N OAH

I wanted to fuck her as soon as I saw her. That curvy little body was all tarted up in a tight little black dress, and those nice round tits were practically spilling out the top. Her dark hair fell in loose curls around her shoulders, and she sipped on a drink, her full pink lips pretty and pouty and just made for sucking my dick .

I sat at the bar and watched her for a while, biding my time. She was at some kind of party – bachelorette from what I could tell, and it was almost enough to put me off the whole idea. Women at bachelorette parties were a particular kind of crazy, one I wasn’t sure I wanted to deal with .

A couple of blond women at the other end of the bar were staring at me, and I tried not to encourage them by making eye contact. Not that it was difficult. I couldn’t stop staring at that shapely little vixen on the other side of the room. Her dress hit just below the knee, and when she turned around, giving me a view of that gorgeous round ass, my cock got hard .

I was so transfixed that I didn’t realize one of the blondes had made her way over to me .

“Don’t I know you from somewhere?” she tried. I almost sighed out of boredom, but that was too rude, even for me .

“I doubt it,” I said, although it was entirely possible that she did know me from somewhere. Thankfully, I knew I probably hadn’t slept with her. She wasn’t my type – too blonde, too skinny, too much like a Barbie .

“No, I know I recognize you.” She motioned to her friend, another bottled blonde, to come over. “Alexa, isn’t this Noah Cutler ?”

Apparently she didn’t think it would make more sense to just ask me if I was Noah Cutler. I took a sip of my drink and resisted the urge to roll my eyes .

From across the room, I watched as the curvy bombshell made her way to a table all by herself, peeling herself off from the rest of the party .

“Yes!” the blonde’s friend said. “You gave that speech at my graduation last year. I absolutely loved it .”

“I’m glad,” I lied. I didn’t give a shit if she loved my speech or not. College was bullshit, the kind of thing people thought they needed, when really, I hadn’t learned anything in college that I couldn’t have learned on my own .

I drained the rest of my drink and concentrated on the brunette. She turned toward me, pushing her hair back from her face, and I was struck again by her beauty. She happened to look up just at that moment, and our eyes met .

She turned away quickly, embarrassed .

I had to have her .

And then, just like that, I saw my opening .

Some dickhead guy was making his way over to her. Jealousy and possessiveness flooded me. She was mine. And I was going to make sure I had her tonight .

“Excuse me,” I said to the blondes .

And then I went to go claim my prize .

C HARLOTTE

I saw the sexy stranger before he saw me .

He was standing in the corner of the bar, two beautiful blond women draped on his arm. One of the women was bent over, whispering something in his ear, and when she threw her head back and laughed, he glanced up and met my eye .

I quickly looked away, embarrassed that he’d caught me staring. Men like him – tall, dark hair, full lips, sexy stubble on his ruggedly handsome face –weren’t interested in women like me. Besides, I wasn’t here to meet a man. I was here for a bachelorette party .

Not that the party was anything to get too excited about. I hated parties as a rule, and bachelorette parties were a particularly heinous form of torture. Especially one where I didn’t know anyone but the bride, who was a fellow law student at Middleton University .

I thought coming to this party might help me meet some of my classmates – Cora seemed to know everyone in our class -- but all it was doing so far was reminding me how much I hated to socialize. Oh, and making me realize that Cora, even though she was engaged, apparently subscribed to the theory that whatever happened at bachelorette parties stayed at bachelorette parties, because she’d been throwing herself at different men all night. Right now she was out on the dance floor, grinding on a man wearing plaid dress pants .

I took a sip of my drink – ginger ale with cranberry, my usual, because it made me seem like I was drinking alcohol even when I wasn’t– and tried to look busy. The last thing I wanted was one of the party-goers to come over and try to drag me into their dance frenzy .

And then, suddenly, he was by my side .

No, not the sexy stranger I’d been trying to avoid staring at, but another man .

This one was paunchy, slightly balding, and had hairy knuckles .

“Let me buy you a drink, sweetheart,” he slurred. I sighed. Men like him always tried to hit on me. They thought that since I was considered a “bigger girl” they’d have more of a chance with me. What they didn’t understand was that just because I was carrying a few extra pounds didn’t mean I was desperate .

“No, that’s okay,” I said politely. I indicated the drink I was holding. “I already have one .”

He frowned, like he was trying to work out a particularly hard math problem. Then, brightening, he reached out, took the drink from my hand and poured it onto the floor. “There!” he exclaimed, proud of himself. “Now you need another one .”

