Chapter 3
Dillon
It was dumb luck that the office I visited this morning was the guy from the bar last night. He needed to trust me so he would open up. I planned to sell myself, not in a hooker kind of way, in a ‘I would make a good girlfriend’ way. Not because I actually wanted to date him, but because I needed any information he had.
The bastard needed to tell me everything he knew, and if going out on a date with him would do it, I would do everything it took to make that happen. He’d brought us to a nice wine bar—one of my favorite actually. It surprised him that I was greeted by name at the door and I liked the fact that I had him slightly on edge.
I leaned across the table and sat my hand lightly on Zane’s arm. “We should talk business, but I’m not interested in medicine or my article right now. Is that wrong of me?”
His dark, burning eyes said he agreed, even if he didn’t answer. His eyes looked like liquid steel and his heated gaze made my skin tingle. I wanted to see how far I could push this. I shouldn’t, I really shouldn’t, but this wasn’t his first rodeo and he might open up more if I decided to make him think that I might sleep with him.
“You seem so different than you were in the bar, Dillon.”
“So do you, Dr. Turner. The glasses and suit definitely change your identity. You’re like superman, except your cape is a leather jacket.”
He smirked. “Not quite. Maybe batman, but definitely not superman.” His eyes flickered with amusement and I had a hard time looking away. What was it about him that disarmed me so? I’d never had a problem playing this game before. All I needed to do was get him interested, then throw him to the side when I got everything I needed. Something made me think it would be harder to walk away from this one. “You should call me Zane, not Dr. Turner. We aren’t talking business for now, right?”
I smiled and cocked my head. “Okay, Zane. Tell me why I seem different?”
He chuckled. “Maybe different was the wrong word. I do like these heels better though.” He took a drink of his scotch and I tried not to drool as his Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat. Obviously an intentional move on his part, but damned if I didn’t fall for it.
It was ten degrees hotter in here than it had been two seconds ago.
I cleared my throat. “It’s not safe to dance in six inch heels. I also wouldn’t risk my Louboutins in a bar. They might get hurt and that would make me sad.” I pouted and he swallowed hard while he stared at my full lips. Oh this game was going to be fun. “That’s not my normal type of place anyway.”
“Then how did you end up there?”
I took a sip of my wine and let the fruity under notes sing on my palate before answering. “My friend Piper dragged me there. She wanted a night out and I was sick of sitting at home, so we ended up at that dive bar somehow.”
“What is your scene then, Ms. Hart?” He shot me a wicked smile. Every word we said seemed to have a flirty undertone or a dirty innuendo.
“Obviously they know me here. I’m a fan of places that serve good wine, liquor or champagne. All three is a bonus. I typically like cigar or wine bars more than dance clubs. How did you end up there Zane?”
He laughed and the husky sound had my pussy clenching. Zane had bedroom eyes and a devastating smile that could get me into all sorts of trouble if I let it. Those stormy grey eyes had caught me and if I wasn’t careful I would end up lost in their depths.
“Lucky circumstance.”
No way in hell can I let that happen.
“You really aren’t like other girls,” he said, cocking his head to the side. “So what do I have to do to get you to agree to go out with me again?”
I pressed my glass to my lips to hide my smile. Things were going better than I’d hoped.
“I could probably be persuaded, but we’ll see.”
We stayed for another hour, talking about everything and nothing of importance. He was surprisingly easy to talk to and was totally laid back. After last night, I’d assumed he would be a brooding asshole outside of the office. My mind couldn’t reconcile the two versions of him. As we drove back to my apartment in that amazing car of his, I kept pressing my legs together just to get some relief. Honestly, I was just as turned on by the car as I was by him.
Zane whistled, slightly impressed, when we got to my building. He got into the elevator with me to take me up to my apartment, threading his fingers loosely through mine as we waited. I stopped outside my door and turned back to look up at him, even in my heels I only came up to his nose. He had to be at least six three or six four.
He looked down at his watch. “I’ve enjoyed tonight, but I have an early morning in surgery. I could probably come in for a few minutes longer though. Offer me that nightcap you know you want to?”
He shot me a dimpled smile that I’m sure he used to bring women to their knees. Literally. I was sure he’d had his fair share of bathroom blow jobs. Too bad that wasn’t going to happen tonight.
I smirked. “Sure, you can come in for one last drink.”
He took the keys from my hand and unlocked the door, standing back to let me enter first. I arched a brow and walked inside ahead of him. Not many men had the balls to try to push their way into my apartment.
“This place is gorgeous,” he said, as he looked around my open living room and kitchen. I loved the modern, open feel of it. Apparently, so did Zane.
“I’ll show you around if you’d like.”
He nodded politely, and we silently walked through my gorgeous penthouse apartment. The high ceilings and intricate white woodwork looked amazing against the stark contrast of modern lines. Zane’s eyes darkened when he caught sight of the gorgeous white leather upholstered headboard in my bedroom. The room had been decorated almost completely in white, with gold used as the only accent color. It looked classy, not like a gaudy bordello looking creation. To my surprise, Zane looked at home there, like he’d visited a million times before.
He sat down on the bed as we walked into the room from the connecting bathroom. I arched an eyebrow at him as he settled back against the headboard and patted the space next to him for me to sit. So much for him having an early surgery, huh?
I sat down and he wrapped his arm around my shoulder, pulling me into his chest. He played with the ends of my hair and we sat in semi-comfortable silence. Was this all part of his game? He leaned down closer, his lips rested lightly at my neck, making my pulse race like crazy. Was he intentionally trying to turn me on? I angled my face towards him, our lips only inches apart, making me feel lightheaded.
“Zane, I thought you had an early morning?” I whispered.
