His Rules (One Night Stand Series Book 1)

by Toni J Strawn

  “Wha…what?” My jaw dropped, thoughts of breaking rules and enjoying a few late night booty-calls fast disappearing.

  “Not just one night. All night. Every night. I told you I have a single-minded focus and that focus is on you now.” His smile held a possessive edge. “You’re my next project.”

  I stiffened, but to my dismay it wasn’t with annoyance. Heat leaked across the space between us and I tingled to life, hands fluttering in the air, begging to flatten themselves against his chest.

  “You want more?” My attempt at sarcasm was weak due to my mind running around like uncooked eggs on a plate.

  Don’t look at him. But my eyes refused to obey and my gaze snuck past his square chin dusted with shadow to his full, inviting mouth. His lips parted and I focused in on the flash of white teeth catching at his lip. I worked hard to swallow past the sudden lump. What was it he’d just said? I hovered in front of him, torn between snatching forward and suctioning on to that wicked, wicked mouth, or shoving him away and walking out.

  The choice was taken from me when Marcus lowered his head and took my lips. The kiss was all about hunger, a harsh explosion infusing the air with growls of surprise and delight. Really, I meant to push him off, but when my hands struck out, they found themselves tangled in his shirt petting his muscled firmness. His arms banded around my back to weld me to him so tight I could hardly move. Not that I wanted to. I was too busy consuming his mouth and taking everything he had. Claiming more.

  It was Marcus who finally pulled back enough to let a sliver of air cool the heat between us. “Do you want me?” He pushed the words against my lips as I mewled in disappointment. His cock pressed into my belly, so I could feel how much he wanted me. Thick. Hard.

  Yes. Fuck.

  No!

  I couldn’t get my mind to work past my craving for Marcus, my desperation to feel him against me. Inside me. This was wrong, yet everything about his kiss was so right—the way my body molded to his, the way he tasted and the way he tasted me. Marcus was a clawing itch beneath my skin. A demand for me to take him and be taken. Now.

  Wrapping my arms around his waist, I slid my fingers around the curve of his ass, digging in to pull him close until there was nothing between us, not even air.

  “Yes, I want…” I breathed assent into his mouth, letting him swallow it whole. “I want sex. Just sex.”

  Instead of answering my demands with an anything you say and taking me to the floor to push inside my aching wetness, Marcus stepped back. Caught off-guard, I stumbled, clutching at him. Except he didn’t steady me like I expected. Rather, he waited until I’d righted myself before fixing me with that knowing look.

  My hands fisted around my thumbs as I realized how easily Marcus could bend me to his will with just one kiss. I took a wobbly breath and forced myself to hold fast. It was just desire. A base instinct.

  “You can’t pretend there isn’t something here.” Dark hunger lit his eyes, showing his own control was barely in check. “Sex. You can give that to anyone you play your little games with. I want more.”

  I stepped back, my heart beating double time. “Yes, we want each other. Why do you need to complicate that?” I argued, struggling to keep my voice even. He wanted more? I rubbed my arms, my brain shrieking a warning. “Why can’t we just play around for the few weeks I’m here?”

  Marcus shifted back and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m nobody’s toy. Find another rich fuckbuddy if that’s what you’re after. All I’m asking is for the chance to get to know you.” Then he closed his eyes and let out a breath. “God, why are you so difficult? Most women would love to meet a man who wants more than just sex.”

  “I’m not most women.” I would never be fooled by words of love and commitment.

  “Yes, I know that.” Marcus’s lips twitched. “But how hard could it be to join me in bed for a couple of nights? To dine with me or share a nice glass of wine?” His voice dropped to caress me again. “Who knows, maybe you’d even like it?”

  Sure, it didn’t sound so bad when he said it like that, in fact, to be Marcus’s short-term relationship project sounded fantastic. But wasn’t that exactly what I was scared of? That I’d like it too much.

  “And if I don’t agree?”

  His hands dropped to his sides. “Then I’d prefer nothing.”

