My gaze drops down her body, and a groan rumbles through my chest. She’s right. Her dress is gorgeous, but it’s her that makes it truly breathtaking. “It’s one hell of a dress, Firecracker,” I agree, my tone giving away just how much I truly appreciate it. “I take it you’re talking about Louis Mendez?”
Her brows furrow. “How do you know Louis?”
“He’s a sick businessman,” I explain, not wanting to give too manydetails. “All the men here are. You need to be careful.”
She grins, and those jade eyes come right back to me. “That wouldn’t be concern in your tone, would it?” she says with a mock gasp, teasing me. “And here I thought the great Raiden Kane was incapable of caring about anything except his own dick.”
“Cute,” I say. “But I’m serious. Louis isn’t somebody you should be fucking with. Enjoy your night, but don’t let him get his claws into you.”
Kiara steps into me again, her hand skimming across my chest. “I don’t know if you’ve realized this yet, but I’m more than capable of handling myself,” she tells me. “But enough of my interrogation. I’ve told you how I ended up here, but what about you? If these guys really are as bad as you say they are, then what the hell are you doing here?”
A grin cuts across my face. “Money is money, Firecracker. No matter where it comes from,” I explain. “You already know I’m an international sales rep, and this is the biggest party of the year. Every single asshole here with deep pockets is a potential client. I’m here to lay the groundwork, just like every other rep here.”
Her brows crease, and she scans the crowd as though not having considered that the people here are working their contacts, not just random men and women here to have a good time. But that’s business. No matter the setting, no matter if it’s day or night, business doesn’t stop for anything.
“Fair call,” she says, nodding as she looks me over, still incredibly suspicious, but that’s a two-way street right there. The fact that weboth ended up in the same town at the exact same party is screaming that it’s much more than just a coincidence, but despite these past two weeks of desperately trying to get under her skin, she’s never given me a reason not to trust her. “Okay, well, now that we’ve confirmed that you’re not a sleazy stalker who likes to follow women across the country, I’m going to go enjoy my night.”
“You do that, Firecracker.”
She groans. “Are you ever going to stop calling me that?”
“No chance in hell.”
Kiara rolls her eyes and steps right into me, stretching up onto her tippy toes as if to press a kiss to my cheek, but despite barely knowing her, I’m clued-in enough to know that gifting me a kiss on the cheek is the last thing she would ever do. “You even think about following me to my hotel just to book the room next to mine, and I will make your life a living hell.”
Taking her chin, I hold her stare before giving her the kiss on the cheek she so desperately wanted to give me. “You know, I hadn’t considered that, but now that the idea is out there, it sounds almost too fucking good to pass up.” And with that, I walk away, leaving her gaping at my back.
CHAPTER 9
KIARA
The one time I’m supposed to be guaranteed a break from this man, he shows up at the same damn party over six thousand miles away. What are the chances? Am I just that unlucky? But I have to give it to him. It makes sense. Tonight was the biggest party for men in business across Europe, and if Raiden’s company is trying to secure deals and expand their reach, then it’s a no-brainer to send their senior international sales rep to make connections.
Though truth be told, he spent his whole night watching me from across the party instead of working those connections he’d come all this way to secure.
Ha. Asshole.
I sit at the hotel bar, helping myself to a glass of red wine as I try to let go of my frustration. I needed just one night that didn’t revolvearound Raiden Kane driving me mad. Every word that comes out of his mouth is like nails on a chalkboard. He irritates me to no end, and it has everything to do with that lustful way he watches me, as if already knowing exactly how I taste. Hell, it might also have something to do with this intense sexual attraction I have for him, but there’s a snowball’s chance in hell that I’m ever going to let him near me.
I would sooner die than ride him until my spleen fell out.
Fuck. I’m such a liar. If I could guarantee that his mouth would be sewn shut, I would give that man everything I had until I was nothing but a quivering mess on the floor. I’d beg him to smash through my pelvic floor.
Raiden Kane is exactly my type. That cocky grin and those flirty bedroom eyes. They reel me in, and he knows it. But his body? Shit. It’s sculpted to perfection. So tall and built just right. Even his cock is like a gift sent from the heavens above. The way I would drop to my knees and take him until the lining of my throat memorized every last vein.
God. I’d be such a whore for that man. But I’m too proud to ever admit it. At least to him, anyway. Nor would I ever give him the satisfaction of being right.
I left the party a little over an hour ago. I’d slipped in and out and gotten all the information I needed to be successful here, and come tomorrow, it’ll all be over. I can take myself back to my home in LA, and hopefully Raiden will remain here for a few extra days, and I’ll have the peace and quiet I need to get that asshole out of my head.
There’s no denying the party was great, though. I’ve experiencedmore than my fair share of parties over the years, but nobody does it like they do in Barcelona. It was an incredible night, even though I didn’t know anybody except the pervert who couldn’t keep his eyes off me across the bar. And I’m not talking about Raiden.
Louis Mendez. He truly was a pain in my ass, and the more he drank, the bolder he became until I decided it was time to get my ass out of there. There are only so many times a woman can be groped and smile about it before her claws come out. Hell, he should have been put down the first time he did it, but when you’re playing the role in an attempt to extort information, there are some things you simply have to tolerate for the greater good. Luckily for me, Louis Mendez has loose lips and likes to talk when he’s had a few too many drinks.
He told me exactly where Javier was planning to be tomorrow, and after finding my way into his private home office and hacking into his planner, it was all too easy to find a time to go along with it. He did have a breakfast date scheduled with his wife, which would have made for an easier hit. However, in the interest of sparing her trauma, I’m going with option number two.
Until then, there’s nothing left for me to do but enjoy my time here in Barcelona, and in the spirit of being a good little travel blogger, I snap a few pictures of myself at the hotel bar, enjoying my drink. Tomorrow I’ll get a few on the beach and then make my way around town, and after everything is said and done here, I’ll be back on my flight home to Spikezilla . . . and the asshole next door.
My phone chimes on the bar, and as I glance down, I find Louis’name plastered across the screen with a new text. I let out a sigh, already knowing exactly what it’s going to say.
