“Ms. Evans?” an older receptionist greets me with a kind smile that makes me feel immediately welcome.

  “Yes. I’m here to see Savannah Force.”

  “Of course. She’s waiting for you. One moment.” She picks up the phone and settles her glasses more firmly on her nose. “If you’d like some coffee, there’s a bar with sugar and creamer right around the corner.”

  “Thank you.” After an anxious, restless night, caffeine is a necessity.

  I pour a cup, eschewing anything to flavor it. Lots of time on construction sites has taught me to drink it hot, strong, and black. Carrying my cup in one hand and gripping my briefcase with the other, I make my way back to the reception desk in time to see Savannah Force emerge from the elevator, looking both professional and stunning in a wraparound dress in a turquoise shade that makes her blue eyes pop. Sharp black accents, along with her sedate up-do and professional smile, complete the look. I’d say she’s the perfect corporate wife if she wasn’t a dynamo in her own right. After less than a year with Force Financial, not only has she been recognized as an insightful economic thinker, but she’s quickly been promoted through the ranks. And two months ago, she married the CEO, billionaire bachelor Chad Force. Though Savannah’s dress gives nothing away, rumor has it they’re already expecting. She seems to have it all.

  So why can’t I?

  That ship sailed. Love isn’t for me. I need to accept that and focus on my career. The inconvenient aches of my body—to be held, touched, and pleasured—are something I can only give fleeting attention to. I’ll find temporary lovers. One night, then I’ll show them the door.

  How is that going to work? You’ve only ever had sex with Derrick.

  Like everything else in my life, I’ll have to turn over a new leaf.

  “Kate.” Savannah approaches me, hand outstretched. “Good to have you here.”

  I shake her hand in return. “It’s good to be here.”

  “No problems settling in?”

  “The corporate apartment is great.”

  “I’m glad.”

  “I spent part of the weekend looking for my own place. I’m sure I’ll find something in the next few weeks.”

  “No rush.” She smiles wryly. “In fact, you might put off moving out for a while. In the past few days, a possible new opportunity dropped in our laps. If it all works out, it will require us to move quickly and there will be extensive on-site analysis…which is where you come in. But look on the bright side. You’ll avoid this weekend’s chance of snow.”

  I hoped I’d have time to learn how Force Financial works and get comfortable with the corporate side of my new responsibilities before I jetted off to look at property, but maybe it’s better this way. This is the part of the job I’m absolutely confident in. Besides, I’m not looking forward to snow. “Whatever you need me to do, I’m happy to jump in with both feet.”

  “Fantastic.” She smiles. “Follow me. I’ll take you up to your new office, then introduce you around. Later, you’ll meet the two executives who will help you oversee the project.”

  “I’m not flying solo?” Since she said no one in the organization possesses my skill set, I’m surprised.

  “I wasn’t going to throw you to the wolves immediately. Though you might feel that way after you’ve met Marcus Hunt and Josh Hennessey.” She gives me a teasing smile. “They’ve been with Mr. Force forever, and they can tell you exactly how this company works. They’ll know the people to call and the ways to finesse the situation, both internally and with our investors. Just ignore their personalities. I always do.”

  She’s kidding—I think.

  Pasting on a smile, I nod. “I’m looking forward to meeting them. Lead the way.”

  Up the elevator we go, to some floor north of twenty that seriously screws with my fear of heights. Since every wall is a window, the views of the city below are likely sweeping and amazing. I try not to look, and I’m beyond thrilled when she takes me to an office along one wall with the shades drawn from floor to ceiling.

  “Here’s your corner of the world. Right now, you’ve got two people to help you. Cynthia is my assistant, but you can borrow her as needed for clerical tasks. You’ll probably interact most with Nathan Price. He’s here to assist with research, acquisition, planning—the works. He’s got some property knowledge, too, but nothing like your extensive background. He volunteered for this position, so it’s a change for him as well. You two can forge this department together and make it everything necessary, per our discussions.”

