One Shot [IAD Agency 2] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Laurie Roma

  Julian’s respect for the man increased at his response.

  They both turned as Rock came back off the plane carrying two large suitcases down the stairs. Movement out of the corner of his eye had Julian’s gaze rising once again to the doorway of the plane. His breath caught in his throat as if someone had sucker punched him.

  Everything else faded away. In that moment Julian’s world narrowed as he watched the woman making her way down the steps. She was a petite Asian woman, wearing dark sunglasses, her naturally tanned skin glowing golden in the bright afternoon sun. The black tank she wore showed generous breasts for her small frame and allowed a hint of flesh to show at her middle when she slung a duffle bag almost as big as her over her shoulder. She wore black pants, but offset the dark ensemble with a red alligator belt around her waist.

  He studied her as she walked toward him. No, she didn’t just walk, she prowled like a lioness on the hunt. Her movements were sleek and sexy, carrying herself with an innate sensuality that couldn’t be taught. Julian had dated his share of models and Hollywood “it” girls, but this woman causally stalking toward him with ground-eating strides carried herself like someone who knew her body better than anyone he had ever known.

  Jesus, he wanted her. In that moment, he wanted her with a heat that rivaled the hot Vegas sun beating down on him. He gave himself a mental slap. It would do no good to be caught eyeing one of his employees like a hungry predator, even if she was just an outside contractor.

  But it doesn’t hurt to look.

  And looking, he liked what he saw.

  Julian realized that his whole body had tensed at the sight of the exotic woman making her way toward him. He forced himself to relax, muscle by muscle, quietly taking a deep, calming breath. For god’s sake, he hadn’t even spoken to her, yet she had his blood going hot. He never reacted this strongly to anyone before. Surprised by his instant attraction to this woman, he was instantly on guard.

  His sharp gaze scanned her and, thank god, he didn’t see a ring on her finger. To a man like Julian, there were very few rules that he crossed and one of them was poaching another man’s wife. He respected the brand of ownership that a wedding ring represented.

  But no ring meant no rules.

  Julian wanted this woman…and he would have her. He was confident in his appeal to women and wasn’t against using seduction to get what he wanted. It wouldn’t be as easy as some of his other conquests, he was sure. Especially with her two large, very capable colleagues looking out for her, who Julian had no doubt could put a major hurt on him if he stepped out of line. Julian knew he could hold his own in a fight, but against both Rock and Adrian his chances of walking away from a confrontation were slim.

  Not that he would let that stop him.

  Julian took his sunglasses off, moving deliberately slow since what he wanted to do was rip them off his face for daring to get in the way of his view of the vibrant woman before him. She came to a stop in front of him. Damn if the close-up view of her was even better than he imagined. He willed her to remove her own sunglasses so he could look into her eyes. She didn’t. Instead he was left staring at his own reflection.

  At least the desperate hunger he was feeling didn’t show on his face. Tara reached out her hand and offered it to him.

  “Hi, I’m Tara Toshi.”

  Shit. Julian almost groaned as she spoke. Somehow he just knew her voice would be low and throaty. Like smoke and shadows. She had a bedroom voice. A voice that brought up images of satin sheets and candlelight. A voice that very nearly dripped seduction…and sex.

  Hot, steamy sex.

  Julian’s body heated as he touched her skin and his hand clasped her smaller one. He had never reacted this way to a woman before. Known for his legendary control, Julian felt as if he had been hit over the head with a sledgehammer of pure uncontrollable lust. And feeling it, he couldn’t help but get a little pissed off.

  As their hands met, Julian felt a spark. Tara automatically tried to pull her hand away but Julian didn’t let go. He squeezed the hand he still held gently as he raised a brow in challenge.

  Ah, so it wasn’t just me…

  Julian had enough experience and a healthy enough ego to know when a woman was attracted to him. And she was definitely attracted. But damn if he didn’t wish she weren’t wearing those sunglasses so he could see her eyes.

  “Julian King. The pleasure is all mine.”

