A Sure Thing?

Prologue

Winning a one hundred million dollar ad campaign. Now that would be one hell of a Christmas present.

Adam Terrell, CEO of Maxximum Advertising, pressed the button to disconnect his call, rose from the chair behind his curved granite desk, and barely refrained from indulging in an undignified end-zone type victory dance.

The chance for Maxximum to represent ARC Software in its new ad campaign was definitely not a bad way to start off the day. The account wasn't yet in the bag, but as he'd just learned during his phone conversation with Jack Witherspoon, ARC's CEO, Maxximum was one of the agencies on the short list.

"And it's my job to make sure Maxximum is the only agency left on that list," Adam murmured to himself.

Unable to remain still, he crossed the wide expanse of pale blue carpet to his huge office windows. From the vantage point of his tenth-floor, Madison Avenue office, he stared down at the busy street below. Pedestrians, their collars pulled up against the blustery winter cold and lingering snow flurries, trudged along the busy Manhattan street, many laden down with colorful holiday shopping bags, vaguely reminding Adam that only ten days remained until Christmas. There was no doubt about what he wanted sitting under his tree-a contract with Jack Witherspoon's signature.

But since Maxximum wasn't the only firm vying for the account, he needed an edge. Something to make Maxximum stand out. And he didn't have much time. Witherspoon wanted an ad campaign in place before his next shareholders meeting. Adam needed his best and brightest on this.

Two names instantly popped into his head. Matt Davidson and Jillian Taylor. Both were openly ambitious, exceptionally talented and creative, and able to focus on their jobs with single-minded concentration and determination. And both were highly competitive-especially with each other. They circled each other like two wary fighters in the ring, and had done so since Matt joined Maxximum a year ago and promptly landed the Strattford Furniture account-a company Jilly had been courting for several weeks. The gauntlet had been thrown, and over the past year, Adam had watched with calculated interest how Jilly and Matt constantly tried to outdo each other. Sure, their rivalry brought tension to the office, but who cared? It also brought results, with Maxximum the big winner. If Jilly couldn't bring in a particular client, then Matt could, and visa versa.

"Jilly and Matt," he mused. "Yeah…" If he sent them both after ARC, no doubt one of them would land the account. And if there was one thing Adam liked, especially where hundred-million-dollar accounts were concerned, it was a sure thing.

Of course, Jilly and Matt wouldn't like it. Last summer Adam had purposely pitted them against each other for the Lone Star Steaks account, certain that one of them would win it for Maxximum. And Jilly had succeeded, with a brilliant campaign fired by her determination to beat her nemesis.

Adam had shrugged off their displeasure at his tactics.

Sure, it was devious. But the only way to survive in the cutthroat world of advertising was to wield a sharper machete than the next guy. He sure as hell hadn't built Maxximum from a start-up company to one of the best ad agencies in New York in under ten years without a little bloodshed. But perhaps the smartest strategy would be to make sure Jilly and Matt didn't realize they'd been squared off against each other again until it was too late…

One corner of Adam's mouth lifted. After crossing to his desk, he picked up the phone. A little bit more blood was about to be shed.