Dani didn’t like the expression on Rand’s face. As relaxed as she’d been a second ago, with the rush of sex and satisfaction still thrumming through her veins, now she was suddenly uneasy. She felt the same way she did when she was holding a losing poker hand, without any way to back out gracefully. “Yeah, so, thanks for that,” she said. “But now I’ve got to go.”
“So you keep saying.” The words were mild, but still a challenge. Rand strode over to a table and pulled out a chair. Other than the towel loosely wrapped around his hips, he was still naked while she was fully dressed, yet he moved without hesitation. And, in doing so, he gave her a full and unrestricted view of his back.
Dani’s lips thinned, trying to reconcile her vision of Rand Sterling Winston IV, perfection personified, with this subtly but importantly different reality. Just as her fingers had told her, Rand’s gorgeous back was marred with a series of faint scars—just visible enough to be noticeable for someone who knew what she was looking for. Which Dani did. Only these scars were different from anything she’d ever seen before. There was nothing frenetic or impassioned about the thin, white, long-healed welts that slashed across Rand’s back; they were frighteningly uniform, for all that they were few. In fact, the placement of these few scars was almost the most jarring part—they made it seem like, more than anything, Rand hadn’t ever been meant to be truly damaged. At least not in a way that anyone could see.
Still, there was no escaping the truth: Rand had been beaten. Routinely, and over an extended period of time. Probably not since he was a child, she thought, which of course made sense. There undoubtedly had come a point when he’d been bigger and stronger than whomever it was who thought to lay hands on him. After that, there would have been no more beatings, no more of a lot of things.
Dani had her own scars, too, though nothing as uniform as these. And even though only a few had damaged Rand enough to remain a lasting legacy, how many more had faded away to scar nothing else but his soul?
As she tried to keep a tight hold on her emotions, Rand sat, then glanced up at her, gesturing for her to do the same. “I believe it would be to your significant advantage if you remain here another few minutes, Dani. There’s more for us to discuss.”
“I really doubt that.” Still, she found herself walking toward him, pulling out the chair he indicated. Ignoring the chilled girlie shot that she’d prepared, Rand picked up one of the other bottles on the tray, pouring out a measure of bourbon for them both. The dark amber liquid swirled as he picked up his glass and tilted it toward her, regarding her for what seemed like a long time. Dani just stared back at him, every nerve on high alert. Something was shifting between them, something dark and dangerous. Rand had gone almost feral, predatory, and she wasn’t sure why. Worse, she wasn’t sure how she felt about it. She needed to walk away from this man, from the potent mix of perfection and damage, comfort and danger. Because if she didn’t watch it, she’d be walking toward him, blindly stepping into whatever trap he was about to spring.
When Rand still didn’t speak, she flattened her hands on the table. “Don’t you have somewhere else you need to be? Since our little coffee break here is done and all?”
Rand quirked a brow. “Surely you don’t believe that I came all this way tonight just to fuck you, Dani.”
Finally. Words. She shrugged, sitting back. “You wouldn’t be the first.”
“I’m sure not.” His tone was equally mild, but still: Dani’s words clearly annoyed him, which made her feel a good deal better. Rand watched her with assessing eyes, then seemed to come to some decision.
He nodded. “I would like to see you again, Dani. Tonight. Tomorrow. Next week.”
“Well, um, thank you, I guess,” she said, frowning. Is he for real? This had to be some sort of joke. Rand had to have his pick of playmates from the trust-fund set. He didn’t need to go slumming. “But no thank you.”
“I’m serious.”
Something in his words sparked irritation, fresh and hot. “And I’m saying no. You were a remarkable lay, and I sincerely appreciate you interrupting a quiet night. But let’s be blunt. I’m not interested in being part of any down-market fantasy you’ve got going on, Rand Sterling Winston IV, and my dance card is a little full these days. You had a good time, I had a good time, and now we can go about our lives.”
His gaze didn’t even flicker. “You wouldn’t want to spend more time with me?”
