The Price of Pleasure Read online

  The risk he took with the chaste move, like all risks he’d ever taken, was worth the payout.

  “Mr. Englund,” her voice dropped to a husky level, “why do I think you’re not talking about money here?”

  About a dozen different ways to respond to her remark crossed his mind in a matter of seconds. As quickly as one came to him, he tossed it aside for being too cheesy, too blatant, too everything but what he wanted it to be. With an internal grimace, he settled for, “Why does it sound like we’ve just switched gears somehow, and now you want me to earn my money back?”

  The flash of teeth made his heart lurch again. She slid her hand out of his and pointed a long finger at him. “Well, you are the one who didn’t want to hire me, and now it’s coming back to bite you in the ass. I don’t think earning your money back would be so out of line. You really do need to be taught a lesson.”

  He pushed his plate to the side and leaned forward. “Did you have something specific in mind?”

  She leaned closer, and her voice dropped. “What would you say to me giving you half a million dollars for every time you make me scream your name? In a matter of days or hell, hours, depending on how good you are, your money can be right back where it belongs.”

  Holy fuck.

  Jesse’s mind shut down. Completely and utterly shut down. Not a single way to respond with some clever, smart-ass remark would come to him. He could only envision his head between her thighs, or her long legs wrapped around his waist as he pumped into her, or the look of extreme pleasure that he could give this sensuous woman in a myriad of other ways.

  He shifted in his seat and swallowed several times. After staring into her chocolate-tinted eyes for a moment, he said, “Only five times?”

  She reached for his hand and drew a lazy circle in his palm with her fingertip. “Only five times. You’re all but guaranteed to have your money back by Sunday evening because I’m free all weekend.”

  Today was Friday. Sure, he could make his money back before the end of the night, but why? He could drag this out and enjoy two and a half days of burying himself in the pussy of Eden Simmons.

  His hesitation must have caused some concern. Eden said, “I tell you what. I’ll even give back the first half mil’ on credit. You’ll just owe me for that one. Do we have a deal, Mr. Englund?”

  The business was his baby. He’d do whatever it took to keep it prosperous. If some woman stole his money and offered him a chance to get it back, well damn it, he had an obligation to do whatever it took to do so.

  “Ms. Simmons, we most definitely have a deal.”

  Chapter Three

  His BlackBerry chirruped, and he glanced down to scan the incoming text message.

  Hedonisticfem: What’s yr favorite movie?

  By the time Jesse returned to his office that morning, second thoughts began to creep in. Agreeing to the extortion of his own money? A quick call to a private investigator the company used on previous jobs put his mind to a semblance of rest. The return call a little while later confirming that Eden Simmons was indeed legit released most of the nagging doubts.

  Kevin’s voicemail arrived while he was in a meeting, and the remaining doubts vanished.

  I did hire her, Jesse, but there’s something you need to know about that. Let’s meet first thing Monday to discuss.

  If it had been something vital, his chief operating officer knew he didn’t have to wait the entire weekend to talk.

  Now, in the middle of a conference call with overseas affiliates, his mouth quirked into a smile as he read her message. With half of his attention on the call, he typed in a quick response and pressed send. When the BlackBerry chirruped again almost a minute later, he tilted the screen to read the reply.

  Hedonisticfem: Typical male. H8 more: fast car going slow or slow car in fast lane?

  This question resulted in a loud, amused snort from Jesse. The sudden silence on his speakerphone produced the important reminder of what he was supposed to be doing. For effect, he coughed loudly once and apologized for the interruption. When the conversation having something to do with foreign language rights picked up again, he felt safe enough to type his response.

  J_Englund: Slow car, fast lane. Like more: picnic on lake or moonlit walk?

  This time he didn’t put down the phone when he sent the message. Jesse propped his legs up on his desk and leaned comfortably against his chair. Voices droned on around him, but his attention remained riveted to the device in his hands.

  So this is what it was like to be courted by a woman in the twenty-first century? A guy could get used to it.

  No.

  It was Eden Simmons that a guy could really get used to.

  Two hours, one cancelled meeting, and one dodged phone call later, he estimated they traded somewhere close to a hundred text messages. Wasn't it just this morning that he told himself the business always came first? Sure, he could justify shirking some of his less important duties, but the fact of the matter was, he enjoyed the banter with Eden. He adored looking at her, and the text messaging came a close second to actually being with her. Sharp, funny, and engaging. He wanted the opportunity to know as much about her as possible.

  While he waited for a reply to one of his questions, he Googled her and her business. He frowned as he scanned the topics. The information he pulled up was surprisingly scant. In fact, most of the information simply stated that she owned her own business. Nothing in the newspapers. No trade journals. No personal data.

  The research originally started out as a way to continue information gathering, but the paucity of data niggled at his mind. Then again, for a single woman in the security business, it probably made sense that little would be available on the information superhighway.

  Besides, he probably knew more about Eden in what was said and left unsaid in their game of twenty-questions. She had an older brother. Her parents were still alive. She adored food, which he already surmised. She also knew fine art and appeared well-read. She didn’t work out obsessively, but did work at her small consulting business with a ferocity that rivaled his own passion.

