Serena followed me to my new shared office with two cups of steaming coffee. The intern I’d tasked with helping out on the “Most Eligible” feature had kept me well-caffeinated while also completing most tasks almost immediately. I had a feeling she was gunning to get hired as an assistant.
As we navigated through cubicles, Serena gave me the lowdown on her weekend, spent in her boyfriend’s studio apartment binge-watching TV.
“What’sEnter the Dragon?” I interrupted as she covered the highlights of their movie marathon.
Her eyes doubled in size. “Only a martial artsclassic,” she said, handing me a mug as I sat behind my desk. “Brock and I could lose days just on Chinese cinema.”
“Sounds like you did,” I said with a grin. “What’s the latest with the bachelors and bachelorettes?”
She pulled a folder from under her arm and handed it to me. “One of the guys wants to meet with you today. He’s interested but has some concerns he wouldn’t address with me.”
“Hehas concerns? We haven’t even narrowed our selections yet.” I opened the file, glancing over a one-page typed sheet Serena had obviously cobbled together.Thirty-four, employed, single. “Did Lisa call him?”
“He came to us. Apparently, he’s been asked to participate in the past but turned it down. Now he’s reconsidering.”
“Well, that’s bold of him. What makes him think we still want him?”
“Trust me,” she said in a low tone that made me look up. “We want him. He’s thedefinitionof handsome. Like, if you Google the word, he’ll come up.”
I frowned. Attraction was subjective, and it wasn’t the defining quality on which we’d make our final selections. “There’s no photo here.”
“The printer’s out of ink, but it wouldn’t do him justice anyway. He literally called a half hour ago, so I threw the file together. Just look him up.”
“I trust your judgment to at least meet with him.” I checked my watch. “As if I don’t have enough to do first thing Monday morning.”
“I can ask Lisa,” Serena said, holding out her hand for the file. Her eyes glinted. “But since he’s a likely finalist, I thought you might want to reel him in.”
She had a point there. If I knew Lisa, she’d already been plotting ways to edge me out of the promotion. “I’ll make time,” I said.
“Great. He’ll be here at eleven.”
“Who’ll be here at eleven?” my boss asked from the doorway.
Serena whipped her head over her shoulder as I straightened up. Despite Mr. Beman’s small frame, the office shrank when he was in it. “A highly promising potential bachelor,” I said, doing my best to sound convincing even though this guy could’ve been repulsive for all I knew. I opened the file and squinted as I read off, “Lucas Dylan.”
Beman raised his eyebrows. “From Pierson/Greer?”
Serena subtly nodded at me.
“Er, yes,” I said. “That’s the one.”
“Incredible. Nice work,” Beman said but wagged a finger at me. “He doesn’t go by Lucas, though. I’m sure you knew that?”
“Of course,” I said.
Luke it is.
“He’s a bit private,” Beman continued. “Only does work-related interviews. Diane tried for years to score him, but she wasn’t even able to get him on the phone. An in-person interview is promising.”
I smiled, silently thanking Serena for coming to me with this before Lisa could get her hands on it. Clearly, I had to do whatever necessary to land this guy.
“I believe Liv is all set on coffee,” Beman said to Serena, dismissing her with a nod.
“Oh, right.” She shrugged at me. “Let me know if you need a refill.”
“Have a fresh pot ready for Mr. Dylan,” I said.
She nodded on her way out, barely squeezing by Beman as he fixed his tie. “This would be a huge coup, Liv,” he said. “If you manage to get Mr. Dylan in the issue, well . . .” Beman tilted his head as if presenting a challenge. “He’ll sell magazines. And I like to sell magazines.”
