Temptation

by K. M. Scott

  Listening for any sound on the other side of the door, I heard nothing. Disappointed, I hung my head and knelt down to place the flowers on her doorstep, like I had every night before. As I stood to leave, I saw the door open. Olivia stood there in her black yoga pants, a pink T-shirt, and for the first time in so long, she had a smile on her face.

  “Taking to wearing a tux for these nightly visits, Cash?”

  I straightened my jacket and held the flowers up for her. “I thought maybe a suit wasn’t enough. Is the tux working?”

  She took the bouquet and held them to her nose. “These are pretty. Thank you. As for the tux, I’m not sure what it’s supposed to do, but you do look nice. I’m afraid I’m a little underdressed, though, for whatever you had in mind.”

  I smiled at her teasing and looked into her eyes. “You look beautiful, especially now that you’re smiling at me. I missed that.”

  “Do you know why I opened the door, Cash?”

  I shook my head. “No. I have no idea. I’m just happy you did.”

  “It’s because of what you said. Tonight, for the first time, you said you were sorry.”

  “I’ve been sorry since the moment I realized what I did. I am sorry, Olivia.”

  “That’s what I’ve been waiting all these weeks to hear. It’s all I ever wanted you to say.”

  “I guess I’ve been a bigger fool than I thought. All this time, I thought you knew I was sorry. I figured you wanted me to say something big or impressive and I just hadn’t thought of the right words yet.”

  “So why did you say I’m sorry tonight?”

  “I met your friend Josie at the museum gala, and something she said about me not giving up made me think there was a chance for us. I don’t know why I said I was sorry tonight and not before this. I just said what was in my heart.”

  The smile she gave me made me happier than I’d been in weeks. Her hand slid down the door and then she stepped back. “Why don’t you come in instead of standing out in my hallway so all my neighbors can know my business?”

  The sound of a door shutting behind me down the hallway made me chuckle. “I think it’s too late for that. I’m pretty sure all your neighbors know more than they ever wanted to about us.”

  She flashed another sweet smile. “Then I better let you in before they insist on knowing how this all turns out. I think it’s time we talked.”

  I followed her into her living room and sat down next to her. “I really am sorry, Olivia. I’ve been going crazy without you. I can’t think about anything but you, and work has been nearly impossible knowing you’re right there in the office next door but you won’t even talk to me, except for ice cold answers when I ask a question.”

  “Why did you do it? I guess I can understand that you might think I could do something to you out of anger. I would never do that, but I can see why you might think that. But why did you shut me out like that? That hurt more than anything else.”

  “As soon as the thought of you betraying me settled into my mind, I shut down. It felt the same as when I found out Rachel cheated on me with Stefan, and I didn’t want to feel that pain again, so the walls went up.”

  Olivia took my hand in hers and squeezed it gently. “I’m not like her, Cash. I wouldn’t do that to you. I can’t be with someone who I’d always be worried would shut me out, though. That hurt too much.”

  Pulling her close, I felt her meld to me and for the first time in weeks, I was truly happy. I didn’t want to risk losing her or feeling this way again. “I know. I’m sorry. I don’t want to be without you. I know that now. I love you, Olivia.”

  I hadn’t said I love you to a woman since Rachel, but those three words had never felt more right coming out of my mouth.

  She looked up at me and smiled one of those Olivia smiles that never failed to touch my heart. “I love you too, Cash. But no more lies, okay? That includes the truth about the club.”

  “The truth?” I knew what she meant. I just didn’t want the reality of my life to ruin everything.

  “The truth, as in Club X isn’t what you said it was when you hired me. Legal and all?”

  I searched her eyes for any sign that what my life was could be something she’d accept. “Does it bother you what I do?”

  Olivia shook her head and took my hand in hers. “No. I found the greatest guy in the world because of what Club X is.”

  “I wish I wasn’t the kind of man I have to be at the club. You deserve better.”

