One Little Temptation Excerpt

“I’m sorry, but you need an appointment to see Mr. Phillips.”

Maxine sighed in frustration, impatiently pushing red curls out of her eyes.  She should have stopped at a restroom to freshen up after her flight.  She probably looked like a tornado had gone through her hair.

Maxine shuffled her feet, resigned to coming back later.  Dash Phillips was the best.  Maxine needed the best in order to save Marni from this murder situation.  “Fine.  Can I schedule an appointment with Mr. Phillips?”

The receptionist opened her mouth and Maxine just knew she was going to turn down her request.  But a male voice, a deep, sexy male voice, interrupted.

“What’s the problem, Debbie?”

Startled, Maxine swung around, looking for the source of that deep, surprisingly sexy voice.  She found a male chest covered in expensive white material.  She lifted her gaze.  Then higher still.  The man was…huge!  The guy was well over six feet tall with shoulders that were…wow! 

“Dear heaven!” Maxine whispered and stepped back, stunned by the behemoth standing directly behind her.  Dark hair. Crystal blue eyes that shimmered with amusement.  Tanned skin and…!  Those magnificent shoulders couldn’t be real!  It couldn’t be possible for shoulders to be that wide! 

“Are you okay, ma’am?”

The gentle question came from the receptionist, but Maxine couldn’t look away from those fascinating, sparkling blue eyes.  They were…mesmerizing.  She swallowed hard.  Her muddled brain ordered her to step back.  To stop staring at the man.  But her mind was overridden by long-dormant female hormones.  Hormones that had been brutally ignored for years!  Perhaps she shouldn’t have suppressed her feminine needs for so long.  Now they were in full riot, clamoring for a taste of this tall, gorgeous man. 

“I’m Dash Phillips.  And you are…?”

It took Maxine several moments to jump start her brain.  His hand was extended and she looked down at it.  Nice fingers!  She immediately wondered what those fingers would feel like on her skin.  Her bare skin! 

The idea was so shocking, her mind jerked back to the present. She blinked, shook her head slightly, and forced herself to extend her hand.  Professionalism was her sterling quality, she reminded herself. 

“I’m Maxine Kline,” she explained. 

“And you’re here to speak with me?” the giant with the sexy voice prompted. 

The electric sparks shooting up her arm short-circuited her brain all over again.  Maxine had to run his question through her scrambled mind several times so that her brain cells could finally translate the words. 

 “Yes!” she gasped.  She tried to pull her hand away, but he maintained his hold.  His big, strong, electrified hand kept hers prisoner.

“Yes.  I flew in last night…uh…this morning…to speak with you.”  Maxine swallowed and tried to remember exactly why she was here.  Finally, an image of her younger sister popped into her mind.  “I need your help,” she blurted out with an earnestness that came from deep in her soul.

She thought his touch was electrifying?  His smile was lethal!  He shouldn’t be allowed to use that smile out in public! 

“How about if we go up to my office?” he offered.

Maxine might have nodded.  She wasn’t sure.  He finally released her hand, but it still took her several more seconds to remember how to breath, let alone think. 

“Yes!” she finally replied.  “Thank you.”

“This way,” he said, extending his arm towards a hallway.