  I stiffened, the knot in my belly squeezed tighter. “Are you saying I have to do this with you to keep the consultancy job?” I would never give Marcus that much power over me, not for the sake of my business…but for Stacy? I bit my lip, trying to ignore the ice trickling a warning through my veins.

  His mouth opened. Closed. “What? Fuck. No.” His expression hardened. “Do you really think I’d stoop to that? You flatter yourself, Abby. We both know I could make you beg.”

  I slid my gaze downward before he could see how close he was to the truth. “That won’t be happening,” I said flatly.

  The heavy weight settling like a rock on my chest was relief. Of course it was. The impact of his kiss alone was enough to remind me how close I’d come to big trouble. He let out a broken breath and I snuck a glance upward. Marcus’s eyes glinted dangerously, his jaw ticking with anger. Then he nodded as if reaching some kind of internal agreement. “If that’s your answer…if that’s what you really think, then I’ll show you where you’ll be working.”

  It was better this way, I reminded myself. Just get in and get the job done. I tried to take in the ornate grandeur of his home as I followed him, the high ceilings framed with scalloped white cornices, rich furnishings and gleaming wooden floors. Each room I passed appeared light and airy, and bigger than the whole of my apartment, which could fit into his house at least eight times over.

  But I refused to be awed. I was a financial consultant, damn it, specializing in complex tax matters and last year alone had saved companies over twenty million dollars. With each step, my spine straightened and my footsteps grew more confident.

  “So, tell me why you’ve called in StratEG, Mr. Brookhein?” I was glad the words came out with a professional bite. The silliness with Marcus was behind me now. Definitely off the table. Good. We’d needed to get past what had happened in Baltimore and engage on the business level we were contractually bound to.

  “Certainly, Ms. Harkness.” Marcus leaned on my name just enough to give it a mocking edge.

  He stopped by an open door and indicated I should precede him. The office was warm and spacious, dominated by a large antique desk. Floor to ceiling bookshelves spanned two walls and faced a double set of dormer windows. Every shelf was filled with books—some of them leather bound and old. Law books. Encyclopedias. The rest of the furniture was classic, muted wooden tones with splashes of full reds and bright orange hues.

  And oh, the desk. Had I mentioned the desk? I drifted forward to run my fingers over the scroll work etched into the dark wood and stroke the flawless crimson leather blotter.

  “This is gorgeous,” I murmured appreciatively.

  For a moment our eyes met and that indefinable something between us flared. Warmth brushed me as a vision flashed through my mind of being spread across the desk, my ass in the warm grip of blood-red leather. I could almost smell the scent of our mingled come and sweat. My lips parted and I closed my eyes in an effort to taste the illusive flavor.

  “Ms. Harkness.”

  I snapped back to reality, heat scorching at my cheeks. I raised my eyelids, half expecting to see the shrewd look in Marcus’s eyes, telling me he knew exactly where my thoughts had been.

  Somehow it was worse to find no expression at all.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Marcus

  “I’ve provided copies of the financial statements for each of my businesses.” It was all I could do to keep the bland expression on my face, my mask of I don’t give a fuck. It’d taken everything in my power not to lay Abby across the desk and take her, just like her eyes had so clearly begged me to do.

  Shit. I thought
I’d come up with the perfect game plan. Tell her I wanted her, lay it on thick, but not so much to scare her. Her reaction hadn’t been what I had expected at all. Especially when she’d called me out on withdrawing the contract. That wasn’t how I wanted to win.

  What I didn’t understand was when winning against Abby had become so important. Most times I was happy to evict women from my life after only one night and get back to business. Then again, they were usually desperate to stay.

  It was her refusal of me that sat like bitter acid in my gut. She wasn’t claiming victory. But then, neither was I. I grimaced, ignoring her pained look to indicate two neatly stacked piles of folders on the desk.

  “You don’t have much time left today, but if you’d like to familiarize yourself with these tonight we can discuss the finer details tomorrow.”

