"Chase, I'm just doing my job; I’m ambitious," she told him heatedly, "and there’s nothing wrong with that. I work hard because I hope that my hard work will pay off and that I’ll be promoted. I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth, and I’ve had to fight for every single thing I’ve got." She muttered and thought that no matter how sexy Chase was, he still gave her the vibe of someone who’d been around the block, and this was Rome, so there were plenty of dubious blocks to choose from.It was more than she should have said, although not a word of it was untrue. It just felt weird—wrong—to be confiding in him. And why was she there anyway? She wasn’t there for an interview, and he hadn’t demanded that she explain herself. What was she doing?Surely, he had her nerves.Usually so reticent, she had been propelled into speaking her mind.Amaya licked her lips nervously, realised that she was sitting forward, fists clenched on the table, and deliberately made herself relax and smile.

"Busy? You can control that aspect of your life, you know," he said blankly. Control? Chase had had none of that before. One sweet smile from this woman, and he was a goner. However, he did change. Now he knew what control was. He controlled every aspect of his life, including his love life, but suddenly all those beautiful, vapid, utterly controllable women who had cluttered his life seemed like safe, dreary options.Insane. He had never mixed business with pleasure. Never. This woman was off limits.But she had kick-started his libido, and he felt the thrust of a powerful erection pressing against the zipper of his trousers, bulging and uncomfortable.Amaya detected something in his voice that sent the thrill of a shiver racing through her and desperately tried to squelch it.How the heck had this happened? How had the conversation swerved from Gary and his misdeeds to questions about Amaya’s private life? They agreed to never talk about the past. Chase has done well for the past th

Chase raised his brow. "So, tell him that you are working."Is he out of his freaking mind? I can't just tell that to my five-year-old son!But do I have a choice?No.She sighed, "I can't. I've been putting him off all week." She just couldn’t do it to him again. "I’d really like to finish on time tonight." When Chase just frowned, she pushed a touch further. "Look, I don’t usually say no, but surely there’s someone else you can ask? How about that Korean singer? Or the Victoria's Secret model you've been involved with these past few days?"Which was a stupid thing to say. There were plenty of women Chase could ask, and there was one reason and one reason only that he was asking her! "I was hoping for an early night," Chase sighed. "At least with you, it would be just dinner!" Which was a rather strange compliment, but it brought a reluctant smile to her face. "I’ll ask Eva—where is she, by the way?""No, don't..." Amaya was flustered, for Eva had sneaked off to date her boyfriend. T

Unexpectedly, Amaya found herself enjoying the hotel’s dinner dance.It wasn’t an exceptionally lavish function they attended—that was the type of thing that had gotten the company into a mess in the first place—but it was a genuine, feel-good party, and Chase was the man everyone wanted to greet. His prowess had salvaged a sinking ship and, in the process, saved hundreds of jobs.And Chase was a very nice date.He turned off his phone the moment they arrived, and he remembered to introduce her to enough people so that when he was circulating, she didn’t feel like a complete spare part. He even swapped his chocolate and nougat mousse with her when she landed with the lemon torte, and when the dancing started, he didn’t ditch her just because she was a work date, even though on many occasions he could have. In fact, apart from one duty dance with the CEO’s wife and a long conversation with some potential investors, Chase never appeared off duty."Thank you…" He held her loosely in his

"Here we go again," she grumbled to herself.His teasing smile slammed into her, the familiarity of it making her gasp.Was he playing? No, maybe a little, but he was in mourning.Play….Play….She didn’t play anymore. Her playing days had stopped when she hightailed it out of Tyler and Mary’s wedding and never looked back.Work helped her forget everything. Her son’s well-being only mattered.Work proved how far she’d come.Work gave her the hard-fought independence she’d clawed her way to the top for—an independence that guaranteed she’d never have to look back.Biting back a pithy retort, she ducked into the car and grabbed the Manila folder from the passenger seat."What you do in your spare time isn’t my concern, Mr. Johnson. I’m here because it's my job.""Whatever this job of yours is about—""Seriously? I'm here to make you sign this. Nothin fancy…"He fixed her with a probing stare—a potent stare that sent a ripple of unease through her.She almost banged her head on the door