She hesitated.

“Consider this more a vacation than a business trip. Seriously we’re only here because Lederman wants to get to know us outside of the office. He’s eccentric, like I said. So go ahead. Have a drink.” Jack wanted to put her at ease. There was no way he could spend a week in her company if she looked like she was about to bolt at the first opportunity.

After his thoughtless comment this morning, he wouldn’t touch the issue of her clothes now, but he didn’t know how long he could watch her roasting in dresses beneath the blazing sun.

He gestured for a waiter. “The lady will have a…” He narrowed his gaze, trying to assess what Ms. Sinclair would drink. “White wine spritzer?”

She shook her head. “Club soda, please.”

Jack blinked, and refrained from rolling his eyes. “I’ll have a refill.” He lifted his glass that had contained Absolut vodka on the rocks.

The waiter nodded. “Be right back, folks.”

“Oh, wait,” Mallory said.

He turned back around. “Change your mind?”

Jack actually held his breath.

“A wedge of lime, please.”

He should have known.

“So what were you saying about Lederman?” she asked.

“Aside from complaining about marriage, he’s hiding something.” Jack finished the end of his drink.

“What makes you say that?”

“He got a phone call. The guy who relayed the message didn’t say who was calling, but Lederman bolted out of the sauna so fast he nearly lost his towel.” He laughed and waited for her to do the same.

Her expression remained steady. He stifled a groan. He couldn’t imagine she didn’t find the image amusing, so he figured she was still angry with him after all. But he wasn’t about to repeat this morning’s conversation.

Better to focus on work. “At any rate, when he returned I asked him if everything was okay. I thought maybe there was an emergency at the resort, but he didn’t cover well. He flushed, hemmed and hawed, then finally said his son had called from California.”

Mallory shrugged. “Why are you so sure he didn’t?”

“Gut instinct. Besides, that’s an easy enough answer without beating around the bush.”

She nodded. “True. So what do you think he’s hiding? It makes no sense to keep us in the dark. Not if we’re on his side.”

“Agreed. And I intend to find out just as soon as…”

“Here are your drinks, folks.”

The waiter exchanged Jack’s empty glass for a full one that no longer appealed, but he thanked the man and turned his gaze back to Mallory. “I could have outright asked him what was going on, but…”

“Excuse me sir, but this is for you.” The waiter handed Jack a folded slip of paper.

“Phone message?” Jack wondered aloud.

“Actually the bartender asked me if I recognized the name on the top and since you’d just signed for your lunch earlier…”

“Did he say who left it?”

“He found it on the bar when the lunch crowd disappeared.”

“Strange.” He lifted the folded paper and a feminine scent drifted toward him. He raised the paper and the aroma grew stronger. More appealing.

“Anything else?” the waiter asked.

“No thank you,” Mallory said in her polite but husky voice.

Jack shook his head, then unsealed the note. Invitation to Seduction-a private evening of dinner, dancing and gratification of the senses. Eight o’clock. Beach cabin number 10. He tried to swallow and choked instead. There were further instructions, seductive allusions about what he could expect should he dare to RSVP.

He flipped the page over and read the back print. Come on time. And come hungry. His eyes teared and he grabbed for the drink that hadn’t appealed to him minutes earlier. Instead of easing his distress, the alcohol burned its way down his throat, and he coughed harder.

Mallory stood and gestured for the waiter. “Water, please,” Jack heard her request. “Are you okay?” she asked.

He swallowed again and breathing came easier. “Fine. Just…swallowed wrong.”

“Oh.” She lowered herself into her seat. “You scared me for a second. I thought I was going to have to do mouth-to-mouth.”

He stared at her, sure he hadn’t heard correctly.

“Resuscitation,” she said quickly. “Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation because I thought you’d stopped breathing or something.” She waved her hand in the air. “Never mind. As long as you’re okay now.”

“I’m fine.” He glanced at the note that now lay in his lap. As fine as he could be with an erotic invitation to seduction nestled in his groin and his repressed associate staring at him wide-eyed from across the table.

Who the hell could have sent it? He glanced around but the sea of women in bathing suits gave him no clue. Jack broke into a sweat that had nothing to do with the sun’s burning rays.

“Is it from Lederman?” Mallory asked.

He sure as hell hoped not. “It’s personal.”

She shrugged. “Okay, so do you plan to ask him straight out what’s going on?”

He stared over her shoulder, scrutinizing each woman who passed. None gave any indication that they’d sent the note, but someone had propositioned him and damn if it didn’t sound exciting. Tantalizing. Intriguing.

Hell, he’d be a fool not to show up at eight. And he’d be an even bigger fool to walk into some unknown woman’s fantasy.

“Jack? Jack. I asked if you plan to confront Paul Lederman.” Mallory asked, obviously confused by his inability to concentrate. She stared at him openly behind those damn black-rimmed glasses.

He had the absurd urge to confide in her and that in itself told him what a bizarre frame of mind he’d been in since starting this trip. Now this. He lifted the note and held it to his nose.

Floral? Oriental? He couldn’t place the scent, though he had the sense he’d smelled it before. In his dreams, Jack thought.

“Maybe we ought to do this some other time. You’re obviously distracted.” Mallory rose from her seat.

“Wait.”

“Why? Nothing I do or say seems to hold your interest. Why don’t you take care of personal matters and we can meet up again later.”

He let out a long groan. “Have a seat, Mallory. You asked if I plan on confronting Lederman. The answer is no. This is how the man operates. He likes to build trust slowly. That’s why we’re here, for him to assess us, to build trust. The firm still handles most of his business, but this…this is personal. When he’s ready, he’ll confide.”

