Trouble: An Alpha Billionaire Romance by Lane, Ellen (7)

Chapter 2 - The Matchmaker

 

Harper was usually a very patient person. When it came to her job, she had a veritable ocean of patience. Someone didn’t get to where she was without hitting a few speed bumps or working over a few difficult clients. There were days, however, that she felt would never end. The city seemed like a maze of pushy, impatient individuals who all demanded that she find what they themselves didn’t want to put the time or effort into.

But whenever she had days like this, Harper always took a deep breath and calmed herself with a singular, balming thought: It will all be worth the paycheck in the end .

She’d spent her last few hours with Victoria Brucknell who was, without a doubt, one of the choosiest women she’d ever encountered. Harper had long ago discovered that if you took already picky people and gave them money, it was a recipe for disaster, and Victoria was walking proof of this. She had very strict specifications for the man she wanted to be with - down to the type of suits he wore and the vacation locales he frequented.

When Harper suggested - very politely , that Victoria might do herself a favor by cutting down on some of her more trivial requirements, the thirty-five-year-old woman had all but thrown a tantrum in her office. It had been quite the site to see - and trying as hell on her nerves.

But Harper Jones had never dropped a client, and she wasn’t about to start now. She let Ms. Brucknell rant and rave for a good fifteen minutes until she huffed and puffed and blew herself out...and then she tried again. This time, she suggested that they take another look at some of the men that Victoria had already been matched with. In the process, Harper had tweaked a few details. Despite all her numerous requirements, Victoria didn’t really know the difference between a Prada and an Armani suit. She couldn’t tell a vacation picture of the Maldives from one in Hawaii, and a fifty-thousand-dollar car looked the same as a hundred-thousand-dollar one.

Surprise, surprise, Victoria found someone she was willing to meet with - and Harper had breathed a huge sigh of relief the moment the woman left her office. Blissful quiet had returned and she treated herself to a few glasses of wine as she finished the remainder of her paperwork.

She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so glad that her day was over.

In truth, a large part of Harper enjoyed the matchmaking process. This wasn’t, however, because she liked working with people, or even because she was a sucker for happily-ever-afters. Instead, it was because, over the years, she had discovered a foolproof, numerical system to help find people a compatible partner. It had become a simple input of information and output of suitable matches -  and Harper couldn’t be prouder of her methodologies. After all, they hadn’t come to her overnight. She’d been working on her system since she was in her early teens. An odd hobby for a fourteen-year-old, certainly, but Harper had her reasons.

Of course, when she was fourteen, she had never imagined that she’d actually make matchmaking a career. The very notion seemed somehow laughable - even now that she was living it.

But it wasn’t a joke. Harper’s very profitable career was tangible reality. As corporeal as the posh high-rise office she currently sat in, or the two-hundred-dollar bottle of wine she currently partook of.

That wasn’t to say, however, that matchmaking was the same thing that it had been through the ages. If Harper used those archaic methods to try and get people together, she probably would have ended up in jail instead of living the high life in New York city. Even the most successful methods of getting people together could always use an update - and that was where she came in.

Though her origins were in journalism, Harper had changed professions when she realized just how many people she knew ended up together at her suggestion. She was particularly good at observing others - their mannerisms, their likes and dislikes, and she usually grasped how strangers thought within minutes of meeting them. The blonde’s greatest gift, however, was her ability to quantify their feelings. She could write down the measure of a person on a piece of paper, look at that paper, and then match it to someone else.

The first time she mentioned the strange talent to her younger sister, Athena, she was more than a little skeptical. But then, Athena was skeptical of anything that didn’t run off pure emotion. Unlike her older sister, the raven-haired girl had maintained the same bright-eyed idealism of her youth - even though she had recently celebrated her twenty sixth birthday.

Athena couldn’t be less like Harper - and so, her older sister attributed a number of their friends’ budding romances to cold hard data, Athena had suggested to Harper that it was because they were friends that had just fallen in love. Harper’s rebuttal was simple; if they were already so in love , why had it taken her prodding to get them to do anything about it?

That upset Athena. Not that upsetting her baby sister took a lot -  and Harper certainly didn’t enjoy it, but she and Athena were very different people. She didn’t press the issue further - at least, not until she announced to her sister that she meant to move to New York and start a matchmaking business.

Athena was rolling on the floor. Harper could still see it now, and the memory incited a strange mixture of irritation and affection in her. By the time they both graduated college, her sister had declared her a robot - “Harping Harper.” She couldn’t even compliment the simplest modicum of affection, preferring to scorn it under her breath.

Unless Athena was involved, that was. As far as Harper was concerned, there was no purer soul on earth than her baby sister. She had never been a violent person, but there had been a number of times in college where she threatened to cut off the balls of a boy who broke her sister’s heart. She eventually resolved that Athena would never be as cautious as her, and so all she could do was protect her from horny sons of bitches with bad intentions.

And there had certainly been a fuck ton of those where they’d grown up in Cali.

Despite Athena’s skepticism, she moved to New York with Harper to start her own career as a hopeful diplomat. Eventually, she’d chosen the translating path instead, and she expected that Harper would give up her matchmaking nonsense and get a job as a reporter somewhere. Athena liked to tease that she certainly had the look for it.

That was, Harper had discovered, about all one needed to succeed in the media business - the look . Perhaps that was why she had never been interested, even when she was offered several minor positions in major news stations. She didn’t want to work her way up the ranks in a world based solely on how prominently her breasts showed when she was on-air. She wanted something that would stimulate her mind; and oddly, matchmaking did just that.

And now, here she was. In the seven years she’d been in business, her unique approach to the art of satisfying those looking for love had catapulted her to cult status - at least, in the world of people who believed in matchmaking. Even if the crowd wasn’t a big one, it was, surprisingly, a moneyed one. But, then again, people with money, Harper knew, were more than happy to pay others to do almost everything for them.

Including finding a life partner.

And Harper was more than happy to take their money.

She left the office around nine that evening. Her time with Picky Vicky had eaten up more of her day than she realized, and she had to make sure she had everything in order for the rest of her meetings that week. Thankfully, this meant there was little traffic on the way downtown to her Soho apartment, and she had never been more thankful for the (mostly) smooth ride.

If Athena were around, she would impress upon Harper (for the hundredth time) the ridiculousness of driving anywhere in New York City. Athena took public transportation literally everywhere and encouraged Harper to do the same. It wasn’t that Harper thought herself too good for public transportation. In fact, that anonymity of the subway at rush hour was welcome after a long day. But she was used to driving. She liked driving - and it afforded her privacy.

Harper liked her privacy. Perhaps the only person she ever allowed to invade it was Athena, and that was because there was nothing more precious in the world to her than her sister. As different as they were - as much as Athena’s relentless idealism could grind on her nerves, Harper adored her.

Perhaps it was exactly because she was what her older sister could never be.

The moment she stepped into the apartment, Harper felt her absence acutely. She had been close to Athena for as long as she could remember. They went to the same schools, the same college, and then Athena had come here with her. No matter how late it was or what mood she was in, Athena always had a jaunty greeting for her. Besides that, she cooked like a dream.

Since she left, delivery had become a way of life for Harper. Delivery and solitude.

But there was no way she was going to be so selfish as to wallow in self-pity. Athena had finally gotten the big break she always hoped for. Thanks to her dedication to her studies (and the four languages she spoke fluently, she’d been picked up as a personal assistant to one of the most high-profile working men of their age: Toshiro Kensley.

Of course, Harper had been pissed at first. Athena hadn’t worked hard all these years to be relegated to making someone’s coffee and making sure they got to all their meetings on time. But when her sister assured her that being Toshiro Kensley’s assistant was about as far from being a typical assistant as it was possible to be, she was intrigued. Athena had been charged with travelling with the man to all his exotic locales and serving as his translator for a few choice languages inaccessible to him. It was a position next to none, and the salary was ridiculous. Athena would have been insane not to take it.

But that had never been an issue. The younger woman had all but jumped on the offer, and, at this point, she’d been travelling for two weeks. According to Athena’s reports, Toshiro was one of the best men she had ever worked for and they got along wonderfully. She got to use her language skills and was getting indispensable experience in the world of international business. She had never been happier.

And Athena’s happiness was all that Harper cared about.

If she had to trade her sister’s absence for her happiness, it was an exchange Harper was more than willing to make - even if her apartment felt a little emptier without Athena in it.

After ordering dinner from a nearby sushi joint, Harper took a long, relaxing shower before slipping into her favorite robe and slippers. She had just retrieved her food from the grinning kid at the door when her phone rang. At the first strains of Athena’s ringtone, Harper pounced on it, answering with a rare smile.

“Where are you now, Thee?”

Athena laughed in delight from half a world away. “Were you standing by the phone waiting for me to call? You’re utterly hopeless, Harp.”

“I happened to be passing by. Don’t get cute.”

“I’ve always been the cuter one.” Harper couldn’t argue with her. Athena had a kind of pale, wide-eyed ethereal beauty that made you want to protect and keep her from the world. She had always marveled at how her sister’s inner idealism manifested on the outside as well.

“Yeah, yeah. That won’t save you now. I can’t see you.” Harper smirked. “Are you going to tell me where you are or not?”

“Maybe if you ask really, really nicely.”

“Oh, please, Thee. I can just look at the news, but I wait to hear it from my beloved sister. So spill.”

Athena laughed in response to her sister’s threat. “Fine, fine. We just landed in Seoul this morning.”

“Nice .” Harper grinned. “Don’t forget to get me a souvenir.”

“Your souvenir bag is getting pretty heavy, Harp. I might have to ask Toshiro to carry it.”

The statement made Harper pause for a moment. Toshiro ? Not ‘my boss’ or even ‘Mr. Kensley? That was a change - and a telling one, in her book.

“Your boss carrying your bags now?” she returned casually. “I thought you were supposed to be the personal assistant.”

“Well, no! I mean...that’s not what I meant!” Athena backtracked rapidly, and Harper arched a blonde brow in inquiry.

“Well, what did you mean?” her sister responded predictably.

“How’s business going?” The only time Athena even pretended to take an interest in Harper’s peculiar form of matchmaking was when she wanted to change the subject.

“Don’t do that,” Harper returned in warning.

“What?” Athena practically oozed innocence. “I just want to know how you’re doing.”

“You don’t want me to ask you about Kensley. Or would you prefer that I call him Toshiro ?”

Athena made a trapped sound in the back of her throat and a beat or two of silence followed before she finally spoke. “He’s just...nice , Harp. And a gentleman. Maybe it’s the Japanese thing or something else, I dunno...he’s easy to like. And he told me he didn’t like me calling him ‘Mr. Kensley.’ He prefers Toshiro. That’s all, I swear.”

That wasn’t all, but Harper elected to let it go for the moment.  It had only been two weeks, and Toshiro Kensley didn’t seem like the type to prey on his employees. Like Athena pointed out, he was a gentleman - or, at least, he had been on every occasion Harper had ever witnessed. The man was the epitome of relaxed poise - a softer edge to his elder brother, who seemed like he constantly had a stick up his ass. Harper supposed that running a multi-billion-dollar company could do that to someone, but Vladimir Kensley almost never showed his face to the media anyway. It wouldn’t hurt him to look a little friendlier on the occasions that he did.

“Well, fine then. You just be careful, ok Athena?”

The younger girl gave a long-suffering sigh. “I’m fine, Harper. Really. It’s you I’m more worried about. Are you interacting with other humans in my absence?”

The blonde woman rolled her eyes at the question. Just because she preferred Athena’s company to anyone else’s didn’t mean that she didn’t have any other friends.  She simply wasn’t capable of collecting them as quickly as her more likeable sister did.

“Very funny, Thee. I’ll have you know that I’m very content in your absence.”

“Really? When’s the last time you went on a date?”

Only Athena would measure how happy she was by whether or not she had recently been on a date. It was simultaneously ridiculous and terribly astute of her younger sister. Athena knew her too well.

Harper wasn’t a huge fan of dating, and she thought sex was overrated. The idea that a man could make her feel better than she could make herself feel was foreign to her - which made her rely on intellectual interest alone when she dated someone. And there were few men who interested her long enough to hold her attention for more than a month or two, let alone end up in bed with them. She couldn’t, for the life of her, understand why so many women her age seemed sex-crazed.

Athena told her numerous times that she simply hadn’t been with the right person, but Harper didn’t like the idea of sleeping her way through half of New York to find the right person any more than she liked the idea of dating someone she wasn’t extremely interested in.

When she was dating, it was usually because she had a sudden surge of self-confidence in her sexuality, usually boosted by Athena herself or one of Harper’s few friends. But that always seemed to end in disappointment.

“No, I haven’t been on any dates. I don’t need to go on any dates. I’ve got a ton on my plate.”

“I’m sure you’d find time if you found someone interesting enough.”

Harper smirked as she answered, “Pretty sure someone like that doesn’t exist.”

“Maybe you should see a matchmaker…”

“Ha, ha,” Harper replied dryly.

Athena sighed, and her sister could all but see her shaking her head in disapproval. “You know I just like to see you happy, Harper.”

“I don’t need a man to make me happy, Thee. I’m plenty happy by myself. If anything, a man would just mess all that up.” She injected unintentional venom into the statement, and, when Athena replied, her words were careful.

“Harp...just because Mom and Dad couldn’t work things out doesn’t mean all relationships are like that.”

Harper stiffened at the very mention of their parents. She didn’t like to think about their particular brand of love - or why it had failed so spectacularly. People like her parents were poster children for why love was a formula rather than some romantic twist of fate. Romance faded...compatibility was a real, tangible thing.

And their parents had been about as incompatible as it was possible to be.

“I’m in the business of getting people together, Thee,” she provided, as steadily as she could, “I don’t always have time to take for myself. Besides, the next couple of weeks are jam-packed. But,” she forced a smile, “I’ll let you know if I stumble upon anyone I deem worthy.”

It was a relief to hear the edge come out of Athena’s voice. “You’d better, tell me every last detail.”

At a low, masculine murmuring in the background, Athena made a surprise sound before speaking again. “Shoot, Harper, I have to go. We’ve got a meeting to get to. I’ll call you later on this week.”

“Sure thing, Thee.” Harper was glad the conversation ended before Athena could lecture her any more about her love-life - or lack thereof. “Love you.”

“You too.”

When her sister hung up, Harper exhaled a long breath. Maybe it was a good thing that Athena was on the other side of the world, pursuing her dreams. Harper would admit to smothering her, but that was only because she felt she needed to somehow make up for their lackluster childhood. Their parents had divorced when she was ten and Athena was seven, but only after years of verbal and physical abuse that had taken its toll on the young girls.

Thankfully, Athena had come out unscathed in the end. She still held on to her wide-eyed, wonderful view of the world, and Harper certainly couldn’t begrudge her that. Certainly, not if she wanted her sister to be happy.

She, on the other hand, bore the brunt of her parents’ separation. It was what got her into matchmaking in the first place. Romance, Harper knew, had nothing to do with it. It was all about actual compatibility. Mental compatibility, financial compatibility - concrete configurations that worked flawlessly for her every single time.

Maybe if someone had figured out her method sooner, her parents wouldn’t have tried to destroy each other.

Fuck.

Now she was in a bad mood. Harper considered the sushi on the table and ended up refrigerating it. She’d eat when her appetite returned. She was tired. All she wanted to do was fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.

If only she could be so lucky.

Even though Harper hadn’t been lying about her schedule - it was jam packed for the next few weeks- she took a bit of Athena’s advice and agreed to meet her friend Gary during her lunch break the following day. Gary was one of the first people she’d met upon coming to New York, and she always appreciated his forthright way of speaking and thinking.

It also helped that the man had a killer eye for fashion and was one of the only people she knew who could keep up with her when she went shopping. One of Gary’s favorite bistros was down the street from her office, and when they met, as always, she admired his impeccable dress sense.

“Oh, this old thing?” Gary struck a pose, showing off the vintage jacket he’d snagged from a thrift store. “It was a complete steal from the meatpacking district. I’ll take you the next time you have a day off.”

Harper smiled sardonically. “Might not be for a while.”

“Ooooo ,” Gary perused the wine list with interest. “Business booming?” As a budding actor, he had to use his money wisely - and so he liked to live vicariously through Harper and her experiences serving the upper crust.

“More than ever.” Harper ran a hand through vivid blonde locks before crossing long legs primly. “People can’t seem to get enough of the idea that they can find their perfect mate without any actual legwork on their part.”

Gary chuckled. “People are lazy, but that doesn’t mean they don’t want genuine romance.”

Harper made a face. “I don’t really deal with that side of things. I get them together, I send them off. As long as they’re interested in each other - as long as they can respect one another’s best qualities, things work out.”

Gary smiled lazily, gesturing to the waiter. “You know, I don’t think the prospect of a good old fashioned romance would kill you, Harper.”

The blonde rolled her eyes. “Not where my profits come from.”

“Grumpy Gus.” Gary stuck his tongue out at her before ordering for both of them, as usual. Harper smirked. She knew what was coming next. She loved Gary to death but he, like her sister, was on the looking-for-love bandwagon, and always trying to get her to join the club. Gary liked to gossip, and she could usually get him to give up if she offered him some juicy stories about her clients. (Keeping the actual individuals completely anonymous of course.)

She told him about Picky Vicky, and another client she had recently - a man who had been so crazy for redheaded lawyers that he dropped twenty-five grand on some jewelry just to get a date with one he liked, but who wasn’t interested in his profile. The figure made Gary’s jaw drop and his eyes widen.

“I can’t even imagine what it must be like to have that much money. I mean, just throwing away twenty-five grand. That’s insane.”

For her part, Harper couldn’t really imagine it either. She made a fair amount herself, but it was nowhere near enough to go tossing money like that around as if it were nothing.

“Have you ever actively sought after clients?”

The question caught her off guard, and Harper found herself eying Gary in surprise. “What do you mean?”

“I mean: Have you ever seen two people and thought they’d go perfect together, and then tried to recruit them as your clients?”

Now that Harper hadn’t touched since her college days. By now, she got most of her business by word of mouth. She couldn’t remember the last time she had to push two people together, and she had almost certainly never tried to recruit a high-profile client.

“If you could match anyone , who would you most like to work with?”

For Harper, it was a strange question. She had never actively watched TV or read papers looking for a mark or anything of the sort. If there was someone she admired, it was usually for their ability to weather their life without the distraction of romance. The idea of genuinely liking someone she took on for a client was slightly disturbing to her. “I’ve never really thought about it.”

“There’s no one you’d like to meet?” Gary rebutted incredulously. “No one ? What about one of the Kensley brothers?” he continued to prod, his grin turning salacious. “Jesus, just matching one of them would probably have you set for life, and I can’t imagine that it would be hard to do.”

