could have smacked him. Trying to play like I'd had zero effect on him when his c**k was still as hard as stone underneath me. Fortunately, I wasn't that easily deterred. "Yes. Now you give me your phone number." He only hesitated for a fraction of a second before pulling out his cell phone and unlocking the screen. He handed it to me. "Text yourself." I shivered. How could a person make something so innocent sound so naughty? Because he was experienced, that was how. Because he knew things that I didn't. Because he was The Professor. ***
ONE
DYLAN
"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!" Weston, my business partner,
exclaimed from the front passenger seat of my service car as we
pulled away from the curb.
Restraining myself from directing the driver-a habit of mine,
surely not useful now when I'd been out of New York City for so long
-I looked behind me out the rear window at the two figures we'd left
behind. Donovan Kincaid, another one of my partners at Reach, Inc.
along with Weston King, was chasing down a girl who worked in the
office-Sabrina Lind.
I had only just met Sabrina this evening. The woman was
pleasant, smart, straightforward. Had a good head on her shoulders.
Weston and I had dined with her and her younger sister and had just
been finishing up when Donovan had come in, all blustering and
noble and knightly.
"Donovan called himself her boyfriend," Weston said
incredulously, recalling the scene we'd just left. "Was I the only one
who heard that? I can't be that drunk."
It had been an out-of-character declaration for the usually tightlipped and brooding Donovan, but I'd seen this side of him before,
many years in the past. The last time he had given a woman his
heart.
If anyone asked me, he was wasting his time with this one.
Sabrina had said several things over dinner that suggested she was
no longer entertained by the circus that surrounded romantic notions.
"I heard it," the young woman sitting next to me answered.
Now this one-Audrey, the younger sister whom I'd volunteered
to see home-a man would have a much easier time trying to woo
her. She'd made that clear over dinner as well.
Too bad she was that kind of girl. The kind of girl who wanted a
man to love her before she lifted her skirt. Otherwise...
I turned my head slightly, imperceptibly, and slid my eyes down
her form, pausing on the sweet curve of her breasts, watching her
chest rise and fall with her breath. My gaze had traveled this journey
several times this evening, but now I was lucky enough to have the
added view of her legs, which had been hidden under the table
before. They were long and toned, a little curve in just the right
place.
"I heard it," she said again, "and it was so romantic."
The swoon in her voice made me chuckle. God, she was young.
Younger than whatever ridiculous young age she actually was. Who
the hell even believed in romance anymore?
"I don't understand," Weston muttered, combing his hand through
his hair. "I'm Donovan's best friend. I knew he was sleeping with her,
but I didn't know he was her boyfriend. I didn't know he was into her.
I was supposed to be into Sabrina. When did this happen? Where
have I been?"
Oh. That was right. Weston King believed in love and
relationships.
He turned his head to look at both of us in the backseat. "I'm
seriously asking here."
I glanced at Audrey. Her expression said that she had been in the
know, but her lips were sealed.
That left me to console my partner. "You've probably been too
distracted with that Dyson pussy you've been banging," I was
definitely still intoxicated. I didn't normally use such crass language
in front of a lady. Especially such a young lady.
"Hey," Weston said, pointing a stern finger in my direction.
"Elizabeth is not just some pussy I've been banging. I'm going to
marry her."
Never mind that their engagement was part of a business ruse.
Despite the fact that it counted for nothing, Weston seemed to have
grown fond of the girl-even as he bemoaned the loss of Sabrina.
It was exhausting."You're exhausting," I told him.
"I'm exhausting?" He seemed baffled by the idea that he would
exhaust anyone.
"The entire lot of you. More exhausting than the flight across the
pond. All of you are intelligent creatures normally. I wouldn't have
gotten into business with partners who gave in to the whims and
fancies of human nature. It takes a clear head, your feet on the
ground, your priorities straight, to be as successful as we have been
with our company.
"But now the lot of you have gone and eaten some fruit from the
tree of temptation. Drank the potion number nine. Watched one too
many Netflix Christmas specials, because you've suddenly all
descended into the ridiculous camp of men who fall in love with
women."
"Wait," Weston halted me. "I never said I was in love with
Elizabeth Dyson. I only said I was going to marry her."
"You spent the entire dinner pining after her. Pining, Weston King.
