Glaring at the stacks of papers, hating those precise edges, she smacked each taunting pile. “Hunter Finnegan, you can go straight to hell!”
She’d seen the man once in ten years. Six months ago, he’d had the nerve to show up and ask her to have coffee with him. Said he was sorry for her loss and wanted to talk to her. Her first impression of him had left her in in awe. The college boy had morphed into a man to be reckoned with. His body was harder, shoulders wider, and in his expensive suit, he commanded attention from everyone around him. His handsome face was edged with a toughness that only made his sex appeal stronger.
A bark of laughter escaped. One glance into his eyes, and all the desire she’d once felt returned, slamming into her with the force of a rogue wave on the beach. But she wasn’t going to let him drag her out to sea again. She’d told him where he could take that charming grin, hunky body, and those very kissable lips. He’d trounced on her heart once, and she’d be damned if she gave him the opportunity to break it again. He’d left, and she hadn’t heard from him again.
Until today.
She was that cliché nerd on the beach who got sand kicked into his face by the bully, and Hunter Finnegan was that bully. He played fast and loose, doing whatever it took to get what he wanted, and then went on his merry way without a thought to anyone else.
Like romancing a young girl’s tender heart or playing upon a grown woman’s desperate need to save her business
.
There was no doubt in Rylee’s mind that he’d roped her in with Glorie’s original offer and was now getting even with her for dismissing him by trying to take her business.
“Bloodsucking vermin. That was Hunter. Enough of this,” she muttered. “That bastard’s not doing this to me. He’s not taking away my choices.” If she signed the contract, that was exactly what he was doing, because it wasn’t her decision. It was manipulation, and she’d had enough of others controlling her life.
She left home to get away from domineering parents and married a man who was a master of manipulation. She was not going to be tricked or forced into giving up her company. She snatched up the contracts, shoved them into her briefcase, and stormed from the conference room, her mood dark and angry as she left the building and emerged into the noise and traffic of San Francisco.
****
Seated behind his massive desk, Hunter Finnegan studied his business partner. “She take the bait?”
Glorie Amadori sent him a quelling glare. “The woman looked as though I’d kicked her in the teeth.” The look she shot him would have turned any other mere mortal into a pillar of stone.
He lifted a brow. “You don’t approve? What happened to the shark?”
“This wasn’t a normal takeover, and you know it. I did this as a favor.” She stood and stared down her perfectly straight nose at him. “You owe me, Hunter.”
He sighed and spun the pen he held around his fingers. “Yeah, I do. Think she’ll come?”
She laughed low in her throat. “Rylee Kincaid is going to charge in here, and frankly, you deserve whatever hell she gives you.” She grinned. “I should go into acting. Played a most convincing bitch.”
Hunter rolled his eyes and tossed the pen back onto his desk. “Got news for you, Glorie. It comes naturally, and you don’t need your whips or your Domme leathers.” She was a scary woman,
especially
when she was in Domme mode.
“You’d best hope I don’t turn it on you. You might be my friend and partner, but this…” Shaking her head, she gathered her briefcase and purse. “Not like you to take a woman’s rejection to heart, Hunter. What’s so special about Rylee Kincaid?”
He stood and wandered to the corner window. Fog obscured the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance. “It’s complicated.” He remembered that one, perfect weekend in collage. He’d found heaven with Rylee Kincaid and taking his pleasure with her had sent him straight to hell.
“Heard that before. I hope—”
The buzz of his intercom interrupted Glorie. He stabbed the button. “Yes?”
“Sorry to disturb you, Mr. Finnegan, but there’s a Rylee Kincaid here. She’s insisting on seeing you.”
Hunter grinned. The bait had been taken, and the trap sprung. “Wait ten minutes, and then send her in.”
“You’re a bastard, Hunter.”
A smile tugged at his lips. “Yeah, we’re two peas in a pod.”
She rolled her eyes, then narrowed them. “You really believe you can talk her into what you want?”
He rubbed his hands together in anticipation. “She’ll do anything to save her company.” And he’d do anything to make her listen to what he had to say. Memories of spanking her sweet ass ten years ago sent blood humming through him. For three nights and two sex-filled days, she’d been his.