But Harper was already laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of the notion. The Kensleys ? One of the most recognizable and successful families in the entire world? They were business people for God’s sake. She couldn’t, for even one second, imagine a scenario in which Jackson Kensley would allow one of his brood to be seen needing help to find a partner.

“Is it really that outlandish?” Luckily enough for her, Gary was good-humored enough not to take offense at her sudden onset of hilarity. “None of those boys are married, and they’re all absolutely delicious .”

But Harper was already way ahead of him. Holding out a hand, she ticked the Kensley men off on slender fingers. “Vladimir - tall, dark, quiet and completely media shy. He’d never need a matchmaker; women are all but salivating over the mystery. And the fact that he’s rumored to be a complete, anal asshole only adds to the allure for them. Alistair - absolutely fucking nuts. He’d want someone who can keep up with him and all that sky-diving and base jumping he adores so much - and that’s not really my clientele. Toshiro - he’s probably got a woman in every country he visits.” So he doesn’t, Harper added to herself, need to have anything to do with my baby sister. “He hardly needs someone to help him out stateside. On top of that, the man would probably die of mortification if it got out that he had been to see a matchmaker.

“Lucas is young and still has plenty of time. Plus, he probably won’t go into the company business, which means that he almost certainly won’t have a high-profile partner. Which brings us to-”

“Ethan.” Gary sighed the name almost like a prayer, clutching at his well-toned chest through the thin t-shirt he wore beneath his jacket. “Be still my beating heart.”

Harper snorted at the mere notion. “And I suppose the fact that he’s fucked his way through half of the socialites in the city doesn’t bother you at all?”

Gary grinned indulgently. “If he comes over to the rainbow side, I’ll be all he needs.”

That drew a genuine laugh from Harper. Out of all the Kensley men, Ethan had most proficiently proved himself to bat firmly for team straight. The man had a revolving door of actresses, models, ballerinas, and God knew who else in his bed. He’d even been caught with his pants down a couple of times, and all he could do was grin for the camera. He thrived on the attention and his playboy status, and he was the absolute last person in the cosmos she could picture matching.

People who came to her to find a match were usually ready to give their vagabond days up. They wanted to settle down. They wanted forever . Ethan lived in the moment.

At her very pronounced analysis of the man’s character, Gary simply sipped his wine with a knowing smile. “Spent a lot of time thinking about him, have you?”

Harper frowned. “Most of the population of the world probably has. He’s on the front page of a new gossip rag every single day.”

“I know . Like mana from heaven.” Gary took the opportunity to pluck a magazine from his messenger bag and toss it onto the table.

It was that day’s issue of the Enquirer - and it was no surprise that Ethan Kensley was front in center in a tux, surrounded by women at a high-profile event. The headline for the picture was something or other about the man’s secret harem, but Harper ignored it completely. She mulled over the picture for perhaps twenty seconds.

No one with eyes could deny that Ethan Kensley was attractive. He was a tall, broad, blonde-haired, green eyed man that knew how to dress, and had a smile that could probably stop any princess of High Haughtyland in her tracks.

But looks weren’t everything.

With a smirk, Harper slid the magazine back in Gary’s direction. “Good luck. Ethan Kensley is the kind of man destined to die of old age with a playboy bunny on his arm eagerly awaiting his last breath.”

Gary gasped in mock shock. “Harper Jones, you are savage .”

The blonde raised her glass at the statement, her smile never wavering. “I’ll drink to that.”

Chapter 3 – A New Client

 

If Ethan thought that Vlad leaving meant that he would get a breather, he had been dead wrong. The man was in high-stress mode trying to prepare everything to function like clockwork in his absence, and as a result, almost everyone in the main office was just as high strung as he was. Ethan, in particular, was bearing the brunt of his brother’s fabled work OCD.

It was still a good two weeks before Vladimir shipped out, and he issued a steady stream of orders from the top floor that never seemed to stop. It was like everyone was holding their breath, waiting for him to collapse from sheer exhaustion.

But they didn’t know Vladimir like Ethan did. He was inhuman.  And, as nerve-wracking as this entire process was, for Vlad, and for the company, it was necessary.

Their father had built Kensley enterprises from the ground up, innovated and spent his blood, sweat and tears to make it the multinational corporation that it was today. Vlad made it run like a navy aircraft carrier - ruthlessly efficient and ridiculously productive. Even with Jackson at the helm in his absence, when Vlad left, they would lose some of that momentum.

And the thought was, no doubt, driving Vladimir crazy.

Ethan did his best to support him, but spending time with Vlad had him on edge himself. He found himself working long hours on little sleep, and there came a day where he was pretty sure he was going to break something in his frustration.

He needed a woman.

Carmen was out of the question. She hadn’t thought very highly of his unwillingness to take her to the charity ball, and Ethan found himself wondering who might be able to satisfy his voracious need in her absence. There were other women, yes, but Carmen was particularly avid in her attentions - and with her stamina.

He reached into his pocket to grab his phone, frowning when, instead, he drew out a business card.

At the sight of it, he arched a brow in surprise.

Harper Jones

Discover Your Perfect Match

Call to reserve your consultation.

He realized, with no small amount of amusement, that he had grabbed his tuxedo jacket instead of his suit jacket - they were cut very similarly - and, under normal circumstances, he cared less about matching suit pieces than he did about how the cut of a jacket flattered his shoulders - and he adored this one.

But this...this was fucking hilarious. He hadn’t even thought of the damn card, or the woman who’d given it to him, since the charity ball - weeks ago.

Strangely enough, Ethan’s first impulse wasn’t to toss the card into the trash. He contemplated it for a long moment, reading over the number several times.

The card wasn’t cheap. He doubted that this woman was someone operating out of a shack in Chinatown. No, to draw clients like the one who had so politely rejected him at the ball, she had to have a reputation.

Ethan was in no way, shape, or form in the market for a wife. He had no current interest in marriage or settling down, but a compatible woman? Someone who could match his wit and his voracious appetite in bed...that could be interesting. At the very least, he was horny and choosy enough just to call the number for shits and giggles. At the very most, he could hang up if the situation sounded ridiculous. Ethan hesitated for a moment more before groping in his opposite pocket to find his phone. He entered the number before he could change his mind.

Ethan expected an automated voice that would explain the services to him and even allow him to set up an appointment, but, to his complete shock, after the phone rang three times, a very human voice answered the phone.

“Match Perfection , this his Harper Jones speaking. How may I help you today?” The voice was feminine and sultry, sweeping over him with shocking intensity. Ethan didn’t know if he had ever gotten aroused just by hearing a woman’s voice, but here he was.

“I... Hello.” It took a moment to regain his usual eloquence. “I was calling to get some information on the system you use to match potential clients with their...lovers .”

It was surreal that he was even starting this conversation - that he had even called the number.

“May I ask why you’re seeking this information? Is it for a media interview? A recommendation? A personal match?”

“Personal match,” Ethan responded quicker than even he had expected. “I wanted to make an appointment.”

“Ah, well.” A nominal amount of the frost in Harper Jones’ voice evaporated and she went on a bit more amicably, “In that case, I’ll need to get some information from you before we set up the first appointment.”

“Of course.” Why the hell was he so tongue-tied? Usually, Ethan was as glib as a singing canary but something about this odd conversation was throwing him off his groove. “I just...could you tell me a little more about the process first?”

“All the details of the matching process will be explained at the first appointment. Appointments are two hundred and fifty dollars and payable at the time of our first meeting.”

Two hundred and fifty dollars? It was almost enough to make Ethan drop the phone. Just to secure an appointment? This woman must think she was on par with deities. “Would you like to reserve an appointment Mister….?”

Though Ethan might not quite be himself, he was nowhere near stupid enough to use his actual name. The last thing he needed was to be headlining Entertainment Tonight in his quest to find ‘a loving wife.’ “Thompson,” He uttered the first title that came into his head. “Trevor Thompson.”

“Would you like to make an appointment, Mr. Thompson?”

It would be wise for him to hang up the phone. Ethan was the son of a billionaire and a millionaire in his own right but two hundred and fifty dollars down for something he was beyond skeptical of was a hefty asking price.

So why the hell did he find himself agreeing? “I would.”

“Wonderful .” Ethan expected to feel instant regret, but the only thought that ran through his mind was that the two hundred fifty dollars was worth it just to hear the sensual satisfaction in Harper Jones’ voice. “Well then, we’ll just get everything in order to begin a file for you, Mr. Thompson.”

What followed was, without a doubt, one of the most lengthy and strangest conversations he’d ever had. Harper Jones wanted what seemed like endless reams of information - everything from his profession and income to his shoe size and the name brands he liked. Ethan didn’t see the need to amend much of his information. Anything that would blatantly give away his identity, certainly, but, for the most part, he was absolutely truthful.

He did, after all, want ‘ideal results.’

After about ninety minutes - certainly longer than Ethan had ever spent on the phone in his entire life - Harper pronounced herself satisfied. “I think that’s everything I need to work with.” He could hear the sound of papers being stacked in the background. Ethan wouldn’t have been surprised in the slightest if the woman had written a fucking novel on him.

Or, at least, a novel on Trevor Thompson.

“I’ve set your appointment for three weeks from today, at three pm, at Le Boulangerie in Soho. Is that convenient for you?”

He’d have to leave work early that day, but with three weeks’ notice, Ethan hoped he’d be able to spring it. “Perfectly convenient.”

“Wonderful.” He could hear the smile in her voice, and it only made her sexier. “I’ll see you then.”

Ethan wasn’t sure what had just happened even ten minutes after he hung up the phone. Had he really, truly just made an appointment with a matchmaker? An honest to God matchmaker ?

He had to be out of his mind. Remembering how flagrantly he’d laughed at the woman he met at the charity all for doing the exact same thing sobered him to the fact. While he’d been on the phone with Harper Jones, it was as if things happened automatically. Her low, reassuring, and somehow sensual tone had eased him into an appointment and through the entire interview process. Now, it was almost like waking up from a trance.

Ethan drew a hand heavily over his face, wondering what the hell had gotten into him. The call was supposed to have been for fun. He had no intention of giving a fake name, or an hour and a half long interview...and now he was locked into an actual appointment. One where Harper Jones would surely know who he really was the moment she laid eyes on him.

Then he hurried to reassure himself. Her discovering him was nothing to be terribly worried about. If he really wanted to cover his ass, he could have her sign a nondisclosure agreement before agreeing to work with her any further…

Ethan caught himself in the middle of that particularly insane thought. Any further ?

He had gone from wanting a reasonably compatible lay to dropping almost three hundred dollars on an appointment with a woman who purported to know what he needed better than he himself. Not only that, but there was no immediate gratification forthcoming. Ethan found that he didn’t want to roll into bed with just any woman. He would find no satisfaction in it. What he wanted was an experience mind-numbing enough to wipe away the stress of days at his work-obsessed brother’s beck and call.

And now, he was going to wait, what? Three weeks ? He had to be out of his ever-loving mind. If he was smart, he’d just count his foolishly spent money gone and do the work himself to find a worthy lay.

But Ethan had to admit that there was a part of him - a very small part - that was curious about what he had bought. If this Harper Jones was so great, what was there to say that she wouldn't find a woman that would blow his mind? It was possible, he supposed, if not at all probable.

With a groan, Ethan forced his mind back to other matters. It wasn’t his lunch break, which meant he had been neglecting his work for almost two hours. If Vlad found out he was fucking around on the clock, there would be hell to pay.

For now, there was little he could do save thrust himself back into his hectic workday, and hope he regained his senses in the next few weeks.

But, somehow, Ethan could never bring himself to call and cancel the appointment. Just the idea of having to hear the probable concern in Harper Jones’ voice when he told her Trevor Thompson had changed his mind was enough to keep the appointment.

Ethan was so conflicted about his upcoming foray that he even mentioned it to Vlad before he left work that day. Vladimir had warned him not to menace the poor woman. But how was Ethan supposed to menace her when he knew nothing about her?

While it was relatively easy to find information about Match Perfection online, and Harper Jones’ name came up more than a handful of times, Ethan couldn’t find a single picture of her. She was like a fucking ghost - and he supposed that was the way she wanted it. She probably believed it added to the allure of her services, or something ridiculous like that.

It was this matter that Ethan was contemplating as he walked the halls of the main office more than a week later. He was supposed to be running some ledgers up to his father in the CEO’s office, but he nearly ran into the man on his way to the elevator two floors down.

Jackson Kensley had used a cane since he broke his leg at the age of sixty, and he insisted that he needed it, but a collision with his six-foot-three, two-hundred-pound son hadn’t even seemed to stun him. “Ethan! My boy, you might want to come back and join the rest of us back on earth.”

That jogged Ethan back to the present, where he was faced by a strong, weathered face almost in line with his own. Jackson was eying him with no small amount of amusement - and when he was this close to Ethan, that wasn’t all the younger man noticed. His father seemed tired, the bags under his eyes darker than usual and his complexion slightly pale.

Ethan supposed that he shouldn't be surprised. Even though their father was still technically CEO, Vlad had a way of working everyone to the bone when he was worked up, and Jackson got caught up in it two. At close to seventy, he couldn’t quite keep up like his sons could.

“Sorry, Dad. Wasn’t looking where I was going.”

“That much is obvious,” Jackson chuckled. “Why don’t you tell me what’s got your mind so caught up?”

Ethan’s first impulse was to shy away from the question. One of his least favorite things to do was to talk to his father about his romantic prospects. Jackson Kensley made it clearly known that he wanted all his sons to find good women and settle down - he believed in old-fashioned romance, love at first sight, that kind of deal. Things that, in Ethan’s opinion, belonged within the pages of smutty romance novels.

To his surprise, however, he found himself telling the truth. “You’re going to think I’m crazy.”

“Crazy?” Jackson arched a brow in skepticism. “Alistair wants me to go in a deep-water submersible with him to look for giant squid.” He shot Ethan a wry smile. “I don’t think it can get any crazier than that.”

He couldn’t be serious.

But one look at Jackson’s slyly disbelieving face told Ethan he was. Christ, he was going to have to talk to his oldest brother. Their father was getting up in years - his days of high adventure were probably behind him. He had gone sky diving with Alistair just a few years ago...and all of them had thrown a fit about it. Deepwater submersibles didn’t sound much safer.

Ethan took a deep breath, checking to see if anyone was within earshot before adopting a casual tone more characteristic of his usual, blasé self. “I’ve made an appointment with a modern-day matchmaker.”

He expected that Jackson might laugh, or look at him like he had a few screws loose, but, instead, his father looked almost...intrigued. “Really?” His brow raised even higher as he lifted a hand to rub over his carefully clipped beard. “Sounds interesting.”

“Interesting.” Ethan deadpanned back at the older man. “I mean, yeah...I thought it might be a laugh.”

Ethan had always been the clown among them. It came naturally to him. In the days since he’d made this godforsaken appointment, however, he felt somehow out of his element.

“Who is this matchmaker?”

Ethan reached into his pants pocket - where he kept the card since he’d made the appointment, hoping he would come to his senses and cancel it. Without a word, he handed it to his father.

Jackson scanned it with surprisingly sharp eyes. The last time he went to the optometrist, she told him that she’d never seen someone his age with such good vision. “‘Harper Jones’ is it?” He turned the card over to see if he’d missed any information. “Well, Ethan, I must say I’m surprised that you’re suddenly serious about settling down.”

Immediately Ethan grimaced. That definitely wasn’t what was happening here, but he didn’t have to discuss such matters with his father at work, did he? No... he’d save the truth for later. “I can’t wait to hear about it.”

“Yeah,” Ethan scratched the back of his neck guiltily, “I’ll let you know how it goes.” Jackson Kensley beamed, thumping his son on the back before heading back to the top floor.

It took Ethan about five minutes to realize that he hadn’t given his father the papers that he meant to, and he cursed, hurrying after him. This wouldn’t do at all . He was literally so strung out that his brain was short circuiting. He needed to relax, he needed to get laid, and most of all, he needed to convince himself that he had no interest in Harper Jones and her matches.

In the days that followed, Ethan did his best to dispel the tension that lingered even after Vladimir left. He took long lunch breaks, ate at his favorite places, and even contemplated getting a dog, just to have something to concentrate on. On that note, he also contemplated calling any one of the willing girls in his contact list to scratch his ever-growing itch but, somehow, couldn’t bring himself to do so.

Instead, he went to work when he was supposed to, got sloshed with half the accounting department at happy hours afterward, and stumbled home to try and sleep with an erection the size of a small state.

Ethan had no idea how he got through the three weeks leading up to his appointment (a lot of jacking off and a shit-ton of alcohol), but suddenly the day arrived. He hadn’t called it off or canceled it. His final remaining option was to just not show up. Perfectly legitimate, really.

But he left work early that day and he found himself headed towards Soho at two-thirty, wondering what the hell he was doing.

He didn’t even know what this woman looked like. Assuming that he did end up at the appointment, how the hell would he even know who he was looking for? Nonetheless, he didn’t turn around. He didn’t go home and, at three he found himself outside Le Boulangerie, checking his reflection in the mirror.  He looked, as always, dapper and ridiculously charming - if a little nervous.

Nervous to meet a fucking matchmaker .

He had to be out of his mind. The woman was probably some middle-aged old money aristocrat who did this for fun. Running a hand through his hair, he stepped into the restaurant.

There was an immediate flurry of attention. It wasn’t the first time he’d come here, and though Ethan didn’t see the need to travel with an entourage of bodyguards, he was used to drawing attention sometimes. He did his best to ignore the people goggling at him and stepped up to the hostess - who appeared equally as star-struck. “Hey there. I have a three-pm reservation with Harper Jones.”

The redhead - she looked all of eighteen - took a moment to recover before she went to check the book in front of her. “Right. Right this way, Mr. Kensley.”

The waitress led him back through the crowded restaurant and towards a line of private rooms that lined the rear wall. They were intended for romantic dinners and the like, and she led him to the one on the end before opening a gilded single French door.

Inside, he was met by a pair of startling gray eyes.

Ethan stared unabashedly.

Harper Jones was not a middle-aged aristocrat. The woman sitting in front of him was buxom, with almost regal carriage, her thick blonde hair swept up and back from her face into a high ponytail. She wore a scarlet peplum dress that lovingly hugged her copious assets and revealed long legs. Ethan’s body reacted immediately - against his will, and he quickly slid into the seat across from Harper before he could embarrass himself. From this close, he could smell her perfume - something spicy and far more alluring than it had any right to be.

After a prolonged beat - during which Harper’s expression remained unreadable - the blonde turned to the still goggling redhead. “Thanks, Sheila.” There it was - the same sexy, smoky voice that had addressed him over the phone. Reaching up, Harper tucked a twenty into the hostess’s shirt pocket. It was enough to jog her back to the present and she beamed, quickly shutting them inside the private booth to take her leave.