Surely pining is a sign of love." I turned to the audience member that
I knew would be on my side.
"Yes, indeed," Audrey nodded, with a bob of her head that was
somehow both girlish and sexy as hell. "Pining is Love 101. If a girl
came to me and said the guy had told her he was pining after her?
That's like popping the question." "Exactly like," I said straight-faced. I was being sarcastic, of
course, but the girl did make me want to smile.
Among other things.
I stretched my arm across the back of the seat bench, casually,
making myself comfortable. Not making a move. No, not that.
"I am not in love with Eliza-"
"And on top of your pining..." I said, speaking loudly over
Weston. His denial, which he was surely about to deliver in full, was
infuriating and, frankly, patronizing, and I refused to listen to more
than a second of it. "We have Donovan, who declares a relationship
with a woman on a public street, for crying out loud, in front of his
partners. I thought for sure that man, of all of you, had reason." He
must have forgotten how miserable he'd been the last time he'd
given his heart, albeit ten years ago.
Soon enough, he'd remember.
"And then we have Nate," I continued. A man of varied sexual
pleasures and interests, Nathan Sinclair had been another fly I'd
never expected to drop. "When I'd had drinks with the man last night,
he was talking about one particular woman like she hung the moon.
Soon it will just be me and Cade."
I leaned closer toward Audrey, since she probably didn't know
anything about our fifth partner who headed the Tokyo office. "No
one will ever love Cade, even if he goes pansy on us. That's a man
that even a mother wouldn't love. He's one of my best friends. I
ought to know."
Weston harrumphed from the front seat, completely indignant,
but I noted a hint of optimism, as though he hoped I were right about
his future, and that he'd be leaving the bachelor life for good.
He really had gone bananas over that Dyson girl. Poor sucker.
I stole another glance at Audrey, curious at how badly I'd
offended her with my speech, love-cheerleader that she was.
But when I turned in her direction, I hadn't expected that she'd
already be staring at me.
Our lips stayed locked as we grinded and humped, a tight ball of tension growing deep in my belly. Iâd never been so intimate with someone during a first kiss let alone the first night weâd met. Never felt so close to orgasm with all of my clothes still on. Never been on the verge of begging for sex from a near strangerâThe sound of a throat clearing brought me tumbling out of ecstasy. Dylan broke his mouth from mine and peered around me. âYes?â The driver. Oh my God, Iâd forgotten about our driver. **** British ad exec Dylan Locke isn't looking for love. He isn't looking for fate. He's definitely not looking for Audrey Lind. She's pretty, far too young, and overly romantic--in short, exhausting. But when the girl, young enough to be his daughter, literally lands in his lap and asks for his expertise, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't interested. But Audrey isn't looking for love either--she's looking for lessons, and she's certain Dylan knows everything she needs to learn. If he agrees to play the teacher can he keep his heart? Of course he can. Then again, he might be lying.
Are You Sure You Want To Delete This Contact? He hesitated. Maybe he was overreacting. Just because his parents hadnât worked out⊠âChrist, Brad, divorced?â Stu said into the phone. Until now, Stu hadnât said much and his sudden outburst drew Micahâs attention. âI knew that chick was just after your money.â Stu paused. âLook, Iâm real sorry to hear that. Iâll get Pam to spin it to the press however you want me to. Itâs funny, I was just saying to another client that relationships in Hollywood are tough.â Stu gave a knowing wink and Micahâs mind was made up. He looked back at his phone. Are You Sure You Want To Delete This Contact? Micah pushed Yes. And Maddie from the party was erased from his phone. Erased from his life. *** On the night of her graduation from film school, straight-laced Maddie Bauers fell completely out of character for an oh-my-god make-out session with a perfect stranger. Complete with the big O. Seven years later, that romantic interlude is still fresh in her mind. That stranger is now a rich and famous actor. And sheâs one very distracted camera assistant working on his latest production. She might consider another trystâŠif he even remembers her.
