Chapter One
Amy was late. With panic pumping around her body, she dragged her wheeled suitcase towards the elevator of the plush lobby, cursing her pencil-skirt and heels for hindering her haste. So much for arriving in New York early and spending the morning preparing her presentation for the Quinlan brothers. Her flight from London had been delayed last night, and now she was exhausted, anxious, and emotionally fraught. She’d split up with her asshole of a boyfriend two weeks ago – after finding him in a compromising position with his assistant at work. She was still reeling from the shock, and James didn’t seem to want to accept that it was over – he’d been full of heartfelt apologies ever since. But it was too late.
New York buzzed like a panic attack. Right now, all Amy wanted to do was to curl up in bed with a big bar of chocolate, and wallow in reruns of Sex and the City. But instead, she was in the Big Apple feeling lost and alone. The frantic high-speed bustle of Manhattan made her feel insignificant. Apparently this skyscraper had thirty storeys – and that was relatively small.
She halted at the lavish elevator and caught her breath, rehearsing her opening lines for the Quinlan brothers – which would need to begin with an apology for keeping them waiting. The elevator doors swooshed open, and Amy dodged the onslaught of smartly-dressed New Yorkers as they swarmed out like a tsunami of Armani. She stepped to the side, but then dread struck: a man deep in conversation on his phone was pelting towards her – and impact was imminent! Amy jolted and tried to swerve, but her suitcase wheels jammed fast. Shit!
“Watch out!” she called as the man strode on, Terminator-like.
He veered at the last second, but accidentally clipped Amy on the shoulder, which threw her off balance in her spindly heels. She thrust out her arms, desperate to prevent herself from crashing to the marble floor, but thankfully salvation came in the form of a man behind, who caught her in his strong embrace, breaking her fall and saving her pride.
“Whoa there!” said a smooth masculine voice in her ear.
The man wrapped his strong arms around Amy as her mind washed with embarrassed relief. She sunk snuggly against his firm chest, inhaling his masculine scent, and feeling her tension unravel…
“Are you able to stand up, babe?” the man asked.
“Oh, yes. Sorry.”
She pulled out of his arms, feeling her heart pound furiously and her legs tremble from the adrenaline. She composed herself and swept her blonde bangs out of her eyes.
“Thanks for…”
Reality skidded away as Amy caught sight of the most handsome man she’d ever seen. His dark hair framed his masculine face perfectly, emphasising his chiselled cheekbones, strong jawline, and kissable lips. His broad shoulders and toned chest were in perfect proportion with his six-foot athletic physique, making him look like a god in his designer suit. He oozed cocky masculinity, like a young Clint Eastwood. This man was one-hundred percent perfection – from his cool demeanour right down to the sexy dimple in his chin.
He grinned, making his gorgeous face even more commanding. “You alright?”
“Oh, er, yes.”
He inspected Amy with assessing green eyes. She blushed, feeling lust rush through her, replacing her irritated mood with nervous tension. The man opened his mouth to speak, but Amy suddenly remembered why she was here. This wasn’t the time for standing around swooning over men – no matter how incredible. The Quinlan brothers were waiting, and she was already running ridiculously late.
“Thank you for helping me,” she said. “I really must go.”
“Wait… what’s your name?”
Okay, maybe she could spare a few seconds to get his number. She smiled sweetly. “Amy Carter.”
“Oh, you’re Amy?”
Terror gripped her knees. “What?”
His sultry grin shot crackling heat through her body. “Great to meet you, Ms Carter. How was your flight?”
“I’m sorry… You’re not…? Are you one of the Quinlan brothers?”
“I sure am. Adam Quinlan — it’s a pleasure.”
The steely shutter around Amy’s heart clattered down – this man was her enemy. When Quinlan Brothers had first shown interest in buying Grafton Techs a month ago, her boss – Frank Grafton – had refused to sell, so Quinlan Brothers had retorted by threatening a ‘hostile takeover’. The Quinlans had informed Frank that they intended to cripple Grafton Techs by head-hunting their best employees and seducing away their major clients, thus pushing them into bankruptcy. Frank had relented, realising he had no option other than to sell up – and he was due to make a tantalising profit from the takeover. But there was a tense atmosphere between the two companies, and Amy’s job over the next few days was to ensure that this hostile takeover remained as friendly as possible. Up until now, she hadn’t met either of the Quinlan brothers in person, but she already had a good idea of what kind of businessmen they were. Bullying assholes.