  Tara lightly snorted and pulled her hand out of his grasp despite his subtle challenge. She knew what he was about and didn’t hesitate to call him on it.

  Interesting.

  “Allow me to take your bag.” Julian’s offer came out as more of a demand.

  Tara shook her head. “No worries, I got it.” She couldn’t help but chuckle at the look in his eye. Obviously this was a man that wasn’t used to hearing the word “no.” Glad she was still wearing her dark sunglasses, she rolled her eyes at him.

  Men were such simple creatures sometimes.

  Dismissing him, Tara strode over to the limo where Rock and Adrian were shoving the suitcases into the trunk of the limo as the driver stood by, casting worried glances at Julian. Knowing that Rock and Adrian wouldn’t have given the poor driver the chance to do his job and take care of their bags, Tara cast him an understanding smile.

  “Christ, babe, what do you have in here, concrete?” Rock muttered as he swung her suitcases in the trunk.

  Her low, throaty laugh sent shivers down Julian’s spine.

  “Naw, just my shoes, sugar,” Tara purred.

  Julian’s jaw clenched at the light, flirty banter between the two of them and his hands flexed to fists as he saw her trail a familiar hand down the other man’s back. He watched as she swung her own bag into the trunk with ease.

  Noting that she didn’t carry a purse, he was intrigued. Most women he knew carried purses, of every shape and size. She didn’t. Then again, Julian had a feeling that there was very little Tara had in common with the previous women of his acquaintance. He had to hold back a grin as he thought about how much fun it was going to be learning about this woman both in and out of bed.

  His bed, where he planned to keep her for days once he got her there.

  As soon as they were settled in the back of the limo, Julian found himself irritated by Tara being placed farthest away with Rock sitting next to her and Adrian sitting next to him. Shaking off unfamiliar feelings, Julian informed them that they were set up in suites in the hotel and that all the amenities were available for their use.

  Even if they were working a job, they should still be able to enjoy themselves.

  Julian watched Tara’s head bobbing gently with the rocking motion of the car. He also noted, although silent, Rock stayed vigilant, his eyes taking in the passing scenery as if he were memorizing every street they passed. Even though Adrian kept talking to him, Julian noticed he did the same thing. His eyes narrowed in speculation as his gut told him there was more to them than his background check let on.

  The next few weeks were definitely going to be interesting.

  * * * *

  Almost as soon as they sat down, Tara slumped down in her seat and closed her eyes, blocking out everything while she let her body relax. She was still battling back the headache that had been plaguing her ever since she had gotten back from South Africa.

  Training had taught them all to sleep wherever, whenever they could. Usually they could survive on short increments of sleep and wake completely ready and clearheaded, but her head was still filled with the horrible images of the past and she hadn’t been sleeping well. And she knew she wouldn’t be until they found Sharif and made sure his days on earth were finished.

  Knowing that sleep wasn’t going to happen Tara kept her eyes closed and used the quiet time for a moment of peace. She let the men’s deep voices float around her as they made small talk about Vegas. Adrian was good at that, putting people at ease and winning them over with his personality. Very few people knew that h
e could smile and crack a joke one minute and slit someone’s throat the next, if need be.

  But then again, they all could.

  She almost smiled as she heard Rock’s familiar grunt. No, Rock was definitely not a talker. Tara forced herself to remain motionless, feigning sleep as she listened. She knew without looking that she was being watched and she knew her watcher was the owner of the deep, silky voice that was causing the hair on her arms to stand at attention.

  Damn the man.

  Tara’s mouth had gone dry the second she saw Julian King in the flesh. Well, not as much flesh as she would have liked, but still. He had looked good in his picture, but in person…wow.

  Her first impression of the big, bad tycoon who owned hotels in just about every country around the globe was exactly what she expected with…more. Julian King was a man that exuded power that had nothing to do with the impeccable thousand-dollar suit he wore. Tara felt the lust hit her like a fist in the stomach when he had smiled and two dimples appeared on his striking face.

