Chapter Two

Amy was browsing the shelves in what sometimes felt like the last remaining bookstore in midtown.

“Read this one?” Jade demanded on her way past, tossing a book in Amy’s general direction.

Amy barely caught the book, turned it around, and nodded. “Yeah. It was good.” She put it back on the shelf, ensuring that it was in the right place. She turned the cover to face out because she liked the tattoos on the pecs of the guy on the cover. “I liked it even better than her last one.”

“Me, too. This one or that one?” Jade asked, appearing like a jack-in-the-box from the other side of the shelf. She was in the next aisle and offered two books.

“I liked that one better,” Amy said, indicating the one on the left. “He was really hot.”

“Mmmmmm.” Jade rolled her eyes and smiled, then disappeared.

Amy was halfway through the cover copy on a contender, when another book was shoved in front of her.

“Try this one, then,” Jade said.

Amy blinked at the cover, which was far more graphic than she would have expected. She stared at the entwined couple, wondering whether they were really doing it for the camera. The title was more than suggestive. Amy thought about putting it back on the shelf but Jade recommended it.

She turned it around to read the back cover copy. Oh. It was dark. She shivered and didn’t put it back.

“I would never have picked this one up,” Amy said, knowing Jade was listening wherever she was.

“Me, neither,” a man said one second before Amy smelled his cologne. Her heart stopped cold, then raced.

Mr. Yum himself. She knew before she looked up.

“Imagine meeting you here,” he said mildly, then picked up a copy of the book she’d dropped at lunch.

Amy was astonished. “You’re not going to read that.”

He had an expression that was becoming familiar. Apparently dead serious but his eyes twinkled. Amy’s mouth went dry. “Why not?” he asked, his voice dropping lower.

Amy felt flustered, both by his expression and by her body’s reaction to his presence. “You probably won’t like it.”

“Always a risk with a new author.” He cracked a smile. “Want to recommend a better one?”

God, he had a dimple under one corner of his mouth. It was too much.

Amy’s face burned. “You’re making fun of me.”

“No.” He was definite. “Absolutely not. Whenever someone tells me that I don’t know what I’m talking about, I try to fix it.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously. You made a persuasive argument.”

Their gazes clung for a moment and Amy was sure her heart stopped. She couldn’t quite take a breath, not when he was looking at her as if she was amazing.

“This one?” he asked again. “Or didn’t you enjoy it?”

“I’m not quite done.”

“But so far?”

Amy couldn’t quite believe that he was serious, but she could play along. “It wasn’t as good as her last book,” she said casually, and pulled that one from the shelf as if the image was nothing special. A man was blindfolding a woman on the cover, and she was clearly naked, even though her whole body wasn’t visible. She had her head tipped back and her mouth open, her pose making her appear to be orgasmic.

If any woman looked that good when she came.

“Okay.” His brows rose just a little, then he tucked it under his arm, too. “We can compare our impressions after I’ve read them both.”

Amy laughed. She couldn’t stop herself. “Like a book club.”

“Just like. But naughtier.” He looked amused and she couldn’t help smiling back at him. She felt a warm glow from her head to her toes and wanted to just bask in his attention forever.

“I’m guessing you won’t be getting a book boyfriend, though.” Amy was amazed that she was essentially asking a man she didn’t know whether he was gay, but he was so nice that it was easy to be a bit cheeky.

His smile broadened and he chuckled. “Maybe a book girlfriend.” He offered his right hand before she could think too much about that. “You left lunch so quickly that there wasn’t time for introductions. I’m Tyler McKay.”

There wasn’t much to do other than slide her hand into his. Of course, his skin was warm and his grip was firm. Those great hands… Were her knees going to give out? “Amy Thornton,” she said, and her voice sounded a little more husky than usual.

“I wanted to talk to you about something today…” he began.

“You mean you weren’t just looking for a seat?”

To her amazement, he looked a little discomfited. “Not exactly. It was all a diabolical plan to have a chance to talk to you.”

Amy laughed again, surprised into it. “You don’t look very diabolical to me.”

“We all have our dark secrets.” His gaze dropped to the book she was holding, as if to imply that her secrets were epic in scope. Maybe they were. His eyes widened slightly at the cover image and she knew he hadn’t really looked at it before. At his expression, Amy wished the ground would crack open and swallow her whole.

But then, she wouldn’t be talking to Tyler anymore.

He lifted his gaze to hers. “Seriously?”

Amy felt her color rising again in this man’s presence. “Jade says it’s good.”

His lips quirked. “That must be because it isn’t about the sex.”

“Amy! This!” Jade cried, barreling out of the back room with a book clenched in her fist. “Just in. Fresh out of the box. I had an advanced copy. This is the hottest book you will ever read—I promise you. You’ll ovulate on the spot when this guy…” A little later than might have been ideal, Jade realized it wasn’t just Amy listening to her rave about the book.

