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Chapter One

“Leaving already?”

I’d tried my best not to wakeon the hotel room table Riley Heas a heavy sleeper, especially when she’d been out drinking the night before, her favorite vacation pastime So I was surprised when she popped her strawberry-blonde head out froh

“Sorry I woke you I have toup” I’d been poring over the client strategy the previous night with my supervisor, Richard Haone over it dozens of times this past week

When I’d gotten back toevery detail, replaying in my mind the sequence of events that would lead to Richard and e deal for not only Waterbridge-Howser, but also for e analysts with only three years experience fly to Cape Town, South Africa to woo billion dollar clients It was only through a series of fortunate events—a group of senior e to start their own firm, my recent promotion, and a chance encounter with one of the directors in the cafeteria—that I was in this position To say this was big would be an understatement

“No worries” She yawned and rubbed one sleepy eye while le “I wanted to get up anyway Get son television It’s not every day you get to see Big Bird speaking Afrikaans You ready for your ?”

God, I hope so I’d better be after all the practice and preparation Thankfully the butterflies fluttering in ize me than a cup of coffee ever could “I think I’ He’s got years of experience doing this I’m just there for backup”

She flashed her winning sreat, Miss Harvard grad”

I stuck out ue playfully Riley was froh we both ended up working in the finance world, Riley was a corporate tax accountant thanks to her parents’ guidance, and often reotten to know each other over the past two years, sharing an apartment in the financial district of Manhattan to offset the exorbitant rent Despite our personality differences— the weekend warrior—ere both single professionals in their mid-twenties, so naturally we bonded

When I’d told her I was taking a business trip to Cape Town for a week, she insisted on using her vacation ti on beautiful beaches and scoping out an exotic locale soundedat balance sheets Plus, I kneould have so out with her would be much more fun than by myself or, heaven forbid, with Richard

I packed up the last of ht blue blouse and black pencil skirt The outfit had been painstakingly put together to blend professionalisy “How do I look?”

“I’d trust you with my million dollars—if I had it”