I had no idea she would be so incredible.

When I spoke to her on the phone, I knew she was smart. I knew she was capable. I knew she was hard-working, determined and driven.

I didn’t know she was gorgeous. And funny. And so principled.

I could have guessed the part about her being principled, though. It’s not a secret that the suburbs outside of the big city centers in the Northeast are becoming more and more commercial, with big opportunities for people who have had and held onto their land to sell and make bank with what they’re offered.

So when I had one of my guys reach out to Scarlett to inquire about setting up a meeting, I jumped at the chance when I found out she was available and open to listening to us. It was perfect because we are already developing a few other sites out here, and we already had the new office space planned. Being able to meet with her would just be another opportunity, and getting her to sell would just be another feather in my cap.

Scarlett told me on the phone that the business has been in her family for years, and I guess I didn’t look through to the deeper meaning until today. She’s been holding on for sentimental reasons, for philosophical reasons. The discussion with her about the old thrift store made it crystal clear for me.

She’d mentioned in our initial call that she was interested in selling to someone if and only if they intended to use the land for its original purpose, and I assured her it would certainly be something that we would see to.

Because the truth is that I see the place as a hidden gem, and it’s how I’ve thought of it for years, even before Mark and I began targeting recreational and indoor sports venues.

I just didn’t realize Scarlett was a hidden gem too.

The truth is that since last night, I haven’t been able to get her out of my head.

“Do you want to go over the pitch one last time?” Elliot asks me as we pull into her parking lot the next morning.

“What’s there to go over?” I ask, peering up at the alley from inside our car. “We have the same presentation for every single prospective seller. We’re in the business of persuading people. We have to convince her that selling is a good move.”

“I like where your head is at,” Mark says. “You’re focused.”

I sigh and shake my head.

“Man, I have to be honest with you,” I say. “I am anything but focused right now. At least I’m not focused on the presentation.”

“Let me guess,” he says, “it’s her. It’s Scarlett.”

I tell Mark everything. Almost everything. What I usually don’t do is tell him the details of my love life. I leave all of that to him. He’s all too ready to kiss and tell. Me, not so much. But I have to get this off my chest, because he is going to see something is up with me.

“Yeah,” I say, “it is her. I don’t know what it is. There’s just something about that girl. And man, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her all night.”

Mark laughs and shakes his head, closing the binder of presentation materials on his lap.

“You think you’re the only guy to have a huge hardon for this girl? Every man who goes in that damn place must fall in love with her the moment they see her,” he says, pointing to the alley, “and hell, one of them is sitting right next to you.”

“You too?” I say, “I guess I’m not surprised. I mean, how could you not be into her? She’s…”

“Incredible.”

“I was going to say perfect.”

“Perfect definitely covers it,” I laugh.

“So what the hell are we going to do about this?” he says.

“I don’t see that there’s much we can do. If it was just the three of us, I’d say we would have to proceed with extreme fucking caution. But it’s not just the three of us involved in this. We are about to be in business with this woman. We are about to enter negotiations with her. We cannot afford to fuck this up. Hell, she can’t afford to have us fuck it up. She’s hesitant to sell, and I think she’s put a lot of her hope in us.”

“Woah, what are you saying exactly?” he asks, narrowing his eyes at me slightly.

“She’s been approached before, and she hasn’t wanted to sell because she doesn’t feel comfortable with handing her precious baby over to some big corporation. I assured her that we aren’t like that. I assured her that we would do right by her. I mean, it’s the truth. You and I are very clear about our mission here. We have prepared a book of our current properties for her to see if she would be happy being part of the Mark-Elliot family. But lots of people say they want to keep their business for the people and for the good of the community, and for lots of them it’s just all buzzwords. For her, she really means it.”

“I don’t see the trouble with that,” Mark says, “I mean, we really mean it too.”

“I just don’t want to disappoint her,” I say.

“Here comes little miss good for the community right now.”

I look out the window and see Scarlett walking toward the front door of her bowling alley with a bright smile on her face and a sinfully sexy little black dress that accentuates every single one of her curves. To top it all off she’s wearing a pair of black pumps that elongate her calves and make her walk with elegance and grace. And her hair is piled up on the top of her head in a pretty little bun.

“She really is incredible,” I say.

“You really like this girl,” Mark says.