I was so shocked, I wasn’t sure what the appropriate response was. The man leaned in and slung his arm over my shoulder. “Come on,” he said, his breath smelling of alcohol and garlic. “Lemme buy you a drink .”

“Leave her alone,” someone growled, and before I knew what was happening, the sexy man from across the bar had grabbed the back of the pudgy man’s shirt and had tossed him to the side .

“Hey!” the man protested. He stumbled for a few steps, almost hitting the table behind us, then readjusted his suit coat. “What the hell do you think you’re doing ?”

But my knight in shining armor gave him a menacing look, and after thinking about it, the man slunk away, back to his to group of friends .

“You okay?” the gorgeous stranger asked. Up close, he was just as sexy, although less polished than I’d first thought. He wore an expensive suit, but his white shirt was unbuttoned at the top and rumpled, like he’d spent the day getting into fights instead of behind a desk .

“I’m fine.” My throat had gone dry. This man was big – tall, at least six foot three, with broad shoulders and huge hands. I was five ten and carried more weight than I probably should have – most men made me feel big and oafish around them, but this man made me feel tiny. I imagined him grabbing me with those big hands of his, and heat flooded my core .

“What were you drinking ?”

I was way too embarrassed to tell him I was drinking cranberry and ginger ale. “Um, vodka and cranberry .”

He frowned, like this was unacceptable. He reached his hand up and motioned for the cocktail waitress. His sleeve slid back for a moment, revealing a beautiful silver watch and a strong-looking forearm. Not that I was surprised –Cora had chosen this bar precisely because it was supposed to be height of sophistication. But she must have gotten something wrong, because even though the clientele did seem sophisticated – mostly young professionals, out after work on a Friday night –a lot of them were already sloppy drunk. Not this man, though – this man was completely in control of himself and his surroundings .

The cocktail waitress appeared as if out of nowhere. “What can I getcha ?”

“Two Manhattans,” the man said. He set his empty glass down on the waitress’s tray. I didn’t know what a Manhattan was, but I was pretty sure it had whiskey in it. Whiskey sounded dangerous and scary, the kind of thing you shouldn’t be drinking unless you had sophisticated tastes and a high tolerance for alcohol .

“Oh, no,” I tried. “I’ll just have a – ”

But the suited stranger flicked his wrist, sending the waitress away before I could finish .

He turned around and gave me a smile. “It’s good to try new things .”

“I try new things.” My tone was more defensive than I’d meant, but it was kind of a sore spot for me. I wasn’t known for being adventurous – in fact, the most adventurous thing I’d done lately was taken a hot yoga class – but this man didn’t know that. He didn’t know anything about me. And yet he was surveying me with a certain familiarity, like he could tell I was the kind of person who didn’t try new things. It was unnerving .

The man’s eyes raked up my body, like he was trying to decide what, if anything, he should do with me. Instantly, I felt self-conscious, and I shifted on my chair. “You here by yourself?” he asked .

“No.” I swallowed. “Bachelorette party .”

“Fun,” he said, sounding like he knew it was anything but. He gestured to the candy bracelet I was wearing, another one of Cora’s bright ideas. “What’s with that ?”

“Oh,” I said, fingering it. “It’s … it’s kind of game. You know, for the party.” I gestured to the dance floor, where most of the party guests had morphed from dancing to completely over-the-top, crazy gyrating. Men, sensing their chance to possibly get lucky, had jumped into the mix, creating a colorful blur of sweaty bodies .

My companion didn’t even turn to look . “And ?”

“ And what ?”

“And what are you supposed to do with it?” He reached out and tugged on the bracelet. His fingers against my skin sent an electric current flying up my spine. The elastic bracelet zinged back and hit my wrist .

“It’s too embarrassing to mention .”

“ Try me .”

The waitress returned with our drinks, and the man grabbed them off the tray in one fluid motion and handed one to me. I hesitated. I didn’t usually drink. In fact, I’d just turned twenty -one .

“Well,” I said, taking the glass he was offering. “We’re supposed to get different men to bite one of the candies off, and then have them sign our arms .”

He laughed. “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard .”

“I know.” I shrugged. “But how could I really say no? Everyone else was doing it .”

“Do you always do things just because everyone else is doing them?” A brief look of amusement crossed his face, like he couldn’t imagine doing something just because everyone else was. Then he reached out and took my arm, turning it over to inspect my wrist. “You don’t have any signatures.” His finger slid over my pulse point, then moved slowly up my elbow before he finally let go. His hands weren’t what I would expect from someone wearing such an expensive watch – his fingers betrayed something else, a hard past or maybe manual labor. They were manly and slightly rough, not the kind that came from typing briefs all day and dialing an Iphone .