Ethan was still staring at Harper. It was pretty damn hard to take his eyes off her. That gorgeous mouth, those cautious, guarded eyes, and all that long blonde hair... He wanted to wrap it in his fists, bend her over the table and-

“So, Mr. Thompson ,” Harper’s voice held wry amusement as she gave him a pointed once over. “I have to admit you’ve surprised me. No easy feat.”

Ethan managed, somehow, to snap out of his trance.

This...wasn’t what he’d expected at all. This was something he’d been dealing with for his entire adult life. Ethan decided, in that instant that he didn’t give two shits about whatever matches Harper thought she’d found. He didn’t think he’d ever wanted a woman so badly on first sight in his life.

And he meant to have her.

He was back in his element. “Well, Miss Jones, I didn’t exactly want it broadcasted that I was seeking the efforts of a matchmaker. Not something I imagine would reflect favorably on me.”

“I suppose not,” Harper mused. She seemed more perplexed than surprised - and there wasn’t a single hint of anger on her face. “I would hope, however, in the interest of matching you with the right partner, that at least some of the info you gave me on the phone is correct.”

At that, Ethan grinned. “Almost all of it. Don’t go selling it to the media now.”

That drew a little frown from her. “I assure you, Mr. Kensley, that I hold my clients’ privacy in the highest regard. If there are any papers you’d have me sign, I’d be glad to.”

“I don’t think it has to come to that,” Ethan chuckled, somehow amused by her affront. This woman took her job - whatever that job happened to be - surprisingly seriously. After all that build up, here was matchmaking in the flesh - and Harper Jones was serious as the grave. “I trust you. You look very…” He gave her a leisurely, indulgent once over. “Honest .”

“For what I charge, I hope I would be.” Harper’s smile was prim and professional, her crimson red lips plump and inviting. The urge to lean across the three feet that separated them and taste her was almost overwhelming. “And I assure you my services are worth every penny.”

Too bad those weren’t the kind of services he was looking for. Ethan watched, hawk-like, as Harper opened a leather briefcase on the seat next to her and drew out a thick folder labeled with the name Trevor Thompson. She laid it on the table before meeting his gaze once more.

Her eyes really were piercing - almost as if they saw right to the core of him.

“I’m sure they are.”

His reply made the blonde woman’s lips quirk slightly in what might have been a hint of a smile, and Ethan knew he had her. By the end of this meeting, Harper Jones would be begging to have him inside her.

***

Harper thought she’d done pretty well to hide her shock. She never in a million years expected Ethan fucking Kensley be the one she was meeting.

After all she’d disregarded the man’s allure as something completely animal, now, sitting across from him, Harper saw the appeal. The Kensley’s most promiscuous member did, indeed, deserve his reputation.

He was gorgeous in the way of men that cared fastidiously for their appearances - golden hair falling carelessly around his face, his perfectly tailored suit hugging a proportionally perfect form. But, of course, a man like Ethan Kensley wouldn’t be so callous as not to maintain the perfect form. It was part of his image.

But were those piercing green eyes also part of that image? The way he looked at her as if she were wearing nothing at all?

Of course they were. A man like Ethan Kensley lived to intimidate people - and women in particular. He thrived from the idea that women liked to be dominated.

Well, Harper was about to throw him for a loop.

“So, Mr. Kensley, I suppose the most prudent first move would be to get the payment out of the way, then we can discuss the matchmaking process.” She tore her gaze from him, focusing on the folder she’d laid on the table. She had, after all, met bundles of men like Ethan Kensley in her life. She wouldn’t let him throw her off on a modicum of physical attraction.

“I already have a check made out for you, if that is all right.” Ethan said as he removed the check from his suit pocket.

“It is more than acceptable, thank you Mr. Kensley. Now, what were some of the questions that you had about this process?” Inquired Harper.

“You created it yourself, I assume?” He asked, arching a thick brow.

“Of course,” Harper allowed herself an indulgent smile. “I’ve never failed to make a match.”

“Really? I find that hard to believe.” This time it was Harper who arched a brow. She’d expected a Kensley to have a little more class than to insult her on their first meeting. On the phone, she’d heard a fair amount of skepticism in his voice. For this reason, she’d scheduled their first meeting outside her office. Harper only took clients she felt were seriously invested in the process to her office on their first meeting. She didn’t like to think she was leading those with possible bad intentions to the heart of her business.

That wasn’t to say, however, that she had ever believed that Trevor – Ethan - had bad intentions. 

There was a slim chance, if any at all, that men who sounded as skeptical as him even showed up...but now that he was here, he would try to justify his discomfort by discrediting her process.

She’d seen it all before. “No faith in modern-day matchmakers?” Harper asked him, her tone careful.

“I can’t say for sure - this is my first time,” Ethan chuckled, as if the very notion amused him to no end, “But I can’t imagine any man wanting to look for his future wife after laying eyes on you.”

For the second time that afternoon, Harper found herself surprised - but only briefly. She hid her smile, flipping open the folder on the table. “I am hardly as eligible as most New York bachelors require.”

“Married already? I don’t see a ring.”

Harper smirked. “Married to my job, Mr. Kensley.”

“Ah, so you must be practically starved for some good old fashioned romance.” His sexy smile would have completely done in a lesser woman, and Harper thanked whatever deity might exist that her little sister would never be in this man’s path.

“Of course. Your romance. The more suitable your probable mate, the happier I’ll be.” Her sweet smile earned her a perturbed look as Harper began going through the documents inside the folder. “So, I’ve already lined up three possibilities for you, Mr. Kensley. I’d like you to take a look at these profiles and tell me what you think.”

She was immune. It didn’t matter how sultry that bedroom gaze he gave her was, Harper wasn’t giving in. She was a stone statue - a marble pillar of indifference.

...but she wasn’t blind, and that was the unfortunate bit.

Though she always necessitated privacy with her clients, Harper suddenly regretted the private table she’d booked. Within the minute room, she and Kensley were closed off in their own little world; and in that world, she could smell the spicy, male scent of his cologne, feel the warmth of his muscular thigh inches from hers under the table, and her belly tightened at the intensity of his gaze upon her.

To his merit, Kensley gave her a brief reprieve. He looked over the pictures she set before him briefly, and, for a moment, Harper was certain one of them caught his eye. Men were always suckers for a pretty face - and one could distract them from another.

Or so she thought.

“I don’t like any of them.” Ethan pushed the papers back in her direction, his expression dissatisfied.

As always, Harper was infinitely patient. “Perhaps you should read over some of the profiles? In particular, Annette Redding has a very nice-”

“Have you ever used this fool-proof system of yours, Ms. Jones?” The man just wouldn’t let this go. Normally, Harper would be irritated at being interrupted, but there was something about Ethan’s plaintive interest that was just plain amusing. It was obvious that he wasn’t used to women turning him down.

She liked thinking that she would be the first - at least, if she could keep her wits about her. “I am not on the table, Mr. Kensley.” She arched a blonde brow teasingly, “Or were you hoping to get more from your deposit than a consultation?”

The jibe worked. Womanizer he might be, but at the hint of insinuation that he might expect certain services in exchange for money, Ethan Kensley backpedaled rapidly.

“That’s not...I mean...I didn’t…”

She was enjoying this way too much. Harper supposed that, in a pinch, teasing him was sufficient payback for hiding his identity from her. “I know very well what you meant,” her smile still saccharine sweet, Harper moved to deliver the final nail in the coffin. “The point of this meeting is to work on suitable matches for you, Mr. Kensley - I have no intention of sleeping with a client.”

If anything, she expected the man to be abashed - affronted. Perhaps he would even get up and storm out in a huff. But, Ethan did none of those things. Instead, he merely smiled.

That goddamned sexy smile of his. “I’m guessing I’m not the first man you’ve shot down.”

Harper offered him a sexy smile of her own. “And you won’t be the last.”

It was funny, she’d almost forgotten what it was like to banter with someone who was more brains than balls. It was more exciting than she remembered.

Ethan held up his hands in surrender. “Alright, alright. I can take a hint.” Reaching across the table, he took up the papers that he’d previously discounted. “Let’s take a look here.” He glanced up at her with teasing smirk. “If I can keep from being distracted.”

Harper rolled her eyes but found herself fighting a strange wave of disappointment. It couldn’t be, she told herself, that she wanted him to keep going despite her stolid stance. Harper was focused on the job. She was always focused on her job.

Even someone as renown - and flirtatious - as Ethan Kensley wasn’t going to change that.

As he finally settled into looking over the profiles she’d provided, Harper took the opportunity to more closely assess him. She couldn’t say that anything she’d ever read about him in a tabloid was wrong , that was for sure. The man was breathtakingly, panty-wettingly gorgeous, and he knew it. He carried an air of confidence that had to bring women running for miles. On top of that, he was a Kensley and successful in his own right?

She supposed she could see why Gary was so intrigued.

Hell, with him sitting a mere two feet away from her, Harper could admit a small part of her was intrigued. Someone like Ethan Kensley seemed bigger than life - and yet, here he was, looking to hire her services.

That was, perhaps, the strangest thing of all.

To his merit, Ethan took long enough looking over the paperwork that she was able to order her lunch and a glass of champagne. He himself ordered nothing but a martini, citing a strenuous work out later.

Harper wasn’t sure if his aim was to implant the image of him half-naked and sweating into her mind, but it worked. She was struggling to rein in the portion of her brain that was salivating when he finally looked up at her. “You found these women based on the information I gave you, right?”

His voice was carefully neutral this time - a one eighty from his earlier blatant flirtation. “They’re only preliminary matches,” Harper provided. “Very rarely do we find success within the first ten results of matching. This was, after all, just a consultation.”

“You are feeling me out, right?”

She didn’t know if she’d ever been so interested in watching a man sip a martini - but Harper had the act of feigning blasé down to an art. “Certainly. Meeting you in person gives me a better idea of what women might suit your tastes.”

“And, after meeting me, do you still think that any of these women are to my tastes ?”

If she was honest with herself, Harper didn’t know what to think - besides the fact that she was obviously to his tastes. But, of course, Ethan wasn’t thinking long term. When Harper matched people, the end goal was marriage. Her clients were looking for someone to settle down with, throwing all their funds into that perfect romance…

Harper didn’t believe for one second that Ethan was looking for holy matrimony. He wasn’t the type. Which meant that this endeavor would probably be her hardest challenge yet.

“No, I suppose not.”

He chuckled, swirling the remainder of his martini around the glass before popping the single olive in his mouth. “I’m already impressed.”

“I can prepare a new set of matches for you in about a week. Is there any new information you’d like me to take into account while I’m searching?” Besides the fact that he was Ethan fucking Kensley. 

“Just that I’ve been celibate ever since this little endeavor started...so she might want to be ready for that.” Harper found her cheeks coloring slightly. She might have expected something like that was coming - Ethan wouldn’t have given up completely . What she didn’t expect was to be impressed by the little tidbit of information.

Celibate ? Ethan Kensley? The very notion was an oxymoron. Promiscuity was part of his persona. He might be telling her to insinuate the size of his appetite, but all Harper saw was that the man had stopped listening to his cock for long enough to listen to something else. Exactly what was anyone’s guess. “Meaning that you’ve decided to be chaste and wait for your one true love?” She couldn’t help the jibe. The idea of Ethan Kensley holding out for a hero was just too precious.

“Meaning that when she comes along, I’m going to fuck the fear of God into her, yeah.”

Harper stiffened as a vein of molten heat shot straight to her core. Whatever she thought his retort might be, it wasn’t that. He was unmistakably cocky, that was certain - and that sort of thing didn’t usually appeal to Harper.

But it had been a long, long time. If she were to sleep with a man, she wouldn’t want to fumble around with someone who didn’t know what they were doing. Harper had seen enough of that to last her a lifetime. Her libido wondered very enthusiastically what it might be like to be with a man of Ethan’s supposed prowess.

Supposed being the key word. Of course, if she had a nickel for every man who had bragged to her about the orgasms he had in store...she’d be even more wealthy than she was.

Swallowing thickly, Harper merely fixed her newest client with her usually enigmatic smile. “I’ll certainly take it into account.”

She wasn’t really certain how she made her exit as gracefully as she had. When Harper stood, her legs were decidedly shaky and she needed a fresh pair of underwear. She left Ethan Kensley sitting there with his cocky smirk, and cursed him all the way back to her office.

Fear of God, huh? They’d just have to see about that.

Chapter 4 – Mutual Agreement

 

Harper never thought she was exceptionally strong willed for going as long as she had without sex. For the endless months that she’d been celibate, she found that she usually had little to no desire even to pleasure herself.

But all that changed after her consultation with Ethan.

The moment Harper returned to her office, she shut herself in the plushily appointed bathroom. She was hot. Much too hot - and it didn’t help that every time she closed her eyes she saw Ethan Kensley’s smoldering gaze in her mind’s eye.

What was wrong with her? This was completely and totally out of character. She wasn’t some teenager who got her rocks off to movie stars. She was a matchmaker, and Ethan Kensley was her very real client.

So why the hell couldn’t she forget what he’d said?

It was unorthodox for her to take something like that into account when searching for someone compatible. It wasn’t as if she had never been asked to match someone based on sexual preferences - she’d even seen a few kinkier requests that she’d had absolutely no trouble with.

But Ethan Kensley...he had her all hot and bothered - a problem Harper had almost never dealt with.

Tugging her lower lip between her teeth, she stared at the intricately tiled ceiling of the bathroom a moment before pressing her thighs tightly together. It did little to alleviate the pressure there, and Harper cursed lowly. There was no way a client she had never expected to have was going to drive her to touch herself in her own damn office.

No way.

But there she was with her skirt hiked up to mid-thigh. When she slipped a slender hand between her legs, she could feel the slick lace material of her underwear. The man hadn’t even touched her and she was utterly drenched.

It was unheard of.

A quick flick of lithe digits and her fingertips were sliding along her bare, slippery lower lips. The first contact was like a jolt of electricity and Harper inhaled sharply. Her head fell back and her eyelids fluttered closed.

Immediately, Ethan was there.

I knew I had you salivating already, Harper.

In real life, she might have slapped the man for daring to utter such words to her, but in her mind...it was exactly what she wanted. Ethan’s hands moved over her, cupping her breasts, skimming over her curves...and then his fingers were her own. They moved slowly – agonizingly slowly - against her lower folds. They stroked her expertly, and Harper soon found herself gasping for breath.

It had never been quite this good.

There was something about the idea of submission...when she had such rigid control over everything in her life. The idea that Ethan might do exactly what he said - show her what it would be like to be well and truly taken - that was enough to make her salivate.

Even if she was the only one who would ever know.

When Harper slid two fingers into her clenching passage, a low moan of sublime pleasure escaped her. She knew just where to touch herself for maximum effect. Ethan Kensley could never be so adept...but here he was. Stroking her, stimulating her until she gasped and writhed. He knew how deep to press, how to draw her out until she was whimpering and begging for succor.

By the time Harper touched her clit, she was primed to explode. All it took was the minutest contact - a slow draw of her thumb over the hypersensitive nub - and she toppled over the edge with a choked cry.

Her orgasm almost blinded her with its intensity. It went on and on, her muscles taut and her lips parted, until the tiles of the ceiling finally swam back into focus.

She was a mess - that much was obvious almost immediately. Dress hiked up high on her hips, tendrils of blonde hair falling around her face, a thin sheen of sweat standing out on her skin...Harper was glad the mirror wasn’t visible from where she sat.

She waited for the shame to wash over her - and it had to, didn’t it? After all, just a single meeting with Ethan Kensley was enough to drive her to touch herself in her fucking office.

But it didn’t come.

Harper didn’t think it was possible to feel guilt after an orgasm that intense. It harkened back to the first times she’d touched herself experimentally and been surprised by the results.

Now that her eyes were open and the lustful haze that had consumed her abated, she realized just how much trouble she was in. From the moment Kensley had walked into the restaurant, this case hadn’t gone the way she wanted it to, and now she threw her own libido into the mix.

Taking a deep breath, Harper did her best to rearrange herself. She cleaned herself up with a few tissues, pulled her skirt down, and smoothed her hair. There were some vestiges of her little endeavor that she couldn’t shake, however. When she stood, her legs wobbled dangerously and she bit out a sharp epithet.

Ethan fucking Kensley.

The sooner she matched him, the better. She didn’t need him anywhere near her again - it was obviously dangerous.

This, Harper told herself, was because she kept to herself. She hadn’t dated in years, she hadn’t been laid recently, and it was that desperation that made things so ripe for Kensley to invade her subconscious.

That was all.

Once she left the bathroom, Harper came back to herself. It wasn’t easy in the wake of a life-altering orgasm, but her focus had returned. She would need that focus to find someone who piqued Kensley’s interest more than she did...and she needed to do it fast.

Harper sank down behind her desk and woke her laptop. Her fingers were poised over the keys when her cell phone buzzed. She frowned. If it was Ethan, she might very well break the damn thing.

But it wasn’t. Instead, Harper’s face flamed when she realized that it was Athena. Inexplicably guilty, she picked up almost immediately. “Thee! ”

“Harper!” Her sister chirruped back before laughing. “You sound surprised. Did I interrupt something?”

Very nearly. “No, no... I’m just trying to deal with a new client.”

“Working your magic,” Harper could hear the smile in her sister’s voice and it calmed her somewhat. Athena was thousands of miles away from her and her issues - her happiness was more important that Harper’s mental hang ups. “Never ceases to amaze me.”

“What, that my ways aren’t organic ?”

“That you’re so good at helping people fall in love when you don’t believe in it,” Athena returned dryly. “You really lucked out there.”

“Luck? It’s raw talent, Thee. Don’t insult me.”

“Right .” Athena laughed. “So, aren’t you going to guess where I am?”

Harper grinned, glad to have an excuse to forget about Kensley and his unquantifiable sex appeal. “Do I get a hint?”

“Asia.”

Harper arched a brow. “A bigger hint than that?”

Athena groaned. “I thought you were supposed to be the smart one.”

“Smart, not a savant. Come on, Thee, what is it? China? Japan? If it’s Japan, you’d better get me something good.”

There was a moment of surprised silence. “Wow...you sure you’re not a savant?”

Harper wished.  “Lucky guess.” Japan...that had to be interesting. After all, Toshiro Kensley was originally Japanese. He had long since been integrated into the Kensley family, but going back to the place of his birth? That had to stir up some nostalgia. Maybe even some skeletons in his closet. “Everything alright there?”

Turned out, she needn’t have worried. Athena proceeded to gush about just how wonderful things were halfway across the world. How much she was enjoying herself, how travelling with Toshiro Kensley was like a dream. Harper listened with no small amount of interest as her sister detailed her days living alongside one of the world’s foremost businessmen and diplomats - as well as one of the world’s richest men.

It was at least as luxurious as the blonde had imagined, and then some.

Athena detailed all the high-class hotels they’d stayed in and restaurants that had to cost more than she made in a week. It was beyond opulent - beyond indulgent - and it sounded as if her sister was having the time of her life.

