With a nod, he glances at the watch peeking out under what looks to be a Boss Black blazer. And that heady scent…Chanel Bleu, the one cologne that can make me do extremely bad girl things without so much as a drop of shame. “You have about fifteen minutes to change your mind and call your buddy. After that, I can’t promise that your office won’t be boarded up by the time you roll in tomorrow morning with your lightly sweetened iced Youthberry tea.” He reclines against the cushions, folding his hands on the table. Good God. The fact that he knows my Teavana drink order somehow escapes me while I admire his strong, thick fingers and massive palms. What he must be able to do with those magical tools.

  Oh, Christ. Focus, Ari! I can be as big of a bitch as I want, but if there’s even a slight chance those photos are real, Scarlet’s entire career is at risk. I worked my ass off to put her in the limelight so my firm could have the legitimacy it needed. I can’t chance it. Scarlet’s my ace in the hole. Having her as a client validates everything I’ve worked for, and everything I’m building for the future. I’ll make the call.

  “I don’t even know if I can get Ollie to my office in fifteen minutes. It’s after midnight!”

  “Something tells me you won’t have an issue. I’ll meet you there.”

  “The fuck you will. I didn’t get to where I am by taking orders from seedy thugs. If you think you’re coming anywhere near my office—“

  “Don’t worry, your pal Ollie will vouch for me. I’m not seedy, nor am I a thug. And I only use my M-16 when people mouth off once too often.”

  His eyebrow slides upward again, and I bite the inside of my mouth to keep from smiling when the corners of his lips curl upward. Asshole. As if this is any bit funny. “And who exactly should I tell is asking for him?”

  “Just tell him Jeff is back in town to collect on a debt. He’ll know what it means.”

  Yeah, but do I want to know?

  Jeff

  I don’t wait for her response. She’s going to do exactly what I said because she’s scared shitless. Yeah, she tried to hide it. It was a pretty decent attempt, too. But I know what these star chasers are all about. Once you land one and they hit the top, you’re along for the ride. And that’s exactly where my new friend Ariana Carlson is headed. No way is she going to take any chances and blow her career at this point. Not after spending two years scrounging around for clients before finding a diamond in the rough with Scarlet. And despite all the “I’m waiting until I get married” bullshit, I always knew that actress bitch was a fucking whore. She can park cars between those tight ass legs. All that virginal crap got her a lot of fame, but no amount of groveling will erase those very disturbing images from the minds of her adoring public, that’s for shit sure.

  Which is exactly what I’m counting on.

  Coming back for Ollie is risky, since he has eyes on him at all times. He was part of my team, the one tasked with taking down the enemy. But shit went sideways, and instead of arresting said enemy, I ended up handcuffed in the back of a Town Car.

  I’ve waited patiently, knowing the opportunity for revenge would eventually surface. The time is finally fucking now. I need Ollie’s help, and his panicked boss is going to make it happen. No doubt about that after the scare I’ve just delivered.

  The cool night air is a welcome change from the fucking rain forest I’ve just escaped. My skull is pounding from the deafening music that was vibrating the whole club, celebrating the hits of all the winners from the evening. Except not one of them makes anything remotely close to real music. Not like the good old days, when actual instruments were used and voices weren’t created with a soundboard.

  I palm my keys, open the driver's side door, and slide onto the pebbled leather. In my line of work, it’s best to fly under the radar, hence the reason I'm driving yet another piece of shit from Remo's fleet. I made him clean this one first, before I even agreed to go near it.

  Ariana’s office is only a few minutes away, and I know she needs some time to figure out how the fuck she’s going to salvage both of their careers, with the bottle of Cristal swimming through her veins. I don’t give her any time. The panic will serve me well. It’ll ensure she acts without thinking too much. That’s a necessity. And Ollie will be waiting in the fish bowl conference room, ready to jump if she gives the word. He’s so blatantly infatuated with her that he’s given up any chance at a real career to stay close to the woman he will never in a million fucking years bed.