She blushed, then smiled, waving the book at Tyler. “Sorry. You’re not usually in this aisle, Ty.”

She knew him?

Of course. He must buy his books here, too.

Jade’s gaze flicked to Amy, then back to Tyler, as if seeking an explanation. Amy wondered what he’d say, but he was the heart and soul of grace.

“Don’t apologize. It’s good to get enthusiastic about books,” he said smoothly, then plucked the book out of her hands. “You’ll have to get another copy for Amy.” Then he took the one with the graphic cover from Amy’s numb fingers. “And one of these, too.” He smiled at her and she knew he was going to razz her a bit. “Unless you want to borrow it when I’m done?”

“No, thanks,” she managed to say even though her mouth was as dry as the Sahara. “I’ll get my own copy.”

Ty turned to leave, then paused, dropping his voice to a delicious whisper. “See you tomorrow, Amy.”

Both women stared at him as he strolled to the cash, picking up the new Grisham on the way. They watched in silence as he paid, checked his watch, picked up the bag, and left the store. He spared one backward glance at Amy and her heart dutifully skipped a beat.

Talk about ovulating on the spot.

She might have just done so.

Twice.

“You know Ty?” Jade asked.

Amy nodded. “I met him in the food court at work.”

“He’s one of our best customers.” Jade exhaled. “Man candy and such a nice guy.” She looked down at the books, then met Amy’s gaze again. “You don’t really think he’s going to read them, do you?”

Amy shook her head. “He’s probably going to give the books to one of his sisters.”

Jade smiled. “And she will thank him. I tell you, this new book is so smoking awesome. When she opens the box of leather restraints from him in the limo and then strips for him, I just couldn’t stop reading until I knew…”

* * *

Flatiron Five, also known as F5, the most exclusive fitness club in Manhattan and the company in which Ty was a founding partner, occupied an entire city block. It was the gym frequented by the rich and famous, as well as by the beautiful, and its reputation was such that it had become a tourist destination in itself. People came to F5 to get fit, of course, but they also came to see and be seen, to be part of a beautiful landscape of sculpted bodies. They took classes. They practiced yoga. They lifted weights. They swam laps. They made friends and many of them fell in love. It was amazing to Ty to witness what their little start-up had become after years of hard work and he reveled in it, each and every night when he returned home.

The club was named for the five partners, five buddies inseparable through college, as well as for the district where the club was located and where they had once shared a huge loft apartment. Only twelve years had passed since he, Kyle, Damon, Theo, and Cassie had first started to scribble on a scrap of paper in that loft. Now, their joint venture owned this niche.

The old building that filled the block had been purchased when they started out—with financing obtained by Ty—and its space had been renovated in increments as the business grew. Now the ground floor hosted retail shops selling their branded fitness gear and workout clothes, books, and videos. There was a restaurant that catered to every diet—paleo, vegetarian, vegan, raw, and more—and a juice bar, both of which sold F5 merchandise.

The floors at one end of the building had been removed and the structure reinforced to accommodate the highest indoor rock climbing wall on the island. The exterior wall was glass and the climbing wall lit at night. Ty thought of it as an animated ad for the club, like Times Square but better.

Although the ads in Times Square worked pretty well, too. The current one was a shot of Kyle, sprinkled with water as if fresh out of the pool, waxed to perfection and pumped to the max, with the tagline Get Wet at F5.

On the second floor was the F5 Club, a stroke of genius on the part of Kyle. He wasn’t just the party animal of the partners, but the one who had realized that all those beautiful bodies could be better appreciated in the right lighting, while making the right moves. It had been the project that had demonstrated to Ty just how complementary the partners’ skills were. Kyle had had the original vision. Damon had designed the layout, ensuring both privacy and visibility. Ty had found the funding, and Cassie had worked her marketing magic. Theo had the connections to bring in the beautiful people for the launch and get the right media attention. Even now, five years after the hotspot’s doors had opened, and that in a city with the attention span of a gnat, it was the place to be on Friday and Saturday nights.

The third floor contained the pools, one deep and designated for lap swimming, the other shallower and used for water aerobic classes. The fourth and fifth floors were gyms and workout rooms, big and small, for members to work out and for classes. Floor six had even smaller rooms for private instruction. Floor seven was designated for massage and yoga, and had both serenity and a range of room sizes.

The building’s footprint became smaller between the seventh and eighth floors and they had used that to advantage, at Damon’s suggestion. They’d added windows on the sloping roof wherever possible and it was a sunny space, with a veritable forest of plants around the perimeter. They’d recently added a trickling fountain to one corner. Floor eight held the showers, saunas, and locker rooms. On the ninth floor, there was offices and storage. Floors ten through fifteen were vacant, but there were permits in the works to convert the upper floors to exclusive condos.

