Free A Convenient Arrangement by Maggie Marr

be indifferent. Just him standing there in a hallway made her knees wobble. Quick breath. Professional. Remain professional. Pull it together, woman. Remember you’re a badass businesswoman. “Of course. I have a dinner later this evening, but I’m sure we’ll be done by then, right? Let’s go take a look at the venue.”
    Leo tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. “Sure.” His wary expression seemed to convey that he thought she was on drugs, or perhaps mentally unstable. She wasn’t certain which would be more embarrassing. “I’ll drive.”
    There was no small talk as they drove across Manhattan. Gwen preferred the silence to having to attempt to talk and ignore the memories of their New Year’s Eve together, a night that had been a heated tangle of legs and arms and tongues. She scrolled through her phone, checking notifications. A new voicemail message had popped up. She pressed the message line and listened to Leo sounding like a prepubescent boy attempting to ask a girl on his first date. A smile slipped onto her face. Hmmm… She looked across the car toward Leo, clicked the button to put her phone to sleep, and dropped it into her purse.
    “Don’t leave voicemails for women very often, do you?”
    He glanced away from the congested traffic and met her amused gaze. Realization flashed through his eyes and…wait, was Leo embarrassed? Flushing red?
    “I’m guessing most women fall all over themselves to answer your call, right? Maybe jump out of showers, cut meetings short, hang up on friends, all so they can answer when you call?”
    Her saccharine smile made him do a double take.
    “What? I don’t know.” He shrugged one shoulder. “Maybe.”
    Liar. He did know. She gathered he knew exactly the kind of effect he had on the female of their species. How could he not? Hadn’t she brought him home and called out his name over and over and over again?
    Heat burned her cheeks and tingling flooded her below the waist. Worth it. Yes. He was good in bed. Better than good, but she was certain that Leo had arrived at excellence after practice. Lots and lots of practice.
    “Where’s the property?” she asked, turning the subject to business and away from anything that provoked her blushing, his shoulder shrugging, and the sexual tension simmering between them.
    “Near Central Park. Great view, especially at night. We own the building. There’s a floor with an industrial kitchen and space for dining and parties.”
    “What do you guys use it for?”
    “There was a catering company in there for a while, but they bailed. Haven’t had anyone take on the space, so we’ve been sitting on it looking for the right tenant. Kind of pricey but the location is good. If you’re into doing parties and you have clients who need a venue, this one is pretty ideal.”
    Gwen’s heart pattered. The property sounded exactly like what she wanted and needed to take her business to the next level. A large space in a neighborhood convenient to her clients, with a kitchen on site? Every party planner’s dream, but of course she was still a small business. She couldn’t imagine the kind of rent Travati Financial would be looking for on a space like that.
     
    *
     
    “I love the view.”
    Gwen turned and the golden light from the setting sun swept over her dark red hair, turning the color a burnt copper. Her smile was the widest he’d seen directed toward him since New Year’s.
    Every muscle in his body tightened. Gwen was spectacular, and not just because of her looks. She carried herself with warmth and grace. Her laugh, her smile—she intrigued Leo in a way that some of the most enchanting women in the world hadn’t. She walked toward the floor to ceiling windows and looked out over Central Park.
    “But as much as I love the space, I don’t think it’ll work.”
    His brows creased. “What? Why?”
    She glanced over her shoulder at him. “Not nearly hipster enough for your partners.” She crossed her arms and