I let out a long sigh. Know it? I lusted after those multi-million dollar homes right on the sandy beach. But they’d always be way out of my price range. “Most of them are breathtaking,” I informed him. “And directly on the beach.”

  “I’m on the way there to check out the house. Care to come with me?” His tone was casual, but persuasive.

  I shook my head regretfully. “No. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  He smiled at me as he sauntered toward the door. “I’ll look forward to it.”

  Damian departed without another word, and I sagged back into my chair, relieved that I could finally take a deep breath.

  Damn him for letting me get to know more about his family, about his mother in particular.

  I didn’t really need another day to know I was going to help Damian Lancaster, but I was going to make him wait to find out my decision.

  I just hoped I didn’t end up regretting it.

  CHAPTER 12

  Damian

  I SETTLED INTO MY loaner beachfront home later that afternoon.

  I’d flung open all of the huge glass doors to the patio, grabbed my laptop, and planted my ass in a lounge chair with a bottle of American beer.

  Strangely, a lot of my stress melted away with the sound of the waves hitting the shore, and the balmy temperatures that made the place feel like a getaway instead of a location where I was hiding out from the press.

  I grinned as I watched a flock of birds circling over the water. I’d decided not to tell Nicole that this home was actually owned by a Mediterranean prince who used the Newport Beach house as a vacation home to occasionally escape the confines of his royal duties. I hadn’t lied. The owner was actually a friend, but Nicole had already had more than enough surprises for one day.

  The last thing I’d wanted was to push her away by mentioning all of my royal and aristocratic acquaintances. I’d seen her horrified expression when she’d discovered that I was a duke. It wasn’t that I sought out that crowd, but it was hard not to know and be friends with some of them since we’d orbited in the same circles growing up.

  What I’d told her about my title was true. I had no use for it, and I didn’t encourage anyone to use it.

  I heard my mobile ping with the sound of an incoming message. I grabbed it, hoping to hell it wasn’t Dylan again, whining about being trapped inside the Beverly Hills residence because he was surrounded by the media.

  As requested, Dylan had met me at breakfast this morning, before our home had been attacked by a mob of reporters.

  He’d been sullen, but sober.

  What choice did he have when I controlled the money?

  He’d been born outrageously wealthy. It wasn’t like he had any idea how to live on a budget.

  One quick glance told me that it wasn’t a text from Dylan, and I smirked after reading the message that was clearly from Nicole.

  Nicole: If I do this thing, I want you to know I’m doing it for your mother. Not for you.

  I chuckled. Now that she knew exactly who I was, Nicole still didn’t have any problem giving me hell. She had no idea how fascinating that made her to me. Nicole treated me like any other guy who’d pissed her off, and she had no way of knowing just how…alive, how damn real I felt because of it.

  Me: I was under the impression that you’d do it for ACM.

  Nicole: Yeah. That too. But I want you to know this is definitely not about you.

  Like I didn’t get that already? Her gorgeous baby-blue eyes had been shooting daggers at me in her office. If those blades had been real, I’d be dead by now.

  Me: I’ll take you any way I can get you.

  Could I find another fixer, another company who could jump into the fray to salvage the Lancaster reputation?

  Definitely.

  But I didn’t want another company. I wanted her. I wanted Nicole.

  I was starting to feel like a damn stalker, but I hadn’t been able to control my instincts to find her today, even though I’d known she’d probably hate me.

  That whole I’ll-forget-all-about-her-once-we-go-our-separate-ways bullshit wasn’t working for me.

  I was going to have to find a way to get Nicole Ashworth into my bed.

  Maybe once I’d had her, once I’d buried myself inside her and felt her shudder into the massive orgasm she’d never had before, my desire to find her wherever she went would go the fuck away.

  Nicole: You wouldn’t have me. You’d have my job skills. Everything would have to stay strictly business.

  Me: Agreed.

