He stopped in midpace and turned. “Pregnant?”

Marjorie nodded.

Appalled, he threw his hands up. “She always insisted she was a shark. She loved the kill. Sharks don’t get pregnant and run off in the middle of a deal.”

Marjorie shrugged. “I guess she was a dolphin in shark’s clothing.”

“Very funny,” he said coldly. “You can’t trust anyone these days.”

“So true.”

“I don’t have time for this,” Adam said abruptly. “I need a replacement, now.”

Marjorie smiled. “I’ve got the perfect person for you.”

Adam stopped her with a look. “I’m warning you, Marjorie. Don’t bring me someone who’s going to get pregnant and leave without notice.”

“Of course not,” she said with a huff.

“And I don’t want some bubble-gum-chewing bobble-head doll.” He stalked back and forth in front of the desk, warming to his rant. “I want someone with maturity, someone who knows the damn alphabet well enough to file something in the right drawer. And I definitely don’t want-”

“I know what you want, boss,” Marjorie said quickly. “And I’ve got just the person for you. Trish has gotten rave reviews as one of our best special assignment assistants. Her credentials are-”

“A floater?” Adam said, shaking his head in disbelief. “Are you kidding me?”

“Special assignment assistant,” Marjorie said through clenched teeth.

He waved her off. “I won’t work with a floater. This job’s too important to trust-”

“We don’t have a choice,” Marjorie said with a hiss, then added in a normal tone, “Trish’s credentials are excellent. She graduated from a very good college, then went on to get her MBA. She’s smart as a whip. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”

“How smart can she be if she’s in the floater pool?” he said stubbornly.

Marjorie straightened her spine and pierced him with a look. “Our floaters-I mean, special assignment assistants-are top notch and you know it.”