Ty lived in the penthouse apartment on the sixteenth floor and currently was the only resident of the building. Although their building wasn’t the tallest in the district, it had provenance, high ceilings, and architectural details. Ty liked both that they owned it and that it had been repurposed with such style. He loved living there, too. There was nothing like going down to swim laps in the middle of the night, having the best fitness club in the city all to himself.

On this particular night, Ty strode along the busy streets, heading for home from his office which was closer to midtown. He couldn’t stop thinking about Amy, or his surprise that she was going to read this book. This book. He’d peeked inside already and was a bit shocked by the guy’s need for power and dominance. This fictional guy was serial killer material, in Ty’s view, but he’d give it a chance. He always rose to a challenge and she’d given him one. He’d try to overcome his assumptions.

Either way, they’d have plenty to talk about at lunch.

He was already looking forward to it.

The sidewalks were crowded, probably because the day had been sunny and the air was still balmy. Cafés had put tables and chairs on the sidewalk and the corner store had a brilliant display of fresh flowers. He eyed the people heading into the subway and wondered how many of them had the same reading taste as Amy.

A lot, apparently, given the size of the section in the bookstore.

He wondered how far she took the train and where she lived.

Ty was glad he could walk home. He couldn’t have faced the press of people on the train, much less the congestion on the roads leading out of the city. An evening market was setting up in its usual location, and Ty could hear the music from the featured band.

Another time, he would have wandered off, gotten some street food, and listened, but he had reading to do. He crossed the foyer of the F5 building and was going to enter his security code for the private elevator, when he noticed that something was going on at the back of the F5 store. Ty took another look.

The best retail space, the corner window facing the busiest street, was curtained off and stripped down to the walls. The store was closed, and clearly, they were changing out the display for the next day. It was all black and pink, just like the covers of the books he had in his briefcase. Cassie and one of the yoga instructors were helping the retail manager with a new display.

From this angle, it looked like a rack of black leather restraints.

In fact, the mannequin in the display window appeared to be hung from the ceiling by her shackled wrists, her head cast back in ecstasy. She was wearing a pair of black leather thigh high boots with fierce stiletto heels and not much else.

Ty forgot the elevator and went into the store. “What’s going on?” The closer he got, the more detail he saw, though he tried to keep his expression calm.

There was a rack of black leather restraints, emblazoned with the F5 logo.

And that was the least of it.

“Ta da!” Cassie said, spinning to face him so that her blond ponytail swung out. She looked excited. “Tomorrow’s the launch of our new specialty shop. Lucky, lucky, you get a sneak peek.”

“Bondage gear?”

“To support our most popular new workshops.” Cassie shook a finger in front of him. “We’re oversold for the next three months. Waiting lists on every single class. I’ve never seen anything like it. Kyle is brilliant.”

Ty wondered whether the world had gone insane when he wasn’t looking. “You’re kidding me.”

“We talked about it during last quarter’s meeting.”

“I thought you were just exploring the idea.”

“It came together perfectly, just the way the best ideas do. And word of mouth booked us up fast. It was like white lightning, Ty. This is going to take F5 to the next level. The buffer the better for these kinds of games.” Cassie grinned. “And who doesn’t like sex?” She poked him in the chest with a fingertip. “We’ll practically be printing money and that should even make you happy.” She gave him a triumphant smile and returned to the display, leaving Ty with the sense that he’d stepped into a parallel universe.

And the realization that reading these books was now research.

He surveyed the store’s merchandise and saw a DVD of the movie he’d watched with Paige. He hadn’t liked it then, but had to admit that he had been viewing it through his own assumptions.

Ty needed to do better than that to earn Amy’s respect. He grabbed the DVD, added it to his tab, ignored Cassie’s surprise, and headed home.

He had a lot of studying to do.

* * *

Amy felt like she had homework. She’d finished Melissa’s story as anticipated, then devoured an entire book, the dark one. It was wickedly naughty and really hot. Outside of her usual boundaries, but exploring that territory in fiction was…potent. She stayed up late to start the new one that Jade had brought out of the back, uncertain which one Ty intended to read first.

She wanted to be ready for their discussion, but Brittany had called around nine and taken too long to reassure. Amy had fallen asleep at three before finishing the second book. That felt like a failure. She slept later than usual, missed the train that was sufficiently empty to ensure she always got a seat, and had to stand all the way from Brooklyn.

No chance to read.

She couldn’t even sneak a few minutes of guilty pleasure in the office, given issues with the copier. She was speed-reading in the atrium at lunch, trying to get through the big finish before Ty arrived.

She didn’t make it.