  She knitted her eyebrows and cradled my face. “I must still be giving off that good girl vibe. Let me tell you something, Cassian March. You’re not doing anything immoral or wrong there. People come to Club X to live out their fantasies. There’s nothing wrong with that. I got to become someone I wanted to be because of your club. I’ve always wished I could be that sexy woman a man like you would want, and that happened at Club X.”

  “You’ve always been sexy, Olivia. That men like me didn’t see that was our fault, not yours.”

  “Cash, you should be proud of who you are and what you and your brothers have accomplished. There’s nothing for you to be ashamed of. I’m proud to say I’m with you.”

  Pressing my forehead to hers, I closed my eyes. “I love that you can accept everything I am. I never thought someone good like you would. I love you, Olivia.”

  I kissed her and as I held her in my arms, I felt like no matter what the world threw at me, I could handle it as long as she was mine.

  Three Months Later

  Olivia

  Shaking Cash’s shoulder, I whispered in his ear, “If you don’t get up, you’re going to be late to the club again.”

  He pulled me close and mumbled, “I don’t care. Kane and Stefan can handle things without me for one day. I want to stay right here with you.”

  “Didn’t you say you had at least one interview today?” I gently reminded him.

  Opening his eyes, he looked up at the ceiling as he ran through his schedule in his mind and sighed deeply. “I really want to stay in bed with you.”

  I nuzzled his jawline, loving the feel of the stubble as it scraped across my lips. “I can’t. Remember? I’m meeting with the event planner today at noon. You could stay and join us.”

  Rolling me over onto my back, he nudged my thighs open and settled in between my legs. Already hard, his cock pushed against my clit, sending strings of arousal through my body. With a sparkle in his blue eyes, he moaned, “This is what I want to do.”

  “You know what I mean, Cash. You could come to the meeting with me. I’d love your input, you know.”

  He kissed me softly on the lips in that way that never failed to make me melt inside. “You know I’d do anything to make you happy, Olivia, but I doubt any of my suggestions would be helpful. I don’t know a centerpiece from a…”

  Quickly, I finished his sentence. “Centerfold?”

  “Not exactly what I was thinking, but you get my point. I have no idea what an engagement party is supposed to be like.” Kissing my left hand, he added, “I figure that’s your thing since I didn’t need any input on the ring.”

  I ran my palms over his back, loving the feel of his taut muscles under my fingers. Holding my hand out to stare at the stunning two caret diamond engagement ring on my finger, I had to admit he’d done well with it. “You’re lucky you’re cute and that I love this ring. Okay, I get it. Not exactly what a man wants to spend a few hours talking about. Go to your interviews. Who’s on the schedule today?”

  He buried his face in the space between my neck and shoulder and planted kisses across my skin. “Some dancers for Kane’s area.”

  “Should I be worried? Those dancers are pretty hot.”

  Lifting his head, he smiled down at me. “Not in the least. I have no interest in dancers, or for that matter, any woman but the one about to make love to. But I can go with you to your meeting, if you want.”

  I cradled his face, looking deep into those gorgeous blue eyes, and shook my head. “
No, go to work. Somebody’s got to make sure Stefan doesn’t sexually harass the girls in the interview. I’ll be fine on my own.”

  Cash kissed me again. “Good point. But you don’t have to ever worry about me with another woman, Olivia. I’m happy with the one who shares my bed and in a few months will share my life.”

  “Are you scared?”

  “About what?” he asked, knitting his brows.

  “Getting married. It’s a big step.”

  A smile spread across his lips. “No. Some men are meant to be married.”

  I couldn’t help but giggle at his response. “Says the man who up until recently was one of the city’s most eligible bachelors. I thought players hated the idea of marriage.”

  “I never wanted that. All I ever wanted was someone to come home to after spending my days at the club.”

  “Pretty boring stuff for most men, Cash.”

  “I’ll leave the other stuff for guys like Stefan, although he seems to be like a lost puppy these days.”

  “What’s wrong with him?”

