Page 4 of Hotshot Mogul

“Mitten? A glove so fingers stay warm?”

“Michigan, this state. We call it the Mitten because of the way it’s shaped, sweetheart.”

Sweetheart? Slow your roll, dude.

She laughed. Gut punch. It was the most magical thing I ever heard. There wasn’t much I wouldn’t do to hear it.

She took another sip, then another. “It’s sweet and fizzy.” She took a longer pull and shut her eyes. So, cola was new for her. From her lilting accent, I thought she was learning to speak English.

She took pages off the clipboard and slid them toward me. “To your asking, I am not from the Mitten State. I must speak with the leader of Clynes Development. The owner is a powerful man. He means to desecrate my…the trees, a white oak and a stand of white pine. I have been collecting names of others who want him to stop this. Can you help us? I only have five days.”

I picked up the petition, amazed she was doing it on paper. They still accepted paper petitions? I’d expected that to change. There were over one hundred names, not counting Donald Duck and Holden McGroin. She tipped her head back to finish her drink, exposing the long delicate lines of her neck. I wanted to kiss my way from her nape to her perfect breasts, which would never happen once she found out I was Clynes Development. And I couldn’t save the trees.

She set down her empty cola can. “Cola, so good, thanks. You do work for the leader of Clynes Development? Will you help and give this to him?”

“Yes. I’ll make a copy. You need to file the original with the Oakdale city clerk.” I scanned the pages and walked around the desk to give them back to her. She stashed them back in her purse. She smelled like fresh air and flowers.

She stood. Her stomach growled. “I will leave you, then.”

“No.” The word burst out like a sneeze I couldn’t’t stop. “Let me take you to dinner.”

Her haunted look returned. Was she scared of me? Smart lady. “We could walk. It’s in this complex. Nothing fancy, I’m afraid, It’s not far. I’m hungry, too.”

She looked up at me through her long, spiky lashes and touched my shoulder. “You are afraid?” Her casual touch lit up every nerve ending in my body. This woman, she looked like a fairy princess. Desperate to touch her, I picked up her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm.

“No, princess, I’m not afraid.” Liar. I was terrified that this perfect fairy woman would hate me when she figured who I was, and would slip away from me forever. I had known she was in the world for roughly ten minutes and my world was different. It was like the axis shifted, or some shit like that.

“What do you like to eat?” I asked.

“Waffles, with nectar from maple trees.”

Nectar from maple trees? “Breakfast for dinner,” I laughed, as I led her out of the office toward my Jeep. “I just need to check my device.” She must have had hers in her huge purse.

I pulled out my cell and winced. There were two texts from Beth. Where u at? And an encrypted shot of her ample boobs. And I felt—nothing. Beth and I had no-strings-attached sex whenever I was in town. That’s how it’d been since Diana…

I’d texted Beth earlier that week that I was coming in today. Not happening.

I texted her back. Sorry, tied up all weekend.

She answered immediately. Next time.

My phone rang. It was Kathy, the Oakdale city planner. “All set for Monday night. You’re up first thing, after the public hearing.”

Anneliese glided toward the common area. The breeze fluttered her gauzy dress. The damn frat boys materialized and headed toward her.

“The meeting starts at seven thirty,” Kathy said. “We’ve received some feedback.”

“And…?”

“It’s about fifty-fifty. And there’s a petition circulating. Paper, of all things. It opposes your plan to clear out the trees in the glade. A lovely young lady has been standing in front of the electric charging station, getting signatures.”

“I’m not asking for a special land use. I’m doing what the new zoning would allow and planting five times more trees and shrubbery in other spots to replace a dormant oak tree and a bunch of scraggly pine trees.”

The frat boys pulled out a hacky sack and were showing off for Anneliese. She laughed at something Thing One said. Time to wrap it up.

“Hotshot, I’m just saying, the oak tree and the woman circulating the petition are causing a stir. She’s so pretty and uses such interesting turns of phrase with her accent, which I can’t place. Men, of course, are drawn to her. Women listen to what she has to say, too. If you decide to amend your plan, and say, leave the trees, let me know first thing Monday. I’ll include it in my presentation to the commission, and perhaps speed things along.”

Thing Two ran his slimy hand down Anneliese’s arm. My vision literally went red around the edges. Anneliese tossed the hacky sack back to Thing One. Her throws made her boobs jiggle. The Things noticed. Game over.

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