by Julie Kenner
Five years ago Ken had been such an innocent. The media may have pegged him—rightly—as a go-getter, but newspapers had a way of focusing on the sensational. No interview or article had ever shown a hint of the sweet, small-town boy Lisa had loved. His Texas charm had meshed with his business savvy, and the combination was potent. It had certainly knocked Lisa off her feet.
But he’d always been the one to back off from moving too fast. She might have been the wild, small-town girl turned loose in the big city. But Ken had never lost himself the way she had. He’d always been focused, sure of what he wanted, and confident he could get it. But he was never untoward, and he never played dirty.
So for him to be suggesting a night of sin and sex…well, the whole thing was a little unnerving. Of course—since she was being honest—she had to admit it was also extremely titillating. Small-town Ken playing sex games. Had he really changed that much? Or was the scent of real desire in the air?
She didn’t know. Maybe Ken truly wanted her—wanted to have a taste of what they’d lost when she’d left. More likely, he just wanted revenge—the opportunity to show her what she’d missed out on, to tease and to torture her with sex and seduction. Lord knew, he’d had his share of women, at least according to the papers. In the eyes of the media, Ken Harper was an accomplished lover.
“Lisa?”
She gnawed lightly on her lower lip. What other choice did she have? Without Ken, her plans would completely fall apart. He was her best chance, her last chance. And maybe she owed him. After all, she was the one who left him.
His slow grin held all sorts of erotic promises, and she closed her eyes to block a tremble. Who was she kidding? She wasn’t agreeing because she owed him. She was agreeing because she wanted him—had wanted him for years.
But she had her price, too, and she sat up straighter, trying to focus on the fact that she was in Los Angeles for work, not to sleep with Ken Harper. “Yes,” she said, with one curt nod of her head. “But on one condition.”
He quirked a brow and leaned back, the epitome of the cool negotiator. “And what condition might that be?”
She flashed what she hoped was a saucy grin. “More help, of course.”
To her relief, he laughed. “Okay. I’ll bite. With what?”
“The other locations.” She glanced down at the tabletop, then back up at him through her eyelashes. “If you’re the Casanova the media makes you out to be, surely you can help me find a few sexy locations.”
He didn’t admit or deny, and she realized she was disappointed. She’d wanted him to say he wasn’t a Casanova, that the media had done a typical hype job, and he was still the same old Ken. But he was silent, just sitting there with his chin propped on his clasped hands as he watched her.
Finally he nodded. “It’s a deal.”
“It is?”
“Absolutely.”
“Oh.”
An amused smile danced on his lips. “Disappointed? You didn’t think I’d say no, did you?”
“No…I…” Flustered, she decided it was better to just stay quiet. The truth was, she wasn’t disappointed at all. Quite the opposite, and the feeling unsettled her.
“In fact,” he continued, leaning closer, “I think this may work out just fine. Who knows? Maybe we can even explore my side of the bargain while we’re checking out those locations.”
She couldn’t answer, could only nod and wonder what she’d gotten herself into.
Because the truth was, though she wouldn’t admit it to Ken, not in a million years, she’d been thinking that exact same thing.
“HOMEWORK?” TIM ASKED from the doorway.
Startled, Ken looked up from tourist map of Los Angeles he’d been studying. “Sort of. I’m taking Lisa out tonight, and I’m trying to decide where to go.”
“A real date?” Tim’s voice rose with interest. “I guess I was wrong. I thought you had some decadent little plan worked out.”
“No comment,” Ken said. His plan was in place, all right—a plan forged in the fire of revenge. And now he wasn’t sure that putting it into motion was one of the brighter things he’d ever done. He’d spent less than two hours with her that morning, and he could still smell her scent on his clothes, could close his eyes and picture every line on her face.
“Well, now I’m curious.” Tim folded himself into the chair opposite Ken’s desk, his long legs out to the side. “Spill it. What are you up to?”