Which was all Harper had ever wanted for her.

“I lucked out working for Toshiro, really. Everyone’s always talking about how hard it is to work for Vladimir - the man’s a machine. And Alistair is supposed to be a little crazy...but Toshiro...he really understands the way I function. He makes allowances for me and has turned an immense learning curve into something second nature. He’s just so...so …”

Harper arched a brow as her sister trailed off. She hadn’t come into the world just yesterday, and this wasn’t the first time her sister had gone off on a tangent gushing about her new employer. She knew her sister better than anyone on earth, and Athena didn’t gush about someone unless she thought they were changing her life.

“It’s great that he understands you,” Harper responded with a small smile, torn between her over-protective instincts and genuine joy for her sister. “As long as he doesn’t exploit you.”

“Exploit me?” Athena sounded outraged at the very notion. “How on earth would he do that?”

Harper sighed. “Just give it to me straight, Thee: Are you sleeping with him?”

“What!? No!”

The blonde immediately breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn’t that she believed that it couldn’t happen, she was just glad it hadn’t happened yet. Athena had never been a good liar, and if anyone could tell when she was being dishonest, it was Harper.

That didn’t seem to be the case now.

“Just because I like someone doesn’t mean I’m sleeping with them, Harp.”

“I didn’t say it did.” But it didn’t sound as if her sister just liked Toshiro Kensley. There was something going on here that was akin to hero worship...and that was dangerous. “You know I’m just worried about you, Thee. I want what’s best for you and I’m glad you’re happy...I just want to make sure this goes right for you. Mixing business with pleasure is always dangerous.”

“Well I’m not mixing them,” Athena professed. Harper could all but see the stubborn tilt of her sister’s chin. “I can be enthusiastic about Toshiro professionally without coveting him sexually.”

Harper could only hope so. She didn’t want to have to go on the war-path with a family as influential as the Kensleys. She was already going to have enough trouble dealing with her own Kensley.

“What about you? I feel like you definitely need something to distract you from me. Please tell me you’re working overtime.”

It was on the tip of Harper’s tongue to deny any such thing and switch the subject right back to what might or might not be her sister’s affair with Toshiro Kensley. But that wouldn’t have been fair of her. Harper might be cold, but she told Athena everything. And she couldn’t help but tell her that she was dealing with her employer’s younger brother. Sighing, Harper toyed with her blonde ponytail. “I actually do have something I need to tell you; but there’s a story behind this so, be patient with me.”

“Finally , something I can annoy you about.”

Harper rolled her eyes, trying unsuccessfully to keep from smiling. When she began to relay her tale to Athena, however, her expression turned thoughtful. She told her sister about Trevor Thompson and the appointment he’d made, as well as her initial assessment of him on the phone. In hindsight, Harper should have realized even then that something was fishy. Not very many men with that much money lived in Manhattan - hell, in the entire United States. She might have heard of Trevor Thompson .

“But then, Trevor Thompson shows up for his consultation and you’ll never guess who was using a pseudonym.”

“Oh my God, who was it, you have to tell me.”

“Ethan fucking Kensley!”

It had to be pretty shocking if even Athena didn’t have anything to say. Her sister always had something to say. It was a strange twist of fate that they were both working with Kensleys now. “So... what are you going to do?”

Harper blew out a long breath. “What do you think? I’m going to match him. I’ve never not matched someone who came to me.” It all sounded so simple when she put it like that. She would just do her job - no more and no less. If she just went into this with that mentality, maybe she wouldn’t go running to the bathroom to diddle herself every time she thought of Ethan Kensley. The mere notion was enough to make Harper wince. She had never been the sort of woman made a slave to her own desires, and she certainly wasn’t about to start now...she hoped.

“I wonder if Toshiro knows…”

“Don’t tell him,” Harper countered almost immediately. “I’m sure if Ethan wants it family knowledge, he’ll do it himself, but in the meantime, keep this under wraps for me, ok, Thee?”

She didn’t think her sister would refuse her, but Harper’s heart was still in her throat until Athena agreed. “Of course.”

The blonde exhaled a breath of relief. “So... you’re really going to do this then. Try to get one of the most flagrant bachelors of our time to settle down?”

“I am.” Harper steeled herself, straightening her spine as she dug the man’s file out of her bag. “Just wait and see.”

 

**

“What’s going on, little brother?”

If the way Lucas jumped was any indication, he certainly hadn’t been expecting anyone else to join him at the bar. It was late, and most of the other patrons had gone home.

Ethan sought out this particular bar because his brother frequented it. It was a good ways from his penthouse, and he was dog tired, having just gotten off work, but he needed an honest ear.

And there was no one better for that than Lucas.

As he dropped down on the barstool next to his brother, Lucas frowned. “Bloody hell, you look a mess.”

Was it that bad?

Ethan had been working overtime for the past few days - despite Vlad’s absence - in a simple attempt to distract himself. Everyone in the office was pretty fucking floored when he showed up on time four days a row - his father included.

But there was a method to his madness.

When Ethan’s mind was occupied with numbers, he didn’t have time to think of a certain matchmaker - or how desperately he needed her in his bed.

“I don’t look a mess,” Ethan rebutted, in his own defense, smoothing his hands over his impeccably tailored jacket. “This is Ferragamo.”

“Not talking about your jacket, you idiot.” Lucas shot him a wry smile. “When’s the last time you slept?”

Jesus, now that you mentioned it...Ethan had been running off coffee and his own sins since his little run in with Harper the previous week.  Every time he laid down to go to sleep, all he could see was her in that damned red dress. It was almost like she’d become an obsession.

It worried him. After all, he wasn’t the obsessive kind - that was Vlad. Ethan had always been the lazy one - calm and collected to the point of infuriating his older brother on several occasions. But Harper Jones...she was something else. The woman professed that she wasn’t on the menu which, of course, only made him want her more.

He was stubborn that way.

“I nodded off at my desk for an hour or so earlier this afternoon,” Ethan mused, signaling the bartender to order a drink. She was a perky, buxom redhead who winked at him before grabbing the whiskey bottle. A month ago he would have taken it as a blatant invitation. What had become of him?

“That’s not sleep,” Lucas returned flatly, sipping at his own drink. “Dad said you’ve been off lately. Seeing as how you came to find me, I assume you want to talk about it.”

The kid was too smart for his own good.

Ethan had to take a gulp of his whiskey before he answered. “You’re the baby. Why are you such a smart ass?”

“Distance?” Lucas arched a brow. “You guys are all with each other all the time. I’m on the outside looking in.”

He had a point. Lucas was the only Kensley who didn’t work for the corporation. Their father was still convinced that he’d find his place, but Ethan didn’t think business was in Lucas’ blood. He was, and always had been, a people person. “So, what do you see?” 

Lucas ran a hand through dark blonde locks. “Well, you’re tired and Dad’s worried about you. And I heard something about a matchmaker. Though I can hardly believe that you’re getting this worked up over a woman.”

Ethan merely stared at him.

After a moment of silence, Lucas’ eyes widened in shock. “Are you serious !?”

Ethan scowled, rolling his eyes. “Just shout it to the whole bar, why don’t you?”

“No one’s here anyway.” Lucas was still struggling to come to terms with his brother’s issue. “So, fill me in.”

Ethan had hoped that, magically, there might be some way for Lucas to help him without having to divulge the whole damn story to his brother, but he should have known better. With the help of his whiskey, he divulged as much as he was safely able to, beginning with the woman he met at the charity event and ending with the appointment he had with Harper the next week.

Lucas listened dutifully until he was finished before ordering another drink. “So, lemme guess: You’re not really interested in getting married.”

“What tipped you off?”

“Ethan, really, if you like this woman, there’s no need to go through with this farce. Just ask her out.”

“She’s not really the type to mix business and pleasure.” Ethan made a face as he downed the last of his whiskey. “And I kinda get the feeling she doesn’t like me.”

“You? The charmer of everything with two X chromosomes? No .”

Ethan glared at his younger brother. “I thought you were the advice giver. Care to give me some advice?”

“I just did.” Lucas sighed. “Tell the truth. You’re wasting her time and a lot of money otherwise. Admit you don’t want the match - you want her.”

Ethan just stared at him in confusion. “You mean just tell her outright that I want in her pants? That’s crass, even for me.”

“I thought you liked her.” Lucas accepted the bartender’s offering with a sour look. “If you just want to screw her, what makes her any different than any other woman you’ve pursued?”

It was a question that Ethan hadn’t really stopped to ask himself. He’d been so wrapped up in his baser desires that contemplating their origins beyond bodily function hadn’t occurred to him. In that instant, however, he was forced to address the issue.

Why was he so intent on claiming Harper? It wasn’t simply because she told him it wouldn’t happen - though he did love a challenge. Maybe it was that she could match him wit for wit in the banter they shared. There was something masterfully appealing about a woman who could play the game as well as he did - and he reveled in the memory of Harper’s glib tongue. Maybe it’s that sexy smile of hers. Her red lips all but taunted him, daring him to pursue her.

But most of all, Ethan was drawn to the cool shell that Harper effortlessly wore. Within minutes of sitting with her, he knew she wasn’t the type to trust easily. She kept people at a distance, chose her friends wisely and her lovers even more fastidiously.

He wondered if she had a lover now.

The notion sent an unexpected spark of white hot envy through him. What kind of man did Harper Jones, peddler of love, allow into her bed?

“Earth to Ethan?”

He started. He hadn’t even realized that he hadn’t answered his brother. As much as he valued Lucas’ opinion, he wasn’t quite ready to allow him access to the inner workings of his mind.

“She’s interesting.” It was the best answer he could come up with - and the words made Lucas exhale a long breath.

He took a swig of his drink before trying a different angle. “You know, Ethan...have you ever thought about why you go through women like you do? Really thought about it?” Oh boy. Despite his youth, Lucas gave pretty good advice - no one could ever contest that. The downside was that he always felt he had to go further...to fix people.

Ethan wasn’t quite drunk enough for that. “Nope.” He gestured for another whiskey, though he hardly thought he could get drunk fast enough to avoid what was coming.

“Maybe you should,” Lucas ventured, “Or else you’re going to upset Dad. You know he’s intent on us all settling down.”

Settling down. It sounded so fucking final that Ethan shuddered. “I’ll settle when I’m dead.”

Lucas rolled his eyes. “Who’s the youngest again?”

“You, squirt.” Ethan ruffled his brother’s impeccably coiffed hair so Lucas yelped. “Don’t get cocky.”

**

Ethan expected to leave the bar feeling better about his obsession with Harper, but instead he only found himself craving her more. Maybe Lucas was right - he should drop the pretense and go for it. But that would mean letting go of the notion that she might “match” him with someone he found more stimulating.

The idea didn’t give Ethan nearly as much pause as he might have thought. He had spent weeks waiting for what he thought might be something tantalizing - but what he got was far more tempting. He had no problem dealing with what was right in front of him.

What he wanted beneath him.

Christ, he was going to need another appointment with his dominant hand if he expected to get any rest that night.

**

The week dragged on. Ethan continued to be eerily punctual at work, much to his father’s chagrin, and he did his best to stay focused while he was at the office. It didn’t help that Lucas kept showing up, asking if he had spent any time in self-reflection.

Perhaps the only thing that soothed Ethan at all was that he wasn’t the only one conflicted. It seemed that Vlad was having a few issues with a particularly sassy architect in LA. His e-mails, at least, helped detract from Ethan’s own case of blue balls as the accountant came up with the figures to soothe his brother’s numerous inquiries about whether or not his headstrong architect was as out of her mind as he suspected.

By the time the date of his next meeting with Harper rolled around, Ethan had decided on his course of action. He was going to lay his cards on the table and, hopefully, in doing so, get Harper to do the same.

It was, of course, a long shot - especially considering how much the woman prided herself on her work, but Ethan decided to throw caution to the wind. Alistair would probably be proud if he knew.

Funnily enough, the decision to go all in seemed to banish any lingering apprehension Ethan might have had. He knew what he was getting into this time, and it was familiar territory. His quarry, however, was of an entirely different breed.

And he couldn’t wait to sample her.

 

**

It was dinner this time; but that, in Harper’s opinion, was far safer than letting Ethan Kensley anywhere near her office. That idea seemed almost...profane, knowing what she’d done in it. Out at a restaurant, they’d be surrounded by people.

But that didn’t mean the sight of the man didn’t make her breath catch and her belly coil with molten heat.

In the past week, Harper had somehow managed to convince herself that Ethan wasn’t nearly as attractive as she remembered. She hadn’t seen his face or heard his voice so it was easy to continue with the delusion, to break him down into numbers and preferences so that she could peddle him off to someone else.

But things were different when he was right in front of her.

He had impeccable dress sense. Harper hadn’t seen an image of the man badly clothed and tonight was no different. It was a common misconception that only the fairer sex could wear figure-flattering clothing. The suit Ethan wore left little to the imagination - broad shoulders, trim waist - a body that he obviously took care of. His flaxen locks were slicked back from his face today - enough for her to see the diamond stud that glinted in his left ear. It gave him just a touch of bad boy allure that affected her more than she was willing to admit.

Dinner was going to be interesting, that was for sure.

“Mr. Kensley.” She rose from her seat to extend a hand. It was best to be professional from the get go this time - Harper hoped there would be no surprises. 

“Harper.” His fingers wrapped around hers with surprising firmness. She expected him to release her hand after shaking but instead, the charming bastard lifted her fingers to his mouth to brush a kiss across the back of them. “Nice to see you again.”

For a split second, the blonde forgot what she was going to say. She forgot that she was supposed to be railroading him with the new matches she’d come up with. She wouldn’t give him an opportunity to be anything but cordial.

But it was already too late for that.

She forced herself back to her senses, tugging her hand from his grip. She would not blush and she certainly wouldn’t acknowledge that tingle of awareness low in her belly. Harper sank back into her chair, clearing her throat as she reached for her bag. “I’m sure you’ll be pleased to know I’ve come up with a number of matches I think you’ll find appealing.”

Instead of answering her, Ethan reached for the menus on the table to peruse them. “Have you ordered yet? The duck l’orange i s amazing.”

“I’m not particularly hungry-”

“Nervous, Harper? I’m flattered that I make you jittery.”

She scowled at him as he gestured a waiter over to their table. This man was something else . She watched, more than a little perturbed, as he ordered food and wine for them both. Harper had no real intention of eating and she certainly wasn’t going to drink around Ethan. Harper only drank when she was alone - she refused to act a fool in front of anyone. Once the waiter left, she made sure he didn’t have the wrong idea. “You don’t make me jittery.”

“Don’t I? Then I imagine you have quite the appetite after a long work day.”

Harper was caught somewhere between exasperation and the amusement that always seemed to crop up when Ethan was involved. She wanted to dislike him - to think him insufferable and full of himself. But she couldn’t help wanting to smile. No one was this confident - it was practically a caricature of reality.

But Ethan wore it well.

“I have some new matches for you,” she repeated, extracting a folder from her bag to set on the table before her. “I’m excited for you to take a look.”

In reality, Harper was nothing of the sort. The truth of the matter was that Ethan was particularly hard to match. On paper, he was all over the charts, and on top of that, her concentration was thrown off the moment he entered her mind. She had just done the best she could and picked the youngest and most buxom women she could find. Knowing Ethan’s - and all men’s - proclivity to lose their minds at the prospect of a pretty face and a nice pair of breasts, he’d find someone who tickled his fancy. If she was lucky, he wouldn’t even have to read over the profiles. His dick would lead him in the right direction.

The dick she spent entirely too much time thinking about.

“How about this, Harper: I will happily read through all your match profiles. But only after you tell me a little something about yourself.”

Harper took a steadying breath. Her first impulse was to forbid him calling her by her Christian name. It was far too intimate. “I think I’ve told you before, Mr. Kensley , that this isn’t about me. Is about your potential happiness.”

“It would make me happy to learn more about my matchmaker.”

Harper repressed a groan. He had an answer to everything, didn’t he? She couldn’t deny there was a part of her that was tempted. The same part that had touched herself to the memory of the man several times over the past week and had intervened when she tried to do her job. But Harper hadn’t gotten to where she was by flirting with her clients. Quite the contrary. If she wanted her payday, she’d be smart about this. “Ethan, I’d appreciate if we could keep things professional between us.”

“What if I were to guess?”

Harper blinked, completely nonplussed. He really wasn’t giving up, was he? She frowned when the waiter returned to pour their wine, merely eying hers warily.

Kensley wasn’t going to cooperate unless she bit - which meant that she had little choice. It was either that or walk out on him. Besides that, Harper would at least admit to herself that she was curious what Ethan thought he knew about her. She sighed, reluctantly taking up her glass of wine. She needed something to do with her hands lest she start fidgeting. After insisting she wasn’t nervous, she didn’t want to give herself away.

“Alright, fine. Guess away.” She took a sip, surprised to find the Sauvignon Blanc he’d chosen quite refreshing.

“You have to tell me if I’m right,” he countered, green eyes flashing mischievously.

Harper still refused to smile. “Fine.”

Ethan looked her over, hard, for a long moment. He reached for his glass of wine with a surprising amount of grace, taking a lingering sip. Harper did her best not to squirm in her seat. It was hard enough when she caught the scent of his cologne the moment he sat down across from her. Now that he was staring at her unabashedly, she did everything she could to keep from meeting his intense green gaze.

“Ok.” He took another swallow of wine before setting his glass aside.

Harper arched a brow. “Ok?”

Ethan rested his chin on a palm with a small, teasing smile. “You live alone, and you like the solitude. You’d only ever consider living with someone you’re really close to - maybe a sibling. You’re more comfortable alone than in a crowd…Hmmm …” He emitted a low sound of contemplation that was oddly arousing.

Harper felt as if the man was attempting to pick through her psyche with a fine-toothed comb. And he was doing pretty damn well, considering she hadn’t given him anything to work with.

“You like the safety of your profession. You like quantifying love and taking the fantasy out of it because you’re not a typical damsel in distress. You don’t believe in all that happily ever after bullshit, do you? There are better ways of living.”

Harper’s stomach twisted and she swallowed thickly. That was more than a little bit creepy. This wasn’t guessing...it was like he was reading her fucking mind.

And she couldn’t let that stand. 

“Am I on the right track so far?”

The blonde glared at him. Taking up her wine glass, she downed half of it in one swallow before preparing to retaliate. One glass of wine wasn’t enough to make her lose her head. In fact, it was just enough to lend her a little liquid courage. “Fine,” she snapped. “My turn.”

Surprisingly, Ethan didn’t protest at her outburst. His only reaction was a slight arching of a brow before she continued. “You like women. Love them, in fact - and wonderfully enough, you respect them as well. So, they flock to you in droves, drawn to your allure.” Harper toyed with the edge of a napkin as she forged on. “You keep a revolving roster of your favorites and let the others down politely, always the absolute gentleman. But the fact of the matter is that you never let anyone stay around for very long. You’ve got secrets you want to keep, and the hassle of someone finding them out has never appealed to you.”