I took a sip of my drink. It was definitely whiskey. Or, at least, what I imagined whiskey to taste like since I’d never actually had whiskey before. It burned going down, but I was glad. The sensation kept my mind off what was happening .

The stranger reached out and took my arm again, turning it over gently in his hand before raising it to his mouth. Then he reached down and slowly, deliciously, bit one of the candies off my bracelet. His lips were hot and soft, and I felt the quick flick of his tongue against my skin as he took the candy into his mouth .

Then, with a flourish, he picked the pen up off the table where the waitress had left our bill, and put a big X on my arm. It was like he was marking me, taking ownership of me, and the thought filled me with a weird little thrill .

“There,” he said .

“You’re supposed to sign your name .”

“But that would ruin the mystery.” He grinned, and I felt myself melt. I’d never understood how women could end up hooking up with guys they’d met in bars, but I was shocked to realize that if this man had asked me to go home with him right now, I would have done it .

“Charlotte! What are you doing over here all by yourself!” Cora’s voice came trilling through the crowd, and then she appeared at our table. The strapless dress she was wearing was hanging down over her chest, and you could see the outline of her strapless bra. Cora had a great body – tiny waist, long legs, perfectly proportioned – but somehow, her clothes never seemed to fit quite right .

“Oh,” she said when she saw the man standing next to me. “I didn’t realize you had company.” She held her hand out. “ I’m Cora .”

I took another sip of my drink as disappointment flooded my body. Now that Cora was here, I would be left in the dust. I knew it was ridiculous – I’d just met this man, after all. And to be perfectly honest, I didn’t have time for a relationship, or even a hook-up. I was in my first year of law school, and it was demanding and crazy – I loved every minute of it, but it didn’t leave me much time for a personal life .

“I was just leaving,” the man said. He didn’t offer an introduction of his own. In fact, he didn’t really look at Cora at all. He just drained the rest of his drink, then turned around and returned to the blondes who’d been patiently waiting for him .

“What a jerk,” Cora said, obviously offended by the fact that the man hadn’t fallen for her charms. She looked down at my drink and wrinkled her delicate nose. “What are you drinking? Whiskey ?”

“Yes,” I said defiantly, and took another sip, even though my throat was still burning from the last one .

“Well, come on, you need to dance .”

She grabbed my arm and pulled me onto the dance floor, where I spent the next hour dancing and trying not be obvious about the fact that I was looking for the man who’d drawn an X on my arm. But I didn’t see him again. He must have left the bar soon after Cora interrupted us .

Finally, at around nine o’clock, I decided that I’d had enough .

I told everyone I had to be up early the next morning, which wasn’t a lie. The library was waiting for me .

“Are you sure?” Kristin, another girl from our class, asked. She was drunk and slurring her words. “You should come with us to the next place.” She turned to Cora. “Cora, we’re going to the next place, right ?”

“Yes, in just a minute,” Cora said. She’d found a man with a shaved head who’d eaten a candy off her bracelet and had decided to sign her ample cleavage instead of her arm as the instructions had indicated .

I said my goodbyes and slipped out of the bar .

Once on the street, I breathed a sigh of relief. I wasn’t particularly close to those people, and I’d always had a hard time partaking in small talk. Once you asked someone what they did for a living and where they lived, what else were you supposed to ask? There was nowhere for the conversation to go. I was a lot more comfortable in small groups, where people were a little more open .

The city was pulsing with life as people ducked into bars and strolled down the sidewalk, enjoying the late spring night. In fact, the street was so crowded, that at first I didn’t realize someone was walking right next to me. I quickened my stride, but he matched his to mine. I glanced over, annoyed, expecting to see a homeless person, or perhaps a drunken bargoer who would try to engage me in conversation .

My stomach flipped and my heart jumped into my throat. It was the stranger from the bar. Mr . X .

“Hello,” he said. His voice was smooth, but there was a huskiness to it that I didn’t remember hearing before .

“Hi,” I said. I swallowed. Part of me was unnerved and a little scared. Obviously this man had waited outside the bar for me to leave. The other part of me was filled with excitement .

“Didn’t feel like continuing the party?” Mr. X asked me cheerfully .

“No. I, um, have to be up early tomorrow .”

