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She recoiled like I’d slapped her.
I immediately wanted to take the words back, because I was sure that even a blind man could have seen the sexual attraction I had to this woman.
“Fuck you, Boston. You don’t have to be a prick about it. This is how things have always worked around here. You guys come in, we give you a couple of free lap dances, and you leave us alone for a few more months.”
Now it was my turn to get annoyed. “You think I’m willing to take a bribe?”
That fire in her eyes turned into a challenge. “Haven’t met one of you yet who isn’t. Some just have a higher price than others.” Her eyes narrowed. “But for the record, sex is too high a price. Despite what you seem to think of me, I do have a line drawn in the sand.”
“I don’t have a price. I can’t be bought.”
She threw one hand up in the air in complete and utter pissed-off frustration. “Fine. Then search the club. Search every nook and cranny for all I care. Because I’ve got nothing to hide.”
We stood toe to toe, her chest heaving with her anger.
She was a wild animal, one I didn’t have a hope in hell of controlling, no matter how much I might want to.
But fuck, did I want to. All I could think about was taming her. Pushing her back against those lockers with my hand to her throat while I ground my hips against hers and stole her breath with my kiss.
I backed away, right out of the club, dragging a protesting Jayela with me.
I knew a losing battle when I saw one. Eve Hawkins was so far out of my league she may as well have been in a different stratosphere.
5
BOSTON
With irritation, I straightened my shoulders, put on a professional front, and pushed William Reed’s doorbell.
The chime rang out loudly, and there was a hum of activity from inside the house, but nobody actually opened the door.
I tried again.
“Would somebody please get that?” a deep voice bellowed from within.
The footsteps that eventually trudged to greet me were heavy and slow. The door finally swung open, and I instantly recognized William’s eldest child, who really wasn’t a child at all. The guy was young, early twenties, and taller than I was.
I smiled. “Dylan, right? I’m Officer Boston. I’m escorting your dad to his function this morning.”
Dylan pulled the door open to admit me. “Sure. Come on into the madhouse.”
I followed him inside and instantly understood what he meant. There were people everywhere, half with their cell phones held to their ear, others banging away on their laptops. Dylan took up a seat at the breakfast counter beside his younger sister who didn’t look up at my entrance. Her chunky black over-ear headphones probably kept her completely unaware of the chaos around her. The two of them ate cold cereal from a bowl while absently thumbing through their phones.
William stood at the center of the chaos, suit shirt only half buttoned, tie slung over his shoulder. His bare foot tapped impatiently at whatever was being said into his earpiece. He waved distractedly in my direction when he spotted me, then turned around and started barking orders at whoever was on the other end of the call.
Right. Guess we weren’t leaving for the function anytime soon then, despite the fact I’d turned up right on time in the hopes of avoiding this exact situation.
“There’s coffee in the pot over there.” Dylan pointed farther along the huge island bench that could comfortably seat at least eight, judging by the number of stools tucked beneath it.
I thanked him gratefully and grabbed a mug from the stack piled up beside the machine. The coffee aroma wafted up, and I inhaled it greedily. I hadn’t had my first cup yet, and I hoped it would be good. I had a feeling I was going to need it to get through a morning of listening to William’s campaign speeches.
A high-pitched screech, sharp and shrill, cut through the monotone of business. Everybody in the room paused, then went back to whatever they’d been doing.
Everyone but me. I wasn’t programmed to just ignore the scream of a woman.
“Don’t worry about that,” Dylan reassured me. “It’s just my mother. She’s dramatic. Her lipstick probably doesn’t match her handbag or something.”
I frowned but took his word for it, and in the next moment, Laura Reed swept into the room, her silky long robe flowing out behind her like she was some Hollywood movie star.