“I…” Dani hesitated. She couldn’t lie, at least not to herself. Spending “time” with Rand had already proven fun, but there was more going on between them here that wasn’t so fun, something she couldn’t put a finger on. The sex had turned out to be great, sure. Silver Spoon had already proven that he was more than capable of ringing her chimes. But there was something beyond their immediate and intense attraction that flickered dangerously in the shadows, setting her nerves on edge. Something that she needed to be very careful of. “I don’t see the point.”
“And everything has to have a point?”
She smiled again, knowing he was deliberately forcing her to repeat the little mantra that was developing between them. “Saves time.”
“Well, time is really the point, here. Your time, in particular, which I am more than willing to pay you to spend with me, whenever and wherever I want.”
Pay me? Dani raised a brow, even as her mind hissed caution. The prospect of Rand throwing cash at her for any reason immediately brought Jimmy’s money troubles to the fore, of course—how could it not? Despite her little brother’s momentary spurts of good humor, Jimmy wasn’t looking so hot these days. He was pale, worn-out. He’d lost weight, too, and the circles under his eyes spoke of way too many nights with way too little sleep. She was on the verge of calling his wife, but with Rand and his bags of cash here, maybe she wouldn’t have to. Maybe she could get enough money together quickly enough, between the little deal Rand was cooking up and Lou’s upcoming job, to take care of whatever problem Jimmy was trying to fend off. That’d be better than dragging his wife into it, no question. Let Katie focus on building their new life with their baby girl. Dani would focus on getting Jimmy back on track.
Rand’s proposition also pinged all of her hyperaware con-artist senses. Those senses shivered even now, sensing an easy score. Still, she needed to go slow here, consider all the angles. Golden Boy was definitely playing some kind of game with her, and she didn’t know why. And despite her better judgment, part of her wanted to know why. Wanted to go along not only for the promise of a quick payday, but to find out what was behind Rand’s sudden and unreasonable interest in her. “You want to pay me to be your friend?”
“And if I said yes?”
“Then maybe I’d be willing to hear more.” Her gaze drifted over him, seeing the naked desire in his eyes, and just that quickly, her own interest cooled. Is that what this was about? Rand looking for sex on demand? Well, he was in luck: The city had high-priced hookers coming out its ears. But unfortunately for him, Dani enjoyed sex too much to turn it into some kind of job. If she was in the mood, then she was in the mood. And if she wasn’t, that was just too damn bad for everyone else concerned. She tilted her head, her gaze meeting Rand’s directly. Might as well set him straight. “But you should know that my personal presence happens to be in high demand these days, so I don’t come cheap. And just so we’re clear on everything up front, sex wouldn’t be a part of the arrangement.”
“You will find I don’t hire cheap,” Rand said. “And sex would definitely be part of the arrangement, though not as any sort of job ‘requirement.’ What I require is your physical presence. Wherever I want you, whenever I want you. The sexual relationship between us is an entirely different conversation.”
Dani snorted. “It’ll be a very short conversation.”
“I have no doubt about it,” Rand said, but the way he spoke the words somehow twisted her original meaning back on itself, taunting her. She imagined his hands on her again, steady and sure, the strength of his grasp almost painful as she arched beneath him. Unbidden, she felt the heat pool in her belly, and she gritted her teeth to keep focused. Which was good, because Rand kept talking. “Still, while we are in each other’s company, you should understand that anything you want to do with me—you can and you should.”
She stilled. “What do you mean by that?”
“Exactly what you think. You may place any restrictions you like on our time together…but I won’t. I am—completely—available for your every need or desire.”
“Uh-huh. And you’re the one paying me?”
Rand smiled. “The money is inconsequential to me. However, you should know that when it comes to my business transactions, I do require my associates to honor their commitments.”
