Chapter Two

      Unease twisted Shey’s empty stomach as she followed Mandy up the stairs on Monday afternoon. Why Marco, the big-dog editor and chief, would want his receptionist and an assistant editor to check out the upper floor was beyond her. She went anyway, clutching her purse tightly to her side. The sooner they got this over with and she could scoot to the deli across the street, the better. She was starved.

      Mandy opened the door to the twelfth floor, and Shey’s breath caught in her throat. Mr. Cool—Calvin—stood in the entrance lobby next to a table draped with a thick white cloth. A bottle of Merlot was open, two glasses poured and two candles lit, but she didn’t notice what was on the plates. She couldn’t take her eyes off of his.

      ‘That will be all, Mandy.’ His voice, gentle yet commanding, shivered through her.

      Mandy scurried back to the stairwell just as Shey’s shock cleared. She reached out and blocked the doorway with her arm.

      ‘What the hell’s going on here?’ she asked them both, though it was pretty obvious. She’d been set up. The you will not talk about me to strangers again speech she’d given Mandy earlier had clearly gone in one ear and out the other.

      ‘Shey, I hoped you would join me for lunch.’ There was no demand in his tone now, only charm, and she didn’t trust it one bit.

      ‘I think it’s romantic.’ Mandy let out a dreamy sigh and Shey rolled her eyes.

      She couldn’t deny the gesture was sweet, in its own way. She wanted a guy to make the effort for her, and Calvin had brought that in spades. Didn’t mean she appreciated the sneaky way he got her there. Still, she gave him points for his smarts. There was no way she’d have come if she knew what was going on.

      The effort alone deserved a gentle let-down, since her rejection on Friday night hadn’t gotten through that beautiful head of his.

      ‘Fine. I’ll stay, but only because I’m starving.’ And were those chocolate truffles? Yeah, she’d stay for dessert before she put her foot down.

      Mandy winked, then she was off down the stairs with a clatter of heels hitting concrete. Wisely, Calvin didn’t smirk, only pulled a chair out for her. She slid in, breathing through her mouth in case he was throwing out the bottled pheromones again.

      He disappeared behind her and then she heard the click of the door closing. She whirled the top half of her body around to face him, a skitter of unease dancing down her spine. ‘What are you doing?’

      Part of her wondered if this was a bad idea. She was alone with a man who drove her body crazy, a man she barely knew. He could be a rapist or a murderer. But if he was either of those things, getting Mandy to bring her up here would blow his cover, wouldn’t it? Mandy would know the last person Shey was with, and there was CCTV all over the building.

      Calvin left the key in the lock and sauntered back to her with a manly gait that drew her gaze down his body to take in every inch of that tailored suit. Shit, even his walk was sexy. The corner of his mouth pulled up and her heart stuttered.

      ‘I want to make sure no one interrupts us.’

      She watched as he sat across from her at the table, wondering if what he said was true.

      ‘I’m not going to hurt you, Shey. You don’t need to be afraid of me,’ Calvin said seriously.

      Stupidly, she believed him. But he meant physically, not emotionally, and to her the latter was all that counted. ‘Why lock the door? It’s not as if anyone will come up here.’

      One eyebrow rose as he studied her expression with intent eyes, like she was exhibit A, and she stifled the urge to squirm in her seat.

      ‘You’re really not afraid,’ he said, a warm smile curving those lips.

      ‘I have pepper spray in my handbag and grew up in the Bronx.’ She tried for an angelic expression.

      Calvin laughed and her smile slipped. Every time she heard that sound it felt like he was zapping her with little electric currents. His eyes worked like twin lasers, heating her from the inside.

      This was just like what had happened to her mother, except now it was happening to her.

      Every conversation she’d had with her mom about boys came flooding back into her mind and dulled the connection with Calvin. Being here with him was risky, even though she’d ruled out physical danger. The last thing she needed was to lose her head and her control when she was with a man. She should leave right now.

      ‘I didn’t mean to laugh,’ he said, sensing the tension in her. He leaned forward. ‘I’ve never met anyone like you, Shey.’

      The way he focused on her was so consuming, she lost the ability to speak. Her imagination ran wild for a second as she imagined herself walking around the table, undressing him and letting him do all the dirty things those eyes promised.

      But reality snapped her back to her senses. Shaking her head, she stood, and he rose too.

      ‘Where are you going?’

      ‘This can’t happen.’

      Shey could tell by his incredulous expression that he couldn’t believe she was shooting him down. The reality was that they had no future beyond lunch, and staying for that long would be risky. He was a man used to getting what he wanted, and she had a feeling there were many before her that he’d taken at his will. Scores of women who, no doubt, fell at his feet.

      There was no room for a player in her life, messing with her body and giving her what it desired. Accidents happened, she was living proof. But she was smart and learned from her mother’s mistakes. Passion led to carelessness and that led to the end of careers. A carefully planned romance that she was in control of would be much safer.

      ‘Sit down. We’re just having lunch.’

      They weren’t and they both knew it. This lunch was a form of foreplay, and damned effective.

      ‘Just lunch?’ Shey asked, unable to move. Those truffles were calling out her name, even though she knew a moment on the lips was a lifetime on her hips. He nodded and she slid into the chair.

      ‘Tell me why you panicked. The truth,’ he added, like he couldn’t stand lies.

      His eyes latched onto hers with an intensity she shied away from. She ignored his question. After all, she didn’t panic. It was self-preservation, which her body clearly wasn’t interested in.

      ‘How do you have a key for here, and why were you at Storm on Friday?’ If this was the last chance she’d get to ease her curiosity, she had to go for broke.

      His grin sent a heated shiver through her, chasing away the last shred of her fear. ‘Ladies first.’

      Shey stopped the frown before it happened. He was… infuriating really. She reached for her wine and took a sip to calm herself.

      ‘I’m not sure what you expect, but I can’t give it to you.’

      He picked up his own wine, a calculating glint in his eyes that told her he was looking for another angle to persuade her. Yeah, it was flattering that he wanted her this much, but whatever was between them couldn’t go anywhere. She had to keep her focus or she’d be screwed, and not just literally.

      ‘Calvin—’

      He leaned forward, elbows on the table. ‘Stop fighting me. Maybe I just want to have lunch with a beautiful woman, is that a crime?’

      She grinned. ‘Is that a line?’