Her Perfect Candidate. Candace Shaw

done. I’ll see you in a few.” Megan abruptly hung up the phone to avoid any lectures from her sister about being safe. Sydney was a criminal profiler with the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, and in her book, everyone was a suspect.

      Megan hopped out of the passenger seat and walked over to Steven who was wiping the sweat off of his forehead with his dress shirt.

      “You’re going to ruin that shirt,” she said, opening the back door of her SUV and reaching over to pull out a small, unopened bottle of water from a small ice cooler. She opened the cap and handed him the water.

      “Thank you, pretty lady.” He gulped down half of the bottle before taking a breathing break and then downed the rest of the water. “The shirt will be fine. I’m headed home to change clothes anyway.”

      Megan watched him intently as she thought of something else to say. She knew in a minute they’d be back in their own vehicles, going back to their already scheduled day. She didn’t notice a wedding ring—just a college ring. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t seeing someone.

      “Thank you so much for changing my tire for me. I must’ve run over a nail today while driving around a subdivision’s construction site.”

      “Having a home built?”

      “No. I’m an interior decorator. I just finished a project in one of the model homes and decided to drive around the subdivision.” She hoped to find some way to keep the conversation going, but he was already buttoning his shirt and checking his Rolex. She decided not to delay him any longer. He needed to go, and she needed to leave as well before Syd assumed she’d been kidnapped.

      He stepped toward her as she closed the back door. She leaned against the SUV as he stood directly in front of her, literally in her personal space. The woodsy scent of his cologne swirled in her nose, sending tingles through her body. I wonder what his scent would smell like intertwined with mine?

      Her lips parted slightly as he stared down at her, she thought surely he was undressing her with his eyes as they raked over her.

      “Thank you again. I hope I didn’t inconvenience you, Steven.”

      “No, not at all. I’m very glad I pulled over to help you,” he stated in a sincere tone, running his eyes over her body one more time before they settled back on her face.

      She smiled up at him before stepping over to the passenger door. He opened it for her and she slid in, crossing her legs and turning her body to face him.

      “Bye, Megan,” he said hesitantly before shutting the door. He gave her one last smile before strolling back to his car, whistling.

      * * *

      Steven watched as the loveliest vision he’d ever laid his eyes on drove away. When he first saw her in the trunk bending over the backseat of her Acura MDX reaching for something, he couldn’t help but wonder if her toned caramel-coated legs and thighs matched the rest of her. The way her little black dress hugged her bottom and hips as it rose up, stirred his manhood. He had decided to take a chance. Plus, he couldn’t possibly leave a female on the side of the highway with a flat tire.

      Her long, curly brown hair with subtle blond highlights flowed down her provocative bare back in an utterly sexy manner. He would’ve given anything to run his fingers through her soft curls, or better yet, spread them out on his pillow as he looked down at her.

      He’d been pleasantly surprised when she turned around to acknowledge him. Strikingly stunning, she had a pleasant smile, high cheekbones and wore very little makeup. Her almond-shaped eyes were cinnamon in hue and when he stared into them, he felt a sense of overwhelming peace.

      Steven admired all women, but Megan stirred feelings and emotions he’d never felt before in the thirty-three years of his life. Her pleasant personality and warm demeanor were a breath of fresh air.

      While changing the flat tire, he couldn’t get the image of Megan’s short black dress and shapely legs in black heels out of his head. He had let his eyes roam all over her breathtaking body while he tried to make polite conversation. It was hard to do, considering she had the perfect hourglass figure. Her perky, rounded breasts and small waist were followed by hips that settled snuggly but tastefully in the dress she wore.

      He had tried to move his eyes back up to hers so she wouldn’t realize he was checking her out, but instead they’d rested on her inviting lips. Sexy, luscious lips painted in a reddish shade that he enjoyed watching move. He didn’t care what she was saying, he just wanted to devour them. He felt a rise in his briefs again as he thought about the possibility of being kissed by the sexy interior decorator.

      He didn’t mean to step into her personal space, but he’d needed to see her supple lips up close once more. It took everything he had in him not to drag her body close to his and kiss her senseless right there against her SUV. The way he noticed her checking him out as well, he wouldn’t have been surprised if she had responded. However, he was shocked at his thought. Kissing was something he didn’t do. Sex, yes. Kissing, no. It was too emotional, and he wasn’t looking for an emotional relationship with anyone. Yet, kissing the beautiful Megan was all he could think about.

      As he drove toward his penthouse in Midtown, it dawned on him that she didn’t recognize him as the Georgia state senator Steven Monroe, son of Robert Monroe, United States senator. Coming from three generations of politicians and Harvard Law School graduates, the Monroe family were considered to be the black Kennedys because of their millions, power and influence in the political world. Because of who he was, most women usually flirted with him and did any and everything possible to garner his attention.

      Steven leaned his head back on his seat and inhaled the sweet scent of the intoxicating perfume lingering in his SUV. Damn, why on earth didn’t I ask for her phone number?

      * * *

      Megan searched through her console between the seats for her Sade CD with her right hand as she kept her left hand steady on the wheel. She needed to hear “Smooth Operator” one more time as thoughts of Steven filled her head. She was surprised at her thoughts but couldn’t help but smile. She then glanced at herself in the rearview mirror to see how she looked when he met her. Upon finding the CD, she slid it into the CD player and waited anxiously while it loaded. She skipped the first few songs until she heard the beat of “Smooth Operator” and turned the volume up.

      As she was singing the song for the second time, she saw Syd’s cell number flash on the dash. She had the Bluetooth hands-free function connected to her car, which made it safer for her to talk to clients while driving. She turned off the music and pushed the cell button on her steering wheel.

      “I’m almost there, Syd,” Megan said as she exited the interstate. She then turned toward Atlantic Station, an outdoor mall in Midtown Atlanta that housed the swanky hotel Twelve, where the fund-raiser gala was being held.

      “I’m just making sure the stranger who changed your tire didn’t kidnap you.”

      “Whatever.”

      “So tell me about this kind stranger.”

      She blushed at the thought of him, and then giggled like a high school girl. “His name is Steven and that’s all I know. Oh, and he looks simply amazing in a suit.”

      “Did you get a last name? I can do a background check.”

      “No, I didn’t, we didn’t exchange information. But I’m fine with that.”

      “Well...you seemed as if you were beaming so I just thought you may go out with him.”

      “Syd, for the last time, I’m happy being single. My main concern is expanding my business. I’m focusing on my career right now.”

      Megan turned her car into the valet parking area and grabbed her purse from the backseat as the valet guy opened the door, greeted her and handed her a ticket. “I’m here, Syd. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

      Thirty minutes later, Megan sat at her reserved table after