  I throw the car into gear and zoom out of the parking lot. Even at this hour, the city streets are crawling with barely-dressed models and actress wannabes. They are loud, drunk, swinging their asses, and stumbling on the concrete in high heels. Pathetic. Guys flank them on all sides, desperate to cop a quick feel. I snicker and signal a lane change. Shit never changes. East Coast, West Coast, it’s all the same. Women always hold the power; most just never seem to realize it.

  After a few minutes of dodging idiots crossing in the middle of Spring Street, I pull up to an open spot in front of Ariana’s office building. I run a hand down the front of my shirt and walk toward the entrance of the tall, mirrored, glass building. A large embossed sign greets me on the inside. Carlson & Associates. She’s come a long way since she first stepped onto the Hollywood scene. It’s impressive, especially in this town.

  But my business is a revolving door. I, unlike Ariana, keep few trusted associates. And none of them have an ass as perfect as hers, or a set of tits I can feast on for days. This is just business. It’s always business, never personal, not since I lost so much of what made living worthwhile. Admiring is one thing, but dabbling doesn’t have a place anymore.

  The lobby is bright and airy, even at night, with light marble colored floors and columns adorning the space. I walk down the corridor toward the elevator bank and stab the Up button. I don’t even look at the directory; I know her office is on the seventh floor. Lucky seven. Her favorite number, which is another nugget I’d gathered, courtesy of the eyes and ears.

  Ding!

  The elevator creeps up to the seventh floor and soundlessly, the doors open. The clear glass doors reveal a gaggle of computer geeks with their heads stuck in their laptops, no doubt searching for any leaked photos of Scarlet. They haven’t even made it as far as a conference room; everyone is congregated in the reception area. Their fearless leader, who looks pretty fucking spooked right now, is commanding the charge, her fingers pounding away at the keyboard behind a large teak desk in the middle of the floor.

  I pull open the door and everything stops. Ariana’s head snaps up, and her back stiffens. “We haven’t found anything online yet. Nothing’s been leaked.”

  “Good.” Of course it hasn’t. “But I’m more interested in whether or not you’ve located Ollie.”

  She narrows her eyes and pushes back the chair. “I think we should go into my office.”

  I nod and wait for her to lead the way. She eyes me up and down, her expression a mixture of disgust, curiosity, and blatant desire; the latter making my dick twitch. She doesn’t trust me, as well she shouldn’t. But, she still wants me. And that pisses her off to no end.

  Body language is my specialty. I can tell you that mine would have a hell of a lot to say right now if given the chance. With one final glare, Ariana twists away from me and stalks down the hallway to her office, her hips swinging with each click of those heels on the shiny marble floor. But as much as I’m enjoying the view from behind, it’s Ollie I’m waiting to see.

  I follow her into the office and glance around at the over-the-top décor. There were enough overgrown plants lining the walls to create an alternate oxygen supply. And the art? The abstract splotches of color overwhelm the white walls, creating an aura of confusion and chaos. I guess it works for her clients. Bringing order to their crazy lives, or some shit like that. I sink into one of the plush leather couches in the center of the room.

  “Please, have a seat,” she mumbles under her breath. She inches closer, hands on her hips. I can see the definition in her shoulders and biceps. Another tidbit I’d learned was that she’s single. No big shock there. I had her sized up in about five seconds flat. I swallow a snicker. Judging by the way she’s staring at me, I can see where it might be a little hard to scale those walls for some unsuspecting douchebag. She’d make the poor schmuck work for it, and then be disappointed when he didn’t live up to her expectations. Because he never could, and she’d never let herself get caught up with someone who’d be a constant disappointment. It’s much easier being in control of every aspect of her life. She runs her own show and nobody can challenge her.

  At least, that’s what she’s been used to for so long.

  She didn’t count on me.