She heard his footstep, then saw the dark book being thunked on the table. “Nothing short of the electric chair is going to heal this guy,” he said, then sat down and opened his lunch. Brown bagging it today. He gave her an intent look. “That can’t be a spoiler. I knew it in the first chapter.”

“He has been through a lot,” Amy said.

Ty snorted. “Pathetic excuse. Go ahead and finish your book. I’ll just check my email and duck my mom’s inevitable call.”

He looked so weary that Amy couldn’t stop her smile. “Up late?”

He slanted a smile her way. “Re-examining my assumptions. Who knew it was so time-consuming?”

Amy was ridiculously pleased. He’d listened to her. There was nothing more seductive than that.

She shut the book. “And do you get it?”

“No, not yet.” He looked mystified, then shook a finger at her. “But don’t worry. I won’t give it up without a fight.”

Amy smiled. “Stubborn?”

“Persistent is a better word, I think. It has more of a positive spin.”

They smiled at each other across the table and Amy felt warm. “You expect your mom to call again about the wedding?”

“Of course. I can time her.”

“The prep isn’t that bad. Is it?”

Ty shook his head. “No. We’ve done it three times to applause and we have our groove. It’s the next bit I’m worried about.” He actually looked discomfited.

Amy was fascinated. “What next bit? The wedding itself?”

He grimaced. “The part where the truth comes out.”

Amy laughed. She couldn’t help it. “Did you tell a big fat whopper to your mom?”

Ty eyed her. “Would you stop speaking to me if I did?”

“You don’t seem like the type.”

“I’m not. It was bad advice from a friend. Now that I’ve taken it, it just gets worse.”

“One lie leads to another.”

“Something like that.” He gave her a look. “Now that I’ve admitted it, are you going to stop speaking to me?”

“Not if it was an interesting whopper.” Amy would be surprised if he’d actually done something that wasn’t nice. “Not if you tell me about it.”

He opened his sandwich as if he needed the time to choose his words. It looked kind of sad and not very fresh. Bad, bad staff. Ty considered it without enthusiasm. “That’s what I get for leaving it in the fridge for a day,” he muttered.

“You bought a sandwich yesterday,” Amy reminded him. “Did you forget this one at home?”

She won a very quick look for that, then Ty changed the subject. “So, I told you yesterday that Katelyn’s wedding means I’m the only one left unmarried.”

“Which is going to make finding you a wife the next agenda item and inevitable development.”

She got a very green look for that. “I wish it weren’t inevitable.”

“No interest in marriage?”

“No interest in being fixed up by well-intentioned meddlers.” He studied her for a long moment. “Finding the right partner is important. I’d like to get it right, and that means I intend to do it myself.”

Amy liked the sound of that. “Do you have a lot of older female relatives?”

“Hundreds of them, it seems.”

“Particularly at weddings.”

“And they all know a very nice girl…”

“Nice,” Amy echoed and unwrapped her sandwich. “That’s the kiss of death. When’s the wedding?”

“Four weeks.”

“My cousin Brittany’s is in three. Just for the record, I have way too many aunties, too.”

“Well-intentioned meddlers?”

“Every one of them.” She shuddered elaborately. “I’m afraid they’ll all turn out to know nice men by the dozens.”

“What’s wrong with nice guys?”

“They’re predictable. Safe. Boring.” Amy wrinkled her nose. “Vanilla.”

“I thought vanilla referred to sex.”

Amy dropped her gaze and blushed, then found her sandwich fascinating. “So, what whopper did you tell your mom?” she asked, changing the subject.

“It’s not pretty.”

“Tell me.”

“It was an act of self-defense.”

Amy smiled. “You’re ducking the question.”

“Okay, for my grandmother’s eightieth birthday party last winter, I invited a woman to go with me, one I’d just met,” Ty admitted.

“Harsh. You threw her to the wolves.”

“On the contrary. They adored her.” He shrugged. “Me, not so much. Well before we even arrived, I knew we had nothing in common. We parted amiably, and that was the last time I ever saw her.” He winced and Amy guessed.

She put down her sandwich. “Tell me that you did not maintain her as a fictional girlfriend.”

“Why not?” Ty looked guilty, despite his words. “It’s been a great few months because of that tactic. Not one person has set me up. Friday nights have been my own. It’s been awesome.”

“But you can’t bring her to the wedding.”

“And I wouldn’t want to. If I go alone, though—” Ty made a face that prompted Amy to laugh again. “Talk about being thrown to the wolves.” He looked away, then down at his soggy sandwich. “You’re kind of in the same situation, aren’t you?”

He lifted his gaze to hers and she knew exactly what he was going to suggest.

