When I saw the guy who had opened the door, my first impression was Suit and tie – way EXPENSIVE suit and tie.My second impression was Huh, Asian guy.My third impression was Holy CRAP, he’s got a GUN!It was just a glimpse, but I saw the holster under the Armani jacket, and the flash of grey metal. Then the jacket resettled and the gun was gone.I froze on the seat, terrified.I don’t like guns.I’m especially not fond of strange men with guns.He looked down at me and extended his arm to help me out of the limo. He was young and handsome, probably Japanese, late 20’s, with longish hair that covered his ears and a neatly trimmed goatee with mustache.When I didn’t take his hand, he smiled and looked over the roof of the car. “I think the lady’s scared of me, boss,” he said in a flat, midwestern accent.“And well she should be. You’re a very scary person,” Connor agreed. He sounded like he was already outside the car.“That’s what you pay me for,” the man laughed.I glanced over – Co

The inside of the penthouse was entirely different from the hotel, but no less amazing. Maybe even more.The first thing that hit me was all the glass. As in, almost every wall had at least one gigantic window that was at least thirty feet long. The city lights sparkled outside like diamonds on black velvet. I walked over and gazed down at Sunset Boulevard. Two hundred feet below, club-goers marched along the sidewalks like little columns of ants, and the jam-packed traffic moved along an inch at a time.On the opposite side of the massive apartment, I could see the Hollywood Hills. In case you haven’t been to LA, just north of Hollywood is a very, very small mountain range that extends for about four or five miles. And on its slopes are some of the most expensive homes in Los Angeles outside of Beverly Hills and Bel Air. A lot of young, hip actors and directors and producers live up there – along with real estate moguls and doctors trying to be young and hip. Plus the occasional drug

We ate mostly in silence. At first.To tell the truth, I was incredibly self-conscious. I didn’t want to look like a pig, so I took tiny, ladylike bites.Also, I was obsessing over my table manners. I’m a fried chicken, lick-my-fingers kind of girl. I didn’t eat out in fancy restaurants growing up, so I was a little worried about whether I was using the right fork and whatnot. My fears were justifiable, seeing as the food was fancier and more extravagant than anything I’d tasted in years – maybe ever.Plus there was that whole ‘I just slept with this guy and he probably does this with every hot woman he meets’ voice muttering louder and louder in my head.Which made me feel even worse, because I am so not hot. Eventually I began wondering why he had even bothered with me.He sat back and took a sip of wine. “You look absolutely miserable.”I looked up at him in surprise. “What? No. I’m fine.”“Really.” His tone indicated he didn’t believe me.“Yes, really,” I said testily.“What’s go

As it turned out, I won the next hand, too. Three jacks.“Damn it,” he swore, throwing down his cards.“You know what that means,” I said.“Clothing, right?” he asked in a fake hopeful voice.I shook my head ‘no.’He breathed out heavily, then smirked. “Well, I guess I used up all my luck earlier tonight when I got lucky.”When I got lucky.Holy crap.That was something I would say about sleeping with him… not something I would expect him to say about sleeping with me.The butterflies were twirling up a storm in my stomach, but I kept to the plan.“You don’t work for LMGK, do you?”LMGK was an international consulting firm with worldwide branches – and whom Connor had claimed he worked for. They were supposedly interested in buying out the much smaller company I worked for, Exerton Consulting.“No, I don’t.”My insides twisted. Though I felt like I had known all along – I mean, what VP has a private Bentley limo, a bodyguard, and rents penthouse suites at a moment’s notice in the most

The next hand I had a pair of sixes. I thought about staying in… but couldn’t bear to lose both my bra and panties. Not at once. So I folded.I tried to stay cool and calm, but I was dreading what was going to come next. And, strangely enough, I was incredibly turned on by it, too.I’d never experienced such a weird mix of emotions.Terribly insecure, but badly wanting him to make me undress.Afraid of what he would think of me if it was ‘all just hangin’ out’… and desperately wanting him to see me and want me more.I guess I should have taken encouragement from the way his mouth was open when I took off the skirt, but I have a short memory when it comes to self-confidence. Plus, there’s a big difference between half-naked and totally naked. My bra kept things nicely in place. I wasn’t sure how he would like the total package once I was on display for five minutes.I began to wonder if I could play with one arm wrapped around my boobs. After all, he never mentioned anything about no