A beautiful sea of twinkling stars above greeted her as cool ocean air rolling in from the coast fanned across her face.

They were on the roof. She marveled at a three-sixty view of the darkened city. Ever Nights was the tallest building in the city, so for miles there was nothing to obstruct her view. To the west, she caught the moon glancing off the Pacific, like liquid white-gold on black. What must it look like in the day? Sunsets had to be breathtaking.

Half of the roof was set up like a mini retreat, complete with a pool, hot tub, sidebar, and a seating nook under a trellis of wisteria. The other half looked like a greenhouse. The scent of different herbs and sweet fragrances mixed in the air.

They were completely alone.

Now that the initial awe had worn off, she faced Cortez, suddenly aware that he’d been watching her, not saying a word, as she had taken everything in.

This couldn’t be a normal interview. In fact, it felt very much like a date. But that couldn’t be right. She had to be imagining things. Except the look he was giving her—had been giving her the whole night—said she might be on the money.

He strolled to the bar. “Would you like a drink?”

“I think I’m confused. Is this an interview or a date?”

He pulled out two flutes and a bottle of Champagne, cracking it open. After filling each glass he passed one to her. “Which would you prefer?”

Her mouth briefly popped open. She squashed her surprise behind her glass, taking a quick sip. Wow! This Champagne was delicious. The garbage she’d had before must have been squeezed through the ass of a donkey.

She took a bigger sip and tried to get her bearings. “Is this how you welcome all your new employees?” She was suddenly racked with inexplicable jealousy over all the beautiful women she’d seen below. But why should she be? She’d only just met this man.

“I don’t date people I work with,” came his simple reply.

Her brain took a pause. Surely that meant that they wouldn’t be dating. “You just feed them unbelievable meals and ply them with Champagne?”

He turned wry. “Not quite. I’m sure you could tell by the reaction of some of my employees earlier, there haven’t been many to garner such treatment.”

“Why me then?”

His smile was elusive. “You fascinate me.”

You fascinate me too. But he shouldn’t. There was a danger in this dance. She couldn’t get too tangled up in his game. And that was surely what it was. She wasn’t an idiot, her features were pleasing, she might even go as far to say above average, but not by much and there certainly wasn’t anything fascinating about her...aside from her siren lineage, which no one could know about. Was that what he was sensing? Was he drawn to that part of her? Her voice had never had any effect on vampires, thank the Lord! She could run from a human. She could even...kill a human...

She shivered. Block that out.

...but against a vampire? She had no chance at all. Point. Set. Match.

He sidestepped the bar and came to stand in front of her. His forefinger hooked under her chin, and he lifted her gaze to his. Tawny eyes bore into hers. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

Once again she wondered if he was mesmerizing her, but she didn’t feel compelled to answer. She could refuse.

She decided not to. “I fear you’re playing a game with me.”

His big hand came up to cup her cheek. “I don’t play games with people.”

Her heart rate was slowly rising, his nearness filleting reason. A mysterious crackle of energy seemed to pass between them. Just as her eyes dipped to his lips, his tongue darted out to wet them. She swallowed, and worked to get more air into her lungs. He’s going to kiss me. Her pulse was banging in her ears now, blood rushing to her brain, fogging her thoughts.

His head dipped, and warm lips molded over hers. She was helpless not to kiss him back, leaning into him. Her heart thundered now. Every vamp in a five block radius could probably hear it.

When his tongue delved, testing, she welcomed him into her mouth. Fire roared through her blood, burning away what little resistance she had left. Giving into him completely, her hand came around his nape to hold him close as she deepened the kiss. His arms hooked her waist, drawing their bodies together. Her heels practically left the ground, her tiptoes barely touching, but she only wanted him to hold her tighter.

She’d been kissed before, but never like this. Never in a way that was so frighteningly consuming, so deliciously decadent. Never in a way that made her mind grow dim and her body spark like a live-wire. Never in a way that made her want to groan into this man’s mouth with primal triumph.

He let out a guttural sound as though he were on the exact same page, and the sound bounced around her every nerve like a pinball, lighting her up.

A small gasp to their right had her eyes flying open. Breaths heavy, she pulled back to see one of the waitresses holding a plate: Victor’s special dessert.

Cortez shot the poor woman a look of such malice, Naia wasn’t sure she shouldn’t worry for her safety. “Apologies, I-I’ll just leave this here.” She hastened to set the dish down on a nearby table and then tripped over herself to get back inside.