Ken hesitated only a second, but Tim was his best friend. He’d never kept a secret from him, and he didn’t intend to start now. “I told you she was here scouting locations, right?” At Tim’s nod, he filled in the rest of the story. “So I said I’d help her find some locations.”
Tim’s brow lifted. “In exchange for finding her in your bed?”
“Something like that.”
His friend shook his head slowly. “You’re in over your head.”
“I don’t think so,” Ken said, even though he’d thought exactly that only moments before.
“No?”
“I’ve got it under control.”
“Then why are you doing this?”
Ken stood, not sure he wanted to examine his motives, afraid of what he’d find in his heart if he looked too closely. A mishmash of emotions washed through him as he stalked to the window. Looking down at the street below, he tried to sort out his feelings, but they were too wild, too raw. Finally he turned back to Tim. “It’s something I need to do.”
“I never pegged you as the revenge type.”
Nor had he. But Lisa got under his skin. When he thought about her, his blood boiled, the pressure building until he craved release. He needed something from her, he just wasn’t sure what. Revenge? Or something else?
Tim was looking at him, a curious expression on his face.
“What?” Ken demanded, trying to relax.
“I’m just wondering if it is revenge.”
“What do you mean?”
“The lady’s special. You’ve always thought so. And now you have the chance to show her what she missed out on. So maybe you’re not doing it to torment her. Maybe you’re doing it with the hope that she’ll stay.”
“That’s ridiculous,” he said automatically.
“Is it? Remember who you’re talking to, buddy. I’m the one who roomed with you while my condo was being renovated. Maybe you can pull a fast one on someone else, but I’m the one who knows you still keep her engagement ring in a box on your chest of drawers.”
Ken’s heart twisted as he wondered if Tim was right, even as he desperately hoped he was wrong. When he faced him, he knew his expression was clear, emotionless. “I don’t have any illusions. I’m fine.”
But he wasn’t so sure. The fact was, Lisa had managed to edge her way into his life again. He had a sneaking suspicion that his original intention of making her weak with lust was going to backfire. And at the end of the day, he’d be the one with his heart hanging out to dry once again.
Mentally, he shook his head. He had a plan, and he was going to see it through. He was going to show her what she’d missed out on. He was going to make her pay in all sorts of decadent and erotic ways. And he was going to get her out of his system once and for all. Finito. Kaput. End of story.
Determined, he slipped behind his desk, then leaned back in the chair. “Do you want to sit there psychoanalyzing me all night, or do you want to help me?”
For a second he thought Tim was going to leave, but then he shifted in the chair, settling in more comfortably. “I’m game. What do you need?”
“Locations. I’m supposed to help her find places to film. How the hell do I know what’s sexy in L.A.?”
“Ken, my man, you’ve come to the right place.”
Ken stifled a chuckle. “Glad to hear it. But what makes you such a connoisseur?”
“Chic magazines.”
Ken made a swooshing motion over his head. “Come again?”
“When Melinda left, she didn’t fo
rward her subscriptions. I’ve been getting all these damn magazines for months.”
“Okay.” He held his hands out in confusion. “And…”
Tim half shrugged, looking slightly sheepish. “So I figured I’d read them. Maybe get some insight into the female psyche. Figured if I did, maybe the next girl would hang around longer.”
Ken bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing as he pictured Tim—six-foot-three and two hundred and twenty pounds—sacked out on the sofa reading Cosmopolitan. “Is it working?”
“Nah. You just can’t figure women out, with or without a guidebook. But these magazines do have some interesting articles. One of them’s been doing an article every month about fabulous places to do the wild thing in various big cities.”
“Los Angeles?”
“Last month’s issue.”
“Must be karma.”
“I’m not so sure,” Tim said. “If this thing backfires, I sure as hell don’t want it on my conscience that I gave you the roadmap for seduction.”
LISA KNEW she should be working, but somehow she couldn’t concentrate. Ever since breakfast she’d been on edge, wondering what Ken had in store for her that evening. After Hugo’s, she’d driven around the city. She told herself she was looking for exotic, erotic locations, but somehow she ended up on Melrose Avenue in front of the trendy boutiques that lined the famous street.
