Zaz LaMarr - CHERRY FLIP - a clash of wills, hot s*x and a great dessert (chick lit/romantic comedy); author seeking agent and publisher; chef, artist, web designer, writing coach.

Prentice Jones's bright yellow Rover zipped from lane to lane, weaving around slower cars as it sped through the morning commute traffic. The Cucina Diva logo on its side flashed in the sun, a warning to dawdling drivers. Behind the wheel, Prentice bopped to the beat of a Robert Palmer CD. When she spotted a break in the traffic, she hit the gas and moved to the left lane. “Can't be late.”

She had started the cross-Valley drive with her long, wavy hair in a businesslike up do. Now curly red tendrils whipped around her face, but she wasn't about to roll up her windows. A peek in the rearview showed her a grinning wild woman. This is going to be such a great day! It was sunny, the commute traffic was manageable, and Prentice was about to sign a contract for her catering company's first really important gig...if she just wasn't late and if they liked her food.

RP's raunchy cover of Hound Dog came on, and she reached over to crank up the volume, adding a shimmy to her bop. "Why can't I find one like him?” All GQ one minute, all s*x and sweat the next.

Eyes back on the traffic, she saw in the distance that all lanes were at a standstill where they merged for the swing onto 101 and Shoreline. A quick glance told her she just had time to make it off the last exit and avoid the bottleneck. Flipping on the signal, she started across three lanes of traffic. A horn blared as she crossed the middle lane, but she just waved and aimed for her goal, swerving onto the off ramp at the last moment.

Tony Salerno loved Satie. He had been raising the volume, the better to appreciate Gymnopedies III, taking his eyes ever so briefly from traffic. When he looked back up, a hideous yellow Rover was barging across his lane. He slammed on the brakes and hit the horn, heart pounding, thankful that his brand new Lexus was unscathed.

“If people want to get off at the next exit, why don't they get in the right lane?” No. That was not a shout.

Then he looked ahead and saw that traffic was stalled. If he'd been less in control, he would have pounded his fist on the steering wheel. But he was in control. Being in control got you where you wanted to be. The Lifeplan. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Yet, he couldn't help thinking that if that car hadn't cut him off, he could have taken that exit himself and avoided this mess.

He slowed as he reached the jam up. He'd been in such a good mood, too. Sunshine and Satie had soothed and relaxed him. The new job was right on track. He was getting settled into his new house. The day had been looking very promising. He looked around him, now, at the gridlock and almost, almost, replayed the incident with the Rover, but Satie was still on the job. And if he focused on his Lifeplan, he could ignore the inching along and jockeying for position. Pushing all stressors aside, he told himself, “This is going to be a great day.”

At the first stop light, Prentice turned in her seat to check that the big coolers stowed in the rear hadn't gotten tipped when she made her impulsive dash for the exit. They were packed with the samples she'd prepared to impress her potential catering client, Josh Quire, CEO and founder of QuireTech.com, and she didn't want them ruined. She was determined to move Cucina Diva onto the fast track of Silicon Valley catering, and little Josh Quire could be the booster rocket to get her there. My first shot at a corporate retainer. Life is good.

Just as the light turned green, there was the crunch of metal on metal and the intersection was blocked by a rear-ender on the cross street. “Oh no!” She slapped the steering wheel. “I should have stayed on the freeway.” But it was cleared up fairly quickly, and the gorgeous day was working it's magic again. Nothing was going to dampen her mood.

Tony swung into the parking lot. Someone was in his space. Well, it wasn't really his space, but it was generally understood that the GM parked there, and he was the GM, damn it. He cruised slowly along the side of the building. No spaces. He was starting to simmer as he rounded the back of the campus and saw that those spaces, too, were full. His hand had almost hit the steering wheel, when he stopped himself. Another deep breath.

He finally found a space on the far side of the complex. QuireTech was still in start-up mode and had far fewer employees than parking spaces, unlike their neighbor, meaning the other company had to be using QT's spaces. “I'm going to fax their GM a copy of the parking allotment. There's no excuse for such a blatant disregard of the rules. It's just rude.”

Still muttering under his breath, he got out of his car. He was checking his pockets, looking for his glasses when he heard a car engine behind him. He turned and saw what had to be the same garish yellow Rover that had cut him off on the freeway. He began to grin. So, Mr. Reckless Driver, I beat you here anyway.

Prentice slowed as she swung into the business complex that housed QuireTech, and slowed some more. Coming up on a very promising specimen, speaking of GQ. She rolled forward, barely moving – standing by a shiny, black Lexus SC, thick black hair with a curly lock falling forward as he looked down, patting his pockets – gorgeous.