“You came down here yesterday, looking for a victim,” she accused. “That’s why you said you wanted to talk to me.” She didn’t know whether to be insulted or flattered, but she wasn’t going to let him have his way easily either way.

“A victim? Excuse me.” Ty picked up the book and shook it at her. “This woman is a victim. I’m a nice guy, looking to make a deal.”

“A deception,” Amy said.

“An exchange,” he corrected. “I go to your family wedding, you go to mine. Then we break up.”

“It’s a lie, another one.”

“No, it’s not.”

“I thought that was what you called a story that wasn’t the truth.”

That Ty looked so discomfited told Amy that he didn’t usually bend the truth. “It’s a mutually agreed upon fiction.”

“That doesn’t sound like something you’d say.”

Ty’s expression was exasperated. “It’s something my friend Kyle would say, who, it must be noted, was the one who gave me the advice that started this whole nightmare.”

“It’s not going to work,” Amy had to point out.

“Why not?”

“If it’s just a one-off date, it’s no defense. A successful fake date needs depth.”

Ty’s expression became considering. “Voice of experience?”

“Observer of human nature. Seeds to be planted so that it appears to be a plausible longer relationship.” She held his gaze. “Assuming that we’re going to be each other’s alibis for a whole month.”

He took a bite of his sandwich, considering. “You’re right.”

“If you did this all the time, you’d have known better.”

“Point taken. My mom is asking about Giselle coming to the mixed bridal shower this weekend.”

“See? There has to be consistency for this kind of thing to come off.”

“If you’re going to be my date for the wedding, you should come to the shower.”

“True.”

His gaze locked with hers and she couldn’t look away from that twinkle. “I probably should ask first, though: how often do you scam your family? It’s a bit disconcerting that you have the details worked out.”

Amy smiled. “Never. But I read a lot of books.”

“So?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I should think about it.”

Ty’s expression turned wicked as he considered the book in front of her and she felt her pulse skip. “Is that the secret, then? Do I have become domineering to convince you to agree?”

Amy felt the blood leave her face then rush back again. “Of course not.”

“Rats.”

“Don’t give me that. You’re too nice to even consider such a thing.”

“Isn’t being nice the kiss of death?”

“Pretty much. It might be why this won’t get complicated.”

“How so?”

“Well, in a book or a movie, the couple making this agreement would fall in love and live happily ever after. But you’re not my type, and I’m probably not yours, so we’ll be safe.”

“Safe.” Ty seemed to find that choice of word funny. There was no doubt that he was fighting a smile. “Even though you know just about nothing about me.”

“I know where you work. I know you’re a lousy liar. Even your mom probably guessed about the cellophane.”

“She didn’t believe it was really static.” He shook his head. “You’re absolutely right. My mom will find the holes in our story before you even get a glass of wine. If we’re going to do this thing, we should go for dinner on Friday night and prep.”

“Prep?”

“You have to study for everything that’s important.” He nodded, looking decisive. “Research has never failed me.”

“So, this dinner would be like cramming for an exam.”

“Funny how it doesn’t sound inviting when you put it like that.”

“Funny.” Their gazes locked and held and Amy felt a tingle. “But it would still be a lie.”

Ty leaned on the table, his arms folded and his gaze intent. “One that helps both of us. That’s got to count for something.” His voice dropped to an entreaty. “Come on, Amy. We can have some fun with it.”

Before Amy could reply, Ty’s cell phone rang. He pulled out the phone and checked the number, then waited for it to ring again before answering it. “Hi, Mom.” He listened for a long moment, his mother’s voice carrying out of the device. “Even if the weather station says it’s going to rain on June 10, they could be wrong. It’s weeks away.”

He met Amy’s gaze and raised his other hand, inviting her answer.

Amy bit her lip, wondered whether she would regret this, then nodded.

Ty grinned, then touched one of the buttons on the keypad. “What’s that, Mom? Oh, wait. I have an incoming call, Mom.” His voice warmed with enthusiasm. “Oh! It’s Amy.”

Amy heard his mom repeat her name in a squeak of delight, even as she clapped a hand over her own mouth to keep from laughing out loud.

“Yes, Amy, Mom. Oh, she’s incredible.” Ty’s gaze was fixed on Amy and his tone was so warm that his praise sounded genuine. “I’m meeting her for lunch. I hope she’s not caught up at the office. Gotta get this. Later, Mom.”

Ty ended the call and met Amy’s gaze, his eyes sparkling with triumph as a smile claimed his lips. Damn that dimple.

“You are wicked.”

“No, no, I’m nice. Remember?”

“You cornered me.”

“You didn’t have to agree.”

“True. Don’t make me regret it.”

“Never. I might learn to be naughty, just for you.”