Too late. The spell was broken. Naia was appalled at her lack of self-control. Untangling herself from Cortez’s arms, she took several steps back while her lungs continued to battle for the proper level of oxygen. God, she was out of her element. She was here to get a job and scrounge up some information for Dante, not to seduce the boss. Or rather, get seduced.

Cortez still appeared perturbed by the interruption, but wisely gave her space, though he studied her expression closely. She must look half in shock. Or half in lust. She couldn’t decide.

“I think we should go back.” She didn’t wait for him to agree. She beelined it to the door and started down the stairs, her heels clanging on the metal. She still had her Champagne glass in her left hand. How she’d managed to hold on to it, she couldn’t say, but she did notice some of the liquid had spilled over the edge onto her clutching fingers.

At the elevator, she triple pressed the button.

“Will your man be upset by what just happened?” he asked, sidling up beside her.

She was about to snap again that she didn’t have a man, but wondered if that was wise. Could she salvage her mission if he thought she was taken? “Wouldn’t you?”

His jaw clenched. “If you were mine, I’d be murderous.” At her slight intake of breath, he added. “Any man who attempted to take you from me would be risking death.”

“You can’t be serious!”

“I said if you were mine. You’re not...yet.”

She gaped at him, speechless, as the elevator doors parted. He stepped inside and held the doors for her. For several moments, she couldn’t quite get her legs to obey. Stiffly, she made it inside and then was once more entombed with the man who was both terrifying her and amazing her with his every unpredictable action. What would he do next?

“Stay the night with me.”

Stunned, she said, “You don’t waste any time, do you?”

That half-smile returned to his features, blasting the butterflies in her stomach into a frenzy. “When I see something I want, I go after it.”

And he wanted her? She liked the idea way too much. “You don’t date employees, but you sleep with them?”

He frowned. “No.”

“So then if I stayed with you, I’d be ruining my chances at a job.” They landed on the first floor, and she exited the elevator.

“What if I told you I have no intention of hiring you anyway?”

Her heart sank, but she didn’t let it show. “Then I’d say I’m wasting my time here. And as you pointed out, I have better things to do.” His lips thinned at the double-entendre. Let him think she had someone waiting on her. Served him right for pulling that rug out from under her. Seven grand went poof in her mind, gone from her future with not so much as a snap of the finger. Her dream job with it. She realized then that there was no way she and Cole could gather the money in time. They were going to have to run.

She was already mentally packing when Cortez said. “What about that wager?”

“Huh?”

“I proposed a wager earlier. You seemed interested.”

“And what would that be?”

“Another game of pool. If you win, I’ll give you a job.”

The whole reason she’d sought him out! She faced him, steeling herself for the catch. “And if you win?” She almost didn’t need to ask.

“You’ll blow off your date and stay the night with me instead.”

She bit her lip, seeing that money land back in her future. The hustler in her bellied up, while logic danced like a prizefighter ready to box. Cortez was good at billiards. As good as her, if not better. Playing him was a risk. If she agreed to this ridiculous wager and she lost, he’d expect her to pay up. She’d have to stay the night with him. As in with him with him? It wasn’t like he was asking for a pajama party and Parcheesi. He wanted her body at his disposal. And would that really be a hardship? Part of her knew a night with him would be mind-blowing. She was using all her willpower not to picture it.

A successful club owner such as he could have his pick, of both vein and body. Literally. Toss his room key into the crowd and women would be throwing elbows to get to it. So why was he so focused on her?

“I suppose it’s my blood you’re after.”

He shook his head. “I have plenty of donors ready and willing. Biting is off the table if you’d prefer.”

“I would.” Had she just said that? Was she seriously considering this?

And why not? It was practically a win/win scenario?

She was smart enough to admit to herself she wanted him too. That small taste on the roof had parts of her brain still fogged with lust.

Now that she thought about it, her mission had nothing to do with her landing a job, per say. Sure, as an employee, she could snoop around, but as a lover, what sort of doors might open to her?

Of course, that was only if she lost. If she wiped the floor with him again, would he keep his word and hire her? She glanced back at the shiny stage, imagining herself up there singing her favorite tunes, Cole’s debt paid, no more worries for either of them.

She studied Cortez, and her thoughts turned to those talented lips, those hard muscles...at her disposal.

It seemed no matter how she viewed the situation, she was looking at a win/win.

Grinning up at him, she said blithely, “I’ll break.”