“On a Saturday?” He seemed surprised by this, which didn’t make much sense. With the way he was dressed, I just assumed he was another lawyer or perhaps worked in finance. He shouldn’t have been surprised by the fact that I had to be up early on a Saturday .

“Yes .”

My original plan had been to grab a cab and take it back to my apartment. My little studio was fifteen blocks away, and I wasn’t in the mood to walk that far, even though the night was warm. My feet were killing me from the heels I was wearing. But now that this man was beside me, I didn’t want our time together to end. I was willing to keep walking if it meant we could continue our conversation .

We turned the corner onto a side street, and the crowd began to thin out. There were no bars or restaurants in this area, and most of the retail stores were closed .

A second later, the man grabbed my hand and pulled me into a space between the buildings .

“What are you doing?” I asked as he pushed his body up against mine. I reached out and tried to push him away, but he was too strong, his chest rock solid. My nerve endings were on fire, every sense on high alert as I breathed in his scent, a heady mix of alcohol and cologne .

He didn’t answer, just gave me a devilish grin before taking a few steps back. “If you want to go, go.” His tone made it clear that he knew I wasn’t going anywhere .

My breath was coming in short gasps .

He licked his lips slowly and then his gaze traveled up my body, like he was trying to decide just exactly what to do with me .

He didn’t move for what seemed like an agonizingly long time. We just stood there, our gazes locked on each other. He was biding his time, I could tell, waiting for me to leave, waiting for me to decide I couldn’t handle whatever it was he was about to do to me. My head was screaming at me to move, to run, to get away. My body was screaming the opposite. So I stood my ground. And finally, after what seemed like forever, he took a step back toward me .

He grabbed my shoulders and ran his hands down my arms and over the X he’d drawn there earlier. He smiled in satisfaction at his branding before raising his eyes back up to meet my gaze .

“Right now,” he rasped. “You are mine .”

And then his lips were on mine. The kiss was like nothing I’d ever experienced before. He tasted like mint and alcohol. His lips were soft but his skin had a rough stubble, and the difference in sensations sent a burst of heat through my whole being. My nipples tightened as he pushed his body up against mine, his tongue probing my mouth .

He broke away, then reached down and grabbed my hand, pulling my right arm up over my head. He repeated this maneuver with my left arm, until both my hands were above my head and up against the wall of the building behind me .

He held me there with one hand, and used his other hand to pull down the top of my dress, then grinned devilishly as he yanked my bra down. My nipples tightened even more as the cold air hit my skin, and I bit my lip to keep from crying out .

Part of me knew this was wrong, and my brain screamed at me to tell him to stop, to run, to get out of there. But my body was on fire. I had never wanted someone as much as I wanted this man, right now, in this moment .

He traced his fingertip over my nipple, and I moaned .

“Shhhh,” he commanded, moving his finger to my lips. “Quiet .”

I was afraid if I made another sound, he would leave, so I bit my lip to keep from moaning again .

He paused for a moment, and then turned me around so that I was facing the building. He pushed me up against the wall, my cheek hitting the coarse brick .

My hands were still above my head, and he reached up and grabbed the candy bracelet around my wrist. He pulled the elastic band into a figure eight, and slipped the other loop around my other wrist, effectively tying my hands together .

He tugged tightly on the elastic, using it to hold me in place .

His other hand reached down and pulled my dress up, and then I felt him pulling my panties to the side .

“My God,” I gasped before I could stop myself .

His hand grasped my mound, and then he slid a finger inside of me. “You’re wet for me. You’ve been wet for me since I drew that X on you, haven’t you ?”

No one had ever talked to me like this before. It was both exciting and frightening at the same time. He pulled the makeshift rope around my wrists tighter. “ Weren’t you ?”

“Yes,” I said .

“ Yes , what ?”

“Yes, I was wet for you since you drew on me at the bar .”

His mouth was right against my ear, and the delicious tickle of his breath made me shiver. He undid his pants, and his cock pushed up against me. It was rock hard and felt huge. My heart sped up at the thought that maybe I wouldn’t be able to take him .

“I’m going to fuck you now,” he breathed into my ear. And then he was inside me, filling me with one stroke. There was a brief flash of pain, but I was so wet, so turned on, that it only lasted for a moment before I began to feel pleasure. I tried to push back, to take him inside me as far as he could go, but he grabbed the bracelet and pulled my arms back, shoving his body up against mine, letting me know he was in charge .

He fucked me hard, in and out, faster and faster, giving me his entire shaft, harder and harder, faster and faster, until my body felt as if it was going to ignite .

