I couldn't get my mind off those damn papers I found near the shredder in the accounting offices.

I hadn’t discovered any more documents that were anything like them (every new consolidated report I’d since found in the offices seemed to add up just fine compared to the rest, just like all the others I’d previously found) so I’d gone back and taken a few days to go through the shady file, carefully poring over the numbers and trying to make sense of them. But whichever way I turned it, the truth was right there in front of my eyes—there were large discrepancies in those numbers. Discrepancies which didn’t seem to show up anywhere else in any of the other reports…

Somehow, money was apparently disappearing and being written off the records. And, presumably, the original consolidated reports with the real numbers were being shredded before the new reports with fake numbers were created and passed off as real. I was just fortunate to find one of the originals before it was destroyed.

It was all so obvious now, even to my layman's eyes. I didn't know how I was going to bring it up with my parents again, though. The last thing I wanted was for Peyton's mom and dad to get in trouble. And if Peyton found out it was my doing, it would doom our current relationship, whatever the fuck that was.

Like every morning, I went for a swim. It always cleared my head and helped me think straight. Whatever problem I was facing, the water helped me cool down literally and figuratively. It helped me look at whatever situation I was facing in a more level-headed way. 

As I powered through the aquamarine water, I wondered what Peyton would say if I told her about the tax evasion that was possibly being perpetrated by her parents. I was absolutely fucking sure she didn't have a clue about any of it. She might've been a confident socialite, but I saw through that. She was secretly vulnerable; she just didn't want the world to see it. And I wasn't going to exploit her family's problems for the whole world to see. My parents would just have to bite their damn tongues and wait while I found the real reason that money had seemingly vanished.

The cool water did its trick; really made me think about everything going on in my life. I even remembered my encounter with my old friends in the lobby, and it made me feel so fucking guilty. Yeah, I was sick of the lifestyle we’d led, but it wasn’t right to cut off my friends completely. Especially Tristan, who had been my best friend since we were kids.

Maybe it was finally time to mend fences. Make things right. Maybe I should just suck it up, give him a call and set up some drinks.

Maybe.

Once I was done with my swim, I pulled myself out of the pool and sat on the edge, waiting to dry off a little. It was still quite early in the morning, just after sunrise. I liked the peaceful pool setting. It had a calming effect on my nerves.

When I was done, I got up and headed into the changing rooms again. There were no damn towels for some reason, and I cursed inwardly for not bringing one with me. I stripped out of my swimming trunks and headed into the shower to wash the chlorine off my skin. I took my time, enjoying the way the warm water beat against my tired skin. These hotel shifts were really getting the better of me. Every night I felt dead tired, and I felt muscles popping up where I didn't even know I had them from carrying all that heavy luggage around.

I left the showers feeling a little bit better, and I opened my locker in the employee changing room to grab my clothes.

But it was empty.

I blinked twice, looking into the empty interior of the metal locker. Maybe I'd mixed up the numbers? But no, my locker was the only one that was open in the whole changing room.

My stuff was definitely missing. Not just my clothes, but my damp swimming trunks as well. My phone and my spare stuff was gone, too.

And I was dripping wet and naked.

I laughed when I realized what had just happened. Peyton had finally gotten back at me for what I'd sent her in the mail. She was probably standing around somewhere right now, giggling and imagining me struggle as I tried to figure out what the hell to do next.

And what the hell was I supposed to do?

The answer came to me right away. I was going to do something my sweet little heiress wasn't expecting. I was going to beat her at her own damn game.

I shook my head to get some of the water out of my hair, and then I walked right toward the exit from the changing rooms. There were several hallways leading into the rest of the hotel, which I figured would all be deserted at this time of day anyway, but it didn't mean I couldn't still have some fun. If I knew Peyton at all, I knew she'd be waiting somewhere central, smug and triumphant, to hear about whatever trouble I'd get into after her little prank.

Somewhere like the lobby.

As I headed toward it, I ran into an older employee of the hotel.

"Hi, Gloria!" I said cheerfully.

She turned so pale that I thought she was going to pass out, and when I covered my junk with my hand, she let out a little gasp, then crossed herself as if she'd just had a close encounter with the devil himself.

I chuckled and shook my head as I kept going, still heading straight for the lobby. My ass was in plain view, and I was barely able to hide my cock and balls with the palm of my left hand. Oh, this was going to be so much fun.

I finally reached the lobby. There were only a few people there. Two of them I recognized from my group—Bianca and Andreas. And there was my little sweetheart too, looking all smug as she leaned on the reception counter, giggling at some joke she'd been sharing with my two coworkers.

"Hey, gang," I said with a big smile, strolling right up to the desk.