His dick stirred. For ten years, he’d ached for her. Now, she was free, and he planned to claim her. By fair means or foul.
Glorie chuckled. “It will be entertaining and a pleasure to see the mighty Hunter Finnegan fall on his hands and knees for a woman.”
“
I
won’t be the one on my hands and knees.” But he had fallen. Ten long, hellish years ago.
Chapter Two
Hunter looked up as Rylee stormed his office, a red cyclone bent on destruction. “What the hell are you playing at, Hunter Finnegan?” She gripped her briefcase, planted herself in front of him, and glared.
He rocked back on his heels, not from the force of her anger but her beauty. Rylee Kincaid, with her shiny blue-black hair, fair skin, and rosy lips, was a coolly attractive woman. When kissed, passion lit the fire in her eyes, plumped her lips, and her body became soft and responsive. Sexy Rylee was totally irresistible. But seeing her with cheeks ablaze with twin flags of temper, violet-blue eyes sparking with fury, she went from attractive to irresistible to magnificent.
His blood began a slow boil. He planned to do whatever it took to reclaim her. This time for keeps.
He leaned forward, invading her personal space. “No game, Ms. Kincaid. I made a more than fair offer for your company.” He indicated a sitting area on the far side of his office. “Would you like coffee?” He hid a grin when she sidestepped to avoid his touch.
She tipped her chin in defiance. “This isn’t a social call, Mr. Finnegan.”
Hunter held her gaze. “No, it’s not. You made your feelings toward me perfectly clear six months ago. However, I prefer to be comfortable during negotiations.”
He gripped her elbow, steered her to a chair, standing so close, she had no choice but to sit. Taking a seat on the couch across from her gave him a full view of her furious glory.
Her fingers plucked at her skirt then smoothed the fabric over her knees. She lifted her head, her posture prim and proper. “I’m not here to negotiate. I want the original terms offered by F.A. Investments.” She yanked a thick stack of papers from her briefcase and tossed them onto the glass table between them. There was no order, no neat stack, just a jumble of paper that slid dangerously close to the edge.
He fought to keep his lips from twitching. His bait and switch had worked far better than he’d anticipated. He waved one hand at the papers. “What’s all that?”
Rylee stabbed the pile with one long, red-tipped finger while biting off each word. “This. Is. Bullshit.” She narrowed her eyes and dared him to correct her. He didn’t say anything, just watched her, which fueled her fury. How could he be so calm while her world crashed down around her? He was playing cat and mouse with her, and she wasn’t going to allow him to turn this into a pissing contest.
Hunter eased back, stretched his arms out along the back of the couch. “Not enough money? It was a fair offer.” He frowned. “Considering the shape your business is in, more than fair.”
The man’s cool indifference fanned the flames of her fury. She resisted the childish urge to toss the contracts around the room. She wanted to yell and rant at the smug bastard. And smug played across his features, like a satisfied cat who’d trapped a mouse. His golden cat-like eyes gleamed with anticipation. She’d told him she never wanted to see him again, and here she was, right where he wanted her. “Why are you doing this? Did I bruise your ego? Are you doing this so I’ll agree to go out with you?”
“Would you go out with me, Rylee?” His voice was low and soft.
Tugging her lower lip into her mouth, she sat back and studied the man she’d slept with in college who’d gone on to become a billionaire. “If I say yes, will you forget about buying my company and invest as originally planned?”
Hunter sighed and shook his head. “No. After analyzing your finances, Interior Dreams needs far more than an investor can, in good consciousness, invest. Selling the business and implementing major changes is the only way to save your company. You’ve been plodding along without growing for too many years. I’m sorry to say, Interior Dreams needs a complete overhaul.”
Too angry to sit, she jumped up to pace. “And that means getting rid of me? I won’t do it. I won’t do that to my people.” Hands on hips, she glared at the man from her past bent on destroying her future.
“That’s where negotiating comes into play, Ms. Kincaid. I believe I can turn your company around.”
Whirling around, she studied Hunter, sensing a trap. “You’re willing to negotiate?” Hope snuck through the cloud of despair.
He sat forward. “But of course.” His grin revealed perfect white teeth. Instead of reassuring her or relaxing her, her guard rose. The man was a shark circling its prey.
