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“Thank you,” a soft voice said as she came toward the door.

“Mr. James is waiting for you,” Angelica said. “This shouldn’t take too long.”

“Hey,” she said. “Weren’t you at the party last night?”

“Party?” Angelica asked. “The benefit for the shelters?”

“Yeah, you were with, um… I don’t know his name.”

“I remember you.” Angelica said. “The green dress. Before dinner.”

My feet moved before my brain caught up. I rounded the desk and slammed to a halt behind Angelica. The brutal reality collided with the scent of hotel sheets and berries still etched in my memory, a taunting reminder of who I had pinned to the mattress last night.

We weren’t just passing acquaintances. That would be too easy. We were about to enter into negotiations for a high-stakes deal where I couldn’t show any signs of weakness.

She rubbed the back of her neck, her eyes darting between Angelica and me, the briefest flicker of panic crossing her face before she tried to mask it with absolute steel. I saw through it. “You’re Huxley James?”

Yesterday she was a beautiful distraction. Today she was the opposition. The one property owner who refused to sell. She stood inside my sanctuary wearing a black Nike hoodie and ripped, faded jeans. Was she deliberately mocking me? No, she was being herself.

“Wait?” Angelica moved out of the way so Forest could come inside. “Are we supposed to believe this is a coincidence? That you had no idea the man you talked to last night was Huxley? The biggest real estate tycoon in Manhattan?”

We did more than talk.

“I…” She glanced at me. “You never told me your name.”

“You didn’t want to know my name.” If she was playing me, what was her motive? I had offered a huge sum of money. She already had an appointment with me today. What reason would she have to arrange a meeting last night?

“A quick internet search would have told you who he was,” Angelica said. “You had to have known who he was before showing up here today.”

That was true. My face was everywhere.

“I didn’t,” Forest said. “I went to the event last night because my friend’s aunt gave us the tickets. I had this meeting this morning, so it was convenient for me to stay over. I had no idea when I went to your suite last night that you…” She looked at Angelica, and then to me. “Sorry.”

This woman wasn’t savvy enough to pull off such an elaborate stunt. I could read people better than anyone. That was how I always came out on top. She was far too genuine to deceive me.

“Your suite?” Angelica threw her hands in the air. “What were you thinking?”

When I stepped toward my outspoken attorney, she inched away from me. “What I was thinking is none of your business,” I said. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, I need a word with Ms. Mason.”

“My name is Ivy,” she said. “Kind of like the forest.”

This had to be the oddest set of circumstances I’d ever encounter. If it wasn’t a scam, it was one hell of a coincidence.

“As your attorney, I should stay,” Angelica said.

“I can handle this.”

“You don’t need a harassment suit. You need a witness, especially if this is a scam.”

“Harassment?” Ivy frowned. “I’m not bothering anyone. You asked me to come here.”

“She’s not referring to you,” I said.

Angelica was worried that Ivy could use last night as leverage against me. This naive girl who had hardly any experience in the bedroom wasn’t capable of coming up with such a twisted plot. If she was, that would be pretty impressive.

“Huxley,” Angelica said. “Maybe you shouldn’t take this meeting today.”

“You may be my attorney, but only one of us has a law degree from Harvard, and it’s not you.” I pointed toward the hallway. “Close the door on your way out.”