Pairing Nefertiti Kincaid (called Never by everyone) with Averal Ballantine is like pouring gasoline on a raging fire. Fiercely loyal Information Technology Director, Never, is an explosion waiting to happen. Since her company merged with a larger pharmaceutical magnate, she’s watched her friends and colleagues lose their jobs. Now it’s her turn. Her department has come under the scrutiny of management consultant, Averal Ballantine. Immediately attracted to the director, Averal finds it difficult to maintain a business relationship and even more difficult to keep his vow of steering clear of women who cherish hearth and home. Coming from a home that broke under the strain of his brother’s death from sickle cell anemia, Averal feels the trait he carries will prevent him from ever having a family of his own. Yet the sizzle between them is apparent in the boardroom and the bedroom.