“Of course you do.” The intensity of Rand’s gaze made Dani glance away for a moment, before she got a hold of her nerves again. Jimmy. You have to think of Jimmy. She didn’t know exactly what his problems were, but he was just a kid, with all the possibilities of life ahead of him. He was also her only connection in this world, really, and someone who was trying to do the right thing now, even if he’d gone down some paths in the past that maybe he regretted. Rand’s pockets were deep enough that he could probably pay off Jimmy’s debts with his loose change. Which is the only reason she flicked her gaze back to him, allowing this game to continue. “What sort of commitments?” she asked, keeping her tone even.
Rand shrugged. “If you agree to be somewhere, you be there. If you agree to do something, you do it. Easy enough.”
Dani tilted her head, considering this. “And what exactly is it you’d be asking me to do?”
Rand’s smile was intent. “The kind of things that might make you uncomfortable, I suspect.”
She scowled at him. “I told you, no—”
“And I told you, that wouldn’t be a requirement.” His words were low, quiet. Almost mesmerizing. “I don’t need to pay you for sex, Dani. Not when it’s something we both clearly want. But if I ask you to do something else, anything else, and you say yes—I can’t have you backing down in the middle of things.” Rand had somehow moved closer to her as he’d spoken, and Dani’s pulse was quickening again. Is he talking about some sort of crime? A con of some sort? Rand was still naked and she was clothed, but she felt like she was the one being exposed here, her layers peeled back like some sort of birthday present Rand was unwrapping at his leisure. The intensity of his interest unnerved her, and she forced herself to focus on the question at hand, and specifically what he was asking of her.
“Yeah, well. I’m not big on backing down.” It was a true enough statement. Whether she worked alone or as part of a group, Dani always carried her weight, on jobs legal or otherwise. She’d made a good living by doing exactly what was requested—and only what was requested. “If you’re looking for references, I’m sure I can get you a few.”
“I’ve found it very difficult to trust references.” Rand said the words without heat, his gaze still steady. “Of course, that does make it difficult for me to assess the full nature of your abilities unless I see them firsthand.” His lips quirked. “Perhaps a test is in order.”
She frowned at him, tensing. “A test.”
“An easy enough one, if you know how to follow orders.” Rand’s lips twisted into a smile. “You’ll forgive me if I’m not entirely sure about that.”
Dani narrowed her eyes. He was deliberately baiting her, but she couldn’t seem to let it go. And the promise of his cash was real enough, she suspected. Rand didn’t need to hang around here just for the possibility of sex with her. They’d gotten that out of the way in short order, and he could have anyone he wanted, whenever he wanted. So what was his deal? What did he really need her for?
She realized that she wanted to know the answer to that question. Even if it meant playing by his rules. Hell, if she was honest with herself, especially if it meant playing by his rules—just for a little while, however, and only on her terms. Because the best thing in the world would be to figure out what this man’s game was, and then beat him at it. To get something for nothing—it was perhaps her finest skill. “Okay, I’m in for your little test,” she said. “What do you want me to do?”
Rand nodded. “To start with, take off your clothes.”
Rand couldn’t help the spike in his pulse as Dani’s gaze turned from intrigued to surprised, then back to intrigued again. “Me taking off my clothes is going to—”
He silenced her by lifting a hand. The movement was lazy, almost careless, but Dani’s abrupt stillness sent a bolt of excitement through him. “We are testing your ability to follow orders, if you’ll recall,” he said.
Understanding flashed over her face, and she shrugged. Clearly, she was reasoning his request away with the fact that he’d already seen her naked. He didn’t care what her justification was. He merely enjoyed watching her slip out of her clothing once more, with speed and efficiency. He had no doubt that Dani could conduct herself according to any internal script when it came to seduction—fast or slow, sensual or wild or workmanlike. But her default was movements like those he was seeing now, like he’d seen when she’d sliced the packaged painting open back in his office. Quick, efficient, to the point. Wasting no energy or focus on that which wasn’t entirely needful in the moment. He wondered whether all that was an act as well. Was she truly so devoid of sentimentality as she seemed? As hard-edged and pragmatic as she portrayed herself? What were the weaknesses that matched those strengths?
He looked forward to discovering every one of them. Much like he looked forward to exploring every inch of her.