Amy’s heart skipped, then she caught her breath when Ty grinned. He shoved the rest of the sandwich into the bag and threw the whole thing like a basketball, over his head and straight into the trash. Some of the others having lunch applauded, but Ty was watching Amy too intently to notice. “Friday. Dinner. My tab. Just tell me where to pick you up.”

“Tell me where to meet you,” Amy insisted.

“Because I’m a nice guy?”

“Because you just reminded me that I don’t know anything about you. You have secrets, too.”

“Everybody has secrets, Amy.” Ty was dismissive. “I’ll pick a restaurant.” He tapped the book. “Finish up and we’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

Then he was gone, striding through the atrium like a man who had successfully fulfilled a mission.

Which meant that it had been a plan.

She could be insulted, but on the other hand, Ty could only have made the plan because he’d noticed her before.

Amy had butterflies in her stomach, which just showed that it had been too long since she’d had a date, fake or otherwise. She heard her father’s voice in her thoughts, repeating his favorite D. H. Lawrence quote: “I want to live my life so that my nights are not full of regrets.”

Well, she was following that advice.

Two weddings with Ty as her date. And dinner Friday. And she was going to be in that ghastly dress for one wedding, the fantasy in tangerine with shoes dyed to match. That made her want to twitch.

She should have fought harder against Brittany’s choice.

But it was just a fake date. It didn’t really matter how she looked or what Ty thought of the dress.

With a sigh, Amy turned back to the fictional Kade and his dark moment.

Even though she was thinking about Ty.

And Friday night.

* * *

Cassie felt as if she were a thousand years old.

It was a pretty sad commentary on her life, she thought, that the financial meeting for F5 was looking to be the highlight of her day, week, and month.

Because Ty would be there. The chance to see him put a spring in Cassie’s step. It always had, although he’d never even glanced at her. She wondered whether she’d been too subtle in showing her interest over the years. The man had a perfect poker face, but was a complete gentleman. For all she knew, the interest was mutual but he was too polite to make the first move.

It was certainly worth finding out.

His reaction the night before to the new bondage gear hadn’t been very encouraging, that was for sure. Cassie had the definite sense that she’d shocked him.

On this day, she’d shock him again with an up-close-and-personal look at the new merchandise. One of the new classes was scheduled right after their weekly meeting. She wore her new black latex catsuit and her highest-heeled pair of black boots. She laced a corset over the catsuit so that her waist was cinched and her breasts pushed upward. With her long blond hair loose, she thought she looked like a hot version of Catwoman.

She felt hot, too.

Maybe it was the bullwhip.

It was such an ideal accessory that every woman should carry one.

Cassie’s heels clicked as she strode down the corridor to the meeting and more than one woman gave her a thumbs-up in passing. A couple of the regular guys wolf-whistled after her. Cassie liked how she felt in this outfit, commanding and sexy, too. She knew her smile was more seductive, and that the red lipstick and dark eyeliner worked in a big way. She decided she’d walk the gym floor before her class and maybe muster some more attendance.

She was last to arrive at the scheduled meeting and wasn’t surprised to find Kyle and Damon already bickering. They’d done it for so long that it was an ingrained habit, and it had never meant anything anyway. Ty was wearing a navy suit and crisp tie, frowning slightly as he reviewed the financial reports for the previous month. Ignoring Kyle and Damon, just like usual. The phone was on the conference table to link in Theo from London.

“I’m just saying that you could hold up your end a bit better,” Kyle complained. He was sprawled in a chair, one foot braced on the conference table as he balanced on the chair’s back legs. He looked like the quintessential surfer: blond, tanned, and buff. He was dressed, as usual, in jeans that were snug in all the right places and a tight T-shirt that could have been a second skin. His hair was a hundred shades of gold and tousled, his eyes a sparkling blue, and he looked good enough to eat. Kyle had that perfect blend of confidence and style that made him draw women like bees to honey, and he knew it. He also used it. Cassie had never met anyone with a worse case of commitment disease. Despite his cockiness, there was something playful about Kyle that made him impossible to dislike.

He certainly could make Cassie—and pretty much any woman alive—laugh.

Damon rolled his eyes. A little shorter than Kyle, he spent a lot of time at the gym, too. But Damon had always been the quiet powerhouse. He was intense and brilliant, and a genius with design. He was also a dark horse, the one who could unexpectedly go the distance, and often surprised Kyle when they competed in the gym. “You’re the one who came up with the idea of the club,” Damon complained. “You’re the one who said it had to be monitored by a discerning individual like yourself. So, quit bitching about the job you made for yourself.”

“All I’m saying is that you could work a Friday night once in a while,” Kyle argued.

“Would the world end if you two stopped arguing like old women?” Cassie asked, pulling out a chair for herself. She stood behind it for a moment, wanting Ty to have the full view. “Maybe we should give it a try, just to see.”

