To most people who know him, Nick Fontana is the owner of a prestigious advertising agency. To a select few, he’s known as Niko, a man who deals with very sensitive problems no one else can handle. As a result, Nick has never found a man to love -- because he won't allow it to happen. Then he meets flirtatious Greg Tyson while out running. He thinks nothing of it until Greg applies for a job at Nick's ad agency. Greg is exactly what Nick is looking for in an employee. Hiring him, however, might turn out to be the biggest mistake of Nick's life ... or the beginning of something new, if Nick is willing to open himself up and let Greg in. Doing so will require an amount of trust Nick isn’t certain he can give without endangering Greg's life -- and losing his love -- in the process.

Love Was Not an Option

“I doubt you’ll get a chance to find out,” Nick said under his breath as he watched Greg walk away. Heseems like a nice guy, even if he could use a good barber, but unless he’s here every day, I don’t think that will happen.


“How goes it, ladies and gentlemen—and those who aren’t either one?” Nick asked at the start of the weekly staff meeting. Things had slowed down to their normal, if still busy pace in the last month, muchto his relief.


“The ‘who aren’t’ would be me,” Charles replied with a grin. “No one ever accused me of being close to a gentleman. My clients don’t seem to mind, however.”


“As long as they’re happy.” Nick looked around the table. “Does anyone have anything they want to bring up before we get down to business?”


“I do,” one of the men said. “I’ve already talked to Nick about this,” he told the others. “I’ll be leaving at the end of the month. I got a job offer from a firm back east. As much as I like it here, it’s too good to pass up.”


Chapter 9