Heâll get what he wantsâeven if Iâm already taken. Holt Sebastian is royalty in our world. As CEO of the Sebastian News Corp, heâs the man with all the power. The man who decides if Iâll always just be a local television anchor or if Iâll be the rising star of my own show. I make it my mission to be noticed. Make him see my potential. But soon, it's clear he's the one in charge. His possessiveness is brutal. His eyes own everything they touch. I feel his gaze on me when he's in the room. The heat of them as they rake down my body, taking me in, marking me as his. He doesnât just want me on the screenâhe wants me in his bed. And Holt Sebastian gets what he wants. No one will stop him, no one will get in his way. No one can protect me from his desire. Not even the man who promised nothing would come between us and his ambitionâmy husband.
âHeâs never going to go for you,â a voice came out of the dark in front of me. âNot while youâre a virgin.â I squinted, and when I looked closer, I saw there was another bedroom at the end of the hall with the door wide open, and though I couldnât quite make out the figure, I could see there was someone sitting in an armchair, smoking a cigarette. Or a cigar maybe. I took a step forward. Surely he wasnât talking to me, but there didnât seem to be anyone else around. âExcuse me?â âWeston never goes for virgins. Itâs one of his rules.â Heat rushed up my neck and flooded my cheeks. âUhâŠâ âYouâre offended.â **** When I met Donovan Kincaid, I knew he was rich. I didnât know he was filthy. Truth be told, I was only trying to get his best friend to notice me. I knew poor scholarship girls like me didn't stand a chance against guys like Weston King and Donovan Kincaid, but I was in love with his world, of parties and s*x and power. I knew what I wantedâI knew who I wantedâuntil one night, their world tried to bite me back and Donovan saved me. He saved me, and then Weston finally noticed me, and I finally learned what it was to be in their world. And then what it was like to lose it. Ten years later, Iâve found my way back. Back to their world. Back to him. This time, Iâm ready. I've been down this road before, and I know all the dirty, filthy ways Donovan will try and wreck me. But itâs hard to resist. Especially when I know how much Iâll like it.
I hated how he said my name, like he had all the power because he knew that bit of information about me. Hated it and loved it. I also hated how his eyes drew up my body, long and slow. Sensually touching my every curve, my every angle. Hated and loved it. Hated that I loved it. I sat on the chair that was still behind me, not trusting my legs to keep me steady for much longer. âWhat exactly is this deal you have? And who are you?â âI,â he paused, âam JC.â Iâd never heard of him. âJCâŠ?â âJust JC.â He said it like it answered everything. Two short syllables to put me in my place. âAs in Jesus Christ?â JC chuckled as well, his expression brash and sexy. âIâve been called that. But usually only when my face is pressed between a womanâs thighs.â Ew. Also, hot. ââ The only reward Gwen Anders got from her rough childhood was a thick skin and hard heart. Sheâs content with her daily grind managing a top NYC nightclubâEighty-Eighth Floor. So hers isnât a happily ever after. She doesnât believe in those anyway. Then she meets J.C. The rich, smooth talking playboy is the sexiest thing that Gwen has ever encountered, but sheâs not interested in a night-in-shining latex. But when a family tragedy pushes her to the brink, itâs J.C. whoâs there to teach her a new method of survival, one based on following primal urges and desires. His no-strings-attached lessons require her to abandon her constant need for control. Her carefully built walls are obliterated. Gwen discovers thereâs a beautiful world outside her prison. Freedom is exhilaratingâand terrifying. When she starts to feel something for J.C., she fears for her heart. Especially as she realizes that he has secrets of his own. Secrets that don't want to set him free.
âI donât need your money.â She stuck out her chin. Insistent. âI do fine.â ââFine,â but youâre getting kicked out of your hotel roomââ âFine doesnât mean I can spare the money for an impromptu trip to NYC and a fancy hotel room. Regular people donât have gobs of cash lying around.â The comment about regular people hit me in the gut. Because Iâd always been the regular one, and sheâd never been anything close to âregular.â But I understood what she was saying. She wasnât desperate. She could take care of herself. She just couldnât take care of this, and to make matters worse, the reason sheâd splurged on this was because sheâd put all of her hope in me saying Iâd help her out, and I refused. ___ We were supposed to run away after graduation. When she didnât show at our meeting place, I got brave and went after her. It was a mistake. I left bloodied and bruised. I had no choice but to walk away. Years passed. I traveled, settled halfway around the world, made enough money that I didnât have to look back. But I never got over her. Then, out of the blue, she calls. And, what she asks for, the favor that she wants? I never thought I'd be willing to take a life. But the truth is, and always has been: I'd do anything for her.