  “I think he likes one of the bartenders, but she wants nothing to do with him.”

  “Oh, the poor thing!”

  Cash’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “Poor thing? Every time he sleeps with one of our employees, we end up paying more money. I’m happy she doesn’t want to give him the time of day. I’d like to think it’s because of my stern explanation of the non-fraternization clause in the contract, but that’s never worked before.”

  “Maybe she has a boyfriend already.”

  “Again, that’s never stopped Stefan. I think Kane has something to do with it. I’ve noticed he seems to be suspiciously around a lot when she’s around.”

  I was surprised to hear anything about Kane and a woman. “Really? He never seems interested in anyone at the club.”

  “I don’t think he’s interested in her. Something tells me he’s blocking Stefan for some reason.”

  I gently jabbed him in the side. “You brothers are so bad.”

  “What’s bad is Stefan constantly costing us money. If Kane is blocking him, I’ll have to take him out for a nice steak to say thanks.”

  “You are so bad, Cassian March!”

  “Mmmm…enough about my brothers. I’m more interested in you, Olivia Lucas soon-to-be March.”

  Cash slowly slid his hand down my right side to cup my ass as he leaned in to kiss me. Raking my fingernails over the soft skin of his back, I moaned, “You’re going to make it impossible for me to leave this bed.”

  “Good,” he groaned in my ear as he made quick work of my skirt and panties. “If I could, I’d have us stay here forever. No club, no brothers, nothing but you and me naked in bed for the rest of time.”

  As he eased into me, I looked up and smiled. “I like the way you think.”

  “I like this. No, I love this.” He kissed me sweetly. “I love you, Olivia.”

  I whispered I loved him too as we made love, and later as I watched him dress in his usual suit and tie look that never failed to make me want him, I thought about the chance I’d taken reserving that fantasy room that first night. All my life I’d played it safe, and all I’d gotten in return was a safe, boring life. For the first time ever, I’d taken a risk, and even though things hadn’t gone exactly the way I’d thought they would, I’d ended up right where I wanted to be.

  Like he did every day since we got back together, Cash went to work late that morning after making love to me. As for me, I had our engagement party to plan.

  THE END

  Temptation Extras

  Visit Pinterest to see Cassian’s Maserati, Kane’s Mustang, and other great pics related to Temptation and all the Club X series!

  Want to know the music that influenced the writing of Temptation? Check out the book’s playlist below and listen on Spotify.

  Temptation Playlist

  Caught Up – Usher

  Missing – Everything But The Girl

  Say It Right – Nelly Furtado

  Linger – The Cranberries

  All Of Me – John Legend

  Days Go By – Dirty Vegas

  I Won’t Give Up – Jason Mraz

  Clarity – Madilyn Bailey

  Let Her Go – Passenger

  I Won’t Let You Go – James Morrison

  Do I Wanna Know? – Arctic Monkeys

  COMING SOON!

  SURRENDER (CLUB X #2)

  Stefan March, the manager of Club X, loves the single life. Women are his playground, and this man lives to have fun. Committed to never settling down, Stefan may have met his match in Shay, a bartender at Club X who seems immune to his charms. Stefan loves nothing more than a challenge, but will this player lose when it matters most?

  Excerpt:

  Cash’s office door opened and a knockout brunette walked out right past me on her way toward the front door and out of my life if I didn’t stop her. Quickly following behind, I caught up to her and tapped her on the shoulder. “Hey, where you going? If you’re here for a job, you’ll probably be dealing with me.”

  She turned around and looked me up and down, her gaze settling on mine after she’d thoroughly checked me out. “Yeah? Well, if I get the job, we can talk then.”

  “I’m part owner here, so you’ll definitely get the job. What’s your name?” I asked, dying to find out who this woman with as much nerve as I had was.

  “Shaylene Callahan, but everyone calls me Shay.”

  “Well, Shay, whatever job you want, it’s yours.”

  Despite the fact that I’d just assured her she could have a job at the hottest club in town, her expression screamed she was unimpressed. What was with this girl?