  “I’ve assembled my entire team in a span of twenty minutes. I’ve contacted Ollie. And all you’ve done is given me a first name, which by the way, probably isn’t even real, but let’s forget that tiny detail for the time being.” She lowers herself next to me, her spearmint-tinged breath wafting under my nose. My fingers itch to trace a path down the smooth bronze skin of her arms, and my hands tingle with the urge to knead those full tits. Fuck, I’d love to push her onto her back and drive myself into her with no regard for who might be watching. I want to fuck the control freak out of her and save the freak part for later. Unfortunately for me, later is never coming. Things move fast, and pretty soon, she’ll be a name buried in my past. So, I play along because that’s what I do.

  “Let’s get something straight, Jeff. I don’t respond well to threats. I’m only doing this for Scarlet and for my team. Now, why don’t you tell me what’s really going on here. Or…” Her hands graze the fabric straining against my full-blown hard on. “Do I need to fuck the information out of you? I don’t have a lasso of truth, but there are plenty of other tools in my arsenal.”

  She slides her skirt to her waist and straddles me, one long, toned leg at a time. Her finger slides my belt buckle open, and then pops open the button on my pants. But those eyes never leave mine, not even for a second. She holds her hand up to her mouth and licks the palm. A smile lifts the corners of her glossy pink lips when her hand travels down my abdomen and into my boxer briefs, squeezing my cock with authority. “I think that would be a yes, am I right?”

  I can come right now and die a happy man. Flipping her over and driving my dick into her until the sun rises is my new goal. Fuck Ollie and everyone else.

  She slides against me and my cock thickens against her naked, wet pussy. Skin against slick skin. Fuck me, I want her. I grip her waist, pushing her down, ready to sink into her slit, and lose myself—

  Snap! Her eyes narrow. “Did you hear what I said?”

  “Yes.” Well, I know what I heard in my head…and what I felt with my other head…

  “So? Are you going to tell me what the hell this is all about? I really don’t have time for games, and if there’s damage control to be done, I need to get on it asap.”

  Get on it. Fuck, yes, you do.

  “I already told you. I need you and Ollie to help get this under control. These photos will crush Scarlet’s career. I don’t think you want to see all your hard work blow like Old Faithful, right? Pun intended.”

  She winces, and I know she’s recalling one of those graphic pictures in painstaking detail. “You still haven’t told me what you want.”

  “Look, Ollie is a technology genius. He can comb the web for toxic information faster than most people can tie a shoe. He can make all of this disappear and clear Scarlet’s bullshit good girl reputation.”

  “What do you get out of it? Because I sure as hell know you don’t care about her career.”

  “It’s my job. I get a big fat paycheck.”

  Ariana stands up and lets out a huff. “And you really think getting strangers involved with your underworld deals is smart business?”

  “Who said anything about the underworld? Now you’re just being presumptuous.”

  “Please. There are two reasons why you’re sitting here right now. One, because you know Ollie, and two, because I have an ex-Navy Seal bodyguard with an Uzi down the hall standing guard.”

  “Sounds like you don’t trust me.”

  “I don’t trust anyone, Jeff. Don’t take it personally.” She bends to grab a bottle of water from the small refrigerator in the corner of her office. “Lucky for you, Ollie vouched for you; otherwise, you’d have never made it as far as the elevator.”

  “I admire your reconnaissance skills. I’ll admit, I didn’t give you enough credit.”

  “I work very hard to earn that credit, Jeff.” She twists off the cap and takes a long sip. I was lost in a moment of lust before, but that mouth is just sending me back down the rabbit hole. The way it squeezes the bottle opening and sucks down the liquid…I bet she could suck other things like a champ. “Do you have a last name?”

  “It’s best we keep things less formal.”

  “Best for whom? We’re not exactly on a level playing field right now.”

  “True, but then again, you came in at a disadvantage.”

  She saunters toward me, crossing one leg in front of another, twisting her body left and right, making me forget why I’m standing in the center of this room. Jesus Christ, what the hell is happening to me? She can flash her pussy right now and I’d fall to my knees, mouth open, tongue ready to lap. And that’s goddamned unacceptable. I never lose my shit like this. “I think I deserve a chance to level the field. I’ve done everything you’ve asked. Even some things you haven’t asked.”