  I wasn’t consenting to keep my distance from her forever. Just until she could trust me, and we could renegotiate those terms.

  Nicole: I’m not even going to pretend like I understand that damn kiss on the plane, but that can’t happen again.

  Me: Is it really so hard to admit that there’s some kind of dynamic attraction between the two of us, Nicole?

  Nicole: Yes. No. Oh God, I don’t know. I really want to hate you. I feel like a complete idiot because I let you play me on that airplane.

  Me: I wasn’t playing you. I think you know the attraction between us is genuine. And you could never hate me more than I hate myself for hurting you.

  Nicole: I wasn’t hurt. Not really. How could I be? I hardly know you. I just feel silly.

  I had hurt her. I wasn’t exactly sure how I knew that, but I knew it was true.

  Me: Don’t. I thought we agreed not to regret it.

  Nicole: That was before I knew you were Damian Lancaster and a man-whore.

  Me: Which was worse, me being Damian Lancaster or me being a man-whore?

  I definitely couldn’t change the fact that I was Damian Lancaster, but I might be able to eventually convince her that I was not a man-whore who got drunk until I was out of my mind and made having sex into one big party.

  Nicole: Being Damian Lancaster, I think.

  Okay, then I was well and truly fucked.

  Me: Why?

  Nicole: Because I poured my heart out to you, Damian. I sat right there and told you about my presentation. And then I even told you about my sex life. I told you almost everything about myself, and you told me nothing except a few facts. Do you really think I go around sharing my entire life with everybody?

  Me: No. I know you don’t. But would you have told me all that if you’d known I was Damian Lancaster almost from the start?

  I didn’t get an immediate answer.

  Finally, she texted back.

  Nicole: I don’t really know. Other than the whole creepy reading my texts behavior, and that bossy thing you do, I kind of liked you. I’m not sure how I would have felt if I’d known who you were from the start.

  Me: I should have told you. Can we just start over? Hello, Nicole. I’m Damian Lancaster, CEO of Lancaster International. Yes, I realize that whole orgy situation doesn’t look good, but do you think you could hold off making judgments until you actually get to know me? My cock has been painfully hard since I saw you sitting in the seat beside me, and I’d very much like to shag you until you’re screaming my name in the throes of your first orgasm while having sex with a guy.

  Nicole: Now you’re just being nonsensical.

  Me: Did it make you laugh?

  Nicole: Yes.

  Me: I would have said that if I could have. It’s the absolute truth.

  Nicole: You have to stop saying those things if we end up working together! You did say it would be business only.

  Me: You haven’t said yes to my offer yet, so we’re not working together. Does that mean you’ve made up your mind to take on Lancaster International?

  Nicole: No. I’ll call you tomorrow morning.

  Fuck! I really didn’t want to wait until tomorrow.

  Me: Let me call you. Are you still in your office? Maybe we could have dinner together. A business dinner, of course.

  Nicole: I’m still in my office, but I’m getting ready to leave. I have plans for tonight.

  Me: A date?

  It was Friday night, so it made sense that she might have a date. With another guy. A male who might actually…touch her, kiss her.

  Oh, hell no!

  Nicole: I guess you could call it that. Look, I’ll seriously think about taking on Lancaster International and call you tomorrow morning.

  Jesus Christ! Did she really think I was just going to go on with my night and not think about her out on a date with somebody who wasn’t…me?

  My voice of reason suddenly reared its ugly head:

  Of course she thinks you’ll go on with your night without thinking about her. She doesn’t believe you’re even attracted to her, and even if she did, the woman thinks you’re a man-whore and a liar. Pull your ass together, Lancaster. You had one amazing kiss, and that could very well be all you’ll ever get from her. It’s none of your business if she’s got a date. There’s no reason it should ever bother you. It’s not like she’s yours. So get a damn grip, man.

  I took a deep breath, and tried to listen to that rational voice, even though I hated that little bastard.

  Me: Nicole?