“And in the meantime?” She tapped her foot against the white concrete.

“We wait. Enjoy the beach. The view.” Come on time. And come hungry. “The food,” he muttered.

“Excuse me?”

He shook his head. She was right. No way in hell could he concentrate on business now-whoever sent this invitation could be watching him. Assessing him. Appraising him. His body shook in reaction.

Mallory grabbed for her pad. “Maybe you’re coming down with something. You’ve got the chills.”

More like he was burning with anticipation. “You’re right. Let’s meet up again later.”

She nodded. “Get some rest first. How does eight tonight sound?”

He sucked in a breath of ocean air and forced a grin. “I thought I told you to consider this a semi-vacation. Take the night off and we’ll talk in the morning.”

“Suit yourself.” She turned and walked away.

He followed the sleek way she moved and the sway of her legs in her sensible sandals. Wasted potential, Jack thought, and it was a pity.

But he couldn’t think about Mallory now. He waved the note in the air, savoring the lingering scent and the arousing effect the perfume had on his senses. All of his senses, and no doubt that was the intention.

Whoever had sent the invitation meant to stimulate and arouse. Well she’d done a damn good job. So good he couldn’t get up from this table yet, and probably not for a long while. At least he’d have time to think about whether or not he’d show up as requested.

Who was he kidding? Jack knew damn well he’d be there. Whoever had gone to the trouble of seeking him out deserved to at least have him respond. In person. And his tingling flesh and burgeoning erection left no doubt he wanted to make an appearance as well.

TWILIGHT ENVELOPED the beach as night settled in. With burning anticipation, Jack watched the digital clock in his hotel room inch closer to the hour. He had to hand it to the anonymous sender of that note, she’d managed to set the stage for a seduction and keep him aroused the entire afternoon.

A soft breeze swept in through his open terrace door, traveling off the ocean. And his body throbbed in time to the lapping sound of the waves hitting the shore. His heart pounded frantically inside his chest. Desire flowed fast and furious.

Yet he had no idea who he was about to meet.

Did anonymity heighten the sense of anticipation? The excitement? Mystery was a potent aphrodisiac, that much was certain. The need to know, the desire to act out the fantasy, had him ignoring his self-imposed rules against one-night stands. Whether he’d regret making an appearance later, he didn’t know. But right now, nothing could keep him from inhaling that intoxicating scent in person. Nothing could prevent him from arriving on time. And as he locked the hotel door behind him and made his way outside and into the dark night, the frenzied fire, already ignited, burst into a potent, powerful flame.

The resort boasted ten secluded cabins, dotted along the beach. Thanks to the map in his hotel room, Cabin 10 wasn’t hard to find, even well-hidden beneath lush foliage. But keeping his cool was difficult and by the time he arrived, he’d actually broken into a sweat.

Jack Latham, the self-proclaimed playboy, the man who thrived on challenges and the women who provided them, was jittery and impatient. And also self-conscious, he admitted as he recalled the instructions he’d committed to memory after one reading.

Following those detailed instructions, he closed his eyes, raised his hand and knocked on the cabin door. In the darkness, sounds became magnified and his knuckles rasping against the door pounded inside him as well. Crickets chirped around him and the breeze rustled the neighboring branches. Seconds passed and then he heard creaking hinges as the door opened.

His stomach churned in anticipation and the urge to look was overwhelming. But the instructions had been clear. If he wanted his desires granted, he had to follow the rules and so he kept his eyes shut tight.

Without warning, a soft hand grabbed his wrist. His breath caught in his throat and his mouth grew dry. He found himself locked in a warm and gentle, yet firm and determined, grip. Not a word was spoken but an insistent pull propelled him ahead, probably inside the cabin.

Jack stepped forward, eyes still closed, pulse still hammering out a rapid beat. He crossed a wide expanse of space until a jerk on his wrist stopped him. The warmth of feminine body heat grew closer. He wasn’t sure how he sensed it, but somehow Jack knew she stood before him. And then he inhaled, taking in the fragrant scent that had been with him all afternoon. Stirring his senses. Teasing his restraint.

Her hands settled on his shoulders and pushed him downward until he was sitting, enveloped by luxurious cushions and what he thought was soft velvet.

“I have to look at you,” he murmured.

He sensed the shake of her head, felt the press of delicate fingertips against his eyelids. Not yet. The unspoken words hovered between them.

“You followed the instructions, so now you get your wish. You wanted to see the woman beneath the frigid façade.” The words were whisper-soft. Featherlight.

But the husky voice was glaringly familiar-and arousing, as it had been from the first. Still, shock propelled his eyelids open.

He expected to see Mallory Sinclair, Esq. Instead he faced a seductress with curves he’d never dreamed Mallory possessed. Glorious waves of black hair flowed over her shoulders. Perfectly applied makeup accented features he had thought only had potential.

He’d been wrong.

Perfection couldn’t be improved upon and if he hadn’t been so caught up in what could be, he would have seen this Mallory all along. Mallory Sinclair, the sultry beauty.

The woman who’d sent him the invitation and who had an evening of seduction in store.

CHAPTER FOUR

“WHAT’S THE MATTER, JACK? Cat got your tongue?” Mallory leaned so close he couldn’t draw a breath let alone utter a word in response.

Her fingernails, painted a hot coral shade, trailed a path from his jaw to the top button on his polo shirt. Her skin was as soft and alluring as her touch and he shivered at the brazen assault.