Liquid Lust (The Club #3)

by K.N. Lee

  Liquid Lust

  (The Club #3)

  K.N. Lee

  Copyright © 2015 by K.N. Lee

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  www.KNLee.com

  Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

  Liquid Lust/ K.N. Lee. – 1st Ed.

  Acknowledgements

  I must first say how thankful I am that Scarlett Dawn allowed me to be a part of this fantastic new series. I am truly a fan of her work, and she inspires, and pushes me to do better.

  With this being my first romance novella, I knew I had to dig deeper for those powerful human emotions. I am glad that I did, because I truly enjoyed writing this novella, and hope my fans enjoy this new endeavor.

  I would like to thank my beta readers, Julia Fe Chala, Caridad Ortiz, and Scott Ryan. Special thanks to my incredible fairy god-mother and editor, Colleen M. Albert, The Grammar Babe, for always encouraging me and believing in me when I had my moments of doubt and fear for trying something so new.

  I hope you all enjoy this novella. Thank you for reading.

  Dedicated to Jonathan Moore. Thank you for showing me the power of love, and for being my most trusted muse.

  Contents

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  The Club Website

  Author Bio

  Titles by K.N. Lee

  Chapter 1

  “What is it this time?” Sohana overheard her boss ask as she got off the elevator to the twelfth floor.

  Dressed in all pink, and with even pinker lips, Ashley, Gavin’s secretary, held a finger up for Sohana to wait.

  Sohana stepped to her desk that stood in the center of the lobby of Pruitt and

  Associates law firm. She tossed her wavy black hair out of her way, wishing that she’d worn it in a ponytail instead of down. Leaning over Ashley’s desk top, she lowered her voice to a whisper.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Who could he be accused of murdering now? The mayor?”

  Their eyes met at hearing Gavin’s question coming from behind his closed office door.

  Sohana cringed. “Tommy?”

  “Here we go again,” Ashley said under her breath.

  Holding a stack of files to her chest, Sohana sighed and looked toward Gavin’s office. She could only guess that he was referring to Tommy Mancini, one of their top paying clients. One dead wife, and he would always be known as the Wife Killer. Lucky for him, her boss had gotten the charges dropped and Tommy was back on the golden streets of the most expensive neighborhood in Karim, Texas.

  Good lord, she thought. She hoped they didn’t have to bring that man to the office again. Just being around him creeped her out. There was something in his dark, beady eyes that made her want to hide whenever he looked at her.

  “Come on in, Sohana,” Gavin said.

  Inside waited Kelly James and Gavin Pruitt, the name partner at the firm. With dark eyes, Kelly looked her up and down and turned her back to her.

  “Just give me a moment,” he said. He nodded to the sofa at the back of the office. “Wait over there.”

  With a nod, Sohana crossed his large office that was sectioned off into three spaces: one for his desk, another for hosting clients in the sitting area, and one for practicing his golf. All of the sections were full of too much clutter to actually move around with ease. So, Sohana stepped over his gym bag and sat on the leather sofa.

  “I just need to know if you will handle his bail hearing, or if I need to get Paul to go. It was an escort,” Kelly said lowering her voice. Sohana could hear the disgust in her voice. “It’s not going to be easy.”

  Gavin shook his head. “It never is.” He sighed and looked at his watch. “I’ll be there, just leave a note with the details on Sohana’s desk and she’ll remind me.”

  Kelly glanced back at Sohana with a grimace on her face. “Fine. Don’t be late.”

  Sohana looked down at her freshly manicured nails. She didn’t mind the looks. She didn’t like Kelly either.

  Once Kelly left, Gavin leaned against the back of his desk and looked over at Sohana.

  “The jerk just won’t lay low,” he said, shaking his head.

  Sohana shrugged. “There was nothing you could do to make him change his ways.” It was unsaid between everyone, but they all had a feeling that despite representing Tommy, that he was guilty.

  “You’re right.” He checked his watch again and stood to his full height. “Well, we have a potential client arriving in about half an hour.”

  “I know,” she said. “The British business man. I was the one who reminded you.”

  He cracked a smile. “Right. You did.”

  “Do you think he’ll sign on as a client? I’ve done my research on Sir Arthur Koenig and his sister, Elisa. They are a team, and it looks like you will have to win them both over. And her flight from Vienna was delayed, which means she won’t arrive until this evening. So…” Sohana’s voice trailed.

  “So, this meeting is probably pointless if they make decisions together,” Gavin said. “Good work. He sounds like a cocky bastard.”

  “I think you should still go through with it. It’s too late to cancel, and you can still make a good first impression.”

  The phone on Gavin’s desk rang. He pressed a button. “Yes, Ashley?”

  “Mr.—I mean, Sir Arthur Koenig has arrived.”

  “Thank you, Ashley,” he said and hung up. He nodded to Sohana. “Why don’t you let him in? First impressions, right?”