  So, other than my two unexpected overlords, I’ll have someone on my side who also understands that more than dollars and cents go into making a property profitable. “Fantastic. I’m sure we can make this venture successful.”

  “I have no doubt. He should be in before noon. He has a dentist appointment at nine, but I know he’s excited to meet you. Since you’ll both be reporting to me, at least for now, let me know if you have any other questions or issues.”

  “Sure.”

  Her smile is reassuring. “If you want to leave your briefcase here, we’ll make the rounds. Cynthia will requisition you a laptop and any other supplies you need. We’ve already had your business cards printed. I’ll take you up to meet Mr. Force and whoever else is available on the executive floor. There’s a lot going on with this sudden development I mentioned, so we’re a little disorganized.”

  “No worries. I’ll figure everything out and do my best to fit in. Any idea when I’ll meet Mr. Hunt and Mr. Hennessey?”

  “Probably tomorrow. They’re in meetings today.”

  Good. That will give me time to gain some footing with others and find potential allies, just in case my two babysitters are pains in my ass. “Sounds good.”

  Savannah introduces me around. Everyone else on my floor seems both welcoming and bright. Cynthia has already organized everything I need to get started, including a login, a phone number, and basic supplies. She promises to leave everything on my desk.

  Upstairs, Mr. Force greets me with a smile and a hearty handshake. “My wife says great things about you, and she never gives praise where it’s not due.”

  “I’m glad to be here, and I promise to make sure your investors spend their capital on properties capable of turning healthy, sustainable profits.”

  “Excellent. My door is always open if you need anything.” Then he smiles wryly. “But Mrs. Force has her pulse on most everything and everyone. Employees know she’s smart, and no one dares to screw with her. She screws right back.”

  I can’t tell if he’s trying to be comical or trying to warn me. Either way, I nod. “Thank you, sir.”

  “Welcome aboard.” He sits and gives me a smile that clearly dismisses me. Then again, he runs this entire institution and the markets have been volatile lately. Of course he’s busy.

  Before she heads out the door, Savannah squeezes his hand. Besides the giant rock on her finger, that’s the only obvious sign they’re married.

  As she leads me back down the elevator to our floor, I can’t resist a clandestine peek. Business pages across the financial spectrum, but particularly here in Boston, have all reported on her meteoric rise from Mr. Force’s administrative assistant to director of Emerging Overseas Markets. And though some rags have suggested she slept her way to the top, I’m not seeing it. No one at Force Financial suffers fools. Since I’m starting higher up the food chain than Savannah did, I have to take advantage of the opportunity to build my new life and succeed beyond my dreams. I need to fill the cracks Derrick left behind.

  As we reach the twenty-third floor again, Nathan arrives, sooner than expected. Despite approaching forty, he looks more like the star of an action film than a desk jockey. He’s tall and lean, and he’s got a sharp, no-one-gets-anything-past-him stare. Best of all, I feel immediately comfortable with him as we jump into shop talk like we’ve been working together for weeks, not minutes.

  All too soon, my stomach starts growling. Since I was too nervous to eat breakfast, I’m not surprised. But I’m shocked when I look at my watch to see the time is nearly one-thirty.

  “I didn’t get much chance to look around this part of the city,” I tell Nathan. “Lunch recommendations?”

  He rattles off a good Thai place, a well-stocked salad bar, and a fantastic sandwich joint that also happens to make amazing homemade soups every day—all within walking distance. With a smile and a thanks, I dash down the elevator and emerge into the brisk October afternoon, wishing I hadn’t left my suit jacket on the back of my chair.

  In the next building over, I wend my way through the lobby, following the signs to the cafe in the basement. The little place only has a few chairs, and those are all taken by suits and skirts eating and chatting. Since the lunch rush is ending, the line to order isn’t as long as the line of people waiting for food, but hot lunches are being delivered at a brisk pace.

  It’s not long before I’m able to order a soup-and-sandwich special, then I shift over to the group of hungry patrons just waiting. After texting my sister an update on my day, I don’t have much to look at on my phone business-wise. A word game helps me pass a few minutes until something—an instinct, a mental prod telling me to pay attention—has me looking up.