“Come for me,” he commanded, and no sooner were the words out of his mouth then I did come for him, my orgasm taking over my whole body, causing me to moan in pleasure .

He kept going, pumping into me, until I felt him come inside me .

He held me up against the wall for another moment before letting my hands go. There were marks where the elastic of the bracelet had cut into my flesh. My breath was coming in short bursts, my heart beating so fast I could feel the blood rushing through my body .

Every one of my nerves was on alert, stimulated so intensely it was almost too much to bear .

Mr. X pushed my hair to the side and kissed me softly on the back of the neck .

“What’s your name?” he whispered .

“Charlotte,” I said. “Charlotte Holloway .”

“Charlotte,” he repeated the word, and my name, which had always sounded old-fashioned and plain, now sounded sexy and dangerous .

A second later, he was gone .

* * *

I could still feel his lips on the back of my neck as I walked toward the subway. The air felt suddenly colder as I stepped onto the platform .

People crowded around me, talking and laughing, most of them in good moods after a night out .

But all I could think about was him .

My face flamed, thinking about what I’d let him do to me. I wondered what everyone on the subway car would think if they knew I’d just let a stranger take me in a back alley. It was so dirty, so bad, so out of character from what I would usually do. It wasn’t even a one-night stand! A one-night stand had to take a whole night .

When I got home, I paused outside my apartment door and said a quick prayer that my roommate wouldn’t be home. Nicola was an actress and a dancer, and it wasn’t out of the ordinary for her to be out at night. Her and her theatre friends liked to sleep all day and then stay out all night .

Her schedule suited me fine. I liked having the apartment to myself, liked not having to battle for the bathroom or worry about noise when I was trying to fall asleep. I’d lucked out when I’d found this apartment – a lot of my law school classmates had ended up with four roommates or an apartment in a bad part of town. My apartment was tiny, but it was clean and it was close to campus .

I heated up some ramen noodles and ate them in front of the tv, trying to keep my mind on an episode of Bill Maher. But I could still only think about him, about what I’d done, his hands on me, the way he’d branded me. I took a shower but made sure not to wash the X off my wrist. It was the only memory I had a of him, and I knew it was silly, but I wanted to keep it .

It was midnight when I got into bed, and I tossed and turned for a while until finally falling into a fitful sleep .

My cell phone woke me a few hours later .

I groped for my phone, my heart pounding. There were only two people who would be calling me at this time of night – my mom, or Josh .

It was Josh .

“Worthington’s here,” he said. “His office. Seems big .”

“I’ll be right there .”

* * *

T hirty minutes later, at three-thirty in the morning, I was rushing up the steps of Hinton Hall, heading for Professor Worthington’s office .

When I got there, Josh was sitting on one of the wooden benches that lined the hallway .

“Nice outfit,” he commented wryly .

I was dressed in a black pencil skirt and a silky white blouse. Worthington was a bit sexist, and if you wanted to get ahead in his class and you were female, you had to try harder. Which meant you didn’t show up looking like a slob, not even at three-thirty in the morning .

“What’s the situation?” I asked, ignoring his comment .

“He came in right before I called you. Seemed agitated He had a coffee .”

I nodded .

Worthington taught our intro to torts class, but he was a hotshot lawyer in his own right. He would sometimes use law students for research or to run grunt work for him on his cases. The experience was irreplaceable. Worthington was notorious for picking whoever was closest to him to help – he had his own practice and didn’t seem to have time to choose students based on their merits .

So Josh and I sometimes took turns sitting in the big chairs in the lobby of Hinton, where Worthington had his office. We’d study and hope that maybe we’d run into Worthington when he had something going on .

“ Was he –”

The door to Worthington’s office flew open .

He saw us standing there, and his face set into a wry smile. “You two,” he said, pointing to us. “I need you both .”

“Yes, sir,” I said. My heart sped up and my palms felt twitchy. After just a few weeks in law school, I was finally going to see some action. I pulled out a notebook and got ready to take notes .

“There’s been a murder,” Worthington said. He drained his coffee then crushed the empty Starbucks cup in his hand and tossed it toward the trash can in the hallway. It bounced off the rim and onto the floor. “We have a client, an important one. He hasn’t been arrested yet, but for reasons I won’t get into, he’s going to be a suspect.” He stared both of us down, and I forced myself not to move. Worthington was a hotshot lawyer – the kind of lawyer who commanded hundreds of thousands in fees. Whatever this case was, it was big .

