Page 19 of Sensual Games

Either way, he was old enough to handle it.

“Thankyou all so much for bearing with us tonight.” When the room erupted in applause, I took a tiny bow. It was almost surreal. Standing in front of so many people, trying to keep the energy high and positive, I felt Lucian’s eyes on me throughout my little speech after dinner.

Let him stare at me now while sixty of his supposed employees applauded me.

“You’re all free to explore the lodge,” I announced. “There’s a nice lounge down the hall, in case you haven’t visited yet, and a game room past the lobby. The weather is supposed to be much better tomorrow, so it looks like we’ll be able to get out there for a hike before our mixer tomorrow night.”

There were a few whistles of appreciation when I brought that up. Somehow, Cynthia had managed to call in a favor and arranged for a popular band to perform at the party scheduled for Saturday night. There would be dancing, drinking, and unwinding after a day spent together.

Everybody seemed to be in good spirits by the time we broke up for the night, with some people talking about heading to the lounge while others seemed more interested in heading back to their rooms. I would’ve liked to go back to my room. I was exhausted and knew exactly the kind of long day I had ahead of me. What a shame I would have rather chopped off my hand than spend another minute with a vile piece of shit who wasted no time heading out after the post-dinner meeting was over.

“Why even bother coming?” I heard the question and turned to find the speaker, who was none other than Molly Kramer from Jones. “It’s obvious he has better things to do.”

Oh, how much did I want to agree with her? She didn’t have a clue just how far the man could sink. I could tell her stories that would curl her hair—one of Mom’s old sayings.

Thinking of her reminded me I had promised to call once things had wrapped up for the night. It also reminded me I still needed to play nice, even if Lucian was making it harder every damn day.

“I’m sure he’s got other things on his mind,” I pointed out as I approached the cluster of women hanging out near the doorway. “Not everybody in his position would join in on something like this. Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt.”

The words practically curdled in my mouth, but everybody seemed to accept them, even blushing and looking at the floor like they were embarrassed after getting caught. “So, what do you think of your rooms?” I asked, changing the subject when it was obvious I had made everybody uncomfortable. I was still getting the hang of this whole managerial thing, though I knew damn well I was better at it than Lucian could ever hope to be.

Funny, but I was dreading being alone with him only minutes ago. Now, I could hardly wait to point out what an uncooperative prick he was.

After saying good night to everybody still hanging around, I trekked through the lobby to the elevator. The lodge was more like a small city. I had scheduled free time tomorrow at Cynthia’s suggestion and now considered visiting the spa on the premises. If there were anybody in history who deserved a massage, it was me. The idea danced around in my head as I waited for one of the two elevators to arrive.

“There you are.” I recognized Brad’s voice before turning to find him coming my way. The rustic surroundings made him look even more like a model about to do something outdoorsy for a photo shoot. “Going back up so soon? I thought for sure you’d want to hang out, grab a drink with us.”

Was there any nice way to tell him I wanted almost nothing less than I wanted to do what he described? Sure, the alternative was going upstairs and facing Lucian, but at least then I wouldn’t have to pretend to be in a better mood than I was. I didn’t have it in me to be social, and it was that prick’s fault.

“I’m wiped,” I confessed with a weak shrug. “And I have so much to go over before tomorrow. I wouldn’t be any fun, anyway.”

“You don’t know that.” His blue eyes searched my face like he was looking for a hint of encouragement.

“I don’t know how I feel?” I tipped my head to the side and watched his face fall. “I think I know how I feel, Brad.”

“I didn’t mean it that way. I’m sorry, I’m messing this up.” He ran a hand through his blond hair and sighed. “I was hoping you wanted to hang out. That’s all.”

“I’m awfully sorry to disappoint you.” I had to tread carefully. This would be a lot easier if I didn’t know he liked me. The saddest part was how I craved someone simple and uncomplicated like Brad. I knew where I stood. There was no screwing around, no games.

But I was his superior, which meant a whole other set of problems. That, and he had never sparked anything in me. We had no chemistry, unlike Lucian and me. “I’ll see you first thing in the morning at breakfast. And have fun,” I encouraged once the elevator doors finally opened so I could make my escape. “That’s what this weekend is all about, right?”

He didn’t look convinced. If anything, he looked even more disappointed than he was before. What? Did he think this would be the weekend when we finally got together? Oh, no, I hoped not.

One thing at a time.

My immediate problemwas figuring out a way to coexist with Lucian without committing homicide. Not that I particularly cared whether he lived or died at the moment, but Mom needed me. I wouldn’t be much good to her in a prison cell.

My feet were lead blocks, but I dragged myself down the hallway anyway, my heart pounding in anticipation of what was to come. If only it didn’t feel like I was preparing for battle.

The shower was running when I opened the door to the room. He was humming in there, the prick. He even managed to sound happy. A man without a care in the world. That was how he had always lived, wasn’t it? And he had the audacity to sabotage me when he had lived life on easy mode all along.

While he was safely behind a closed door, I quickly unpacked since I didn’t have a lot of time to do it earlier. I was also feeling more than a little stubborn. Unpacking meant admitting there was no getting out of this situation. Fighting against it was a waste of time, though, and I didn’t want to make an ass out of myself by refusing to make myself comfortable on principle.

How were we supposed to share a bed, and why the hell did my body insist on tingling at the thought? Okay, so there was no real question there. The night we spent together was probably the hottest ever. It would be stupid of me, unforgivably stupid if I gave in to my body’s urges.

Lucian Diamond wasn’t just dangerous as far as my career was concerned. He was a walking nuclear bomb that could blow everything up and leave me scrambling to pick up the burned pieces. No amount of sex was worth that, no matter how good.Stop thinking about it, you idiot.

The shower turned off, giving me no choice but to step out onto the balcony to call Mom without him hanging over my shoulder. The night air was fresh and clear after all that rain. The clouds were breaking up, giving me a glimpse of a starry sky and a three-quarter moon.

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