Natalie walked into my office in sky-high heels. I didn’t have a dress code for my building, but I asked my assistants to always wear black. The color suited the gray walls of the floor, as well as my office. “Sir, Titan’s assistant said she wasn’t interested.”

Not interested?

What kind of answer was that?

I felt the muscles of my jaw clench automatically. My palm automatically rubbed across my chin to suppress its appearance. My five o’clock shadow was already coming in, darkening my face even though I’d shaved that morning. My annoyance didn’t come from an inflated ego, just surprise.

No one ever said no to me.

“Put me through directly.”

Natalie nodded in understanding before she left my office.

I stared at my phone as I waited for it to ring. I was in the middle of writing an email, but now it was forgotten. My cell phone lit up with a text message from Pine, but that was immediately filtered into a different compartment in my brain, where all things unimportant were stored.

The phone rang.

I picked it up and heard Natalie over the line. “I have Diesel Hunt for Ms. Titan.” Her feminine voice contained a slight hint of urgency.

Titan’s assistant faltered, and her lack of confidence suggested she was new. “I’m sorry, did he have an appointment…?”

“I don’t need an appointment.” My phone screen filled up with ten different emails as my life carried on. I’d stopped my world to make this phone call, and I didn’t appreciate being told to wait.

Titan’s assistant paused again. “Uh…one moment, please.”

Natalie got off the line.

I sat there for a full minute.

A long-ass minute.

No one had ever made me wait this long for anything.

Ms. Titan was playing with fire right now.

Titan’s assistant came back to the phone, and I was disappointed when I heard her voice. “What is this regarding?”

Is this a joke? “I’d like to speak to her about the business opportunity I mentioned.”

“She needs you to be more specific.”

I ground my teeth together. “Once she’s on the line, I’ll be as specific as she likes.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Hunt. Ms. Titan isn’t interested in unsolicited proposals at this time. She appreciates the call and wishes you the best.”

Unsolicited proposals?

What the fuck?

“Put her through—”

“Have a good day, sir.” She hung up.

She hung up on me.

Me.

---

When the waitress set our drinks down, her skirt lifted right up, exposing her panties so I could see.

It was definitely on purpose.

But I didn’t look. It didn’t impress me when a woman put everything on display to get my attention. Subtle was sexy. Overwhelming nakedness was not. I wanted a woman to want me, not throw herself at me without an ounce of class.

Pine’s eyes followed her as she walked away, leaving us in our booth in the club. The lights were low and the music was high. Women and couples danced on the floor, and people downed their drinks like water. Two women sat on either side of Pine, and his arms were draped over their shoulders. Mike was in the same situation. “What’s your problem?”

My eyes turned to Pine. “I don’t have a problem.”

“A beautiful woman just showed you her ass, and you didn’t even look.”

“I’ve seen lots of beautiful asses.”

“And you look awfully lonely over there by yourself.” He pulled his arm away from the blonde and positioned her toward me. “There you go. That’s better.”

My arm was resting over the back of the couch, but I didn’t lean into her. I didn’t need Pine to get me a girl, and I certainly didn’t want a girl he’d already claimed. Leftovers weren’t sexy. “I tried talking to Tatum Titan today. Couldn’t get her on the phone for two seconds.”

“Tatum Titan?” he asked, knowing exactly who that was. “Really?”

I nodded. “My assistant tried to schedule a meeting with her twice. She said she wasn’t interested.”

“Is she stupid?”

“So I called her myself…still didn’t get her attention.”

Pine whistled under his breath. “Damn…that must have ticked you off.”

I gave him a glare.

“And I was right.”

“I don’t understand this woman. She’s got a failing business, and I want to buy it from her. If she weren’t so stubborn, she could actually hear my offer.”

“Sounds like she doesn’t want an offer.”

She should want any offer she could get from me. I drank my glass and scanned the club, seeing the beautiful women in their tight dresses and heels. I could go home with someone tonight, or I could not. Didn’t make much of a difference to me. When you had too much of one thing, it turned bland and stale. It’d been a long time since my senses came to life. It was the same routine every single day. I was living in the fast lane, but I was going at such a breakneck speed it actually felt slow.

“What are you going to do now?”

“Why would I do anything?” I felt the blonde scoot closer to me and rest her hand on my chest. I didn’t push her off, but I didn’t pull her closer either.

“Because I know you, Hunt. You don’t stop until you get what you want. And the fact that this woman refuses to give it to you…just makes you want it more.”

All I felt for that woman was pure annoyance. I didn’t even care about her company that much. I just saw a quick buck and decided to make it. I assumed anyone would be happy to rid themselves of a failing business. Her cold and indifferent response surprised me because I’d never experienced it before. But now I wanted her company even more…just to prove to her she shouldn’t have rejected me so easily.

“She’s speaking at the Business Coalition Conference on Friday.”

“She is?” I already was planning on attending.

“Yep. And I hope she wears a skirt because she’s fiiiiine. Got the nicest legs I’ve ever seen.”

Couldn’t care less about her legs.

“And her ass…damn.” Pine continued on even though he already had a girl to take home.

Beautiful or not, it was irrelevant. All I wanted from her was an acquisition. “When did you see her?”

“She had a meeting with my father about a year ago. I was in the office when she walked by. My dad said she’s the smartest person he’s ever met…and that’s saying something because he says everyone’s an idiot—me included.”

