Chapter One
Declan Price hit her proverbial “hot spot” in a wicked way.
Not many men got that rating in her book. Of course, she wasn’t alone in her assessment. Declan made a lot of women hot. The high-priced defense attorney drew plenty of attention. For one thing, he had a knack for getting really bad people off some pretty nasty charges. It gave him a sense of power. An air of success and confidence. He smiled and women swooned. No one really considered what kind of ethical lines he crossed to win his cases. Not with his movie-star good looks and suave way with words.
Zoe Marks knew the type well. After all, her father was both CEO and founder of Marks Beverages. In other words, one of the corporate types who bent the rules to meet his needs. Someone like Declan. What she hadn’t learned from that venue, she’d learned from her hound-dog brothers who were too good-looking for their own good. They’d taught her much about the psyche of men. Then, of course, her job as an entertainment reporter for The New York Review had added even more clarity to the world of the down and dirties. Money. Power. They corrupted and controlled the world. And then there was sex… Sex was a weapon. She’d seen others use it and she had learned how to profit from its rewards as well.
From across the bar, Zoe let her gaze roam toward the object of this evening’s obsession and found him looking at her as well. For a good hour, and the better part of an extra-large frozen margarita, they’d been doing a sultry exchange of heated glances. She, killing time before an interview with a new Broadway sensation. He, having some meeting with an older, stuffy-looking man in a suit.
Her eyes locked with Declan’s and awareness charged the air. Her attraction to him was crazy, considering he wasn’t her kind of man. Not at all. She liked artists and
creative types who had no agenda but feeling good. Yet with each contact, the looks grew less subtle. More charged.
Damn the man was sexy.
His dark hair fell over his brow with a bit of wildness. It begged for her fingers. And his eyes…she couldn’t see the color now, but she’d seen them on television and in photos. They were blue. A vivid color that made people do a double-take. And, finally, his full bottom lip. Oh yeah. She could already imagine kissing him.
If only she didn’t have this interview…
Truth be told, her extreme reaction to Declan could be a result of her lack of a sex life. It had been months since she’d found a good diversion. Since her best friend announced her engagement and then married. Somehow a little fling here or there had lost its appeal. Until tonight. Tonight Declan, and a little privacy, sounded mighty good.
Zoe knew watching her best friend play house had gotten to her. It had messed with her head in ways she didn’t quite understand. She’d never admit it, but she even felt a pinch of jealousy. Happy jealousy. If anyone deserved good things it was Lucy. Her best friend shared one of those unique bonds with her man that few had. This was one of the few times Zoe thought maybe, just maybe, a couple had a real shot at happily-ever-after.
But in her real world, Zoe knew there would be none of that for her. She also knew a good dose of the human touch would get her past her weird mood. The one she slipped into on occasion when she felt…alone. What made her feel that way she didn’t know? It just happened every now and then. And over time she’d found what chocolate didn’t cure, sex did. She’d tried chocolate in many forms. Ice cream. Candy. Cake. If she ate much more she’d have to hit the gym. So sex seemed the better option.
And judging from the way Declan was staring at her, he needed a little under the covers action himself.
After another sizzling moment, he looked away, obviously drawn by something the man he was meeting with had said. She watched as they stood and shook hands.
Zoe knew what to do next. A man like Declan had to be handled just right. In other words, Zoe knew she needed him to come to her. With a hint of a smile on her lips, she turned away from him, ensuring no further eye contact. With her bare legs crossed, a black silky dress hiked just above the knee, she took a sip from the straw sitting in her strawberry margarita. And she waited. Knowing it was only a matter of time.
“Hello.”
The sultry male voice made Zoe smile to herself. She looked up to find him leaning on the bar, facing her. The dim lighting of the trendy club nestled inside the Manhattan hotel set a perfect stage for seduction. If only she had the time to see it through to completion. With a deep breath, she inhaled his warm, masculine scent. There was a spicy quality to his cologne that made her all warm inside.
“Hello,” she said finally, having made him wait for her response with intent. It was all part of a game. The one she controlled, not him. He would have to work for what she wanted. She loved that. He worked. She wanted. The prize was hers.
“I’ve seen you here before,” he said.
“Have you now?” she asked, one dark blonde brow inching upward. Interesting. He’d noticed her before this night.
He smiled. A sexy, one-sided smile she’d seen him use for the camera. “I’m Declan Price.”
She gave him a tiny nod and then reached up and slid her long blonde hair over her shoulder, exposing her neck. Testing him to see if he would follow the action. And he did.
“Zoe,” she said. Life had taught her to leave her last name out of things. Marks made men get a hard-on and it had nothing to do with her and everything to do with money.
“Okay, Zoe. I’d buy you a drink,” he said, “but it looks like you have that covered. Perhaps your next one?”
“Buy you one,” she said. “This is my last. Everything is better in color. By drink three it’s a blur for me.”
He laughed. “Lightweight, huh?” Declan raised a hand at the bartender.
“Only when it comes to alcohol.”
After ordering a scotch on the rocks, he studied her a moment. “What does a beautiful woman like you do for a living?”
She tilted her head slightly. “Compliments will get you everywhere, Declan Price.”
He laughed. “Good to know. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“As for what I do for a living, are you sure you want to know?”
His eyes narrowed. “I’m a brave man. Tell me.”
“Brave,” she said. “Hmm. I guess we’re about to find out just how brave.” She paused and then dropped her bomb. “I’m a reporter.”
A slow nod of his head. “Ah,” he said and stepped closer rather than distance himself as she half expected. So close, his hand went to the back of her chair and she could feel the warmth of his body. A slight lean forward and their legs would touch. She tilted her head upward to make eye contact. If he was trying to scare her off, it wasn’t working. She wanted him. Sexual intimacy didn’t frighten her. There was no little girl waiting to run, hidden beneath her shell.
“Thinking you might seduce me for a story, are you?” he whispered, his voice soft and husky. Seductive. He leaned down near her ear so that his breath tickled her lobe.
“You came to me, not the opposite,” she reminded him. “Who’s seducing who?”