JESSICA SQUINTED AT the early morning sunlight streaming through the windows. She slammed the alarm before it went off, not wanting to wake James. His tousled head was buried in a pillow; his shirtless, tanned body sprawled next to her. Biting her lip, she recalled every minute of their salacious night together. The weekend was intense but last night was unreal. The carnal desires they exhibited, the insatiable need to pleasure each other again and again… Her pulse raced just thinking about it. I definitely need a replay, right now.

James let out a low moan and burrowed himself deeper into the pillow. His long muscular legs moved as he kicked at the covers. It didn’t look like he received her telepathic message though, so Jessica decided to make some coffee before taking a cold shower.

She padded to the kitchen and popped a K-cup into the Keurig machine. Her laptop hummed as she checked email. Lots of company announcements and spam; nothing important. More interesting was that she hadn’t heard a peep from Charlie in days. What’s up with that? He must be busy with his offer from Benton McCauley.

Jessica munched on a few Mini-Wheats and finished her coffee. Somewhat caffeinated, she peeked into the bedroom on the way to the bathroom. Damn. Not stirring at all. Is it so unrealistic to think he’d jump out of bed and ravage me again?

She tiptoed into the bathroom, admiring the spacious layout. All this marble and Corian must have cost a fortune. Her gaze rested on the Jacuzzi tub at the back wall. Definitely need to take a swim in that sometime soon. I’m thinking wine, candles, bubbles…and James.

The steam from the shower rose from the enclosure, heating the room in seconds. Jessica dropped her robe and ducked under the hot spray, wishing James were awake. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and jumped when the shower door opened.

James stepped in, a mischievous smile on his handsome face. “Were you expecting someone else?”

“No. I just, I mean, it didn’t look like you’d be waking up any time before noon.”

“What do you mean, noon? It’s still the middle of the night, isn’t it?” He gathered her in his arms.

She giggled. “Sure, whatever. Of course it is.”

He eased against her, eyes dark with lust. “I want you, Jess. Right now. Your body feels so incredible.” He nuzzled her earlobe. “I just can’t get enough.”

His thick erection grazed her thigh. Ohhh, yes! She shivered under the warm spray, unable to control herself. “Mmm, don’t tease me anymore.” Her fingertips closed around his swollen shaft, lightheaded at the thought of it being inside her.

James pressed her into the cool tile wall. He let out a low moan. “I love when you touch me like that.”

He devoured her heaving breasts with his mouth. Each light nibble shot pangs of pleasure throughout her body. She gasped, her knees buckling. “Oh please, now.”

James produced a condom. He struggled with the wrapper but it kept slipping out of his hands. A sheepish grin spread over his face. “Not so easy to do in the shower.”

She let out a soft giggle and drew him closer for a lingering kiss. His fingers continued to fumble with the wrapper until he got it open. Her body hummed with eager anticipation. “Mmm. James…”

He rolled on the condom and grasped her backside. “Are you ready for me?”

“Yes.” Jessica moaned as he filled her. “I want you so badly.” She squeezed her eyes shut. How can he do this to me over and over again? He makes me feel so amazing. Every rotation of his hips made her body quiver. I don’t ever want it to end.

She sank her fingernails into his back. Tingling sensations pulsated through her as he plunged deeper. Faster and faster, each slight motion made her cry out.

James ran his hands over her legs. “I need you closer…”

Jessica jumped into his arms, locking her legs around him. The sudden movement sent him skidding on the slippery tiles.

She banged the back of her head as they crashed into the wall. “Ow! Real smooth,” she murmured. “You’re lucky I’m so turned on right now.”

“Mmm, you’re not the only one.”

She raked her hands through his hair as her tongue penetrated his eager mouth. He moved faster and harder, making her body quiver. That’s it! Right there! Please don’t stop! She clenched her muscles and screamed. Bursts of light flashed behind her eyes as the erotic sensations consumed her body and mind.

The thrusting increased as James devoured her neck. He clutched her tightly as spasms rocked his body. A loud groan emerged and he exploded against her.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and let out a satisfied sigh. “How is it that you can do that to me when I know you were sound asleep ten minutes ago?”

