He'd met Selene. They clicked. They were compatible-in bed and out, and he hadn't had to mess with this s.h.i.t.

Now? Starting all over again.

He tried not to feel aggravated. It was just a business thing. He paid for a date, had a woman with him for a few hours, spared himself the headache of dealing with some of the nightmares that came from being single at some of these parties. He also spared himself the nightmare that came from trying to have a friendly relationship that would just end in a disaster.

Really, this was for the best, right? All he had going with Selene was friendship anyway-granted, it was the friends with benefits sort of thing, but that could be found elsewhere.

Impersonal as h.e.l.l. Yeah, that bothered him, and right now it was bothering him more than normal, but he'd finally found a way to balance his life and he didn't need anything rocking that boat.

You need to stop being so negative, he told himself. But it was d.a.m.ned hard considering every relationship he'd been in since high school had gone from h.e.l.l to h.e.l.la-bad in a blink.

"No." He threw the Porsche into park and climbed out, leaning against the side. "Not thinking about that." Part of the reason he hated coming back here. And that p.i.s.sed him off. Chicago was home. It was home, and he avoided it like the plague except for rare visits home to see his sister, all because coming back here made him think of...

"And you're doing it again." Shoving away from the car, he pocketed the keys and headed toward his sister's office. It was quiet around here at night. During the day it was busy, but at night it was mostly vacant. Just a few random cars scattered in front of the other businesses. He recognized his sister's car, parked in front of the office, but he didn't see another one close to hers.

He didn't want to have to drive her home...that made it seem even more like a date.

A taxi, then. He'd get her into a d.a.m.n taxi, or h.e.l.l, Caleb would probably have cars there.

Yeah. He could get her into a car once the night was over with.

Then he'd head out to Blue's. Blue usually preferred that people wanting the...more private services contact her in advance, but she'd work something out. Distracted, thinking about that, he pushed through the door, thinking about maybe trying to put in a call to her before he even left Shera's. He needed to do something, right? He was edgy as h.e.l.l and the only way to burn this kind of energy off was- His brain just stopped.

He caught sight of the woman standing with her back to him and his mind came to screeching, crashing halt. All the blood in his head slowly started to sizzle and burn. A long, sleek back, displayed in a backless, pale dress, leaving lots and lots of s.e.xy, smooth skin... His heart b.u.mped once, hard, against his ribs, as his gaze dipped, lingering on the narrow curve of her waist, the round swell of her a.s.s, and then onto long, sleek, sleek legs...

Ah, maybe he wouldn't be calling a car for her, after all.

Dragging his gaze up, he studied the back of her head and something started to click in the back of his mind. Dark hair, not quite black, shot through with lighter threads... His heart started to race. He knew this woman.

She turned around and he found himself staring into Chaili's blue eyes.

Marc had a fondness for her eyes. He didn't know why, exactly. Maybe it was because they were blue, and such a vivid blue they almost looked purple to his screwy eyesight. He didn't know why. Didn't care. He just knew she had amazing eyes.

It was a punch. A hard, brutal punch straight to his gut and he closed one hand into a fist as he continued to stare at her. Okay. She wasn't here for him. Chaili wasn't one of his sister's girls. She had something else going on... Then it occurred to him-Shera had absently mentioned setting up a line of male companions. Was Chaili...?

No.

Just. No. Even thinking about her paying some guy to take her out p.i.s.sed him off.

What the f.u.c.k- Shera appeared from the back office. "Hey, Marc." She had a smile on her face. An overly bright one. The kind of smile she'd always given him when she'd done something she shouldn't have and she wanted him to help keep her out of trouble with Mom. Except she was a grown woman.

Oh, s.h.i.t.

Swinging his gaze back and forth between the two women, he lifted a brow and waited.

"Awesome news." Shera still had that wide, too-bright smile plastered across her face. "Chaili is going to keep you company tonight."

He was staring at her like she'd grown a second head.

Chaili felt like she might have.

Her heart raced and if he didn't say something, she was pretty sure she was going to start babbling like a fool. No, you won't, she told herself. He was here because he needed an intelligent, level-headed woman at his side for the night. Somebody who could carry a conversation without babbling, and that probably started now.

"h.e.l.lo, Marc," she said, angling her head to the side. She could make polite small talk. She could do it, and do it well, even if it bored the h.e.l.l out of her.

Something flashed in his golden eyes as he continued to study her.

So far, he still hadn't said a word. He prowled deeper into the office, looking oddly out of place. He came to stop a foot away from her, watching her with narrowed eyes, the gold in his eyes burning hot as he studied her face. "Just when did you start doing the companion thing, Chaili?"

She'd half-suspected he might ask. With a lazy shrug, she answered, "It's fairly recent. I'm...picky, we'll say, about those Shera pairs me with. But I get tired sitting at home and well, you have to admit, this is an easy way to make money."

"So you're in it for the money."

Careful...careful... She knew he had more than a few people trying to get at his bank account. "Honestly, Marc, I told your sister I'd be happy to keep you company tonight without..." she waved a vague hand at the office and sighed, "...this. But your sister is something of a stickler about the rules. Since you came here, she's kind of adamant about doing it this way."