For a long beat, neither of them spoke. Harper was pretty sure that her assessment of Ethan had been just as apt as his of her, if not more so - but he didn’t seem half as ruffled as she felt. Perhaps the man couldn’t be ruffled.

“I’d say that’s about right,” he finally acquiesced, finishing the rest of his wine. “Who doesn’t have secrets?”

Harper did laugh at that. She couldn’t help it. Ethan had this uncanny ability to diffuse the tension of the situation effortlessly. He raised and lowered his eyebrows suggestively as he spoke, and the gesture was so ridiculous that she couldn’t help but let her guard down.

“You, Ethan Kensley,” she finally managed, “are an open book.”

“You think so? Well, doesn’t that make us just perfect for one another?” Ethan inquired - this time in complete seriousness. Harper exhaled a long breath, ready to deflect his advances again, only to have the man continue quickly. “You don’t believe in romance, and it’s not really in my repertoire. If there have ever been two people who need to fall into bed together more, I haven’t heard of them.”

As outlandish as the suggestion was, Harper couldn’t deny the temptation that wound through her. Ethan had been on her mind almost constantly since their first meeting. At this point, she thought of him the moment she slipped beneath the coverlet to sleep at night. After all his bluster, she couldn’t help but wonder if the real Ethan could live up to the specter in her mind.

It was quite the tall order - Harper had an intensely vivid imagination. 

She drew her lower lip between her teeth contemplatively.

This was insane. There was no way she was actually thinking about this. Fantasizing about Ethan was all well and good, but actually sleeping with him? That had never been in the cards.

...Had it?

“When’s the last time someone touched you the way you need to be touched, Harper?” Ethan’s question - low and smolderingly sensual, jogged her from her thoughts and back to the present. The man was looking at her as if he hadn’t just ordered a three-course meal for the two of them - as if she was the main course on the menu.

And Harper soaked it up.

It had been a long time since a man looked at her like that. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t been coveted. She dealt with sleazy guys catcalling her every day on the streets of New York City. But one glance into Ethan’s heated blue gaze and she knew that he wanted exactly what she did. And who said it had to interfere with her matchmaking?

She wasn’t out to marry the man - this was simple carnal lust between them. After it was assuaged, maybe he’d be more amenable to a real match.

“Alright.”

The word left her before she could let herself think too much. God knew where that would lead. She expected that Ethan might look surprised. After all, she’d spent their last session together trying to stave him off.

But Ethan’s hungry expression never wavered. Without a word to her, he gestured to the waitress, who hurried over as if her life depended on it. “Please have our food wrapped up and sent to my home address.”

Harper hardly had a moment to register that he must frequent this restaurant pretty often if they knew his home address, before Ethan was out of his seat and rounding the table. He took her hand, tugging her to her feet, and suddenly, Harper was closer to him than she had ever been. Close enough to feel the slide of his front against hers - to be enveloped in the spicy, clean scent of him and feel his warmth.

Fuck . She couldn’t remember a man ever affecting her this instantly with just the barest touch. The moment the man stepped into her personal space, heat suffused her and her thighs clenched in raw need.

What the hell was wrong with her?

“Come with me, Sweet.”

It was a pet name. She hated pet names, but somehow, when he growled the words, dark and sexy, Harper fell into step beside him without complaint. Ethan’s large hand settled at the base of her spine and firmly guided her from the restaurant as Harper’s heart stuttered in her chest. She was a grown woman; this wouldn’t be the first one night stand she’d had. She tried to gather some poise, a little sexiness, for God’s sake. She had to meet this man on an even playing field.

But any plans she had collapsed the moment they stepped out of the restaurant. Ethan tugged her to the side, a little jerk that drew a gasp from her, a moment before his mouth was closing over hers.

It was completely unexpected and that, Harper told herself, was why she didn’t try to stop him. That, and the fact that no one had ever kissed her quite like Ethan Kensley. His lips slid into place over hers masterfully, nipping and teasing at the length of her mouth. Until that moment, Harper hadn’t known that her lips could be so sensitive. As Ethan’s tongue flicked at the seam between them, a low, breathy moan escaped her.

Despite herself, Harper slid her hands up his chest until her fingers curled into his shoulders. Ethan pressed her even closer, his arms encircling her waist as his tongue tangled with her own.

Harper wanted more of him. The firm lines of his body were pressed flush against hers and the way he sampled her mouth made her light-headed, but she needed more. When Ethan tugged at her lower lip with his teeth, Harper rose onto her toes, clutching at him desperately.

It had been too long. Far too long.

A low groan tore from Ethan’s throat and his mouth left hers to trail down her throat. When he reached the point where her pulse feathered beneath the surface of her skin, he bit with just enough pressure to make her squirm. “Divine …” The low growl was enough to make her knees weak. Harper’s fingers gripped him hard enough to leave marks - even through his suit, and she had to resist the urge to climb the man like a tree.

How the hell was he doing this to her?

They were in the middle of a crowded sidewalk where anyone could see, but Harper couldn’t bring herself to make him stop.

Luckily enough for her, Ethan seemed to come to his senses after a few delicious moments. He kissed her again - lingeringly, galvanizing every nerve-ending in her body to total awareness before he drew back with a grin of purely masculine satisfaction. “Sorry about that. I just couldn’t wait.”

“We should...we should get a cab.” It was all she could manage, pressed up against him like she was.

“No need. I’ll drive.” With that, he took her hand, leading her around the corner and down the block to a parking garage. Harper was surprised he’d driven himself - the man had more than enough money to afford a chauffeur - but that concern was assuaged the moment she saw his car.

It was, without a doubt, the kind of vehicle a man lived to drive.

“Aston Martin,” she observed, taking in the smooth lines and gleaming color. “I compliment your tastes.”

Ethan chuckled, unlocking the car before opening the passenger side door for her. “Color me impressed.” He leaned in for another kiss and Harper lost herself in the hungry slide of his mouth against his. She found her fingers threading through his thick hair in a bid to keep him close as he nipped at her lower lip before pulling back with extreme reluctance. “You, Harper Jones, are one surprise after another.”

She smirked. “You haven’t even gotten me home yet.”

If it was just going to be one night, she might as well have fun with it. A single evening to get all the wild-fuck out of their systems, and then things would go back to business between them. That was a deal she could get behind.

“Point taken.” Ethan rounded the car in short order to slide in and start the engine. It positively purred, and Harper couldn’t help but smile. Being in a luxury car certainly had its perks.

As she ran her hand over the dash, Ethan stared at her. “That’s distracting as hell.”

Harper merely laughed. “You’d better drive, Kensley, before I change my mind.”

That was enough to kick Ethan into high gear. Within seconds, they were out of the parking garage and headed uptown. If Harper had any intention of receding back into her own private headspace, that was thwarted by Ethan’s hand on her bare thigh, just beneath the hem of her dress. “Stay right here with me, Harper. Just for tonight.”

His words were surprisingly tender, and she forced herself to remember that he had done this with so many women that it was probably second nature. There was absolutely nothing special about this for Ethan Kensley.

That particular train of thought, however, was hard to maintain when Ethan’s deft fingers were toying with the sensitive skin of her inner thigh. He was supposed to be driving , for God’s sake, and Harper looked to him in reprimand. But Ethan’s eyes were firmly on the road - even if his mind wasn’t.

Though the ride lasted all of ten minutes, it was, without a doubt, one of the longest drives of Harper’s life. She all but writhed in impatience which she could hardly do when she was trying to keep a cool exterior. By the time they got to the high-rise where Ethan lived, her panties were uncomfortably moist.

She was up and out of the car before he could open the door for her and heading for the elevator. “I assume you live in the penthouse?” she called back to him, her finger poised over the button to call the car.

Instead of replying, Ethan merely molded his body against hers, pressing her flush against the wall. Harper immediately raised her hands to protest, only to have him enfold them with his own as he pressed a heated kiss to the back of her neck. “Harper, Harper . You’re so used to being in control, aren’t you?” Her efforts died the moment she felt the jut of his erection against the swell of her behind. “I assure you, that’s not going to be the case tonight.”

The hushed promise sent a shiver down her spine - but Harper wasn’t about to give up the ghost just like that. She bucked her hips back against his own, relishing his sharp intake of breath before she glanced at him over her shoulder. “Isn’t it?”

Ethan’s dark chuckle was all the answer she needed. When he kissed her neck again, he injected a sharp nip as he pressed the elevator button before finally releasing her.

The moment he did, Harper turned to face him. The heat in his gaze only intensified the flames burning low in her belly, and she cupped his face to press her mouth to his once more. God , he was a good kisser. He’d had plenty of practice, she was sure, but she’d never been so aroused from a mere kiss.

When the elevator arrived, neither of them noticed. The car stood open for a full minute as their tongues tangled and Harper’s fingers slid through Ethan’s already mussed hair. Her mind was full of him - his scent and his body against her - and Harper forgot that she was supposed to be playing hard to get. She had never wanted a man like she wanted Ethan. Why not indulge?

When he lifted her, sliding his hands beneath her thighs to carry her into the elevator, Harper smirked up at him. “Perfected that one, have you?”

“I can tell you’re impressed.” Before she could reply, he was pressing her against the wall, muffling her words with another needful kiss. Time might have ceased to exist. All Harper knew was the hardness at the crux of her thighs and Ethan’s mouth against hers. When the elevator announced its arrival at the top floor, she noticed only because Ethan hefted her higher in his arms before carrying her over the threshold.

She barely got a look at his apartment - high ceilings, maple floors and plush furniture, before she was tumbling onto the bed in a gargantuan master suite. Harper might have done some further investigation if she weren’t transfixed by the sight of Ethan undoing his tie before shrugging out of his jacket.

Not one to lie idle, she rose to her knees to help him with the buttons on his shirt, only to have him take hold of her hips and jerk her to the edge of the bed. The motion knocked her flat onto her back once more as he tugged off her heels.

“I’m sure you’ve been told,” he mused, running his hands up her calves, “that you have amazing legs.” He continued upwards, hiking her skirt up as they went and Harper arched a brow.

“A few times.”

Ethan chuckled as he found the waistband of her underwear, sliding his fingers beneath it teasingly. “I’ve wanted them wrapped around my neck since I first saw you.”

That she hadn’t expected. Harper’s stomach twisted in a bolt of raw lust as Ethan dispensed with the pleasantries, hooking his fingers beneath the lace material of her underwear to draw them slowly down the legs he had just complimented.

There was something wickedly primal about losing her underwear when she was still completely dressed, and Harper watched him with rapt attention as he took a moment to appreciate her expensive black lace lingerie. “Lovely .” Ethan buried his nose in the damp fabric and Harper’s lips parted slightly as her mouth dried. “You’re already ready for me Harper.”

She could hardly deny the concrete proof in his hand, so she didn’t, choosing instead to let him kneel at the edge of the bed as his hands slid underneath her bare behind. Then, he was staring at the bare lips between her legs with a hunger so intense that she found her breath hitching. Just looking at her, as if even that was more than he could have hoped for. “Oh, sweet …” He groaned lowly, “I’m going to take my time.”

The blonde opened her mouth to redirect him, suddenly wholly uncomfortably with his apparent obsession with the most intimate part of her. She didn’t want Ethan to take his time. That was dangerous. If he’d just tossed her on the bed and fucked her, that would be better. It would be quick and dirty and-

“Oh .” The single syllable escaped her the moment Ethan’s mouth closed over her lower folds. He licked over her once - a long, lingering lap that made her shudder before kissing every inch of her bare skin. Against her will, Harper found herself arching into the ministrations of that talented mouth in a silent plea for more. “Oh…”

He lifted her hips, tugging her forward until her thighs were situated on his shoulders - just as he wanted. When his mouth closed over her clit, Harper bit back a cry, clutching desperately at the sheets beneath her. Her thighs tensed and her toes curled and God, how did he do that with his tongue? Harper found her fingers tangling in his hair as her breath stuttered unevenly. She didn’t know whether to push him away or hold him flush against her - this was criminal .

When he suddenly penetrated her slick passage with two fingers, suckling gently on the most sensitive part of her, Harper gasped sharply, impulsively scooting backward on the bed - away from the almost unbearable pleasure.

“Oh, no.” Ethan chuckled darkly, jerking her right back to where he wanted her. “You’re not going anywhere until I’ve had a good taste, sweet. Stay right here.” When his mouth closed over her, he groaned, long and low - as if somehow, he was enjoying this more than she was. The vibration thrummed through her and Harper whimpered, completely helpless under his oral onslaught.

Any and all preoccupation she might have had with being sexy and launching her own seduction completely evaporated as Harper squirmed and gasped and did the best she could to retain some modicum of dignity. Within minutes, she was dangling on the edge of what promised to be a monumental orgasm and she thought he would stop - that he would leave her panting on the edge to seek his own pleasure.

But Ethan did no such thing. As if he sensed she was close, he only tugged her flusher against his face as his mouth turned suddenly rough between her legs - overstimulating her so she toppled over the edge with a wild cry. Harper shuddered almost violently. She knew that her grip on his scalp had to be so tight it was painful, but Ethan hardly seemed to mind. As her hips bucked reflexively against his mouth, he obliged her with slow, torturous drags of his lips until she came down. Until she could breathe .

She had bitten her lip so hard it bled, and when Harper opened her eyes, she was surprised to see she hadn’t just floated away. Ethan’s head was still between her thighs as he looked up at her, smug as a cat in cream. When he moved to press another kiss to the place where she was most sensitive, Harper jumped. “Don’t .”

“Don’t?” He smirked. “But you’re so fucking sweet, Harper. I could stay down here all night.”

Reaching down, Harper took hold of the collar of his shirt to tug him upwards, surprised that her hands were so steady. “Or , you could fuck me.” When she kissed him, she could taste herself on his lips. It was a vivid reminder of how obviously he’d enjoyed himself between her thighs and a thrill of new arousal slid down her spine.

“I’ll get there. Patience.”

At that, Harper laughed lowly. “I have the patience of a saint.”

“Do you?” Ethan grinned sexily, undoing the buttons of the silk shirt she wore to slide it from her shoulders. “Then this should be no problem for you.”

At the sight of her intricately made bra, he sucked in a breath. “I like your taste in underwear.”

“You like taking it off …” Harper inhaled sharply as he tugged down a single cup to draw his tongue against her hardened nipple.

“That too.”

Harper wrapped a leg around his waist, drawing him closer as he nipped and sucked at the peak of her breast until a low moan spilled from her lips.

“But I’m not taking this off.”

True to his word, he merely situated the bra around her waist, baring both her breasts before his mouth returned to her painfully erect nipples. Every lap of his tongue made her shudder, and the sounds he made - Jesus , they weren’t fair. Even if Harper never admitted it to anyone but herself, this was far, far better than anything she had ever done to herself. Even though Ethan’s agonizingly slow pace was killing her, she would die with a smile of profound satisfaction on her face.

“Mmm…” When his mouth finally left her breasts and began to trail hot, wet kisses down her belly, Harper groaned.

“Ethan… ” When she moved to tug him back to her mouth, the man merely caught her hands, pinning them on either side of her supine form.

“Shut-up, Harper,” he growled against her belly-button, a minute before he tugged the material of her skirt up around her waist with his teeth. This time, when he buried his face between her legs, Harper shrieked. She couldn’t help it. She was already sensitive from his last bout south of her waist, and this time, the exploration of his deft tongue was almost too much.

“Ethan! No... please! ” The plea left her lips before she could stop it as she struggled against his impossibly strong grip. “God , I can’t!”

His only answer was an indulgent groan against her nether regions. The sensation was almost enough to grant her a second orgasm of the night as Harper’s breath hitched and pleasure threatened to overwhelm her.

Despite her writhing, Ethan continued until she was a messy puddle of need against the mattress. By the time he was finished, Harper lost count of the number of times she’d climaxed. After the second or third, all of her muscles had gone stiff and the sound she made was actually one of pain as she tried, in vain, to relax them,

Thankfully, Ethan relented before she locked up completely, finally releasing her to kiss his way up her body as his hands moved slowly, firmly over her limbs to massage the tension from them.

Harper did her best to remember how to speak by the time his gaze found hers once more, but Ethan beat her to the punch. “Surprising what one can do with a little coaxing, hmm?”

The blonde let out a long exhalation, scowling as he worked a particularly intense cramp from her lower thigh. “You’re despicable , you know that?” She both hated and loved the way her voice shook - the completely boneless quality of her muscles. He was despicable, but only because he had completely surpassed her expectations.

“And you look glorious right now…” he murmured against your neck, sucking at the skin there. “You were made to ride my tongue, Harper.”

Despite her exhaustion, Harper’s womb clenched. She was hopelessly, impossibly aroused by everything he said. The only solution would be to gag him - and she hardly had the strength for that. So, instead, Harper merely reached for the fastening of his slacks to undo them.

This time, Ethan let her, his gaze rapt on her fumbling fingers. When she finally managed to shove both his slacks and his underwear down his thighs and his erection sprang free, she moaned at the sight of it. Ethan was a sizeable man, and she was very happy to find everything in proportion. Her fingers folded around the impressive length of him and he groaned, low and throaty, at her touch. “Fuck , Harper…”

She regretted that she’d let him get to her first. At that moment, Harper wanted to do everything he’d done to her and more. She wanted to lick him from head to toe - the man’s body was absolutely divine . Even more gorgeous than his closely tailored suits hinted at. Reaching up, Harper ran a slender hand indulgently over his torso. Starting at the jut of his hipbones, she smoothed her hands over his hard stomach and up further, over the sprinkling of light hair on his broad chest. All the while, she stroked his cock - which had been the object of her fascination since the day she met him.

Ethan’s eyes drifted closed and his hips bucked shamelessly into her ministrations. He was like velvet pulled tight over steel in her hand, slick with his own desire. Harper could hardly believe that pleasuring her had gotten him this hot.

Unfortunately, Ethan didn’t allow her to toy with him for very long. A quick two minutes of stimulation and he was growling lowly, pressing her back onto the bed as he loomed over her. When he kissed her, Harper tasted herself on his lips and shuddered as their tongues tangled. The tip of his erection slid against her and she arched needily, begging wordlessly to be assuaged.

“Something you want, Harper?” he inquired huskily against her lips.

The blonde merely glowered at him, writhing and bucking in an attempt to force him inside her. Ethan chuckled darkly, denying her what she wanted. “Ask me nicely.”

Harper wanted him enough to beg but, instead, she demanded. “Give it to me.”

When he smacked her behind, Harper yelped in a mixture of surprise and arousal. “That ,” he growled against her neck. “Was not nice.” He bit her shoulder like a fucking savage and Harper bit back a cry at the raw need that snapped through her. “Try again.”

“Fuck you.”

