Typically, I hated the ducal address, but Nicole said it so playfully that it was almost an endearment. So I wasn’t about to complain if she used it.

  I was incredibly tempted to tell her that there would be a whole lot of groping, which would inevitably lead to getting her into my bed, but I held that thought.

  She looked uncomfortable enough, so the last thing I wanted to do was dissuade her, not when I wholeheartedly endorsed this particular plan.

  “I’ll be on my best behavior. I promise,” I told her.

  Which really meant that I’d do everything I possibly could to coax her into my bed so the woman could experience her first orgasm…or two…or three.

  There was no possible way that I’d screw up this opportunity to seduce Nicole Ashworth, and finally get my sanity back again.

  In return, I’d make damn sure she was satisfied, and teach her how important it was for her to get to the finish line, too.

  It seemed like a fair deal to me.

  Nicole, however, might need some convincing.

  “One hint of an orgy and I’m gone,” she mumbled.

  I grinned at her. “Absolutely.”

  Since the only female I wanted to get naked with was her, that particular term would be no problem at all.

  CHAPTER 15

  Nicole

  “IF YOU DON’T have a fling with that man, I swear that I’m going to offer myself up for one,” Kylie said the following week.

  She kept her voice hushed as we gathered up more snacks and drinks from the kitchen of my condo.

  It was a wise choice for her to modulate her voice since Damian and Macy were still sitting in my living room.

  My two best friends had decided that they needed to have a going-away party for me tonight, and Damian had boldly invited himself to the festivities.

  He was cutting his US visit short because the social media nightmare wasn’t getting any calmer, so we were departing for London tomorrow to get this plan into motion.

  “The man is dangerous,” I mumbled in a quiet voice to Kylie as I opened my cupboard to find more chips. “He hasn’t even looked at another woman while he’s been here. The only one he pays any attention to is…me.”

  Damian had been adamant about…practicing to be my boyfriend. He’d taken me out to dinner on Monday night, and played the adoring male love interest so well that it was almost…uncomfortable.

  As his PR agent, maybe I should be ecstatic that his acting ability was Oscar-worthy. I probably would be if it didn’t make me so damn…nervous.

  Tuesday, he’d shown up at the office with lunch for my entire crew, and had proceeded to charm Kylie to the point where she’d seemed to forget that he was a man-whore.

  When he’d found out that the girls were doing an impromptu bon voyage this evening, he’d shown up with an armful of food, and started swaying Macy to his side.

  Was it ridiculous that I felt like my two best friends were traitors?

  “He’s not what I expected,” Kylie said with a sigh. “I really wanted to hate him, but he does look at you like you’re the only woman he could ever want. And he’s so…nice.”

  I went to the fridge and pulled out the bottle of wine Damian had brought, and a beer for him.

  “Have you forgotten he’s a man-whore?” I said in a loud, frustrated whisper.

  Kylie shrugged as she took the wine and beer. “Maybe I have. He’s charming, and the way he treats you is making me forget. Nic, you’re right. The only female he sees is you. It’s so obvious. It’s hard to believe that it was Damian in that naked picture. The whole thing just doesn’t make sense. Maybe it really was a setup, because the guy I see in your living room right now doesn’t seem like the type to get drunk and throw a massive orgy.”

  I snorted. “You saw the picture. It was definitely him.”

  I couldn’t quite blame my friend for her conclusion. I’d been having a hard time reconciling Damian and that scandal myself.

  “But here’s the thing…” Kylie said thoughtfully. “You and I spent all day today trying to dig for information on the Lancasters on the net. We did our research, and we pretty much came up empty-handed. Yeah, we ran into a few innocuous things about Leo and Damian’s mother, but for the most part, I have to assume they live very private lives most of the time. And what kind of dirt did we dig up about Damian? Absolutely nothing except for that orgy picture and article, and some painfully dry business articles. Nic, doesn’t it seem a little strange to you that if Damian really is a man-whore, that we didn’t see a single thing about his past indiscretions on the internet? Doesn’t that make you think that maybe this was all a setup?”

