Taming the VIP Playboy (9 page)

Hell, right now he wanted her. If he had his way he'd tell everyone to leave and make love to her on this boardroom table. Jen wasn't the kind of woman who elicited a soft reaction from him. She called to him. Called to the passion inside of him and he wanted to answer that call but he knew that it would mean taking a chance on caring for her.

Caring for her?
Since when had he become someone who talked to himself in euphemisms? His entire life he'd never let anything stand in the way of what he wanted.

Glancing across the table at Jen, seeing the way the sun brought out some blonde highlights in her dark hair, reminded him of how she'd looked out on his yacht.

He wanted to see her there again. He didn't want to back off because Cam had made him think that Jen wanted more from life than he could give. He wasn't the kind of man who gave up what he wanted and he wasn't going to give up Jen.

No way.

“Nate?”

“Yes?”

“Emma asked who we have booked on the main stage,” Cam said.

“Hutch Damien. He will be doing his rap show and I think he'll want to coordinate with Jen and her dancers to use them on the stage as well. Jen and I can meet later to discuss that.”

Hutch would be a big draw. He had been compared to Will Smith, and for the anniversary bash, Nate had asked him to include some Latin beats in the background.

“Good,” Cam said. “Who else?”

“Ty Bolson and his wife, Janna McGree, will come and do a concert as well. They have a huge country music fan base. I'm not sure how you want to coordinate that. I've also asked my former teammates from the Yankees to come and hold a pitch competition.”

“Sounds great,” Emma said. “I think since the focus is on Luna Azul we should have the concerts in the club. But maybe have them do one or two songs outside. I can set up a stage on the street if you think we can get the community to agree to letting us have the block party.”

“Justin was working on that,” Cam said.

“I attended a meeting last night of comunity leaders and I have another meeting set up today to try to talk to them. Right now they are reluctant to agree to anything. They have filed an injunction to keep the marketplace we've acquired from being rebuilt. I'll be meeting with their lawyer to discuss the details.”

“Thank you, Justin,” Cam said. “Billy, as far as security goes, what do you recommend? We want this to be a free event but not a free-for-all.”

“I have my guys set up a perimeter so that we cover
the entire area outside the club. Inside, I'll have our usual coverage and a few extra teams.”

Cam nodded. “Emma, will you need to meet with Billy to discuss this?”

“I will need to meet with everyone one-on-one to discuss the details. We have a lot to do,” Emma said.

The meeting started to wind down and Nate saw Jen gathering all of her notes. He had a feeling she was going to make a fast break for it.

“Jen, do you have time to stay and meet with me about the show?” Nate asked. “My office is just down the hall.”

She looked up at him and then she nodded.

“Sounds good,” Cam said. “I want everyone back here this time next week. We will be meeting weekly until the party. Thank you.”

Everyone left and Jen stood there in the boardroom waiting for him. “I don't know where your office is.”

“I know. I will show you the way.”

He led her to his office at the end of the hall. His secretary offered them drinks but Jen declined, and then they entered his office and he closed the door behind them.

“You are very good at that.”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“That you know how to show a girl a good time, and that's all.”

J
en should have known that she'd run into Nate. Should have figured that just because she'd decided to avoid him that it wouldn't happen. Should have known that she'd still want him as soon as she saw him.

It didn't help matters that he looked so good today. His shirt was left open at the collar revealing his tanned neck. His pants were fashionable and fit him perfectly. The fact that he kept looking at her wasn't helping either. Because in his eyes she saw things she thought she wanted to see. She thought she saw regret and a desire to give things a try.

But she knew she was fooling herself. That was just her imagination going crazy. Hadn't she already learned her lesson when her relationship with Carlos had taken dance away from her?

Was she going to be one of those women who never made smart choices when it came to men?

“Thank you for agreeing to meet with me now,” he said.

“Did I have a choice?” she asked.

He raised an eyebrow at her. “Yes, you did.”

“I know. I'm just out of sorts today. Tell me what kind of dancing you think we'll need for Hutch's set. I've only heard a couple of his songs on the radio so I'm not as familiar with him as I should be. Do you think we can get him to come down and rehearse with us?”

“I don't want to talk business first. I want to sort out this business between us.”

“What business? We went out on a date and ‘hooked up.' That was it.”

Nate shook his head. “We didn't hook up. Things between us aren't that casual and you're not that kind of girl.”

“It doesn't matter, you are that kind of man.”

“I guess you saw the photo of me and Anika?”

“Yes, I did. I knew you weren't the relationship kind, Nate. So that photo didn't tell me anything I didn't already know.”

Nate walked over to the window and looked out at the city. He wasn't sure what he was really looking for, just knew that he didn't want to face Jen anymore. She had made a statement of fact and her words shouldn't bother him but they did.