He smacked her again and Harper whined. The man was absolutely sadistic. “Tell me what I want to hear, Harper.”

The heat of him pressed flush against her - slid slickly against her lower lips so a ragged moan escaped her. Harper didn’t want to give in - didn’t want to give him the satisfaction. But she wanted it. She wanted that fucking satisfaction.

She wanted him inside her.

“Please …” She murmured breathlessly, her fingernails furrowing down his back. “Please, Ethan .”

To his merit, he had nothing smart to say after that. Ethan took hold of her thigh, hoisting it around his waist as he finally, finally slid home within her. Harper’s eyes fluttered shut as she moaned, long and low.

Yes . This was what she had craved for so long. He was thick, hard and perfect , filling her so her toes curled with the fullness of it all. The expression on Ethan’s face was almost pained as she flexed her inner muscles around him, welcoming him inside her. He might have made her beg, but she was going to make him pay the piper. “Fuck , Harper...don’t do that.”

Oh, he deserved much more than that. Wrapping her legs around his waist, Harper pulled him even deeper, until his eyes all but rolled back in his head. That was what she was looking for. Ethan’s hands found her wrists, pinning them on either side of her head as he thrust deep enough to make her cry out.

“Harper. Harper …”

Her name had never sounded as sexy as it did in that moment.

If he had released her, Harper might have grasped at the headboard. She might have torn at the sheets. As things stood, all she could do was curl her fingers into fists as Ethan fucked her slow and masterfully, refusing to let her antics undo him. The blonde writhed beneath him, taking everything he had to offer and inviting more - raising her hips to meet every powerful thrust of his own.

Harper was losing her mind - and quite possibly her dignity. Her breathy moans and sighs soon turned to screams as she felt her body winding tighter and tighter. She hadn’t thought it possible to come again after all the attention Ethan had paid her, but she hurtled towards another peak, caught up in the inexorable tide of her own pleasure.

When Ethan’s rhythm began to falter, when he began to buck and curse as his own orgasm approached, the sight of his teeth clenched and the sound of his ragged breath was enough to undo her. Harper came a final time - spectacularly - her mind all but torn from her by the intensity of the sensations assaulting her body.

The completion seemed to go on and on until she couldn’t physically bear it any longer. She sagged against the mattress, utterly exhausted, her arms still locked at the side of her head.

And she had never been more content.

Ethan Kensley had fucking won - and she had no idea how she was going to deal with it.

Chapter 5 - Workaholic

 

As lovely as Ethan thought Harper was in her prim pencil skirt and button up - as alluring as she was with all that blonde hair flowing down around her shoulders and that defiant smile - this was what he’d wanted most of all.

Her beneath him, completely taken by the pleasure he’d given her.

She was completely gorgeous with her hair mussed and those lovely gray eyes completely vacant - even more beautiful than he’d imagined.

Ethan barely managed to keep from collapsing against her. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d come so hard. Chock it up to the weeks he’d remained celibate, perhaps, or all the fantasizing he’d done, but being with Harper Jones was, without a doubt, the most erotic experience of his life.

Though his body was fatigued, just lying against her like this was enough to make him want her again. And again. With a low sound of satisfaction, he raised his head to gaze down at her once more. She seemed to be coming back to herself - tugging at his grip on her wrists as she came down from her orgasmic high. “Dear Lord , let me go. I’m going to cramp up again…” she sighed, her eyes fluttering closed.

She had a big mouth - and she’d fought him all the way. But, somehow, instead of irking him, Ethan found it endearing. Harper was as stubborn in bed as she was out of it... it made him want to break her. To make her come until she was nothing but a babbling mess in his arms, all those sensibilities of hers gone…

But this had been hard enough.

With extreme reluctance, Ethan released her, rolling from her and onto his side to prop his head up on a hand. “You need another massage?” At the memory of how he’d eased her taut muscles back into a relaxed state after tasting her, his hands itched to touch her again.

“God , no.” Harper rolled her eyes, but she was unable to help the sexy little smile that played around the edges of her mouth. “I know better than that.” Exhaling a long breath, she rolled onto her stomach, letting her eyes drift closed once more.

In the moonlight streaming in from the window, she could have been a fucking goddess - all tanned skin, golden hair, and decadent curves. Ethan swallowed thickly as he felt his body starting to respond. Fuck .

“Do you have a drink?” she finally mused.

Ethan tore his gaze from her kiss-swollen lips. “Whiskey or bourbon?”

“Yeah.”

He rose from the bed with no heed to his own nakedness. He felt her eyes on him all the way from the bedroom and couldn’t help the thrill of masculine pride that rose in him. It was apparent that he wasn’t the only one thinking dirty thoughts.

Ethan would pay a king’s ransom to know what Harper was thinking at that moment - exhausted from their intimacy, watching him like a hawk. He made his way to the kitchen to pour two glasses of straight bourbon before returning to the bedroom.

She was already up.

Harper found her underwear and stood before the floor to ceiling windows, gazing out over the city. She was a fucking vision in black lingerie and Ethan clutched one of the glasses almost hard enough to crack it.

Goddamn it. If he thought that having her once would be enough to get her out of his system, Ethan was dead wrong. Somehow, he forced himself to cross the room and hand her the drink. Harper took it, glancing down at his already renewed erection before smirking. “Down, boy.”

Christ.

She drained half her bourbon in one swallow before sighing in satisfaction. “Nice view.”

Ethan’s lips quirked. “Me or the city?”

Harper tossed a cheeky glance in his direction. “You need to put some clothes on before a picture of your goods ends up in the National Enquirer .”

Ethan took a sip of his own drink before he set it aside. He stepped up behind Harper, aligning his body with hers to press against her from behind. “But I’m not done with you yet.” Ethan wasn’t sure his hunger for this woman would ever be assuaged. There was just something about her - that stubborn tilt of her chin, the way she always had to be right... She got under his skin in a way no woman ever had.

He expected Harper to melt back into him - to give herself to him again. He could very contentedly spend the whole night memorizing every inch of her. But instead, the blonde woman merely turned to him, her expression suddenly cool. “Oh, yes you are.”

Ethan arched a brow, flummoxed by this sudden change of tone. “Is that so?”

“You got what you wanted, Ethan.” Harper handed him her glass, strutting past him to find her skirt and tug it up long legs. “So now you’re going to give me what I want.”

“And what is that?” He watched, transfixed, as her slender fingers worked at the buttons of her top.

“You’re going to seriously look at the matches I’ve come up with for you.”

Harper could only have surprised him more if she’d dumped her drink over his head. Matches. She wanted to talk about matches. Right now? After they’d just fucked each other blind? For a split second, he thought she might be joking, but then the blonde was extending the folder she’d offered him during dinner once more, his expression is all business. “Now that you’re less distracted , maybe you can take this a little more seriously.”

His first impulse was to toss the folder aside - but one look into her stern grey eyes and Ethan knew that would be the last he saw of her. She was right - he had gotten what he wanted; but it hadn’t turned out as he’d expected. Not at all. How the hell was he supposed to consider a bevy of other women when his mind was full of her? It was fucking impossible.

But he couldn’t let her know that. “Fine.”

Taking the folder, Ethan made a show of flipping through the contents. “I’ll take a look and let you know if I find anyone who meets my standards.”

Harper’s satisfied smile heated him and infuriated him all at once. “I appreciate it. I’ll come up with a few other candidates in the meantime. You can call me if you have any questions.”

She was leaving. After all that.

Harper hoisted her bag over her shoulder before glancing back at him. “Enjoy the rest of your evening, Ethan.”

He watched, half-longing, half in disbelief as she sashayed her way from his bedroom and down the hall. When the elevator dinged a moment later, the sound was finally enough to jolt him from his reverie.

Still naked, Ethan stalked across the room to his dresser to toss the folder down in disgust. “Fuck .” He raked both hands through his hair, trying to decide what the hell had just happened. He’d been under the impression that she would stay the night - that the sex had been so goddamned explosive that neither of them could resist.

But Harper was more business-minded than he thought. She was cold and calculating - so wily that he had to admire her, even as he cursed her guile.

He drank the rest of his bourbon before pouring himself another drink. Even if he didn’t know why, Ethan was pissed. In his all of his days of womanizing, a girl had never walked out on him like Harper did. When he could still smell her, taste her... feel her.

Christ , he was going soft.

With a bitter smile, he drained his second drink before stalking, still naked, towards the shower. Why the hell was he upset? Six months prior, he would have been happy she wasn’t trying to cling to him. He wouldn’t have given two shits that she’d shown herself out.

But here, now, Ethan cared. And the feeling was unsettling as hell.

**

Harper was up all night, torn between a strange elation and self-castigation.

What the hell had she been thinking? She’d let Ethan Kensley sweet talk her out of her clothes - she was no better than any of the hundreds of women who’d fallen prey to his charm over the years.

Though she’d handled things as admirably as she could - holding her head high and strutting out on her terms - she still felt as if she’d broken her own rules. She had broken her own rules. Her job was to bring people together, not to sleep with the men looking for their perfect wives. Atop that, Ethan Kensley was the most profitable client she’d ever landed. She hadn’t given a single thought about her job when he’d had his head between her thighs, or when he’d been screwing her utterly senseless.

Since her childhood, Harper had sworn that she’d always look after herself first and foremost - she and her sister. When her parents had been screaming and fighting with one another, she promised herself that she would never feel vulnerable again. She would stand on her own and master her own destiny.

Ethan Kensley made her feel vulnerable - and it scared her.

He had done exactly as he’d promised - taken away her control. And Harper had liked it.

Liked was an understatement. She loved it. The memory alone was enough to make her want to prostrate herself at his feet and beg for a repeat performance. But she knew better than that. Continuing to sleep with Ethan would mean losing him as a client, and she certainly couldn’t have that. Not before she’d successfully matched him.

He was a challenge - and she thrived off challenges. She ate them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

...But when it came to matching Ethan Kensley, her heart was hardly in the job. She had to be losing her mind. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity. She could use her methodologies to prove to everyone that even the world’s biggest playboy could be brought to heel.

...Even if she’d already slept with him.

Ultimately, Harper had to make peace with herself. She lay in bed, alone, at three in the morning, and spoke three final words: “It doesn’t matter .”

So, they’d had sex. Sex was a purely carnal act - an animalistic sharing of two bodies. Now that they’d gotten it out of the way, maybe she’d be better able to concentrate. God knew she didn’t have to wonder how proficient a lover Ethan was anymore. She knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the man was a mind-blowing lover.

One Harper promised herself that she would never indulge again.

Even as the thought comforted her, it incited a strange pang of regret. Harper thought to balm it by rolling over and forcing herself to sleep. Things would be better in the morning - when she had some rest and a few hours’ departure. Everything would be a hell of a lot clearer...and her night with Ethan Kensley would be just a distant memory.

**

Harper couldn’t stop staring at her phone. She was supposed to be working - on both Ethan and another man she had a meeting with later that afternoon but her attention kept drifting back to her phone.

She wasn’t expecting a call, so she might as well throw the damn thing in a drawer and forget about it.

But what if he called and she missed it? What if he called to tell her he had already chosen one of the women she’d matched him with and he wanted to meet her?

The notion was enough to make Harper stiffen as she clutched the edge of her desk. Introducing another woman to Ethan Kensley...if they hit it off, that would mean a big paycheck for her, and notoriety beyond measure.

...and imagining him doing all those sinful things to another woman.

But that was no business of hers, was it? There had been plenty of women before her, and there would be plenty after, she was sure. If Ethan wanted to screw his way through half the country, it was none of her affair.

She didn’t even like him.

How could she like a blatant womanizer like him? He might very well respect women, but heaven help any female who had her heart set on Ethan Kensley. They were on a one-way road to heartbreak.

It had to be, Harper reasoned, that he was just exceptionally good in bed. Good enough to change her warped perception of the way she thought sex was supposed to go: Drunk man seduces woman, falls on top of her, grunts his satisfaction and then they part ways. Ethan was so totally and completely devoted to his partner’s pleasure...well, it was no wonder she could think of little else.

Before Ethan, Harper hadn’t even known she could come more than once in one session.

Setting her pen down, the blonde exhaled a long breath. This line of thought wasn’t conducive to her work at all. Quite the opposite, in fact. She was quickly growing uncomfortable between the legs as her mind clouded with lust.

She needed a break. Some air would do her good.

Before she could change her mind, Harper grabbed her jacket and her wallet and took the elevator to the first floor. Her office was in the building of a huge conglomerate, so she always drew stares as the only one not dressed in a dowdy suit.

As she stepped out into the sunshine, Harper breathed a sigh of relief. Yes. This was just what the doctor ordered. Time to forget about the complications of men and women for a while and have a leisurely lunch.

At least, that had been her plan.

Harper had just settled down at one of her favorite restaurants when her phone rang. She scrabbled for it immediately - but it wasn’t Ethan.

“Hey Harp.” Athena’s enthusiastic hello immediately soothed her nerves. It was strange how quickly her sister could put her at ease – even from thousands of miles away. Harper found, in that moment, that she missed the younger woman profusely. “How’s things?”

“Great,” Harper lied much more easily than her sister. “What far-flung corner of the world are you visiting today?”

“Still in Japan,” Athena replied with a laugh. “We’ve been here for a while. It’s an amazing country and Shiro’s like a walking encyclopedia. There’s so much to do and see.”

Shiro?

For a moment, Harper glared at the phone. Since when was Athena calling her boss by nicknames? She felt a thread of anger and suspicion rising in her and had to force herself to take a deep, calming breath. She had to talk to Athena. Make her realize the dangerous path she was walking.

Her own issues with Ethan were forgotten in favor of her protective instincts. “So,” she adopted the most casual tone she could, considering the circumstances. “It’s Shiro now, is it?”

Athena paused, and it was evident she realized she’d slipped up. “Harper, it’s...it’s not like that .”

Her voice was so guilty that the phone almost went up in flames. “What’s it like then, Thee? Do tell.”

Athena immediately floundered. She had always suffered from the virtue of complete honesty. When they were younger, Harper often had to lie to their parents for her. Athena’s poker face wouldn’t have fooled a blind man. “Harper, you know you don’t have to baby me. I’m a grown woman.”

“A grown woman who’s sleeping with her boss ,” Harper hissed lowly. “And that boss is a Kensley! Athena, I’m only trying to look out for you! You know better than to mix business and pleasure!”

“Harper ,” her sister groaned in exasperation, “I can make my own decisions.”

“Clearly not,” Harper rebutted. “You’re lucky I don’t come over there and get you!”

“For the love of God , Harper. Just because you’re miserable doesn’t mean I have to be.”

Harper’s mouth snapped shut as her stomach twisted harshly. She swallowed thickly, her response faltering.

“Oh...Harp …” Athena’s tone was immediately apologetic. “I’m sorry. That came out wrong. I didn’t mean it.”

But that was just it. Athena had never said something she didn’t mean - that was who she was.

Harper forced a smile, taking a big sip of the wine she’d ordered. “I know you didn’t, Thee. It’s fine. I... I don’t mean to get on your case. You know I just worry about you.”

“I know,” Athena returned softly. “I wish you’d redirect some of that energy towards yourself.”

**

Harper almost always came away from a conversation with Athena with a smile on her face and spring in her step. When she hung up with her sister this time, however, she found that she could barely touch the food she’d ordered.

Did Athena really think she was miserable? What the hell would have given her that impression. Harper was happy . With her life, her profession, her apartment... everything except Ethan fucking Kensley.

She decided to take her food to go, returning to her office in a decidedly somber mood. This was turning out to be one of the longest days in recent memory. Her concentration was shot, her baby sister was being victimized half a world away... what more could possibly go wrong?

She supposed she shouldn’t have asked.

When she returned home at the end of the day, Harper found her apartment under half an inch of water. One of the pipes in the ceiling had burst, and she landlord wouldn’t be able to call a plumber until the next day. Thankfully, Gary was more than happy to let her crash at his place.

His apartment was a tiny, bohemian studio in Soho, but his couch was comfy and Gary made a mean pot of chili. He told Harper to make free use of the bathroom when she got up - he would sleep in until an evening audition. 

But Harper didn’t go to sleep right away. Instead, she pulled out her laptop and tried to get some of the work that she’d neglected during the day done. First, she worked on her extra client. She had rescheduled the meeting she was supposed to have with the man for the next day - luckily, she had already come up with most of his matches. He was very much her typical clientele - a middle aged millionaire in search of a wife half his age to waste his money on. There were at least six women lined up to meet him - that one would go off without a hitch.

But then she had to turn her attention back to Ethan.

For a long while, Harper stared at the screen. His profile picture was one of the many covers she’d found him on, and, in hindsight, she realized that she didn’t really like the way he looked in it. Too buttoned up - the starched and perfect accountant extraordinaire.

She much preferred him naked and relaxed after he’d been in her…

A low sound of frustration escaped her and Harper forced herself to go through the information he’d given her for the umpteenth time. There had to be something here - something she was missing. No one was unmatchable - not even Ethan Kensley.

Chewing on her lower lip thoughtfully, Harper scanned the information before glancing at the picture again. That goddamn charming smile...the man was a demon. He should look the part.

With a long exhalation, she leaned back against the couch. Harper’s fingers lingered over the keys. Errantly, she began to enter information into her compatibility generator. Age, height, weight, likes and dislikes... it wasn’t until she was almost finished that she fully registered that the values she input were her own. Why she even bothered was beyond her. Just for shits and giggles, she’d entered her own statistics into the system numerous times, and each and every time, she got absolutely nothing. She often used the results as proof that she was happy just the way she was, enjoying the way her sister scoffed.

Harper jabbed the Enter button, waiting the precursory minute or so while the system calculated. Usually, when she input someone’s data, the system she created would spit out as many as twenty people that might be compatible with the original values. From there, it was up to Harper to narrow down the search using her own wits and experience. The program, after all, was only a faster extension of herself.

This time, her search turned up only one match.

Harper stared at the screen until her eyes hurt and the information didn’t change. According to the system that she created, she was a ninety-four percent match with Ethan Kensley.

The blonde was jogged from her discovery when her phone buzzed. Frowning, she reached for it, wondering who the hell could be messaging her so late.

It was him.

Looked through your matches. Close but no cigar. Next Friday?

How could those few words make her both angry and lustful all at once? The man was clearly spitting in the face of her profession. Harper would be surprised if he’d even read any of what she gave him. Ethan was just goading her, and if she knew what was good for her, she wouldn’t rise to his infantile teasing.

She messaged him back.

Make it two Fridays. I’ll need to pull out the big guns.

Once she’d answered, she turned her phone off and put it away. She needed to sleep. The only way she’d be able to make the most profitable match of her career was if she was well rested - and if she forgot the way Ethan made her squirm.

**

Ethan spent the majority of the week in meetings with his father about a huge budget overhaul. After looking at the design of the LA building - courtesy of futuristic architect Charlotte Gardner, the old man had grand plans to redo half their major headquarters around the world.