“The client is high profile,” Worthington went on. “He’s insisted on meeting whoever it that’s going to be working with him.” He stared us all down again, his gaze icy. “Of course I’ll have people at my office on this. But if he is charged, we’re going to need all the help we can get. Above all, I need to be assured of your discretion .”

“Of course,” Josh and I said .

“Noah Cutler,” Worthington said, “is the client .”

I forced myself not to have a reaction. But of course I knew who Noah Cutler was. He was a lawyer in his own right, but not the kind you’d find listed in the white pages. He was a certain kind of lawyer – the kind of lawyer you called when you were in a lot of trouble, the kind of lawyer you could count on to take care of things for you, on many different levels .

Rumors had swirled about him for years—that he wasn’t afraid to break laws, that he was going to be disbarred, that he took bribes and was in bed with the mob. He was constantly getting reprimanded, constantly getting held in contempt of court. But he wasn’t sleazy – in fact, he was a legend .

“Why aren’t his own people working on this?” Josh asked .

He was rewarded with a smoldering look from Worthington. “Because it’s a conflict of interest,” Worthington said. “He’s not going to have his own office handling his affairs.” He sighed. “Listen, the less you two know about the details the better. I don’t need you asking a bunch of dumb questions .”

“What do you need from us?” I asked. There was no way I was going to let Josh ruin this for me by trying to play Mr. Bigshot Lawyer .

“Right now, I’m going to need you to go to Mr. Cutler’s office in midtown and meet with him. He wants to meet each of you in person to make sure he’s comfortable working with you .”

“Now?” Josh asked .

“Yes, now,” Worthington said, shaking his head like he couldn’t believe our stupidity. “I’ll text you the address .”

* * *

T en minutes later, Josh and I were in the back of a black town car, speeding toward Midtown. Josh was on his iPad, making notes and highlighting articles. He wasn’t sharing any of it with me. Josh and I weren’t exactly close friends. In fact, we weren’t really friends at all. We had a business arrangement. Once we’d realized we’d both been spending all our free time studying in the lobby of Hinton, we’d come up with an arrangement. If either one of us saw something going down with Worthington, we’d call the other .

It was nice of Josh to call me tonight. He could have gone back on our deal and just kept the information to himself. But now that he’d done that, it was every man for himself .

Which meant I needed to find out everything I could about Noah Cutler .

I pulled up his bio on Wikipedia .

Not much about his early life, except that he grew up in Camden, New Jersey. Single mother. Scholarship to Rutgers, then Harvard law school. He started his own firm as soon as he graduated, even though he’d fielded offers from most of the big firms .

I scrolled down, making mental notes, wondering what he was like, if he was going to grill me, ask me stupid questions like “How many buses are in the United States?” Interviewers loved to ask questions like that. They said it was because they wanted to see how your thought process, figure out how your brain worked. But I suspected they just liked to see you squirm .

I scrolled further down the screen .

And then I gasped .

Out loud .

There was a picture of Noah Cutler on the Wikipedia page .

I recognized him immediately. The cool blue eyes, the dark hair, the smoldering gaze, the tiny little smile that made you think he was amused by something .

Noah Cutler was Mr . X .

* * *

I wanted to leave. I didn’t want to go in, I didn’t want to come face to face with him. How could I ?

“Are you coming?” Josh asked. He was standing in front of the gleaming building, waiting for me. I glanced up. The building was dark except for a light in one of the windows around the tenth floor. I imagined Noah Cutler in there, waiting for these two stupid law students to come in and meet him. What would he do when he realized he’d had sex with one of them just hours earlier ?

I needed to make up an excuse. I needed to say I was sick, really sick, that I was going to puke or faint or have some kind of panic attack. But to do that would be career suicide. This was my chance to make an inroads in Worthington’s class, to make my mark in an otherwise so far unremarkable law school career .

So I squared my shoulders and followed Josh into the building .

We road the elevator to the tenth floor in silence .

My stomach flipped as we stepped out onto the crushed red carpet, and the floor moved under me. I stumbled .

“Whoa,” Josh said, grabbing my elbow. “ You okay ?”

“ I’m fine .”

I forced myself forward .

There was a receptionist sitting at the desk, a beautiful girl with shiny dark hair falling in a perfect curtain down her back. I wondered what she thought when she’d been called into work at three in the morning, if she knew her boss was a suspect in a murder .

A murder! The man I slept with might be a murderer. My legs felt shaky, and I sat down in one of leather chairs in the reception area without being told I could .

Thankfully, Josh got called in first .

