Prologue
“I need a favor, my dear.” Eve paused as the nonstop tapping of a keyboard on the other end of the line echoed in her ear.
Such a driven man. He needs to find an outlet. Some relief, or at the very least, a distraction from his relentless, busy schedule.
A deep voice finally resonated with resigned impatience. “What can I do for you, Eve?”
“I have a client with a very…special request. I’d like your help.” She paused, already knowing what the man’s response would be. A big, fat no fucking way. Not that the reply would deter her in the slightest. Once she set her sights on satisfying her clients, nothing kept her from that goal. Which made her the very best at what she did.
He didn’t bother to hide a sarcastic snort. “I’m afraid to ask. Last time you called with a ‘special request,’ I had to pay my maintenance guys overtime to reinforce hooks in the ceiling. I still don’t want to know what that was about.”
“Not that I’d tell you anyway. But, I promise no hooks this time.” She hesitated, aware of the need to tread carefully. “Jackson, this woman’s profile is very sad. She lost her fiancé in Afghanistan nearly a year ago. She misses him desperately and has had a difficult time moving on.”
More tapping. Obviously distracted, Jack grunted a non-committal, “Uh, huh.”
“She feels a one-night stand with a man similar to her fiancé would bring her some closure.”
The rapid tapping paused. “Hasn’t she heard of counseling?” What sounded like the scraping shuffle of a phone being readjusted filtered over the line. “And how does fucking a stranger help with the grieving process?”
Eve tsked. “Honestly, Jackson, you Americans and your blunt vulgarities. Of course she’s had counseling. I wouldn’t consider honoring her request otherwise.”
He tapped some more. “Your point, Eve? I’m busy. What’s the favor?”
She laughed. This was going to be so much fun. “I’m looking for her perfect one-night lover. She emailed her fiancé’s picture along with her profile. He was tall, with short black hair, dark eyes, Mediterranean coloring...very handsome.” And a dead ringer for someone else we know.
Silence curled in the airwaves between them for several, long seconds. Jackson was a smart man, it wouldn’t take him long to—
“No. Fucking. Way.”
“Jackson, this would be a huge favor.”
“You’re out of your mind, Evangeline. I let you use my hotel for your matchmaking business, but that agreement did not include my participation.”
“I brought over a million dollars in revenue to your hotel last year,” she reminded him. “Actually, closer to a million five.” And I can take that money elsewhere hung unspoken between them. She hated to pull the financial card, but business was business as her mentor and partner, Simon, always reminded her.
Jackson didn’t make a sound for several moments. But, money talks, savvy businessmen listen, and she could almost hear the wheels turning in his head. A chair creaked, and she pictured him swiveling around to stare out his office window at the Las Vegas panorama and desert beyond.
Finally, he sighed, a mixture of frustration and defeat. “That’s dirty pool, even for you, Eve. You know the economy sucks right now.”
Bingo. She wanted to clap her hands with delight. “Yes, it does.”
“I won’t sleep with her.”
Evangeline ignored the protest and scrolled down the computer screen to the young woman’s file picture. Crystal blue eyes, natural blonde hair past her shoulders, healthy tan, and a toned but curvaceous figure screamed California girl. Eve had searched for the perfect woman for lonely, overworked Jackson for a very long time, and this one would look gorgeous on his arm. And, in his bed.
“She’s very lovely.”
“She’d better be.” His voice dropped an octave. “And, I’m still not sleeping with her. Eve tried to interrupt. “But, for the sake of our business relationship, I will do this favor for you. Once.”
“But of course, my dear.” She tipped back in her chair, trying to keep the Cheshire-cat grin out of her voice. “That’s all I’m asking.”
The keyboard tapped on the other side of town again in earnest, Jackson’s mind obviously moving on to other, more important things. Madame Evangeline understood his drive, and accepted the unspoken dismissal. She and the overworked man were very similar people, both driven by the businesses they loved. “I’ll email you with the details.”
***
Jesus, what had he just agreed to? Jack Castillo tossed the phone back on his desk and leaned back in his chair with a curse. The last thing he needed was a date with one of Evangeline’s prospects. He didn’t care how beautiful the woman might be, he led a complicated, busy life and didn’t have time to spend the evening, not to mention an entire night, with a stranger. And he liked to find his own women, thank you very much.
But Eve maneuvered him right into agreement, quite handily, in fact. It was one thing that she’d charmed him into agreeing to allow her to use his hotels for her 1NightStand dating service’s rendezvous. Not that he actually minded. She provided his hotels with a steady stream of income in return for a safe place for her clients to meet for their dates. What they chose to do once they got there was no different than what thousands of couples did every year in Las Vegas. What happens in Vegas….
He simply couldn’t figure out how he’d become a client. In his own hotel.
Damn.