“Step toward me, then turn around,” he said, and she did, unself-consciously moving within arm’s reach of him as he slid his own chair away from the table to get a closer look at her body. The smooth olive-toned skin wasn’t flawless, on inspection. Her arms were traced with light scars, her waist bore a bruise, as did the side of her thigh. The flock of birds tattooed up her arms fled over her back as well, in a graceful arc, and he dragged a finger down her shoulder blades, appreciating her shiver. Her body was perfectly proportioned, her hair thick and lustrous as it fell just past her shoulders in one long, straight wave.
“Now turn and look at me,” he said, and she turned her gaze toward his, assessing and wary. “Smile at me as if you were interested in sleeping with me, but much too polite to say so. Make me believe you want no one in the world as much as you want me.”
It took her only a second as she glanced away, then returned her gaze to him. The change was instantaneous. Her entire face seemed—looser, her eyes bigger, her lips fuller, and her skin fairly seemed to glow. Without raising a hand or shifting her body toward him, she seemed to be reaching out to him, her gaze lingering on his lips as her own mouth opened slightly, her cheeks pinking a little as she glanced to his eyes then away, a woman caught in the act, betraying too much.
He was stiff as a board now, and Dani was just getting started. He nodded, lifting a hand level with her face. This time, she didn’t flinch, but her eyes hardened momentarily, a flicker of danger passing through them that called to something deep inside him once again, a kindred spirit of outrage. Just that quickly, however, the moment passed, and she tilted her head as if to mold it into the curve of his palm.
He ran his fingers through her silky hair. “Beautiful,” he murmured. “Please don’t cut it.”
“I won’t.” She let her lids drop closed, and when she opened them again, her look was once again pure, sophisticated flirtation. In that moment, she could have been any woman at any party he’d attended for the past six months. She wasn’t wearing makeup, so the effect wasn’t as strong as he knew it could be, but he’d twice seen her dressed well enough to pass for one of his own. The idea of him parading Dani in front of his peers held a sudden, curious fascination. His own sister would probably faint at the sight of Dani’s tattoo-lined arms.
His gaze drifted over her shoulders, dipping past her collarbone. Her breasts were full but not over large. He palmed them now, testing their weight, and it was impossible to tell whether the sharp intake of Dani’s breath was intentional or part of her act. He moved his fingers over the delicate skin, feeling her nipples pebble beneath his fingers, and her eyes lifted up languorously to connect with his, the heat and open desire within them setting his blood racing in his veins.
“You’re very good,” he said, and he leaned down to nuzzle her lips. She opened her mouth, almost daring him to taste her more deeply, but he held himself in check. “You’ve passed the test.”
“I thought I might,” she murmured.
“Of course, now we’re both standing here naked again, which seems like a terrible waste of an opportunity to push things a little further.”
She smiled against him, and the moment suddenly shifted, the dance turning darker. “You want to keep ordering me around, Rand?” she asked, leaning back to regard him with soft eyes. “Is that what you want?”
He lifted his brows. “And if it is?”
“I could be up for a game of Simon Says, I suppose.” Her words were nonchalant, but Rand didn’t miss the quickness of her breath, or the shiver of her pulse beneath his fingers. “You think you can show me a good time, knock yourself out.”
He didn’t give her time to change her mind. “Spread your legs apart,” he said, and this time the hitch in her breath wasn’t planned. Nevertheless, she shifted in front of him, not trying to quell her shivers as he moved his hands down the curve of her waist and over the flare of her hips. His hands tightened on her hips and eased around her ass, tilting her toward him. “Stay still,” he said.
A tiny shot of panic flared in her eyes, and Rand let her know that he saw it, his lips curving into a smile as her gaze steadied and hardened. But her breathing was erratic, her pulse hammering in her neck, and as he dropped to his knees in front of her she couldn’t resist the spontaneous shift backward before she caught herself and stilled. He pressed his mouth hard against her hip bone, smiling as she shuddered against him at the unexpected erogenous zone. Her hands fluttered around his head, and he nodded. “Steady yourself against me. You’ll need to. Otherwise, don’t move until I tell you to.”