  If he had to label her, she was just short of perfect.

  It took a few minutes to sink in, but while perusing a document on expanding the company’s holdings, he realized that’s what bothered him.

  * * * *

  His fingers drummed against the desk.

  “You okay?” Dottie asked.

  He caught himself before glancing at the BlackBerry that hadn’t signaled a new message in a few minutes. “I’m fine. What’s up?”

  “Boss, you’ve been watching that clock like a man who’s got an appointment with the maker, Himself.”

  Jesse blinked in surprise. Had he really been that obvious?

  “And you don’t normally miss meetings.” His secretary opened a manila folder, positioned it, and held out a pen. “In fact, if I didn’t know that you were asexual, I’d say you were just biding time for a hot date, tonight.”

  His head snapped up as she somehow managed to nail it on the head, and she let out a small whoop of laughter. With ears burning, he mumbled, “Is that your phone ringing out there?”

  “Uh huh. Just as I thought. Jesse Englund, I can’t say that I’m surprised, but I am happy for you. As good looking as you are, it’s about time you discovered the opposite sex.”

  “I don’t have a thing against the opposite sex…and why are we having this conversation, exactly?”

  Jesus. The last thing in the world he needed or wanted was this grandmother of seven to discuss his sex life, or lack of one, with him.

  The BlackBerry sounded and he forced himself to let it sit idly by. He could feel the weight of Dottie’s stare as he kept his attention on the documents he signed. With measured patience, he read the pertinent lines and scribbled on page after page. His gaze only drifted to the BlackBerry twice.

  Her soft chuckle sounded in front of him. She pushed the smartphone toward him. “I’m leaving. Go ahead and h
andle your business.”

  Ignoring the phone, he scooted the documents back into the folder and handed it to her. She took it from him, concern evident in her eyes. Her smile faltered on her face. “I’m happy for you, Boss. You spend way too much time here and not enough time for yourself. Don’t mess this up, you hear?”

  With a cross of annoyance and pride, he smiled back. “I’ll try not to, Mom.”

  She snorted and strode in her sensible shoes toward the door. “You wish.”

  Hours later, when finally the last person had left for the day, he shut down his computer too. Leaving the building during daylight felt foreign, but he wanted to get to the grocery store and get a few items in his fridge before she arrived. Not only that, he wanted to change the linens on his bed, maybe buy a few dozen roses to adorn the house…

  Jesse stopped short of his car, keys in hand.

  Why was he going to all this trouble? Eden would be a lay for the weekend. That’s it. They’d both get their rocks off and then go about their merry ways.

  Right?

  Right. Of course. He didn’t need a permanent woman. Didn’t want one. Hell, didn’t have time for one.

  He inserted the key and unlocked the door. Sliding into the seat, he caught a glimpse of himself in the rearview mirror. The empty green eyes of a man who wasn’t so young anymore stared back.

  No matter what his dick thought, maybe if he had a woman like Eden waiting for him at home, there would be fewer nights spent on the cramped couch of his office.

  Maybe.

  For now, he would work on making tonight the most enjoyable experience he possibly could.

  Chapter Four

  Someone else had taken possession of her mouth and out the words flew. Half a million dollars per orgasm? Eden snorted. If she had been thinking properly, she would have made it a hundred thousand each. That would give him something to work toward.

  She pushed away the thought to focus on more serious matters. Sweet heaven. Jesse almost busted her royally for cracking his computer software and worse yet, his company’s bank accounts.

  Her fingers drummed on the steering wheel as she turned a corner. With the radio off, she had nothing but the thoughts in her mind to listen to.

  She hadn’t started out with this plan. Her original intention consisted solely of creating so much havoc within his business that it would take his employees months to recover. Her brother, Gavin, wanted a nudge in the wrong direction for Jesse’s company so that their own family business could edge ahead for once.

  Breaking into the offices of Englund Multimedia partially satisfied her need for kicks and giggles. Mostly though, she needed to use an onsite computer to get past a bastard of a firewall.

  Stealing the money should have been a way to get his attention focused on his finances. With his attention there, the misdirection of client files and information might be overlooked.

  That morning, after punching the enter key, the doubts that often haunted her dreams at night caused her nerves to tingle. The counter on the computer screen marked the passage of time as the money transferred from the company’s account to a dummy one she’d created. The message that signaled the completion of the transfer should have made her glad that it was over.

  Poised over the keyboard, she hesitated though.

  Did she really have to do this? Did she have to undermine the hard work of another person especially when he’d done nothing to deserve it?

  When he caught her red-handed, only seconds after transferring the funds, her heart almost stopped. Instead, an up and personal look at Jesse kicked her neglected sex drive into high gear.

  The memory sent a shiver down her spine.

  The near-miss kiss at his desk? Lord, the temptation to shift just close enough to him so that they accidentally touched almost overwhelmed her. And did he really have to take a shower while she waited patiently at the desk? It would have served him right if she marched into the bathroom and demanded that he made room for her.