  He had Hollywood good looks, like a golden Adonis. But there was a dangerous edge hidden under the playboy persona that told her he was not a man to be underestimated. It was in the way he held himself. He had a ruthless aura to him that had nothing to do with boardrooms and business meetings. He stood well over six feet, about the same height as the twins, but Tara was too well used to being towered over by large men for that to intimidate her. He had taken off his sunglasses when she had walked over and Tara saw that he had the most amazing pair of dark blue eyes, like a large jungle cat, cunning and watchful. When he had moved, Tara realized her description of him was dead-on.

  He was a large, dangerous predator in a GQ package.

  Tara sighed as the men continued their polite conversation around her in the back of the limo. The plush, dark leather seats made it easy to sink into the comfort and enjoy the ride. She needed to forget about Julian King and his sexy eyes. It wouldn’t do any good to be lusting for the client on this mission. Plus, Tara was taking a break from men, and she didn’t need any hassles right now. She had more important things to worry about, like saving the world.

  Even so, she couldn’t deny that his deep voice had her muscles clenching in need.

  Ignore it.

  She would just ignore it.

  Julian King was trouble with a capital T. Yeah, she would just ignore it. Somehow.

  “Here we are.”

  The limo pulled up to the entrance of the Palace Hotel and seamlessly slid to a stop. Bellboys rushed forward, eager to be of service. Julian watched as Rock lightly tapped Tara’s arm. Her eyes snapped open with no sign that she had been asleep at all.

  Had she been faking or had she really been able to sleep on the short ride there?

  Studying them carefully Julian made a mental note not to assume anything about the Mac Securities people, especially about the woman he wanted in his bed.

  Julian stood back and watched as Tara and the Savage brothers waved off the bellboys. After a brief argument, they allowed the staff to take their suitcases up to their rooms but retrieved their duffle bags to carry into the hotel personally. The Mac Securities team moved as a unit as they entered the building. Their vision was focused straight ahead, yet something told Julian that they knew exactly what was going on inside the entire room. It was almost eerie when the sea of people moved out of their way even though they didn’t say a word.

  Entering Julian King’s kingdom Tara was not surprised by the opulence of the building. She had stayed at many of the Palace Hotels around the world, not that she would ever tell him that. The Palace Hotels had always been her personal choice when selecting somewhere to stay.

  It was easy to see why.

  The hotel was absolutely beautiful. Known as the best on the Las Vegas strip, people regarded the Palace Hotel and Casino as the ultimate haven in the desert. The décor definitely suited a palace in the desert and was a mix of European class with touches of Mediterranean flare.

  Tara listened to the cacophony of sounds, the clang of slot machines, and the ringing of bells that were standard in any casino. She had always loved the glittering lights and the noises, the sounds of happy people cheering when they won and the party that never ended inside the walls of the casino, but right now the noise was not helping at all.

  In fact it was making her fucking head want to explode right off of her shoulders.

  Julian watched as Tara took off her sunglasses and he found himself staring into the deep, dark-brown eyes. These were mysterious eyes that gave little away, but somehow, when her gaze met his, he felt a jolt as if she was looking inside him.

  It was downright unnerving.

  Tara’s gaze broke away to look around the casino, but before she did, Julian noticed something in her eyes. Was it pain? Julian felt like reaching out to her, trying to make her focus back on him, but stopped himself. When he caught her eye again, that something was gone.

  “Julian,” a voice purred, shaking him out of whatever strange hold Tara had on him. He turned to see a young, voluptuous, blonde woman slinking toward him. The woman certainly demanded attention in her short, skintight pink dress and mile-high heels, but pretty women were a dime a dozen in Vegas.

  The woman, damn if he could remember her name, had been making a nuisance of herself since she and her wealthy husband had checked in a few days ago. Her husband, an old oil tycoon with a penchant for blackjack, had married the young woman less than a year ago. Rumor had it that she had once been a secretary in his office who had caught his eye and held it with a ruthless determination that had won her the ostentatious ring on her finger.

