I want to say yes. Instead, I say, "What-what exactly do you want to do with me?"

"So many things, but mostly I want to f.u.c.k you. Hard and fast and very thoroughly."

Oh my.

"I-will it be kinky?"

He chuckles. "Would you like it to be?"

I don't know. "I'm not-I mean, I haven't ever." I feel my cheeks start to burn furiously. I've been out on a horrible number of first dates, courtesy of my mother, but have had only two real boyfriends. The first was more experienced than I was, and by that I mean that he'd dated a college girl even though we were in high school. But unless a fast f.u.c.k on top of his parents' pool table counts, there was nothing remotely kinky about our relationship. As for the second, there was definitely pain with Kurt, but only the emotional kind.

All in all, the types of things Damien might be talking about are outside my realm of experience.

Stark seems to understand my hesitation. "I want to give you pleasure," he says. "That's all I want to do. Will we do things that are kinky? You may think so. But I also think you'll like it."

I tremble, surprised by how much I want to know what things he wants to do with me. Under my tank top, my nipples are hard. Between my legs, my s.e.x throbs. I think you'll like it. Yeah, I think so, too. a.s.suming we get that far. a.s.suming he doesn't call off the deal once he sees me naked.

I close my eyes wishing things were different. Wishing I was different.

"Take a chance, Nikki," he says softly. "Let me show you how far I can take you."

I draw in a breath, then let it out slowly. I remember our game in the limo. "Yes, sir," I finally say.

He sucks in air sharply. I've surprised him, and the thought thrills me. "Good girl," he says. Then, "Dear G.o.d, I want you now."

Me, too. "The first session, Mr. Stark," I say, but the tremble in my voice gives me away.

"Of course, Ms. Fairchild. I'll send a car for you tomorrow evening. I'll text you when it's on the way. Stay in tonight and relax. I want you refreshed. And open your door. There's something for you on the mat."

On my mat?

"Sweet dreams, Ms. Fairchild," he says, then clicks off before I can ask what he's talking about.

I hurry from my bedroom, pa.s.sing Jamie who's still napping on the couch. I open the door to find a small box wrapped in silver paper.

I don't even bother taking it into the apartment, just tear off the paper and lift the lid. There's a stunning ankle bracelet inside. Diamonds and emeralds set in platinum and strung on a delicate chain. It sparkles in my palm, the weight negligible.

Beneath the bracelet, I find a handwritten note. For our week. Wear this. D.S.

Our week? He must have just written this. Must have just been here, outside the apartment.

The realization sends a shiver up my spine. I unclasp the latch, bend down, and hook it around my ankle. Then I stand up and look defiantly out toward the street.

I see a car, red and sporty and obviously expensive. I can't see through the tinted windows, but that doesn't matter. I am certain that it's Damien.

I watch, silently daring him to come to me. Or maybe I'm begging? I honestly don't know. But the car door doesn't open. The car doesn't move.

Our time hasn't begun.

Finally, I have reached my limit. I turn and go back into the apartment. I close the door and sag against it, feeling warm and edgy. But I'm smiling. Because out there in the world, Damien Stark is waiting for me.

16.

I wake up when the sun coming through the blinds. .h.i.ts my face and I realize I forgot to set an alarm. Except for the diamond and emerald ankle bracelet, I'm naked under the covers. My hand is cupped between my legs, and I'm slick with desire.

I'd fallen asleep thinking about Damien, and I think I must have dreamed of him, too.

I roll over and grope for my phone-then immediately panic when I see that it's already after seven.

s.h.i.t.

Any lingering erotic fantasies dissolve. If I don't hurry, I'm going to be late for work.

I take a longer shower than I should, but I need it. The water is near scalding, and it pounds at my body, dissolving fantasies and desires. I need to be in work-mode now; Damien Stark has no place in my head.

I don't have time to blow-dry and style my hair, so I towel-dry it to dampness, then comb it out. It will air dry on the drive, and I can brush it out into its natural waves as I'm making the trek from my c.r.a.ppy parking place to the elevator.

Traffic is a b.i.t.c.h, and by the time I finally pull into that c.r.a.ppy parking place, I'm a bit b.i.t.c.hy myself.

I sling my bag over my shoulder, grab my brush, then furiously brush my hair as I stomp to the elevator on two-inch heels.

The receptionist, Jennifer, looks wide-eyed at me as I pull open the gla.s.s door to the C-Squared offices. I frown and do a quick mental check of my outfit, but as far as I can tell, everything is b.u.t.toned and zipped.