James let out a deep breath and grinned. “Because you’re amazing and sexy and I want you all the time? And because even sleep pales in comparison to you?”

“Very good answer.” Pushing his hair out of his eyes, Jessica gave him a seductive look. “How about breakfast?”

He smiled. “I thought we already had that…”

She turned off the faucet and handed him a towel. “I think we’re both waterlogged.”

“Definitely.” He winked at her. “What time is your meeting?”

“Nine,” Jessica responded. “I still can’t believe you’re up so early! What time did we finally go to sleep last night?”

“I don’t remember. Wow, I may actually end up at the office before ten. Nobody is going to believe it!”

Jessica laughed. “It’s great to be up before noon, isn’t it? There’s so much more of the day that you get to enjoy!”

“If I could wake up to this every day, I’d be an early bird for sure.” James took her in his arms and kissed her nose.

“Your day is going to be so much brighter, I promise.”

“I have no doubt about that, gorgeous.” James winked as he buttoned his jeans.

“How about some coffee? You definitely deserve it after that performance.” Jessica took his hands and led him to the kitchen. She pulled a coffee mug from the cabinet. “Hey, have you heard anything back from Blue Coat?”

“No, I’m told I am too overanxious.” James ran his fingers through his damp hair. “I guess I need to be patient or something.”

“Well, I’d be anxious be too. How could you not be?”

“I agree. I can’t help it. This is really important. Chris is being really being cavalier but I’m not as confident. Emerson didn’t tell us anything definitive, only that his account lead would be in touch. With what information, we have no idea.”

Jessica nodded, cringing at the mention of Paul’s name. “I guess it’s good you and Chris both bring something different to the table, huh? Otherwise you’d be at each other’s throats all the time!”

“Yeah. Chris is way too lax for that.” He took a long sip of coffee. “I’m gonna need much more than one cup to wake me up. It’s still too early. Why don’t we go back to sleep?”

Jessica laughed and handed him a plate of toast. “Because some of us have to get to work. Here you go.” She reached for her mug, cringing as the numbing sensation crept down her arm. Dammit. A quick switch of the hand prevented the mug from shattering on the ceramic tile floor.

James leaned over the counter, munching on the toast as he scrolled through emails. She let out a relieved sigh that he missed her near-drop. I’m not prepared for questions right now.

He didn’t bother with a shirt after their shower and his jeans were slung low on his hips making her pulse race. God, he’s so gorgeous. He smirked when he caught her staring. “So what are you doing tonight?”

“Um, I don’t know. Maybe you?”

James laughed. “Not that I think that this is a better suggestion at all, but maybe we should try again to make it out of here tonight? You know, before we execute on your plan?”

Jessica nodded. “Sounds great. Where should we go?”

“I’ll take care of it. We’ll go someplace fun.”

“Awesome.” She sidled up to him and grazed his lower back. Oh the power of suggestion… “Okay, time to get ready.”

She winked and skipped back to the bedroom. James scooped her up and she squealed with amorous delight. There was still plenty of playtime left before the reality of the day swooped in on them.

JESSICA MADE IT to the Secure Transact office with five minutes to spare. Today is going to be a great day. That was her mantra du jour. Things started off in the right direction, now all she had to do was sell, sell, sell to keep the momentum going.

She opened the door to the Secure Transact office and furrowed her brow. Something’s wrong. The receptionist was standing at her desk, looking down the hallway. Other employees gathered in the direction of a very heated exchange drifting from one of the conference rooms. Jessica approached the receptionist, who greeted her with a wide-eyed stare.

“Do you know what’s happening?”

The receptionist shook her head. “I have no idea. Rich Blakely came in here a few minutes ago on a tirade. He pulled Andy Sykes and Margaret Reynolds into a conference room and then I heard him yelling something about the company ownership and a software patent. I couldn’t make anything else out, though.”

Jessica was flabbergasted. What about the software patent? What’s going on in that conference room? She stood there for what seemed like hours. Something told her not to leave, so she waited.

