No Relationship Required

Spectacular Collaboration

Kara's cheerful voice carried into Bree's office. "Good morning! You must be Wyatt Ryder. I've seen your work. You're amazing!"

Bree smiled as she listened to her assistant gush over their visitor. He'd probably think he inspired the girl's enthusiasm, but she greeted every guest with fangirl zeal. Bree had hired her for her infectious excitement.

"And who is this handsome fellow? What a sweetheart you are."

Handsome fellow? That's an odd way to describe an assistant. Did he bring a kid? Bree snatched a book off the floor and jammed it on the shelf.

A rich masculine voice—oddly familiar—rumbled across the room. "He's my service dog."

She darted over to the wall and wrestled with a photo that refused to hang level. Service dog?

"He's just gorgeous." Kara's gusto reached sickening levels. "Can I pet him? Would he mind?"

"Spencer would love it."

Spencer! The frame slipped from her hands and crashed to the floor as Bree spun and ran to the lobby. She stopped short, bracing herself in the doorway and catching her breath while heat flashed from her face to her thighs. The man who'd called himself Dash stood in her lobby, smiling at her assistant while his golden retriever wagged his tail. He'd ditched the dusty jeans for a tailored suit that hugged his sculpted body like a damn glove. She found her voice and managed to spit out one word. "You?"

He turned and stared at her, a groan escaping him as he rolled his eyes. "Me." He swept his hair back, revealing the cyborg implant, and the smile he'd given Kara reappeared as a gloating smirk.

Spencer barked and wagged his tail.

"Him too." Dash—or whatever the hell his name is—tightened his grip on the dog's leash.

Bree pushed back from the doorframe and squared her shoulders. "Get your ass in my office."

"My ass?" His lips pressed into a tight line, but his eyes sparkled with wicked glee. "Is that how you conduct appointments?"

Bastard knows I can't resist his butt. "Good morning, Mr. Ryder." She pasted a civil business smile on. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Please step into my office and we'll discuss our proposed collaboration."

"That's appropriate...for now." He winked and let Spencer lead him inside.

Bree rolled her eyes and glanced at her assistant. "Kara, is the coffee ready?"

"No, the pot is broken."

Damn it, I have to do this without caffeine. She slammed the door behind him. "But first, I need to beat your lying ass."

He'd been striding across the room, but her comment stopped him in his tracks and he whirled. "No one beats me." He backed her up against the door, his body a split-second from crushing hers. "Especially not a woman."

Her heart hammered and her thighs trembled. "Someone needs to."

Spencer sat in the middle of the room and cocked his head to one side.

Wyatt—if that's his real name—leaned in close. "I could kiss you." His lips parted and his mouth paused a breath from hers. "But I won't."

A whimper caught Bree's attention. Spencer? Sweet mother, that came from me. She shoved her hair behind her ear with a shaking hand. "Tell me your real name."

"Oh, you know who I am. Everyone in the fashion industry does. I'm surprised—no, insulted that you didn't recognize me yesterday."

Heat from his body seeped into hers and practically melted her on the spot. Why hadn't she recognized him? "I've never seen your face, so I never made the connection. I had no reason to believe you were anyone other than who you claimed to be."

He slid closer, mashing his rigid cock against her soft thighs. "I lied to you because I had every reason to keep my distance."

***

The possibility of a sexual harassment claim couldn't keep Wyatt from fondling Bree the way he'd dreamed about last night. Erotic images and carnal sensations had kept him awake for hours, persisting after he fell asleep. He'd taken a long shower this morning, and thought he'd expelled the memory of her with his orgasm, but a fresh erection probed her luscious thighs and resurrected his nastier urges. He'd never accosted a woman like that, but her threat to beat his ass aroused the beast in him.

She purred and ground her hips against him. "You failed."

"Spectacularly." But the specter of another doomed relationship hovered over him and he pushed back, steering her away from the inviting couch. "Um...collaboration?"

"Co-what?" She blinked as if stunned by his sudden retreat. "Oh, the ad campaign. Right." She smoothed her rumpled blouse, stretching the fabric over her perky breasts and shorting out Wyatt's brain as she brushed past him.

Wyatt adjusted his pants as she bent over her desk. Damn suit fit him a little too well. Her hair spilled over her shoulders in a cascade of spiraled curls. Yesterday, she'd worn it straight and a touch shorter if he remembered right. Amazing how women could change their entire look with a hairstyle.

Spencer groaned and curled up under the worktable.

She stood upright and walked over to the whiteboard on the wall, tapping a file and dragging its contents to the center with a touch of her finger. "Jameson Enterprises wants a national marketing push for their new men's cologne, Sin. I'm bidding for the campaign against two larger competitors, so I'm going to need the best people on my team if I'm going to win this thing."

"I'm the best fashion photographer in the business, as you can see." He nodded toward his portfolio as she handed it back to him. "So of course, you want me." And he wanted her—to work with, nothing more. Shooting a national ad campaign would give him the recognition he'd been dreaming about. Holy shit, I could use her like I've been used.

"I did." She dragged a photo from the file, followed by another, until photos from his portfolio filled the board. "Until you lied to me." A dramatic sweep of her hand wiped the board clean as she spun to face him. "Can I trust you?"

"Professionally?" Sex for profit. Can I screw her like that? His earlier thirst for vengeance dried up. "Yes." He tipped his hand, showing the cards he intended to play. "Can you trust me not to pursue the powerful attraction you have toward me?"

But she drew the wrong one. "Attraction I have? The flirt goes both ways, mister."

"Exactly." He turned the table. "Can I trust you to keep this relationship business only?"

"We don't need to have a relationship." The whiteboard illuminated her from behind as she crossed her arms under her breasts, backlighting her glossy black curls and framing her stubborn pose.

Wyatt sucked in a breath. I might have to break my no nude photographs rule for her. "Got that right."

"Of any kind." She called his bluff and strode toward the door.

"Now, just a minute." He snagged her arm as she brushed past. "You haven't seen what I can do."

"Yes I have." The sparkle in her eyes revealed a subtle topic shift.

He pulled her closer, dragging her down the path she'd set them on. "That was just a taste—an appetizer to make you want more."

"And if I do?" She stepped into him, sliding herhands up his crisp, white shirt. "What else do you have to offer?"

Available on Amazon April 25th!