“We have to win the bid for this building, you got this?” I said in annoyance to the underling on the other side of the phone line.

I was going down the stairs of the said building in a hurry, talking over the phone with the real estate division of my company. I’d come here today to see it again, and now I was even more convinced in its high potential.

I was one of three partners in my development firm LQT, and I dealt with the purchasing of old buildings to renovate. The building I was currently interested in was another run-down building. It was historic and held a great value.

In its old glory days, this was a hotel—the luxurious Art Deco styled rooms attracted many customers—but the owner went bankrupt and his hotel went out of business. He moved away, leaving the building as it was and neglecting it completely over the next years. It was sad really, not for him, but for the building itself.

For many years, various companies had been trying to get this building as its district became wealthier and attracted more contractors. Thankfully, its owner had finally decided to put it for sale. Obviously, the news of this auction spread like a wildfire, and it reached media too. That was why I wasn’t the only one who was interested in this building. Currently, there were several other bidders interested and I knew I had to grab it before someone else got it.

I was on my phone for several minutes already, making sure we secured the bid. I just had to make sure nothing went wrong, but I was fucking nervous and desperate to get this building. I wanted to restore it to a boutique hotel for high-end clients, and I was sure this would bring our firm huge profits. The guys would love it and maybe it would be my turn to take a vacation.

“Yes, Mr. Talon. We are working on it,” the real estate agent assured me. “We will definitely offer the best bid.”

“Good. I don’t want to screw this up.”

I exhaled, which was something I did a lot when I was frustrated. I moved my hand through my short hair as my annoyance increased.

Shit. Why were there so many people who saw what I saw in this old building? Why couldn’t they move their asses to something else?

I exhaled again, still going down in a rush as my quick footsteps echoed through the empty building. This time the competition was high, and we had to take a risk so we could secure the bid. The amount of money was extremely high, much higher than the real value of this place, but in my opinion, it was totally worth it.

Many people couldn’t understand this, but there was just some pure beauty in transforming something old into new. Rebuilding was my passion, and searching for those kinds of buildings was like a treasure hunt for me.

Each one of these buildings had a much higher potential that many might realize, and this was their actual value—they had so much more to offer than it was expected. They were like hidden gems, providing money to only those who were smart enough to seize the opportunity when it came up.

Since I was a man of distinctive tastes and had a great talent, I was attracted to this line of business since the beginning of LQT. My other partners, Grant Lawson and Colten Quinn, never quite understood what was so special about these old, rusty places, but that didn’t matter. They believed in my instincts and decisions, because they had brought us millions so far.

Grant, Colten, and I met in the Army and became family. We were stationed overseas together and had a lot of time to talk. We soon realized we had the passion for the same line of business, but most importantly, we had the initial capital to start our own company. LQT grew a lot lately, and we were getting busier year by year.

Each time I started a new project I would get excited, but at the same time so easily irritated. There were lots of sharks in this line of business, just waiting to attack when it was least expected, and I always had to be alert. But with my military background, I could handle anything. Let those fuckers come.

“We will keep you updated, sir,” he said.

“Great. I’ll be waiting. Call me when you hear something new.” I ended the call.

This building wasn’t that spacious, but it had a lot of floors. Just as I put the phone into my pocket I finally reached the first floor, cursing the elevator that was obviously out of order.

I looked around the old lobby, already imagining the space after it was renovated and furnished luxuriously, hell yes this was going to be good. We had to buy this building, and I just wanted that bidding to be done and over with.

We would need to invest a lot of money into its restoration and hire the best interior designer to redecorate this place. We would have a lot of work to do, but it would be pointless to think about it now if we wouldn’t secure the bid.

No. We would secure that bid. I shouldn’t stress about it. I’d never lost a building before. I had a sense for purchasing, but I also got anxious easily, thinking about all kinds of negative scenarios.

I strode across the lobby, reminding myself about all the tasks I had to finish today, and I wasn’t actually paying attention to my surroundings anymore. As I rushed to the front doors, deep in thought, I ran into someone, our bodies colliding harshly. The impact did nothing to my strong body, and I remained in my place, but I couldn’t say the same for the beautiful woman in front of me.

