A Sticky Situation (Xcite Romance) by Kay Jaybee Page B

sweetie, I didn’t notice.’ Carol lifted her eyes from her monitor to scrutinise her friend’s appearance, ‘there’s a bit on your left boob as well.’
    Sally peered at the mess and sighed. Why am I like this? Ripping a tissue from the box on her desk she rubbed the synthetic white cream into her grey shirt, wondering if Cameron had noticed that as well. He probably had, no wonder he’d had that arrogant glint in his eyes when he stared at her. ‘Three whole days with Mr Perfect; what have I done to deserve this?’
    ‘You never know …’ Carol’s eyes twinkled mischievously. ‘… You might just have fun together.’
    Sally rolled her eyes and started to detract the email request for two sets of train tickets, ‘He’s a womanising, arrogant, too-smooth-to-be-true, upstart.’
    ‘That’s office gossip; you don’t know if any of that is really true. He might have hidden depths.’
    Tired of Carol’s lifelong mission to see her living happily ever after, rather than bouncing from one failed relationship to another, Sally’s tone firmly closed the subject, ‘Not a hope.’

    Cameron sat on his chair; his eyes straying from his work to Sally and back again. He wasn’t entirely sure how he hadn’t pulled her forward and licked the spilt cake off her chest. He closed his eyes; this was going to have to stop. He wasn’t even sure he liked the woman. They’d never managed a civil conversation. She was so damn spiky whenever he was around. If they were going to be in each other’s company for three whole days, he was going to have to cut the fantasies he kept having about her right out.
    Just as well he’d followed his gut instinct and decided to travel separately; the second she ordered a cup of tea from the train’s buffet car, he’d probably have got it slopped all over his crotch.

Chapter Two

    OVER THE NEXT FEW days Sally persuaded herself she would enjoy the conference, even if Cameron was going to be there playing the “big boss”. Unlike the others in the marketing department, it didn’t bother Sally that he was senior to her. She was very happy with her job; it was challenging and diverting enough without the extra stress and political game playing that went with climbing the greasy pole to the top. It was being made to feel like the office junior she wasn’t so keen on.
    Going on these conference trips was the part of Sally’s job that she loved the most. The getting out there and talking to people, expounding on the benefits of investing in Zelcon; promoting the benefits of sponsorship deals, post doctorate placements, and explaining about the fellowships they could support and fund; not to mention their in-house medical research products that always sold far better than those of their nearest competitors. Sally knew her field well, despite what Cameron James might think.
    She was confident she would know a good few of her fellow trade stall holders as well as many of the delegates. The British Research Chemist’s Convention was a big deal, and as a regular event, the same faces tended to crop up every year.
    As this was Sally’s fourth time at this typically “businessman” styled hotel, she knew exactly what to expect and where to go on arrival. Having checked in with her usual speed, only managing to get a tiny bit of pen ink on her hands as she signed in, Sally made sure that all of Zelcon’s display materials had been couriered ahead of her as planned, before doing what she had been looking forward to most. Crashing out on the plush double bed in the privacy of her room.
    Dumping her holdall without ceremony, relieved to be in the one place where it didn’t matter if she got half a can of cola down her chin, Sally kicked off her comfy travelling shoes, letting her feet luxuriate in some well deserved air, prior to them being held prisoner in stupidly high heels for the next few days.
    In an hour she would have to start being Miss Sally Briers, “marketing queen”, but for now