Her Contract (Romance) by Lara West Page B

out.
    Keeping my voice casual and witty, I rise from my chair. “Monique. What do I owe such a pleasure?”
    She gives a wry laugh and comes around the desk to stand by me, her face inches away from mine. “I was in the neighborhood. Thought I’d stop by and see if you… needed anything.”
    Just what I was dreading: she’s here because she wants to pick up where we left off. But why?
    I’m the head of a billion-dollar company and she’s just a prostitute. What could she possibly think was going to happen? That I was going to drop my trousers, right here, right now, and let her blow me all the way this time?
    And then the cogs start rotating…
    Oh, hell no.
    She doesn’t…
    She couldn’t… have a thing for me?
    “I’ve thought a lot about our last encounter in Vegas,” she continues, “and I’ve decided to throw you a pro-bono, Lucas.”
    She says my name in a spicy tone that most men would wilt over.
    But I can’t.
    I won’t.
    I’m in love with Anna.
    Love. Shit, Lucas. Now there’s a word you thought you’d never use.
    “Monique, as much as I’ve enjoyed our times together, I’m with someone,” I say, my voice soft but blunt.
    Something in those fire blue eyes flickers for a moment, but then burns out.
    “You know I don’t care about any ‘attachments.’ And right now, I want you, Lucas,” she states with bite and pushes me down onto the chair, hard.
    She has strength I’ll give her that.
    Before I even have a chance to get up, she climbs on top of me, wrapping her legs around the chair, trapping me in place.
    “Monique, this can’t happen. Get off me,” I say with authority but she just laughs and rips open my shirt, the buttons popping all over the desk.
    If Anna sees this, I’m in the doghouse and potentially for good this time.
    But it’s too late.
    I look over Monique’s shoulder and see her standing in the door. Pale as a ghost.
    “Anna. This is not how it looks. I swear, she just-” I begin to say, but Anna cuts me off.
    “You really haven’t changed at all, huh Lucas? You just can’t help yourself,” she snarls, hurt in her eyes.
    Shit.
    I’m going to lose her if I don’t convince her that I’m telling the truth.
    With all the strength I can muster, I grip Monique’s thighs and ply her off me, forcing her to stand.
    Shoving her to the side, I stride up to Anna and try to take her face in mine, but she slaps my hands away.
    “Don’t touch me!” she snaps, retreating back a few steps.
    “Anna, please,” I beg. “Monique just came in here and jumped on me. It wasn’t-”
    “Oh, please,” Anna hisses, shaking her head. “This has you written all over it. I knew she couldn’t have been an old friend. You don’t do friends.”
    “Anna, I need you to listen to-”
    “Did Vegas mean nothing to you,” she interrupts again. “That night you came back and we… ‘bonded.’ Was it real? Or have you changed your mind again?”
    Just as I go to tell her that of course it was real and that I meant everything I said that night, Monique gets in before me. “And was your little ‘bonding’ session before or after I sucked his cock?”
    What little color was left on Anna’s face drains away. I watch her heart break in her watery eyes and quivering lips.
    I’ve lost her. Just like that, we’ve split apart as quick as we’d come back together.
    When she turns and flees the room, I do what any guy in love would do. I run after her.
    But then I remember how fast she was on the track team back in high school. She’s at the elevator within seconds and just as I reach it, the steel, silver doors close in my face.
    I press the button frantically but she’s gone, rushing down the floors, getting further and further away from me. Even if I took the fire exit stairs two at a time, I wouldn’t make it. She’d have already jumped into a cab and sped on out of here.
    Punching the wall by the elevator, I skin my knuckles and look at the hole I’ve made. It’s big. There