Chapter One
Vance
“Wait until you get a load of this! You’re going to freak out.”
I follow my real estate agent Todd into the kitchen and I’m not freaking out, but I am impressed. It’s a huge luxurious kitchen, but I’d expect that in a ten million dollar home.
“What do you think?” Todd asks with a huge grin on his face.
I walk around the enormous granite island, letting my palm glide over the smooth cold rock. It’s big enough to fit a few people sitting around it, and my mind instantly pictures a woman sitting there with an adoring smile as she sips her wine and watches me cook for her.
“Huge gas oven,” Todd says, shattering my fantasy. “And look at the size of this fridge. Incredible. Enough to feed an army, or a couple of teenagers. Are you married? Do you have children?”
I grit my teeth as I look around. I’m thirty-five years old and I’m still single. I’ve been building my business for the past decade and a half and haven’t had time to focus on much else.
But now I’m ready. Ready to find the one. Waiting for that spark. That special jolt of lightning to strike when I’m least expecting it.
I thought she’d be here by now, but she’s not. Sometimes, I wonder if it’s ever going to happen.
“No,” I say with a heavy sigh. “I’m not married.”
“Kids?”
“No.”
“Well, if that’s in your future, this is going to make a great home to raise a family in. Come see the rest of the house. The owners have already moved out so you can take possession whenever you desire.”
He gives me a tour of the empty house, grinning when he shows me the man-cave with the full wet bar and pool table in the basement.
This house has it all. A gym, a theater room, and more rooms than I can keep track of.
“Plenty of bedrooms,” Todd says as we walk up the stairs. “And wait until I show you this office. It overlooks the in-ground pool and the beautifully landscaped backyard.”
He opens the French doors with an extravagant flair and I nod as I walk in. This will work great, although I’m not sure when I’ll be back to work.
After fifteen years of one hundred hour work weeks, I sold my tech company and now I never have to work another day in my life. But I am a workhorse, so I know it’s only a matter of time before I jump into the next business venture.
The office is all custom wooden shelves along the walls that extend up to the high ceilings. The owners left a beautiful intricately carved desk in the middle of the room and on the empty bookshelves rests one lonely book.
I grin as I walk over to it and pick it up. Pride and Prejudice. Never read it.
“The owners have agreed to throw in the desk,” Todd says as I walk over to the giant windows that overlook the backyard. “It was originally owned by Ernest Hemingway. It’s quite the historical artifact and a nice addition to this beautiful home.”
I’m only half-listening as I look at the gorgeous swimming pool in the back. It even has a swim-up bar with a giant tiki hut over it.
“What the…” I whisper when I spot a girl lying on one of the pool chairs. My heart starts pounding when I roam my hungry eyes over her.
She’s stunning.
I can’t breathe as I stare at her in awe. Her wavy auburn hair is resting on her shoulders as she tilts her chin up to the sun like she’s daring it to outshine her. It doesn’t stand a chance next to this angelic beauty.
The pounding in my chest makes its way into my ears and I can’t hear a word that Todd is saying. I’m completely focused on her. I’m fixated and worried that I won’t ever be able to tear my eyes off her sweet body.
It’s on full display in a tight black bikini that has my cock stirring. Sexy little toes, long shimmering legs, hips that I can’t wait to grab onto, and big juicy tits that are already mesmerizing me. I’m already obsessed.
I need to know everything about her. I need to meet her, to touch her, to taste her.
“What do you think?” Todd asks, snapping me out of my hypnotic daze. “Would this office work for you?”
I charge past him, rushing out of the office to get to her before my heart explodes.
I’m all jittery and on edge without her in my sight as I take three stairs at a time on the way down. Who is she? Does she live here? Oh, fuck… Is this the owner’s wife? I’d be surprised if it is. She looks young. Nineteen, twenty maybe. She could be the owners’ daughter.
The emotions swirling through me are so overwhelming. This is not like me at all. I’m always so cool and calm. I’ve sat at conference tables around the world, negotiating nine-figure deals without breaking a sweat, and one look at this girl has me cracking.