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inside of my store blows my mind.”
    It was hard not to get caught up in her excitement. Her eyes sparkled with it. Ivan was unable to keep from grinning, either. “Then I’ve done my job. I promised you Mission: Impossible, but on a budget,” he teased.
    Ivan showed Tiffany more features and set up her surveillance program on her laptop. He helped her through the tutorial, as well as pointed out additional upgrades she could get later.
    “Thank you for doing all this for me, Ivan.”
    “It’s been my pleasure, Tiffany.”
    Her associate, Celeste, walked through the door. When it chimed, the two shared a smile.
    She walked him out. “So what’s next for you?”
    “Jeannie asked me to conduct another senior safety class.”
    “That sounds like fun.”
    Suddenly, Ivan’s expression turned mischievous. “Great. I need an assistant.”
    She stopped smiling. “Me? Huh? I... No, I couldn’t. I’d be terrible at it.”
    “I doubt it. You said you’d taken self-defense classes before.”
    “Yeah, but that was some time ago.”
    “So you’re saying you can’t do it?”
    There was a hint of challenge in his voice that ruffled Tiffany’s competitive side. She nodded before her cautious side could catch up. “I’ll do it. When is it?”
    “Tonight. The name of the class will be on the door. If there’s a change, I’ll call you.”
    “I don’t know, Ivan, I—”
    Without warning, he held a finger up to her lips to silence her. She stilled.
    “Tiffany?”
    “Hmm?” She mumbled around his hand.
    “Say yes.”
    He moved his finger from her lips, but remained in close proximity.
    “Yes,” she heard herself whisper.
    The air crackled with tension. Unable to help herself, she gravitated toward him. They stood there for infinite moments staring at each other until a horn broke the spell.
    Ivan backed up. “I’ll see you tonight at five. I’ll text you the address. Traffic may be rough, so give yourself extra time to get there. Bye, Tiffany.”
    Without another word, Ivan was gone, leaving her standing on the sidewalk in front of her store with a baffled expression on her face. She raised a hand up to her mouth. His hold over her in that moment was complete and all-consuming.
    When she regained her wits, Tiffany was mortified. The worst realization was that she had wanted a kiss to happen, more than she wanted to take her next breath.
    Tiffany gazed after him until his Range Rover was out of sight. Ivan’s lips and everything else on him are off-limits. She vowed to repeat the sentence like a litany for the rest of the day in hopes of remembering that he was already taken, and to stop her heart, mind and soul from pining for a man she could never have.
    * * *
    Hours later, Tiffany arrived home worn-out, and no closer to not thinking about Ivan Mangum than before. After showering and putting on workout clothes, she surveyed herself in the mirror. Tiffany was nervous. Attending an exercise class was one thing, but being up there with the instructor was completely different. Especially when the instructor was Ivan.
    “You can do this,” she said to her reflection.
    Ivan had thrown down a challenge, and she planned to show him she could deliver. Their encounter outside of her store came to mind. Feeling his finger on her lips was flat-out shocking...and sensuous! Thank goodness he’d left before she’d voiced the desire to kiss him. She checked the clock, then grabbed her gym bag and headed out the door.
    The community center was located in Washington Park on the South Side of Chicago. Tiffany parked and strolled into the building. She had a few minutes to spare, so she unpacked a yoga mat and warmed up. She was on her last rep of stretches when Ivan walked in.
    “Hey.”
    “Hey,” she responded. Tiffany rolled up her mat. “I was warming up.”
    “Good. Our class should start in a few minutes.”
    Ivan dropped his bag in a corner and strode over. “I’m glad you made it.”
    “Of