  Yeah, I’d love to get to those other things little later.

  Chapter 3

  Ariana

  There’s something about this man that has my insides twisted like a lanyard. The fact that he’s sitting here right now is making me question my intellect. Sure, I told him I’m guarded by an ex-Seal, but what he doesn’t know is that Ray isn’t exactly an ex-Seal, he’s a retired Rent-A-Cop. And that Uzi? It’s actually a BB gun. Sure, he looks intimidating because he’s six foot four and looks like a white Dwayne Johnson, but…yeah, small fib. Oops.

  For some reason, I’m not threatened. Maybe it’s because he knows Ollie, whom I trust implicitly. Ollie didn’t give me details over the phone, but the reassurance that “Jeff” isn’t going to chop me up and dump me behind the building in a plastic bag was enough to get me to the office.

  I suck in a breath as his gaze rakes over my body. It’s a brutal and blatant eye-raping of the most arousing kind. Strange. He doesn’t seem to be the type to let his emotions control him, but if I were a betting woman, I’d say he’d bend me over the couch and give me access to his bank account if I so much as spread my legs. And by the looks of him, I’m sure that happens more often than not. Maybe not the bank account thing, but definitely the spreading of the legs part.

  He knows I’m analyzing him. That cocky ass smile is back, shadowing his apparent desire. What can I say? It’s a critical part of my job - reading people and understanding what buttons I need to press to get what I want. Those are my gifts, and I use them on a daily basis.

  There is a smoldering heat between us, so powerful it can ignite an explosion. But the need - my need - for distance keeps us at opposite ends of the room, silent, almost daring the other to speak. My skin prickles under his penetrating gaze. Goosebumps shoot up my arms and down my legs, and my body craves the feel of his thick fingers dancing all over it, rubbing, flicking, plunging…

  “Ariana, Ollie just walked in. I’m sending him back.”

  I jump, startled by the sound of Layna’s perky voice over the intercom. I tuck a lock of hair behind my ear and clear my throat, effectively ending the moment. Not a second too late, either. The hunger in Jeff’s eyes is evident. He’s ready to devour me whole, and it’s a good thing I left my buzz at the club because I’m disturbingly close to allowing it.

  Ollie pushes open the door and heads right over to Jeff. I can’t decide if I love him or hate him in that moment. A smile lights up Jeff’s dark, rugged features, making his whole face glow. The man is a certifiable Adonis. But there’s still something remotely demonic that intrigues me, something my innate investigative skills want to decode.

  “Jeff!” Ollie claps him on the back and pulls him in for a man hug. “It’s been too long. Where’ve you been hiding?”

  Jeff chuckles. “I’ve got a few places, in a few countries. Plenty of opportunities to lose myself.”

  “Translation…plenty of pissed off people on your tail.”

  “Everybody likes a little ass, Ollie.” Jeff cocks an eyebrow and clasps a hand on his shoulder. “But nobody likes a smart ass.”

  I bite down on my lower lip to keep the loud cackle in my throat. “Excuse me, while this little reunion is very sweet, I’d like to avert this disaster as quickly and neatly as possible. Ollie, Jeff specifically requested you, so thanks for coming.” I focus my attention on Jeff. “Let’s get this moving, shall we? What do you need from us?”

  Jeff walks toward one of the windows lining the office. “Scarlet is involved in a situation bigger than her. We need to eliminate all evidence of her whereabouts. If we don’t act fast, there will be dire consequences to her career. And yours.”

  My brain may still be a little fuzzy because of all the champagne I’d guzzled hours earlier, but the question still remains; the one which Jeff seems to expertly deflect each time it’s asked. “Let me ask one more time, Jeff. Why are you here?”

  He pauses and exchanges a look with Ollie. “I need Ollie to hack into an encrypted security network.”

  I furrow my brow. “Why? To delete the pictures?”

  “No, the pictures are the least of your concern right now.”

  “I don’t follow.” Shit, I’m really floundering now. My temples pound as I try desperately to make sense of this situation.