had taken her money but she’d allowed that to happen. Her luck with men had always been horrible. Why she thought this time would be any different was beyond her. He’d done what all men do—use women then drop them. That’s what her father had done the moment he found out her mother was pregnant with Noelle.
That should have been enough to warn Jade against all men, but as Grammy always said, “A hard head makes for a soft behind.”
Now that hard head had her boarding an elevator on her way to meet with a stranger. To ask him for some time to come up with the five thousand dollars. According to Noelle that was a foolish thing to do but Jade figured she’d talk to him like one business owner to another. Besides, was five thousand dollars really worth filing charges and throwing a woman into jail?
The two ogres stepped off the elevator, one looking over his shoulder to make sure she followed him. She did, with her head held high. She’d asked to see the manager the moment those dice stopped rolling and she’d counted the seven dots. She planned to walk right in and ask him…for what? Three weeks? Three months? When would she have the money? He’d probably laugh in her face. Or worse, he might make her wash five thousand dollars’ worth of dishes.
Maybe she’d have to wear one of those skimpy costumes and walk around offering watered-down soda and stale coffee to the guests. She could do that, but she’d catch a horrible cold from being half-naked in the very air-conditioned casino.
Beavis and Butthead, which she’d now named her escorts, stood to the side, dark oak double doors between the two of them. “What now?” she asked as she stared up at them expectantly. She wasn’t a mind reader and was fairly sure that though they were huge and appeared not-too-bright, they could speak the English language.
“He’s waiting for you,” Beavis, the one on the right with the clean-shaven head volunteered.
Defiantly she folded her arms over her chest. “Who is?”
The men exchanged a glance then Beavis gave a crooked grin. “The Boss.”
His words sounded ominous but she would not be intimidated. It hadn’t escaped her that nobody bothered to tell her the man’s name. It could be a woman for all she knew, not that the gender mattered. “So shall I just go in or do you want to announce me?”
Butthead, with an expression that said he was growing tired of her already, leaned over, twisted the knob and pushed the door open.
Squaring her shoulders and taking a deep breath, Jade walked into the office noticing first, the very masculine scent and second, the plush carpet that her high heels practically sank into. The door closed behind her and she turned to see if her guards had accompanied her inside. Of course they hadn’t, and she was a little disappointed. As it stood now there were no witnesses. She was in the office alone with the Boss…except—her eyes scanned the lavishly decorated office—the Boss was nowhere to be found.
Shrugging she walked around the room. It was dark, but ornate. Rich mahogany molding, hunter-green papered walls, leather furniture and marble desktops boasted a masculine touch. There were two desks in an L shape directly in front of the huge window that from the outside was tinted gold. On the long side were a dozen monitors showing different views of the casino floor. Somebody liked to keep an eye on his money, she mused.
Crossing to the other side of the room she saw trophies and commendations presented to the casino by the State of Nevada, the Gaming Commission, the governor. Whoever the Boss was, he was pretty darn popular.
Absently sliding her hand over the smooth leather arm of the couch Jade wondered what it must be like to live in such splendor. She came from a middle-class family. They didn’t starve but they didn’t have a lot of luxuries, either. Now that she owned her own business that would change, hopefully. Too bad Grammy wouldn’t be here to share it with her. She heard a clicking sound behind her and turned quickly…a little too quickly, because her heel caught in the deep carpet and she felt herself falling backward, arms flailing wildly.
Moments before her head would have hit the edge of the marbled coffee table strong arms slipped around her waist pulling her back into an upright position. At the contact, slow and steady waves of heat slid through her body until warmth overtook her. He held her close, the front of her pressed securely against the hard strength of him. His masculine scent—she’d smelled it instantly upon entering the room—engulfed her, rendering her defenseless against its torture. Then she managed enough coherency to look at his face. She saw the eyes, remembered and immediately stiffened.
Linc had been admiring the view from behind. She wore black pants, tight around her hips and backside then stretching the length of what he imagined to be long, gorgeous legs. Her hair swayed seductively down her back as she moved. Then she’d reached out, touched the couch and let her fingers glide along the fabric. He imagined that hand moving over him in the same manner. Touching him lightly, gripping him…He took a deep breath then steadied himself before speaking.
She owed him money. This was no longer about his immediate attraction to her, but more about business. And Linc never let anything get in the way of business.
Then she’d tripped and he’d rushed over to keep her from falling. Without thinking twice he’d grabbed her, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, keeping her there. Those luscious breasts rubbed against his lower chest and he wanted to moan. One hand was dangerously close to the small of her back, where the roundness of her bottom began. Every inch of his body stood at attention including the one he’d been battling with since the moment he’d first glimpsed her over the monitor. He was sure she was aware of his aroused state and wondered what thoughts were going through her mind.
He looked down into her face. Noted the high cheekbones, the hazel eyes, the succulent lips…then back to the eyes again…
“Jade?”
She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. It couldn’t be. Please, please, please, don’t let her luck be that bad.
It had been years. Eight years to be exact. She’d thought of him occasionally—okay, frequently—in that time. But she never, ever thought she’d see him again. She didn’t want to see him again.
But here he was, as tall, dark and breathtakingly handsome as he’d been that night. He’d developed. Instinctively her fingers tightened over his biceps. She gasped and pulled her hands away as if she’d been burned. He still held her close. Too close. She wriggled trying to break free.
“Sweetheart, that’s not such a good idea right now,” he said through clenched teeth.
She halted as the knowledge of what he meant poked her stomach. He had grown. She swallowed then summoned the courage she seemed to have left at the door and tried again to speak. “Then why don’t you be kind enough to let me go?”
“I’m not real sure I want to do that.”
His smoldering gaze held her still, reducing her insides to mush that shifted and swirled in a fiery ball at her center. Her knees were shaking. She hated herself for this pure feminine weakness. He no longer had this type of control over her, no man did. Planting her palms firmly on his chest and trying like hell to ignore the blessed rigidness beneath her palms she pushed against him. “I don’t care what you want.”
He frowned, then loosened his grip until his hands were no longer on her. But not before letting them glide down her hips, just brushing past her bottom. Her body quaked one last time as she took a shaky step backward.
“Fine. We’ll get right to business then.” He spoke as he turned away and moved around his desk.
She watched him walk—correction, Lincoln Donovan had never walked, he swaggered. That self-assured glide that said he was the man and you’d better not dispute it. His dress pants were expertly tailored and hung over his hips and taut buttocks just right. Her mouth watered. He wore all black. His pants, his shirt, his tie, everything was black and domineering. And Jade had never loved the color more. His arms were even thicker when she looked at them from a distance, his chest broader, his shoulders squared. He was built