“Old women?” Kyle said, apparently insulted.

Damon looked her up and down, then winked.

Ty only flicked her the barest glance of acknowledgment.

So much for the alluring power of latex.

“Maybe elderly sisters,” Cassie said and Kyle shuddered.

“I don’t think we’re that bad,” he said, but Cassie was watching Ty.

She saw him blink, then look at her again. She smiled at his astonishment and turned in place, brandishing her whip. “Like it?”

Whatever he was thinking, he hid it well.

And he returned to the financials. “Not your usual look.”

“But perfect for the class I’m teaching today. ‘Getting Naughty Together 101.’”

“Or knotty,” Kyle joked.

That got Ty’s attention. “You are serious about the classes, then.”

Kyle grinned. “It’s not funny how popular they are.” He leaned over and pointed to the line item. “There.”

Ty frowned. “There are that many people, who are already members, who are prepared to pay a premium to attend BDSM classes?”

“Who would have thunk it?” Kyle asked.

“You did,” Damon reminded him and Kyle grinned.

“Finger on the pulse of the nation, that’s me.”

“Maybe women’s pulses,” Cassie noted.

“Which other ones matter?” Kyle was unrepentant. “I think you all owe me a bonus for this plan. We’ve got at least one additional session every day of the week, all of them booked out months in advance.”

Ty raised a hand in silent demand.

“Three months sold in advance.” Cassie plucked a copy of the flyer listing the new classes off the shelf of promotional materials and dropped it into Ty’s hand. All three of them watched him read it and Cassie knew she wasn’t the only one who felt his surprise.

She’d told him about it.

Sometimes he was a little too much of a straight arrow. Her gaze caught Kyle’s and she knew that Kyle was going to pull Ty’s chain. She kept her expression neutral and watched.

“Ties that Bind, Spanking Pink, Whip It Good, In the Dark, Pain and Pleasure 101…” Ty frowned. “All under the Safe Erotic Play programming, for adults over 18.” He put down the flyer and looked at Cassie. “And people pay for this.”

Kyle leaned forward. “You were the one who said we needed new members and new sources of revenue.”

Ty nodded in concession. “Well, yeah, our original demographic is getting older, thus less concerned with fitness, drinking less alcohol in the bar…”

“Marriage and babies,” Cassie said.

“These classes, though, have kicked things up a notch,” Kyle continued. “There’s a hum out there that I like a lot. It works for me.”

“It’s bringing in new members,” Damon noted, pointing out the increase between months to Ty. “We’re getting a reputation.”

“I bet,” Ty murmured. He tapped a line item. “What kind of private instruction is this?” He gave Kyle a look that should have been quelling.

Here it went.

Kyle grinned and ran an admiring hand over his own chest. “The very best kind.”

“We’ve always offered it,” Cassie said. “Some people like the one-on-one.”

“But we didn’t offer sex ed classes,” Ty noted. “How far does your instruction go?”

“Officially, it’s a technique class with a more personal format,” Kyle said. “But hey, things happen.”

Ty frowned. “You don’t…”

“Oh yeah, I do, and very well, too.”

Ty was visibly outraged. “But you can’t do that. It’s not legal.”

“Oh, come on,” Cassie argued. “It’s not any different than Kyle going to Mrs. Markland’s condo to help her with her yoga poses and maybe staying a little longer to improve her other moves.”

Ty blinked. “You don’t.”

“Of course, I do.” Kyle shrugged. “Sometimes. When the temptation is right.”

“You’re not a gigolo. You’re a bodybuilding instructor.”

“Even if he is a man slut,” Damon noted.

Kyle wadded up a sheet of paper and threw it at him. “It kind of comes with the territory,” he said to Ty. He gestured in the direction of the gym. “Especially our territory. All those hot, muscled bodies. All that human perfection, sweating and stretching, and noticing. This whole place is built on the power of eye candy. That’s our niche. Gorgeous specimens of humanity in every direction. That’s why people come to F5. Sex is the natural and inevitable result.” He sat back and grinned. “What’s not to love about it?”

“No. We’re using the sizzle to sell the steak,” Ty argued. “Beautiful bodies convince people to join gyms like ours…”

It was Damon who interrupted him. “And what’s wrong with a bite of steak once in a while? It happens.”

“Right on,” Kyle agreed.

Ty put down his pen. “This is a gym, not a brothel!”

“A brothel?” Cassie shook her head. “How Victorian. Are you going to need your smelling salts?”

“It’s not a monastery, either,” Kyle said, then spoke very slowly. “People have sex, Ty. People have sex with people they meet at the gym. Even at our gym. Especially at our gym. I’m sorry to break this to you, but it’s true.”

Ty rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I know that.”

“Read about it online?” Kyle taunted, his eyes twinkling.