"Is he in?" I say. "I have an idea about tweaking one of the algorithms." Jennifer probably doesn't care, but it's one of those ideas that hits you like a blast furnace, and I want to talk it out with Carl and then get Brian or Dave crunching the numbers.

"He didn't call you?" Jennifer squeaks. "I thought for sure he would call you."

Something's very weird. "Why would he call?"

"He-oh, s.h.i.t. Here. He said to give this to you." She hands me a thin envelope.

I don't want to take it, but I do. It seems to weigh a thousand pounds. "Jennifer," I say very slowly. "What is this?"

"It's your check. And that's your stuff." She c.o.c.ks her head to indicate something behind her. For the first time, I notice the copy paper box filled with my personal things. Jennifer bites her lower lip.

"I see." I square my shoulders. "You never answered my question. Is he in?" I am not going to cry or lose my temper in front of Jennifer. But I am d.a.m.n well going to talk to Carl.

She nods, then shakes her head. "No. I mean, yes, he's here. But he said he wouldn't see you. I'm sorry, Nikki, but he was really, really clear on that. He said that if you didn't just take your stuff and go, that I'm supposed to call security."

I feel numb. This is shock. I'm in shock. "But why?"

"I don't know. Honest." Jennifer looks like she's in physical pain, and even though I want to melt into the carpet, I feel sorry for her. And p.i.s.sed at Carl. What a f.u.c.king coward to make the receptionist fire me.

"He didn't say anything?"

"Not to me. But I think it has something to do with the pitch."

"The pitch?" My voice is a squeak. "But it went great."

"Really? Because Stark called first thing this morning and told Carl he wasn't going to invest."

My stomach roils. "You're serious?"

"You really didn't know?"

"I really didn't." But I think I know why I was fired.

I'm in a weird kind of fog as I take my stuff down to my car. I drop the box in the trunk, but I don't get in the car. It's only when I'm halfway across the parking level that I realize I'm on my way to Stark Tower.

Since it's not the weekend, I don't need to sign in with Joe. But I stop by the security desk anyway since I have no idea what floor the reception area for Stark International is on.

"Thirty-five," Joe says.

"Thanks. Do you happen to know if Mr. Stark is in today?" I am amazed at how calm my voice sounds.

"I believe so, Ms. Fairchild."

"Great," I say, surprised he remembers my name.

I hurry to the proper elevator bank and drum my fingers on my leg as I wait for the car to arrive. Finally, it comes and I pile on with a half dozen other people. The car seems to stop at every floor, until I'm the only one left for the final leg of the journey. The car stops on thirty-five, the doors glide open, and I step out into another well-appointed reception area, my heart pounding so hard I'm surprised I haven't cracked a rib.

A young woman with curly red hair smiles at me from behind a polished desk. "Ms. Fairchild? Welcome to Stark International. If you'll follow me, I'll take you to Mr. Stark's office."

"I-what? Oh ..." I am a stuttering mess. This isn't what I'd scripted when I rode up. I'd intended to demand to see him, refusing to leave reception until he spoke to me and explained himself. And for that matter, how does this woman know who I am?

I would ask her, but she's already leading me through a set of frosted gla.s.s doors. We've entered yet another reception area, this one done in a contemporary style. There are photographs on the wall featuring waves, mountains, tall redwood trees. There's even a close-up of a bicycle tire, a winding road visible through the spokes. Each is artistically composed, with such precise and startling perspectives, that I'm certain they were all taken by the same photographer. I shove my irritation aside long enough to wonder who took them. Damien, perhaps?

Another girl sits behind another desk. This one is a brunette, with a short pixie cut. She also smiles at me. "Ms. Fairchild," she says as she pushes a b.u.t.ton on her desk. "You can go on in."

The woman who escorted me leads us forward as a set of beautifully polished wooden doors swing open in front of me revealing the impressive form of Damien Stark. Today, there's nothing casual about his outfit. He speaks into a headset as he paces behind his desk in a perfectly tailored double-breasted suit in a dark pewter over a crisp white shirt. The outfit is pulled together with a red tie and onyx cuff links. The sheen from the material reflects some of the light coming in from the window behind him, making Stark look like he's radiating heat and power. It's an outfit meant to intimidate and impress, and I have to admit that it works.

"Go ahead and have a seat," my escort says. "He'll be with you in a moment." Then she's gone, the doors swinging shut behind her.

