Business Before Pleasure

By Chrissy Munder

Joel Anderson is on the fast-track to upper management, and he doesn’t care who he steps on in the process. But when the man he thought was a mentor steals his idea and uses it against him during a meeting, the only thing Joel sees in his future is the unemployment line.

Bryce Harris has been in Joel’s shoes. After months of working with Joel and not even having him know his name, Bryce gives up on both the job and the man he wants.

Can the two men work together before time runs out to keep more than their customer satisfied?

• Language: English
• Publisher: JMS Books LLC
• Release date: Oct 16, 2021
• ISBN: 9781646569366

Chrissy Munder

Chrissy Munder writes LGBTQ+ romance filled with everyday people and extraordinary passion to transport readers into their personal world of love, laughter, and desireShe is an avid reader, a wanderer of Michigan’s wilderness, and, while not in any particular order, a lover of lists, legally blind, and a certified crazy cat lady. There are those who might tell you she started writing as a way to justify her office supply addiction, but shhhhh! don’t listen to them.After too many jobs in too many states she’s waiting for her chance to become a full-time Lake Michigan beachcomber. Until then, she’s excited to share her love of romance, laughter, and happy-ever-afters.Come along and share the magic.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Son of a bitch!

Joel Anderson didn’t say the words aloud. He didn’t, he prayed, show even the tiniest crack in his calm and professional exterior. But while he managed to maintain appearances on the outside, the seething roil of anger inside wanted nothing more than for him to leap to his feet and wipe the smirk off the face of one Charles Myers IV with a well-placed punch to the nuts.

Well, that and he wanted to vomit.

Neither of those two options were on the table. He was in the middle of the biggest client meeting to date in his not so long and not so illustrious career, and even if the foundation of both his world and his presentation just collapsed, he couldn’t fall apart now. Not if he wanted to play ball with the big boys.

Joel ignored the violent churning of his gut and forced his racing thoughts to consider his options. Forget Charles, forget his own shock and outrage, and forget saving the deal. This was his career at stake, and he refused to let that bastard destroy him without a fight.

But how to salvage anything from this dumpster fire? Joel tightened his grip around his pen to hide the tremble of his fingers. He offered a bland smile to the man sitting across from him despite his desire to lunge over the gleaming mahogany table and beat the lying snake to a bloody pulp.

Interesting question, Charles. The name tasted as foul as the bottom of an ashtray to Joel, but he didn’t hesitate. And, assuming that is the direction Reynolds Industries would like to go, one we’d be happy to explore. But, for now, let’s direct our attention back to the reason for this meeting.

Joel fielded the following questions without further misstep. He kept his voice pitched low enough to avoid any betraying quaver, and he stayed focused on the meat of the presentation detailed on the slides and in the colored binders spread open before them. Despite the way his leg jiggled under the table, his confidence grew as he reasserted control over the meeting, and he finished his allotted time with renewed optimism. He wasn’t out of a job yet.

He turned the next section over to the young executive who prepared this part of the proposal. What was his name again, Bruce? Brian? Bryce? Joel didn’t bother to remember despite a number