He returned ten minutes later, flashing me a huge smile and a thumbs up. It was a good sign. If Josh was coming out so quickly and so happy, it must mean that Noah Cutler wasn’t much of a hard ass .

“Charlotte?” the receptionist asked. “You can go in now .”

I stood up and made my way slowly down the hallway .

There was a light shining out of an open door at the end of the hall, and I forced myself to walk toward it. When I got to Noah Cutler’s office, he was sitting at his desk. His desk was huge and made of expensive-looking cherry. I expected him to be in a frenzy, to be going through papers or making phone calls – the normal chaos you’d expect from someone who may have been about to be charged with murder. But either Professor Worthington had exaggerated the seriousness of the situation, or Noah Cutler had nerves of steel .

“Come in,” he said, waving his hand at me .

I walked toward his desk, making sure to place my feet carefully and take tiny steps. The last thing I wanted was to stumble in front of Noah Cutler .

“Your name?” he asked. He leaned back in his chair and folded his hands together on his lap. I stared at him. Was he really going to pretend that he hadn’t just had sex with me a few hours ago ?

I cleared my throat. “Mr. Cutler, I think we… I just want you to know that –”

“What. Is. Your . Name ?”

“Charlotte.” I was stunned. Did he really not remember? Or was he messing with me? I had a flash back to the way he whispered in my ear, asked me what my name was before he left. I remembered the way he slid into me, the way he felt buried inside of me, the rhythm of his hips as he fucked me. My face burned .

“Well, Charlotte,” he said. “I’m sure Worthington has briefed you on my case ?”

“Not… I mean, he just told us you might be charged with murder.” Maybe he was going to just pretend the whole thing had never happened. Which, honestly, would be a relief .

The thought of being charged with murder seemed to amuse him. “Yes.” He nodded. “And I can count on your complete discretion as it pertains this matter ?”

“Yes. Yes, of course .”

“Good.” He nodded. Then he stood up and walked around to the front of the desk. He sat down on the edge so that he was mere inches from where I was sitting. He didn’t say anything for a moment. I looked down at the floor and twisted my hands in my lap. “Stop fidgeting,” he commanded. My hands settled. “Look me in the eye .”

I looked at him. The electricity that flowed through me felt all-consuming, a surge that took my breath away. His closeness was intoxicating. I could still feel his hands on me, his dick inside me, his fingers, his mouth, his presence, his dominance .

“I have your discretion?” he repeated again .

“Yes.” I nodded .

“In all things ?”

“Of course.” If he was talking about what had happened in the alley, he didn’t have to worry about me saying anything. There was no way I was going to admit that to anyone .

“Good.” He reached out and took my hand, turning it over to inspect my wrist. The X was still there .

I tried to snatch my hand back, embarrassed. But he held me tight. “You left the X,” he said .

“I didn’t have a chance to wash it off.” The pad of his thumb traced a slow circle over my pulse point, and I was afraid he’d be able to tell how fast my heart was beating .

He raised his gaze to mine, looking at me from under lowered lids. “That means you’re still mine .”

“Oh.” I tried to take my wrist back, and this time, he let me . “I …”

“Stand up, please,” he said .

It was automatic. I stood up. He looked me up and down, his eyes stormy, like maybe he was displeased with me. And even though it made no sense, even though I hardly even knew this man, in that moment, all I wanted to do was please him .

“Bend over,” he said .

“Excuse me?” I spluttered .

He stood up from the desk and began to roll up his sleeves. “Bend over the desk, please,” he said .

Fear and excitement pulsed through me. Was he going to fuck me again? I wanted him to so badly. My body was already ready, my nipples hard, my panties starting to get wet. But if I fucked him, there would be no way I could work with him .

“Mr. Cutler,” I said. “I don’t… that wouldn’t be appropriate .”

“Now you’re worried about being appropriate, Ms. Holloway?” he asked. He moved close to me, so close I could feel his breath against my cheek. “After what we did earlier ?”

“That was.. that was different.” My resolve was melting, and I tried to take a step away from him. He had that same spicy scent of mint and expensive cologne .

“How ?”

“That was before I was working for you .”

“You’re not working for me yet,” he said simply. “I still have to call Worthington to let him know I’m comfortable with you .”

I stared at him in shock. Was he seriously saying that if I didn’t sleep with him, if I didn’t let him take me over the desk, that he wasn’t going to hire me? I’d heard about this kind of thing happening, and even though I’d had the sense that my male law school classmates had been taken more seriously than I had, I had never been so blatantly propositioned like this .

