Racing downstairs, Nate felt more out of control than he cared to admit. Watching Jessie get out of her car had fired his blood. When she’d spotted him, his enhanced eyesight had observed her eyes widening, her light coffee-colored skin paling. Then when the anger had bloomed across her lovely features, his gut had dropped into open space. He’d been wondering how to handle this delicate situation all night. She had to work for him. Her popularity as JBlaze, celebrated mixologist, would guarantee the high numbers they needed to make TERRA an instant success. A successful club meant lots of bodies, which would attract hungry demons faster than a T-bone at a carnivores-anonymous meeting.

Unholy Inc’s nightclubs were the perfect cover for the Guardians’ work, and he was not going to be the partner who botched it up.

So don’t let her get away.

He met her at the door. She’d left her hair down. He loved the sexy bun she usually wore, but with the sassy pink winking in and out of her corkscrew curls today, she was a vision.

“You’re the new owner, aren’t you?” she demanded.

“I am, but—”

“You slick bastard! You totally played me. What are you doing driving around in a gas-guzzling old truck? Why aren’t you in a Mercedes like that black piece of work outside? Or is the truck only for slumming it in the projects with me?”

Whoa. This Jessie was a whole different woman from the soft, self-conscious angel in his arms last night. “I happen to like my truck. I can load all manner of rubbish in the back. Besides, Mercedes aren’t my style. The shiny black number belongs to Spencer, one of my…partners.”

Her blue eyes glistened and burned. “You know everything about me because you have my personnel files. Why didn’t you say anything?”

He brought a hand up to touch her hair, but she smacked it away. Right. This was definitely not going the way he’d hoped. “Apologies. I didn’t know who you were until a couple of days ago.”

“And that’s supposed to make me feel better about last night?”

“I usually don’t need to tell people I’m loaded to get them to like me,” he said.

“Pfft. I wasn’t talking about your bank account. You’re my employer.” She shook her head, her eyes snapping and somehow…shadowed. “You’re every bit as arrogant and manipulative as Mason says you are.”

Nate’s jaw tightened. The kitchen staff meeting was apparently over and several people were moving toward where he and Jessie stood by the entrance. “You sure you want to do this here?”

“If I can’t confront a man for outright deception, how can I expect to get up in front of a judge and jury to argue a vulnerable client’s case? You’ve fired several good employees who’ve done nothing wrong. And for what? Just because you can.” She punctuated her delivery with a sharp jab of her finger on his chest.

He took hold of her wrist. “Wrong. Every single person I dismissed is either a drug dealer or a user. That’s not only unacceptable, that could get me shut down.”

She opened and closed her mouth, then frowned harder. “That’s a lie! Are you so perfect you’ve never needed a second chance? Does the power make you feel important?”

“Upstairs in my office. Now.”

“Hell no, I’m leaving. I refuse to sit idly by while good people get axed by a sly double dealer. But before I go, I suggest you start recruiting staff at the convent if you’re so worried about your image.”

Nate didn’t know if he should laugh or give her a sound paddling. Unfortunately at that moment, Katherine Evangelista, Unholy Inc partner in charge of AQUA in Hawaii, strode toward them with controlled fury on her coldly beautiful face, her Jimmy Choos clicking ominously on the dance floor. Katherine paused at his side, looking Jessie up and down imperiously before turning to him, completely dismissing Jessie. “There’s really no point in keeping her, Nate. We want magnetic, professional, and classy. Her inferiority complex is completely justified.”

Bloody hell. Nate felt more than saw Jessie blanch, then wind back up for a return lob. The Jessie from last night might be no match for Katherine’s ice bitchiness, but today there might be some serious bloodletting between these two. As Jessie opened her mouth, Nate squatted down, grabbed her about the waist, and hoisted her over his shoulder.

Jessie smacked him in the bum before using her hand as a lever to lean up and yell at Katherine. “You weren’t held much as a baby, were you?”

Bad and badder. Nate heard Katherine’s indrawn breath as his boots ate up the space to the men’s bathroom where he growled at a couple of guys who were at the urinals to beat feet. He set Jessie down and locked the door after the last man’s exit. When he turned around she slapped him across the cheek. He grabbed her wrist and got up in her face, his heart pumping at a skin-tingling rate. “Chill. Out,” he growled.

“You used me!”

“No, you have the facts skewed, Miss Blaze. If you’re honest with yourself, you’ll remember that I cooked while you studied, we drank, I got you off, and then I left. The. End.”

“You’re still an asshole. You should have told me who you were. You knew you were my boss last night.”