As Dani’s fingers lightly grazed his shoulders, Rand pulled her more intimately against his mouth, moving his lips in a quickly slashing trail to the vee between her thighs. Moist heat met his questing mouth and tongue, and her fingers spasmed in a grip on his shoulders as he pressed against her, the quivering skin still sensitive and ready for attention. He licked into her, tasting her arousal, adjusting his own movements to what made her thighs quiver and her body clench. When he drew his fingers up the inside of her knee she gasped, knowing what was coming but not willing to stop it, not willing to break the parameters of the test. Her thighs trembled as he played his fingers along the soft, sleek skin, her muscles taut. She pressed more firmly down on his shoulders, steadying herself. He waited until she had just regained her equilibrium before moving his hand up farther, his finger playing along her damp, swollen folds before breaching the entrance, even as his tongue circled the nub of her clit.
Dani’s right hand lifted abruptly, her fingers tangling in his hair, gripping the back of his head hard as she gasped at the expected but still shocking intrusion. Rand slid his finger out only to reenter her again, more deeply, his tongue giving her no respite.
“Rand,” she gasped, and it was a cry of distress, but his whispered “Shhh” against her made her break off her next words in a low moan. Her legs opened wider of their own volition as he played and nipped and sucked, easing away from her most sensitive point until her other hand lifted against his head, guiding him back once more despite herself, needing her own release. The sound of his name echoed sharply around the room as he raked his teeth against the inside of her thigh, the unexpected pain shooting alarm into Dani’s voice just as he slid his tongue up against her clit once more, dancing in, out, around, over, and finally, perfectly, on.
Dani’s shout ended on a half scream, the sound apparently wrenched out of her as her knees buckled slightly. She dug her fingers so hard into his shoulders that he could feel the bite of pain from her nails, but he still didn’t let her go, and she didn’t retreat, even as her body was racked with shudders and her moans began to form into pleading words.
It wasn’t until she went limp and fell against him that he pulled away, standing up to take her in his arms, enfolding her in his embrace. Her skin was damp with sweat, her dark hair plastered against her temples, yet she resisted his touch as he attempted to draw her chin up.
“Dani,” he murmured, and only then did she apparently remember that this was a game, a test of wills. She lifted her gaze to his, and he forced himself not to smile in hard triumph at the dark intensity that was there, the almost animal awareness of being pushed past one’s bounds into strange and uncharted terrain. His own desire leapt within him once more—to get this woman to surrender to him completely, overriding all her better instincts. To draw her into a game of seduction she’d commit to, body and soul—a game he would most definitely win.
Then, just that quickly, Dani’s gaze cleared and her eyes narrowed upon him, her body not going rigid in his arms, but her stance nevertheless more controlled, more focused. And then he did allow himself to smile. “See? That wasn’t so bad.”
She pulled away. Her gaze was defiant, but all too aware as well. As if she wasn’t quite sure if she’d just given something up, or lost some edge that she hadn’t intended. “Yeah, well. I play Simon Says about once a decade. So I hope you got as much out of that as I did.”
He nodded, more than ready for the dance to continue. “Absolutely. And now that that’s out of the way, perhaps we should discuss our terms.”
“Of course, our terms,” she said. But she didn’t shut him down, and she didn’t leave. So he had her. She’d agree to his little game, convinced that she would come out the winner. Victory and satisfaction pulsed through him once more. He just needed to ensure that she didn’t try to escape the moment that the snare drew more tightly around her.
He flicked his gaze over her, imagining her in just such a snare—wrists straining against her bonds, her breathing tight and labored, her eyes hazed over in pleasure and need.
Dani’s voice cut across the image. “Discussion usually involves words, Rand. You gonna tell me what you have in mind, or are you going to make me guess?”
From the look on her face as he smiled, he suspected she was already feeling that trap close in. Good.