LITMIR.BIZ

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he had asked.

      “Well, I think I do. Depends on how the dragon is feeling today.”

      He had barked out a surprised laugh at her response. As soon as the words left her pretty, full lips, her eyes had widened and she slammed a hand over her mouth, suppressing a groan. His libido and humor were at war with each other, both vying for dominance.

      He had known who Nikki was referring to: Ms. Nadine Rockway, the accounting manager.

      He also knew the woman had breath that could start a forest fire. But Nadine Rockway was a damn good accountant, one who had been handling the books for various Hardaway companies and working for and with his mother for years. The two were like sisters. Of a sort.

      But her breath still stank to high heaven.

      “Dragon lady, huh?” he had asked, staring down at her, keeping a straight face. “Is that because she’s so...seasoned?” She bit her lip, but Max had seen the glint of humor in her pretty brown eyes and he had pressed on. “Or is it because her breath could scorch the fine hairs off a frog’s back?”

      “Well...that’s an interesting way of putting it,” she had stated, and they both had laughed.

      “This is my floor,” she had said, the giggles subsiding as the elevator came to a halt. “Maybe I’ll see you around.”

      “No doubt about it, Ms. Danes,” he had murmured.

      After she’d left the elevator, her unique scent remained. Unconsciously, Max had adjusted himself in his pants, his shaft reacting again to the scent of the woman.

      But as enticing as her unique scent had been, her casual beauty and the hint of her offbeat humor had snared his attention even more.

      When the elevator had reached his floor, Max had stepped into the upper management offices with a new, upbeat feeling, suddenly looking forward to his stint. And all because of Nikki Danes.

      Over the following weeks, he had gone out of his way to see her, finding any excuse to visit the administrative offices and catch glimpses of her. Yet for all the times he’d seen her, he’d become frustrated as hell, because he’d not once since that first moment had one damn moment alone with her.

      Now nights were beginning to merge into one long pubescent wet dream, wherein he’d wake up with his shaft in his hand and sexy images of the pretty accounting assistant teasing his mind.

      Despite his veiled excuses to visit the accounting department, he’d not had the opportunity to get her alone and talk to her. Not that Max hadn’t tried his damnedest.

      He’d found out her lunchtime, and although he’d gone to the cafeteria, he hadn’t caught a glimpse of her. Further snooping and he’d found out she was a full-time grad student and often used her lunch periods to go and study.

      Although his identity as a member of the Hardaway family was unknown, there were two people who knew who he really was: Nadine Rockway, Nikki’s immediate supervisor and the head of the accounting department, and the chief of security and personnel, James Green.

      Max knew that if he accessed the records and looked her up himself, it would be suspicious. There was no way in hell he was going to go to Nadine and ask. Without a doubt he knew that it would become a topic of conversation between the woman and his mother, something he could do without.

      Which left James, a much better candidate for his mission to find out all he could about Nikki. The man had worked for the family business for years, just as Nadine had, but he was less inclined to gossip with Max’s mother. Without asking questions—he was the chief of security, after all—he’d not only pulled her personal records from the files, but he’d also loaded her full dossier on a jump drive and placed it in a sealed envelope.

      Max had, without shame, plugged the jump drive into his laptop, sat back and learned everything he could about her....

      It was then he had decided a company party to celebrate the holidays was in order. And not just any type. For this holiday party, he had communicated to the staff the importance of attendance and dressing up.

      He wanted to see her all dolled up, he had thought with a satisfied smile on his face.

      Max felt a hot glide of awareness the minute she came into the room. He was snapped out of the memory, his glance colliding with hers.

      Nikki Danes.

      As those around him continued to speak—it was all background noise—his focus was all on her.

      He moved his head to the side to try to catch a better look at her, and fought the urge to shove Larry from the design department to the side when the obese man blocked his view. When Larry finally moved aside to chase down one of the waiters carrying a platter of small sandwiches, Max finally caught a real good look at her.

      Hot damn, he thought, his eyes on the gorgeous woman. He felt as though he’d been kicked in the chest the minute he got a good visual of her.

      He’d had an idea she had a fine body, but no way did he know it looked like that. His cock thumped inside his shorts in response.

      The dress she wore hugged every inch of her perfect curves like a custom-made glove.

      The bold, deep red color of the wrap dress complemented her deep chocolate skin tone. Her legs seemed to go on forever and a day.... Again his cock stirred, thickening, elongating in response.

      Even her shoes were sexy; they matched her dress in color, with strings that tied at her ankles and formed perfect bows. Bows he longed to unwrap. He loved a woman wearing stilettos, especially one with the kind of legs Nikki had.

      He mumbled apologies as he began to move toward her, blindly ignoring those around him.

      He only had eyes for her. And he intended to make her his....

      Chapter 3

      “I made it, chica!” Startled out of her deer-in-the-headlights stare with Max, Nikki nearly jumped out of her skin when Tony spoke directly behind her.

      Turning, she was caught up in a hug filled with the mixed scent of True Star and jasmine, Tony’s personal “signature” blend.

      Although moments before she’d only had eyes for the man heading her way, the distraction of her friend’s surprise appearance had her grinning ear to ear.

      “I thought you weren’t going to make it!” she said, pushing away and smiling up at Tony. She was used to having to look up at most people, but tonight, in the five-inch stilettos she was rocking, she was almost five foot nine, which would have put her closer to Tony’s height of five foot eleven.

      If he hadn’t been wearing heels just as high. All in black except for the shiny silver vest and matching wedge-heeled shoes, he was...spectacular.

      “Wow, you look great!” Nikki screamed.

      “Oh, my God, no, chica, look at you! Hmm, mami, you look beautiful! A perfect ten!” he exclaimed, and Nikki gave him a fierce hug. A compliment like that from Tony was no easy thing, as he considered himself the guru of fashion. Around the office he had Nikki giggling constantly in his role as the self-proclaimed fashion police.

      She spun around in a small circle for his full inspection, lightly curtsying and laughing. “So you like?”

      Tony tilted his head to the side. A look entered his dark brown eyes, one that immediately told her he suspected something. “Uh-huh...and just who is this for?” he asked.

      “This night is all about me,” she said breezily.

      Unable to resist, she glanced in the direction Max had been coming from, quelling the disappointment when she saw he had vanished. She barely refrained from slumping her shoulders and pouting like a little kid who couldn’t find her favorite toy.

      She quickly turned away, not wanting Tony and his discerning eyes to catch on.

      Placing a

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