I’m slow to step on the brakes and pull into the last spot that lines the front of the small convenience store. I’ve only been here a few times, either needing to stop for gas or a quick bite to eat on my way to or from work on the west side of the city. It’s a clerical job for a newspaper, but beggars can’t be choosers and the bills need to be paid while I learn the ropes, snag clients and rub elbows, so to speak.

Several cars are parked in front of the store and a few men head inside as I pull up. They vary from obviously expensive to looking like they’re falling apart. The vehicles, that is.

I notice the men, and they notice me. Averting my eyes to avoid making small talk, I turn down my radio and put my car in park.

I mind my business and everyone around me seems to do the same. In the city that never sleeps, there’s always something happening. And I’m not interested in a damn one of those somethings. Distractions get a bad rap for a reason.

Grabbing my purse and keys in the same hand, I make haste, opening the car door to step out in a rush, but my eyes glance back to the cars and straight into a man’s gaze.

Not just any man, a man exuding power and confidence, along with defiance. Although he’s wearing a simple shirt and faded dark jeans, the way he wears them makes me think they were made to be fitted to his muscular body. He’s hot as hell, and given the way he looks at me, he could be a temptation the devil made just for me.

My driver side door shuts with a loud bang as I stand there caught in the heat in his gaze. He leans against the hood of a car, I’m assuming is his, a shiny black Mercedes that reflects the light from the store in its slick exterior. The windows are rolled up and tinted so dark it’s hard to see the inside. As my eyes move back to the man, my movements are slowed and I grip my keys tighter.

He doesn’t stop looking, taking me in and letting his eyes follow along the curves of my body. Arrogance and sinful thrill dance in his cocky grin. He obviously wants me to know that he’s watching me. Something about that small fact forces a blush to rise to my cheeks.

My breathing picks up and I subconsciously pull the hem of my dress down just slightly, smoothing out the cherry red pleats and wishing I hadn’t been wearing it all day. I take one step and the click of my heels keeps time with my racing pulse as I walk forward, knowing I have to pass him on my way in.