And I didn’t care if it meant my law school career was over. I had my boundaries. And no matter how badly I wanted him, I wouldn’t be made to feel like my job depended on my willingness to have sex .

“I won’t be working for you, Mr. Cutler,” I said, squaring my shoulders. “Thank you for your consideration. Good luck with your case .”

I turned and walked out of the room, tears of humiliation burning at my eyes .

When I got to the reception area, Josh was gone, and the receptionist was no longer at her desk .

Maybe Josh had gone downstairs. But when I got outside, there was no sign of him. And no sign of the car that had brought us here .

Great .

As I began to scan the street for a cab, my cell phone started to ring .

“Charlotte,” the voice on the other end said. “It’s Worthington .”

“Professor,” I said, struggling to keep my voice steady. “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t trying to –”

“I’m not sure what you said to Cutler, but he raved about you. Great job. He wants you on the case .”

“Oh.” I swallowed. Was it possible Noah Cutler had decided that since I’d stood up for myself that he should hire me after all? “That’s great. I’m so glad. Um, is there anything Josh and I can do tonight ?”

“No,” he said. “Josh isn’t going to be working with him. Cutler didn’t get a good vibe .”

“Oh.” My mouth went dry. “So it’s just me then ?”

“Yes,” he said. “ Just you .”

“Okay. Um, is there anything I should do ?”

“No, not right now. He hasn’t been charged. But Noah Cutler is his own worst enemy. We’re going to have to keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn’t mess up his own case. You got it ?”

“ Yes , sir .”

There was a call coming in on my other line, so I said a quick goodbye to Worthington and answered the call .

“Charlotte?” It was Noah Cutler. I recognized the voice immediately. Smooth, husky, with just a touch of amusement .

“How did you get this number ?”

“I’ve heard you’ve been tasked with the job of making sure I don’t get into trouble .”

“Yes,” I said, deciding to try to be professional. “You need to make sure you stay out of this, that you let Professor Worthington take care of things.” I hoped I sounded like I knew what I was talking about. I wished I knew more about the case, but if I’d learned anything these past few months, it was that people thought law students were better seen and not heard .

The door to the office opened, and Noah Cutler came walking out. He hung up his phone and gave me that grin. “Oh, good,” he said. “You’re still here .”

“Did you send the car away?” How was he doing all of this ?

“Yes. That other kid was worthless .”

“Well, thanks,” I said, annoyed. “Now I have no way home .”

“You’re not going home,” Noah said. I noticed for the first time there was a long black coat slung over his arm, and he was holding a briefcase .

“Then where am I going? “ I asked .

“ With me .”

“Where ?”

“To my apartment .”

“No.” I shook my head. “I’m not having sex with you .”

He shook his head at me, like he couldn’t believe I would be so presumptuous. “No one said anything about having sex, Charlotte. But you heard Worthington, I need to be watched. Otherwise I’m going to get myself into trouble.” His eyes blazed, and a heady mix of heat and desire shot through my body. “I’m going to need 24/7 supervision .”

His intent was clear. He wanted me to come back to his apartment. For what, thought? What was he going to be doing that could get him into so much trouble ?

Worthington’s words echoed through my head. Noah Cutler is his own worst enemy. We’re going to have to keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn’t mess up his own case .

“That’s impossible,” I said to Noah now, shoving my chin into the air. “I can’t be around you twenty-four seven .”

“Why not?” He moved forward, reached out and traced a line down my chin, over my lips, down my collarbone .

His eyes blazed, cool and icy blue. God, he was gorgeous. I’d never seen a man this gorgeous up close before. I’d had sex with him! He’d seen my half naked, he’d been inside me .

I felt my face flame .

Noah leaned forward, his face just inches from mine. “Are you thinking about what we did earlier, Charlotte?” he rasped. “Because I am .”

I shook my head. “No,” I lied. “I’m not thinking about what we did earlier .”

“You’re not?” he pressed. “You’re not thinking about what it felt like to kiss me, how your body felt against mine, how my hands felt on you?” He was moving closer now, his lips just inches from mine. “Because I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it .”

The pad of his thumb ran over my bottom lip, and the sensation drove me almost insane with lust .

“Come back to my apartment,” he said. “We can do whatever you want .”

“Whatever I want?” I repeated .

“Promise,” he said. “We’ll do whatever you want .”

I knew it was a lie. Noah Cutler wasn’t the kind of man who gave up control to anyone. He made the rules. He knew it. I knew it. And we both knew I was going to go back to his apartment with him anyway .