“What do you want to drink?” Damien asked her as he played blackjack at the charity high-roller table.
Emma noticed he was winning against the house. No surprise there. “I don’t drink very often. I’m always the DD.”
“No need tonight,” he said. “A limo will safely transport you home.”
She met his gaze and felt the frisson of something between them. How could that be? He was the devil. The obscenely wealthy devil and she, well, she was just Emma. “Something with peach schnapps,” she admitted in a low voice, leaning toward him. “A lady’s drink.”
“Got it,” he said and turned to the waitress in the ultra-short black dress. “Sex on the Beach,” he said. “Water for me.”
Emma frowned at him and he lifted his hands. “Hey, I’m gambling,” he said. “I have to keep my head.”
“Does winning matter that much?” she asked as the dealer shuffled the deck for another game. “Since the money goes to charity anyway.”
He gave a low, dirty chuckle and shook his head. “Winning always matters,” he said.
Sipping her fruity drink, Emma watched him rack up the chips until it appeared he’d accumulated a mountain of them. “I’ll cash them in now,” he finally said to the dealer and rose from the table.
“That’s a lot of money,” she said after he cashed in his chips and collected a receipt for charity.
“It’s deductible.” He shot her a sideways glance. “Plus I had to deliver on your promise to Mallory that I was going to drop a bundle.”
Emma fought a twist of discomfort. It had been presumptuous of her to promise Damien’s money. On the other hand, it had been presumptuous of Damien to insist on attending the event with her.
“Don’t worry. I know you were protecting me,” he said.
“Protecting you,” she echoed in disbelief. “Why would I do that? Why would you of all people need protection?”
“Because Mallory Megalos wanted to scratch off my face.”
“I can’t believe you would be concerned by Mallory.”
“I’m not. I learned long ago not to rely on anyone’s opinion but my own, but it’s good to know you were looking out for my best interests.”
His comment was so far from the truth it was all she could do not to correct him. She remembered, however, that it was part of her goal to get him to trust her so that she could get information for Alex and Max.
Managing a tight smile, she glanced at the buffet and moved toward it. “After all that gaming, I bet you’re hungry. See anything you like?”
“Yes, I do,” he said in a low, intimate voice that snagged her attention. She looked at him and his gaze was focused totally on her. She felt a rush of heat. “The food does look delicious,” she said, attempting to distract him.
His gaze didn’t budge. “Delicious,” he said, but he clearly wasn’t referring to the food.
Emma felt as if she needed a fan.
A hand brushed her back and she turned to find Doug Caldwell, her blind date from the previous night. “It’s good to see you. Mallory didn’t tell me you were coming tonight.”
“Probably because I was going to be helping her. Damien Medici, this is Doug Caldwell.”
“Good to meet you,” Doug said. “You don’t mind if I borrow Emma for a dance, do you?”
Wearing an inscrutable expression, Damien remained silent for a long, uncomfortable moment.
Doug gave an uneasy laugh. “Just one,” he promised. “Unless you’re engaged.”
“Of course not,” Emma replied. “Excuse me and enjoy the buffet.”
Inwardly fuming, she allowed Doug to guide her onto the dance floor.
“Who is that guy, anyway?” Doug asked.
“My boss,” she said and watched him lift his eyebrows. “Well, not exactly my boss. I’ve been assigned to work with him while he performs a service for the company.”
“He seemed territorial about you. Maybe he’s interested in more than business.”
“Oh, no. He’s just one of those men who come across as intimidating the first time you meet him.” And the second time, and the third….
“If that’s the case and you’re up for it, I’d like to take you to dinner next weekend.”
She wasn’t, but she also didn’t want Doug to think anything romantic was happening between her and Damien. “I wish I could, but I’m going to be out of town next weekend.”
“Then how about the weekend after that?”
“My schedule is tight right now, but maybe we could meet for cocktails again.”
“I was hoping for something more,” he said.
“I’m sorry. I’m taking some classes, so I’m very busy.”
He gave a put-upon sigh. “Okay, I’ll take what I can get. Cocktails on Saturday night in two weeks. Don’t forget.”
