"I'm fine," I reply. I'm not though. I'm pissed - and for some reason, a little hurt.

"Maybe I should talk to him," Steele ponders out loud.

"Maybe you should give him some time to cool off."

The waitress delivers another glass of wine and I take a long drink.

"You shouldn't have to deal with that shit, babe."

Hearing Steele call me 'babe' reminds me that this isn't all about business.

"Maybe Jesse just has some animosity toward me because of Jasmine."

I casually throw that sentence out and let it hang in the air for a minute.

"Jasmine has no reason to dislike you. Neither does he."

I take another swig. This is the perfect segue for me to work in my conversation with Jasmine this morning.

"She seems to think she does," I say with a hint of an attitude, implying more than a business issue.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Before I can answer, a small group of giggling and chattering twenty somethings step up to our table.

"Hey, are you Steele Rush?" the busty blond leader of the pack asks. Her friends giggle with anticipation.

"Aren't you sweet," I reply, "he gets that a lot, but this is my boyfriend, Mike."

Steele nods and smiles.

"Oh," she says, disappointed, "are you sure?"

I laugh, "I think I would know if I was dating the hottest rock star in the country."

"Yeah, I guess." She looks back at her friends, "sorry to bother you."

"No problem. He loves the attention," I joke.

They walk away and go back to the bar.

"So I'm your boyfriend now?" Steele says with a cocky grin.

"No, Mike is my boyfriend," I reply sarcastically.

"Mike's a lucky guy," he answers without missing a beat.

"Maybe you should get out of here," I say to Steele, ignoring his comment.

"I think we need to finish our conversation first."

"The bar is starting to get crowded. I don't want you to risk being attacked by anymore fans."

"Jealous?" he teases me.

I scoff, "not even a little bit."

Steele rolls his eyes, calling my bluff, "well then, please finish telling me what's going on."

"This isn't the time or place, Steele."

"I think you know me well enough to know I'm not going to let you go until you tell me."

I see another group staring at us. Steele follows my gaze.

"Fine, let's get out of here." Steele announces.

"You can go ahead. I have to process this whole Jesse situation."

Steele stands and puts his hand on my shoulder, "let it go for now. Like you said, he needs to cool off. We can think about work tomorrow. Now come and tell me what the fuck you're talking about."

I don't argue. I don't protest. His assertive tone and hand on my shoulder are all I need to make me forget about it all - for right now at least.

I stand and Steele takes my hand in his. He leads me behind the table and through a back entrance to the bar. I look around as I follow him. This must be how he was able to sneak up on me earlier. We reach a bank of elevators. The doors open and I get in behind him. He presses the button and inserts his key card for what I assume is his floor, because it's not mine.

"Where are we going?" I ask although I already know.

"My suite."

"Aren't you even going to ask me if I want to come?" I ask, trying to play it cool, leaning casually against the wall of the elevator Steele turns to face me, "I know you want to come, baby. I don't have to ask."

I swallow hard. I know his words have a double meaning and they hit me way below the belt.

He keeps his eyes on my face, his smirk telling me he's enjoying the discomfort his forward remark gave me. The elevator stops and the doors open. Steele waits before taking a step back. He gives me a crooked smile and takes my hand again.

I follow him out the doors and to a set of double doors just across the hall. He opens them, revealing an ornately decorated suite. There's a living room with a bar, a dining room, and another set of double doors that lead to the bedroom. I know because I can see the corner of a big, cushy looking bed.

"Nice, isn't it?" Steele comments.

"Maybe too nice," I reply, "are you sure this is in the budget?"

He strides back over to where I'm standing and looks in my eyes, "I told you no shop talk tonight."

I don't disagree. I remain silent and look back up at him.

"Now tell me what this nonsense is with Jasmine."

"I thought you said 'no shop talk'" I reply mocking him.

"It didn't sound work related," Steele says seriously.

I take a step back. I don't want to be so close to him while talking about another woman.

"It's so silly," I start, "just catty bullshit."

"Yes, Jasmine can be pretty fucking catty," Steele replies. He's still close enough to touch me. He tucks my hair back behind my ear making it difficult for me to concentrate. "Go on."

"She saw us together last night - you know that," I'm nervous enough, his proximity is only making it more difficult, "she warned me to stay away from you. She told me about the two of you."

Steele looks confused, "the two of us?" he repeats.

"Yes. She told me you're a thing - and that's fine. I just got here. I'm not here to fuck things up. I don't want trou..."

Steele just laughs.

"What?" I ask, feeling like an idiot.

He takes a deep breath, "Jasmine is an incredible singer. I'm lucky to have had her touring with me for the last few years."

I look at him, waiting to hear where this is going.

"But she's fucking crazy."

I can't help but laugh. Steele grins.