Their conversation halted. Andreas and Bianca’s mouths fell open, and the same thing happened with the staff currently working the reception desk. As for Peyton… her eyes were wide with shock, but her lips were pressed tightly together, and I could tell she was trying her best not to laugh.

"Bit chilly this morning, isn't it?" I said, making a face. "What's this?"

I looked at a brochure for the Mirabella on the reception desk, and I took both my hands off my junk to grab it. Bianca shrieked and covered her eyes, Andreas raised his brows, and Peyton just fucking stared.

Exactly what I wanted.

I opened the brochure and looked at it, nodding at some pictures before folding it open across my crotch. "Mind if I borrow this?" I asked. "I feel like I need it."

"Please," one of the desk staff managed to get out. "Take anything you need... do you want to take some more brochures?"

"Please don't," Andreas replied with a beaming smile. "I'm quite enjoying the view, and I don't think I'm the only one either."

He gave Peyton a sly look and she blushed deeply.

"So, Peyton," I said, leaning across the counter with the brochure over my cock. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her body defensively, obviously gearing up for an argument. "How've you been, sweetheart?"

"Sweetheart?" Bianca repeated, giggling out loud and covering her mouth with her hand. "Oh my god."

"Cade," Peyton said, her face no longer betraying a single thought or feeling. "We all know you like showing off, but could you please put some clothes on?"

"Oh, am I not wearing any?" I said in a mocking tone. Then I glanced down and gasped at my nakedness. I turned my head and looked at my ass. "I mean… this is just so strange. I could’ve sworn I brought my clothes to the changing room. Wherever could they be?"

I did a twirl, flashing my ass to them all on my way around, making Bianca shriek and Peyton stare even harder. As for Andreas, he was so red that it looked like he was about to spontaneously combust.

"Cade!" Peyton said, clearly tiring of the joke. "Get some clothes. Now!"

"Would if I could, sweetheart," I said, shaking my head sadly. "Looks like someone took them straight out of my locker in the changing rooms. Can you even imagine?"

I stepped closer to her, with only the brochure on my crotch separating my cock from brushing up against her. It made her gasp. She tried to cover it up with a cough but I knew full well the effect I was having on her.

"Peyton," I said. "Can you tell me who would do such a thing? Who would steal my clothes—in broad daylight, no less? They made me walk out here naked."

Andreas snorted and Peyton glared at him. He looked away guiltily.

"I mean, really!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up along with the brochure. I thought she was going to pass out. Her eyes danced from mine, to my abs, and then to my cock, which was standing proudly. "Who on earth would do such a thing, Peyton? Who?"

"That's it," Peyton said, her face a wonderfully bright shade of pink. "You two, go do some work." She pointed at Andreas and Bianca and they both scattered in different directions. Peyton turned to me next, her eyes narrowed as she glared at me. "And you! We're going to the employee wardrobe to get you some clothes."

I half-expected her to drag me off by grabbing my ear, but instead she just marched me through the lobby toward the employee uniform storage wardrobe. On our way out of the main reception area, we ran into a group of Italian tourists who stared at us open-mouthed. I waved with my free hand and a woman giggled, but Peyton jabbed a finger at my back and ordered me to keep walking.

I heard the Italian bunch laughing merrily, and I grinned to myself as we walked down the hallway. We didn't run into anyone else, and I heard Peyton breathe a sigh of relief from behind me.

She kept marching me forward until we reached the door that led into the wardrobe, and I looked at her over my shoulder.

"Well?" she asked impatiently. "What the hell are you waiting for? Get in there and get some clothes on!"

Before I went in, I cocked my head to the side. “I don’t know what you expected to happen, to be honest. You’re the one who took my clothes and left me with nothing, right? You even took my phone so I couldn’t call anyone to rescue me.”

“Well, I didn’t expect you to waltz into the freaking lobby!” she retorted. “I thought you would’ve sneaked around until you finally found a towel in a maid’s cart, or something like that.”

I grinned. “So you admit it. It was you behind all this.”

She finally cracked a smile. “I have one thing to say to that, Cade.”

“Yeah?”

She nodded. “Yeah. The three most beautiful words in the English language….”

I lifted a brow. “It’s a bit early for ‘I love you’, but I’ll take it.”

Rolling her eyes, she replied, “That’s not it. It’s ‘told you so!’”

“I don’t recall you telling me you were going to steal my clothes.”

“No, but I told you I was going to get you back for that porno prank. And I also told you I had an ace up my sleeve. I know you swim every morning. I’ve been watching you,” she said smugly.

I chuckled. “Really? You’ve been watching me?”

Her smile immediately vanished as she realized the implication of her previous words. ”I mean, not watching. It’s not like I sit at a window with binoculars watching you swim. I just…um…noticed that you’re out there some mornings, that’s all.”

