Just Trust Me...

"YOU WANT ME to gowhere?To dowhat?Withwhom?" After uttering those questions, Kayla stared at Nelson. Until thirty seconds ago, she'd thought her boss was a rational human being. Clearly, however, the man was insane. Nelson stared right back at her over the tops of his bifocals. "To Peru. To spy. On Brett Thornton." Brett Thornton.Kayla barely managed to suppress a grimace. How was it possible to so thoroughly dislike a man she'd never even met? In the course of only four months, he'd become the bane of her existence. She was well accustomed to dealing with everything from the media to demanding executives to high-maintenance, diva-like models. Who would have thought that some unknown nerdyscientistcould prove such a problem? "I flunked Spying 101," she said with a breezy laugh. "So clearly I'm not the best choice." "Youarethe best choice," Nelson said in the deep, implacable tone Kayla recognized all too well after working for him for the past ten years. It was the tone that indicated he'd made up his mind and there'd be no changing it. "Thornton's claims of developing an anti-aging formula that will not only render cosmetic surgery obsolete but has aphrodisiac qualities, as well, is the cutting edge we need." "Unfortunately every other cosmetics company in the world feels the same way." "Exactly. Which is why I want to make sure La Fleur has the upper hand right from the beginning. We lost out two years ago on that new sunless-tan formula. We're not losing again." "But Thornton's been dangling that golden carrot for four months and hasn't produced yet." "Doesn't mean he won't." She made a disgusted sound. "My personal opinion is that he's loving all the attention every cosmetics firm--including us--is lavishing on him. Basking in the perks, the wining, dining and wooing--he's milking it for all it's worth, and when it finally comes time to put out his so-called miracle product, he'll have nothing." "That is a possibility," Nelson agreed. "But it's also just as likely he's being cautious, and as aggravating as that is, I can't blame him. If his claims are true, the product will revolutionize not only skin care but foreplay as well. Who could resist such a product? You know as well as I do that sex sells. And La Fleurwillown the product." There was no need for him add "or else"--it was fully implied. And certainly if Thornton's claims were true, Kayla wanted La Fleur to own the miracle formula. But after months with no physical proof, she had serious doubts as to whether Thornton's claims were valid. And then there was her personal dislike of the man. While she'd been spared dealing with him personally, her staff had not been so fortunate, reporting that Thornton was standoffish, refused interviews and didn't return phone calls. Bad enough--but her one near-encounter with him two months ago had convinced her he lacked any redeeming qualities. She'd spent weeks arranging a fabulous party in Thornton's honor to introduce him to key La Fleur people, seen to it that every mover and shaker in New York had been invited, along with a host of local celebrities and all the La Fleur models. And what did Brett Thornton do? He'd abruptly left--without a word, before the party had barely begun. And before he'd been introduced to the managerial team, herself included. Furious and appalled by his rudeness, she'd been forced to improvise a plausible excuse to the company's president, CFO and board of directors who looked to her to explain why the guest of honor was MIA. Just thinking about it now fueled her anger all over again. As far as she was concerned, Brett Thornton--oops, sorry--Dr.Thornton as he'd insisted upon being called--was more of a headache than a roomful of hungover supermodels. He was just another arrogant overnight sensation who courted media interest, then turned into a first-class whiner abD'Alessandro, Jacquie is the author of 'Just Trust Me...', published 2006 under ISBN 9780373792801 and ISBN 0373792808.