  Instead, she took the opportunity to think. Hard.

  She needed to return the money to him in some overt way so that he wouldn’t question why it was gone in the first place.

  And this is how she ended up for her troubles.

  She exhaled and shook her head with disbelief. He agreed to her proposal because for every second they spent together, everything shifted. She felt it. He had to have felt it. They both jogged past politeness when they talked, raced past professionalism in their body language, and landed squarely on hedonic with both feet.

  Dangling his money in front of him served as a lovely little carrot. Had he turned her down, she would have left humiliated but still determined to return the money. Even now, the programming of the accounts allowed the money to be transferred back to him over the course of the next several hours, deal or no deal. By midnight, he would have all of the money back. But he didn’t need to know that. All Jesse needed to know was that she held high expectations for the night.

  She, on the other hand, needed to remember that he was just a mark. Nothing more than a means to an end.

  His parting words at breakfast still echoed to her. Come to my house tonight at 8 p.m. Bring an appetite and an open mind.

  That last part intrigued her immensely.

  As the SUV pulled to a stop in front of the colonial style home, she cut the engine and took a deep breath.

  Whatever he had in mind, she had a feeling she wouldn’t be disappointed.

  * * * *

  Eden pressed the doorbell and smiled at the quaint melody that chimed just inside of the front door. She hummed a few lines of the Star Spangled Banner, carrying the tune over even after the chimes ended. By the time the door swung open, she belted out the song as if she’d written it herself.

  “Hoo,” she breathed out at Jesse’s smile. “I gather from that shit-eatin’ grin that you could hear me in there?”

  “My neighbors too, I’m sure. Nice voice,” he replied. Arms crossed, he propped himself against the door jam. His eyes blazed bright with merriment before they shifted into something a little more mysterious.

  Although his gaze never dropped hers, she felt naked as she stood in front of him. Something in the way he looked at her made her feel as if he peeled away her clothing layer by layer. The heaviness of that stare intoxicated her and made a promise about the night ahead.

  “Are you going to let me in?” she asked demurely.

  He studied her face and then stepped closer so they stood only inches apart. “Just so that we’re clear, tonight, perhaps this entire weekend, is your idea. If you want to change your mind right now, I’m okay with that. But if you follow me inside, we’ll see this thing through to its conclusion.” He dropped his mouth next to her ear until his breath tickled her skin. “And I plan on getting every blessed cent of my money back.”

  Her pulse raced, but she wouldn’t let the tremor deep down surface. “That’s exactly what I’m counting on, Jesse.”

  He pulled his head back so he could regard her again. She bared his scrutiny with an impassive face. No change in her body language either. He inclined his head toward the doorway. “Let’s go. I hope you brought your appetite.”

  Taking his outstretched hand, she clasped it in hers. Instead of the electric spark she expected—wanted to be there—comforting warmth spread over her fingers. Before she could reflect on it, she pulled her hand away to cover her mouth.

  “Jesse?” Her voice was almost hoarse. She came to a standstill before the wall. “Is that an original?”

  He walked past it with barely a pause. “Good eye.”

  That’s all he could say? Good eye? The man had an original Degas in the entryway to his home and all he could say was ‘good eye?’ The last she’d heard, a Degas painting sold for millions of dollars at a Christie’s auction.

  For the first time since she had opened her mouth about this proposition, she hesitated. Something about knowing Jesse could buy and sell her just by casting off a single
piece of artwork and still have plenty of money left over made her question his motivations for seeing this through. She could only imagine what he thought of her. Apprehension crept over her nerves, igniting each one along the way.

  “You coming?” His head floated into view, the wall blocking the rest of him.

  Wide-eyed, she shook her head slowly. This was not a good idea. The man was so far out of her league that she’d need a map, two Sherpas, and a compass just to get into the same universe as his league. “Jesse, I had no idea—”

  “No idea about what? Come on and have a snack with me. I don’t know about you, but I could eat a little something.”

  The exaggerated sigh she breathed out was for her own benefit as much as his. It gave her the courage to follow him instead of running tail-tucked in the opposite direction. She set her jaw and followed.

  The strong suggestion by him that she would not be allowed to back out now teetered on a fragile ledge. Eden mentally pulled it back onto sure footing when she beheld the buffet spread out on the wooden table.

  “Oh my.”

  The varied food platters covered the table’s surface. Her sexual appetite’s future may have been precarious, but her appetite for food would not be left unsatisfied.

  “I didn’t know what you liked, so I got a little bit of everything, I think.”

  Chocolate. Strawberries. Asparagus. Caviar. Figs. Truffles. More fruit that she couldn’t identify from where she stood and, one mustn’t forget…oysters.

  Eden choked out a shocked laugh. “Are these aphrodisiacs?”

  He grinned back at her and shrugged. “I figured it couldn’t hurt.” He held out a chair. “Have a seat.”

  It was like he’d read every bad magazine article on how to seduce a woman. Oysters? Really?

  She couldn’t stop smiling as she sat. “Jesse. This is…cute. Thank you for going to so much trouble.”