LYNDA AICHER

Chapter One

If one more person—man—rubbed against her, intentionally or not, Kennedy was going to scream. Okay, not literally. But the urge boiled within her until she was ready to let loose with a banshee wail of rage. Not that she would.

​

A Keller wouldn’t do such a thing. Not a female one at least. Now her father, he’d probably be admired if he did, but not her. Not when she fought every damn day to be respected in a man’s world.

​

Irritation merged with fatigue to increase the pounding in her head. The exaggerated echo in the oversized convention hall lifted the noise level to a dull roar that resonated on a ready-to-explode scale. She rubbed at her forehead, determined to hold her facade as she wove through the people, smiling when appropriate, noting the location of certain booths, until she reached the end of the aisle where a wave of cooler air beckoned to her from the lobby.

​

The line for the only coffee shop at their end of the Long Beach convention center was of course long. Men in suits mingled with guys in T-shirts and jeans—unlikely pairings that worked in the manufacturing world.

​

She eyed up the soda machine, looked back to the coffee line. The choice was easy.

​

Her sigh was long and encompassing after the fizzing beverage hit her throat. Tucked along the wall away from the congestion, she could finally breathe—and let her guard down. She was used to the battle, but that didn’t mean it became easier or less exhausting.

​

Twenty years of working in the family business, of showing that her intelligence outshined her looks, might’ve gained her some professional respect, but there was always someone else she had to prove herself to. Especially when one glance at her business card linked her to the company. Assumptions were always made.

​

Founded by her grandfather, Keller Pallet was a key supplier of custom and standard pallets within the San Francisco Bay Area. Her father made the business a Bay Area success, and now, as the VP of Operations, she was determined to grow it even more.

​

She set her briefcase on the floor, rolling her shoulders to stretch the tight muscles. There were two hours left before the venue closed for the day, which gave her plenty of time to touch base with three or four more companies.

​

Their product was far from glamorous. Most overlooked it completely, yet the global market relied on pallets to ship everything from food to electronics to drywall. She liked to compare them to underwear. Everyone needed them, but most hated spending money on them.

​

One deep preparatory breath, a last glance through her contacts, and she was ready to dive back in. Headache or not, she had a job to do.

A scan of the lobby showed a number of people leaving the venue, some likely headed to private dinners or drinks where deals were negotiated or lost. Her gaze caught and held on a man as he exited the convention hall, his expression switching from cordial to exhausted the second he passed the plane of the doorway. She snickered, identifying with him. He undoubtedly didn’t know he was being watched, but she found the silent honesty refreshing and attractive.

​

Tall, but not overly so, he held himself with the stiff-backed formality she associated with the military. He wasn’t in uniform, but she pegged his suit as tailor-made and done expertly. It emphasized the breadth of his shoulders and the trim line of his waist, the material crisp even after a long day.

​

A flash of lust curled up to tease her. A handsome man in a well-cut suit got her every time. Add in his aura of control backed by authenticity and she was even more enticed. The stony, impersonal act was a tired concept that too many still equated to power. But this guy offered something different. Something…real.

​

His polite mask shifted back into place when he turned toward the building exit. He cut a path of authority with nothing more than his stride and calm demeanor. His crew cut defined his no-nonsense air, the tablet in his hand indicating his technical savvy. And he was leaving, like she longed to do.

​

That thought had her mind snapping back to the work she had to finish before she could go. Following him to his hotel room wasn’t an option, no matter how much she’d like it to be. Her prospect list was never-ending, even though added sales was just one component of expansion. Competitive pricing, diversified offerings and services, efficiency and customer service were all part of the overall package. One she controlled.

Confidence flowed in on that reminder. She had this.

​

She tucked her hair behind her ear and headed into the fray. There were men to dazzle and others to commiserate with. She’d listen to every complaint and counter when appropriate. She’d endure the subtle once-overs along with the blatant ones and use her looks as a means of entry.

​

Resentment got her nowhere, but owning and using her assets gave her power she had no trouble wielding. Her mother thrived among the social elite, and Kennedy had been raised to excel within that set as well. But she needed more than that. She wasn’t born to simply exist. She had things to prove and security to achieve—for herself.

​

Keller Pallet would belong to her one day, a right she would earn, just like her father had.

​

​