Page 25 of Playing By His Rules

“While we’re together?” She laughed, the sound light and humorous. “You make it sound like we’re dating, or something.”

“Or something,” he said with a shrug. “Which brings me around to what I wanted to talk to you about before we got distracted by other things.”Like William, sex clubs, and threesomes.

“Okay . . .” She absently toyed with the pink bracelet around her wrist. “That sounds . . . serious.”

“Kind of.” He slid his hand into hers and smiled to put her at ease. “How much debt did your father leave you with?”

She appeared startled for a moment, then frowned. “Why does it matter?”

“Tell me, Madison.” His tone was firm in a way that made her aware of how determined he was. That he wasn’t backing down until she gave him the answer he sought.

She ducked her head, but not before he caught the flush of embarrassment sweeping across her cheeks. “Thirty thousand dollars.”

Jesus, Christ.Rick clenched his jaw so that he didn’t curse out loud, furious as he was with her deceased father. No wonder Madison had turned to escorting. She needed as much money as possible, as quickly as possible—yet that staggering amount would takemonthsfor her to earn as a companion.

As if gathering her composure again, or maybe it was her pride, she lifted her chin and met his gaze, a stubborn glint in her eyes. “Why does it matter?” she asked again.

“Because I have a proposal for you, and I want you to know right up front that money is not an issue for me.”

And it wasn’t. While Dean and Mac had paid for last night’s fee with Madison, what Rick was about to propose was all on him and it would barely put a dent in his financial portfolio. He made good money, had a solid savings and retirement, and had invested in stocks that had made him a shit-ton of money over the years. More than he currently knew what to do with as a single guy.

Bottom line, he wanted Madison, and after last night he knew the feeling was mutual. He wasn’t asking for anything that they hadn’t already both enjoyed and craved more of.

“Instead of you coming here every night to go up to The Penthouse where you may or may not find a companion, I’m offering you thirty thousand dollars—"

She stiffened at the mention of the money and cut him off. “I don’t want to be some kind of charity case.”

“Oh, you won’t be, I promise,” he said in a low, husky tone, while inwardly grinning at her indignant attitude, which made him think of that spanking he still wanted to give her. “Because there’s something I want in exchange for that money. Something I know you want as much as I do.”

He caught the glimmer of wariness in her eyes, which was gradually replaced with intrigue, then anticipation as she waited for him to continue.

“Thirty thousand dollars, and for the next week, while I’m here in Vegas on business, I want you to stay with me at the hotel—”

“And you want sex?” she blurted out, though she didn’t sound scandalized or even opposed to the idea.

“More than just sex,” he clarified. “What I want . . . what Idemand, is your complete surrender in the bedroom.”

Chapter 12

To say she was offended or insulted by Rick’s offer would be a flat-out lie. In fact, Madison was well aware that getting angry would only make her a hypocrite since he’d accurately assessed the situation—that shediddesire Rick, just as much as she had last night, if not more. She just didn’t think it would happen again.

Hot, illicit sex and time spent with Rick for a staggering amount of money would settle a lot of her father’s debt, let her catch up on her own finances, and alleviate so much of her stress and worries. He was providing her with a way out, one he could clearly afford, and she’d be an idiot to say no out of some misplaced sense of pride.

But before she agreed, she needed a little more clarification. “What does that mean, exactly? That you demand my complete surrender in the bedroom?” she asked, certain she had an idea, but preferring to hear his terms out loud.

“It means, playing by my rules, my way,” he said, leaning back against the loveseat, looking confident and incredibly sexy. “It means, allowing me to push your boundaries while trusting me to give you, and your body, what it needs. Just like you did last night. It means, giving me control over your pleasure, and your orgasms, in any way I choose . . . with the exception of you using your safe word if you need to.”

His explanation was straight-forward and reassuring, yet she couldn’t help but feel a slight hesitation, despite how much his proposition appealed to her. And it wasn’t just about the money, but also the thought of spending more time with him.

She liked Rick. A whole lot. And that connection between them was disconcerting in itself because this was a temporary affair. He wasn’t offering her a long-term arrangement, not that she expected one from a man traveling on business. By next weekend, he’d be back in California, and she’d still be in Vegas, trying to figure out the next direction in her and Andrea’s life.

She exhaled a deep breath, telling herself that she just had to be careful with her emotions and keeping her feelings for him from becoming anything more than just physical attraction and pleasure. Certainly, she was capable of that.

He was waiting patiently for her response, not pressuring her in any way, making it so incredibly easy for her to trust him, and his offer. “Okay. You have a deal.”

Giving her a sinfully satisfied smile that made her panties damp, he stood up and extended his hand toward her. “Then let’s head up to my room and I’ll get the payment transferred.”

She slid her fingers into his warm, secure palm, allowing him to pull her to her feet. Without an ounce of nerves to accompany her since she wasall inand actually excited for what lay ahead, she followed Rick up to his suite. As soon as they walked inside his cellphone rang. He looked at the display and sighed.

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