“But I can’t do anything about it,” I say, “because there’s too much at risk. We have shareholders. She has employees. Could you imagine the shitstorm that would happen if I were to start something with her? Our shareholders would question the entire deal. They’d question whether we did our due diligence. They’d question our integrity. They’d question whether we were doing favors for her and buying at a price that suits her better than it suits us. It just can’t happen.”

“You’re acting like she doesn’t get a say in your little problem,” Mark says, laughing. “You know for sure she wants you, buddy? Because she was making some fucking interesting eyes at me last night.”

“God, you always go there, you know that?” I shake my head, though he’s right. Of course I don’t know whether she wants me.

But I have a pretty good feeling she does.

“Go where?” he asks. “Facts are facts. She wants me. Now, I don’t know what there is between the two of you, but I know the way she looked at me. I can’t deny the way she looked at me.”

“Doesn’t matter anyway,” I say, opening the car door, “because it’s a moot point. It can’t happen. She’s off limits. Firmly off limits. So let’s just get this deal done and get the fuck out of here.”

“Are you sure about that?” Mark asks as we enter the bowling alley. “Or do you want to say fuck the consequences and take her right there behind the bar?”

I swallow hard and feel my jaw tense up as she disappears past the bar into a back room marked Employees Only.

“I’m not a fuck the consequences kind of guy,” I remind Mark. “That’s you. You’re the fuck the consequences guy. I’m the get shit done guy.”

“You mean I don’t get shit done?” he asks.

“You do get shit done, but you know what I mean.”

“Then you don’t mind if I ask her to dinner,” he says, stepping in front of me.

“Hold on just a minute,” I say, putting my hand on his chest. “In case you forgot, you are exactly one half of Mark-Elliot. It’s your ass on the line here too.”

“But like you said, I’m the fuck the consequences guy.”

He smirks at me. He’s crazy. The problem is that I feel pretty damn crazy right now too.

“It’s your prerogative if you want to ask her out,” I say, “but if the deal goes to shit, don’t say I didn’t say this was a bad fucking idea.”

“I don’t think you think it’s a bad idea,” he says. “I think you think it’s a fucking brilliant idea. The problem is that you’re too careful. But I say fuck that. Because Scarlett is worth it.”

“There’s still a problem,” I say, my heart beating faster. “Even for the sake of argument, if something could happen.

We’ve liked the same girl before. We’ve even slept with the same woman before, though there were never feelings involved on Mark’s end. Mark is like that. He doesn’t like feelings to get involved. I don’t know if what he feels for Scarlett right now is much more than just desire for the hottest woman we’ve ever both seen, but I know my feelings are certainly involved at this point.

“I don’t see the problem,” Mark says.

“You don’t see a problem with us both wanting the same woman?”

“Not if it’s her. Not if it’s Scarlett. Because all I know is that I want her. I don’t know what the hell’s gonna happen after we get back to the City, but I know what I feel right fucking now.”

“This deal cannot get fucked,” I repeat, though I feel myself beginning to soften to what I think he is suggesting, as crazy and ludicrous as it seems. “This deal cannot get fucked for her sake. Did you see the condition of this place? She is in over her damn head, and she wants us to help her fix it. The right way. Not by throwing money at the problem. I’m not even thinking of myself at this point. I’m thinking of her. This girl has pinned her hopes on us, whether she knows it or not. One look at her and you can see in her eyes what a hopeless dreamer she is.”

“One look in her eyes and you knew you wanted her,” Mark says. “And you are severely overthinking this. We are out here in the damn sticks and there’s basically no way anyone will find out.”

I turn toward the back of the bar, where I know Scarlett is inside, probably preparing for the meeting. Maybe she is reviewing her financial documents or on the phone with her attorney. I told her attorneys wouldn’t be necessary at this early stage of our discussions, but she’s probably getting all of her ducks in a row before talking to us about business.

And then I realize Mark is right. I can’t walk away from her without a taste.

I already know Mark feels the same way toward her.

“Let’s go,” I say as we begin walking toward her office. “We have a deal to make.”

“Think she’s ever done anything like this before?” Mark asks.

“I don’t think so. She’s too sweet.”

I can feel my cock becoming hard at the thought of my hands running over her curves, of crushing my lips into hers.

“Then I look forward to fully corrupting this sweet girl,” he says.