  Sohana tried to keep a calm face. Perhaps she’d done too much research on the British businessman. Just imagining coming face to face with a man who looked like he could be a magazine cover model made her face flush. There wasn’t time to be shy, she stood and walked over to the door, opening it.

  Once the door opened, she swallowed.

  There he was. Dressed in a gray suit that looked as if it cost more than her car, he stood from his seat in the lobby area before Ashley’s wraparound desk.

  He was tall, about six-five, with dirty blond hair kept long on the top and tapered along the back and sides. Very David Beckham-ish. What made her almost forget where she was…were his eyes.

  Enchanting green was the only way to describe them. Their eyes met as he approached her.

  For a moment he just looked down at her. Then, he cracked a smile and held out a hand. “Arthur Koenig,” he said. He leaned forward and lowered his voice. “The sir bit isn’t really necessary.”

  Oh my, she thought. His British accent made her thoughts scramble and left her voice useless. She shook his hand instead, and stepped aside so that he could enter Gavin’s office.

  “Lovely,” he said. “I suppose I’ll get your name another time.”

  “Sohana,” she said a little too loudly. She couldn’t miss her chance to introduc
e herself.

  He nodded and turned to walk inside.

  Sohana’s eyes widened as she looked over her shoulder at Ashley. “Oh my god,” she mouthed. Ashley grinned and nodded, pretending to fan herself. He was even hotter in person.

  Sohana followed Arthur inside, discreetly closing the door behind them, and took a seat again on the sofa at the back of Gavin’s office.

  Inside, Gavin and Arthur shook hands. “You’ve met my assistant, Miss Shah.”

  “Indeed.” Arthur nodded, his eyes raising to meet Sohana’s.

  Gavin extended an arm toward the seating area. “Let’s have a seat and discuss your needs. Here at Pruitt and Associates we like to make sure our clients are well taken care of.”

  Arthur sat down in the leather arm chair near the sofa. With his back to the large open windows facing the lake, the sun spilled into the room, and seemed to shine only on him.

  Just as Gavin sat across from him, the conversation took a sudden turn.

  “I think you misunderstood the reason I came by today,” Arthur said. He took out a folded white paper from his jacket’s inner pocket.

  Gavin glanced at Sohana, giving her an icy look. “And what is the reason?”

  Sohana gulped. Apparently her research had been useless. She was in for an intense scolding.

  “I came to buy your firm,” he said.

  Gavin raised a brow and sat forward in his seat. His face paled. “What?”

  “Yes. Since relocating to this beautiful city, my sister and I have decided to expand the Koenig empire. Therefore, she would like to take over the firm. She is fully capable of practicing law in the states, and being that this is one of the top law firms in Texas, she wants it. We will keep the staff of course…but we don’t really need you.” Arthur folded his hands. “Just your clients.”

  “Empire?” Gavin let out a chuckle. “That’s absurd.”

  “We are prepared to pay you handsomely for the firm.”

  Sohana’s jaw dropped. He spoke as if he were buying a new watch, not a multi-million dollar business.

  “You’re insane,” Gavin said.

  Arthur shrugged. “Perhaps, but my sanity is none of your concern.” He stood and handed Gavin the paper.

  Gavin didn’t even look at it, he simply stared up at Arthur in disbelief.

  “That’s our offer. There will be no negotiations. You’ll see that we have been more than fair,” Arthur said. He looked back at Sohana and their eyes met again.

  It was as if something mystical passed between them whenever she was brave enough to look him straight on. He held the gaze and seemed to think of something that took his attention away. Without a word, he walked over to Gavin’s desk and took a pen from the jar and picked up a notepad. He jotted something down and ripped the sheet of paper from the pad.

  Gavin and Sohana watched in silence, awestruck. She was surprised that Gavin was keeping quiet. She’d expected him to tell Arthur to get out of his office, just as he had told her many times throughout her career at the firm.

  “Pardon my abrupt exit, but today is a busy day, and I have another appointment. One with your competitor actually. So, it’s entirely up to you, Mr. Pruitt, if you’d like to retire early and take your wife on a lavish vacation somewhere exotic”— he rubbed his jaw—“or, you can let the Bernstein brothers have this opportunity. I’d rather save myself a trip. So you have an hour to give me your answer.”

  Gavin opened the folded paper. His brows rose and his eyes widened at what he saw.

  Arthur’s dimples deepened, and his smile seemed to reflect a secret held in his eyes. Such a smile made Sohana forget how to think properly, as he handed her the slip of paper he had just taken from Gavin’s desk.

  Their fingers brushed as she accepted it.

  Confused, she read it.

  Eighty thousand per year.

  Her head snapped up. “What is this?”

  “Your offer to be my personal assistant.” Arthur looked back at Gavin. “I’ll send over a contract and all of the legal paperwork in the morning.”

  To Sohana’s surprise, Gavin nodded. Judging by how much he was willing to pay Sohana to be his assistant, she couldn’t imagine what astronomical amount he offered her boss. Arthur Koenig, the man she had been studying for the past week, had just doubled her current salary...and she knew he had the money to do it.

