Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 39764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 199(@200wpm)___ 159(@250wpm)___ 133(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 199(@200wpm)___ 159(@250wpm)___ 133(@300wpm)
“Can you show her to the room?” I ask my business partner. “I’ll be there in five.”
I don’t wait for the answer. I brush past them, into the security corridor, and let the door slam behind me. Dread and anger crash to the bottom of my stomach. Unless I act fast, this could well be my last chance with Shanna. I have three minutes to figure out how to turn her head in my direction, convince her I’m not simply out to save my business or get laid, and persuade her we can be more permanent partners beyond tonight.
Miracle, anyone?
17
Shanna
Del escorts me through the club. I’m aware of people all around me swaying and writhing to the techno music. But my thoughts…Alejandro has a lock on those.
Last night and today, he’s acted as if he cares. Why? I’ve told him over and over that our scenes together are strictly business.
Yeah, did it feel like business when he was deep inside you, making you scream? Or when he fed you ice cream and did his best to understand you?
The man has me so confused. What should have been nothing more than a temporary arrangement for the sake of ferreting out a mutual enemy—and okay, maybe a little mutual pleasure—has suddenly become very tangled. In the space of a few days, I’ve come to think of Alejandro as a fixture in my life. The thought of him no longer being around hurts.
So dangerous. How can I focus on the competition with everything hanging over my head if I have to add new feelings for Alejandro to the mix?
We cross the dance floor and push past a couple panting heatedly and letting their fingers do the walking. He escorts me down a long hallway. At the end, he holds a door open.
One peek inside, and I suck in a surprised gasp. This is a straight-up fantasy! Plush, like a pasha’s palace. Rust, gold, bronze, with accents of black and cream. An enormous bed. Pillows everywhere.
The audience will be bigger in this room. And closer. The odds of someone bringing in a camera are definitely greater.
“We’ve got the security angles covered,” Del assures me before I even open my mouth. “There are cameras all over this place. We’ve spent all day rigging it up. If someone tries to film you here, we’ll nail him.”
He wanders closer. I tense. Truth be told, the man makes me nervous. He’s dark like Alejandro. Both men have a wide streak of bad boy. Alejandro is like a fire, hot and sometimes unpredictable, though never quite tamed. But Del…he seems like a very cool customer. He probably does everything on his terms, in his time, in his way. And shows zero emotion doing it.
Now, he gives off a vibe that makes me uneasy. I swallow and raise my chin as he saunters closer.
“Can I take your coat?”
Feeling uncomfortably vulnerable, I unbelt the garment and strip it off. The red corset underneath and the matching black thong, garters, and stockings go way beyond suggestive. Being naked would make me feel more clothed.
Del whistles, looking me up and down, lingering on my breasts. “You look hot. Damn hot.”
I clear my throat. His hungry gaze eating me up when I was last on stage with Alejandro turned me on. Being alone with him, having him this close, while he wears that ravenous expression?
Disturbing.
I shrug off his comment casually. “A costume like any other.”
“You and Ali got a real thing going?”
I frown. No matter what I'm feeling, when this is over it’s unlikely we'll continue to see each other. We’re from different worlds. Whatever Alejandro and I might have had will likely be another casualty of my ambition. It doesn’t bother me. Well…it shouldn’t.
But something wretched and heavy that feels an awful lot like regret smothers me. Pain follows. Since he’ll only distract me, I shove it down.
“No.”
Flashing me a hot smile, Del leans in until he’s invading my personal space. “That’s good news. Very good, in fact.”
The rapacious way he watches me gives me major pause.
“When you and Ali are done here…maybe you and I could hook up?” He drags a fingertip down my arm, leaving a prickle of unease in his wake.
Does Del really imagine that after having sex with his friend and business partner, I’m just going to throw Alejandro over and hop into his bed?
I put space between us. “I don’t think so. Now get your hand off me.”
He complies slowly. “If you and Ali don’t have a thing going, why not? You’re a gorgeous woman. I’ve seen you in action, and you make me hard. I’ll treat you right, make you scream. I hear you’re good at switching partners. C’mon. What do you say?”
He reaches around me and slings his hand low on my hip, almost cupping my ass.