“I don’t know, Millie. I don’t know if I’m ready for something serious.”

  “I’m not saying it has to be serious. Just have some fun. Sometimes fun becomes serious.”

  “Yeah, maybe you’re right. I don’t know, though. For now, I just want to focus on getting into my new apartment and starting my new job. Anything else can come afterward.”

  “Okay, that’s fair. Do you have your eye on a place?”

  “I do actually. Do you want to come and see it with me? I can sign up for it now. There’s still time.”

  “Yes! Let’s do it. Then we can go out for drinks afterward. Celebrate.”

  “Celebrate you finally getting rid of me? Sounds good.”

  “Oh, come on.” Millie pulls me in for a giant bear hug. “I don’t want you gone.”

  “Oh, but you do, because your own bit of fun is getting serious, isn’t it? Mike will be moving in soon, I know it, and I’m over the moon for you. He’s a good guy, and he treats you really well.”

  “He is good, isn’t he? Now I’m just going to message him and tell him I can’t meet him tonight.”

  “Why not? He can come, can’t he?”

  “No, he can’t come. This is a girly night, the end of an era, a time for me and you to be alone. He won’t want to listen to us reminiscing about high school and all the fun we used to have as teens.”

  “Plus, all the fun we’ve had here. And all the fun we’re going to have. It might be the end of an era, but we’re still going to make lots of memories. Vegas is the perfect place for it.”

  Millie typed rapidly on her phone and smiled at me. “Yep, exactly. That’s why I moved here. It’s the city that has it all. And now it has my best friend too, so it’s perfect.”

  I breathe out deep, really feeling that. Vegas has transformed me or brought me back to who I always was anyway. Thomas tried to take something away from me in his selfish need to have me, but I’m still here, standing tall, being strong, tackling the world. One thing I know for sure is that I won’t ever let someone break me again.

  * * *

  I stare up at the casino building, smiling to myself, really feeling like I’ve made it. Luckily, I didn’t bring much stuff with me when I came to Vegas, so it didn’t take me long to move into the beautiful studio apartment that’s all mine. It might be tiny and very bare, but it’s all mine, and I love it.

  “Right, Jodi,” I muttered to myself. “It’s time to nail this. Make Brock proud.”

  I step inside the building and take the stairs two at a time. It’s only when I reach the top step I think my skirt might be a little short. My top covers up everything, including all my tattoos, but my legs are all on show. I didn’t think too much about it when I got dressed this morning, but now I realize it may be too much.

  But I got this job by being strong and confident. I can keep it up for today.

  “Hey there, Brock.” I smile widely as I step into his office, discreetly smoothing my skirt down. “It’s Monday morning, and I’m here, ready to work for you. I hope you haven’t forgotten me coming in.”

  “No chance. How could I forget someone like you?” His eyes spoke volumes. “It’s good to see you again.”

  He moves right into my personal space and rests his hand on my arm. I’m pretty sure this isn’t something that’s normal, but I like the way he feels. He’s strong and commanding, he takes what he wants, and right now it looks like he wants me. My emotions are so conflicted. I shouldn’t want this. I do need to keep this job, but at the same time I can’t turn off the fluttering sensation he shoots all the way through me like lightning.

  “So.” I tuck a stray strand of hair behind my ear. “What do you want me to do today?”

  “I have a meeting in half an hour with a potential investor. I want you to take minutes.”

  “I can do that.” Notes, that’s easy enough. “Who’s the meeting with?”

  “Helen Bouvier, a very wealthy woman who runs a successful marriage chapel here.”

  “Ooh, are you thinking of holding weddings in your casino? That could be fun, I could help with it—”

  “Not a chance. I’m not like that. I don’t want to cheapen what I have here.”

  “So what are you doing here? What’s the investment for if not for people tying the knot?”

  “Just an expansion—more room, more machines, that sort of thing. But she’s very keen to be a part of it.”

  “You don’t think she’ll push the wedding thing on you?”