Jessie’s face was mutinous, her chest was heaving, and all he suddenly wanted to do was finish what he’d started in her apartment. Put his mouth on those gorgeous breasts, spread her legs and…

Fuck. Make good choices.

He should definitely not seduce an employee. That had never turned out well in the past. There was just something about Jessie he couldn’t resist.

And those radiant colors last night as her taste was on his tongue…

He ran a hand down his face. “Okay, maybe I should have told you, but I will only say this once. While I encourage and applaud irreverence while off the clock, don’t you ever run your mouth like that in front of my staff again.” The strict delivery he’d been going for failed as he imagined her cheeky mouth occupied with other things. Like licking the happy trail down from his navel.

“Don’t worry. It won’t happen again because I’m never setting foot in this place again.”

They stared at each other until he realized she felt the heat between them, too. The way her fingers curled into her thighs, the dilation of her pupils, the high color on her cheeks. “Why is your mouth always your weapon when it could be used for much more pleasurable pursuits?” He couldn’t take his eyes from those plump lips which were now very much compressed.

“Pleasurable oral pursuits, huh? How about singing? I’ll write you a song then—it’s called Go Screw Yourself.”

When she tried to storm by him, he caged her against the wall with his whole body. “You’re not making this easy for either of us. That lady you insulted on the dance floor was one of my network partners.”

“Not my problem. I’m not working here, remember?” She was short of breath and her full breasts rapidly rose and fell against his chest.

Oh hell yeah, she was feeling this thing between them.

He brought his hand to her cheek. Sniffed her neck. “You smell incredible. Coconut and berries. I fancy that.”

Her breath caught. “B-back off.”

He put some space between them. “Listen, I didn’t know that you worked here until two days ago when I reviewed your personnel file. The Jessie I knew before that moment was a sexy law student. Not a larger-than-life mixologist with her own show and a following from three states around.”

“But last night! Really?”

Visions of her silken skin made his lips curve. “What can I say? You’re irresistible.”

“Nice line. I’m out of here.” She stepped around him toward the door.

No way was he letting her walk away. “If you stay, I’ll make it worth your while.”

She shook her head. “Like you made it worth Mason Jacob’s while? You gave him nothing but a bad reputation and an insecure future.”

“He brought that on himself. You might want to reassess your loyalties, Jessie. Your uncle wouldn’t have had to sell this place if he wasn’t feeding heroin and Molly to every doper with enough tenners. The bastard’s lucky we gave him bank instead of a court date.”

“I plan to prove he was set up.” By you was her unsaid accusation.

You little piece of work. Someone pounded on the door. “Clear off!” he hollered, then turned back to Jessie. “We’re far from done here.” She raised an eyebrow. He brushed a hand through his hair. “Stay and I’ll raise your pay twenty-five percent. Then, for every year you work for me, I’ll pay a year of your tuition.”

Her lips parted and her eyebrows lifted for a moment before they slammed back into full-on glare-mode. He held his breath. The sassy little bugger was gonna say—

“No.” She put a hand on the door handle.

Nerves clenched in his gut like when he’d begged for food as a street urchin. He took one step toward her before he forced himself to stop. “Jessica, you’d be a fool to turn this down.”

She spun around. “You’re a bigger fool for trying to buy me.”

Losing her was not an option. “For every year you work for me, I’ll raise your pay twenty-five percent, pay a year of your tuition, and all of your grandparents’ expenses for the year so they can remain together.”

Her mouth dropped open, and his gut spasmed. He was treading uncharted waters here.

“What? How do you know about my grandparents?”

He pretended not to hear her curse him under her breath. “Keeping your grandparents together is on your bucket list. You told me last night.” The tender look on her face while she’d talked about them had made him wonder what it would be like to have someone love him that much.

“Why would you do that?” she whispered.

If I told you, you’d never believe me. “Because I can.”

She remained silent for a time, and he could almost hear his partners jeering at him.

How many excellent bartenders, DJs, and support staff had he successfully recruited and hired in the past six years? If he couldn’t keep Jessie, there’d be someone else.

But he’d never experienced these vibrant colors, nor tasted these exquisite flavors like he did when she was around. And quite frankly, he’d lie, cheat, and manipulate a bloody unicorn out of its magic horn before he gave those sensations up.

She took a deep breath and frowned all over again. “What’s the catch?”

He needed her in this club to attract the demons he was obligated to hunt. But she couldn’t know that. He looked into her beautiful blue eyes and knew this would be the best bad proposition he’d ever made.

“Sleep with me.”