sound of his voice, a sea of swirling, rich dark chocolate . . . She jerked her head up and straightened her spine in her chair. None of that. He was a player, and no way would she ever be interested in someone like her dad. Why, last week she saw him flirting with that long-haired, leggy intern from Hong Kong.
“Okay, that’s settled.” Diana’s voice pulled Trish back from a daydream about magically transferring all her own fat to the hips of the rail-thin Hong Kong girl. “Now for the big news. Our manager handed a new project to me yesterday. We’ve discovered a novel pathway to prevent bone disease. Trish, you’re in charge of developing a cellular model to screen compounds.”
Trish jolted in surprise so violently that she started sliding off her seat. She slammed her hands against the table so she wouldn’t end up on the floor. Wow, she got to be in charge of a new pathway study! She eased her rear end back onto the cushion. “Really? That’s great.”
“Here are some scientific papers about similar cell models for unrelated indications.” Diana pushed a pile of photocopied papers at her. “The problem is that the model has to be tested with biochemical assays — the scientific council wants concrete data, rather than anything ambiguous. This won’t be like the other projects — histological stains don’t give numerical results.”
“What kind of assays? Will I need to order ELISA kits, or RIAs . . . ?”
“No, the other investigators in those papers developed special in-house assays.”
Trish flipped through the papers and started gnawing on her inner lip. She had assay experience but not enough to develop one from scratch.
Diana wasn’t finished. “Since Spenser has so much experience developing biochemical assays, he’s been assigned to help you develop the model.”
He met her surprised look with a cool one that dampened her excitement. He probably wished he could work with that prettier Hong Kong girl. He would have at least given her a friendly smile.
Diana had a calculating look. “Trish — there are three empty desks in your office, right? You’re the only one in that room?”
Trish fingered the edges of the papers while something gurgled in her stomach. Funny, she had eaten that apple hours ago. “Yes.”
“This is a high-profile project — everyone in the scientific council will follow this. You two need to work fast and efficiently to get this model ready to screen compounds by the end of the quarter.”
Trish peeked at Spenser, but her gaze flitted away from his grim expression.
“So Spenser,” Diana continued, “I want you to move your desk down to that room. You’ll be Trish’s new office-mate.”
God, I want you to know that you have a very strange sense of humor.I can’t believe I thought this would be easy. How can I keep rule number one with him in my office?
As soon as the meeting ended, Trish bolted for the door. She needed someplace quiet to recover from the shock. She headed for her office . . . um, no. Bathroom break first.
The quiet in the echoing restroom didn’t calm her. She washed her hands and wondered what to do. If only Spenser weren’t so yummy. She would be aware of him every time he walked into the room. Whenever she opened her mouth, she would drool and babble like an idiot.
She needed to calm down. She entered her office, took a deep breath, and collapsed in her chair. Okay, reality check: Spenser was unhappy about the whole thing. Trish would be unhappy too, if she had to move to a different office. But she didn’t know why he objected to working with her — he didn’t really know her.
His disgruntled attitude cooled her ardor. Eye candy wasn’t as sweet when it scowled at you, like Spenser did after the announcement at the meeting.
Trish should be overjoyed at his lack of interest. She was getting worked up for nothing. Smooth, sophisticated Spenser in his Structure khakis and Armani Exchange shirts wouldn’t be tempted by
“Okay, that’s settled.” Diana’s voice pulled Trish back from a daydream about magically transferring all her own fat to the hips of the rail-thin Hong Kong girl. “Now for the big news. Our manager handed a new project to me yesterday. We’ve discovered a novel pathway to prevent bone disease. Trish, you’re in charge of developing a cellular model to screen compounds.”
Trish jolted in surprise so violently that she started sliding off her seat. She slammed her hands against the table so she wouldn’t end up on the floor. Wow, she got to be in charge of a new pathway study! She eased her rear end back onto the cushion. “Really? That’s great.”
“Here are some scientific papers about similar cell models for unrelated indications.” Diana pushed a pile of photocopied papers at her. “The problem is that the model has to be tested with biochemical assays — the scientific council wants concrete data, rather than anything ambiguous. This won’t be like the other projects — histological stains don’t give numerical results.”
“What kind of assays? Will I need to order ELISA kits, or RIAs . . . ?”
“No, the other investigators in those papers developed special in-house assays.”
Trish flipped through the papers and started gnawing on her inner lip. She had assay experience but not enough to develop one from scratch.
Diana wasn’t finished. “Since Spenser has so much experience developing biochemical assays, he’s been assigned to help you develop the model.”
He met her surprised look with a cool one that dampened her excitement. He probably wished he could work with that prettier Hong Kong girl. He would have at least given her a friendly smile.
Diana had a calculating look. “Trish — there are three empty desks in your office, right? You’re the only one in that room?”
Trish fingered the edges of the papers while something gurgled in her stomach. Funny, she had eaten that apple hours ago. “Yes.”
“This is a high-profile project — everyone in the scientific council will follow this. You two need to work fast and efficiently to get this model ready to screen compounds by the end of the quarter.”
Trish peeked at Spenser, but her gaze flitted away from his grim expression.
“So Spenser,” Diana continued, “I want you to move your desk down to that room. You’ll be Trish’s new office-mate.”
God, I want you to know that you have a very strange sense of humor.I can’t believe I thought this would be easy. How can I keep rule number one with him in my office?
As soon as the meeting ended, Trish bolted for the door. She needed someplace quiet to recover from the shock. She headed for her office . . . um, no. Bathroom break first.
The quiet in the echoing restroom didn’t calm her. She washed her hands and wondered what to do. If only Spenser weren’t so yummy. She would be aware of him every time he walked into the room. Whenever she opened her mouth, she would drool and babble like an idiot.
She needed to calm down. She entered her office, took a deep breath, and collapsed in her chair. Okay, reality check: Spenser was unhappy about the whole thing. Trish would be unhappy too, if she had to move to a different office. But she didn’t know why he objected to working with her — he didn’t really know her.
His disgruntled attitude cooled her ardor. Eye candy wasn’t as sweet when it scowled at you, like Spenser did after the announcement at the meeting.
Trish should be overjoyed at his lack of interest. She was getting worked up for nothing. Smooth, sophisticated Spenser in his Structure khakis and Armani Exchange shirts wouldn’t be tempted by
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