  “Julian,” she purred again, walking past the Mac Securities team without so much as a glance, directly to her target. “I’m so glad I found you.” She sidled up to him and wrapped her arms around one of his, hugging it to her ample breasts. “Douglas is simply determined to sit at that silly old blackjack table all day until he wins back some of the money he lost to you. I’m so bored.”

  Julian’s mind worked quickly. Janet, Judy…no, it was Janine. “I’m sorry to hear that, Janine. Perhaps you would like to enjoy a bit of shopping or a spa treatment while you wait for him.”

  A cotton-candy-pink-tipped fingernail trailed down his tie as she pouted up at him prettily. “I went shopping all day yesterday. I was hoping you might have something else in mind to pass the time,” she whispered suggestively.

  Shit. He didn’t need this.

  He tried to extricate his arm away from the clingy woman, to no avail.

  “You’ll have to excuse me, but I have work to do and my colleagues are waiting for me.” He gestured at the waiting group with his free hand. Janine shot them a quick glance then back again in a slow perusal. Her gaze sliding over Adrian and Rock’s solid forms in appreciation before focusing her hot eyes back on Julian.

  “I’m sure they can spare you,” Janine insisted. “After all, you are…the boss.”

  Julian wanted to roll his eyes as she batted her eyelashes at him. A snort of laughter had him glancing at Tara. His eyes narrowed at the amusement he saw dancing in her dark eyes. Rock and Adrian were no better. They were grinning as they watched him step away from the woman and damn it all, they actually laughed as she followed him, not releasing her hold on his arm. Julian shot them an aggravated stare as he gripped her arms in a gentle but firm grip and tried to remove them from his person.

  Christ, this is getting embarrassing.

  Janine held on for a few more seconds until Julian’s eyes turned cold with annoyance. The icy threat was enough to have her releasing him and backing away, aware that she had overstepped her bounds. He beckoned a hovering manager forward and the young man rushed over to them.

  “Sir?”

  “Please see that Mrs. Travers is treated to a spa treatment of her choice, on the house.” Julian turned back to the young woman, his voice devoid of all friendliness now. “Mrs. Travers, please enjoy the rest of your stay at the Palace Hotel an
d Casino. I’m sure you can find something to amuse you for the duration of your stay.”

  Julian watched the manager hurry the young woman away and sighed before turning back to his guests. Gritting his teeth at their enjoyment, he gestured down an aisle toward a set of doors.

  “I’ll show you to the security center now.”

  Adrian led the way with Rock falling behind, leaving Julian beside Tara as they walked through the casino. Julian had spent his entire life reading people and studying nuances and tells but these people gave away nothing. It was amazing, but it was also scary as hell. Knowing that they were experts in the security field was one thing, but there was more here than that. He knew it. In his gut he knew it. He had always trusted his instincts and they were telling him there was more to these three than was on the surface.

  He would let this play out…for now.

  But eventually he would find out the truth.

  Julian glanced down at Tara as they walked. “You could have helped.”

  Tara sent a sly grin his way. “Why would I do that when it was so amusing watching you squirm?” His glare made her laugh. “Our security contract doesn’t include protecting you from being eye fucked by cheating bimbos. Sorry, pal, you’re on your own with that.”

  Julian’s eyes widened in surprise. “Eye fucked?”

  “Isn’t that what that was? Sure looked like it to me.”

  “I guess so,” Julian said. “I’ve just never heard it put quite like that. Every so often something like that happens but they’re usually easier to dissuade. Unfortunately, some people take the old adage too serious.”

  “What, you mean what happens in Vegas…?” Tara asked as a loud group of men let out a roar of victory cheers from a poker table close by.

  Julian sighed. “Yes. People tend to believe that gives them freedom to do whatever they’d like.”

  “You mean act like idiots.” Tara smiled. “Is that what we’re here for? To idiot-proof your hotel for you?”

  “I hope not,” Julian said on a laugh. “If you did, who would I make my money off of?”