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“There you are,” Jennifer said, approaching me and giving me a hug. “This has been an unmitigated success thanks to you, Mandy. You rock.”

“Can I get a hug too?” Jake appeared from the crowd and hugged me without waiting for my response. I still had no idea what exactly he was doing for the charity, but he was an old friend and I was always happy to see him. “Cool party, Amanda.”

“It’s mostly my staff. I just direct traffic and pop a lot of antacids,”I said with a laugh. “I’m glad you’re enjoying it.”

“Oh, I am indeed,” Jennifer said. “I want to pet the capybara again, but the line is pretty long.”

I took a sip from my bottled water to hide my embarrassment. I had totally used my sway as organizer to skip the line and pet the adorable capybara. The gigantic water mammal was in point of fact incredibly sweet and cuddly. It had nuzzled right up next to me almost like a cat.

“Jennifer, it’s your gala,” Marshall said. “You could just skip the line.”

“No, I can’t, don’t be silly,” she said, patting his belly. I melted a little bit at how adorable the two of them were together.

“Well, I’m worried about you being around that giant rat anyway, what with your condition and all.”

I perked up.

“Condition?”

“I’m pregnant,” Jennifer said, a smile of uncontained pride stretching across her lips.

“Oh, my goodness, congratulations,” I said, beaming with joy. I turned to Jake and smiled at him. “Did you hear that, Jake?”

“All right,” he said. “You should name it Jake.”

“Your name is already Jake, and why should I name my kid after you again?” Marshall said.

“Yeah, but it’s a good name, Jake. He can be Jake II.”

“What if it’s a girl?”

“Jakina, I guess.”

“I don’t think the feminine for Jake is Jakina. I think it’s Jane.”

They all laughed, and I sighed. My own family had been more of the dysfunctional variety. I mean, nobody grew up to be an ax murderer or a stripper or what have you, so I guess we weren’tthat bad. Still, it was hard not to look at what my friends and employers had and not feel jealous.

Suddenly, the energy of the room changed again. I could kind of feel a general hush fall over the crowd and the photographers perked up. And their cameras seemed to be pointed in my direction. I felt a stab of self-conscious anxiety. Then I realized they weren’t looking at me at all.

I turned around to find that Evan was standing right by me. His presence rolled over me like a breaking ocean wave. I was awash in his essence, and all of that animal magnetism created a heady mental perfume that had me feeling dizzy. His cupid’s bow lips were aggressively sensual without seeming feminine. I could imagine them pressed up against my flesh, which sent goosebumps cascading over my skin. His eyes focused on me as Ramone gestured with familiarity.

“Here she is, as promised,” Ramone said. Ramone was another old friend who worked for this charity.

Evan’s eyes swept up and down my form. I had his attention at last, but I worried that I might melt into a puddle under that steadfast gaze.

“I’m Evan Jones. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Amanda Tate,” I said, shaking his offered hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“Ms. Tate is the event organizer for this little soirée. Everything that you see here, she had a direct hand in making happen.”

Evan’s eyes widened, and they now held a new note beyond the desire that had me dizzy—a droplet of respect. There’s no aphrodisiac like sincere appreciation. If Evan wasn’t sincere, he was faking it to Academy Award degrees. I really wanted to believe he wasn’t faking it. I needed something real like that to give me a boost.

“Indeed?” He loaded so much into that word. I could almost read his mind.

Indeed, you’re beautiful as well as competent. Indeed, I’m undressing you with my eyes right now. Indeed, I’m most interested in spending more time with you. Indeed…

I was so caught up in my fantasy, I almost missed the next thing he said.