He frowned slightly. “Do you want me to leave?”
His hand massaged the nape of my neck and I worked not to moan at the amazing feeling. “No, I just don’t want you to be exhausted tomorrow if you’re cutting on some unsuspecting soul.”
Plus, I’m not going to fuck you tonight.
The sound of his breath against my ear was hard to ignore, but I knew his game. In the process of playing him, I was going to be miserable with my own need. My lips still hovered an inch away from his. Our eyes met and I saw the challenge behind his eyes. I changed positions so I was straddling his lap, my pussy rested against his hard bulge. His hands rested lightly on my thighs, but the light touch didn’t hide how his heart rate was starting to pick up.
“All you have to do is say please,” I said huskily.
“Isn’t that supposed to be my line?” He chuckled softly, and I smiled.
Nice try, buddy.
My face hovered just over his and I felt his warm breath fan across my shoulder as he tried to compose himself. He leaned forward enough so that our lips barely brushed against one another. I parted my mouth and his tongue delved inside. His fingers tangled in my hair and he pulled me tight against his chest, unable to hold back any longer. I moaned into his mouth and angled my head so he would have better access to deepen the kiss. My fingers gripped his shirt and I lost myself in that kiss.
This wasn’t me; I was always the one in control.
I pulled away gasping for breath. Zane’s fingers dug into my hips hard enough that I would bruise. His eyes were clouded over with lust and I’m sure mine mirrored the same haze, but I knew I needed to end this for the night. It took everything I had, but I pulled away from his delicious mouth.
“You have an early morning surgery,” I whispered.
His lips brushed along my collarbone and I shivered.
“I do, but it’s an easy one. I would much rather be here with you.”
I climbed off of his lap and stood next to the bed. My hands rested on his shoulders as I leaned back down and I played with the hair at the nape of his neck. The fact that he had an undercut and long, dark hair on top made him even sexier in my book. I liked a modern cut on a guy. If he could pull it off—and the man could—I loved to see it. Most men, especially those that worked in a professional setting wouldn’t try. Even better was the combination of that long hair and his sexy stubble covering his fierce jaw line.
Why was I turning him away again?
“You should go. I don’t want to be the reason you can’t focus tomorrow,” I said breathlessly. “Plus, I have an early meeting of my own that I’ll need to get to.”
He stared at me in shock for a few seconds before reacting. Disappointment, then a fierce determination flashed over his features.
“You’re right. I should probably get going.”
We walked to the door, our fingers loosely threaded together. As I reached to open it, he turned me in his arms and crashed his mouth down on mine once more. My fingers dug into his arms and his hands gripped my ass hard.
He pulled away and gave me a cocky grin before leaning down to whisper in my ear.
“Just remember how wet I make you when you’re in bed later.”
His breath was hot on my neck and I tried not to gasp as his hand went up my skirt and rubbed lightly over my pussy through my thong. Before I could react he was gone, closing the door behind him with a sharp click.
I leaned back against the wall and closed my eyes tight, trying to get my breathing back to normal. That man had just left me so turned on my entire body felt electric. What in the hell was I getting myself into?
* * *
My work office wasn’t a well used area. I typically worked from home on my couch and only came in when it was absolutely necessary. Lucky for me, my editor was okay with this setup and allowed me tons of freedom. It also helped that I was one of the highest ranked AP journalists in our office. My byline had shown up in more major newspapers around the US than most journalists could list.
I flicked on the light and put my laptop bag down on my desk. I had ten minutes before my monthly meeting with my editor. We were a week earlier than normal, so he must have had a big lead on a story. Or he’d heard how well mine was going. Right now I was following up on an anonymous tip that a private practice surgery center was ‘double dipping’ into Medicare payments. While I was investigating that, I ran into some things that might prove some doctors had issues running free and loose with their prescription pads. That’s how I ended up in Dr. Zane Turner’s office, not that he knew the real reason I was there.
My boss’s door was open when I walked down the hallway towards the break room after dropping off my stuff. I knocked lightly and he motioned for me to come in.
“Hey Dillon. It’s nice to see you around here for a change.” He smiled and gestured for me to sit across from him. “How did your meeting go yesterday?”
“Surprisingly well. I think Dr. Turner will be comfortable talking with me. He’s cocky enough to think this is going to be an article about him saving lives and not his surgery center fucking them up.”
He nodded once. “This is going to be bigger than we thought. You know the senator that went to jail last year for insurance fraud?”
“Yeah, it was all over. I was pissed that I didn’t get that story.”
He laughed humorlessly. “You’re getting your story now. We have it on good authority that this center is where it all started.”
“You’re kidding me.”
“Nope. If this goes as deep as I think it will, every doctor there will lose their license at the very least. Some of them will probably be facing some major jail time.”
I sat back in my chair. “Wow.”
Will frowned at me. “That’s it? I expected more of a reaction than that. Dillon, this could possibly be your Pulitzer.”
I sucked in a breath. “You think this story is actually that big?”
“We’re talking at least thirty doctors going down, world famous surgeons that have operated on some of the biggest names you can think of. So yeah, it’s that big. Can you handle it?”
I scoffed. “When have I ever not been able to handle a story?”
He grinned back at me. “That’s why it’s all yours. I want weekly updates—move quickly—but triple check your facts, Hart. We don’t want to fuck this up. One other thing, you should probably have your brother on standby for when things get ugly.”
If he was already mentioning me talking to Jake, this really was a big thing. I nodded once. “I’ll get the story if there’s one there.”
I stood up and got ready to leave his office. As I reached for the door, he spoke one last time.
“Dillon? I trust you, but don’t get personally involved. Do what you have to do to get in there, but check all your emotions at the door.”
I nodded. “Yes, sir.”