  “You’ll see.” He touched the bottom of my back, making me jump. “Come on, let’s wait.”

  I sit through the next hour watching a woman literally throw herself at Brock, making it painfully obvious that she wants him. I don’t even know how to take notes because business rolls into pleasure so much. At least, on her behalf. He handles it very well, batting her off in an extremely professional way and getting exactly what he wants from the meeting. It amazes me, but it must be something he’s used to.

  It certainly makes me want to back off. I don’t want to be another one in his long list of bimbos.

  I can’t help it though—jealousy twists nastily in my gut. It’s an agonizing snake coiling all the way through me. I have to clutch onto myself at one point to stop it from spilling free. It’s silly because I don’t exactly have any claim over this man. I’m his freaking personal assistant and nothing more for crying out loud, but I still sense that he’s mine.

  “Urgh, sorry about that.” He rolls his eyes once she’s gone. “She’s a nightmare.”

  “Yeah, she seems that way. She’s very . . . full on. Is that normal?”

  He smiles in a way that suggests I’m different. He certainly didn’t give her that look. It causes butterflies to flap violently in my stomach. I kinda still want him. I wish I could reach out and touch him. But I shouldn’t.

  In fact, what I should do if I want him is be subtle, don’t flirt, just drive him wild anyway.

  “It is normal, but you’ll get used to it. Unless you don’t want to, of course.”

  “What? Get used to it?” I smile and allow a blush to fill my cheeks. “I’m sure I can cope.”

  The look he gives me makes me want to shed my clothes immediately. I want to tear them off and present myself to him. He looks like he wants to eat me anyway, so why not just let him?

  But no. I stiffen and push that thought away, refusing to let it consume me. I’m not going to give myself so easily to this man. Even I do let him have me, which I might not be able to. In the end, if I want to keep this job, I have to keep myself strong. At least for now.

  “Right, so I suppose the next thing I need to do is discover more about your appointment book so I can get used to it. Do you want to go through it with me? Let me know how you like everything done?”

  “Yeah, why not? I suppose you’re right. And I better show you to your desk too.”

  “My desk is in your office? But I thought it was outside . . .”

  “It was. It was just there if you remember?” My eyes follow to where he’s pointing. “But I don’t need to keep any secrets from you, so why not have you locked in the room with me?”

  Locked in . . . I like it. I like it more than I should. I shudder and smirk before nodding knowingly.

  “Okay, sure. That sounds great. Locked in with you. This is going to be fun, isn’t it?”

  Already my mind is consumed by all the ways I’m going to make it the most fun ever . . .

  3

  Brock

  “Oh wow, fucking hell, boss. I’m starting to see why you hired Jodi now. She really is a fox.”

  “Josh, I hired her because she was the best woman for the job, nothing more.”

  “You can keep telling yourself that all you want, but I know better. Look at those legs.”

  “Will you please stop it? She’s more than just a sex object, you know.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure she has a sparkling personality under all that body.”

  I shoot him an angry look, not liking the way he’s treating her like an object. “Josh, I thought you were better than that! And actually, she does have a personality. She’s really quick and funny too.”

  “You sound like you actually like her . . . as more than just a physical thing. Do you?”

  I shrug. “She’s only been around for a week. Don’t get carried away with yourself.”

  But I have to admit, there’s something deadly intoxicating about her. She’s like a drug, and I’m an addict. When she’s around, all I want is her attention, and when she isn’t, she’s all I think about. She’s distracting me from work and meetings, and even when I’m at home all alone. She’s the apple, and I’m Eve, unbelievably tempted.

  “I’m not. I’m just wondering what’s going on. This isn’t like you at all.”

  He’s too right. I’m never like this. I don’t know how to explain it. She’s climbed under my skin, and I can’t shake her off. I don’t want to admit it aloud, but I think I’m becoming obsessed with her.

  “You know, I was talking to Shelley who works on the craps table last night, and she’s been getting quite friendly with Jodi. They got to know one another a bit in the staff canteen.”