I don't sit, but stand right in front of his desk, my arms crossed over my chest. I want to hold on to my anger, but it's hard, because Stark is right there, and I've already learned that just being in the same room with him makes my head go all fuzzy. I think it's because when I'm close to him, all the air seems to vanish.

"I'm looking at the quarterlies right now," Stark says, s.n.a.t.c.hing a sheaf of papers from his desk. It's huge, and every inch of desktop is covered with papers. From where I stand, I see neat stacks of magazines-Scientific American, Physics Today, Air & s.p.a.ce, even the French La Recherche. Charts and graphs are spread out in the middle, both marked up with handwritten notes made with red and blue pencil. A stack of correspondence rests on the far side of the desk, the corner of the pile held down with a battered copy of Isaac Asimov's I, Robot.

"I'm not interested in excuses," Stark continues. "I'm interested in hard, cold numbers. Yes, well, tell him that the time to ply me with projections was when he pitched the project in the first place. And the time for excuses is never. If he can't live up to the schedule we agreed to, then I'll put in my own team. h.e.l.l yes, I have that right. No? Well, have him read the contract again. Then we'll talk. Fine. No, I think this conversation is over. All right, then."

He clicks off, and turns to me, and it's as if I'm watching a computer graphic of a man shifting into the form of another. The executive seems to melt before me, leaving only the man. Albeit one insanely s.e.xy man in a tailored business suit that probably cost more than Jamie's condo.

"What a wonderful surprise," he says as he crosses the room, his long strides bringing him right in front of me. He looks so cool, so f.u.c.king innocent that the anger that had been fading spews back up like hot lava out of a volcano.

"G.o.dd.a.m.n you," I snap as I lash out and slap him hard across the cheek, shocking myself as much as him.

The way his expression shifts from pleasure to shock to anger and then, finally, to confusion would be amusing if I didn't feel so sick to my stomach.

"Oh, G.o.d," I say. "I'm sorry." I'm speaking from behind my hand, which I've pressed to my mouth. "I'm so, so sorry."

"What the f.u.c.king h.e.l.l?" he asks. His body is rigid and his eyes are burning. The amber one seems to hold some compa.s.sion, but the dark black one looks like it could suck me down, down, down. Dangerous, I think. Ollie's right. That temper is dangerous.

"Carl fired me. Don't even pretend like you didn't know."

"I didn't," he says. The tension leaves his body. "f.u.c.k, Nikki, I swear that I didn't, though I probably should have expected it." He reaches for my hand, and I'm numb enough that I let him take it. He presses his lips to my fingertips, and the contact is so gentle and sweet it makes me want to cry. "I'm so sorry."

"Why did you say no? The proposal was amazing. The product is amazing. You were impressed-I know you were. And now Carl thinks that I snubbed you or f.u.c.ked you or otherwise got under your skin enough that you want to get back at me through him."

"He told you that?"

"He hasn't told me s.h.i.t. He didn't even have the b.a.l.l.s to fire me himself. But I'm not an idiot. I know what it looks like and what he must think."

"You have gotten under my skin," he says. "But that's not why I said no."

"Then why did you? I mean, come on, Damien. It's a d.a.m.n good product."

"It is." He pulls a small device out of his pocket. It takes me a second to realize it's a remote control. He pushes a b.u.t.ton and the room grows dark as the lights dim and the windows shift from clear to opaque.

"What are you-" But I don't bother to finish the question. A menu appears on a drop-down screen. Damien scrolls down to select one ent.i.tled Israeli Imaging 3IYK1108-DX.

A moment later, a grainy image appears. It's difficult to see everything, but it's clear that what Damien's showing me is a product similar to the one Carl pitched.

"An Israeli company called Primo-Tech has already received a patent on a similar product. They have a marketing plan in place, and they're deep into beta testing. They expect to roll out the full product next month."

I shake my head. "Carl doesn't know anything about this."

"No? Well, maybe he doesn't. Or maybe he was hoping that I would invest so that there would be enough capital behind his product to beat Primo-Tech in the marketplace."

I look at him. Carl can be a s.h.i.t, but surely he wouldn't do that. Would he?

"I don't play those kinds of games, Nikki. When I invest, it's because I have a clear path in the market. I said no to C-Squared because of the Primo-Tech product. It has nothing to do with you."

I nod. "I'm glad to hear it."

"Would you like me to explain that to Carl?"

"h.e.l.l no. I don't want to work for a man who jumps to those kinds of conclusions."

"Good." He looks me up and down, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"What?"