The office was silent except for the yelling. Employees exchanged blank stares, visibly panicked about their jobs. A few minutes later, Andy emerged from the conference room, looking pale and dejected. Rich followed, a nasty smile plastered on his face.

Andy held his head as he addressed the team. “Folks, I apologize for the commotion this morning. There are going to be some changes, changes that—”

“Changes for the better.” Rich pushed past Andy to take center stage. “Changes that are going to make Secure Transact the biggest name in the financial services industry for security software.”

Jessica didn’t grasp the magnitude of Rich’s words. She turned her attention to Andy. He looked crestfallen, but somehow he managed to smile and reassure everyone that delivering on the company objectives was still the top priority.

This doesn’t sound good.

Andy gave another weak smile to the group and walked out to the lobby in a daze. Margaret still hadn’t emerged from the conference room.

I knew that guy Rich was an asshole.

“Andy?” Jessica went over to Andy and put a hand on his arm.

He looked up, his eyes struggling to focus.

“Oh, Jessica, I’m so sorry for all of that…and for our meeting. It’s been, well, a rough morning for us.” Andy collapsed into a chair, letting out a deep sigh.

“Andy, don’t worry about it. Are you okay?” She sat down, hoping he’d answer the multitude of questions racing through her mind. It doesn’t look like there’s even a client to sign anymore.

He rubbed his temple and looked at the receptionist. “I’ll be okay, but Margaret…has Margaret come out yet?”

The blonde girl shook her head, eyes wide. “Should I find her for you?”

“No, that’s all right.” Andy turned back to Jessica, who was becoming more puzzled with each passing minute.

“Andy, what’s going on?”

“It’s a long story. But basically, Rich was somehow able to re-incorporate the company in his name only.”

“I don’t understand. How could he do that without you and Margaret? You’re all partners, aren’t you?”

“Well, yes, we were all equal owners, but that was after Rich got the patent on our key software product. Before we incorporated, he showed us an amended patent application, one with all our names on it. Turns out it was a fake. I guess he was doing it to protect himself. We moved forward with a large chunk of funding from a venture capital firm here in California. Rich wasn’t happy about it, but he was overruled by me and Margaret.”

Andy took a deep breath before continuing. “We went ahead with the deal, thinking we were well on our way. But Rich became very belligerent, and he was uncooperative with the new investors. He didn’t want them to be involved with any of the decision-making, I guess because he felt a certain ownership over the technology he developed. He became paranoid and thought Margaret and I were trying to edge him out. And he was one step ahead of us all.”

“Were you and Margaret intending to push him out?” Jessica bit her lip, bracing for the answer.

“Not at all! We would never have done that! Rich is delusional, and now everything we sank into this company, all of the hours and hard work and personal investment…it’s all gone. We’ve got nothing.”

“I’m so sorry, Andy.” She got up to leave, not wanting to run into that prick Rich. “If there’s anything I can do, please let me know.” She had no idea what else to say to a man who had just lost his entire livelihood in an instant.

Dammit. All of her projections went up in smoke with that debacle. She sighed. I need to find another silver bullet to bulk up the numbers or I’m toast.

The sun was bright outside. Squinting, she fumbled around in her bag for a pair of sunglasses. It was time to get back to the office and do some more research. There had to be another promising start-up out there just waiting to be scooped up by DMC.

She spotted a cab parked in front of a gleaming black Alfa Romeo. As she hurried to the curb, her heel got caught in a sidewalk crack.

“Shit!” She craned her neck to inspect the damage. The heel was all scraped. Repairs would cost a fortune. She glared at the woman who stole her cab while she lamented the injured shoe. Hunching her shoulders, she looked around. Maybe there’s another cab close by. Her eyes fell on the Alfa, traveling to the man standing against it. She blinked in disbelief. This was getting a little ridiculous. It was starting to feel like the Groundhog Day of one-night-stands.

“Well, well, we meet again.” A slow smile spread across Paul’s face.

