His Command

by Sophie H. Morgan

  Like he was with Hailey.

  She grew quieter until finally he couldn’t take it anymore.

  “Hailey?” His voice was unintentionally husky.

  Her eyes winged upward to his face. The color of summer grass, they drew him in. Best of all, he saw no sadness.

  She hesitated before her chin came up. “You want to go for a drink?”

  17.

  “Did you see it?” Luka strode into the Director’s office without knocking, waving off Gregor as he clucked behind. Distress bathed the PA like bad cologne.

  Clare glanced up from some paperwork, those half-moon spectacles balanced on her nose. “Please, come in, Luka,” she said with a touch of dryness. “Thank you, Gregor.”

  Gregor wrung his hands in apology and shut the door as he left. It was late, but Gregor only left when the Director ordered him to or when she left herself. Dedication that Luka’s own assistant sadly also had in abundance. Luka couldn’t get rid of him, even when he wanted to. He half suspected the man was on Clare’s dime, paid to keep an eye on his misadventures.

  He dropped onto the white couch. “So? Did you see it?”

  Clare pushed her chair away from the desk. Once again, she was in a black pencil skirt with a light blue silk shirt and heels a dominatrix would be proud of. Not that the Director had ever indicated that was her preference, but Luka figured if she ever unbent enough to have sex, she’d be dominant. Clare rarely unfroze enough to give up control.

  She was watching him with careful eyes. “I saw it.”

  “And?” Luka pulled up his legs to stretch them on the couch.

  Now her eyes were frigid. “Shoes. Couch.”

  With a big sigh, he plopped them back to the carpet. “Do you think they steered us away from bid-fixing scandals?”

  “I think Ryder did his job, yes.” Clare stood and click-clacked over to the wet bar. She poured them both a brandy without asking. Unlike Luka, she never conjured alcohol. Why would she when she had the best stuff sitting right there?

  She tapped over to him, the nap of the carpet muffling the noise. “I think any potential scandals should’ve been diverted with how they acted on that set tonight.” She handed over the glass.

  Luka took it with a suspicious gaze. “You think the crowd bought it?”

  The dulled silver ring on her hand shone in the light as Clare tipped up her glass to her lips. After she’d swallowed, she inched her shoulders up. “Yes.”

  “You ask me, I thought Hailey Lawson looked set to jump out of her skin whenever Ryder touched her.” He looked at the contents of the glass, frowning. “I thought I’d have to talk you out of a bad mood. Yet your Dr. Gloom face seems lighter than normal.”

  “Luka, you really don’t know women, do you?”

  He lifted an eyebrow, a cocky smile curling his lips.

  She kept her steady stare. “I wanted Ryder and Ms. Lawson to be as if they had just entered into an affair.”

  “Riiiight . . .”

  “If our Genie and Ms. Lawson had been involved prior to the charity auction, they’d have been comfortable with touching each other. The sexual tension would not have been as sharp as it so obviously was. It would have been slaked.” She nodded. “As it was, they acted like any couple who’ve recently entered into a romantic arrangement but haven’t proceeded to intimacy. The story will now focus on when they will, instead of when they met.”

  Luka exhaled, then toasted her. “I’m at parts awed and terrified of how your mind works.”

  “That’s fair since I can’t riddle your mind out half the time.” Clare moved on as Luka grinned. “I want you to also keep an eye on their situation.”

  “Yeah, see, I’m not into the whole voyeur thing. I like to participate.” He ran his eyes over her, deliberately heated. “Don’t you?”

  “I like to know what’s going on.”

  “Ah, well, the man puts his—”

  “Luka.” Frosty, her silencing gaze shut him up, though he continued to grin. “If they do deepen their contact, we need to be able to control the article. If we leak it to the press at the right moment, lottery ticket sales will triple. Especially if we link back to Jax and Charlotte Donahue’s story.”

  “So, are you acting as businesswoman or matchmaker in this scenario?”

  She finished her drink. The glass disappeared from her hand to reappear on the wet bar. “Don’t start on about love again.”

