Fearless by Tawny Weber

Kinda like a pep talk to herself. Assurance that if she just kept the faith—and wore hot shoes—she’d find a way to turn the whole Luke Monroe fantasy into a lesson in going for the big dream. Instead of a miserable memory.
    “You wanted to see me, Pete?” she said as she stepped into what’d once been a stylish boardroom before Tech got hold of it. Now the long space was wall-to-wall computers of varying types, the better to test their latest programs and codes.
    “Yeah. Sit.”
    A man of few words, Pete didn’t look up from the laptop he was focused on. His fingers flew over the keyboard in time to the punk beat coming out of the stereo speakers. Used to his need to finish one thing before he bothered with another, Gia sat.
    She amused herself for the next three minutes by staring at her lucky shoes. They’d given her the confidence to go after Luke in the bar. Now they’d give her the confidence to get over him. She turned her ankle this way and that, watching the light glint off the red leather. The gorgeous peep toes proved that she wasn’t avoiding any reminders of her weekend. If she were that heartbroken, she’d have tossed the shoes in the garbage.
    Shuddering at the thought, she quickly amended that to hiding them in the very back of her closet, behind her prom dresses and the hideous bridesmaid gown she’d worn in her cousin’s wedding.
    “You have a good weekend?” Pete asked, finally looking up from the computer.
    “Great. Just great,” she said a little more exuberantly than the question warranted.
    After a couple of confused blinks, Pete shrugged. Nothing derailed the guy for long.
    “Good. You need to be in top shape,” he told her before turning to dig around on the table, shuffling through files.
    “You’re promoted. New tech team, second in command. You report in—” he looked at his watch while handing her a folder “—fifteen minutes.”
    Gia’s grin was so wide it hurt her ears.
    “Promotion? Seriously? I got the Sci-Lab promotion?” She almost clapped her hands together like a little girl who’d been given a rainbow pony covered in glitter. She wanted this promotion. She’d been working her ass off for the past six months trying to prove she could handle it. Trying to prove she was good enough, special enough, to take on a big job.
    She resisted clapping, but Gia couldn’t hold back her huge grin.
    “This isn’t Sci-Lab,” Pete said.
    Gia’s smile froze.
    “Huh?”
    “It’s another project. Brand-new. You were handpicked. You make this one work, you’ll be out of the cubicle and into an office. It’s your chance to prove yourself, maybe even snag a spot as development coordinator.”
    Seriously?
    Gia managed to keep the question to herself, but her grin was wide enough to light up the room. Handpicked for a promotion and a shot at development coordinator? That was like getting a pair of Frye boots, a spa day and a shot at wild sex all at the same time.
    Her smile dimmed a little, since the only wild sex she wanted was with Luke. Then she reminded herself to focus. This was a major career boon.
    Looked as though the Girlz Guide had done it again. Her lucky shoes, and pushing herself to try something crazy like seducing her fantasy guy, had been just what she’d needed to rock her life.
    “What do I have to do to get that promotion?” she asked. Not because she doubted herself. Nope, her confidence was bouncing off the moon right now. But Pete knew what it took to make a good impression. “Any advice?”
    “Speak up. Don’t hesitate to jump in and lead. This is big shit, and it’s on a crazy-tight deadline. If the team pulls off this project, it’ll open a dozen new doors. The leader wants the best, but they have to be fast and reliable. You’ve got a good rep for thinking outside the box. Use that.”
    She had a rep for thinking outside the box? Gia bit her lip to keep from giggling. Maybe she wasn’t quite so average after all.
    Gia’s giddy staring