Courting Danger

by Kimberly Dean

  Courting Danger

  KIMBERLY DEAN

  A division of HarperCollinsPublishers

  www.harpercollins.co.uk

  This novel is entirely a work of fiction.

  The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are

  the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to

  actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is

  entirely coincidental.

  Mischief

  An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers

  The News Building

  1 London Bridge Street

  London SE1 9GF

  www.mischiefbooks.com

  An eBook Original 2015

  1

  Copyright © Kimberly Dean 2015

  Kimberly Dean asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

  A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

  EPub Edition © 2015 ISBN: 9780008148805

  Version 2015-10-06

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Epilogue

  More from Mischief

  About the Publisher

  Chapter One

  Luxxor Limited’s office suite was quiet when Rielle decided to close up for the night. She tidied the magazines on the lobby table and put away the papers on her desk. The plush carpeting swallowed her footsteps as she turned off the lights in the break room, but she paused to take a look out of the window at the DC skyline. The buildings in the downtown area were low and sprawling, yet the Capitol and the Washington Monument stood tall.

  At least they weren’t lit yet. It was still light outside. Then again, that didn’t mean she was going home any earlier than normal. Daylight Savings Time had only recently come into effect, and she was still trying to adjust to the change. The extra hour of sunlight would be nice if she had plans after work but, as it was, waking up to darkness in the mornings almost wasn’t worth it.

  Because plans after work? Her lips turned up slightly at the corners.

  She let her hair out of its barrette as she walked back to her desk. Her personal life wasn’t setting the world on fire these days. All that awaited her at home was a salad for dinner and a book. If she got really wild, she might rearrange the cushions in her living room or paint her toenails.

  But that was OK with her. She liked the peace and quiet, especially the peace.

  Maybe she’d even have a glass of wine with that book.

  She checked Nina’s office to make sure her boss had closed down her computer, and was returning to do the same to her own when she heard a distinctive sound. It was one she heard several times throughout the day, only this time it sent a shot of adrenalin through her. She’d forgotten to lock the main office door.

  She was usually much more careful than that.

  She stopped, hidden in the hallway, and braced her hand against the wall. She’d been alone for over an hour. How had she become so careless? She waited for sounds to announce someone’s arrival, but she heard nothing. Had someone looked in and left when they found the office empty? The company’s last appointment had come and gone, and the normal office deliveries had arrived on time. Was it Nina or Sienna returning for something they’d forgotten?

  ‘Hello? Is anyone here?’

  A low voice rumbled down the hallway, and her chest tightened. It was a man, but she didn’t recognise the voice. For a moment, she considered remaining quiet, but she licked her lips and made herself step forward. She was overreacting. If she wasn’t, there was an emergency call button hidden under the lip of her desktop. Security could be here in less than a minute if she needed them.

  She returned to the lobby and scanned the area. Her gaze came to a screeching halt when it landed on the man who was already looking in her direction.

  Oh. Wow.

  Her wariness didn’t decrease, but a different kind of awareness flooded her. ‘Hello?’ she said huskily.

  Somehow he’d known she was there, yet he seemed taken aback. His weight slowly rocked back from the balls of his feet, and his eyes narrowed. They were blue eyes. Startling blue. ‘Good evening.’

  She wasn’t overreacting. The guy had danger written all over him, in that good-girls-beware sort of way. Tall and strapping, he had closely cropped dark hair and a rough-and-tumble aura that didn’t go with the tuxedo he was wearing. That wasn’t to say he didn’t look good. He looked damn good. The combination was powerful, and it hit her first in her belly and next in her knees.

  Sex appeal oozed from him.

  Which, of course, meant he was here for an escort.

  His gaze was running over her just as alertly as she’d evaluated him, so Rielle quickly put herself behind her desk. She tucked her barrette behind her phone and fought the urge to run her fingers through her hair. ‘I’m sorry, but we’re closed.’

  He cocked his head. ‘The door was open.’

  And that had been a mistake.

  ‘Did you have an appointment?’ She knew very well he didn’t.

  ‘No.’ Her question had been sharp, but his blue gaze didn’t flinch. Instead, the lines of his face softened, and she had to lock her knees to keep them from melting. ‘But I’m in a bind. I was hoping you could help me out.’

  She lifted an eyebrow. The man might be putting out pheromones by the bucketful, but her brain was still functioning – admittedly better on some levels than others – and she’d begun to sense danger of another sort. The entrapment sort. Luxxor was not a company that took walk-ins. ‘For whom are you looking?’

  He walked closer to the desk, and she instinctively gripped its edge. The way he moved, all silent and stealthy. The expensive carpeting absorbed the noise most people made, but the air didn’t even stir at his approach. Her fingers edged closer to the silent alarm, but she didn’t push it.

  Not yet.