He could hardly imagine how Vlad would react when he found out. He was already losing his mind over the changes he faced in LA - and it didn’t help that he and the architect were at each other’s throats.

Ultimately, Ethan ended up sending his father home. Jackson was looking more and more tired these days. His son imagined it was the prospect of permanently handing the reins over to Vlad. As much faith as Jackson had in his son, it had to be hard to give it all up. But he’d worked sixty-hour weeks for most of his life. It was time he had a rest.

“I’m not tired.” His father wouldn’t have been his father if he didn’t fight him. He could be an ornery old codger when he wanted to, and Ethan ushered him firmly into the waiting car at the curb Friday evening. “I can still work circles around you, boy.”

Ethan rolled his eyes. “Dad, you’re obviously delirious. The last thing I need is to deal with both Vlad and you. Now, go home and get some rest.”

Jackson might have acted upset, but there was gratitude in his eyes. He was one of the strongest men Ethan knew, but no one could escape father time. His father was beginning to show his age, though he would never admit it. “Fine. Fine . You should come up to the manor this weekend. Your mother would love to see you. And you can tell us all how that meeting with the matchmaker went.”

Ethan hid a wince of discomfort. Shit . He forgot that he’d told his father about that. Now he would have to make up some excuse to avoid divulging the whole sordid story.

Not that there was that much to tell. “Sure, Dad.”

Once the car was gone, Ethan frowned.

He’d done pretty well to keep from thinking about Harper for most of the day, but, of course, his father’s interrogation brought everything surging back.

Another whole week until he saw her again. Ethan was pretty sure that by that time he would have jacked himself raw. Every time he went to bed he remembered what it had been like to have Harper beside him - underneath him - and it drove him absolutely insane.

Even though he’d changed his sheets, he could still smell her. Still see her every time he rolled over.

The simple solution, of course, would be to bring another woman home to his bed. Another wild night would, hopefully, drive all thoughts of Harper from his mind.

But the option seemed somehow... distasteful . Ethan could hardly believe his own thoughts but he didn’t want to lose himself in anyone else. He wanted Harper - and he wanted her to come willingly.

That was fucking laughable.

In her mind, she’d already given all she would give. Now she wanted Ethan to pick someone else... something he hadn’t really even wanted in the first place.

Maybe it would just be better to forget the whole thing.

Ethan headed back into the office to run a couple more figures. In the back of his mind, Harper Jones was silhouetted against his window in her black lingerie, and she would not be moved.

**

He made up an excuse to keep from going home that weekend. Of course, his mother was down his throat, and even Lucas called him to guilt trip him about staying away. But Ethan didn’t dare go to the manor when he knew his father would almost certainly interrogate him about Harper.

Ethan had always considered himself a pretty smooth operator, but he had never been very good at lying to his father. No one was, not even Alistair, who would turn tail and run before he lied, could avoid the truth when faced with Jackson’s fierce gaze. It always helped to know what the story was going to be when you planned on lying - and Ethan didn’t know what story he planned to tell.

All he knew was that it better be a hell of a lot better than the one he was telling himself.

Harper had promised to come up with more matches - to bring out her “big guns,” whatever that meant. He’d had a look through the women she already submitted and, while they were plenty attractive enough, there was nothing that drew him to any of them. He’d read through their profiles and could only see the pretentiousness behind each of them. They wanted someone to accommodate their needs - to cater to them hand and foot. While Ethan was all for worshipping women, he was hardly going to head into a relationship with that mentality

He found himself wondering errantly how Harper liked to be pampered. It would be something she hid from the world - a side of her that no one else ever saw. Did she like flowers and wine? Did she harbor a secret addiction for chocolate? She was the type of woman who would make you work for it - so fiercely independent that every gesture would be a struggle.

But she’d be pleased... just as secretly pleased as when she submitted to you in bed…

“Fuck .” Ethan told himself that he was going to take this weekend to himself. Sipping liquor and relaxing on the couch. He needed to detox from Harper before the next time he saw her... or things would get messy. In more ways than one. Rising from the couch, he stalked towards the kitchen. He would eat some of the fabulous cooking Rosita left for him and then he would work out until he was exhausted. Then there would be no time to worry about matches or work or anything of the sort.

God , when was the last time he’d gotten a good night’s sleep?

He couldn’t help but wonder if he would sleep well with Harper in his arms - all that soft skin and long blonde hair…

Goddamn it.

He’d made a fucking mess of things - and Ethan had no one to blame but himself.

By the time that Friday rolled around, Ethan had indeed exhausted himself into sleeping through every night - but that was by sheer virtue of staying busy. It was, he found, the only way he could keep a clear mind.

It helped that Vlad was preparing to go on a trip to Russia. Arranging for his expenses and accommodations was always a headache and a half - one that Ethan found himself surprisingly glad to be working on. He was in the middle of said figures when his mother appeared in the doorway of his office, surprising the ever-loving hell out of him.

One minute he was neck deep in Russian translations and the next she was calling his name.

“Mom!” Ethan bolted out of his chair, somehow guilty. “What are you doing here?”

“I feel like I should be asking the same of you.” She returned wryly, enfolding him in her arms. As always, Olivia Kensley was as radiant as a woman half her age, and her smile was both shrewd and comforting. “It’s past six o’clock. Usually no one can keep you in the office a minute past quitting time.”

“Yeah, well,” Ethan ran a hand through his hair sheepishly. “Vlad’s been on my ass to have this finished before he heads of to Russia. He’s been irritable as hell lately - almost like he’s still over my shoulder.”

His mother chuckled. “I’m guessing it has something to do with Charlotte Gardner. Your father tells me Vlad’s been struggling quite a bit to deal with her... eccentricities.”

“Didn’t Dad hire her for those eccentricities?” Ethan inquired, arching a brow. “He couldn’t stop going on about the design.”

“Of course. It’s brilliant - artistic and fresh... but we all know how much your brother loves change.” Ethan winced at the very insinuation. Vlad liked things the way they were - if it wasn’t broke, he didn’t think it should be fixed. Not quite up to par with their father’s revolutionary way of thinking, but he still had time. “I’m not here to talk about Vladimir though, darling.” Taking his arm, his mother urged him back into his own office. “I’m here for you.”

Ethan trained his expression into one of polite surprise even as his stomach twisted.

He might have guessed this was coming. When you worked with family, there was little viable escape. There were eyes and ears everywhere.

“What about me, Mom?” He took a seat at his desk while she settled in one of the plush, low chairs before it.

“You’ve been in the office constantly, lately. Don’t think any of us haven’t noticed.” She crossed her legs primly to fix her son with her far too knowing stare. “And we haven’t seen you with any new lady friends in the paper.”

Fuck . He should have known that little detail would ultimately come back to haunt him. Ethan Kensley, famous womanizer, away from his craft. It had only been a matter of time.

“Does that mean you’ve met someone special?”

Ethan suppressed a groan. His parents had been overly concerned with happily-ever-afters for as long as he’d known them. Whereas most parents - at least, in his opinion - told their children to settle, that there was no perfection where love was concerned, his father was always going on about how there was a perfect woman for every man and you’d know her when you saw her. As much as he loved his father, Ethan had never really believed that particular piece of advice.

If love was all sunshine and rainbows, he never would have known the Kensleys in the first place.

“Mom, I don’t know what Dad’s been telling you, but it’s nothing like that.” That was as close to the truth as he could get at the current juncture - and even that was a stretch.

“He hasn’t told me anything,” Olivia returned, her tone questioning. “Only that the lazy bones has been overworking himself. Are you so surprised that I’m concerned?”

Ethan exhaled a long breath. “Am I really that bad?”

Olivia smirked. “You’ve never been a morning person, Ethan. Not since you were a child.”

Well, that much was true. Getting him up for school had always been a chore that she sent one of his brothers to do. They lacked the gentility of their mother, but they certainly knew how to get the job done. Of course, that’s because he’d always been tired. Ethan never liked to discuss such things, but he suffered from nightmares until he was a teenager.

“Ethan, you know you can talk to me if something’s wrong.” Olivia’s dark eyes were earnest as she eyed him over his desk. “I know you’re a grown man, and that you can take care of yourself... but no one’s an island.”

This was a talk she should have been giving Vlad. Ethan had never been the strong and silent type. Next to Lucas, he was probably the most outgoing of his siblings. That had never been the issue.

“Ethan?”

He forced himself back to the present to find his mother gazing at him expectantly. “Mom, I’m fine.”

Olivia frowned. “And you’ve been sleeping well?”

There it was. That was what this was all about. Ethan raked a hand through his hair. “I’ve been exhausted, so, yeah.”

“Sleeping alone, I’d imagine.”

Ethan flinched. It was horrible enough that she’d come all the way down to the city to interrogate him. He didn’t need his mother butting into his sex life.

“You know, Ethan, perhaps looking for one woman to lessen that pain instead of many…”

“Mom .” Ethan rarely ever took this particular tone with his parents - he would never, ever want to hurt the people that raised him. But this was a sensitive subject - as anyone who knew him could attest to. His mother, perhaps, most of all. “This... this isn’t about that.” He finally managed, in an effort to take some of the bite out of his reprimand.

But it was. All at once, the memories came pouring in. The unease that he thought that he had conquered - the need that usually sent him scrabbling in search of the nearest willing woman he could find.

But at that particular juncture, Ethan found that he didn’t want just any woman. He wanted Harper.

Harper, who he would see tomorrow and have to pretend that once was enough.

If his mother was hurt by his brusqueness, she hid it well. “If you say so, sweet.” For a moment, silence hung between them and he felt like an ass. If he couldn’t talk to the woman who taught him what it was really like to have a mother about this, then who could he talk to?

The easy answer was no one. Talking about it made him feel vulnerable - and if there was one thing Ethan despised above all else, it was feeling anything less than in control of the life he’d made for himself. “Mom, I’ll come visit soon, I promise. I think I just need a break.”

His smile seemed enough to distract her - or at least enough that his mother sighed and stood, defeated. “No getting out of it this time, then. Your father nearly climbed the wall when you canceled last weekend.”

He could believe it. “This weekend. I swear.”

Leaning forward, Olivia cupped his jaw in a slender hand, her smile fond. “You know that we only want the best for you, don’t you?”

Ethan had never doubted that. If only he were as ambitious as his parents in seeking his own happiness, maybe he wouldn’t be so fucked mentally. “I know, Mom.”

She kissed his forehead as if he weren’t thirty years old, before leaving him alone in his office.

No amount of work could exhaust Ethan that night. Despite his sore muscles and tired eyes, he lay in bed wide awake, staring at the ceiling. When he was younger, everyone had always told him that he would forget. That the memories would fade with time as he grew to adulthood.

In a way, they were right. Actual memories of Ethan’s childhood had been replaced with specters that haunted him. In his dreams, his mother - the one that birthed him - was a monster that shadowed his every step. That inflicted pain without mercy and delighted in it.

That wasn’t, he supposed, so far from the truth of things.

But it was so fucking long ago that this entire affair was ridiculous. The Kensleys had more than made up for anything his biological mother had lacked.

And yet... he still sought the warmth of a female body every time his memories overwhelmed him. It was his vice - had been for as long as he could remember. One would think that years of ingrained practice wouldn’t allow him to be picky now, but Ethan couldn’t help but want more of the forbidden fruit he’d been denied.

Harper.

Harper fucking Jones.

She was going to be the death of him.

Chapter 6 - Invasion

 

Harper stared out of the vast windows that lined the wall behind her desk. The view was incredible - one of the things that sold her on the office. Every time she looked out those windows she was reminded of how far she’d come. It was also a distraction when she needed one. The sweeping view of Bryant Park was loveliest early in the morning and when the sun set - though now, mid-afternoon, it was certainly nothing to sneeze at.

Harper ran her fingers along the edge of the folder in her lap, frowning. She wasn’t happy with the results inside. In fact, she was doing her very best to keep from having a personal vendetta against each and every one of them. She tried to tell herself it was because Ethan Kensley was making her job so very complicated - but that wasn’t exactly it.

As horrible as it was, the idea of him putting his hands on someone else made her uneasy. Even though he wasn’t hers to claim and they barely knew one another. Harper thought that a single night with the man would be enough to let both of them get on with their lives. She was beginning to realize how very wrong she was.

“Nice place you’ve got here.”

Though she thought she’d been prepared for his arrival, Harper whirled in her chair to see him standing in the doorway. It was the first time he’d ever been in her office and she couldn’t help but think he somehow dominated the space. Tall and imposing in the dark suit of his, he somehow eroded everything intricately feminine she’d done with the place.

“Thank you.” Her voice was admirably smooth as she gestured to the chairs before her desk. “Have a seat. Can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea?”

“Coffee would be great,” he acquiesced.

She could feel his eyes on her as she rose from her desk to make her way to the coffee maker. Harper found herself taking measured breaths as her heart hammered against her ribs. She would not let this man make her nervous. There was no reason for him to intimidate her any longer. They’d both gotten what they wanted, hadn’t they? Now there was only business.

That, and the almost painful visceral awareness of his eyes on her. The way her skin heated, her cheeks flushed and her thighs pressed against one another in distant memory.

Harper poured his coffee. She knew the way he liked it from the many questions she’d asked him, and when she handed it to him, he arched a brow in surprise. “You remembered. I’m touched.” As his fingers brushed past hers, she fought the urge to jerk backward as if burned.

“When you have to look at the information on a daily basis, it’s hard to forget.”

She sank down in the chair next to him, but didn’t extend the folder in her hand just yet. Truth be told, Harper didn’t think there was anything terribly different from the women she’d submitted to him before. She knew he would be dissatisfied, and in her desperation, she was ready to approach the issue from a new angle. Anything was better than giving him a roster of women to choose from when he was staring at her.

“You stare at me all day? I’m flattered.”

She would not smile. She wouldn’t. “Your picture doesn’t talk as much.”

“Ouch .” Ethan chuckled lowly - and the sound took her back to the very same gesture in the bedroom. Only, back then, he’d been doing it from between her thighs.

Damnit. Damn him .

“Well, Harper, all you have to do is find my one true love and I’ll be out of your hair.” That smirk of his made her simultaneously want to punch and kiss him. He glanced down at the folder on her lap. “Is that this week’s prospects? Let’s have a look.”

When he reached for it, however, Harper found herself holding the folder out of reach. The gesture brought his body dangerously close to hers, and her breath hitched as the heat of him enveloped her. He smelled good enough to eat. “I... I need to speak with you first.”

He was so close he could have kissed her - and that dark gleam in his green eyes told her she wasn’t the only one who thought so.

“Alright.” Ethan drew back, only to surprise her by yanking her chair closer by one wooden arm. “Speak to me.”

Harper regained her composure quickly, clearing her throat. “I thought I might be able to find you a better set of matches if I got a few more details about you.”

At that, the light-haired man snorted. “You could write an encyclopedia about me at this point, Harper. What more is there to know?”

“What happened before the billionaire?” Harper cut him off before he could gain the upper hand. “What about your childhood? How you grew up?”

The change in Ethan was instantaneous. His easy smile disappeared and his shoulders stiffened. He released the arm of Harper’s chair and drew back into himself; it was jarring because it was the last thing Harper had expected.

“What does my past have to do with any of this?”

Harper realized instantly that she had touched something forbidden. She’d never seen Ethan without his alluring smile. He looked somehow naked in its absence.

“Nothing yet.” She continued carefully, her eyes never leaving his suddenly sullen expression. “But I was hoping that a discussion might lead to some more palatable choices for you.”

“I’m certain,” Ethan interjected, his tone firm, “That no one would be interested in any of that.”

“You’d be surprised.” Harper kept her smile soft, her position prim. It was obvious that she had somehow stumbled upon one of those secrets Ethan liked to keep hidden. Was it so wrong that she liked catching him off guard?

He’d certainly done it to her enough. “I just want to make sure we are exploring all avenues here. There are matches in this folder.” She tapped the manila where it laid on her lap. “But why waste your time if we can come up with better options?”

“No .” Ethan was out of the chair in an instant, raking his hands through his hair as he turned from her to stalk away, every muscle in his body tense. Harper watched him, fascinated by the change she saw. The easygoing Ethan Kensley of the tabloids had utterly disappeared and in his place was... a stranger.

“No?” Harper echoed, surprised. “But you could be turning down the opportunity to-”

“No , Harper.”

She had risen to follow him, but now Harper inhaled sharply as Ethan turned on her, backing her against the edge of her desk. She dropped the folder and the papers slid messily over the carpet - an amalgamation of pictures and information that had taken her all night to collect. Harper might have been angry if it weren’t for the way he was looking at her - all at once furious and incredibly vulnerable.

She found herself drawn back up against the desk, her breath caught in her throat. She should have told him the information didn’t matter. That she would find another way. But when he looked at her like that , Harper found that she desperately wanted to know what had put that expression on his face.

Who had hurt him.

“Ethan, I-”

But she didn’t have time to say anything. The next thing she knew, Ethan’s mouth was on hers and she had forgotten that she even had the power of speech.

She told herself that it would never happen again - that once was all she needed and that business would take precedence. In that moment, Harper knew that she had lied to herself.

Blatantly lied.

His mouth covered hers - hard and desperate, and Harper tasted the sweetness of coffee and something darker - something bitter, masculine and completely intoxicating. She found her fingers threading his hair as she pulled him closer - as she wrapped a leg around his waist when she should have been shoving him away.

Ethan growled - low and needful - against her mouth, and she felt her entire body clench in response. Had she ever really thought she could get away with never feeling this again? She must have been out of her mind.

He was just as solid as she remembered - the slide of his body was just as magnificent - and when she felt the hard jut of his erection against her stomach, a low moan escaped her.

By this point, Harper had forgotten all about the documents scattered on the floor. When Ethan’s hands slid beneath her, hefting her onto her desk, sending more papers flying, she hardly noticed. She was too busy reveling in the feel of his mouth on hers - trying to get as close to him as humanly possible.

He shoved the jacket she wore from her shoulders to pool around her wrists as his mouth dropped to her neck, and Harper inhaled sharply, her fingers tightening at his nape. He had hardly even touched her, and her panties were completely ruined. When his hands slid up her thighs, hiking her skirt up to the point of no return, Harper squirmed slightly. “Ethan! ’ Her plea came low and urgent. “There’s an entire fucking wall of windows, for God’s sake!”

“Don’t care .” Ethan’s snarl came low against her collarbone and Harper shuddered as his finger found the soft, wet heat between her legs. “Christ , Harper…. you’re so wet for me.”

She did care - or at least that’s what Harper tried to tell herself as two fingers slid inside her. A low, desirous moan spilled from her lips as she arched into Ethan’s invasion, her body all but thrumming in bliss. She tried to tell herself that anyone could be looking in from the offices across the street - from buildings halfway down the block - and her sensibilities struggled against the pleasure that lanced through her with every deft slide of Ethan’s fingers.

