“Yes, Father, I understand what you are saying. I just don’t happen to agree with you.”

Spencer looked out at the pristine white sands and crystalline turquoise waters, searching for patience. He had been hoping to avoid this conversation until he returned to Pine Ridge, but Tristan Dumas wasn’t one to be easily put off.

“Grow up, Spencer,” the elder Dumas lectured. “The stockholders find your continued philandering and lack of focus worrisome. They want a steady hand at the helm.”

Spencer laughed. He might hold the title of CEO, but there was never any question who actually ran the company. He could disappear for weeks or even months at a time and the Dumas corporate machine would continue to hum like a Swiss timepiece. His father would make sure of it.

“And shackling me to some Fortune 500 magnate’s daughter is going to steady my hand? Seriously, Father, you know better than that.”

“What I know is that Dumas Industries, the company your great-grandfather started, is not your first priority and that needs to change. Your focus is divided, and it shows.”

Divided focus. His father had just reduced the last three years of Spencer’s dream project, Sate, as nothing more than an insignificant hobby. The old man had made no secret of the fact that he thought Spencer was wasting time and money that could have been better spent elsewhere in “legitimate endeavors.” That was one of the reasons Spencer had fronted the capital and secured his own investors outside of the wide-reaching DI umbrella. The elder Dumas might think he knew everything, but he didn’t.

“Chelsea Chamberlain was raised to be the perfect executive wife,” his father continued. “Beautiful, intelligent, and ruthless. She has her priorities straight and understands the importance of discretion. Her dalliances aren’t publicized, nor do they make the stockholders nervous. She is also her father’s right hand.”

Good for her, Spencer wanted to say, but held his tongue. Chelsea Chamberlain was everything his father had said and more. As the daughter of one of the savviest businessmen in America, her public relations team had to be top rate. She was rarely seen in public, and when she was, it was never on the arm of anyone worth less than eight figures. Spencer, however, also knew she took more lovers than he did and was far less discriminating.

“You need a strong woman at your back, Spencer.”

Spencer’s thoughts immediately went to the woman in the green dress. Vexy. She exuded strength and confidence, and he would bet she could be a real wildcat if things came down to it. The thought made him smile.

“Caldwell Chamberlain and I have already reached a tentative agreement, one that will benefit both of us.”

“No, Father,” Spencer said firmly. “I am not marrying Chelsea Chamberlain. If and when I do decide to cut off my balls and hand them over to a woman, it will not be because you made a backroom deal. As for the stockholders, well, tell them to check their portfolios. DI stock is doing just fine, and their deep pockets are fatter than ever.”

“Don’t be crass. This merger will secure the future of the company for the next twenty years.”

“Then you marry her,” Spencer said acidly. “Divorce number five, or is it six, just finalized, didn’t it?”

There was a heavy pause. Spencer could picture his father growing an unattractive shade of puce, that telltale tic at the corner of his left eye making an appearance. For just a moment, Spencer felt a pang of sympathy for the old man. It passed quickly.

His father’s heavy sigh sounded clearly through the tiny speaker. “You are not being reasonable, Spencer.”

“I’m not being reasonable?”

“Marry the chit. Seal the deal. Then do whatever the hell you want, just keep it discreet.”

“The answer is still no.”

“That is unacceptable.”

“Deal with it.”

Spencer disconnected the call, then tossed the phone on the table, grabbed his sunglasses, and set out for the beach.

That sense of smug contentment he had been enjoying all morning was gone. All it took was one ridiculous phone call to get him feeling restless again. If it had been anyone else, he would have laughed and walked away, but his father had a way of getting under his skin and making him doubt himself.

Spencer had spent his entire life trying to please the old man. He was beginning to think it was an impossible task. If pulling a profit within six months of operation in a highly competitive industry didn’t warrant a nod of approval or a word of praise, what would?

As he made his way around the pool and toward the sand, he scanned the guests, looking for a familiar face. He nodded, offered friendly greetings, and received a few visual invitations he tucked away for later, maybe. He needed to get rid of some excess energy, but he had someone specific in mind for that.

He paused when he realized what he was doing. Was he really seeking out a woman?

Yes, came the unnerving reply.

The woman in the green dress had been haunting his thoughts since he had left her in the elevator the night before. Once wasn’t enough.

Even though he had been the one driving, so to speak, she had embraced her own pleasure and had played an active part. He did so enjoy a woman who wasn’t afraid to take what she wanted and demand more.

Their time together had been hard and fast, carnal. As good as it had been, though, he wanted more. He wanted to take his time, drawing out her pleasure until she begged for release. He wanted to feel her beneath him. Riding him. Straddling his face. On her knees before him as she looked up at him with those gorgeous eyes ...

He told himself it was just the stress. It meant nothing, except that he had been fortunate to find a compatible bed partner, someone who seemed to like the same things he did.

That was what Sate was all about, right? Satisfaction. Indulgence.

He needed this. Deserved it after all his hard work. One more time wouldn’t hurt. She didn’t know who he was; he didn’t know who she was. After this brief respite from reality, they would never see each other again.

Feeling determined, Spencer set about his mission. He was going to find her. Then he was going to fuck her out of his system and get back on track.