Page 22 of Sinful Attraction

That sting again. I want to yell at him. Instead, I stay calm and nod. “I understand.”I understand that you’re being way more of an asshole about this than is warranted, and I understand that you’re shortsighted and don’t take it seriously when I say I have one foot out the door.

And that hurts more than anything else. My father dismisses me so much that he doesn’t even pay attention when I say I might just leave and go no contact. He just wants me to shut up so I don’t upset Mom.

I deserve so much better than this. But I know I can’t pick my family or control how they act.

I head for my room to unpack and do my laundry, quietly seething the whole time.

Tonight, I decide to agree to Michael’s team-up idea, especially since he has revealed the spy’s name to me.

It’s very simple. He’s a thief with a big ego, guilt for screwing me over, and a huge crush on me. I am going to use how much he wants me and how much he underestimates me to my every advantage.

I’m going to get my family that money, I’m going to use the program to profit even more, and best of all, I’m going to make sure Michael takes a fall in the end and is humiliated in front of my family just like I was.

I’ll have to play part of my plan by ear. I still want to find that goddamn money so I can walk away with it. He’ll have to settle for knowing who screwed him, though.

I’ve never been the classic seductress type. I’m not manipulative enough. I can lie when I have to, but when I look at the kind of women who use men habitually, I feel a little sick. I’ve met plenty like that—gold-digging mob wives, private-school girls getting surgery in their teens to try and land a billionaire boyfriend—and I can’t respect them.

So, I go with my strengths instead. I’m not just a computer genius who is more than a match for him. I’m also a hot single woman he’s wanted for years. My first step, once I’ve calmed down enough to focus, is to hit up my wardrobe.

I tend to go for a modern-professional look. Dressing for success and all that. Weekends are for jeans or a nice dress, but right now, I’m looking for something a little... higher intensity.

I went through a minidress phase in college. I was going clubbing with a couple of wild friends who were trying to drag me out of my shell, and that meant dressing for it. That meant stretchy, sleek, and as short as I dared. My mother caught me once in a little black dress from the collection once and screamed like I was 14 instead of 20.

My mother can go to hell.

I pull out the three hottest dresses I own and stare between them, wondering what I can get away with when I go to meet Michael. He will know something was up if I rock up in anything too overtly hot, so I set aside the leather dress and consider the other two.

The little black dress is a staple, and I can tone it down just a tad with a charcoal blazer and matching dark gray pumps. It’s prettycleavagey, but not enough that I look like I’m falling out of it. I go with that. I can always break out the leather or get something new if more subtle methods don’t work. But Michael’s already weak to me. I probably won’t need the big guns.

I have a set of black silk underwear and stockings to go with the outfit and a black garter belt with straps that will just barely show under the skirt at certain angles. I wear ruby earrings and a matching necklace with lipstick of the same shade and simple eyeliner. My perfume is musky and slightly sweet. With my hair piled up into a messy bun, I look like a sexy librarian.

Now, I just have to figure out how to get Michael to take the bait without my emotions getting involved. I’m definitely attracted to him, and in a situation like this, we could end up getting... intimate. How can I keep from catching feelings?

That’s easy. All I have to do is remind myself of all the crap he’s put me through and that my parents have put me through because of him. If I do that often enough, there’s no way I can actually fall for him.

My parents have no idea of my plans toworkwith Michael, and I don’t plan to tell them. The next time I’ll tell them what’s going on with me, I’ll have that money back in my hands. Of course, by then, I may just choose to take it and walk away if they keep treating me like this. But I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.

The outfit works like a charm. The moment I get out of my car in front of Michael’s Nob Hill flat, I look up and see him standing at the big picture window, staring down at me with a stunned look in his eyes. He catches himself when he sees me stop and look up and calms his expression, even as I fight a smile.

He meets me at the door, pulling it open before I can even walk up and knock. His eyes are having trouble staying on my face. His gaze wants to roam. I pose myself subtly, toss my head back and give him plenty to look at.

“You look amazing,” he says before he can stop himself.

I smile politely. “Thank you. I prefer to dress like I’ve already won the fight. It helps keep me in the right mindset.” Of course, I am here for battle on two fronts: against the thief we are hunting and against the thief calling himself my ally.

I wonder how much my look turns him on. It certainly seems to distract him. Maybe he’ll pick up that I’m subtly flirting with him. It’s all right if he does. He’ll probably just take it as an invitation.

He’s one of those guys whose body could look good in rags. The jeans, boots, and button-down shirt with the rolled elbows are a step up from his usual band T-shirts look, but it doesn’t cling to his muscled shoulders like they do. I appreciate the bit of effort, but I’m still glad I outshine him.

He’s hot enough without wrapping the package nicely. I need him off-balance with a desire for me. I need to keep my own feet on the ground while I’m doing that to him. If he cleans up too well, I might be in trouble.

“I passed on the information about Imelda,” I say as he leads me inside.

He glances at me, seeming a little disappointed that I’m getting straight to business. “What was the response?”

I scoff. “My father says he’ll look into it. I even gave him the details you gave me on Imelda’s financials. It didn’t really impress him.”

He frowns. “Will he actually follow up?”

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