She had no idea how he managed to find and exploit that spot inside her the way he did, but he was making it almost impossible to think straight. “Ethan …” Her breath hitched on a shuddering sigh that made him growl. “I... please , not here…”

“Then where?” He kissed her, and Harper couldn’t decide which was more divine - the slide of his fingers within her or his hungry mouth on hers. “I want you here and now, Harper. And I’m not a patient man.”

She was desperately tempted to let him have her right there on her desk, but for all the things Harper was, she was not an exhibitionist. She valued her career too much. 

Somehow, she managed to stay his hand. No easy feat when she wanted nothing more than to writhe against him. “Ethan... stop. Stop …” It was more of a breathless gasp than a plea, so she was lucky when the man paused for a hairsbreadth of a second. “Bathroom…” she managed. “There’s a bathroom …”

Ethan cursed lowly, indecision gleaming in his eyes for a moment before he reluctantly released her. Slick fingers slid down her thighs and he exhaled hotly against her neck before straightening. “Alright.”

Despite the lust gleaming in his eyes, he sounded almost civil. At least until he raised the fingers he’d just used on her to his mouth to suck them clean. “Lead the way.”

Harper almost fell off her desk as she scrabbled to her feet. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she remembered that this was supposed to be a business meeting. That she’d brought the man to the sanctity of her office particularly so this type of hanky panky wouldn’t happen - and here she was. Leading him to her plushily appointed bathroom with her skirt still hiked high around her hips.

As if she could have resisted.

Harper had always been thankful for the luxury of a spacious bathroom. When she began renting her office space, she’d gotten permission to have it redone. The entire affair was covered in pink and gold marble with new fixtures, and she often got ready there when she left the apartment in a hurry in the mornings.

But now, Ethan was backing her against the opposite wall, his gaze predatory. “This lighting suits you, Harper.”

A clever comment stuck in the back of her throat as the man undid his tie. No one had the right to look that sexy undoing a goddamned tie. When Ethan wrapped the edges of the silk around his wrists, she wanted simultaneously to flee the bathroom and to prostrate herself on the marble floor before him. “Hold your hands out.”

The blonde’s eyes widened. “Ethan, you can’t tie me up here- ”

“Hands,” he growled brusquely, his tone brooking absolutely no argument. When Harper held them out, they were slightly unsteady. If Ethan noticed, he said nothing, merely enclosing her wrists in the silk material. As he did so, the thin strap of her camisole slipped down a shoulder and Ethan glanced at it hungrily.

Harper found herself glad she’d left her jacket back in the office.

Ethan didn’t tie her too tightly - just enough so that she couldn’t separate her wrists - before his mouth was on hers again, his fingers sliding through her hair. They slid down her body brusquely - over her shoulders and to her waist before he jerked at the zipper of her skirt. In mere seconds, the cloth was pooled around her ankles, and Harper was left in only her panties, camisole and high heels.

Ethan paused for a moment - just a moment - to let his eyes roam her from head to foot. It was the last opportunity Harper might have had to flee - and she was far too absorbed with the man staring at her to take advantage of it. 

Then, he was turning her, pressing her against the wall. Harper’s bound hands were trapped between her stomach and the smooth marble as Ethan’s ran down her bare legs; he went slowly, from the curve of her behind down her thigh, then lower, to the curve of her calf. “I’ve dreamed about these legs wrapped around me, Harper.”

Her knees went weak at his admission - and then her breath hitched as Ethan’s lips replaced his hands. He trailed hungry, lingering kisses up the trail he’d just descended, shocking Harper with how sensitive she was in places she had never considered. The backs of her knees, the place where buttock became thigh, the slender jut of her hip bone… “And you know what else I’ve dreamed of?”

Harper shuddered as she struggled to find her voice. “I’m...sure you’re going to tell me.”

Her cheek was rewarded with a sharp swat across her hip that made her gasp. “You and that mouth, Harper.” As he kneeled on the bathroom floor behind her, with his mouth was so close to the most tender parts of her that Harper felt every word he spoke. “The bane of my existence.”

When she attempted to straighten, Ethan’s hands pinned her hips right back to the wall.  “Stay right there, sweet. Right there.”

This was insane. This was her office. She should be making the rules - not pressed helpless against her own bathroom wall, dying for Ethan to touch her.

But she was - Harper was a slave to her own desires.

And there was absolutely nothing she could do about it.

 

**

He needed to forget - and for Ethan, there was no better medicine to soothe his tainted soul than a woman.

But not just any woman. Harper Jones was in his blood - and it had to be her.

The last thing he had expected was for her to take another angle in this matchmaking process - to try and turn the tables when it was obvious that her patented methodology was failing her. When she asked him about his past, Ethan found himself torn between two extremes. He wanted to leave her office - to end the strange dance between them before she found out more than he was comfortable with; even as he wanted her to soothe him. He wanted to be inside her until he forgot his demons - until the warmth of her body burned them away.

In a way, it made sense that his carnal instincts won out. She was right there in front of him - with those rosy lips, that hair and that superior smile. She thought she had him.

Ethan knew he had to prove otherwise.

And now that she was hedged up against the bathroom wall, he moved in front of her, still on his knees so that his head fell between her thighs, with only the thin barrier of her underwear between him and a succulent treat. When he tugged the thin lace aside with dexterous fingers, Harper’s breath stuttered. When his mouth closed over her, she rose onto her toes in a frantic bid to get away that had him chuckling against her.

Ethan jerked her back down onto the flats of her feet - groaning at her taste against his tongue. This . This was what he’d craved. He could never get enough of the memory of Harper writhing on his tongue the first time. He could, he realized, very happily spend the rest of eternity between her thighs, listening to those soft, desperate sounds she made for him.

He would have liked her in his bed, but this would have to do. He could make her come apart just as easily here.

And in doing so, he wouldn’t have to think about the past.

She was already soaking for him - that much he knew from touching her earlier. Tasting that sweetness was complete and utter nirvana. From the first touch of his tongue against the most intimate parts of her, she was gasping, whimpering... moaning ... that normally snide mouth of hers rendered completely useless.

Ethan pressed his mouth flush against her, drinking up every reaction. The way her thighs trembled - the way she grew even more slick against his lips and the way her toes curled. A dark, indulgent groan escaped him as his tongue slid into her - just the tip among her eager, clenching muscles.

“Ethan!”

That single, ragged word was music to his ears. “Ethan, God...just …” In reply, he merely gripped that lovely behind of hers hard enough to leave marks, merely pulling her even flusher against his searching tongue. Harper squirmed restlessly - helplessly - as his mouth plied her - licking and kissing just where he knew she liked it most. He didn’t think he could ever forget - not when she shivered so deliciously.

When he fastened onto her clit, suckling powerfully, a soft cry escaped her. Her legs might have buckled if he hadn’t been holding onto her, but Ethan held her up easily as she trembled, tasting her orgasm against his tongue.

In the aftermath, her forehead fell against the marble wall as she struggled to breathe. She was all but sitting on his shoulders by that juncture, and he hardly minded. But when he breathed against the over-sensitized flesh against his mouth, she jolted.

He had to resist the urge to taste her all over again, instead having mercy on her. Ethan shifted slightly so Harper’s still panting form slid down his front and they both sat on the floor with her straddling his lap. Her face was flushed, her eyes glassy, her wrists slightly irritated from her attempts to free herself.

He liked Harper all tied up - with that half-content, half surprised look on her face, as if she hadn’t ever known such pleasure existed. He kissed her - deep and needful - so she could taste herself on his lips. “Still in there, Harper?”

That was all it took. Ethan had long found that Harper Jones responded quickly to jibes - even in the wake of a mind-bending orgasm.

“Untie me,” she demanded immediately, pressing against his chest. Her eyes had once more taken on that dominant gleam - the one he so loved to challenge.

Ethan merely chuckled, wrapping his hands into her soft thighs to lift her as he stood from the floor. Harper had no choice but to throw her bound arms around his neck if she didn’t want to lose her balance. Once she did so, he carried her effortlessly over to the sink to set her on its edge before undoing the button and zipper of his slacks. This was much more harried than he might have liked. He wanted a big bed and an entire afternoon with her to himself.

But right now, he needed to be inside of her.

“Ethan…” Harper repeated, more insistently this time. “Untie me, or so help me God-”

Her protestations were cut off when he pushed inside of her in one smooth thrust that stole her breath. Harper cried out, immediately clinging to him as she arched against his body in a frantic attempt to have him deeper.

“Harper .” God , he needed this. And not just to dull the past that haunted him but because it seemed like an eternity since she had last been surrounding him - making him lose his mind . Ethan’s fingers curled into her thighs as he withdrew, only to bury himself within her again almost mindlessly. She was so soft... so hot ... and those little panting noises she made as he penetrated her again and again... Jesus, they were going to be his undoing.

He watched her in the mirror behind them - the way her back dimpled. The way her muscles tensed as she clung to him and the way he clung just as tightly to her.

She was nirvana. Pure, unadulterated nirvana.

Ethan didn’t last long. How could he? Harper was so enticing, so tight and glorious around him that he found himself teetering on the edge embarrassingly quickly. Thankfully for him, the blonde goddess in his arms was already over sensitized from her prior orgasm. When he was on the cusp of coming apart, she shuddered against him, moaning his name almost deliriously as she found her second peak.

When she clamped down around him, squeezing him like a vise, Ethan groaned - deep, loud and long. He buried his face in Harper’s shoulder as he came in a long, heated gush that made her shudder, and him forget where the hell he was.

Fuck.

Perhaps it might have been a fluke once, but twice? Despite Ethan’s overt fondness for the sensual, his connection with Harper was enough to make even his head spin. She was stubborn, strong and independent - but there was also a vulnerable side to her. One he wanted to see more of.

Long moments passed before either of them came down from their high. Harper lifted her hands haphazardly from around his neck, raising her gray eyes to his. He thought she might slap him - he certainly deserved it after that little escapade. Instead, she merely looked over his face, as if searching for something.

It was an oddly intimate moment - him leaned against the counter, still inside her, as she stared at him. Ethan found himself arching a brow as he remembered how to breathe. “You’re not going to get me for that one?”

Harper merely held her bound hands up before him. “Untie me, please.” Her voice was husky from her moans and Ethan couldn’t help the way he twitched at the sound of it. Slowly, he pulled from her, relishing the way she inhaled sharply. Once he’d tucked himself away, he undid his tie - much as he was loathed to give up having her bound and at his mercy.

The blonde rubbed her wrists gingerly before gesturing to the floor behind him. “Skirt, please.”

Fuck, this was unnerving. Ethan would almost rather she slap him - that she yell at him, rail - do something . That calm was making him uneasy, despite the earth-shattering orgasm he’d just experienced.

No small feat.

He retrieved her skirt before handing it to her. It was almost as sexy to watch her sliding it up her thighs as it had been to take it off her. Once Harper was zipped and proper, she ran a hand through her blonde hair before raising her gaze to his once more. “Maybe you can think a little straighter now, with that out of your system?”

At her question, Ethan couldn’t help but laugh - bitter and amused all at the same time.  “If you think you’re out of my system, sweet, you’re dead wrong.”

His words seemed to surprise her. The emotion flickered through her gaze so quickly he might have imagined it - but Ethan didn’t think he had. “Ethan, we had a deal. Once and then you cooperate with me.”

“And you honestly want to tell me that once was enough for you? That would make us both horrible liars, Harper.” He couldn’t believe they were having this discussion. He didn’t think he’d ever had this discussion with a woman.

Harper didn’t answer him immediately. She straightened from where she’d been leaning against the counter and advanced on him until they were mere inches apart. The smell of her perfume - and her sex - wafted around him headily. Reaching up, the blonde cupped his face, drawing his mouth down to hers to kiss him slowly - so sensuously that Ethan found himself all but clamoring for her again.

But that wasn’t what Harper wanted. She withdrew shortly, and when he met her gaze again, he found the same searching look she had given him before. “What are you hiding, Ethan?”

He felt his stomach tighten. Harper had told him that she wanted the information for a match, and even then, the idea of talking to her about his past was beyond repugnant. But now, Harper wasn’t talking about matches. At least, he didn’t think she was.

“I thought we agreed that part of my allure was my secrets,” he murmured lowly against her mouth. Harper let him kiss her - but she didn’t let him disrupt her focus.

“Ethan... I want to help you. I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me.” He hadn’t come here to talk - Ethan realized that now. He’d known that Harper meant to foist more matches on him - that she would expect him to have a civilized discussion. From the moment he entered her office, however, all he could think of was having her.

Of course, her interrogation had turned that desire into a pressing, immediate need. Anything but talking.

“If you want to talk... tell me about you.” It was a classic misdirect, but it wasn’t a wholly unfounded request. All Harper’s energies had been going towards pawning him off on someone else. He’d told her almost everything about himself - and he knew virtually nothing of her.

Ethan expected her to flat-out refuse. After all, they hadn’t even really agreed to this second little romp. If anything, he owed her.

But Harper merely sighed. “Fine.” Slipping from his arms, she moved past him towards the bathroom door. “But I’m not telling you my life story in the goddamned bathroom. Come on.”

For a long moment after she left, Ethan stared after her, absolutely flummoxed. It took him a moment to realize that he was supposed to follow her; but once he did, he slipped quickly from the bathroom and found her organizing the papers strewn about her desk - the ones they knocked off before she had convinced him to shy away from exhibitionism.

He watched her bend to sweep the papers from the floor before stacking them neatly on her desk - a simple, completely casual motion that still managed to get him hot under the collar. But then, everything about Harper got him hot under the collar. 

By the time she took a seat at her desk, Ethan somehow managed to get a hold of himself. He couldn’t help but think, however, that Harper looked amazingly unruffled for a woman who had just been thoroughly ravished. The only tell-tale signs were her missing jacket and her kiss-swollen lips.

“I just hope you know that if I’m telling you my story, I fully expect yours in return.” As if Ethan could do anything but nod in the face of that piercing stare of hers. With a sigh, Harper raked a hand through her blonde locks. She appeared to hesitate for just a moment before she finally began speaking. “I guess the meat of the matter is the most important, right? Why I do what I do. It’s nothing super surprising, I guess.” She leaned back in her chair - and in that moment, her gaze was far away. “I’ve never really seen a well-functioning relationship. By the time my parents had my sister - your brother’s assistant -  and I, they weren’t very fond of one another.”

The connection - which Ethan had only made faintly in the back of his mind - was brought forth immediately. “Athena Jones. The dark-haired little waif... she’s your sister?”

Harper immediately scowled. “She’s not a waif.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Ethan hid a smile. This was supposed to be a serious conversation, but he found it interesting how much he’d learned about Harper in the few sentences she’d spoken. It was obvious that she felt like her sister’s guardian - it was evident in the way she talked about her.

And the pointed look she gave him when she mentioned Toshiro - almost as if in warning. “Sorry. I just... you look nothing alike.”

Harper smirked. “That’s the trick. No one sees me coming when they do her dirty.”  Ethan didn’t doubt it for a moment. If Harper was savage enough to trade her body for his cooperation, he didn’t think she’d hesitate to poison someone who wronged her little sister.

Which didn’t bode well for Toshiro. “Well, I assure you, Shiro’s a gentleman. There will be no dirty-doing on that front.” At least, he hoped not. Shiro could be unpredictable when it came to women. If anyone would know about his current situation, it would be Vlad, not Ethan.  In truth, he was relieved that he wasn’t privy to the knowledge. Harper might try to castrate him. “Weren’t we talking about your parents?”

Thankfully, that was enough to get them back on the subject at hand. “We were. They divorced when I was about twelve - but they were nasty to each other plenty before that. I was pretty sure at that point that being in love was synonymous with verbal abuse.” Harper made a face that Ethan hadn’t ever seen a woman make when talking about affection.

It was something dangerously close to disgust. “Whatever it was, I knew I didn’t want it. I’ve never been into the idea of lovey-dovey - and in college, I wanted to prove that love was more formulaic than psychological.”

“So, you came up with your system.” Ethan finished for her, his smile bemused. “And it worked.”

“Still working.” Harper came back with a smug smile. “But don’t talk to Athena about it. According to her, I’m bastardizing the idea of love.” 

“No, you’re quantifying it.” Ethan replied, somewhere between fascinated and bemused at the way Harper’s brain worked. “Making it into a profession.”

“Well, I’m glad, at least, that we can see eye to eye on that.” When Harper smiled, there was no ice in the gesture. It was genuine and warm, and Ethan felt his gut clench. How many other men had she smiled at like that? In that instant, he was jealous of them all. “So, now that I’ve divulged my sob story, it’s your turn, Mr. Kensley.”

Ethan immediately stiffened. He should have known things were coming to this, but he’d somehow had faith that he might be able to steer the conversation in another direction.

Harper was amazingly single-minded - and it was both attractive and terrifying.

Ethan eyed her from across the expanse of her desk and knew there was no getting out of this one. He also knew that this had gone a little beyond matchmaking. He didn’t see any way that divulging his stereotypically tragic childhood would open up the path to any woman more intriguing than the one sitting right in front of him.

He opened his mouth to speak - just as his phone buzzed in his pocket.

It was audible enough for both of them to hear, and Harper arched a brow in immediate skepticism. But Ethan wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. He answered the phone quickly. “Ethan Kensley.”

“Ethan, thank fucking God.” At Alistair’s exasperated tone, Ethan glanced at the phone. He hadn’t. “I need you down here, ASAP.”

“Whoa, what?” He hadn’t even heard from the man for weeks. Of course, he knew where he was - what project he was working on. As the head of accounting, that was just business. But Alistair hadn’t sent him anything that might lead him to believe he needed him.

“Don’t ‘whoa what’ me,” Alistair snapped back almost immediately. “I’m telling you I need you. Vlad’s off to Russia soon and he’d probably tell me to fuck off anyway. Come to Texas.”

Well this was sudden as hell. Ethan glanced up to see if Harper was listening to this conversation with as much intensity as he was. The blonde was, in fact, watching with an amused smirk on her face - amused and entirely too knowing. “I’m kind of in the middle of a meeting right now, Alistair.”

“Well then, step out. This shite is insane and I need you.”

Fuck.

Ethan met Harper’s gaze. He knew that just about the only thing he could do to surprise her at this juncture was to stay and give her the information she’d requested. But that would mean calling Alistair back, and he sounded pissed as hell.

His brother was his way out, but Ethan had to admit that he felt like an ass as he rose from the chair to address her. “I need to go...”

“Of course you do.” She raised a hand to crook her fingers at him in dismissal and it was almost enough for Ethan to hang up the phone.

Almost.

If there was ever any small bit of coward in him, Harper managed to find and exploit it. Ethan grabbed his jacket and fled her office, wondering what the hell she must be thinking of him.