“I don't want you to think that you mean nothing to me.”

“I don't. I think we both weren't ourselves and that's why we were able to connect. But I…I don't want to let you drive me away from this place. It's my home and since I'm starting over, this is the best job for me to do that.”

Nate turned to face her. “I get that. I realized while
we were in the meeting today that I want more from you than I thought I did. Actually, that's not true. I knew it from the beginning but I was afraid you'd turn out not to be the woman I thought you were.”

She nibbled on her lower lip, something he knew she did when she was nervous. “Who do you think I am?”

“Someone who cares deeply about the people she surrounds herself with. I know that my connections and my friends aren't the reason why you were with me the other night. And that is something I'm not used to.”

“I get that, Nate. I'm not sure what you want from me,” she said.

“I want a chance to date you. To get to know you and see if there's anything between us besides sex.”

She nodded. “That's honest.”

“Yes, it is. I'm not going to lie to you, Jen. Not about anything. There are going to be times when I have to go out with different women and I'm going to have to get my photo in the papers but that's publicity and that's for the club. That's not about you and me. Can you handle that?”

She tipped her head to the side studying him and he hoped she'd find what she was looking for when she looked at him.

“I might be able to. I can handle you working with women but I don't want to be made a fool of. If we're going out I need you to be monogamous with me. I'm not willing to settle for being part of your harem.”

That startled a laugh out of him. “I don't have a harem. Never have wanted one, either. I just want to have fun. And I think you and I can enjoy the hell out of life together.”

“I can handle that,” she said. “I'm not in a place to
get serious either, but I like you and to be honest, I'm not ready to move on.”

He came around his desk. “Good. Let's seal the deal with a kiss.”

“The deal? This isn't a business arrangement.”

“I know. Hence the kiss,” he said.

She smiled at him and it was the first time today that he'd seen her seem happy. He was glad he'd talked to her. Glad he'd decided to go after Jen. She was the kind of woman that he'd regret not knowing if he let her slip away now.

She walked over to him and kissed him softly on the lips. He put his arms around her and drew her close. Holding her made him realize that he'd feared he'd never get to hold her again.

He tightened his arms around her and then realized what he was doing. He didn't want her to know how much she meant to him. Even now when they'd only really had one date—but what a date. He'd wanted their time together to never end.

He had to find a way to bind her to him. To keep her close to him without giving up any more of his emotions. Because caring for Jen would be his downfall if he didn't handle it the right way.

 

Jen had thought she'd never feel his arms around her again and she was so glad that she was back here now. She rested her head on his chest right over his heart and heard the strong beating of it under her ear.

He skimmed his hands up and down her back before settling them on her hips. She felt his erection stir, nudging her at her center. She looked up at him as he lowered his head to kiss her.

His lips rubbed over hers and then his tongue traced
the seam of her lips. She parted them and invited his tongue to come deeper into her mouth, which it did.

His tongue tasted her in long languid strokes and she forgot everything. She was back in his arms, the one place she'd dreamed of being since he'd last left her on her doorstep.

He leaned back against his desk and pulled her against him. His hands continued to skim her body and she found she couldn't get enough of touching him. She wanted more. She wanted his clothing out of her way so she could feel his flesh against hers.

She reached between their bodies, stroking him through his pants. She ran her finger down the zipper and then reached between his legs to cup him.

He widened his stance so she could keep her hand where it was. She played with him with one hand and then brought the other down to slowly lower his zipper. She felt the fabric of her skirt being drawn slowly up her legs and then Nate's hands were on her buttocks. She felt him stroking her through the thin material of her panties.

Once she had his zipper lowered she reached into his pants to stroke his rock-hard length. He grew even harder under her touch. He turned and lifted her up onto his desk. His pencil jar spilled and the noise was startling, when she pulled back from kissing him, she looked up into his eyes.

His pupils were dilated with desire. His skin was flushed and his body was aggressive in trying to assuage his needs. His hips thrust between her thighs, his hands working to draw the fabric of her blouse up her body.

She felt his hands against her stomach and then higher as he palmed her breasts.

She reached lower and finished undoing his pants,
freeing him from his underwear. He was thick and hot under her hand and as she stroked him, he whispered in her ear.

Telling her how much he wanted her. How much he couldn't wait to be buried deep in her soft warm body. And then she felt him between her legs. One arm wrapped around her waist, he lifted her up as he pulled her panties away from her body. He got them as far as her thighs before he had to step back.

In an impatient move, he shoved them down her legs and then put his hands on her thighs and spread her legs wide. “Are you ready for me?”

“Once you get a condom.”

She nodded and reached for him, drawing him closer to her. He stepped back between her legs. Bracing his hands on the desk beside her hips, he probed at her opening with the tip of his manhood. She was wet and ready. Desperate to be one with him again.