"Seriously. She is. We hooked up once, when she first joined us. It was a mistake. I never mix business and pleasure," he explains.

I roll my eyes, silently reminding him that that's exactly what he's doing with me.

"Well, not usually."

"And then," I add, somewhat snidely.

"Come on, babe, I'm trying to explain."

"I don't need an explanation. This is why I don't want to be involved in all this," I wave my arms around, "shit."

"There's nothing to be involved in, Annika. I promise you. There was never anything between Jasmine and I, and there never will be."

I glare it him in disbelief, "I don't even want to be in a situation where I have to question this kind of thing."

"So don't question." Steele puts his hands on my face, "just listen to me."

I remain silent. I want to listen. I want to believe whatever he says.

"I want YOU." He kisses my cheek.

"I want ONLY you." He kisses my other cheek.

"There is no one else." Steele kisses me softly on the lips.

Steele leans his head back and looks into my eyes, "I don't care about anything else, baby. You're here now, and that's all I need."

"But," I start, but Steele places his finger on my lips.

"Maybe you should just let me show you how I feel."

He presses his lips to mine and pulls me in closer. He kisses me, deep. His tongue feels like heaven in my mouth. My body quickly relaxes in his arms. I don't know if I should believe him or not - but I want to.

The stress of the day weighing me down, the thought of what is going to come of it tomorrow - I just want to forget it all. I don't want to think about any of it right now.

Steele slides my shirt down over my shoulders. His warm hands caress me as he moves them over my skin. I can feel his cock pressing into my hip and it makes me moan, the sound getting lost in our kiss.

His hands cup my breasts and my tongue races with his. Our mouths open and close around one another. Steele's hands work their way over my chest and down over my belly. He unbuttons my jeans and sucks on my lower lip. He looks me in the eyes and gives me his most devilish smile.

Steele drops to his knees in front of me. He takes my zipper between his teeth and stares up at me. I suck in a breath as he slowly pulls my zipper down, never taking his eyes off of mine. He grabs the waist of my jeans and yanks them down over my hips. I grasp the small table next to me for support.

He begins to kiss and suck on my thighs, slowly working his way up my legs. Steele takes his finger and runs it along my slit, over my underwear.

"How about we get rid of this silly scrap of fabric?" he asks.

Before I can answer, he hooks his finger around the silky material and pulls them down around my ankles with my jeans and immediately begins to work his tongue over my soft flesh.

I grip my hands in his hair, squeezing and kneading my fingers while he sucks me in all the right places. My breathing is heavy and my nipples are taught. Steele glides his hands up my thighs, over my hips, my stomach, and up to my chest.

He tweaks my nipples with his fingers, his mouth still on my sex. I groan in ecstasy. I tug on Steele's hair, my body quivering.

"Mmm," he mumbles.

I feel the vibration of his voice against my inner lips and it brings me over the edge. Steele laps up my juices with his tongue. I look down and see his face looking back up at me. The look in his eyes tells me he isn't finished yet. I shudder once again.

Steele stands back up. He kisses and sucks on my neck - taking off his jeans while he does. I claw at his shirt, pulling it up over his head. This wasn't how I saw this night going, but I'm in too deep to worry about that now.

My face must have exposed my moment of doubt because Steele stops and looks at me, "it's me and you, babe. Nothing else matters - not tonight."

His words are simple, but they cut straight through to my heart. Steele flashes a gentle smile and kisses me softly on the cheek, then his eyes narrow. His smile becomes a mischievous grin. His expression lets me know that he's about to show me some more about how he feels. My heart begins to beat faster again.

Steele kisses my neck again and puts his hands on my hips. Even though he's long and thick, I'm already so wet, so he sinks his cock into me - burying himself inside of me in one fluid motion. I suck in a breath and grab onto his shoulders. He continues to rock, holding me in place. I'm pinned between Steele and the wall and right now, there is no place else I would rather be.

He continues the steady thrusting motion. My fingers dig into his flesh. Steele dips deep inside of me, pulls himself almost all the way out, and thrusts back into me. Our breathing is fast and hard. His hands slide up my skin and cover my breasts. My body quivers with every stroke of his cock and touch of his hands.

Steele breathes onto my neck. The feel of his warm breath and damp lips on my skin sends a chill over my body.

"Fuck, baby, you feel so good," he whispers.

Hearing the sound of Steele's throaty voice bring me to the edge. Breathless, I pull him closer to me. Our bodies move in unison, rocking back and forth. His chest pressing against mine.

He pumps inside me while my juices spill around him. I can feel him throbbing inside of me but he doesn't stop. He lets me enjoy every second of my orgasm before allowing himself to surrender. Our hips grind together, slowly. Steele pushes himself deep inside of me, causing me to quiver once more.