  Nicole: Yes?

  Me: Be careful, and call me early, okay?

  Nicole: Around 8 am?

  I wanted to tell her to call me when she got home from her damn date because I knew I wouldn’t be sleeping.

  Me: Fine.

  Nicole: Have a good night.

  I tossed my mobile back on the table, closed my eyes, and beat my head against the back of the lounger several times.

  What in the fuck am I doing? I’ve never had a single jealous, possessive, or envious thought in my entire life, even with the females I’ve dated and shagged. I’m Damian-Fucking-Lancaster, CEO and owner of one of the biggest, richest, and most powerful corporations in the world. I don’t have time to sit around waiting for some female who makes my cock hard to call me. I’m a serious businessman who needs to concentrate on the work that’s been piling up for the last two days while I’ve been trying to figure out how to get Nicole Ashworth into my bed.

  I took a deep breath and let it out before I muttered, “I just need to get her into bed, and all this shit will go away. It has to. I want my goddamn brain back.”

  I didn’t really need my voice of reason to know that I was being highly irrational.

  I knew it.

  But when it came to Nicole, some idiotic primitive instinct I never knew I had completely overrode my damn logic.

  My obsession with Nicole Ashworth has to end.

  I grabbed my laptop, opened it, and got to work, trying like hell to block out everything else from my mind.

  CHAPTER 13

  Nicole

  “SO YOU’RE REALLY going to do it?” Kylie asked.

  “I think you should,” Macy chimed in.

  I stretched out on my beach towel as I took an appreciative sip of the latte we’d stopped for on our way to the beach.

  Kylie, Macy, and I spent almost every Friday night in the same way.

  We stopped at our favorite coffee shop for a to-go latte right after work, and took it down to the beach.

  We liked to call it a standing date for the three of us as long as nobody had other plans.

  I smiled at the two women who had been my friends since grade school. All three of us were so different, but it hadn’t stopped us from being sisters at heart.

  “Is it really so hard to believe that I want to expand ACM to go international?” I asked.

  Kylie shook her head as she stretched out on her own towel. “Noooo. But this isn’t just any international account, and you know it. It’s Lancaster International. You had an interlude with the man who heads the company. A guy who got himself into this mess by being photographed during one of his orgies.”

  “He swears it was a setup,” I informed both of them.

  Macy had been caught up on the Mr. Orgasm situation by Kylie on our way to the beach.

  “Maybe it was,” Macy considered. “He’s incredibly rich. Obviously, he has competitors who want him to look bad.”

  “Or maybe it wasn’t, and he really is an asshole,” Kylie answered with an unusual amount of skepticism. “Yeah. Sure. I’d like to think he’s on the up-and-up, but maybe he’s just a skank. I don’t think we can rule out that possibility.”

  I shot her a surprised glance. “What happened to your optimism about him? What happened to the Kylie who wanted me to give him the benefit of the doubt?”

  “Oh, God,” she moaned. “I’m torn. I do want you to give him a chance, but I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  I shrugged. “It’s not like it really matters,” I said. “We aren’t going into a romantic relationship. It’s all business. Even if he is an asshole, my job is to make him look like a good guy.”

  Kylie huffed as she flopped onto her side and propped a hand under her head. “Come on, Nic. I saw the way he looked at you when he was in the office today.”

  “How did he look at her?” Macy asked curiously.

  Kylie snorted. “Like he was starving, and she was the only item on the lunch menu that he wanted.”

  “Are you attracted to him, Nic?” Macy asked guilelessly.

  “Yes,” Kylie answered emphatically.

  “Not really,” I countered.

  Both of them raised their brows as they looked at me.

  I caved. These were the two people that I trusted completely. “Okay, I am attracted to him. How could I not be? The guy is physical perfection, and that British accent plays hell with my hormones, but I know when a man is out of my league. I can’t get hurt. I’m going in with my eyes wide open this time, and it’s strictly business.”