“Uff,” she grunted as she struggled to stabilize herself, and my hand rushed to grab her around her upper arm and keep her on her feet. “I’m sorry,” she muttered.

For a few moments I wasn’t even able to move, just observing this gorgeous brunette in front of me. Her green eyes immediately caught my attention. They reminded me of emerald, glimmering intensely and sucking me in, and I couldn’t look away from them for a moment. Shit.

Her heart-shaped face was framed with a bob that fitted her beautifully.

She was tall and thin, but she had slightly bigger breasts and curvy hips, and man, I just loved curvy hips. There was nothing more feminine than seeing those sexy curves on a woman you wanted to fuck.

Did I want to fuck her? As my eyes continued downward, sliding over her tight skirt and long legs, I realized that the answer was yes—I did want to take her to my bed. Her black suit was too serious for my taste, but it did nothing to hide her sexy body, and I wanted to rip it off her and reveal what was beneath it.

She shifted on her legs and snatched her arm away from my grasp. I hadn’t even been aware I was still holding her.

I finally noticed she was carrying a briefcase in her hand, and my senses switched into high alert. She had her business briefcase and attire, and she just came here. There was only one possible conclusion as to who she was.

She was definitely my competition for the bidding. Fuck.

Yes. She came here to inspect the building just like I did, so she was my rival.

Damn it. It was too bad, but she was unavailable. No matter how smoking hot she was, she was one of those damn bidders who wanted to take my building, and I wouldn’t let her do that. I’d actually wanted to say something charming to her and sweep her off her feet, but I couldn’t do that now that I knew that she was a bidder.

I brought my gaze back to her eyes, raising my eyebrows when I noticed she’d been checking me out too. Now that I looked at her face more carefully, I saw that her lips were drawn into a thin, disapproving line and her jaw was clenched tight. She looked serious and unapproachable, and I frowned in response.

“You should be,” I snapped at her, not accepting her apology.

Her eyes widened in shock and her lips parted, and I got to see just how sexy they were when they weren’t drawn into a stern line. I wanted those lips around my cock.

Damn. This wasn’t the time to think about that.

“Excuse me?” she exclaimed, furrowing her eyebrows angrily when the initial surprise passed.

“You heard me. Are you deaf? You didn’t even pay attention and you ran right into me!”

I saw her whole body tense. She was clearly embarrassed, but she tried to hide it with anger. “I didn’t pay attention? You are the one who wasn’t even looking where he was going!”

“Right,” I answered, my voice dipping in sarcasm, and continued dryly, “Well, that was expected.” I glared at her, clenching my fists in tension.

Her cheeks flushed a bit, and she shifted her weight again. “What was expected?”

“That such a beautiful woman like you would lie. All beautiful women are such good liars.” Shit. Now where did this come from? All beautiful women were such good liars? Sexist much, man.

“What?” she hissed. “I can’t believe you! Not only you are rude and accusing me of something I didn’t do, but you are also insulting women! Asshole!”

Well, I did deserve that one, but it didn’t sting any less. “You have no idea what you are talking about so shut your mouth. After all, it’s good for only one thing.” I smirked to increase the humiliating effect. “For a blowjob.”

Instantly, she became red as a beet, her pretty green eyes darkening in fury. Her hand twitched, and for a second I thought she was going to slap me. I took a step back, just in case.

“You.” She actually began to tremble, her face changing colors quickly. “I have met a lot of rude people in this business so far, but no one was as rude as you are.”

“I’m glad to be the best.” I winked and moved aside to walk around her.

I reached the front doors and she was still standing in the same spot, her back turned to me. My eyes momentarily zeroed in on her ass, and I almost groaned. My cock twitched, but I had to suppress any sexual urge. Man, her ass was a piece of art.

“Try not to get lost,” I said and got out of the building before she had the opportunity to react.

When I reached the noisy street, I noticed how hot I felt, fuck. This back and forth sparing left me even more frustrated.

It was a shame. I didn’t remember when was the last time I so attracted to some woman, but she had to be my competition and I couldn’t do anything to her. The irony.

And now I realized we’d never exchanged names.

I opened the door of my car and sat down, telling myself to stop thinking about her. She wasn’t important. I would make sure to get that building, and I would never see her again.