Chapter 1
THE CEO
DANTE
It should be illegal for a criminal to be that damn sexy.
“Uh, hello?” Anthony waved a hand in front of my face. “Are you there, Dante?”
“Yes. Obviously.”
“I asked you what you want me to do about this incident,” he said. “She signed in at the desk under the name ‘Miss Robin Hood,’ so it’s going to take me a minute to track down her real identity.”
“I want to press the highest level of charges, and I want them pressed by the end of today,” I said.
“The cops told you to come down to the station to make a report.” He stared at the crime scene. “This isn’t exactly high on their priority list right now.”
“So, robberies don’t count when the victim is rich?”
“You said she didn’t take anything…” He moved out of the way as a housekeeper sprayed the glass. “This wasn’t a robbery.”
“She broke into my fucking condo and stole a shower.”
“You mentioned she had a key.” He shrugged. “I can make sure she’s reported to her real estate agency and ban her from all our properties, if you like.”
“Yes,” I said. “And also find a way for me to press those charges.”
“Fine. I’ll stop by the precinct and handle it.” He looked at his watch. “How many minutes until the real client arrives?”
“Forty.”
“I’ll disappear and see you back at the office.”
“Thank you, Anthony.”
“Anytime.” He walked away, and I walked through the unit, adjusting small things here and there.
I straightened a chair near the window and immediately noticed the faint imprint of her fingertips against the glass.
Somehow, that irritated me even more.
She’d walked through my favorite condo like she belonged here. Like forty million dollars’ worth of property was some public damn gym membership.
My jaw tightened as I headed back toward the bathroom.
The steam had finally faded from the mirrors, but the scent of her cinnamon shampoo still lingered in the air. The memory of her nipples hardening as I stared at her came next.
Jesus Christ…
I ran a hand against the marble counters and forced myself to focus on the actual reason I was here today.
Selling this unit.
Not fantasizing about the naked criminal who’d been illegally showering in it.
Right on cue, the private elevator chimed from the other side of the condo.
“Oh. My. WOW…” Mr. Fleming stepped into the open living room, his eyes wide.
For some strange reason, he was dressed in sweatpants and dirty tennis shoes. He looked more like someone who’d gotten lost on his way to a laundromat than a man prepared to buy a forty-million-dollar condo.
I didn’t dress the part either when I first started, though…
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Fleming.” I extended my hand. “Glad you’re considering a life in New York.”
“I’ll say.” He smiled. “I love the personal touch of you showing me around.”
“Shall we?” I gestured for him to follow me, and he obliged.
I walked him through every room—pointing out every piece of custom artwork and every luxury feature I’d installed.
I spotted a pair of pink lace panties peeking from under the guest closet and rolled my eyes.
“This unit is perfect,” Mr. Fleming said. “Beyond perfect.”
“Good to hear that. It’s one of my favorites as well.”
“How long has it been on the market?”
Too long… “Almost a year.”
“Ah.” He wandered near the penthouse’s window. “Well, I guess it doesn’t matter how long it stays as long as it gets sold, right?”
No. “I can show you the east wing, if you like. It’s where the private pool and sauna are.”
“I would love that, but tell me one thing first,” he said. “When will I get to meet with the woman who listed it?”
“There is no woman. It’s owned by me.”
He arched a brow. “I talked to her a few weeks ago about getting a full-day tour at all your top units. I meant to tell her I was coming into town today.”
“Are you talking about Stacy, perhaps?” I asked. “She’s my assistant.”
“No, that’s not her name.” He pulled out his phone and tapped the screen. “She said I could watch movies and enjoy a full night in each condo so I could get a real feel for each one.”
“She said what?”
“Here. See?” He flipped his phone toward me, and an image of the woman I’d just seen flashed in front of me. Except this time she wasn’t naked—which honestly made it easier to remember she was a problem.
She was wearing a navy blue suit, and she was smiling on a real estate page.
My company’s real estate page.
You’ve got to be fucking kidding me…
“She’s who I’ve been talking to for the past couple of weeks,” he said. “She’s already scheduled me for several city tours, dinner reservations with some unique people, and other things that are kind of making me see that New York might not be as full of criminals as I thought.”
“Until you find out you’ve been dealing with one this entire time…”
“Huh?” He looked at me. “What did you just say?”
“I said, tell me everything this woman has promised you and we’ll go from there.”
“She said I wasn’t supposed to reveal anything to anyone.”
“I’m her boss,” I said, pointing to my name at the top of the page. “Tell me everything. Right now…”