I don't follow Katy out of the diner.

I don't even watch her go.

I know she wants me to, so I resist.

I like to hunt but not like this. I won’t be fucking forced to pursue a woman. Fuck no.

But I know I'll find her again. It’s inevitable.

Christ. I don't remember when the last time was that a woman turned me down for anything, no matter what was on offer.

It makes me incensed to know that she can turn away from me so easily. She doesn't know that I plan to keep my eye on her forever. She doesn't know that I'm working undercover. For all she knows, this could've been our last goodbye.

I just can't believe she walked out on me like that. It's never been done before. Like, ever. Once again, the challenging aspect of her personality shows itself, and goddammit, if it doesn’t fucking turn me on. My cock is getting hard just thinking about it.

I pick up my phone and call the investigator. "Follow her. No matter where she goes and no matter what she does, I need you to report to me on wherever Katy is. Understand?"

I hang up the phone before he even replies, but I know the job will get done. This will be a long night. Mostly because I've met a woman who finally fascinates me. The fact that I can't have her is driving me fucking crazy.

I give her some time and space to make her getaway before I make my way to my Mercedes parked on the street. She might be watching, but it's okay if she sees my car. I will, however, have to hide the rest of my life from her. There's no way Katy can ever find out how much money I really have, that I'm a goddamn billionaire.

Otherwise, my undercover plan will fall apart. She'll know I'm the head of a corporation she’s out to get and that I'm really out to expose her, too.

I slide into the car and peel out. In no time, I’m back to the penthouse.

Once inside, I crash onto my massive king-sized bed and fall immediately to sleep. And fuck, if I don’t dream entirely about Katy. She's mesmerizing, this one. Apparently, I can’t get her out of my head for a minute.

I’m almost pissed when I wake up and wish that she was in bed with me. I wish I could claim her this morning and I wish I had done it all last night. I want her so badly that all other women I’ve had pale in comparison to her. She really is that gorgeous and her brilliant mind intrigues me.

Sunlight streams in through my heavy gray curtains when I rise from my bed at the crack of dawn. It's time to resume my everyday job.

I drive to my office in the Mercedes, and even though I know it's fucking ridiculous, I find myself searching the streets for a sighting of Katy. Seeing her once more will not only amplify my desire for her but it will give me another opportunity to lock this thing down. Katy is somehow much more to me than a business deal. She's something I want to own.

I'm working in my penthouse office when the secretary knocks.

"What is it?" I say gruffly, hating to be interrupted.

"Um, sir, there are a few employees that you fired that are slowly gathering in front of the bank to protest. I just thought you should be aware."

I'm pissed as all hell. I'm tired of these ex-employees thinking they should get a piece of my business, that they deserve more than what I've given them. I fired them for a good fucking reason. They were incompetent, all of them.

I'm furious as I tell my secretary, "Goddamn it. Call the security team and make the employees leave. Ex-employees. It's not gonna be good publicity once the media learns about this. Tell the security team to get this under control or they can join that gathering of fired people outside. Got it?"

She nods her head and leaves the room timidly. I think I scared her. But fuck.

It's hard to work when there's a security breach downstairs. By late afternoon, I know they have to have everything wrapped up downstairs. I would've heard about it otherwise. Luckily for me, my investigator calls at just the right time.

"We found Katy again. She's in a coffee shop uptown," he says.

"Good, I'm on my way."

I'm gonna have to hurry if I want to catch her there. This time, I'll make seeing her look like an accident.

This thing with Katy is becoming everything, but I remind myself it’s just a ploy to get to who she really is. I will find out what she plans to do to my company and I will stop it. And that’s where it ends. Even if my cock thinks differently.

I pull the Mercedes up to the designated place. I go into the little bohemian coffee shop and see her sitting in the back, obviously wanting to be invisible again.

I walk up to the counter and order something to make it look coincidental. They hand me my espresso and I casually turn in her direction.

I have to stop myself from laughing. Katy seems less than enthused to see me. She's crouching down in her seat trying to blend in, but it's not going to work. I'm determined to get close to her because I have to know her plans. I need information. I need to know if others are involved. Whatever she’s up to, I have to put an end to it.

I stroll over to her and say, "My, my, what a coincidence. I seem to have found you again, Katy. For all your running, it looks like you might never get away from me."

She's fuming at being found again. My cocky smirk probably doesn’t help matters. After her little stunt in jail I know she’s one of those women who thinks she's in control all the time, but it's not that way with me—ever. And soon she's about to find that out.

"Why are you here?" she asks.

"Like I said, I want to know if I can trust you. I want you to work with my organization. And Katy,” I add, dropping my voice. “I always get what I want."

I take a seat across from her without waiting for her to offer.

She looks me straight in the eyes and says, "I don't work with strangers or people I don't trust. Sorry, Marcus, you’re one of those people on my ‘Do Not Trust List.’ Find somebody else."

I'm getting frustrated now. I can't keep tracking her down like this and have her continue to deny me or, worse, escape my grasp. I have to think of something soon.

"What about dinner? You have to eat. Why not eat with me?"

"What part of no do you not understand?" she says, insolent. And fuck if that doesn’t turn me on too. What they hell is she doing to me?

"Look, Katy, you're either gonna come with me willingly or I'll make you. Don't test me."

The thought of bending her over my knee for said insolence is fucking tempting, but we're just not at that level. Yet, a voice whispers in my mind.

She looks up at me with determination. "What's your deal, Marcus? Dinner. Seriously? What is it that you really want from me? Because I know you aren’t telling me everything."

"Listen, just come out to eat with me and you can get to know me and the organization. It will be very worth your while."

She hesitates. At least I've got her thinking about it. She seems like the kind of person that wouldn't have many friends or associates. I mean, she obviously doesn't want to be found because she's a hacker, so she has to keep a low profile.

But she doesn't know that I know that. And I plan on keeping it that way.

I try to make it easier on her. "Would you be more interested if I offered to just go to my place instead?"

Maybe the idea of being out in public with me is what's scaring her off. She obviously doesn't go to many public places. She wants to be incognito.

I own a few other establishments and it would be no problem bringing her to one of my smaller properties, you know, to keep up the facade. She doesn't have to see the penthouse...yet.

I ignore the part of me that says bringing her to my place immediately crosses a line. Because fuck that.

My persistence pays off because Katy reluctantly agrees. I was right. Public places make her edgy. I take her hand and lead her out of the coffee shop and into my waiting Mercedes. Finally, I have her within my grasp.

My cock is so fucking hard but I have to tame it. She can't know how much I want her on a personal level. I never mix business with pleasure.

But I’m starting to wonder if for a woman such as this, I might be willing to break even my own rules.

We get into the Mercedes and go.