  And staring into hypnotic eyes the color of whiskey. They’re staring back at me, from the face of a man who obviously does everything with purpose and perfection. Even the afternoon shadow hugging his sharp jawline is faultless, as is his dark, elegantly mussed hair, his straight nose, his curved mouth, and his wide shoulders filling out his impeccable gray suit.

  I flash hot all over. Without thought, my lips curl up in welcome. He smiles back, his expression something between wry and flirty. Then the most astonishing thing happens, something I’ve never felt with a simple glance.

  I tingle from head to toe. Goose bumps cover my skin. Breathing becomes harder. My heartbeat thuds faster.

  He continues staring, his smile turning from flirty to dirty. My reaction to him ratchets up.

  He might be one of the most gorgeous men I’ve ever seen. Scratch that, he is. I’m instantly, impossibly attracted.

  Since you have to find a whole new sex life, this guy would be a great place to start…

  My dinging phone breaks my train of thought. It’s not easy to tear my gaze away, but I force myself to break our visual connection and look at my screen. Mariah sent me a message of support, complete with accompanying emojis.

  “Number one thirty-two,” calls a young woman who schleps a bag onto the counter between us.

  That’s my lunch. Quickly, I tuck my phone in my purse and lift the bag.

  “Careful. The soup is really hot,” she warns as she shoves my large iced tea into my free hand, then scans the small crowd behind me. “Number one thirty-three.”

  As a frazzled redhead in a sedate dress rushes to grab her food, I shoulder my way through the people sardined into the tight space and head for the door. Regretfully, I glance back to the line, wanting one last glimpse of the hot guy. I’ll have to settle for having him as my visual dessert. But he’s gone.

  I deflate, but it’s for the best. It’s unlikely anything was ever going to happen between us. And it’s no shock he left. The cafe is beyond crowded, the wait isn’t short, and people in the financial district are busy.

  Speaking of which, my phone rings. And damn it, my hands are full.

  “Do you need help?” a deep voice murmurs in my ear from behind.

  I can’t see who that baritone belongs to, but renewed tingling tells me it’s the sexy stranger. My phone call can probably wait. It’s most likely my sister, but this gives me a good excuse to interact with him. Maybe he’ll ask for my number. Or I could ask for his. I’m single now. Why not?

  When my cell trills again, I turn to find him waiting—and staring. “Please. Would you mind holding my tea?”

  “Not at all.” He takes the big Styrofoam cup from my hand. “I’ll be happy to hold your sack, too.”

  Before I can respond, he’s clasping my lunch and waiting patiently while I dig for my phone. As soon as I see Savannah Force’s name on my screen, my half-formed plan to tuck the device away and strike up a conversation with this gorgeous man evaporates.

  What could my new boss want from me already?

  “Thank you. Excuse me,” I say to him. “Just one second…”

  “No rush,” he assures, his gaze caressing every angle and curve of my face.

  I feel myself blush as I answer. “Hello?”

  “Looks like we’re green-lighted to get an extensive, inside look at this property, so we’re throwing together a meeting now. Can you be in the twenty-fifth-floor conference room in thirty minutes?”

  I may not get to finish my lunch, but I’ll be fine as soon as I get a few bites down. “Absolutely. I’m on my way back now.”

  “The sooner the better. I want to prep you beforehand.”

  The urgency in her voice prods my own. “I’ll be back in fifteen.”

  “Great. See you then.”

  When I end the call, the good-looking stranger holding my lunch is still watching me with an intensity that makes me painfully aware he’s a man. There’s something about him… Honestly, if we were alone and he touched me, despite the fact I know nothing about him—even his name—I would probably drop my clothes for him.

  “You have to go,” he says with a regretful sigh.

  “Yes. I’m sorry.” He probably doesn’t care, but I feel compelled to apologize for the missed opportunity.