“Sure,” I replied with a grin, glad that I’d regained the upper hand.

I grinned at her and opened the door, stepping inside the deserted wardrobe. I was more than a little surprised when I heard Peyton coming in after me, and I turned to face her with the brochure still over my crotch.

"Ugh," she said, covering her eyes. "Seriously, Cade, just get some damn clothes on before I lose my mind."

"Lose your mind?" I repeated, repositioning the brochure.

Now that we were finally alone, it was getting more and more difficult to hide my rapidly-stiffening cock. I wanted to kiss her. Now. I wanted to taste those pouty lips so damn badly it felt like I was losing my mind every second her mouth wasn't latched onto mine. And I couldn't help teasing her. It felt too good to see her blush, to try and pretend there was nothing between us, when even my coworkers were aware of this mutual crush or whatever the hell it was.

"I can't believe you did that," she said. "You could have lost your job, strolling around naked. You know there’s a back entrance into this wardrobe, right? You could’ve just found a towel like I said, then come in here the back way.”

"Yes," I said, taking a step closer to her. Her eyes widened as I approached her, and I smiled gently. "I didn't really give a shit, though."

"Someone could've seen you in the lobby. Someone from the tabloids. In case you hadn’t noticed, they’re swarming outside the front of the hotel at the moment, and they can see into the lobby. If one of them took photos, those pictures could be on the front of every magazine by tomorrow!"

"So?" I laughed. "It was worth it."

"Worth it?" She didn't even seem to notice me taking another step closer to her. "How so?”

"Because," I said, now only a step away from her trembling body. Whether she was shaking from annoyance or anticipation, I wasn't sure, but I fucking loved it. "Because I wanted to embarrass you. I love seeing you blush. Love getting you all riled up. You look so sexy when you're mad at me, sweetheart."

"Stop," she said, putting her hand in front of her body.

I snatched it up between my fingers, gently forcing it down. She let me.

"Admit it, Peyton," I said softly, taking that one final step that put us a mere few inches apart. When I did it, her lips parted in a surprised gasp, and my fingers caressed her small wrists, gently sliding up her forearm, all the way up to her shoulder. I wrapped my palm around the back of her neck. She wouldn't meet my gaze. Her eyes were everywhere but on mine, and she was breathing hard, her gasps so fucking sweet it made me twitch.

"Admit you like me," I whispered against the skin of her collarbone, leaning down and blowing on her. Goosebumps prickled her complexion and she turned her head to the side, exposing her long neck to me. "Don't look away. You've been avoiding it long enough."

"I... I can't," she whispered. "I can't do this..."

"It's okay," I said gently. "It's okay, Peyton. I can do it for you."

I let the magazine flutter to the ground and she gasped once more as my other hand wrapped around her waist. I pulled her in tightly against me, her lithe body squirming in my arms. She wasn't trying to get away. She was struggling to get closer.

"Tell me to kiss you," I said against her lips. "Come on… ask for what you want."

"No," she mumbled. I could tell she didn’t mean it.

And then, finally, she raised her scared eyes to mine. Her beautiful, deep eyes stared at me with so much need it was impossible to resist anymore. Even if I tried to, I couldn't manage it. I needed my mouth on her; needed to see if her taste was as sweet as I'd imagined it to be.

"Tell me to kiss you," I repeated. "Tell me right now, Peyton, or I'm going to do it anyway."

"K-kiss me," she whispered.

In a second, my mouth was on hers.

She whimpered against my lips as I pushed her against the door, one hand leaving her neck to cage her under my arms. I held her waist firmly, pulling her in close as she gasped at the sensation of my twitching cock pressing up against her belly. She was so sweet, so perfect. Her mouth opened against my lips, her tongue timidly toying with mine. She breathed into me, sucking my essence between her lips and kissing me like this had all been her idea from the start.

"Cade, wait," she breathed against my lips. "Cade, please, we have to stop this."

But she didn't fucking stop, and I wasn't about to, either. My hands pushed the skirt of her dress up, exploring her skin underneath it as I groaned. She was perfect, her tight little ass clad in a tiny thong that I was damn tempted to push aside so I could get my fingers inside her.

"I can't stop," I grunted against her lips. "I can't fucking stop, I'm sorry sweetheart."

"Okay," she whispered. Then her hands were on me, all over my chest, pressing down on my abs, slowly, shyly, trying to venture lower and lower. I grabbed one of her wrists, so fucking desperate to push it down on my crotch where my cock was begging to be touched by her dainty little fingers.

"Not too fast," I said, despite my body screaming at me to tell her otherwise. "I want to make this special, sweetheart. Want to make you mine."

She mewled as I deepened our kiss, and her body went slack in my arms.

Finally, I had Peyton Cadwell exactly where I wanted her...