“My love life isn’t under discussion here.”

“Maybe the monastery’s upstairs,” Damon teased.

“There’s nothing wrong with having a small dry spell,” Ty said.

“I’ve heard about that,” Kyle said. “The Sahara has that problem.”

“The Gobi,” Damon added and they laughed together.

“Not that dry,” Ty said easily. “Just a couple of months.”

“A lifetime,” Kyle said. “Want help?”

“No. Thanks.” Ty frowned. “Now about this so-called private instruction…”

“Take it easy,” Kyle said. “The private classes are just that. No sex. What happens afterward, if anything happens, isn’t anyone’s business.”

“It’s not a good idea to muddy the line between professional and personal,” Ty insisted.

“I was just seeing what you’d believe.” Kyle grinned and Ty shook his head.

“I never know how far you’ll go.”

“It is part of my charm,” Kyle replied easily. “And it’s fun to see you get all pissed off.” He grinned, unrepentant, and Ty fixed him with a look. “Maybe once it rains, you’ll be more philosophical.”

“Don’t hold your breath.”

“Aren’t we in better shape than before?” Cassie asked, changing the subject and taking the seat beside Ty.

“I like that we have new members,” he acknowledged. “Anything else they have in common?”

“They’re joining for the classes,” Damon said. “And a lot of them come in couples.”

“Really?” Ty said. “That’s a new demographic for us.”

“The couples’ classes book out first and fast,” Cassie supplied. “Despite Kyle’s bragging. I think there’s interest in revitalizing their sexual relationship.” She quickly told the guys about two couples who had recently joined.

“Whose idea was it? His or hers?” Ty asked, hitting the nail on the head.

“Hers,” Cassie said. “So, we want to target older women in established relationships. The materials will have to be elegant…”

“All our materials are elegant, Cassie,” Ty said. “It’s what you do, and what distinguishes F5 in the market.”

She found herself ridiculously pleased, even though he didn’t look at her, and spoke as if it were just a fact. “Spice in the bedroom, or relighting the spark, or rediscovering the passion. Something like that. The idea is that they’re finding the passion that’s dropped by the wayside in the day-to-day grind of twenty or thirty years, or maybe just with the arrival of kids.”

“Advertising uptown, where the established neighborhoods are,” Damon contributed.

“Maybe flyers for marriage counselors and therapists,” Cassie suggested.

“That’s good,” Kyle said. “I like it.”

“Good starts,” Damon said, counting off the elements their action plan on his fingers. “Cost and pricing review, courses for couples. Anything else we can do to diversify our client base?”

“I’ll put some flyers at the Museum of Sex, if they’ll have them,” Cassie said.

“Advertise the BDSM classes in bookstores,” Ty suggested. They all turned to look at him in surprise. He shrugged. “Erotic romance is a popular genre,” he continued. “You can’t predict what kind of women are reading it—the demographic is probably all over the place—but one place you’ll find them is in that section of the bookstore, whether bricks-and-mortar or online.” He pursed his lips. “Maybe libraries, too. Subway trains.”

They stared at him for a full minute before Kyle started to laugh. “That’s completely brilliant. Trust you to quietly come up with such a great plan.”

“The bookstore near my office has a huge section devoted to it.” He looked discomfited, which was interesting.

Ty never looked discomfited.

“How would you know?” Cassie asked, her tone teasing. “Don’t you read mysteries?”

He smiled slowly. “Sure, but all the women were in that one aisle. I went over to look.”

“The old strategy still works,” Kyle said.

Ty grinned.

“I’m a heterosexual man,” Damon and Kyle sang in unison, fist-bumping each other, then Ty.

“Thank God,” Kyle said, wiping his brow with relief. “I was afraid you’d gone celibate on us, Ty.”

“Not in this lifetime,” Ty said with conviction.

The phone rang then. Damon tapped it to answer and take the call to the speaker.

“I hear laughter,” Theo said. “What did I miss?”

“Everything!” Kyle roared. “We’re shocking Ty.”

“Is that easier than it used to be?”

“You gotta get back on this side of the pond,” Damon complained. “What are you doing over there?”

“Exploring options, of course,” Theo said smoothly.

“This is my kind of guy,” Kyle said.

“What happened to being a heterosexual man?” Ty asked, and they laughed again.

“We need some of your mojo back in the club,” Kyle said to Theo. “Come on home. I’ll be sure you get an awesome welcome.”

Theo chuckled. “All in good time. Come on, let’s get to it.”

“Financial review,” Ty said. “Things are looking good, but we have some actionable items…” He looked as if he were focused on business, but Cassie knew Tyler better than that. She’d bet there was a specific reason he’d gone into that section of the bookstore.

A specific woman.

It was only human nature to want to know more.