She nodded and the music stopped, saving her from further discussion. Just a few feet after parting with Doug, she felt a warm, strong hand close over hers and looked up to find Damien.
“Hello,” she said, taken off guard, distracted by the sensation of his closeness.
“My turn,” he said and as another song began, he pulled her into his arms.
She quickly glanced over her shoulder, wondering who was watching. “Are you sure this is a good idea? I wouldn’t want to start rumors.”
“I’ve never been bothered by rumors. Are you worried that all the MD people are going to think you’re making nice to the hatchet man?”
She gasped at his bluntness. “I’ve always made it a practice to keep my professional relationships completely professional.”
“You’re telling me you weren’t attracted to your previous bosses,” he said.
Feeling his crisp tuxedo jacket beneath her hand, she couldn’t help wondering how his n**ed shoulder would feel. How would his skin feel? She tried to squelch her curiosity. “Well, I didn’t mean to say they’re not attractive men. They are and they’re very good men, but my relationships with my bosses have always been work-focused.”
“But they didn’t affect you like I do.”
Her breath stopped in her throat. She swallowed hard.
“You’re not denying it,” he said.
Emma grasped for her usual rational, cautious mind. “Just because there’s some sort of odd, fleeting, marginal chemistry doesn’t mean anyone should act on it.”
He lifted a dark eyebrow. “Marginal, fleeting,” he echoed.
“Exactly,” she said, wishing her heart wasn’t racing so fast. “Chemistry is just chemistry.”
“One of the things I noticed about MD is that they don’t have a policy against employees fraternizing with each other.”
“Yes, but fraternization just muddies the water.” And the mind, she thought, determined to keep her own mind clear as the sound of a saxophone oozed through the room.
“You don’t need to be afraid,” he said.
“What do you mean?”
“I would never force you. I’ve never had to force a woman.” He leaned closer, brushing his mouth just an inch from her ear. “You would come to me.”
Fighting his knee-weakening effect on her, she pulled back. “I’m not that easily seduced,” she whispered.
“I never said you were easy,” he told her. “I just said there was something between us. Not the usual attraction. At some point, we’re going to need to explore it to get past it. We may as well enjoy it.”
Part of her may have felt he was right, but she refused to give into it. She stepped backward. “We won’t have an affair. I won’t come to you. Count on it,” she said and turned away. Florida was going to be oh-so-great, she thought as she stalked toward the bar to get a bottle of water. She might as well be walking through hell.
Later that evening, Mallory Megalos announced the winners of the raffle items. One person won a vacation to Greece, another to Italy, another to France. Someone else won a sports car. Emma wasn’t paying attention to the names of the winners because she hadn’t entered any of the drawings. With her mother’s problems, she never gambled.
“The winner of the Tesla Roadster, with taxes absorbed by an anonymous donor, is Emma Weatherfield,” Mallory announced.
“Emma!” a coworker exclaimed.
She snapped her head around to meet the manager’s excited gaze. “Excuse me?”
“You just won a car.”
Emma frowned. “That’s not possible. I didn’t enter. I didn’t buy any raffle tickets…”
“Emma, you won a Tesla Roadster,” Mallory announced from the platform. “Come and get the keys.”
Confused, she shot a quick glance around her and walked toward the platform. “I’m sorry,” she whispered to Mallory. “There must be some mistake. I didn’t buy any tickets.”
“Well, someone must have entered your name,” Mallory said, lifting the ticket with her name scrawled on it. “This is the coolest car in the world. I would be jealous if Alex didn’t let me drive his.”
“How—”
“Congratulations, Emma Weatherfield!” Mallory said.
Still disbelieving, she reluctantly accepted the keys. “Thank you. Thank you so much.” Glancing into the crowd, she caught sight of Damien. He wore a mysterious yet knowing expression on his face, and she immediately suspected he was behind her win. She also knew she couldn’t accept the car.
Seven
Emma pressed the keys into Damien’s hand as he assisted her into the waiting limo.
Following her inside the car, he looked down at the keys. “What’s this?”
“Those are the keys to the car that you won from the raffle tonight,” she said.
“Couldn’t be mine. I didn’t enter the raffle.” He extended his arm to drop them into her lap. “I’m not big on counting on luck.”