  “Oh, right.” I try my hardest to appear disinterested, but I don’t think I pull it off. “And?”

  “You know why she moved to Vegas, right? Because some guy was stalking her.”

  Huh. Seems like I’m not the only one who’s found Jodi’s allure just too much. “Oh . . . I see . . . stalked?”

  “Yeah, some guy she went on, like, one date with became obsessed. Cops involved and everything.”

  I can see that. It only took me about three seconds to fall head over heels, never mind a whole date. There’s something about Jodi. She’s like a siren leading men to their deaths. But even though you know you’re going to end up dead, you go anyway, willingly even, knowing that the short time you have with her will be worth it.

  “I think that means she’s trouble, don’t you? A cock tease or something.”

  “Are you trying to suggest that she brought being stalked on herself?”

  “No, I’m just saying . . . Well, look at those short skirts she wears to work. Plus, the way she flirts with you.”

  “But she doesn’t flirt with you, does she? So maybe she actually likes me.”

  “I don’t know, man, I think you’re in trouble with her. She’s hot, but stay away.”

  “Get out of here, will you? I’ve got too much work to do to be listening to you going on. One minute, she’s hot, the best thing since sliced bread, and the next she’s trouble, and I should stay away. Which is it?”

  “Both. Don’t you know that the hot women are always the crazy ones? Learn that lesson, Brock.”

  I shake my head at him as he goes, unable to believe what I’ve just listened to. That was something else. I’m oddly protective over Jodi anyway. I don’t want anything to happen to her. Especially if she’s been stalked.

  I want to ask her about it, to find out what happened, but I don’t think she’s ready to tell me yet. She likes to peel back her mystery layer by layer, and I like that too. It makes it so much more fun.

  “Right, I have that sorted out for you, Brock,” Jodi says as she leans across my desk. I get a glimpse of her breasts, so delicious I can’t stop licking my lips. “Is there anything else you want me to do?”

  Touch me! Suck my cock! Feel me everywhere! I want you to sit on me and ride me like a cowgirl!

  Of course, none of that’s what I say aloud. “I think that’s it for the moment. Just email now.”

  I scoot my fingers across the desk to touch hers, but she snatches her hand away before I can touch her. She’s careful not to hand herself over to me on a plate like I thought she might on her first day, which just makes her a hundred times more thrilling. The challenge is as exciting as it is frustrating. It’s tearing me apart right now.

  She drops her pen right by her desk and bends down to pick it up with her lace panties on show. I can nearly see through. I can almost envision the part of her I want to explore most. She’s pure seduction, especially when she’s playing the game, toying with me. The word was invented for her, and I know I’m not strong enough to keep away from her. I don’t think any man would be.

  “Oops, sorry.” As she turns to smile at me, sending me a wink, my head swims. “I must stop being so clumsy.”

  The sexual tension in the air is palpable. I stiffen under the desk. I’m constantly this way, my cock on high alert, just waiting for the next moment when she’ll turn me on. My business could be going under right now, and I wouldn’t notice. I’m utterly consumed by her. Those eyes, that face, that body . . .

  “Oh, you have an email from the owner of the MGM,” she calls out, shattering the tension with business talk. “He wants to meet with you sometime in the next month to discuss fundraising for charity. What shall I say?”

  “Um . . .” I don’t want to think about charity right now, not when I’m so heated up, but I also can’t look like a dick in front of Jodi. “Yeah, just find a free space in my appointment book and set it up if you don’t mind.”

  My God, I’ll end up agreeing to anything at this point. I need to find a way to keep myself in check. Otherwise, this beautiful, foxy lady will end up being the death of me and everything I’ve worked so hard for.

  I bow my head down to my own computer, needing something to focus on other than her. It’s taking every scrap of inner strength not to take her in my arms right now, to stop the games and to just have her. She yawns and stretches, raising her hands high, and my cock twitches with need. I’m losing myself.