She crossed her arms over her chest. “I won’t step down, and I won’t let that woman march in like a destroying angel and fire my employees.” I won’t let you or any other man take my choices away from me ever again.
Hunter stood and strode toward Rylee, his gaze trapping and holding hers. “Here’s the deal, Ms. Kincaid. I want something. You want something.” He stepped closer. “There are things I have to tell you, things about our past, reasons why I couldn’t see you again. You chose not to hear me out six months ago—”
“Fine. I’m listening. Say what you have to say.”
He held up a hand. “You want to change the terms of the contract I’ve offered, and I’m willing to listen to your thoughts and concerns. In return, you’ll agree to hear me out.”
“I’m listening,” she repeated, tapping her foot impatiently. If he wanted to hash over the past, well, fine. She’d listen, then he’d better be prepared to do more than listen to her objections to his takeover.
He shook his head. “I’m proposing a working vacation, Ms. Kincaid. We leave Thursday and return on Sunday.”
Rylee’s jaw dropped. “You want me to go away with you?” She stepped back. The idea had appeal, which scared her. He was even better looking now, and she found him wildly attractive. And pulse-racing desirable. Was he still a take-charge lover in the bedroom? Her body quivered as she recalled that wondrous weekend of sex. The thought of a repeat performance lit a fire deep in her center.
His shoulder lifted and fell. “I prefer to combine work and play.”
“And if I refuse?” She pressed her fist into her belly to calm the wild flutters.
He cocked a hip against the back of the chair she’d vacated. “I leave Thursday and won’t be back until Sunday. Monday, I fly to New York and, from there, to London. The offer on the table stands as is, unless you accompany me this weekend to work out a new offer.”
Rylee stared out the window. What a beautiful view he must have when the weather was clear. The city spread out below, obscured by the fog, like her mind when she stared into his eyes. Go away with him? Not a chance in hell. Too dangerous. Yet her body hummed with renewed energy.
No way did she still want this man. The dampness between her legs proved her a liar. Arms crossed, she paced. “What about now? This afternoon? Or tomorrow? I can be available anytime.”
“Not possible. My schedule is full. I’m a busy man, Ms. Kincaid.”
Fury burned off the soft mist coating her mind. Spinning around, she marched back to Hunter and planted her fists on her hips. “This is blackmail.”
“Call it what you like.” He turned and gathered the pile of papers on the table. “You have the means to save your company and the jobs of your employees right here. You want better terms? Then join me this weekend. It’s your choice.”
Rylee swallowed her scream of frustration. Her voice rose. “No, Mr. Finnegan, it’s not, and you know it. If it was only me, I’d tell you to go to hell, but I have twenty employees. You’ve got me neatly caged in.”
She hugged herself. How had she gotten into this mess? If only Jerry hadn’t died. He’d been the driving force behind the scenes of their business. Reeling in new clients had been his strength, keeping them happy hers. “Where are we going, if I agree?”
Hunter strode to his desk and returned, handing her a card.
Rylee studied the card, appreciating the thick creamy-yellow parchment paper and the old-world look and feel of the lettering. A banner style logo stretched across the top. In the center, an embossed metallic blue castle gleamed, with the words
The Kingdom of Dom
done
in a fancy, swirly script beneath.
You are hereby invited to Pleasure Manor for a weekend of pure pleasure.
“Pleasure Manor? Kingdom of Dom?” Her voice rose to a squeak.
A weekend of pure pleasure
. God, a weekend with Hunter. Deep in her center, need throbbed.
She lifted her head, trying desperately not to think of sex with Hunter. “You’ve got to be joking,” she said to the man standing so close she breathed in his scent. A wave of warmth rolled off his broad shoulders, a blanket of sensuality that made her long to melt against him and feel his arms around her.
She wasn’t a small woman. Three-inch heels brought her height to a good five-ten, which made her feel equal to most men. But not Hunter. The man had to be at least six-four. She felt tiny and fragile standing near him.
His gaze bore into hers. “No joke. It’s a BDSM event, and if you attend, you’ll be my submissive. Read the rest.”
Rylee took a deep breath.
Event starts Thursday afternoon and ends Sunday.
Theme: Fairy Tales, The Stories Your Mother Never Read You.