She shook her head.
He stood, zipped and lifted the duffle off her desk. “I’ll take my business elsewhere.”
“What about Slash?” Karen asked.
He shrugged. “She’s a means to an end, nothing more.”
His guts churned. Uttering those words make him sick. Prepared to play chicken with Karen, he gripped the doorknob.
“Wait,” she blurted, and he bit back a smile. “I can issue you a keycard.”
His smile made her blush.
“NowI feel like I’m your most important customer,” he cooed.
He set the bag down, waited while she programmed a card.
The pads of his fingers were tingling. Whatever the hell was in that spray bottle was numbing them pretty good.
She handed him a plain, black card with a chip on one side. He plucked it from her fingers and left. After stopping in the restroom to wash off the chemicals, he headed back toward the bar.
And that’s when he spottedher.
Heat slammed his chest.
Slash, seated at a high top near the bar, was surrounded by four men. Two were seated, two stood. Her beauty stole his breath, but it was the confident way she carried herself that he loved the most.
She wore a low-cut black dress, the swell of her breasts snagging his attention. She’d worn her hair in a ponytail, her eyes darkened by makeup, and her lips slicked with clear gloss.
He didn’t just want sex with her, he wantedallof her.
Stopping at the table, he towered over the men ogling her. The men talking stopped, all four flashed him dirty looks. When she peered into his eyes, everything fell into place. They were hunting down evil, they were doing it together, and they were about to go a little crazy in a private room.
She stood, her attention still glued on him.
The guy who’d been talking said, “Where are you going, doll? I thought we were having a good time.”
“I told you I have plans.” Slash walked over to Carrera.
Everyone faded away. The guys didn’t matter, the pulsing music vanished, the chatter turned into white noise. Slash was all he cared about. Doing right by her was his priority over everything and everyone.
The energy that passed between them surged through him. In those few seconds, she became his entire world. He would walk through fire and slay every dragon to make her happy.
And then, he would love her fiercely for the rest of his life.
He followed as she made her way around the groups mingling at the bar. Once in the darkened hallway that lead to the VIP rooms, he pulled her into his arms, pinned her against the wall, and kissed her. Then, he fished out the micro-camera from his pocket and pressed it on the wall over the doorframe. The tiny black device blended into the dark blue walls.
With a gravelly groan, she pressed into him, and kissed him back with such ferocity, he turned hard. When he ended the kiss, he didn’t move.
“You’re smooth,” she murmured. Pushing up on her toes, she whispered in his ear, “Nice job with the camera.”
“If you liked that, you’re gonna love my next surprise,” he murmured as he peered into her eyes.
“I can’t wait.” She nudged him back. “We need to tell Karen we’re here, so she can let us in.”
He clasped her hand, led her to the Management Only door, and inserted the keycard. The light flashed green, he withdrew the card, and opened the door.
“I’m impressed,” she whispered, before stepping inside.
After crossing the threshold, he murmured, “What the fucking fuck.”