  “I think it might be time to go home, don’t you?” I don’t even know where those words came from. They just burst free from my chest. A logical solution to a very irrational problem. “Knock off early for the day.”

  “But it’s only three o clock. That’s two more hours we have.”

  I grit my teeth. No way I’ll survive two more hours. “I’ll still pay you. Just take some time off.”

  “Oh . . . okay.” She shuts her computer down and grabs her bag. “Are you sure?”

  “I’m very sure. It’s absolutely fine. You just . . . carry on.”

  She walks toward the doorway, making my mouth water, then she peers over her shoulder to look me up and down. “Aren’t you leaving too? I don’t like the idea of leaving you alone.”

  The word alone rolls off her tongue in a way so sexy I almost explode. I can’t leave yet—she’ll spot my throbbing cock and put two and two together. She’s smart enough to read between the lines.

  “Nope, just finishing up. You go ahead. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  It might be in my imagination, but I think I spot a small, self-satisfied smile as she leaves me behind, almost as if she’s gotten what she wants. Perhaps me unhinged, a sodden mess for her, is exactly where she wants me to be. Well, if that’s the case, bravo, she’s achieved it and then some. I think I’ll be stuck here for a while!

  * * *

  “Oh, Brock, you’re so sexy. Working with you on a daily basis is so hard.”

  I can’t stop myself. I slid my eyes closed for a second the moment I got back to my condo, and immediately she was there. Just like she always is. Now, in my imagination, her hands are all over me, and she’s whispering all the sexy things I’m so desperate for her to say into my ear.

  “You’re so hot, Brock. I find it impossible to be around you. That’s why I wear so little to work.”

  I spin her around and flip her over, lifting up her tiny mini skirt as she spreads her palms flat on my desk. I dip my hand into my trousers and rub my rock hard cock while I stare at her perfectly round ass, my heart thundering painfully in my chest. The spark has ignited the fire. There’s no stopping this now.

  “Fucking hell, Jodi.” I don’t know if I grunt this in my mind or aloud. I’ve lost myself too much to be sure. “You have no idea what you do to me parading around in barely-there outfits.”

  “I wear them just for you. I want you to see me. I want you to see my nipples through the sheer material I wear, especially when they’re standing at attention for you. I hope you see my panties, my pussy. I want you to know they’re all for you. I’m yours.”

  I bury my face into her neck, inhaling her scent. I’ve been close enough to her to know that she always smells of coconut. I honestly don’t think I’ll ever be able to smell it again without getting an erection.

  “Oh, I see you.” I grab fistfuls of her hair and tug her head toward me. “I fucking see you.”

  I feel myself slide into her, and her wet heat grips me. I pick up the pace of my movements as she slams back into me, shoving her ass into me harder with every thrust. Her head tosses back, and a guttural scream flies out of her mouth as I tip her over the edge. She looks so freaking beautiful I could yell.

  Then the next split second, I’m flat on my back with her riding me. Her breasts free from her bra, the tattoos filled out as I think they should be. Her taking control and doing exactly what I want her to.

  “I want to make you come so hard,” she grunts while massaging her nipples. “I need to hear you scream.”

  A hot pressure builds at the base of my cock, thick sweat pours all over my body, I’m on top of her, behind her, taking her from every angle possible. We alternate taking control until the images are on a reel flickering through my mind at a much too rapid pace until I can’t hold back any longer. I soak myself in my salty desire, my heart bouncing off my rib cage, my breaths sharp and ragged while she swallows me whole.

  I’ve always been the head of the lion pride, the beast in charge, the one everyone bows down to, but this woman is a praying mantis, ready to mate with me and rip my head off.

  “Fucking hell, Brock, that needs to be the end of it,” I warn myself. “Just stop thinking about her, that’s all.”

  But I know I won’t be able to, not until I have her. See, during my time as a wealthy and powerful man, I’ve become very used to getting what I want, and right now, that’s her.