Dante's Fire Read Free Page A

marked so deeply into his olive skin you could almost imagine the slice of the blade. Still, she believed it only added to his good looks. With his long dark hair that brushed his shoulders, sensual dark eyes and carved mouth, he was a rebel dream. His wardrobe consisted of various rock-n-roll t-shirts, worn jeans and sneakers. This made for a visual delight in such a conservative, stuffy office. Personally, she loved hearing about his world of heavy metal bands, ice-cold beer and letting the moment flow. It was such a balance from the life she’d chosen for herself. Probably another reason she enjoyed his company so much.
    That and the fact he was so damned delicious to look at.
    She adjusted her chair and tried to shake off the inner taunt. Ridiculous. She had no idea why the occasional burst of lightning caught her breath in his presence, or the tingly knowledge that warned her to look harder. She had no time, and no inkling to get involved with anyone. Especially a man from the mailroom with no clear future. Selina had made a decision years ago to make sacrifices for her dream of a successful career, and she was very near the finish line.
    Once she had Forrester on board.
    She tapped one peach-colored nail against the edge of her chair in a steady rhythm. Working with millionaires was a rough job, especially chauvinistic male millionaires. Since William Forrester had conquered Vegas in securing major land deals and competing with the best casinos for profit, his name rose to the Fortune list. Now the city of New York lay at his feet, and Selina sat on the deal of a lifetime.
    As part of the lead team in acquisitions for Inferno Enterprises, she was the one who needed to reel the big mackerel in, and right now, he squiggled on the line dangerously. With the best property at her fingertips, she'd concentrated on the pickings of a land lot to rival Trump's wet dreams. They'd gotten a line on Forrester immediately, but the man liked to play the game hard, so he already had three other companies begging to do his bidding. Selina personally detested the man, with his leering eyes and crude humor, but she smiled and bit her lip. Hard. Until it bled.
    She was lucky, and she knew it. A life spent in foster care never boded well for future successful, satisfied individuals. Selina couldn’t help the backbone of pride and ambition built within her that helped her make the most out of every situation. She hadn’t been abused by her foster parents, but merely tolerated. She may not have experienced fierce love, but the temporary security helped her grow strong. She learned to read people, find their wants and needs, and focus on her drive to escape a lackluster life and create something extraordinary. Instead of lapsing into a life of drugs, sex, or alcohol, she used education to further herself. Got a scholarship. Graduated college. And became an expert in her field by twenty-five-years-old.
    She always knew she wanted to work in property. When she was little, she’d been fascinated by the mansions shown on television, and the huge, towering buildings in Manhattan. She’d spin fantasies of living in that type of world, and decided early on she’d be the one to match people with their dream houses. After obtaining her real estate license, she rose easily to the top of the small local real estate office, and dove right into business real estate, where the payoffs were bigger and the risks higher.
    She loved the adrenalin rush, and piecing the puzzles together to make a fit. Inferno Enterprises had always been the goal. The up and coming company boasted a soaring profit margin, opportunity for growth, and a solid portfolio for stability. They hired her and she’d spent the next few years proving her worth.
    She may not have had anyone waiting in the wings to praise her, but knowing she baked the damn cake on her own without help made eating it all by herself that much sweeter.
    Selina knew she always related better to men than