She didn’t need a new outfit; she couldn’t afford a new outfit. Yet somehow her credit card seemed to take control and steer her into a brightly lit shop with a flirty red dress in the window.
A bell above the door jingled as she stepped inside, and a salesgirl with magenta hair and a stud through her nose bopped over, gum smacking. “Can I help you?”
“Oh, uh, no. I’m just looking.” Lisa glanced around. Everything in the store was just as cute as the red dress. Considering she was broke, this was going to be torture.
“Take your time. There’s more in the back.” She pointed vaguely toward the rear of the store, then flounced back to the cash register to ring up a sequined purple tank top held by a woman in a tailored business suit.
Each rack seemed to hold a minimum of one truly bizarre outfit, balanced by another outfit so cute and perfect that Lisa mourned having been out of steady work for so long. She had her eye on a green silk shorts set with a matching jacket and tank top, when the salesgirl came back over.
“That’s a great outfit. You can, like, wear it to work, but it’s also great for dates for the weekend or whatever.”
“It’s great,” Lisa agreed.
“Want me to take it to the dressing room for you?”
“No, thanks,” Lisa said, fully intending to announce that she was just browsing. Instead, though, her traitorous mouth took over and said, “I’m looking for something for a date.”
“Ohhhhh!” The girl nodded. “Something fun and flirty. Gotcha.”
Lisa mumbled something noncommittal, totally irritated with herself. This wasn’t a date date. She was not dating Ken. She was going out with him, yes, but only because that was his condition for helping her, not because there was anything left between them. It was about the job. Job, job, job.
“You okay?”
Lisa nodded. “Fine. The thing is, it’s not exactly a date. It’s a business deal, too.”
“Colleague or opponent?”
She frowned. “Pardon?”
The girl ran a hand through her hair, spiking it and making Lisa wonder if magenta sparks were going to start flying. “Is the guy someone you work with, or someone you’re trying to get something from?”
“Oh. The second.”
The girl grinned, and Lisa saw a smear of purple lipstick on her front tooth. “I know just the dress.” She bounced toward the window and took down the red dress, the one Lisa’d been eyeing. The one Lisa knew better than to wear on a date with Ken.
“Oh, I don’t think so…”
“Trust me. This dress will seal any deal.”
Lisa licked her lips. True, she wanted Ken’s help, but what she didn’t want was to seem too eager to participate in his rather decadent conditions—no matter how titillating the idea might be. If she were smart, she’d wear her denim skirt and a sweater, comfortable and casual.
Except her brain didn’t seem to be calling the shots, and she found herself nodding and reaching for the dress. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt just to try it on.”
Probably smelling a sale, the girl pretty much danced toward the dressing room, picking up accessories as she went. Lisa followed meekly, feeling a bit like a child following the pied piper. By the time they hit the dressing room, the girl had gathered the red dress, a sequined bolero-length sweater jacket, strappy red sandals, and a red leather clutch bag.
“It’s all yours. Let me know if the size isn’t right.”
Nodding, Lisa took a deep breath and entered noman’s land. Once she went in, she knew she wasn’t leaving without that dress. And once she got it on, she was even more sure. It was, in a word, stunning. The material was a rayon-silk blend that felt fabulous against her skin. And skin was pretty much all that was against it, at least up top, because the upper portion of the dress was two simple crisscrosses of gathered material sewn together at the neck.
The design accentuated her cleavage, leaving a bare back and very little to the imagination. The rest of the dress was just as provocative. A tight waist flared out into a dancer’s skirt that could, if she wanted, reveal all with a simple twirl.
The salesgirl had done a good job guessing Lisa’s shoe size, too, and the sandals fit like a dream. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the dressing room curtain aside and stepped out, wanting to take a look at the ensemble in the three-way mirror.
“Ouch! Girl, that dress is hot!”