Cathryn, an orphan with no family ties to Grayson, regarded him only as family. He, however, valued her as a precious jewel. From their very first encounter, Cathryn's destiny was intertwined with his. Once lonely and desiring affection, she was ensnared by his love, unable to break free. Eventually, she managed to escape his emotional clutches. Shockingly, she had fallen for someone else. Grayson confronted her sharply. "How could you feel for another?" Unable to meet his eyes, she whispered, "You're family. I can't..." Looking down, he pressed further. "You can't, or you wouldnât dare?"
In order to fulfill her grandfather's last wish, Stella entered into a hasty marriage with an ordinary man she had never met before. However, even after becoming husband and wife on paper, they each led separate lives, barely crossing paths. A year later, Stella returned to Seamarsh City, hoping to finally meet her mysterious husband. To her astonishment, he sent her a text message, unexpectedly pleading for a divorce without ever having met her in person. Gritting her teeth, Stella replied, "So be it. Letâs get a divorce!" Following that, Stella made a bold move and joined the Prosperity Group, where she became a public relations officer that worked directly for the companyâs CEO, Matthew. The handsome and enigmatic CEO was already bound in matrimony, and was known to be unwaveringly devoted to his wife in private. Unbeknownst to Stella, her mysterious husband was actually her boss, in his alternate identity! Determined to focus on her career, Stella deliberately kept her distance from the CEO, although she couldn't help but notice his deliberate attempts to get close to her. As time went on, her elusive husband had a change of heart. He suddenly refused to proceed with the divorce. When would his alternate identity be uncovered? Amidst a tumultuous blend of deception and profound love, what destiny awaited them?
On her wedding day, Khloeâs sister connived with her groom, framing her for a crime she didnât commit. She was sentenced to three years in prison, where she endured much suffering. When Khloe was finally released, her evil sister used their mother to coerce Khloe into an indecent liaison with an elderly man. As fate would have it, Khloe crossed paths with Henrik, the dashing yet ruthless mobster who sought to alter the course of her life. Despite Henrikâs cold exterior, he cherished Khloe like no other. He helped her take retribution from her tormentors and kept her from being bullied again.
After a passionate night, Verena left some money and wanted to leave, but was held by her companion. "Isn't it your turn to make me happy?" Verena, always disguising herself as ugly, slept with her fiance's uncle, Darren, in order to escape her engagement with her unfaithful fiance. Darren had respect and admiration. Word of his romantic escapades circulated, some saying they saw him kissing a lady against a wall and others calling it gossip. Who could ever tame Darren's heart? Then, shockingly, Darren was caught bending down to help Verena with her shoes, all to score a kiss from her!
Due to the plight of her family, Phoebe had no choice but to embark on the path of selling herself. In an accident, she had a tangled night with Alexander. Everything began to derail, and even if she fled to the ends of the earth, she would still be found by him and entangled... *** Phoebe screamed in frustration, "What do you want from me?" What was this supposed to be? He raised an eyebrow wickedly. "What do I want? You'll find out soon enough." With that, he hoisted her up and carried her back into the office. The door slammed shut with a kick, and he cleared the desk with a sweep of his arm before laying her down on it, his body pinning hers in place, completely trapping her in his grasp. Every cell in his body was telling him he wanted her. He wanted to claim her again. This time, there would be no escape for her-he wouldn't let her slip away. Never again. If he had suffered for five years, then this woman wouldn't get off easily either!
Three years ago, the Moore family opposed Charles Moore's choice to marry his beloved woman and selected Scarlett Riley as his bride. Charles didn't love her. In fact, he hated her. Not long after they got married, Scarlett received an offer from her dream university and jumped on it. Three years later, Charles's beloved woman fell terribly ill. In order to fulfill her last wish, he called Scarlett back and presented her with a divorce agreement. Scarlett was deeply hurt by Charles's abrupt decision, but she chose to let him go and agreed to sign the divorce papers. However, Charles seemed to delay the process deliberately, leaving Scarlett confused and frustrated. Now, Scarlett was trapped between the consequences of Charles's indecision. Would she be able to break free from him? Would Charles eventually come to his senses and face his true feelings?