I waited only long enough to enjoy the surprise on her face. The note I’d left on the van’s dash would explain. And I would see her after the party at Amelia’s tonight. That was all I’d been able to think about, going home last night to an empty bed…

Wrapping her silky panties in my hand and using them to jerk off last night had finally gotten me to sleep, but only just barely. Coming in a hot, thick jet had mingled our juices, letting me relive the scent of her, remember the taste of her… but even that hadn’t been enough to quiet the need inside me for long. I’d dreamed of her, of thrusting fully inside her, and working in and out with long, wet strokes. I’d dreamed of her heat, her responsiveness and of an achingly low moan escaping her lips. I’d awakened, rock hard, and painfully needy again. There was just no waiting left in me anymore…

So I’d taken care of the easiest thing first. It had been a number of years, since the last time I’d bought a car for a woman. And it sure as hell hadn’t been a delivery van. But Sutton and I had given good old Frank plenty of business over the years, and he knew better than to ask questions. He’d promised he’d have the perfect vehicle in place and on time. And he’d never failed yet. Judging by the expression on Emi’s face, he’d hit the mark again today. I watched from across the street as he handed her the keys. Then I took off.

One problem done, but the next might not be quite as easy. I shifted gears and the engine purred in response. My thoughts were rushing ahead of me, faster than I dared drive.

“Get someone else.

It’s that fucking simple, Sutton. We live in LA. There are a thousand fucking caterers. Just get someone else.”

“But I don’t want someone else,” Sutton said petulantly. “I want Emily… and I fully intend to have her.” He sat behind his desk and leaned back in his chair, leaving me to stand. I looked down at him, irritated. How the hell, in all these years, had I failed to see what an arrogant prick he was?

“She signed the contract and I’m holding her to it,” he went on. “It’s as simple as that. You know goddamned well I couldn’t get it anywhere else, what she’s giving me…” He smiled when I took a step toward him, bristling. “The fucking cake, asshole,” he said quickly. “Relax, alright? I’m not looking to screw your little girlfriend.”

“She’s not…,” I began, “...she doesn’t understand,” I finished unevenly. “This whole world we’ve invented… She doesn’t belong in it.” I flashed back to the feel of her against my mouth. “I don’t want her touched by it.” I looked down at him hard. “There’s a line… a hard fucking line, and I won’t stand for it being crossed.”

“Hey… I get it,” he held up his hands. “We’re on the same side, remember?” He finished the amber colored liquid in his glass. It was only noon… “But I hear Jason got a good look at her last time. And he’s no great respecter of the rules…”

“Just so you’re warned, Sutton, I intend to talk her into tearing up that contract. I can send more than enough straight business her way… She won’t lose a fucking dime giving this up this thing you’re planning. And you know I don’t give a shit if this means the end of this goddamned competition altogether. No one’s touching her.”

“But you…?” He narrowed his eyes shrewdly. “Be smart, Chase. You know it’s what you want.” He smiled and something inside me flickered disturbingly. “This night isn’t gonna be like any other… You’re not the only one who’s gotten bored with how we’ve always played…

It’s time for new rules… or maybe none at all. We’ve all just gotten a little jaded… We need a new challenge… a new kind of rush. Now I’m stepping up the game, Chase. And you are part of it, whether you like it or not.”

“You’re wrong,” I said, gritting my teeth. “It’s fucking wrong… using women the way you do… And the way I did… It’s time to grow the fuck up and focus on protecting the company, to stop this shit before it takes us all down with it.” I ran an exasperated hand through my hair. “We’re worth a fucking billion dollars, Sutt, and I’m not willing to throw it all away. And I’m not going to stand by and watch you do it either.”

“You’ll come to the party. You know you will,” he said, putting one foot, then the other up on his desk. He knocked over his empty glass and didn’t even look when it hit the floor, “if only to claim a piece of Emily’s delicious… cake…”

“Fuck you,” I shot back, turning my back on him and striding out of his office. “It’s over.”

“It’s just beginning,” he called out smugly behind me. And as the door closed, I heard him call out a little louder… “See you Saturday night…”

I headed back for the car with long, hard strides, my hands curled into fists, I knew it as surely as he did. I hated him for it… but he was right. We both knew goddamned well…

I would be there. And nothing in hell had the power to stop me.