The Mogul And The Muscle

Agent Provocateur, one of my favorite lingerie stores, caught my eye up ahead. I thought about Jude’s statue impression in Jimmy Choo—and that glimpse I’d caught of him in the mirror. It had only been for a second, and maybe I’d imagined it. But I wondered if I could crack that stony façade again.

“One more stop,” I said with a smile and veered toward the entrance.

We stepped into a world of soft pink paneling and gold accents. Venini chandeliers hung from the ceiling, their nineteen-seventies style just on the fashionable side of gaudy. Leopard print rugs with pink borders decorated the floor.

I pretended to be completely absorbed in the displays of lacy bras and panties, but I kept an eye on Jude, sneaking glances at him from my peripheral vision. He took up a position partway inside the store, probably where he had the best view.

Just doing his job.

A few other women wandered through the store. I took slow steps, pausing to brush my fingers over a sheer nightie. I found a gorgeous nude and black bra that would leave very little to the imagination.

I pulled it off the display and stepped in front of a mirror. Jude was behind me, arms crossed over his chest, that same stony expression on his face.

I held up the bra and tilted my head, like I was considering how it would fit. My eyes flicked to Jude.

No change.

He really was a brick wall.

I put the bra back and glanced at a few more things. My circuit brought me close to Jude. Pausing again, I ran my fingers over a very naughty rose gold cuff and choker set. The shiny metal cuffs were connected to a black braided rope. Luxury kink.

My eyes darted to Jude again. Nothing.

Except I caught sight of his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat with a hard swallow and a tiny bead of sweat glistened on his forehead. In the air-conditioned store.

There was a man under there. Interesting.

“We can go,” I said, taking my hand off the cuff and choker set.

He cleared his throat and nodded.

Brandy had been right. Having a bodyguard wasn’t all that bad. At least when I could have a little fun with him.

11

JUDE

I sat at my desk outside Cameron’s office. So far, there hadn’t been any new threats. No suspicious activity. Business as usual for her. A lot of standing around and waiting for me. Which was fine. I was used to it.

Shopping with her had been… interesting. Not once in five years of doing this job had I been this intensely attracted to a client. But Cameron Whitbury was getting under my skin.

I couldn’t let that happen.

But those fucking red heels.

Watching her try on shoes had been one thing. Her long legs were amazing. But when she’d put on those sexy red shoes, I’d seen the slightest change in her. Her hips had swayed, and she’d slid her hands down her thighs while she checked her reflection in the full-length mirror. Confident. Gorgeous.

Mine.

She wasn’t, nor was she ever going to be. But the thought had hit me hard enough to knock the air out of my lungs. I’d recovered well. I was sure she hadn’t noticed. But it had been difficult to keep my cool.

And then the vixen had taken me into a lingerie store.

That move had been to fuck with me, clearly. I’d seen the glint of mischief in her eyes when she’d said she had one more stop.

It made me want to spank that magnificent ass of hers.

Despite the way my dick was trying to take over the show, I wasn’t going to let any of this get in the way of me doing my job.

I had Derek’s people looking into Cameron’s ex and Noelle Olson. I skimmed the first set of information they’d sent. On the surface, Aldrich Leighton was squeaky clean. No scandals. No affairs. No record of bad rich boy behavior in college. He’d never been married. He made appearances at elite social events regularly, most recently with a much younger Brazilian model on his arm. But there was something tickling the back of my neck, a sense that this perfect image was just that—too perfect.

Was he the kind of man to attempt revenge on an ex?

Noelle Olson had a similarly clean public image. She’d been with Spencer for fifteen years. Worked her way up from middle management. Married and divorced, with one child, now in college. Although she was free of scandals or any public record of bad behavior, Brandy had forwarded me copies of enough angry emails she’d sent to Cameron to wallpaper half the office.