And this time he plunged deep into her. Took her like he meant to make her his completely. He thrust deeply into her again and again until everything in her body seemed to focus on that point of contact. She felt herself getting closer and closer to the edge until she went over. She opened her mouth to say his name but he kissed her and captured the sound.

He thrust into her two more times before he came, his hips jerking forward as he filled her with his essence. She was breathing like she'd run a race—she felt as if she just had. She wrapped her arms around his chest and rested her head on his shoulder.

She took comfort from having him here with her. She knew that she hadn't been ready to move on and no matter what she'd said to him, Nate was important to her.

“That was one hell of a kiss,” he said.

She smiled up at him. “You go to my head.”

“Good,” he said, he pulled slowly out of her body and reached around her for a box of tissues. He handed her a couple and then cleaned himself off. “I have a washroom through that door if you want to clean up.”

She hopped off his desk and bent to pick up her panties. “With any other man I might be embarrassed now.”

“But not with me?”

She shook her head. “Everything always feels natural with you.”

He nodded. “I'm glad to hear that.”

She went into the washroom and used the hand towel to clean up. Her hair was tousled and her lips were swollen. Even though she righted her clothing, it wouldn't take a detective to figure out what they'd been up to in his office.

But she didn't care. He said that they were going to try to date each other and she wasn't going to be embarrassed by anything that happened between them.

Nate was the kind of man who lived life with passion. For a long time she'd channeled all of her energy into dancing. It was about time she got out of the rehearsal hall and into the real world. Nate was the perfect man to share this with.

She tried to caution herself as she looked in the mirror not to get in over her head but she knew it was too late. It had been too late since the first time she'd danced with him.

Nate was different and she cared about him. That was why that photo had hurt so much this morning. Why sitting across the boardroom table had been such
agony and why she'd agree to just about anything if it meant she'd see him again.

She opened the door to rejoin him and he told her he'd be a minute in the washroom. She walked over to the plate-glass windows and glanced out at his view. The city sprawled as far as the eye could see.

“You okay?” he asked when he rejoined her a few minutes later.

“I am. I feel a lot better about everything.”

“I'm glad. Now what do you say we talk business.”

“Sounds good.”

She had no idea what the future held for them but she was sure that she wasn't going to be just existing and that made her feel really good about her life post-dancing.

 

The next few weeks flew by as he balanced his new life. He had no regrets about dating Jen. It was turning out to be one of the best decisions of his life. He was finding that he didn't need to actually date famous women to get their photos in the paper. In fact, the more he included different groups of his famous friends in the club's events, the more he found that some of them had settled down. And that most of them didn't miss their old single days.

It was an eye opener for him. He was happy just being with Jen but thoughts of the future made him a little edgy.

For one, he wasn't too sure about the details of her past and why she left the competitive dancing world behind.

So when Carlos Antonio showed up at Luna Azul and demanded to see Jen one Friday afternoon, Nate felt like he was closer to finding the truth she'd been keeping to herself.

“She's in a class right now,” Nate said as they stood in the VIP ticket area under the Chihuly glass ceiling.

“I will wait,” Carlos said. Carlos wasn't very tall and he was slim. He was well-dressed and appeared to be in his early forties.

“Let's go up to the rooftop club. Jen will be leading the class out there to help open the dance floor.”

“Who are you?”

“Nate Stern, I co-own the club with my brothers. And you are Carlos Antonio, correct?”

“Yes, I am the world-famous dancer.”

Nate rolled his eyes. This guy was a pompous ass from what he could tell. He'd been hassling the girls at the ticket booth for almost forty-five minutes before they'd paged him to come and take care of this guy.

“That's where you know our Jen from, then,” Nate said.

“Indeed, it is. Have you heard of me?”

Nate shook his head. “I don't follow ballroom dancing. I'm more into sports.”

He saw the other man flinch. Keeping in mind that this man was probably a friend of Jen's, Nate thought he should stop needling him. “Sorry about that. I know little of the world of dance.”

“Most people don't,” Carlos said. “I will go with you to wait for Jen.”

Nate led the way to the rooftop club and found a seat for them both. “What can I get you to drink?”

“Jack Daniels on ice.”

Nate signaled the waitress and placed the order. “Do you live here?”

“No. I'm here for a competition and thought I'd stop by and see Jen.”

Nate wasn't getting much from this guy. He was glad
when the music turned to the familiar “Mambo No. 5” and he saw Jen and her students come out on the dance floor.

She glanced over at him but when she saw who was sitting next to him she lost her ready smile. And her rhythm as the song began. But then she found it again and led the class.

Nate glanced over at Carlos who was sitting back in his chair looking self-satisfied. Nate had the feeling that Carlos had wanted to rattle Jen and that he was pleased that he had.