  Kylie rolled her eyes. “You’re not out of his league. He’s out of yours. He’s a liar and possible man-whore, remember?”

  “You’re right,” I said with a groan. “I guess the whole story about his mother and finding out that he’s a duke really got to me today.”

  Macy’s eyes popped open wide. “He’s a duke?”

  I spent the next few minutes explaining the conversation I’d had with Damian earlier in the day.

  “So part of you is doing this for his mom?” Kylie asked.

  I nodded. “It sounds like she’s worked so hard to feel worthy of the Lancaster family, and she doesn’t deserve this.”

  I sorely missed my own mother, so maybe I was a sucker for a mom in distress.

  “I’m not saying that it wouldn’t be advantageous, Nic,” Kylie mused. “You want to go international. It would be good for ACM. But not if the bastard breaks your heart in the process.”

  I let out an exasperated breath. “Damian Lancaster is not going to break my heart.”

  I just had to make sure I reminded myself that his looks and charm meant nothing if his personality and morals sucked.

  Kylie sighed. “I wish he could be the kind of guy who you could just have a fling with if he’s really your Mr. Orgasm.”

  “Is he the one, Nic?” Macy asked.

  As I thought about the way Damian made me feel, and that damn kiss, I answered honestly, “Maybe. I’m not saying he’d definitely make me fall to pieces sexually, but he made me feel…something I never have before.”

  Damian had made me feel beautiful.

  Desirable.

  Raw, powerful lust that I wanted to drown in.

  “Could you have a fling with him?” Macy asked.

  Was it possible that I could do a one-nighter with somebody like Damian Lancaster just to see what it felt like to have sex with a man who really seemed attracted to me?

  It was a tempting thought, but I needed to keep my head on straight if I wanted to be his fixer. “Probably not. I don’t want to mix business with pleasure. Doing this job right means too much to ACM.”

  “So what’s your plan?” Kylie asked curiously.

  “I already told him that he needs to make an official statement,” I answered. “And stay away from any further orgies.”

  Kylie’s expression shifted, and I could tell she was thinking about crisis management now. “I think the hoopla here in the US will die down fairly quickly. The only reason the press here got interested was because it’s such a big deal in England at the moment. I’d say he’ll have to do most of his reforming in the UK.”

  “I think you’re right,” I agreed. “We Americans can have a short attention span, especially when it’s a story that isn’t happening here. But I doubt that England is going to be quite as forgiving.”

  “He’s going to need some very carefully crafted good publicity,” Kylie pondered. “You’re going to have to go with him to London.”

  My stomach clenched in protest, even though I already knew that I was going to have to go to London with Damian to fix the situation. “I know.”

  Kylie smiled slyly. “Maybe England needs a fairy-tale romance fit for a duke. Love can change a man, right?”

  My heart protested that idea for a moment, but I knew it had to happen. “That was my plan. He needs to find a woman with an excellent reputation and no skeletons in her closet, and then be seen treating her like she’s the only female in the world for him. Eventually, people will put that whole thing behind them if he can put on a convincing performance.”

  “If this is all for show, what happens when it’s over?” Macy asked, sounding confused. “It’s not like he’s going to marry someone just for good publicity.”

  Kylie sat up as she answered, “That’s where it would come in handy if the woman was American. Eventually, she could just claim that she misses her own country, and disappear permanently back to the US. Damian could say it was an amicable parting, and he could even be the injured party.”

  “Fantastic idea,” I said. “But where are we going to find this paragon? I don’t know how many American women Damian knows, and I’m a little afraid of the ones he might suggest. And really, I don’t think this should be an outside job. Even bound by a tight nondisclosure, it’s going to be hard for any woman not to talk about this job, or try to make the whole scenario real. Kylie, who do we have at ACM who could pull this off? It has to be a woman who isn’t married, and has a very clean background. And she has to be a believable love interest for Damian.”