  “All I’m saying is there’s something about him when he talks about her. This attachment could be good for him.”

  “They lust for each other. It’ll pass in a few weeks, so we need to capitalize on it now.”

  “You’re such a woman. Always so emotional.”

  * * *

  It being Saturday night, Lullaby was jammed with suits and suit chasers, from mousy brunettes to flashy blondes and all the colors in between. The energy was pumped, the music sensual blues, and the cocktails strong enough to wrestle Popeye.

  Hailey was as jittery as a kid on Christmas Eve who couldn’t wait to unwrap a present. She eyed Ryder as he stood patiently next to her at the mahogany bar, let her eyes drift down that ripped body his clothes couldn’t hide.

  Speaking of unwrapping . . .

  Nerves tangled in the pit of her stomach as she examined her decision from every angle again. It was not like her to even consider a fling without a future—which was what made it so damn appealing now. No muss, no fuss, no getting hurt—because it wasn’t going anywhere. Completely focused on lust and not emotions. She felt like she was ready for that, at least. Tiptoeing forward to the new Hailey Lawson.

  When he’d talked about things getting back to normal outside the studio, she’d suddenly known, down-to-the-gut known, that if she didn’t take the plunge for a no-strings affair with Ryder—the only man to make her feel good in forever—she’d regret it.

  No takebacks now.

  When they finally got their drinks—a beer for Ryder, a cocktail with the intriguing name Geniegasm for her—Ryder grabbed her free hand and indicated for her to follow.

  That contact alone made her edgy. That and the way he looked at her, as if he’d guessed why she’d asked him for a drink.

  She still didn’t know what to say—Now?—but hoped something would occur to her over the next hour. Maybe if she leaned real close, he’d take the lead. He always had before.

  Paging Dr. Coward. You’re wanted in the get-some-balls ward.

  She released a gusty sigh as they weaved around a group of college-aged girls who stared after Ryder like he was sex on legs. She hadn’t expected it to be this hard.

  Inner Hailey opened her mouth.

  Don’t say it.

  Ryder reached a vacant booth and slid in, tugging her next to him. He didn’t release her hand until her thigh pressed against his.

  Deliberately, Hailey inched even closer.

  His eyes lost more brown, glittering hot amber until she felt burned by them.

  Holy guacamole. You’re doing this.

  “So,” he said after taking a drink from his beer.

  “So,” she replied.

  His smile was slow, so damned sexy. “How’s the wedding planning going for your ex and the lemon sucker?”

  Not the subject she’d expected him to choose, though the description of Serena made her snort. She hid the smile.

  “Don’t.” His fingers grazed her mouth. “Don’t hold it back.”

  She froze, lips parting as his thumb swept the bottom one. She stared into his eyes, lost in them.

  Kiss me.

  But if he read the silent plea in her face, he ignored it. His hand fell back to his lap.

  “It’s . . . it’s going okay.” She picked up her drink and drank. She about choked as the strength kicked her in the throat.

  Hello, I’m drunk.

  “He’s an ass, but I’m a professional,” she blathered on. “It’s not like I feel anything for him anymore. Apart from your standard hatred and desire for revenge,
but I’m working on that.” She laughed to let him know she was (mostly) joking.

  “Time heals.” He nodded sagely. “Read it on a bumper sticker once so it must be true.”

  The corners of her mouth pushed up without thought.

  “You don’t . . .” A frown lined his forehead behind the stubborn locks of hair. “I mean, do you need to talk about it or anything?” He looked so pained, it almost tempted her into involving him in a long discussion about Ethan and all his faults.

  But that was not exactly a conversation that led into Wanna come back to mine and explore that whole fun concept in a different way?

  Still, the genuine, if reluctant, offer helped melt the last of her concerns like ice held in a hot hand. Ryder was a decent guy. It wasn’t like he was a total stranger. Except she didn’t know anything about him other than that he looked sexy as the devil in jeans and a tee and he could probably bring her to orgasm using just his kisses. But wasn’t that the whole point of casual sex?

  “Hailey?”