Prentice felt her jaw drop and snapped it shut. Edging her sunglasses down her nose with one finger, she smiled back and gave him a careful once over as she continued past. Dark, nearly black eyes under arching eyebrows, cheekbones that would cut glass, nice straight nose, and the mouth! Mama.

In spontaneous appreciation, she clicked her tongue. And his smile turned to a scowl. Then she remembered her open windows. She shook her head and grinned. Just before she turned at the back of the building, she checked her rear view for one more look at Mr. Gorgeous. He was standing next to his car, hands on hips, scowling at her, looking like an angry angel. Beautiful, but cranky. And that made her laugh.

Tony was now officially annoyed – that garish Rover makes its second pass at him, driven by a slightly blurry, Boticelli-redhead, and she clicks her tongue at him!

Tony was irate – having to park about as far away from his office as you could get and still be in the complex. What was the good of being in upper management if you had to walk a mile from your car? He started toward his building with an angry stride.

Tony was incensed. She cut him off in traffic, made suggestive noises at him – at least he considered them suggestive – then she laughed about it!

Harvard MBA, top of my class. He shoved his black, wire-rimmed glasses onto the bridge of his nose. GM of the hottest tech startup to hit this Valley since the dot.com bubble burst. He yanked on the hem of his jacket and gave a jerk at the knot on his tie that nearly dislocated his neck.

Pausing, he checked his reflection in the building's tinted window – properly dressed and groomed. "Hmph." He might as well be back home in Jersey, posing on a street corner in torn jeans and a tight t-shirt. He felt so, so...objectified. He gave the door of the building a good shove and stormed through.

“Good morning, Mr. Salerno.”

He all but snarled at Ginnie, their cute little receptionist, then remembered his control. Yet another deep breath. He turned back, forcing his face into a smile. “Good morning, Ginnie,” but her appalled expression told him he shouldn't have bothered.

Tony leaned back in his chair, sipping an espresso and reviewing the caterer's brochure Josh had given him. His boss had raved about this woman he planned to hire for their investor meetings, which were just a week away. Unfortunately, Josh seemed to be more interested in her physical attributes than her cooking, which worried Tony, a lot. The arrangements should have been made weeks ago, even before he'd taken over the GM slot. Now, they'd be forced to take what they could get, which didn't sit well with him. That's why he had a Lifeplan – plan ahead and do things right, avoid unpleasant surprises.

He heard Ginnie announce the tasting and pushed away from his desk. He'd soon know whether or not they were going to be in trouble. He checked his watch – three minutes until his scheduled conference call with their Hong Kong rep. Just enough time.

He hurried to the conference room. "Sorry, people. Have to get back for a meeting." He jumped the line and did a power walk along the buffet, eyeing all the delights there. He breathed a sigh of relief and helped himself to roasted prawns, olive salad, and buffalo mozzarella with grilled red peppers. He made use of the pepper mill and cruets of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, grabbed a crusty roll and a perfect Bosc pear. He was just reaching for a sparkling water when he heard the page for his conference call.

When Prentice returned to the conference room after a last trip to the car for her brief bag and the all-important contracts, the crowd buzzing around the buffet and the blissed-out expression on the little CEO's face assured her the sampling was a success.

"Prentice! This torta is exquisite," Josh exclaimed with his mouth full.

Euw. She had to force herself not to look away. “Thank you.”

He took time to swallow. "What's the green layer? It's so smooth and mild next to the gorgonzola."

"Avocado Crême.” She grinned when he rolled his eyes in ecstasy.

"No wonder I love it," he said, pausing to admire her generous breasts and the curve of her derriere as she turned away to answer someone else's question. By the time they had moved to his office, he was all too eager to sign on the dotted line.

Seated on a ridiculously low chair, Prentice had to crane her neck to see the top of Josh's desk. She held her breath as he finished his signature with a flourish and returned the contract to her. Yes! She and Cucina Diva would be catering QuireTech's week of investor meetings. Could a corporate retainer be far behind?

"I look forward to working closely with you, Prentice." Josh gave her a leering grin.

Prentice gave him back a smile with a lot of teeth in it. She didn't know whether to pat him on the head because he was so cute, like a little geek doll, or thump him one because he'd done most of his talking to her cleavage or the relatively modest length of thigh exposed when she crossed her legs. But, contract and generous deposit check in hand, she was inclined to be tolerant. Besides, she pushed her qualms aside, she wouldn't have that much personal contact with him.

