“If I don’t get hold of him today, we’re going to blow a deal.”

“What time is it in China?”

“Sometime Monday morning. Barry says if the approval’s not filed in Beijing by the end of business today, we’re toast.”

“Their time?” Amber asked.

“Their time,” Royce confirmed. “What the hell happened to the alphabet?”

She moved closer, brushing against him. “You want me to-”

“No,” he snapped, and she quickly halted.

He clamped his jaw and forced himself to take a breath. It wasn’t her fault the letter was lost. And it wasn’t her fault that his body had a hair-trigger reaction to her touch. “Sorry. Can you keep looking over there? On the desk?”

“Sure.” Her features were schooled, and he couldn’t tell if she was upset.

“I didn’t mean to shout.”

“Not a problem.” She turned back.

He opened his mouth again, but then decided the conversation could wait. If she was upset, he’d deal with it later. For now, he had three more drawers to search.

“Something to do with Shanxi Electrical?” she asked.

Royce’s head jerked up. “You found it?”

She handed him a single sheet of paper.

He scanned his way down to the signature line and found the number for Cheng Li’s office. “This is it.” He heaved a sigh, resisting the urge to hug her in gratitude.

Then he took in her rosy cheeks, her jewel-blue eyes, her soft hair and smooth skin. The deep colored blouse molded to her feminine curves, while the skintight blue jeans highlighted a killer figure. There was something completely sexy about her bare feet, and he had to fight hard against the urge to hug her.

“Thanks,” he offered gruffly, reaching for the phone.

He punched in the international and area codes, then made his way through the rest of the numbers.

After several rings, a voice answered in Chinese at the other end.

“May I speak with Mr. Cheng Li?” he tried.