Page 3 of Greed

The backseatof this Mercedes feels cramped, and that has nothing to do with the tiara on my head or the gown I’m wearing.

On a whim, I bought it all online, when my friend, Nyssa Vandalli, told me her daughter loves a certain fairytale princess who loses her glass slipper as she’s fleeing the ball.

I thought it would create a lasting memory for her daughter. Little Myka screamed in delight when she saw me appear in the doorway of their apartment, but as soon as her best friends from playschool showed up, I blended into the background.

I was overlooked for a fun game about a donkey missing its tail and a three-layer birthday cake covered with white chocolate butterflies.

“How often do you venture out dressed as a character in a child’s book?”

I glance at Declan, whose gaze is cast on my face before it drops to my chest. I didn’t intend to buy a gown that came complete with a built-in push-up bra, but I sure as hell didn’t complain once I had it on.

It’s doing my breasts all kinds of favors. The only problem is that I can’t see myself wearing this getup again until Halloween.

“I have a red hooded coat.” I smile. “There are a lot of big, bad wolves in this city, so I suppose in some way that qualifies as a twist on a storybook character.”

“There are wolves in New York City?” he asks as if he’s unaware that he’s one of them.

There’s enough chatter in the break room of Thorsen & Associates to populate a gossip website for eternity. Declan Wells has a reputation for being cutthroat in business and a beast in the bedroom.

All of that is hearsay, though, and I’m a lawyer, so I should ignore it, but it’s hard to when he exudes a heady mix of control and power.

“I’ve met a few,” I quip. “I may have dated one or two.”

“Tell me more.”

“A woman never kisses and tells,” I say with a smile. “I respect privacy.”

“Yet, you memorized my birthday and address from my driver’s license.”

Guilty as charged, but I shrug. “Why would I do that?”

“The very same reason I can’t take my eyes off you.”

Oh, that’s smooth. It’s so smooth that my cheeks blush pink, and the rest of me heats in anticipation of what could be.

I glance in his direction to find his gaze searing into me. Intensity is one thing, but this is a notch above that. Declan Wells has pinned me in place with his eyes.

“I’m…” I stop to find a word to fill in the blank, or at least one that won’t reveal what I want.

I want him in a bed without this gown or his tux.

Sudden images of him naked above me, pounding his cock into me, take over everything else.

I’m saved, or perhaps it’s cursed when his phone rings.

“I’d ignore it, but I can’t.” He tosses me an apologetic grin. “My brother’s fiancée is about to have a baby.”

Again, I know that even though I shouldn’t.

Callie Morrow, the pregnant soon-to-be wife of Sean Wells, works at Wells too. I’ve shared the elevator with her in the past. I’ve seen the progression of her baby bump from barely noticeable toholy-heck-that-baby-is-due-any-day.

“Sean,” he answers the phone in a clipped tone with his gaze locked on my face.

I glance down to catch my breath.

“I’m headed home now,” he says. “I’ll stop by in the morning with brunch.”

I sneak a peek out of the window of the car. We’re less than two blocks from Declan’s building, so if one of us is going to make a move, it needs to happen soon.

---