"Well, Josh, if that's everything, I'll start clearing up in the conference room.” She braced herself to rise gracefully, but he made a patting motion at her.

"No, wait. I want you to meet our GM."

She relaxed back into the too-soft cushions. I hope this guy is less of a horn dog than you are. I don't think I could deal with two of them. Prentice took advantage of the break to tuck the papers into her brief bag.

"Tony! I was just about to call your office." Josh started around his desk. "Tony, I'd like you to meet Prentice Jones—"

An automatic smile in place, Prentice waited. Then a man stepped through the doorway. Ohmigod. Mr. Gorgeous from the parking lot. She couldn't help the grin that spread across her face. Her first thought was that he looked even more dee-lish minus the jacket – the way he moved, those shoulders, that chest. Prentice felt a flush of heat. Then she remembered his reaction to their encounter in the parking lot. Uh oh.

In spite of his misgivings, Tony was ready with a professional smile of welcome when he stepped into Josh's office. And recognized that blurred image. He couldn't believe it. His first reaction was shocked annoyance. He began madly patting his pockets, looking for his glasses, which he soon found pushed up on top of his head. "You!"

After a brief timeout for panic, Prentice gathered her wits. Unfolding to her statuesque length, she held out her hand. "Me," she told him, and cranked her smile up to bone melting.

Tony was horrified to discover that the red-haired hussy from the parking lot was Josh's pet caterer. But, because Josh was frowning at him, he forced himself to accept her hand, giving it the briefest, barest touch required by professional courtesy. Then he fumbled his glasses back on.

When she snapped into focus, he was quite literally overwhelmed – all soft curves, creamy skin and barely restrained red curls. And that smile. He found himself returning the smile. He couldn't help himself. He tried.

With all the blood in his brain heading south, Tony slid the folder he carried down to cover the evidence. Embarrassed by the reaction and annoyed with himself for not being able to control it, he glared at her. In her heels, the woman was nearly eye-to-eye with him, which made her nearly six feet. Too tall. He liked them petite. And demure.

He looked up to see her giving him the once over. Nothing demure about her, god help me.

"Do you two know each other?" an impatient and clearly testy CEO wanted to know.

I've got to derail this, Tony thought desperately. I can't spend the next two weeks working with a distraction like that. Think of something!

"We met in the parking—" Prentice began.

“Could I speak to you privately for a moment, Josh?” Maybe nothing was signed yet. Tony turned to the caterer with a cool smile. “I'm sure Ms Jones won't mind excusing us.”

Josh looked annoyed. “Can it wait? We're just about through here, anyway.” He picked up a sheaf of papers from his desk. “Prentice has just signed on to cater our investor meetings.”

He slapped them down in front of Tony, who didn't even try to hide his frown. "Here are the projected menus and a copy of the contract for our files. You'll have all of next week to get this set up. I expect you two to work together and keep me posted.”

That's just great. Tony stared at his idea of purgatory – perdition with red hair. He was not a man who gave in to foolish, if incredibly tempting, impulses. Oh, no. But this temptation was going to be damn hard to resist. Lifeplan. Remember the Lifeplan.

He was determined to maintain a completely professional demeanor throughout. No matter how many times she might smile at him, no matter how voluptuous her body – he glanced her way and had to put up a hand to hide the twitching of his eye – professional all the way. I can do this. He drew his attention back to his boss who had been speaking while he was giving himself a pep talk.

"Tony will provide any help you need with arrangements, Prentice, and we'll rely on you to keep everyone fed and happy.” Josh beamed at them.

Tony watched the woman as she retrieved her bag from the floor, her thighs flexing as she bent her knees, keeping the hem of her skirt down, depriving Josh of the flash of flesh he was expecting. For a moment, just a tiny moment, Tony saw her naked, bending forward for him, his hands on her hips, his...No! The room shimmered in a haze of heat as she brushed past him, leaving him in a drift of lilac and woman. He closed his eyes. I can do this!

Once out of Josh's line of sight, Prentice looked over her shoulder to check out Tony's rear view and caught him checking hers. Their eyes caught. His seemed to smoulder, as he looked her up and down. She wasn't sure she liked that look. There was too much get-thee-behind-me-Satan in it. Then, Josh said something she couldn't hear, and Tony turned away.

With his back turned, Prentice took the time for a leisurely appraisal. Hubba hubba. He had a butt a woman could sink her teeth into. Fanning herself with her hand, she went to retrieve her materials.