  I nodded slowly. “It is strange.” I’d thought the same damn thing after the two of us had spent so much time today chasing every single mention of the Lancaster family for the last two years on the net. I wouldn’t be doing my job if I hadn’t really looked for other possible scandals, things that might pop up while we were in London. Oh, there was plenty of information about Lancaster International, but very little personal stuff about the man who owned it, Leo, or Damian’s mother. Strangely, I hadn’t been all that surprised that nothing more had popped up. So maybe I did believe some of the things Damian had told me over the last several days.

  It was probably true that his mother hadn’t ventured out much, or attended events since his father had died.

  And it could also be true that Leo was considered way too boring for the tabloids.

  Okay maybe, just maybe, the whole orgy situation was a setup, and Damian generally lived a workaholic life that wasn’t exactly newsworthy. I certainly hadn’t found a single shred of evidence to the contrary today.

  Although Damian could be charismatic, he never acted like a man-whore. It was obvious that he took his responsibilities to his business and his family seriously. In fact, Damian was…too serious most of the time.

  Kylie shrugged. “I think it was some kind of setup, and Damian was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Has he made a move on you?”

  “He hasn’t even tried to kiss me again,” I admitted. “He acts like he’s trying to get me to trust him.”

  That damn kiss was always dancing around in my head every time I looked at Damian, no matter how much I tried to forget it.

  Not that he hadn’t gotten as close to me as possible when we’d had dinner together, but he’d settled for putting his arm around me, and inundating me with sexy innuendos that never saw follow-through.

  I wasn’t sure if I was relieved or disappointed that he’d been all talk and no action.

  Kylie smiled. “He probably is trying to gain your trust.”

  “Ha! Or he could be a serial killer trying to lull me into a sense of security before he pounces,” I countered.

  I had to keep reminding myself that there was a side of Damian I hadn’t seen. Even if the whole scandal was a setup, he wasn’t completely innocent. He’d obviously made himself a target by getting drunk enough to allow somebody to spike his drink.

  But is that really fair, though? I got shitfaced myself on an airplane with a complete stranger.

  The only difference was that Damian Lancaster was a billionaire duke who was in the public eye, and I wasn’t. If I wanted to believe he’d been tricked, I really couldn’t blame him for something that could happen to almost anyone.

  Kylie refused to give up. “He’s really attracted to you, Nic. And I think you’re equally attracted to him. Why not give the guy a chance? We all do stupid things sometimes. God knows I have.”

  “He’s a client, Kylie,” I reminded her sternly.

  She raised a brow. “Not technically. You could have a fling before you sign that contract.”

  I shook my head and blinked back the tears that were beginning to blur my vision. “I can’t. I think I’m actually starting to like him.”

  I was discovering that there were too many things to actually admire about Damian, and some of those things really touched me.

  As much as he reminded me that he was born to privilege, and had no idea what a normal life was like, I was starting to think that his wealth and power weren’t always good for him.

  Damian took his responsibilities to heart, and even though he had all that money, I didn’t think he took much time to really enjoy it.

  During his unguarded moments, I could tell that he was stressed, exhausted, and worried more about his family and his company than he did about his own self-interests.

  It was really hard not to like a guy who put everyone else’s needs before his own.

  “I’m starting to like him, too,” Kylie confessed. “But not the same way you do. He seems genuinely interested in getting to know me and Macy. When he asks questions, he actually listens to what we have to say. I can recognize another fixer when I see one, and I think Damian is a fixer. He seems to want to solve everyone’s problems except his own. I think he’s probably an amazing older brother, and a good son. He seems…loyal to everyone he cares about, Nic. Did you know he donated an obscene amount of money to Macy’s animal charity?”

  I’d started to rummage through the fridge to find some dip, but I stopped what I was doing, and pulled my head out to gape at Kylie. “That’s weird. He didn’t mention it.”