I stared across the club but didn’t focus on anything in particular.

“She’s the richest woman in the world—pretty impressive.”

Richest woman in the world?

“She’s number eleven on the Forbes list. Just a few spots lower than you.”

I hadn’t known anything about her personally up until that point, just her name here and there. My interest grew when I thought I could capitalize on her existing product. Deep inside, I knew I was impressed, but I did my best not to show it.

“So I guess I’m not surprised by the way she brushed you off. She probably has an ego.”

I’d be surprised if she didn’t.

“How about you—”

“Did you see the Yankee game last night?” I was done talking about Titan. She’d occupied my thoughts enough for the day.

---

My driver pulled up to the hotel and opened the door for me.

The second I stepped out, people snapped pictures of me on their phones. A reporter leaned in with a tape recorder right in my face. “What’s next for Hunt Auto?”

I’d been doing this my whole life, so I took the attention in stride. I didn’t outright smile, but I wore a welcoming expression. I held up my hand in the form of a wave and kept walking, brushing them off without looking like an asshole while doing it.

I walked inside and buttoned the front of my suit. Eyes were on me immediately, recognizing me in an instant. Most of the people there were aspiring entrepreneurs, along with a couple veterans. I shook hands with a few men then moved on.

The keynote speech was taking place in the ballroom, and I slipped in just as they made her introduction.

“As the principal owner of one of the largest beauty and cosmetic companies in the world, Tatum Titan is the richest woman in the world with a net worth of forty-four billion dollars. She started her first company at the age of fifteen and has increased her presence in the capital sphere ever since. A powerful force in business, she’s invested her interests into foreign markets, as well as clean energy here in the United States. Her company, Illuminance, is the first energy company to create solar energy panels exterior to buildings, allowing homes to skip the solar-panel roofs for an exterior pod. Her company’s research has also made solar energy more affordable than traditional sources. Help me welcome Ms. Titan to the stage.” The man clapped before he walked away from the podium, giving her the entire stage.

The audience clapped along enthusiastically.

My eyes searched the bottom of the stairs until I found her. In five-inch stilettos, she ascended the stairs without grabbing on to the rail for balance. Her calf muscles tightened with her movements, her toned and slender legs long and luscious. The pencil skirt she wore fit her waistline perfectly, accentuating the feminine curves of her body.

When she reached the top, she walked to the podium and rested her hands on the surface. Her posture was perfect, her shoulders back and her head held high. She didn’t look down once, her eyes on the crowd in front of her—fearless.

She wore a deep navy top that was tucked in to her skirt. All the buttons were fastened, and the shirt stretched across the swell of her breasts. Her skin was tanned, kissed by the sun. For someone who spent most of her time working, she obviously spent time outdoors. A curtain of dark strands, her long hair was curled and shiny. Light makeup was on her face, just enough to accentuate her features but not overwhelm them.

I was forced to agree with what Pine had said.

She was everything he described her to be.

My eyes trailed over her body, and I tuned out all the words she said. She discussed her business ventures, the struggles of opening her first store, and her journey to becoming a powerful capitalist and brand.

But my eyes cared more about the hollow of her throat, the smooth skin that would be perfect for a man’s tongue. Her left hand was absent of a wedding ring. In fact, she didn’t wear any jewelry at all.

If I saw her on the street, I wouldn’t have known she was such a successful entrepreneur.

She worked the stage like she owned it, making the audience laugh at times and take her seriously at others. She knew exactly how to engage with her audience, to make them feel exactly what she wanted them to feel.

She looked carefree.

I sat in the back row and watched from a safe distance, but my eyes were entranced by the way her hips swayed from side to side. She didn’t drag her feet when she walked. She worked her heels like they were flat sandals.

And she had the kind of confidence that rivaled my own.

I’d never seen a woman quite like this. I met other women in business who were successful, and I’d met women just as beautiful.

But never at the same time.

She was a different breed.

When she finished her presentation, she opened the floor to questions. People fired off right away, some with good questions and others with mediocre ones. It was obvious who were experienced business owners and who didn’t know how to add two numbers together.

One reporter in the front raised his hand.

Tatum focused her gaze on him. “Go ahead.”

He stood up so everyone else in the auditorium could hear him. “As a woman entering her thirties, does this mean you’ll be putting your business on hold to start a family? Or is having a family a goal you don’t value?”

My eyes narrowed at the backhanded insult posed in the question. It was sexist, to say the least. I wasn’t even a woman, and the question annoyed me. My gaze turned back to Tatum, wondering how she would handle it.

Her face softened into a smile, and it looked so convincing I would have thought it was real. “It’s very rare that I encounter a reporter who’s so concerned with my reproductive health. My ovaries are in great shape, thank you for asking. I’m not entering menopause for at least twenty years, so I’ve got some time.” She scanned the audience again, not breaking her stride or confidence. “Any other questions?”

Both corners of my mouth rose into a smile, admiring the way she brushed off the question without really addressing it. She made the guy look like an ass even after he’d already made himself look like an ass.

Another reporter stood up—another male one. “How does it feel to be the richest woman in the world?”

I actually rolled my eyes at that one.

She wore that same diplomatic smile. “I’d imagine it feels the same as being the richest man in the world.”

I smiled again, noting her subtle fire and hostility. She insulted people without making it obvious, fighting her battles with an indirect touch that was more powerful than a punch in the face.

And I respected her for it.