“Whoa, hold it,” Kayla said, extending her hand like a stop sign. “Nine o’clock tonight?” Good grief, she hadn’t even unpacked from yesterday’s re-booked Miami flight.

“Tonight,” Nelson confirmed.

Everything inside Kayla groaned. In an effort to save herself, she said, “I’m attending the launch for the Hidden Secrets fragrance line tomorrow-”

“I’ve reassigned that to Caroline,” Nelson interjected, naming Kayla’s senior publicist. “She can handle your calendar until you return.”

“Caroline-or someone else on my staff-can just as easily make this trip to woo Thornton.”

Nelson shook his head. “You’re missing the point. This trip isn’t about wooing or schmoozing. It’s about gathering information-discreetly. I want to know why he’s going to Peru, of all places.”

Kayla’s curiosity was piqued in spite of herself. “You think it has something to do with his formula? That maybe there’s a secret ingredient in some plant found only in South America?”

“Maybe. If the man merely wanted a vacation, why not just go to the Caribbean or Hawaii or even Europe? Why Peru?”

“You have a point-it is a bit off the beaten track.”

“That’s what I thought. Especially since it’s obvious he’s gone to great pains to keep this trip secret.”

“How did you find out about it?”

Nelson treated her to a razor-sharp smile. “I’m not at liberty to say. Suffice it to know that my source is impeccable.”

“And how do you know that Lancôme and Estée Lauder and all our other competitors aren’t sending spies to Peru, as well?”

“I don’t, but I’d lay odds that no one else knows about Thornton’s plans. It was just by a stroke of freakish luck that I found out about them. Worst-casescenario is that the competition will be there, too, in which case, I’d need you there to run interference and represent our interests. But my gut tells me that won’t be the case and that this is the perfect opportunity for us to learn more. Not just about the formula and its properties, but the man himself. All without him realizing it’s being done, especially by someone connected to La Fleur. Which is one reason why Caroline is out-she’s met Thornton.”