"Yes. I am." Shera came up and held out a hand, smiling at Marc. "You came in wanting a companion for the night. I'm providing the companion. Pay up."

The tense moment shattered and he scowled at his sister, reaching into his pocket. He shoved some bills into her hand and then looked at Chaili. "s.h.i.t, if I'd known you were up for going to stupid parties, I could have saved myself some money and the headache of dealing with Shera."

"Ahhh, but you're doing your part and investing in the local economy," Chaili said, smiling. She turned away and went to get her wrap and purse. Although she doubted she'd need the wrap, she'd rather have it than not. Before she could pick up the wrap, though, Marc was there and the fragile silk looked even more delicate in his hands. She swallowed and tore her gaze away from those long-fingered, agile hands. She'd always loved those hands...

Stop it, she told herself. He moved behind her and she closed her eyes, counted to ten.

As he draped the silk over her shoulders, she reminded herself she could handle this. That she'd wanted to handle this. It wasn't a date even, right? It was just a night. One night with Marc and then it was done. The one thing she'd always wanted...she could pretend for a night that he was hers.

"Chaili..." he murmured. The raw whiskey and velvet of his voice stroked over her senses like a caress and she had to fight not to shiver. "You look amazing."

Amazing didn't touch it.

Beautiful didn't quite touch it, either.

Marc was still trying to figure out the right way to describe it more than two hours later.

Something about her was...different.

He couldn't explain what, though.

Of course, it had been more than five years since he'd spent much time around her. She'd gotten serious with a guy. Married him for a little while. Then the marriage fell apart. He'd been out of the country when he'd heard they were splitting up, hearing the details from Shera.

When he'd emailed Chaili, all she'd told him in reply was, We just weren't suited, Marc. It's not the end of the world.

Not suited. h.e.l.l, he could have told her that. Tim Hardesty had been a f.u.c.king a.s.s. He even knew the guy, in a roundabout sort of way, although he'd been careful to keep that connection very, very distant and Chaili, thank G.o.d, was blissfully unaware.

Frowning, he glanced over at her, studying her left hand. It was naked. She wore an odd ring on her right. It was some dark sort of metal, oxidized silver maybe, with a ruby in the middle, flanked by diamonds. Sometimes, he'd see her stroke it, in an offhand, absent manner that made him think it was habit.

She was chatting with the mayor, her voice rising, falling...open, friendly, and her smile was full of charm. He had absolutely no idea what they were talking about.

And he didn't care. Suddenly, he was jealous. He didn't want to share her with all the people in the crowd. He didn't want to be in the crowd, but that wasn't new. He was used to the crowds by now and after ten years of living this life, plus the ten years of struggling to get here, he knew he had to deal with it, but he didn't want to stand there while his "companion" did all the talking.

He wanted her talking to him.

This wasn't a f.u.c.king paid date.

"Excuse us," he said, cutting into the conversation. Giving the mayor and his wife a smile, he caught Chaili's hand in his and guided her through the crowd, out to where the party had spilled onto the terrace. Little lights had been threaded through the branches and lanterns floated through the pool. All around him, people were chattering and a few people drifted toward them-he ignored them. He just wanted a few minutes of peace and quiet with Chaili.

The gardens were likely the best place... Yeah. It was darker there, but quieter, and as they moved down one of the curved, winding paths, the voices started to grow more and more faint.

"Finally," he muttered.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Chaili slip him an amused glance, the lush curve of her mouth canting up. d.a.m.n it, that mouth. He'd noticed her mouth before...how could he not, but he was having a d.a.m.ned hard time keeping himself from staring at it nonstop tonight. It was slicked with something that stained it with a sinful shade of red and all he wanted to do was cup her face in his hands and taste that mouth.

Normally, he'd be inclined to do just that.

Except this was Chaili. He remembered the last time he'd tried that sort of thing with a friend. It had gotten all f.u.c.ked up. Not that Chaili would ever do anything like that, but even aside from that, he didn't think it was a good idea to screw up a friendship just because he'd suddenly realized she was a gorgeous woman.

Well, no. He'd always known that.

And there'd been a time when he'd actually wanted to spend more time with this gorgeous woman. But it hadn't been doable and when he'd been back in town, she'd already been involved with Tim...

s.h.i.t.

"Are you okay?" Chaili asked softly.

"Stupid party," he said, shrugging his shoulders and pretending his problems rested solely on a dislike he knew she was familiar with. He'd never been much for socializing, a fact she knew well.

Chaili laughed softly, tipping her head back to the sky.

Moonlight shone down on her, gilding the hollows and curves of her face, her neck. f.u.c.k, she was beautiful. She'd been pretty in high school, but now...

She looked over at him, a faint smile still on her lips. "You know, if you hate this so much, why go?"

"I'm supposed to." He shrugged. Spying a bench just ahead, he kept walking, still holding her hand. He didn't feel any desire to break that contact, either. As long as she didn't seem to mind.