  ‘I’m looking for Luxxor Limited. I know I’m late, but I need an escort for the evening.’

  Her guard stayed up. She knew they were alone in the office – she was acutely aware of the fact – but her company’s clients knew better than to go spouting off so casually about Luxxor’s line of work. They signed nondisclosure agreements to ensure it. If he was wearing a wire, she wanted to make everything perfectly clear. ‘You need someone to attend an event with you tonight?’

  ‘Actually, I need someone right now.’

  She shook her head. Luxxor went to extremes to satisfy its clients. She’d blush if she thought about how far some escorts went, but there was no way she could accommodate his request. The employees they had working tonight already had their assignments. Even if she did contact someone, the timing was impossible.

  And for some re
ason, that relieved her. ‘I’m sorry, but we don’t have anyone available on such short notice, Mr…I don’t believe I caught your name.’

  ‘Because I didn’t give it.’ He slid his hands into his pockets. The tuxedo looked good on him, but it was failing badly at taming him. Especially when he winked. ‘Tell me yours, and I’ll tell you mine.’

  Oh, no. She didn’t think so. She tucked her hair behind her ear, but then remembered the alarm. ‘As I was saying, sir, it’s too late to secure our services. I’m sorry.’

  ‘The name is Mel. Melvin Summers. I’m a client.’

  He didn’t look like a Melvin. And Summers…The name didn’t ring a bell, and that was unusual in itself. She knew their clients, and she had a memory for faces. His she would have remembered.

  ‘It’s been a while since I…made use of your services,’ he admitted.

  The way he said it made her stiffen. He’d been out with their escorts. He’d paid money for dates – or more. It was a good reminder because, being around him, her body was loosening and warming. It was uncharacteristic of her, especially with all the warning signals her brain was firing.

  She smiled at him stiffly. ‘Let’s see just how long it’s been.’

  She took her seat and her fingers flew across the keyboard of her computer. She waited for him to balk, but he merely crossed his arms over his chest and watched her. Rielle couldn’t have been more surprised when his bio popped up. She leaned closer to the screen to make sure. Melvin Summers. There was his picture. Last visit, nearly two years ago.

  Well, props for that.

  She frowned. Why would a man like him need an escort service? She tapped a finger against the space bar and mentally chastised herself. Many of their clients used Luxxor to save time. Busy people, busy lives. It was how the company stayed legit. Just because the man looked like sex didn’t mean he was here for it. ‘May I ask why the short notice?’

  She never asked a client why they needed companionship. She’d never embarrass anyone that way. It was small-minded and intrusive. Not everyone had a significant other, and there were countless reasons for that.

  ‘It’s a work-related event. I was supposed to go with a colleague, but she became ill suddenly. I can’t go to this event stag. I’d stand out like a sore thumb.’

  Stag was right.

  ‘What is it that you do?’ Rielle was trying her best to stay on topic, because something about the situation still didn’t ring true. She’d learned the hard way that she needed to trust her gut.

  ‘Accounting.’

  Check. Or at least that’s what his bio listed as his field of work. She circled her finger around a key on the keyboard. He looked like an accountant almost as much as he looked like a Melvin. He didn’t seem like someone who could sit at a desk all day. Not with a rangy physique like that – or the tamped-down energy. There was an air of edginess around him. An overly keen alertness. He should be out climbing mountains or navigating obstacle courses. Modelling underwear.

  She frowned. She’d confirmed he was a client, but that didn’t change anything. There was still nobody who could accompany him. She didn’t like putting Luxxor in a bad light, even if he had come in with a request they couldn’t possibly fulfill, but she had no other option. ‘I truly am sorry, Mr Summers, but we don’t have any female escorts available – unless that’s not what you’re looking for?’

  The dry look he sent her parched her skin. She hadn’t thought he swung that way, but she tried to keep an open mind.

  ‘What about you?’

  She blinked. ‘What about me?’

  ‘Why can’t you go with me?’

  ‘Me?’ Rielle gasped. ‘But…I…I’m not…That’s not what I do for Luxxor.’

  ‘Do you eat dinner?’

  ‘Of course, but –’

  ‘Do you go to parties?’

  ‘No.’ She hadn’t been to a party in years.

  ‘Do you slow dance?’

  She swallowed hard. With him?

  ‘OK, forget what you do for Luxxor. Do you date?’

  She didn’t. She wasn’t ready yet. ‘Mr Summers, this really isn’t proper.’

  ‘I don’t have time for proper.’ He put both hands upon the desktop and leaned in close. ‘Go out with me.’

  The word ‘no’ should have been on the tip of her tongue, but Rielle couldn’t get it out. Not with the way he was looking at her. All challenging, impatient and evaluating…

  ‘Hold on.’ He pulled a white envelope out of his breast pocket. ‘Maybe this will convince you. This is where we’d be going.’