  I didn’t stay around to see her nod of approval. I stalked back to my own temporary office in the dining room. Options for my next move ticked over in my mind. Catching the glimmer of an idea, I stopped and dug out my phone, a wicked grin forming as Cole answered my call.

  “Are you intending to stay here a few days?” I cut through the preliminaries.

  Cole choked back a laugh. “What. I haven’t even arrived yet and you’re looking to get rid of me?”

  “Obviously. But I’m skipping out again and I need you to keep an eye on things a few days longer. Is that a problem?”

  “Nope. Anything I should know?”

  “I’m taking your advice and heading over to check out this New Zealand business. Also, I have a consultant using my office.” I paused, trying to find a way to warn Cole off without raising his curiosity. Our competitive streak was legendary and if he got even a whiff of my interest, he’d go all out trying to grab her attention. While normally that wouldn’t bother me—an extra layer to the challenge always made for a more exciting victory—not this time. “She’s on a tight time-line. Don’t fuck about with her.”

  “So, she’s pretty?”

  “Pretty busy.” I warned in a flat voice. “Look, I need her to work on my tax position for the Nagasaki deal. It’s hanging in the balance.”

  “Enough said.” Cole’s tone immediately turned serious.

  I smiled. He might joke about and compete when it came to everything else in life, but money was sacrosanct. As long as Cole thought I faced financial trouble, he’d leave Abby well alone.

  Giving me time to think up my next move.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Abby

  When I left Marcus’s house four hours later, there was no sign of him. And there was still no sign of him when I returned after a unsettled night’s sleep.

  In fact, Marcus had gone. That was according to the perky receptionist, Rosalind, who’d positioned herself behind the desk in the front room. She chirped out the news when I came in the next morning.

  Marcus was playing games. Of course he was. I stomped to my office muttering under my breath. No sooner had I turned down Marcus’s offer than he’d made his next move like a chess champion. Last night, I’d even considered whether he might be serious about getting to know me. Not that I would have contemplated that happening…

  I sank into my seat, a familiar hollowness settling in my bones. The feeling had been a regular companion since Nathan had left me and now it was back, sucking any spark of feeling from me after Marcus so easily accepted my no to his proposition last night. As if he hadn’t really cared one way or another what I did.

  So, why had he asked?

  The answer to that question was the only thing I was sure of. He was playing.

  Well, if he thought I was going to sit here all day wondering where the hell he was, he could think again. Marcus might be a sophisticated, considerate, thought-provoking lover, but underneath that exceedingly handsome wrapper he was just like every other Nathan I had met in my life. Marcus had overplayed his hand. Now, not only would I never beg for him, I would refuse to play. Game over. No more wasting time thinking about him.

  Pulling on years of experience at burying things deep, I shoved the whole mess down with the last of my anger and disappointment. That was one good thing my family had taught me—how to cut off emotions at the knees.

  Seamlessly, I switched gears, my stomach relaxing from its knotted ball as I pulled out my laptop and methodically lined up my notepad, pencils and pens. By the time I opened the first of the financial statements, my mind was focused on work. The black and white rules of my life. Numbers never lied and financial statements always had to balance with a perfect mix of positive and negative.

  Over the course of the next few hours, I reread each of the documents and went through them again thoroughly. Marcus had twenty-three companies, ranging from IT software development to property portfolios. He also had a bright, entrepreneurial team to help run them. Various computer specialists, accountants and resource executives filtered through my office during the morning to introduce themselves.

  And then there was Cole.

  “Cole.” He hesitated before striding forward to offer his hand. “Cole…Langford. Won’t stay long. I know you’re busy.” His warm grip engulfed mine.

  “Langford? That’s a pretty well-known name around here,” I said, my interest piqued. The Langfords’ were one of the old, blueblood families with serious money and power. I smiled. “Are you anyone important?”

  Cole’s face twisted. “Hardly, which is why I generally don’t give my last name. You’re from out of town, so I thought I’d get away with it.”