  She stared at him, the last image taking time to drain away.

  What had he asked?

  Oh, yeah. “No. Enough said about him, the better. Let’s talk about something else.”

  Unfortunately, all she could think of was bedsheets, Marvin Gaye, and the nagging question of if Genies used magic in the bedroom.

  She grabbed at the most neutral topic she could. “Did I tell you I found somewhere in Malibu that’ll loan you tiki torches and a palm-frond bar?”

  When he laughed, the dimple creased his cheek. “Perfect. Leo will hate it.”

  “I thought the party was for him.”

  “It is, but he doesn’t want it. He’s not the most sociable guy.”

  “Then why . . . ?”

  “Because he needs to celebrate how great life is. Besides, it’s my duty as his brother to prod him along.” He blinked. “And WFY agrees. Obviously. Or they wouldn’t be throwing him the party.”

  “Are you the oldest?”

  “By two minutes.” Ryder’s smile was affectionate. “He hates that.”

  Her amused hmph made his smile grow. There was something about Ryder’s smile that was contagious, full of sunshine. Even at the auction, while she was at her lowest, he’d made her joke and forget for one second about her insecurities. It was a gift.

  She spent the next five minutes outlining what else she’d found for the party in the past week. Since it was so informal—most was window dressing, and the beach was right there—all it had taken was to find a supplier for the luau theme and a caterer to supply food and bartend. Music and flowers were the last things she had left on her list. She also needed to find some kind of portable dance floor. Hailey made a mental note to add that to her list, though the thought grew slushy as she finished her Geniegasm.

  “D’ya know,” she said, leaning her head back on the booth and looking at him from under her lashes. “I’ve known you for a couple of weeks, but I don’t know you, you know?”

  For some reason, what she’d said made laughter light up his eyes. “What do you want to know?”

  She considered. “Where do you live?”

  “In one of the Ritz-Carlton apartments.”

  Oh. Yeah. She knew that. “So you’ve got, like, a gajillion dollars. Why not buy some place fabulous that’s more private?”

  “I don’t rate privacy as a plus. Don’t get me wrong,” he said, “I don’t want cameras capturing my every moment. But I love being in the center of things. I love knowing I can walk out my door and within minutes be with people.”

  Yeah, she got that about him. It was probably why he was so caring. Funny that his twin was the opposite, though.

  “Where’d you grow up?”

  “New York.”

  “And is it just you and Leo?”

  He nodded. “We’ve always been close.”

  “Your parents never had to put up with teenage rebellion?”

  There was the slightest hesitation before he flashed a wide grin. “Nah. We were great. But what about you?” he said, turning the tables. “Are you an only kid?”

  “One and only. I missed out on the whole sibling experience.”

  “And you’d have liked one.”

  She cast him a surprised look. “You sound certain.”

  “It’s all in the eyes with you.” His went lazy, lashes that were ridiculously long for a man sweeping low. “They tell me your every thought.”

  Jesus. Not her every thought.

  “Seriously, do you have some kind of special mind-reading thing?” she demanded.

  “Why, what’re you thinking?” He grinned at her burning cheeks but took pity on her. “So what would you have wanted—sister or brother?”

  “I dunno.” She shrugged. “Just someone. We moved around a lot.”

  “Army?”

  “Navy.” She smiled at his perceptiveness, thinking of her dad. “My dad’s a lieutenant commander.”

  “Strict?”

  “Like most dads, but we never had issues.” Hailey shifted in the seat, let her head loll. “Trust was a one-shot deal in our house. If I told the truth, I could do whatever I wanted, within reason.”

  “But you still wanted someone.” His knee grazed hers as he shifted.

  To be there. It was true Hailey had learned how to make friends quickly, but it came at the cost of never letting anyone too close for fear of missing them too badly when her family inevitably left. A sister or brother would have been someone to depend on.

  Only when she’d moved to New York and taken her first job had she felt safe to start digging roots, making friends that lasted. Trusting people to be there.

  Thanks, Ethan, for screwing that up.

  “Yeah,” was all she said with a smile. “It would have been nice to have someone.”