  “See. That’s what’s confusing,” she said as her brow furrowed. “I don’t think he wants to talk about any of the nice things he does. He slipped Macy a check earlier. One with a hell of a lot of zeros. He was discreet, but I saw it. I don’t think he wants the recognition for helping.”

  “I wonder if he does a lot of charity stuff in England,” I mused. “We could use some charity events to our advantage.”

  She nodded. “I can guarantee that he gives generously, but probably doesn’t make a big deal about it. I wouldn’t put it past him to somehow donate anonymously if he can. The guy seems to have a huge sense of duty, and I’m willing to bet he sees it as his responsibility to right everything that’s wrong in the world.”

  “Believe it or not, I can see that,” I agreed.

  There were times when I got the feeling that Damian carried the weight of the world on his very broad shoulders.

  “Do you think that you can at least consider that he might not be the man you assume he is?” Kylie asked me. “I have great spidey-senses, and he’s not alarming a single one of them. I’m not sure what’s going on, but I don’t think Damian is the type who sleeps around with every woman he sees. I think he’s completely enamored with you, and has no idea what to do about it.”

  My heart skittered. “He’s the kind of man who could hurt me, Kylie.”

  “Or give you multiple orgasms,” she added. “He’s scorching hot. I admit it. And it would be easy to blow him off as a womanizer because of one mistake. I don’t want to see you get hurt, but I also don’t want to see you miss an opportunity with a man who really seems to see…you. And loves everything he sees. Aren’t you the least bit tempted to throw caution to the wind and see what it’s like to drown in his adoration?”

  “Very tempted,” I admitted, dropping all sense of pretense with my best friend. “But what happens if I can’t handle a simple affair?”

  I felt panicked at the thought of getting that close to a man like Damian, and making myself vulnerable.

  “It’s definitely a risk,” Kylie said. “And only you can decide if he’s worth it.”

  I brushed a tear from my cheek. “I’m scared, Kylie.”

  She ran a soothing hand over my back. “I know. I get that. Believe me. Being that attracted to someone is hard. You’re afraid that your infatuation will blind you to the truth. And God knows we have reason to doubt Damian Lancaster. Follow your instincts, Nic. If I’d followed mine before and during my marriage, I could have avoided a whole lot of heartache.”

  I pulled my best friend into a big hug. I could hear the pain still vibrating through her voice when she talked about one of the most painful parts of her past.

  We held on to each other silently for a few moments. When I finally pulled back, I asked her in shaky whisper, “Did you know, Kylie?”

  She pointed at her temple. “I knew it here.” She moved her finger to her heart. “I just didn’t want to believe it here. I wish I’d listened to that little nagging gut instinct that told me I was making a mistake.”

  I nodded and pulled her in for another brief hug to comfort her. “I guess I’ll just have to see how it goes. The problem with me is that I just don’t hear anything telling me that trusting Damian would be a mistake. My instinct says to trust him, but I keep making up excuses why I shouldn’t.”

  Her face was completely serious as she warned, “Don’t let fear make your decisions for you, Nic. It will suck every ounce of joy out of your life. Do you really want to wonder what it would have been like if you’d given Damian a chance, even if it doesn’t turn into something you want forever? Do you want to carry those questions along with you for the rest of your life?”

  “No,” I told her. “I’m just not sure he’s the best guy in the world to trust with my first fling.”

  A mischievous glint sparked in Kylie’s eyes. “The really orgasmic, beautiful ones rarely are. They’re a huge risk. I guess that’s what makes them so damn exciting. Live a little, Nic. When have you ever been so attracted to any man?”

  I swallowed hard. “Never. Which makes this really scary.”

  “If things go bad, you know Macy and I will be here for you when it’s over,” she said solemnly. “But I think not taking a chance at all would haunt you far worse than the melancholy you’ll experience for a while if it ends badly. At least you’d know that Damian wasn’t your Mr. Orgasm.”

  My heart clenched as I wiped any sign of my tears from my face.

