N2

The Crossfire was truly impressive, an elegant arrow of brilliant sapphire piercing

the clouds. I knew, thanks to my previous interviews, that the interior on the other side of the revolving doors adorned with copper frames was equally impressive, with floors and gold-veined marble walls, and a security desk and aluminum turnstiles brush.

I took my new ID card out of my inside pants pocket and introduced to the two black-suited guards in the office. They still arrested me, without doubt because I was very poorly dressed, but then they let me pass. After having finished an elevator ride to the twentieth floor, I had a general schedule for

the entire journey from door to door. Score.

I was heading towards the elevators when a slender, beautifully groomed brunette grabbed her purse on a turnstile and knocked it over, spilling out a deluge of change.

The coins rained down on the marble and rolled merrily, and I watched the

people dodge the chaos and carry on as if they don't see it. I grimaced in sympathy and I crouched down to help the woman get her money, as did one of the guards.

“Thank you,” she said, giving me a quick harassed smile.

I smiled back. "No problem. I've been there."

I had just crouched down to reach a nickel lying near the entrance when I came across a luxurious pair of black oxfords draped in pants custom black. I waited a moment for the man to move out of my way and as he

didn't, I arched my neck back to allow my field of vision to get up. The custom three-piece suit hit several of my hot buttons, but it was the tall, powerfully lean body inside that made him sensational. Yet, as hot as all this magnificent masculinity was, it wasn't until I reached the face of the man I fell for the count.

Wow. Just wow.

He squats elegantly right in front of me. Struck by all this exquisite masculinity at eye level I could only stare. Dazed.

Then something changed in the air between us.

As he looked back, he changed... as if a shield was slipping away from his eyes, revealing a scorching force of will that sucked the air from my lungs. Magnetism intense that it gave off grew in strength, becoming an almost tangible impression of vibrant and relentless power.

Reacting purely on instinct, I backed away. And lying flat on my butt. My elbows hurt from the violent contact with the marble floor, but I barely noticed the pain. I was too preoccupied with looking, glued to the man in front of me. Inky black hair framed a breathtaking face. Its structure bone would make a sculptor cry with joy, while a firmly engraved mouth, apointed nose and intense blue eyes made him savagely magnificent. His eyes wrinkled slightly, his features otherwise plunged into impassivity. His shirt and suit were both black, but his tie matched perfectly with those bright irises. His eyes were discerning and evaluating, and they bored me. My heart rate increased; my lips parted to

adapt to faster breathing. He smelled terribly good. No cologne. A body wash, maybe. Or shampoo. Either way, it was tempting. just like him.

He held out his hand to me, displaying onyx cufflinks and a very expensive watch.

With a shaky breath, I placed my hand in his. My pulse quickened as his grip tightened. His contact was electric, sending a discharge into my arm that raised the hairs on the back of my neck. He didn't move for a moment, a line of frown marking the space between his arrogantly trimmed eyebrows.

“Are you okay?”

His voice was cultured and soft, with a rasp that made my stomach flutter. This made me think about sex. Extraordinary sex. I thought for a moment that maybe he could make me cum just by talking long enough.

My lips were dry, so I licked them before answering. "I'm doing well." He stood with economical grace, pulling me with him. We maintained contact visual because I was unable to look away. He was younger than I was believed at first. I guess he was under thirty, but his eyes were much older. worldly. Tough and extremely intelligent.

I felt drawn to him, as if a rope tied my waist and he slowly pulled it, inexorably.

Coming out of my semi-dazed state, I released him. He was not only handsome; he was… exciting. He was the type of guy who made a woman want to rip her shirt off and watching the buttons disperse along with his inhibitions. I looked at him in his suit

civilized, urban and outrageously expensive and I thought of raw, primitive, clawing sex.

He leaned down and retrieved the ID card I didn't realize I'd left fall, freeing me from this provocative look. My brain came back into gear superior.

I was irritated with myself for feeling so uncomfortable when he was so completely master of him. And why? Because I was dazzled, dammit.

He glanced at me and the pose – he was almost kneeling in front of me – still had a once disturbed my balance. He held my gaze as he stood up. “Are you sure you are you okay? You should sit down for a minute.

My face heated up. How nice it was to appear clumsy and clumsy in front of the most confident and gracious man I have ever met. “I just lost balance. I'm doing well."

As I looked away, I saw the woman who had emptied the contents of her purse.

She thanked the guard who had helped her; then turned to me, apologizing

abundantly. I faced him and handed him the handful of coins I had collected, but her gaze locked on the god in the costume and she quickly forgot all about me.

After a while, I walked over and threw the change into the woman's bag.

Then

I risked another glance at the man, finding him looking at me theneven as the brunette gushed with thanks. To him. Not mine, of course, the one who had it

really helped.

I talked about her. “Can I have my badge, please?”

He offered it to me. Although I made an effort to retrieve it without touching it, his fingers touched mine, sending this charge of consciousness back into me. “Thank you,” I whispered before walking around him and out into the street through the revolving door.

I stopped on the sidewalk, swallowing a breath of million-scented New York air of different things, some good and others toxic.

There was a sleek black Bentley SUV in front of the building and I saw my reflection in the windows impeccable tints of the limousine. I was red and my gray eyes were too bright.