  His perceptive gaze burned, but he smiled and took them off topic as if he knew how uncomfortable it made her. “Another drink?”

  * * *

  “So,” she said when he got back with another round of the same, “the big question.”

  “No, I don’t wear underwear.” He sent her a steamy look that bordered on villainous leering.

  It made her laugh. Helped along by the next sip of her Geniegasm. “Do you like being a Genie?”

  “Hell, that’s an easy one,” he said. “I love it.”

  “Why?”

  He tapped his bottle to his lips in thought. “The women?”

  Hailey made a sound like a buzzer. “Eh, wrong. Sorry, you miss out on the fabulous trip to the Bahamas.”

  “But am I still up for the set of steak knives?”

  “Depends if you answer the question.”

  His shoulders rolled in obvious discomfort. “I like helping people.”

  The bar noise almost overpowered his quiet words, but she was so close, she heard them anyway. She almost rolled her eyes. Like she hadn’t already guessed that from his rescue at the auction, to his deal for the wish, to his helping her out with Serena, to the party he wanted to throw for his twin. “Duh.” Maybe a little too much to drink, there, Lawson. Your IQ is dripping.

  I mean, dropping.

  He seemed amused at her teenaged response. “Figured that out, huh?”

  “I had an inkling.”

  “Omigosh, it’s Ryder Wood!” The female screech rose above the blues to tear both Hailey’s and Ryder’s gazes to the end of their booth.

  A woman in a pink dress fluttered her hands at her face, a big beaming smile stretching her lips.

  Ryder reacted first. “Well, hey there.”

  The woman pressed a fervent hand to her endowed chest. “I’m Kathy, and can I just say, I love you and Leo. I’ve followed your wishes from the start. I even have a scrapbook of your appearances.”

  Hailey blinked. People actually did that? She’d heard of Genie groupies, but this was her first time seeing one in the flesh.

  “Thanks, Kathy,” Ryder said in his smoke-and-sunshine voice. “It’s great to meet a fan
. I’m sure Leo will be as flattered as I am.”

  She held out a napkin with a quivering hand. “Can I . . . Would it be too much trouble to . . .” Kathy had the same brain drain all women seemed to have when coming into contact with Ryder. Hailey sympathized.

  Ryder slid out of the booth and a pen materialized in his hand. “To Kathy,” he said aloud as he wrote. “So sweet to meet. Wishes for your happiness, Ryder.” He capped the pen and it flashed away as he handed the napkin back with a killer grin.

  Kathy almost fainted. “Omigosh. Thank you so much. And . . .” She pressed her lips together. “I forgot a camera, but could you . . . ?”

  Ryder’s mouth lifted in a one-sided grin. He held out his hand and a Polaroid appeared.

  Kathy’s eyes got bigger. With her gaping mouth, she actually kind of resembled a fish.

  Ryder held the camera out to Hailey. “Do you mind?”

  “Sure. That’s what I’m here for.” She took it with an eye roll and held it up to see through the lens. “Smile. Say ‘tempting twin.’”

  Ryder narrowed his eyes but pulled a big, cheesy grin with Kathy plastered on one side.

  The photo whirred out and Hailey shook it. She glanced at it before handing it over. “You look a little bug-eyed there, Ryder.”

  He smirked. “Thanks.”

  Kathy accepted the photo like she was receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. “I . . .” She did a funny squeal and clutched the napkin and the photo to her chest. “I have to call Melanie.”

  She dashed off, a glance thrown over her shoulder every few seconds.

  As Ryder resumed his seat, Hailey had one thing to say. Well, two things.

  “Mushball,” she commented.

  He waved that off with a puff of disdain. “I knew she’d never go away if I didn’t entertain her.”

  Never mind the smile in his eyes as he watched her shoot into the stratosphere. Decent man/Genie right there. And one who made her panties catch fire.

  Which led into the second thing. “Ryder?”

  “Mm?”

  “How would you feel . . .” She licked her lips, tasting the salt from her second Geniegasm. “ . . . about taking me home?”