"Well, Mom sometimes told me I was supposed to clean my plate, eat my lima beans and all that nasty stuff. I did it, but that doesn't mean it was good for me."

Chuckling, he sat down on the bench, straddling it so that he'd be able to look at her without craning his neck around. "Well, sometimes this life is toxic, I think. My manager thinks it's a good idea to do this s.h.i.t, but I mostly came because I know the guy throwing it, because it's a good cause and all. Caleb is...well...a friend. If it wasn't him, I would have ignored it." He shrugged it off, then focused on her. He was pretty d.a.m.n certain he hadn't talked to Chaili for more than five minutes without Shera being around in years. And even then, Chaili was usually working. There were emails and sometimes he'd get to thinking of her and call, but the calls were sporadic and email, well, it just wasn't the same. "I don't see you much anymore."

"Well, it would be rather hard." She crossed her legs.

Marc managed not to stare at the long, sleek length for more than a second. Yes, it's rather hard, he thought absently. Getting harder by the seco- He was ogling his sister's best friend. His friend. Chaili was his friend too. She'd been his friend for a d.a.m.n long time. And it didn't matter, because his c.o.c.k didn't care that this was a friend. Didn't care that he had this thing about f.u.c.king friends-that hadn't gone over well, right?

"After all, you kind of trot all over the world for about five months out of the year and when you're not trotting, you're holed up in New York working on another alb.u.m. Once in a blue moon, you dash down here, but well..." She ended with a shrug. "Kind of hard for us to talk much or see each other when you're never in Chicago."

He tore his gaze away from her, staring off toward the house, blindly focused on the little lights in the trees. "I've been busy," he said gruffly. I've been hiding.

"Oh, I know. I'm proud of you." She tugged her hand, a subtle request that he let go, but he wasn't too inclined to listen to subtle. After a second, she stopped and he glanced over at her just in time to see her reaching up with her free hand. She stilled for the briefest moment and then continued, brushing his hair back from his face. "I always knew you'd make it, you know. You were so determined to do it, and you did."

He let go of the hand he'd been holding to catch her wrist, turning his face into her palm. The scent of her, something light and soft, had taunted him all night and he wanted to find the source of it, see if she'd dabbed it on her neck or between her b.r.e.a.s.t.s...it was just the slightest bit stronger on her wrist and he wanted to open his mouth, rake his teeth along her skin...

A weird scuffling noise caught his ears and just before he could do just what he'd been thinking about doing, a familiar voice rang out.

"Heya, Marc, buddy...where you at?"

Groaning, he closed his eyes.

Caleb...that was Caleb. They had an agreement, one they'd made a few years back after...well. After the disaster that shall be unnamed. Marc would come to Caleb's stupid-a.s.s parties and Caleb, in turn, would keep his eye out for him.

And no doubt, that was probably what Caleb thought he was doing.

Lowering Chaili's hand, he gave her a tired smile. "That's my handler."

"You've got a handler?" she asked, quirking a brow at him.

"Sort of." He shrugged, glancing over as Caleb finally appeared around a bend.

"I never thought you'd be the kind of man who'd let somebody take you in hand, Marc," she teased, poking him in the knee.

He snorted. Unable to resist, he stroked a hand down her back. "n.o.body wants that job, trust me."

"Hmmm. I know the feeling," she said, dipping her head. For a second, her shoulders slumped.

"Chaili?"

Rubbing his hand in a circle over the small of her back, he watched as she straightened and smiled up at him. "Some of us just aren't meant to be handled, I guess."

"There you are, man..." Caleb said, giving him an easy smile. But there was worry in his eyes. Worry, an apology.

Marc stood. Chaili did the same. "Hey, I don't think I introduced you two. Caleb, this is an old friend of mine." Slipping an arm around her waist, he tugged Chaili in closer, pressing a kiss to her brow. And because she was there, because he could, he let himself breathe in the scent of her... Aw, f.u.c.k, she smelled so d.a.m.n good...

"Oh?" Caleb continued to stand there, watching them closely.

"Yeah." He wondered what she'd do if he...

"Marc." Caleb's voice, a hard, clear slap in the night, was an annoyance he could have done without.

Looking up, he shot his friend a dark look. "What?"

"You were telling me about your friend. An old friend. I remember a time you brought an old friend to one of my parties..." Caleb narrowed his eyes and said, "She was something of a b.i.t.c.h, really."

There were some weird undercurrents going on there and Chaili normally would have been A-okay leaving the two of them alone to hash it out, right up until Caleb tossed out the line about Marc's last date.

Easing away from Marc was almost like cutting off an arm. He felt so good against her and those hands, the hands she'd dreamed about stroking along her back, her neck, all those sensitive erogenous zones that made her want to shiver and sigh.

Shoving those needs to the side, she studied the man in front of her. He looked vaguely familiar. "Excuse me, did you just imply I'm a b.i.t.c.h?"

Behind her, she heard a muttered curse.

The man before her just smiled. "Not at all, Ms....?"