  “Sorry.” I couldn’t help but laugh. “Touchy subject?”

  “I could fill your day with the details. However, I know you’re busy.” Cole nodded toward my desk.

  “Busy?” It was the second time he’d mentioned it. Had Marcus set Cole up to check on me? No doubt he was as eager for me to go as I was to leave. “Sure. Yes. I have a lot to do,” I agreed.

  “Well, I just thought I’d check in on you. Any questions?”

  I nearly bit my tongue in two as I held back the one thing I did want to know. Where the hell was Marcus? Instead, I nodded my thanks and promised to seek Cole out if I needed any help.

  Work. Right.

  I got back to it. A few hours later, I had to admit I appreciated the clever ingenuity of Marcus’s companies and the complexity that tied them all together. A fine line was drawn between tax haven and tax evasion, and someone in this business knew exactly where that line was.

  I was still caught up trying to untangle the business structure when the desk phone rang. Reflexively, I picked it up.

  “Abby Harkness.”

  “Abby. Why the hell aren’t you taking my calls?” An annoyed sounding Marcus grabbed my attention.

  I sat up straighter.

  Then indignation set in. “Me?” I spluttered. “You weren’t even here this morning.”

  “Oh, you noticed, did you?” His tone eased and hinted at satisfaction. “That’s why I’ve been trying to contact you. Or at least I called last night when I had to urgently leave for New Zealand. Except your cell phone kept going straight to voice message.” He sounded peeved again.

  I looked down at the new cellphone on my desk. Wait a minute… “New Zealand?” I couldn’t hide my surprise.

  “Yes, New Zealand. Look, I’ve just arrived but I wanted to make sure you were settling in okay. Oh, and you’d better call Stacy. She’s been trying to call you too.”

  Warmth blossomed through me before I could halt its flow. Marcus had flown all night to the other side of the world and the first thing he’d done was try to phone me? That thought was quickly followed by another that was much more chilling. Game. It was all part of the game.

  My lips thinned as his plan clicked into place. “So, is that all you called for? To tell me you’re not here?”

  A long pause followed my words, then a sigh. “I wanted to make sure you understood why I had to leave. So, if you need anything…”

  “I have your number,” I cut him off. “Now, if yo
u’ll excuse me, I’ll get back to work. Apparently, I’m very busy.” I hung up.

  With shaking hands I punched in Stacy’s number.

  “Why the hell didn’t you tell me he called?”

  “I wanted to see how long it took you to call me.” Stacy gave a devilish chuckle. “Huh. Twelve hours. Not bad.”

  I groaned. “Stop right now, Stacy.”

  “I can’t. This is too much fun. Oh, come on Abby, you haven’t given me anything to get excited about for ages. And I’m pregnant.” Stacy threw in a whimper for good measure.

  “Why didn’t you just give him my new number?”

  “I, ah, forgot. Anyway, I didn’t realize he wasn’t even in the same country until this morning.”

  “Stop changing the subject. You were bad and you know it.” I clamped my lips together, determined not to smile. “You’re supposed to be on my side, remember?”

  “Believe me when I say I am on your side, no matter how difficult that is,” Stacy said firmly.

  “You could’ve fooled me.” I snorted down the phone and hung up.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Marcus

  I had never been more ready to come home.

  Usually I enjoyed my fast-paced forays overseas. Get in and get it fixed before moving on to the next problem. But this visit had chaffed, dragged out by a sixteen hour flight as I’d hopped through California and Sydney. And the fast-fix-or-flog-it policy I usually worked with simply wasn’t going to happen in the case of my New Zealand software company, so I had ended up investing far more time than anticipated.

  I might still have to sell the company off, which was always harder to do when you knew the players. Rob, my New Zealand manager, was a nice guy. Just naive when it came to working with the big guns of the gaming industry. So what had started out as a strategic move to get Abby thinking about me hadn’t worked exactly as planned.