  When I was old and gray, I didn’t want Damian Lancaster to be my one regret. For once, I wanted to live dangerously, and maybe a little bit recklessly. I was thirty-two years old, and I’d never put myself out there to find anything more than an okay-for-now boyfriend.

  I did want more, and Damian was the first man who had ever tempted me to take a risk to experience that elusive something more.

  “I’ll think about it,” I promised. “I’m not as brave as you are when it comes to taking chances. I wish I was.”

  She smirked. “Sometimes I wish I could be as cautious as you are, so that makes us even.”

  I wanted to tell her that being guarded, and wanting to always make my mother proud, wasn’t exactly a great way to live, either.

  My mom had busted her ass as a single parent to make sure I’d gotten everything I needed as a kid, and as an adult. In return, I’d second-guessed every step that I took to make sure it was the right one. I hadn’t rushed into anything that might disappoint her, or hamper my ability to be successful.

  Maybe that was why I’d always played it safe with the men in my life.

  If they didn’t distract me from my career goals, maybe I’d thought that was a good thing.

  I’d been Mom’s entire world, and she’d become mine, too.

  Not that she would have wanted me to sacrifice anything for her, but I’d been her only child, so I think subconsciously, I’d wanted to do all I could to make her sacrifices worth it.

  I shot my best friend a dubious look. “Being squeaky clean can be incredibly boring. Didn’t Mom ever warn you about jumping in headfirst without checking to see how deep the water was first?”

  Kylie shook her head. “Never. She wanted everyone around her to be happy. Just like you do. You got that from her, you know.”

  “I wish I was more like her,” I said with a sigh. “I wish I was petite, charming, and adorable.”

  “She wouldn’t have changed a single hair on your head, Nic. She loved that you were tall, blonde, curvy and absolutely gorgeous. She always talked about how beautiful you were, and how much you took after your dad.”

  “She did?” I was astounded. Mom had never mentioned my father all that much to me.

  “She talked about how much you were like him all the time,” Kylie responded. “She wouldn’t have changed that, Nic. Your father was a brilliant engineer, and she never let anyone forget that her daughter was as scholastically gifted as her father was.”

  I smiled at her weakly. “My father was really tall, too. Maybe being a giant isn’t all that bad if you’re standing next to a really tall guy who doesn’t make you feel like an Amazon woman.”

  “Hmmm…maybe somebody like Damian Lancaster?”

  I took a deep breath, and it came out in a tremulous exhale as I gathered up all the things I’d gotten out of my fridge and pantry.

  “He’s too damn physically perfect,” I mumbled.

  Too tall.

  Too muscular.

  Too bossy.

  Too…much of everything.

  “He’s…overwhelming.” I handed a bag of chips to Kylie.

  She winked at me as she took it. “Which is exactly what could lead to one of the best orgasms you’ll ever have.”

  “I’m not sure I want that,” I grumbled. “I’m not quite sure I’d live through it.”

  Kylie laughed as she jerked her head toward the living room. “Let’s go, Safety Girl. Danger awaits.”

  She led the way out of the kitchen, while I trailed behind her, wondering if I could ever really offer myself up for a wild fling with someone like Damian Lancaster.

  CHAPTER 16

  Nicole

  “I LIKE YOUR FRIENDS,” Damian informed me after I closed the door on the flurry of goodbyes from Macy and Kylie. “Although both of them did warn me that if I were to break your heart, they’d cut my balls off. I think Macy said something about feeding them to a hungry pack of wolves.”

  I let out a startled laugh. “She actually said that?”

  He nodded solemnly, and followed me back into the living room. “Not that I blame them. If I were your friend, my first instinct would be to protect you from me, too.”

  My body shuddered as I turned and saw the covetous look in his ever-changing green eyes.

  He moved toward me with an expression so intense that I almost backed away as he kept talking. “I can’t imagine that anyone who knows you wouldn’t want to shield you from a tosser like me, beautiful.”