1 Chapter 1

Lincoln Hall was a frazzled business owner who desperately needed an assistant. A raven-haired, five-foot-nine beauty with soft, chocolate brown eyes, he turned heads wherever he went, and not just because he was lovely. Sometimes he dressed as a woman, and even when he dressed as a man, his features were so delicate, people often took a second look just to make sure. It was a blessing and a curse, but he was used to it. When he turned eighteen, Lincoln changed his name to Lynn as he thought it was better suited to his fluid nature.

He owned a small employment agency, working with companies of all sizes to recruit highly qualified individuals for administrative positions. Unfortunately for Lynn, he couldn’t seem to keep his own staff in line.

If it wasn’t one thing, it was another. His assistant would call in sick or disappear to who knows where for hours on end, and then return to the office without a word of explanation.

It was a good thing Lynn could handle the office on his own for the most part, if he had to. Sometimes things got hairy, but he was used to that. The point of having an assistant, though, was that he shouldn’t haveto. How could he grow his business if he was constantly answering the phone and filing papers?

* * * *

Late one afternoon, Lynn was finishing up a contract to take with him to a dinner meeting with a new client when he realized the outer office was quiet—too quiet, in fact. He couldn’t hear his assistant tapping away at the keyboard, or the constant stream of put-upon sighs.

“Oh, no, not again.” Lynn moaned.

Scott Truitt had only been working there for a week and already the man was driving Lynn crazy. Scott couldn’t focus on anything for more than five minutes, and he had to be spoon-fed information. Not an ounce of independent thought existed in his brain. He would be fired soon.

“Scott!” Lynn yelled.

If Scott didn’t get his ass in gear, Lynn would be late and that wasn’t a good precedent to set with a brand new client. Lynn had asked Scott to type up a cover letter ten minutes ago and put it on his desk. Frustrated, he got up and walked out into the hall. Scott was nowhere to be seen. Lynn took a deep breath and then moved toward the computer on his missing employee’s desk. Locating the template he needed on the server, he typed the letter and printed it out on letterhead.

A glance at his watch sent him into a panic. The letter in one hand, Lynn rushed into his office, grabbed the contract, messenger bag, and cell phone, then ran out the door. On his way to the meeting, Lynn was able to reach the flaky assistant on his cell phone.

“Hi, Lynn,” Scott chirped, sounding entirely too content to suit the gravity of the situation.

“Scott,” he ground out. “Where are you? Why did you leave the office? Had you forgotten that I had a meeting this afternoon? You were supposed to have a letter typed up and ready for me.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s right. I forgot, sorry. I had to go to the store real quick for some groceries. My fridge is empty.” Scott’s tone was nonchalant.

Sighing, Lynn responded, “Well, Scott, this is the last straw. I need someone reliable, someone I can count on to back me up when I need it. That person isn’t you. You’re fired.”

“Oh…okay. I understand. I’ll just go back to living with my folks for a while. Bye now.” Scott hung up on him.

“Whatever.” Lynn put the call behind him and focused on the meeting ahead. He dreamed wistfully of the perfect assistant who would anticipate his needs and rub his feet on occasion. Okay, that last part actually had to do with needing a boyfriend, but, oh, well. Lynn worked too hard, true, but he loved what he did and just didn’t have time for a relationship. Fate, though, decided to help him out.

* * * *

Duncan Stern was desperate for a job. Until recently, he had worked for a real estate firm and had been there for years. He was six feet tall and very fit, with hazel eyes, caramel skin, and a thick head of curly black hair he just couldn’t seem to tame. He wore eyeglasses, sometimes contacts. A hard worker, Duncan always completed his tasks on time and was like Radar from the television show M*A*S*H. He knew what you needed before you did. The only thing he couldn’t have predicted, though, was losing his job. He was in the first group to be laid off from the company. He was a top-notch assistant, though, and he knew he’d be a great asset anywhere he worked. He just had to get his foot in the door.