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today.”
    Some odd expression flashed across his features for a fraction of a second. It was almost too fast to be sure she’d seen it. It was most definitely too brief to read it. “Did I tell her that?”
    â€œShe’s waiting for you.” Michelle motioned toward Angela’s office.
    He strolled across the room, stopping just outside her cubicle. His brows pulled together. “She is?” His gaze jumped back and forth from Michelle’s face to Angela’s door. “I thought I would be meeting with you.”
    A little flare of heat blazed through her. “Me? Oh. I thought... well, never mind what I thought. I guess I made an assumption I shouldn’t have.” She stood, which put her in very close proximity to him. Another blast of awareness surged through her.
    Her skin tingling, she pointed in the general direction of the conference room. “We can go talk in there.”
    â€œSure.” He didn’t move. His gaze remained fixed on hers. His tongue darted out, flicked across his lower lip, and a little quiver buzzed up her spine.
    Was it her imagination or was he acting a little strangely?
    She motioned again, and he shook his head, as if to wake himself from a trance. As she brushed past him, her arm skimmed across the front of his body. With that miniscule, innocent contact a reaction fired inside her, like an atomic detonation. It took everything in her power not to stagger as she walked toward the conference room. Leaving the door open, she stood at the entry and motioned for him to sit. He stood next to a chair but didn’t sit until she’d taken a seat herself.
    â€œBefore we begin,” he said, leaning toward her, his voice barely above a whisper, “I feel I need to say something about Friday—”
    â€œThat isn’t necessary.”
    â€œAngela. What did she tell you?”
    â€œShe met up with you Friday at some kind of private club she belongs to.”
    His gaze intensified as he listened, until it almost felt probing. “I see.” A tiny muscle on his jaw twitched, which made her think he might be upset or angry with Angela for spilling the beans about seeing him. That almost made her feel better about the whole situation. Almost. Another part of her wondered if he was trying to do something underhanded and sneaky, like sleep with both Angela and her. She was so not into players.
    She cleared her throat. “Anyway, your personal business is not something we need to discuss here and now. Agreed?”
    He nodded, but that twitchy muscle still hadn’t stopped clenching.
    It was time to get things rolling. Her work was top priority, especially after what had happened last week. She needed to bring a new client on board. She hoped that client would be Tage. “So, tell me, what kind of advertising were you thinking about? What are you trying to accomplish?”
    â€œI was thinking about doing some color brochures,” he said, sounding as if advertising was the last thing he wanted to talk about. He glanced over his shoulder then jerked his head around again. “Can we close the door?”
    â€œI suppose.” She stood up to get it, but he literally lurched in front of her, beating her to it. He had it about halfway shut before a familiar face appeared in the gap between the frame and the edge of the door.
    The door, which hadn’t been completely shut, swung back in, and Angela sauntered into the room. “Tage?” Her contact-enhanced gaze ping-ponged back and forth between him and Michelle. “Am I interrupting something?” She checked her watch. “Michelle, why didn’t you tell me he was here already? I wasn’t expecting him until this afternoon.”
    Tage said, somewhat gruffly, “I didn’t . . . My plans changed.”
    â€œWell, it’s a good thing, then, that I’m available this morning.”
    Michelle glared at Tage, giving him a what-the-hell look.