“Um, yeah…how strange is that? I just came from a meeting upstairs…” Jessica waved toward the building behind her.

“You look a little perplexed.”

Jessica laughed. “You could say that, but it’s probably an understatement.”

Paul’s eyes bored into her. “Really. Was it a rough client meeting?”

“Well, an almost client, I guess. But definitely not any more.”

He raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

“I had an appointment with a potential client and all hell broke loose right before I got up there. Evidently, one of the partners staged a coup and announced a company takeover.”

“Sounds like a party to me. It’s never really a productive day unless you stage a coup, you know?

Jessica grinned. “I guess not.”

Paul looked down at his iPhone. “Listen, I’ve got to run. But since we’ve met, yet again, I was thinking that you might be interested in attending a little cocktail party tomorrow night. There’ll be a lot of industry insiders there, lots of good contacts for your resurrected job. Why don’t you stop by? I can introduce you to some really self-important people with inflated egos. It should be a trip.”

Jessica’s ears perked up. Contacts! No strings! I’m in! “That sounds fantastic. It seems like a great opportunity. What time?”

“About seven. At the University Club. I promise it won’t be too boring.” He chuckled and hopped into the driver’s side. The Alfa peeled away from the curb.

What a freaking morning.

JESSICA PLOPPED INTO a chair and pulled out her cell phone to call Lisa. Her feet were killing her but vanity won out as usual.

“Lisa Embry.”

“Li, it’s me.” Jessica stretched her legs out and wiggled her toes.

“Hey! What’s going on, lady? Can you still walk?”

Jessica cringed as the numbing sensation crept into her toes again. “Barely. But not because of what you’re thinking, so get your mind out of the gutter. It’s also not why I’m calling. You’re not going to believe how random this is. Remember how I ran into Paul Emerson the other day?”

“Yeah, who would believe he gets his own coffee?”

“I know!” She snorted with laughter. “But weirder than that, I met up with him again…this morning. He was hanging out next to his car, outside of the building where my meeting was. Is that ridiculous?”

“Seriously? You sure he doesn’t have a GPS on you somewhere? Sounds like you’ve got a stalker!”

Jessica rolled her eyes. “Look, all I’m saying is it’s weird. He mentioned this cocktail party happening tomorrow night with a lot of industry insiders and casually threw out an invite. He thought it might be good to meet some people and make contacts for my job. Do you think I should go? I mean, if there will be a lot of people there, it could be good for business.”

“Honestly, I don’t see a problem with it. Has he put any moves on you?”

“Nope. I made it clear I’m not interested and I guess he’s okay with us being professional acquaintances if he’s inviting me to this shindig, right? I was afraid it would be uncomfortable, but everything’s out there and behind us. What do I tell James? He’s mentioned Paul’s name a zillion times and I’ve never told him we even know each other, much less slept together. And with him and Chris trying to get funding from Paul’s company? I don’t know, it just feels…messy.”

“Definitely do not tell him. Your little tryst happened months ago, before you even knew James. You’ve basically told Paul it’s not happening again, so why complicate things? Just let it go, make up a story about a client dinner and leave it at that. If you tell him, it will blow up.”

Jessica bit her thumbnail. “Yeah, you’re right. I guess I needed to hear it from someone else. I just don’t like the lying.”

“Look, technically, you’re not lying. You might actually make contacts at this party that ultimately turn into clients, so it’s totally aboveboard.”

“Okay…”

“Oh by the way, don’t wear any of your slutty dresses. If you want to keep it professional, leave the cleavage to a minimum.”

Jessica giggled. “Got it. Thanks, Li. I’ll let you know how it goes.”

Her phone buzzed with an incoming call.

“Li, let me run. I’ll call you later.” She switched over to the other call. “Jessica Latham.”

“Hi Jessica, this is Dr. Martin. How are you feeling?”

The concern in his voice was evident. Oh no…please don’t tell me… “I’m okay. As good as can be expected. I guess you’re calling about my test results.” She bit a stray cuticle, bracing herself for the news she feared most. “H-how bad is it, Doc?”