  She took the envelope by the corner. It was heavyweight paper with razor-crisp edges. The name Melvin Summers was written on the envelope in fine calligraphy. It was obviously a special event, but her breath caught in her lungs when she read the invitation inside.

  ‘The White House? You’re inviting me to a function at the White House?’

  His blue eyes flashed. ‘I knew that would get me somewhere.’

  Rielle dropped the invitation. She wanted to be suspicious of it, but everything about it screamed that it was real. ‘No, no. I didn’t say yes.’

  ‘But you’re tempted.’ It didn’t matter what she said, he’d scented blood.

  She sprang out of her chair. ‘That’s a reception to welcome the Prince and Princess of Sweden.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘But why?’

  ‘Why? It’s good for foreign relations. It’s polite for the U.S. to welcome them. They just got married.’

  She couldn’t help rolling her eyes. ‘No, why would you come here?’

  His grin came and went so quickly, it was questionable if it had ever been there, but the edginess about him changed. Became sleeker and more approachable. ‘Word is that you’re all trained in protocol. You’re not going to grab the wrong fork or say the wrong thing.’

  ‘I haven’t had that training.’

  ‘But you have manners. You haven’t told me to get the hell out yet – which you should have, by the way.’

  She knew, and it made her even more nervous that he knew. Nina would be horrified to learn that a stranger, even a client, was in the office alone with her after hours. Yet Rielle’s grandmother had been a stickler for etiquette. Learned behaviour was hard to shake.

  She took a deep breath. This was just crazy. ‘I can’t believe you came here looking for an escort to meet the President with you.’

  ‘I came here looking for an escort, but I found a date.’ He watched her closely as he slid the invitation back into his pocket. ‘And a beautiful one at that. Come on, save me here.’

  Warmth rose up in her. She hadn’t been called beautiful in a long time.

  She dragged her hand through her hair, forgetting completely about the alarm button. She couldn’t go out with a complete stranger, not even to a dinner at the White House, as tempting as it might be.

  Why not? the devil on her shoulder asked.

  Because it wasn’t safe, the angel on the other replied.

  But it could be.

  She worried her thumbnail against the back of her chair. Luxxor had security. She could tell their crew about her plans. She could inform them who she was with and where they were going. Where on the face of the earth would there be more security than the White House? He was bold, but she doubted he’d try anything there.

  ‘Full disclosure,’ he said. ‘We’d probably only get to meet the President and First Man for thirty seconds, tops. We’d shake hands, say a few words, snap a picture and then be on our way.’

  ‘Only get to’?

  Rielle fought not to roll her eyes again, but she caught him watching her. Studying her. Trying to figure her out.

  It made her stiffen. She knew she should say no. She didn’t know this man. She shouldn’t go anywhere with him. Luxxor might have her everlasting loyalty, but there were limits to what she would do for them. Her salad and book were safer. Known quantities. Boring quantities.

  Everything inside her
wanted to say yes. Just dive in and go for it. When would she ever get a chance to go to something like this again?

  She saw escorts leaving the office every day on high adventures. She’d heard the stories that Sienna, Dane and Genieve would tell, and she secretly envied them. They were wined and dined, entertained and offered opportunities solely because people had become so busy, they didn’t have time to form close connections of their own. She hadn’t been out on the town in so long. It had been a self-imposed limitation, but that didn’t mean it didn’t feel constricting.

  And she’d felt more alive and alert in the last fifteen minutes than she had in the past few years.

  Of course, she wasn’t willing to go beyond drinks and small talk. Some of their escorts went beyond that. Way beyond that. She didn’t like to think about that aspect of Luxxor’s business.

  But that didn’t mean a part of her didn’t secretly envy them, too. Sex was such a long-ago memory, she’d begun to forget what it was like. To kiss someone, to touch someone, to feel the stroke of a long, hard body atop hers…

  With the way he was looking at her, though, she was starting to remember.

  ‘I can’t,’ she blurted, falling back into her safety zone.

  ‘You can’t go out on a date?’

  She fidgeted. ‘It’s black tie. I don’t have anything to wear.’

  The look of success in his eyes warned her she’d lost the battle. ‘Well, that can be fixed. We’ll go shopping first. I’ll pay for whatever you need.’

  ‘No,’ Rielle said, one last bit of self-preservation rising up within her. One last bit of fear.

  Lines rippled across his forehead. ‘No, you won’t go with me or no to the shopping?’

  She bit her lip. She didn’t want to disappoint him, but that was the biggest warning sign of all. She shouldn’t let politeness overrule her instincts.

  The look of confusion on his face slowly slid into a look of concern. ‘Listen, nothing is going to happen that you don’t want to happen. I’m just looking for someone to have dinner with, to talk to and maybe share a laugh with about all the overly important people there. You can leave if you feel uncomfortable with me.’