  “I understand. Maybe there will be a next time, sweetheart.” He nods as he hands me my lunch, gives me one long, last lingering glance that makes me feel as if he’s touched me all over, then melds back into the line of people ordering.

  It’s for the best. After all, I have a job to do, and it’s not flirting with random guys in cafes. Still, the tug of disappointment is almost overwhelming as I push out of the little restaurant’s double doors and head for the elevator to street level.

  The gleaming halves part, and people pile out, the last one a big brute of a man with sandy hair, a sharp profile, and a presence that slams into me from ten feet away.

  As if he senses me, too, his head zips in my direction. Instantly, his stare fixes on me like he sees every secret, dirty fantasy I’ve ever had.

  Our eyes lock. My heart stops. My walking ceases. I swallow.

  Holy cow. I’ve never been so bowled over by a man—much less two, never mind in the same day. What’s so different about men in Boston that I keep bumping into specimens that appeal to me on a deep, visceral level with a mere glance?

  The gorgeous behemoth in the navy suit with the burgundy power tie quirks a smile as if he knows exactly what I’m thinking. Then he gestures to the empty elevator, which he’s holding open with his enormous hand.

  What would it be like if he put those hands on me, shredding my clothes and spreading my legs?

  The thought slams into me from nowhere.

  Feeling my face flame, I jerk out of my trance and walk toward the empty car. Looking at him is almost painfully intense, but I can’t pry my gaze free.

  Closer and closer I step. My head tips back to take him in. I inhale him—cedar, scotch, and leather.

  He takes my breath away.

  His slightly crooked nose suggests he broke it at some point. His jaw is sharp as a blade. His lips are a slash of red in his sun-roughened face. The classic suit might make him look civilized, but he’s a man imminently capable of violence. I would bet my life on that.

  Still, he does nothing but nod as I near him. “Your chariot.”

  Mere inches from him now, my skin feels electric. My blood sizzles. My belly flutters. “Thank you.”

  As I float into the empty elevator, he settles his hand at the small of my back.

  That one touch fills me with heat. I gasp and jerk my gaze over my shoulder to see a little smile playing at his lips. Of course he heard me. His grin is full of all the filthy things he’d like to do to me.

  My pulse leaps again as I sleepwalk to the middle of the car and turn to face him.

  “What’s your name?” he demands.

  Tell him? Don’t tell him? Do I need the distraction when I have a new job? But how can I pass up an attraction this strong?

  With his stare touching me, I think in slow motion. I’m still trying to decide what to do when the elevator doors begin to slide shut. Before I know it, the car whisks me up and away from him.

  When I jar to a stop and the panels slide open, I have to fight an almost compulsive urge to stab the button and submerge to the basement again. In the span of five minutes, I met two men who knocked my world on its axis. My gut tells me that listening to my head was stupid and that walking away from them was the worst mistake of my life.

  Chapter Two

  Five minutes later, I let out a shaky sigh and hustle out of the elevator at Force Financial, lunch in hand. I try not to think about the fact that I’m on the twenty-third floor again, where I’d never be able to scramble downstairs to the street if there was a massive fire. I’m also trying to forget the two hunky strangers. Maybe my nerves about this new job have messed with my mind.

  Making my way down the hall, I peek into my bag of food and inhale an aromatic whiff of broccoli cheese soup. Beside the disposable container is my sandwich, pristinely wrapped. What I don’t see? A napkin. Damn it.

  Vaguely, I remember Savannah pointing out a nearby break room. It takes a minute, but I wander through a sea of cubicles until I find the little corner. Thankfully, blinds cover all the windows. I can breathe.

  A trio of women already inside are cloistered around the humming microwave. I don’t recognize any of them, but they’re all about my age, sharply dressed, and too engrossed in their conversation to notice me hovering in the doorway.

  “Are you serious?” says a brunette.

  “Yes. I’m telling you I’ve seen it with my own two eyes,” insists her friend in a blue dress. “Marcus Hunt and Josh Hennessey have shared a woman.”