  “Well, that’s good. Guess I’ll be starting when your boss calls me.”

  “Brother, and he’s not my boss. He and I own this place, along with our other brother. My name is Stefan March. I manage Club X. What job were you interviewing for?”

  I silently prayed to God it wasn’t one of Kane’s dancers because while I would fight him for her, dealing with that miserable fuck was difficult on any day but especially recently. I didn’t know what his problem was, but he’d been downright surly for the last week.

  Shay pushed her right hip out and smiled. “Bartender. I need some good money and I’ve heard this place is where to get it.”

  “Then you’ll be working under me,” I said as I licked my lips in anticipation of her being under me in more ways than just at work.

  Her green eyes flashed anger. “Under you? Well, bossman, this is the twenty-first century and this act of yours is straight out of chapter one in the how to sexually harass your employees handbook. Perhaps we should say I’ll be reporting to you during my working hours. And that’s it.”

  Her words were like a hard slap to my face. I couldn’t decide if she was the world’s biggest bitch or what could be my greatest conquest yet. Either way, she had sharp tongue in that beautiful mouth of hers. This kitten had claws.

  “You don’t sound like any bartender I’ve ever had…working for me.”

  “That’s probably because you don’t often get microbiology grad students serving liquor to your guests.”

  God, every word out of her mouth was a jab, but I liked a challenge. “Do you have any experience bartending, Shay? I mean, you’re nice and all, but I don’t have the time to train a newbie.”

  Her eyebrows shot up, and her eyes flashed her anger once again. “I think you’ll see by my application that I have more than enough experience for you. I’ve been bartending since my second year in undergraduate school. That’s the first four years of college, by the way.”

  Ah, now I understood. She was a smart girl. Normally, I stayed as far away as possible from that kind of female. They always had all the answers and never understood how to truly have fun. And worst of all, they always wanted a relationship. Of all the things I wanted in my next woman, intelligence was at the bottom of my list.

  “College? Well, I guess that
’s a nice way to spend four years. I preferred earning money, but to each his own. Microbiologist, huh? Probably will never make enough to afford a membership here anyway. Good thing you’re going to be an employee working for us. Employees get free memberships.”

  In truth, as a bartender, Shay wouldn’t be given a membership since she wouldn’t be an upper level employee. Only Cash, Kane, and I got them, along with his assistant, Olivia. But as part owner, I could give Shay a membership if I chose to.

  At the moment, I couldn’t think of anything I’d like to do less.

  “I’m not interested in a membership, Stefan. I’m interested in making money at a job. Hopefully, you and your brothers will recognize my talents and hire me. Either way, I have to go.”

  Before I could say another word, she turned on her heels and marched out the door. Fuck, she was a feisty one. I stood there watching the door close while my brain played tug of war with itself. On the one hand, Shay was smoking hot and I had no doubt having her would be a good time. Long brown hair, a mouth that would have made me hard if it wasn’t spewing such sharpness, and a body…fuck, her body was hot! My mind was already filled with thoughts of how incredible it would be to fuck her. What an ass she had! On the other hand, she was smart and possessed a level of bitchiness that even I had to admit I might not be able to overcome.

  Might. But if I’d ever met a challenge, it was her.

  “She wants a job as a bartender,” Cash announced behind me. Turning to face him, I pretended not to care. “Yeah?” I said with a shrug. “I don’t know if I need a new bartender, and we have a list a mile long of people who want to be one.”

  “Okay. I just wanted to mention it. She seemed nice in the interview. Kane liked her well enough, which says something, I guess. You would have gotten to talk to her if you bothered to join us.”

  Why I hadn’t gotten to the interview on time had to do more with nursing a hangover from the night before than with not caring about Cash’s precious hiring process. Not that I really cared to sit through hour after hour of interviews with him and Kane. “We have private investigators for a reason. I don’t need to see every goddamn person who walks through the door for a job, Cash.”