  “Miss Shah, I will call you tomorrow as well. We have a lot of work to do, you and I.”

  Sohana shook her head. “You cannot be serious. You can’t just buy me.”

  What was she saying? He absolutely could, and in her mind, he already did. But she felt like it was necessary to put up a little fight.

  “I just did.” He winked, and was out the door.

  Silence passed between Gavin and Sohana as they tried to comprehend exactly what had just happened.

  Still in awe, Sohana looked at the paper again. Her hands were shaking. “You’re right,” she said. “He is one cocky bastard.”

  Chapter 2

  “Tell me everything,” Elisa said as she slid into the passenger seat of Arthur’s black Ferrari.

  Arthur shrugged, and let the top down. “I can’t imagine how it could have been any more perfect. I gave the proposal, and I’m sure Pruitt and Associates will accept. I told them I was going to make the offer to Bernstein and Associates as well.”

  Elisa lifted a brow. “And did you?”

  “Of course not. I went to play tennis with Tom.”

  “Well done.” As they left the airport, Elisa reclined the seat and stretched her feet onto the dashboard. “You’re a good little brother,” she said as she let the soft breeze fly through her shoulder-length blond hair.

  “Little? We’re twins.”

  She smirked. “But I was born first.”

  “Ah, yes,” he said nodding. They’d had this exact conversation at least a hundred times in their lives, and it never got old.

  “But you are the best brother. How many girls can say their brother bought them a law firm? Aren’t I lucky?”

  “You are indeed.” He turned toward downtown Karim, where his high-rise condo awaited them. In and out of traffic he weaved like a professional driver. “I have a little surprise for you.”

  Elisa sat up with a grin on her pale face. Her green eyes lit up like a little girl’s on Christmas morning. “Do you really?” She folded her hands before her face. “Is she pretty?” She poked his arm, teasingly. “She’d better be.”

  Arthur raised a brow. “You make it sound like I’d just go out and buy you a supermodel. We both know how much you like the chase.”

  “True.”

  “Let’s just say you can have your choice of girl tonight. We have a VIP table reserved at The Club.”

  “Ah,” Elisa said, melting back into her seat. “You really do spoil me.”

  “I did treat myself today as well,” he said, giving her a sidelong glance.

  “You deserve it,” she said while rubbing her neck muscles. “I need to treat myself to a decent massage. I’ll be happy not to get on another plane for at least a year.” She sighed and lolled her head to the side to watch him drive. “Go on. Tell me.”

  “She’s Indian. Fairly short, but absolutely stunning. Gray eyes, bronze skin, and wavy black hair. Can you envision her?”

  Elisa chuckled. “Good work.”

  “She’ll be my new assistant.”

  “Boring!”

  “Now that was harsh,” he said with a grin.

  “Talk about not buying someone, Arthur. How much did you offer her?”

  “Giving someone a job is entirely different from buying them. I only want her professional skills, and I offered her a competitive salary.”

  “That’s fine. I believe you. I guess I would have been happier if you were interested in her romantically. From the way you described her, she sounds like your type.” She watched him for a moment.

  He could see that her smile had faded and noticed the worry in her eye
s, and it made him look away. He focused on the highway, wishing he’d waited to even mention his new assistant.

  “When are you going to get back out there? Honestly, Arthur. I’m starting to worry about you.”

  The way her voice softened made him tense. This was not what he wanted to discuss right now. He would date again when he was ready.

  “I’ve invited a few guests to join us back at my place before we go to The Club.”

  Arthur knew that Elisa could sense that he was evading the conversation, but she also knew when to back off. He could feel her eyes on him, and the silence that filled the air made him speed toward the Richter Tower. He needed to get out of the car, and away from his sister’s judgment.

  To his relief, she went along with the change of subject. “Who did you invite?”

  “A few locals,” he said.

  “Boring. And? Please tell me it’s not just a bunch of Texans.”

  He grinned. “I happen to like Texans. I find them quite charming. Don’t you?”

  Elisa rolled her eyes and gave him an expectant look. “And?”

  “Henrik Bauer,” he said.

  “That’s more like it,” Elisa said. “Bring in the Germans and things are always more fun. A little business, and a little pleasure. My favorite.”

  “I figured as much. We need his connections in Germany. I think a night at The Club will solidify the relationship between Bauer Cosmetics and Koenig Designs. It was an easy decision.”

  “And you know how I adore him.”

  “You adore anyone with a pretty face.”

  “And he is so very pretty.”

  “Good. I’m sure you can work your charms on him.”

  Once they pulled up to his building, they stepped out of the convertible, and Arthur handed his keys to the valet.

  “Have a good day, Sir Koenig.”

  “I’m going up to my place to get cleaned up. Let’s get lunch and discuss the buyout.”

  Arthur nodded. “Good idea.”

  She stepped through the front glass doors as they opened for her. “And then we can do some shopping. I need something for tonight. It’s going to be simply magical.”