Sasha Easton had other plans that night, plans that didn’t entail hanging around Club Zodiac with her brother Rowen’s coworkers on her seventeenth birthday. The only reason she wasn’t irritated by the party they’d organized was because she knew everyone would disperse to start their jobs one floor below at eight o’clock.

Rowen had been working at Club Zodiac three nights a week since shortly before she’d moved in with him five years ago when their mother died. His coworkers were also his best friends. And by default, they treated her like a kid sister.

Sasha loved them all. Every one of them had a hand in her formative years, everything from helping her with homework, to ensuring she had dinner, to scrutinizing her choice in friends.

Tonight was different. Not only were they gathered to wish her a happy birthday, but tonight was the night the new owner took over Zodiac. Sasha hadn’t met him yet, but she’d heard the rumblings. She was anxious to get a glimpse of him if for no other reason than to discern whether or not the rumors about him were true.

If the gossip were to be believed, Lincoln Walsh was the entire package—tall, dark, and handsome. The way the female employees whispered about him with reverence indicated he also exuded power.

So, Sasha was filled with mixed emotions as she made her way around the breakroom above the club, greeting everyone with a gracious smile, anticipating the moment she could tear out of there to catch up with her friends, and a bit nervous about meeting Rowen’s new boss.

The previous owner, John Gilbert, had retired. He was in his mid-sixties and had treated Sasha like a granddaughter from the moment she’d met him. After her mother died, he’d agreed to let her hang out in his office or the breakroom on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday nights while her brother worked.

John adored her. He was always smiling and often laughing, the deep kind of chuckle that made his entire body shake. He provided a hug when she was feeling down. He filled her stomach with desserts his wife made. And he often slid her cash when no one was looking. A lady should always have a few dollars on her.

She smiled at the memories.

Tonight was a turning point for the club. She wasn’t the only one feeling the tension. She would miss John, but she hadn’t spent nearly as much time at the club in the last year since she’d gotten her driver’s license and no longer needed late-night supervision.

She was standing in the back corner, talking with Carter Ellis—one of Rowen’s best friends who went all the way back to their days in the army—when a hush fell over the room. She turned toward the doorway and lifted her gaze, and then her breath caught in her lungs.

No one had exaggerated when they spoke of the new owner. He was over six feet with thick, dark hair and dark skin that didn’t come from the sun but rather from a gene pool that undoubtedly included someone of Asian descent. If that wasn’t enough, he was also built in a way that indicated he worked out often and took pride in his body.

Lincoln Walsh entered the makeshift party with a friendly smile, greeting the staff with handshakes and nods. Easygoing while at the same time exuding an air of authority that belied his age, which she knew to be only twenty-five. He was young to own a club.

He was all Dom. Sexy as hell.

Sasha remained tongue-tied, unable to move from her spot across the room. She realized the foolishness of her strange attraction but couldn’t stop the physical reaction taking over her body.

It was the first time she experienced true arousal. The first time she felt the tingling sensation in her clit. The tightening of her nipples. The wetness pooling between her legs.

Also for the first time, she felt a sense of self-consciousness. Glancing down at her white shorts and yellow camisole, she wondered how she looked to others around her. Probably young. She needed to think about getting some more grown-up clothes. Black maybe. No way would she ever impress a man like Lincoln Walsh dressed as if she were a walking advertisement for virginity.

Her hands grew sweaty and her mouth dry. Mesmerized, she stood completely still and waited for him to approach. When he did, she swallowed and licked her lips but couldn’t manage to utter a word.

His eyes sparkled when he took her hand and held it in both of his. He winked at her. “Lincoln Walsh. You must be Rowen’s sister.”

She nodded.

“You look so young. I understand this party is for you. How old are you?”

“Seventeen,” she murmured.

Lincoln’s face froze, his smile fell, and then he dropped her hand as if she had the plague. “Seventeen?”

“Yes.” It was difficult to utter that one word considering the total change in his demeanor.

Rowen approached from behind, coming up on Lincoln’s side. “I see you met my sister.”

Lincoln spun toward him, his face hard, his eyes scrunched together. “She’s seventeen?”

Rowen frowned. “Yes.”

“I thought you said she’d been hanging around the club for years.”

“She has.” Rowen let those two words draw out longer than necessary.

A hush spread across the room as Lincoln’s words grew louder. “She’s underage.”

Rowen flinched. “I know that. She’s not a member. She’s my sister.”

“She can’t be here at all. It’s against the law.”

“She doesn’t come into the club itself. She takes the stairs to the third floor and hangs out in John’s office or the breakroom.” The two floors that constituted the club itself and the offices were located above a strip mall with an unobtrusive entrance that led to the business above—Club Zodiac.

Sasha hadn’t moved an inch since Lincoln had introduced himself. Mortification flushed her face. She fisted her hands at her sides and wished she could teleport to anywhere else on the planet.

“Well, not anymore. John must have had a screw loose allowing you all to let her stay up here these past few years. She needs to leave, and this is the last time she’ll be permitted in the building for another three hundred sixty-five days.” Lincoln turned around, marched out of the room, and shut the door behind him.

The silence was deafening. The dozen or so employees slowly started mumbling among themselves and then tossing uneasy smiles her direction.

Sasha felt like she’d been slapped in the face. Her cheeks were so hot she thought she might self-combust. The gorgeous new owner of Zodiac had acted like she was nothing more than a baby.

She left there two minutes later, shaking with embarrassment and anger, and vowed not to so much as drive by the place again for the entire next year.