“May I buy you a drink, Zach?”

He looked at her in surprise. Then he smiled. “Don’t tell me you’re trying to get me drunk so you can do whatever you want to me.”

The idea suddenly sounded very tempting. After all, she needed to unwind and relax. She grinned. “Would that be so terrible?”

“I’ve had worse happen to me.”

3

In the mirror that hung over the bar, Zach watched as Rochelle brushed a strand of hair from her face. For an hour they’d been laughing and talking about inconsequential things, and he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

The soft waves of her long, chestnut hair caressed her shoulders, and he could imagine running his fingers through it, burying his face in its fullness, and inhaling the scent. Her green eyes glowed invitingly whenever she laughed at him. Her beautiful white teeth were the perfect contrast to her red lips, which he could, only too vividly, imagine roaming his body.

However, it wasn’t only her beauty that fascinated him. Her openness and infectious laughter were just as enticing. She was self-confident and bright, character traits he appreciated in a woman, because he was sick of women who lacked intelligence and relied on their bodies to attract men. Rochelle represented a challenge—a woman with a sexy body that made his cock twitch with excitement and a mind that appealed to him on an intellectual level. But at the moment, it was his cock that ruled him, and that need had to be satisfied.

“Would you like to have dinner with me?” He smiled at Rochelle.

She met his gaze and leaned closer. Her hand touched his forearm. “You don’t really want to go for dinner, do you?” Her lashes fluttered.

He stroked his fingers over the back of her hand and enjoyed the tender touch of her silken skin. “Aren’t you hungry?”

He sensed how his voice had gotten hoarse and was aware that she had noticed it, too.

“Oh, I’m hungry.” She squeezed his arm. “But not for food.”

Zach swallowed hard. Fuck, wasn’t that what he would normally say? Slowly he moved his head closer to her until only a few inches separated them.

“Maybe you’ll allow me to help you satisfy that hunger.”

“Only if you don’t mind. I don’t want to be pushy.”

He covered her hand with his and squeezed. “I don’t mind at all. As for you being pushy, that kind of encourages me.” He slid forward on his barstool and allowed his knee to slide against her thigh. “Not that I need a lot of encouragement right now.” He lowered his gaze to his groin, where his erection was already tenting his dark slacks.

Rochelle laughed softly and brought her mouth to his ear. “Then maybe we should get out of here, before something explodes.”

Zach turned his head. “Lance, check please.”

Then he pulled his credit card from his wallet and threw it onto the bar, before turning back to Rochelle. He brushed one hand through her hair and caressed her nape. “Looks like I’m breaking my rule tonight.”

“The rule about not picking up a woman in your local bar?” She chuckled. “No worries. You won’t have to find a new watering hole after this. This is the first and last time that I’m gonna be here.”

He grinned. “In that case…” He bent to her ear and inhaled her intoxicating scent. “…I hope you’ll allow me to strip you naked, so I can bury myself in you. Or did I misunderstand your offer?”

A suppressed moan came from Rochelle. “No, that’s exactly what I want.” A short hesitation. “As long as I’m allowed to strip you, too.”

“Oh, I sure hope you do.” He brushed his lips over her earlobe. “There’s a good hotel around the corner.”

Even though Zach didn’t live far away, he had no intention of inviting Rochelle back to his place, because as soon as women saw how luxuriously he lived and how wealthy he was, they became a little too attached. And he wasn’t looking for a relationship right now. There was enough chaos in his life. He didn’t need a woman to add to it. Particularly not one as beautiful as Rochelle, who—should he spend more than one night with her—would probably make him lose his head and throw himself into a torrid affair, taking his focus off his business. And right now with the upcoming investigation by the SEC he needed to keep a cool head.

After Zach had settled the bill, he led Rochelle to the door. As he opened it, he saw Lance’s grinning face reflected in the glass. The door fell shut and Zach put his arm around Rochelle’s waist. He felt her shiver and hesitate. Immediately he pulled her into the shadow of the next building.