Lisa did a little mini twirl in front of the mirror, careful to not let the skirt flare too high, and had to agree. “It is, isn’t it?”
“Is he cute?”
An image of Ken’s piercing blue eyes and solid jaw flashed in her mind. “Better than cute. He’s handsome.”
The girl, who never seemed to stay completely still, bobbed a bit more and clapped her hands. “Awesome. You’ve got to get it. You look like a movie star.”
Lisa glanced over her shoulder, catching her reflection in the three-way mirror. It truly was one heck of a dress. She felt sexy. Confident. As if she could take over the world, and certainly as though she could seal one little deal.
Besides, the truth was, she wanted to see his eyes when he saw her in this outfit.
Knowing her credit card would come close to keeling over from the strain, she nodded. “I’ll take it.”
“Excellent. Shoes and purse, too?”
“What the hell? It’s only plastic.”
The girl grinned. “Does that mean you want the sweater, too?” She reached into the dressing room and emerged with the dainty thing. “It gets cold near the beach at night…”
She let the words hang until Lisa rolled her eyes and waved her hand. “Fine. Add it in. I can’t do much more damage.”
“Trust me,” the girl said a few minutes later at the cash register. “I totally wouldn’t steer you wrong. This is one hot outfit. It’s going to, like, totally, clinch your deal.”
Lisa took the shopping bag and nodded. The girl was undoubtedly right. But what deal would get clinched? Her deal for Ken’s location? Or Ken’s deal…for her?
6
KEN’S PRIVATE OFFICES were located on the mezzanine level of the Bellisimo, adjacent to the restaurant. He’d spent the hours since the lunch rush pouring over Tim’s magazine, thinking and rethinking locations for Lisa’s movie—locations for a seduction.
Tonight he was going to start out sweet and simple, crafting an erotic buildup for maximum effect. From the way he’d come on at breakfast, she undoubtedly expected him to urge her into his bed for a long night of sensuous delights. As tempting as that sounded, Ken intended to throw her off balance. He’d start out romant
ic and work his way up to seductive. By the time Lisa ended up in his bed, Ken wanted her desperate for him. His plan might have been formed in anger, but that didn’t change the bottom line. He intended to have a good time—a damn good time—when Lisa ended up in his bed.
They’d agreed to meet in front of the restaurant at seven, so at five he wrapped up, putting away Tim’s magazine and the tourist map of L.A. The hotel was hosting a pharmaceutical convention, and he stepped from his office into a crowd of people leaving the two smaller ballrooms.
He moved with the group toward the elevators and stood pressed between a tall woman in a tailored suit and a short man in a sweater vest as he waited for the elevator to arrive. When it did, the crowd practically pushed him on, and he moved to the back, only noticing when he turned around that Lisa was in the front near the control panel.
“Twenty, please,” he said.
Her hand raised to punch the button, and he could tell the exact moment she recognized his voice. Her shoulders stiffened, and she cocked her head then turned around to face him.
“Hi,” he said.
Her cheeks flushed, and he wondered what she was thinking. “Hi.”
She shifted and he noticed the garment bag she was holding. “Shopping?” The dress was blood-red, with not too much material on top, and he couldn’t help but imagine how absolutely gorgeous she’d look in it. He imagined her pressed against him, his hand cupping her bare back. Feeling himself harden, he shook his head, trying to rein in his newfound lust. “For our date, I hope.”
Her cheeks flushed, and her eyes darted to the other passengers as she pushed the bag behind her. “No.” She lifted her chin, her voice indignant, and Ken remembered how adorable she looked when cornered.
That he could still rattle her thrilled him in some deep, masculine way. She’d wounded his pride, and it was reassuring to know it had cost her at least something when she’d left him.
“I, uh, just needed a few things,” Lisa said.
“Including a super-sexy little red dress?” Because he couldn’t help it, he let his gaze roam over her body, his blood pulsing hot as he imagined those sweet curves under his fingertips, when he met her eyes he saw annoyance and something else. Something potent.