“Hello to you, too,” I say, holding the door firm when she tries to barge in. “Can I help you?”

“Let me in. We need to talk.”

I step into the hallway and close the door behind me. “You can’t just force your way inside my office, Pilar. What’s wrong with you?”

“Who’s in there with you? Tell me! Is it Violet?” Her eyes are wide and wild-looking and her cheeks are red.

“Christ, keep your voice down.” I lower mine and keep it level, hoping to force her into calm. “We’re having a meeting while it’s quiet. Talking about our ideas for packaging.”

“You’re a goddamn liar,” Pilar accuses, stabbing a pointed fingernail into my chest. “Did you fuck her in there, Ryder? Make her scream your name?”

It’s eerie how close she is to the truth. Makes me wonder if she has spies. Cameras. Is she constantly watching me? “Like I said, we’re in a meeting, Pilar. I suggest you keep your accusations to yourself.”

As if on cue my office door opens and Violet appears, looking calm and serene as usual. Her dress is straight, there’s fresh lipstick coating that glorious mouth, and not a hair is out of place. The girl is good, I’ll give her that. “Oh, Pilar.” She smiles that bland, phony smile. “I didn’t know it was you knocking and rattling the doorknob. I was on the phone.” Violet turns to me, her expression neutral as she says, “Thank you again for meeting with me, Ryder. Looking forward to what your team puts together next.”

“I agree,” I say with a solemn nod. I can feel a smile tease the corners of my mouth but I don’t let it spring free. I’m afraid Pilar will catch on to our ruse. “Let’s meet again soon, all right?”

Her smile grows faintly, a spark of happiness lighting up her eyes. “Sounds good.”

Violet walks away without another word, her hips swaying as she hurries down the hall toward the bank of elevators. I admire her form, reliving that moment when I had my mouth on her clit and my fingers buried inside her body, the way her breath caught just before she came all over my lips. Pilar banishes the pleasant memory with a low curse and a hard fist to my upper arm.

“Meeting, my ass. You’re training her to be as shady as you, asshole,” Pilar mutters.

“Not true.” I rub my arm, impressed with the strength behind her punch. “It’s just difficult for you to wrap your head around the idea of a man and a woman who work together meeting solely for business purposes.”

Her eyes narrow into slits and she screws her mouth up into an angry scowl. “Prick.”

“Bitch,” I say pleasantly in return.

“God.” She tosses her head back and stalks away from me, heading down the hall in the opposite direction of Violet. Why, I’m not sure, considering Pilar’s office isn’t even on this floor, but I don’t care. I’m thankful the craziness left so I can make my escape into my office. I stride inside and shut and lock the door, leaning against it with a relieved exhale.

I can smell her. Violet. The scent of her perfume and skin lingers in the air, also with the faint musky scent of sex. Closing my eyes, I let the back of my head thunk against the wood as everything that just happened sinks in.

Fucking crazy. More like fucking crazy amazing. The taste of her, her lips, watching her drag her tongue along my cock …

Jesus, that had been hot.

My phone buzzes in my pocket and I pull it out, reluctant to see who the text is from. Knowing Pilar she’s around the corner from my office, furiously typing away every bad name she can think to call me.

But it’s from Violet.

Sorry I had to leave in such a rush.

I smile. Always polite.

Is Pilar still there with you?

No. I’m alone, thank God.

She seemed angry.

She’ll get over it.

No reply for a while, so I push away from the door and settle in behind my desk, determined to get my mind off Violet and focus on the work that still needs to be done. I have a meeting to prepare for. Emails to answer. A few phone calls to make.

But then my phone buzzes again and I practically leap for it to see Violet’s response.

I still can’t believe what we did.

Frowning, I start to type.

In a good way or a bad way?

Good.

I smile. Then immediately frown. I need to stop acting like a lovesick fool. I’m above this. I’m just using her. This is all fun and games until someone gets hurt.

And that someone will be Violet.

My cell rings and I pick it up, answering before the second ring can sound. The sound of Violet’s voice twists up my insides.

“Tomorrow is the opening of the collaborative,” she murmurs.

“I know.” The executives at Fleur put together a small collaboration between the company and a handful of up-and-coming bridal designers. The project has been in the works for almost two years and is only now being revealed.

“Are you going?”

“I am.” I pause, savoring the sound of her breathing. Pathetic. “Are you?”

“Of course. My sister is going, too.”

“Rose?”

“Lily.”

Ah. The hot-mess Fowler sister. “That ought to be interesting.”

She ignores my jab. “I’d like to … get together with you tomorrow evening. Sometime during the party. What do you think?”

What do I think? I’d give up a hell yeah, but I need to show some sort of restraint. “Is Violet interested in being a bad girl, sneaking off with me at the party?”