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my girl.” He smiled proudly. “We had a call come in this morning about listing a property in Scottsdale. It’s a commercial building for a new client. It’s known as Solomon Place. They asked that we get up there today and get the ball rolling.” He sat the papers on the desk. “It’s a good thing you showed up to work today instead of next week.”
    “And why is that?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.
    “They asked for you.”
    “They? Asked for me?” I was baffled. “That makes absolutely no sense, Dad. No one even knows I’m in town.” I racked my brain for a connection, but came up short.
    “Do you know someone named Max Quinn?”
    The fog began to lift. “I think so.”
    “Well, Mr. Quinn asked for you to meet him at the property this morning. I typically like to handle new clients and accounts this expensive myself, but I trust you.” He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his desk. “If you are ready, of course.”
    “I’d love to do it. That’s why I am here, right?”
    “Here’s the address,” he said, scooting a piece of paper across the table. “Alice has the rest of the information you’ll need.”

    An hour later, I pulled up in front of a one story commercial building at the address listed on the paper. It was stucco and discreet, but fairly large and on the outskirts of Scottsdale.
    I was excited to get started, to kick off this new phase of my life. But an undercurrent of confusion coursed through me.
    W hat did Max have to do with it?
    Stepping out of my Jeep, I took in a hasty breath. The temperature overtook me as the hair on the back of my neck became damp with sweat. Dry heat my ass. I quickly made my way to the front of the building, ignoring the construction workers that were obviously watching me from the building next door.
    Looking through the glass, I didn’t see anyone. The door was unlocked, it was hot, and the address matched, so I went on in.
    “Hello?” I called out into the space. “Is anyone here?”
    I was met with silence, save the faint sound of the air conditioner working overtime.
    The building looked to have been empty for a while. The floors were dusty and there were odds and ends of office furniture scattered throughout the large entry room, but otherwise it was vacant.
    “Hello? Max?” I announced again, peeking into one of the cubicles lining the side wall. A sound cracked from a back room and my heart jumped to my throat in surprise. I laughed softly and headed towards the sound, hoping that it was Max and not a murderer.
    As I cautiously approached the doorway, I could hear someone inside. I rounded the corner and stopped abruptly, my heart skipping a beat.
    He was sitting at the desk in the back of the room, his head resting in the palm of one of his hands. I could see his fingers pressing against the sandy colored strands as if in thought. His watch caught the light and sent a prism of color onto the wall.
    He looked so out of place—so large and powerful in the small, drab area. It was a play on opposites—excellence meeting mediocrity.
    He hadn’t heard me arrive, completely absorbed in whatever he was reading, and I took a second to steady myself before I caught his attention. Just looking at him was enough to take my breath away.
    I briefly considered sneaking out before he saw me, but remembered that I was there on business.
    Breathe.
    Taking a deep breath, I knocked gently on the door. He didn’t move anything but his eyes, raising them to mine. A slow smile crept across his face and my heart picked up its pace.
    Cane leaned back in his chair and grinned smugly, like the cat that ate the canary. “Well, what do you know? We see each other again.”
    My racing heart was now fueled by irritation instead of lust. This is the first day of my new life, and I’m being toyed with by another jerk? Heaven help me.
    I briefly closed my eyes and tried to stay calm. Ripping into him, giving him a huge reaction, would be letting him win and I