Temperatures Rising. Brenda Jackson

grooming her to be manager when he retires.”

      “Is she pretty?” Lucas wanted to know.

      Terrence didn’t say anything for a minute while sipping his drink, and then he said, “She is stunning. I mean jaw-dropping gorgeous, even in her business suits.”

      Lucas chuckled. “The woman actually wears business suits? Here in the Keys?”

      Terrence smiled. “Yes, but I’m sure sooner or later she’ll be coming out of them.” And I’m going to make sure she does.

      Later that night Terrence strode through the door of his condo, satisfied that he’d finally gotten Sherri to have dinner with him. Now he had to continue to move forward. Remain calm. Stay in control. Yet he couldn’t overlook the same key questions that persistently reared their inquisitive heads. Why did it matter? Why was getting under Sherri Griffin’s skin so important to him? Why when he thought of such a thing happening did his heart thump furiously in his chest?

      He moved to the window and looked out of it with serious eyes. Intense eyes. And to top it off, warning signals were going off in his head. He was not a man who thrived on escalating relationships. For reasons instilled deep within him, he much preferred affairs that led nowhere, and he certainly never considered the thought or possibility that he would diligently pursue a woman who refused to reciprocate the interest.

      Yet he was.

      He exhaled deeply as he moved toward his bedroom, fully aware that he still had his work cut out for him. For the moment, he wouldn’t spend time questioning why reaching his goal of bedding Sherri Griffin was of vital importance to him.