smile at her stubbornness.
Within twenty-five meters those spiky heels would be stuck in mud and her stockings would be flecked with dirt.
Luke swung his leg over his bike and turned the key. He gave Jess another up-and-down look and watched for her response. Her expression remained stoic while her eyes heated. He wondered what it would take to get her to lose the mask of sophistication sheâd acquired.
He leaned on the handlebars on his bike and spoke casually. âDo you ever think about what we did the last time we met?â
He didnât need to spell it outâ¦she was a smart girl. Luke watched carefully and saw her composure slip for a fraction of a second before her lips firmed and her eyes narrowed.
âNo. Do you?â
âNo,â Luke replied.
My, my, my, Luke thought as he pulled away. Look what good liars weâve become.
ABOUT JOSS WOOD
Joss Wood wrote her first book at the age of eight and has never really stopped. Her passion for putting letters on a blank screen is matched only by her love of books and travelingâespecially to the wild places of Southern Africaâand possibly by her hatred of ironing and making school lunches.
Fueled by coffee, when sheâs not writing or being a hands-on mum, Joss, with her background in business and marketing, works for a nonprofit organization to promote the local economic development and collective business interests of the area where she resides. Happily and chaotically surrounded by books, family and friends, she lives in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, with her husband, children and their many pets.
This and other titles by Joss Wood are available in ebook formatâcheck out www.millsandboon.co.uk
For my children, Rourke and Tess,
who are all things bright and beautiful.
PROLOGUE
Eight years ago...
âSo, in conclusion, I think the marketing strategy your people presented to you is hackneyed, stupid and asinine, and pays absolutely no attention to your demographics, to the market research or to where your competitors are placing themselves. Itâs under-researched and knocked together, and if you follow it I guarantee that you will lose most of your market share in five yearsâ timeâif not your business.â
Luke Savage looked across his messy desk at the earnest young woman perched on the edge of her chair, her face animated with youthful zeal and a healthy dose of arrogance. What was her name again? He glanced down at the file in front of him. Jess Sherwood. She was twenty-two, he read, and was currently doing her MBA in Marketing. The file did state that she was over-blessed with brainsâher school and university achievements were, to put it mildly, impressiveâbut it failed to mention that she was solidly gorgeous as well.
A true brown-eyed blonde.
She was quite a parcel and, boy, did she know it.
Luke kept his face impassive as she draped one long, slim leg over the other and lightly linked her hands around a bare knee, an index finger tapping away. She wore a short, flouncy dress, falling off one shoulder and showing a thin purple bra strap, and belted at slim hips by a broad leather belt. Falling to mid-thigh, it was too short, too casual, and too sexy an outfit for workâbut she wore it with careless confidence.
Luke, who was seldom surprised at much, was taken aback by her self-importance and her balls-to-the-wall chutzpah. Sheâd been placed as an intern for the summer holidays, to gain work experience within St Sylveâs marketing departmentâhis marketing department, since heâd recently inherited the generations-old family vineyard. Sheâd ambushed him as heâd been about to leave, barged into his office and said that she felt âmorally obligatedââhe curled his lip at the phraseâto tell him that his decisions sucked and his marketing plan was dreadful. And now she had the temerity to predict the failure of his business.
Her mobile rang and Luke hissed his annoyance as she dived for her bag and pulled out the phone, squinting at the display. She flashed him a wide smile that was charming but devoid of apology. âSorryâI have to take this.â
WhateverâIâm just your boss. Why donât I just wait while you finish arranging your social life?