Page 30 of Playing By His Rules

As she looked one last time in the bathroom mirror, she barely recognized the beautiful, sophisticated woman staring back at her. The transformation from average and ordinary to classy and refined made her feel like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, and the irony of that comparison wasn’t lost on her.

A pang of guilt brought her back to reality. For as much as Rick had insisted she not argue over his generosity, this extravagant make-over and expensive pampering wasnotin their original agreement. And she couldn’t, in good conscious, take advantage of his kindness and wealth, no matter how rich he might be.

Madison wasnother father’s daughter, and she didn’t intend to start now.

Hearing the door out in the living area open, then close, she knew that Rick had finally arrived. With a deep, fortifying breath, she headed out of the bedroom to greet him.

Chapter 14

Rick couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so anxious for a workday to end. Fortunately, the hours had gone by quickly as he met with a few of Reign’s board members, who’d given him a thorough tour of the casino along with showing him the current cyber security measures they had in place. There was plenty of room for improvement, which they’d discussed over a long, drawn out lunch.

He had few things to add to the presentation set for Wednesday, but overall Rick was confident that the new system and updates he planned to propose would win the board members over and they’d go to contract very soon.

After leaving the casino offices, he’d made a quick call to Noble and Associates to let Mac and Dean know where things stood and what had been discussed during his meeting and tour with upper management. Thankfully, both men had been busy fielding clients and calls and hadn’t had the opportunity to grill him about what had transpired Saturday night at The Penthouse.

Other than a quick “I see you put the membership to good use” from Mac and a joking remark from Dean of “I’m glad to see that your dick isn’t broken, and I hope you got your money’s worth”, that had been the extent of that conversation, thank God. Rick wasn’t ready to share the fact that he’d fallen for a woman so damn quickly, to the point that he’d bought her company for the rest of the week. Dean and Mac would laugh their asses off over that turn of events, for sure.

Besides, there was no telling where things with Madison would go after the next few days together, especially considering the issue of where they each lived. But as insane as it sounded even to him, the more time he spent getting to know her personally, the more he felt as though he’d found a woman who could fill all those vacant spaces inside him. The ones left empty from the mother who’d abandoned him when he’d been a kid. A few girlfriends had come and gone over the years, but none had ever given him that sense of contentment he felt when he was with Madison.

She was sweet and kind and unassuming, determined and strong-willed in the face of adversity, and guileless and trusting when she should have been hardened and jaded after what her father had put her and her sister through. But mostly, she brought out a protective instinct in him that made him want to take care of Madison and show her that she deserved so much more than the shitty hand life had doled out to her.

Which made Rick think about the day and evening he’d planned for her—from the boutique’s delivery this morning, to an afternoon at the salon, and on to the night’s festivities that included dinner at a five-star restaurant and one of the most coveted shows in Las Vegas. As fantastic as the sex was between them, he didn’t want Madison to think that’s all he’d wanted her company for. Tonight would hopefully show her that she already meant more to him than a temporary affair.

Strolling into the quiet suite, he set the leather attaché case holding his laptop on the coffee table. “Madison?” he called out, hoping that she hadn’t gotten cold feet again and decided to leave.

“I’m here.” Her voice drifted from the other room, much to his relief.

He turned around just as she came out of the bedroom, and Rick felt his jaw go slack as he took in the stunning vision approaching him—the silky looking hair styled in soft waves around her shoulders, the subtle make-up accenting her features, the pop of cherry red on her lips, and the sexy dress that painted the curves of her body a vibrant, scarlet hue.

Holy shit, he thought, feeling as though he’d just won the fucking lottery.

She stopped a few feet away, radiating poise and grace, then smiled a bit self-consciously, despite how gorgeous she looked. “How was your day?”

He managed to untangle his tongue to speak. “So much better now that I’m here with you,” he said, meaning it. “You lookincredible.”

“Thank you,” she murmured as she smoothed a hand down the flowy material that draped loosely from her waist before shifting uneasily on her heels. “Rick . . . I really do appreciate your generosity, but everything you did for me today . . . it’s much too excessive and I want to pay you back from the amount you deposited into my account for this week.”

Rick sighed. He should have anticipated this conversation, despite her earlier agreement because he’d already learned what a prideful woman Madison was. “That’s not going to happen, sweetheart,” he told her, then shrugged nonchalantly. “And if the clothes offend you that much, you’re welcome to strip out of them right here and now.” He smirked.

Clearly not expecting his teasing suggestion, her eyes widened in surprise.

Before she could respond, he gave her a more pointed look. “Didn’t we already have this conversation via text, Madison?” he reminded her.

She glanced away. “I really don’t deserve all this,” she said softly.

Closing the distance between them in a few steps, he touched his fingers beneath her chin and tilted her head back so she was looking directly into his eyes and could see how sincere his next words were. “That’s where you’reverywrong,” he said adamantly, and even though he knew the answer to his next question, he asked anyway. “When was the last time someone spoiled you?”

A stubborn light flashed in her pretty blue eyes. “That’s not the point.”

“It’sexactlythe point,” he countered gently. “You deserve to be treated like a queen, and seeing that look in your eyes when you first walked out of the bedroom makes every penny I spent well worth it.”

Her perfectly shaped brows furrowed in confusion. “What look in my eyes?”

“Like youfeelas beautiful as you look.”

“I do,” she admitted softly, then finally relented with a sigh that made all that headstrong tension ease from her body. “Thank you again . . . for everything.”

“It was my pleasure,” he said truthfully, and decided to change up the serious conversation with something that would undoubtedly set the mood going forward and for later tonight. “You look sexy as fuck, and if that red lipstick didn’t look so perfect on your mouth, I’d kiss the hell out of you right now. But we’ll save that for later . . . when I can see those sexy red lips wrapped around my cock as you suck me off.”

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