Deadly Desire (Riley Jenson Guardian 7)

"Heard that about you." I took a sip of the tart wine, then said, "Tell me about Man Hard."

His sigh was dramatic, but the effect was spoiled by the twinkle in his bright eyes. "There's no such place as Man Hard. There is, however, a Meinhardt's. Different pronunciation, emphasis on the front half of the word."

"If they wanted it pronounced properly, they should have gone for an easier name."

"True." He walked around the desk and sat back down. "It's only been around for about six months, but it's doing reasonable business, from what I hear."

"So who runs it?"

"Are you sure I can't seduce you?"

"Positive. But I will treat you to a very nice dinner later in the week to make up for my no-show tonight."

"Excellent." The twinkle in his bright eyes became one of anticipation. Meaning the seduction attempts would continue full force during that dinner. And while I didn't have any immediate intention of giving into the desire that swirled between us, part of me wondered how wise it was to keep throwing temptation in my path like this. He took a sip of wine, then added, "A guy named Brad Herrott manages the place on a day-to-day basis."

"But he's not the owner?"

"No. Two women apparently own the place, but I can't tell you a whole lot about them."

"Why not? Surely there has to be some scuttlebutt about them. Everyone gossips in the sex industry, don't they?"

He laughed. "Not as much as people think. It's an industry that does need to keep its secrets."

"So you've never seen the owners?"

"No."

"What about the club itself?"

He raised an eyebrow. "What about it?"

"Is it just a strip club, or do they also do sex?"

"They don't go as far as sex," he said, a smile twitching his lush lips. "The question is, do you?"

"I do sex. I just won't do it with you."

"Yet," he added, smile growing.

I raised my glass in acknowledgment, then said, "If you do hear anything unusual about the club, you'll give me a call?"

"Information like that has its price, you know."

I downed the remainder of my wine, then gave him a cheeky grin. "Anything but sex."

His expression reminded me very much of a cat that had just found the cream. "Oh, there's a whole lot we can do that doesn't involve actual sex, you know."

"Oh, I do know." And part of me wanted to dive right in there and test some of those things out. I stood up instead. "But it won't make any difference to my resolve."

"We'll see about that."

We would. And right now, I wasn't placing any bets on who just might win this little battle. "I'll contact you later in the week about our dinner date."

"I'll be looking forward to it."

His expression just about smoked my insides. I turned around and got the hell out of there while I still had my pants on.

Once back in the car, I picked up the phone and rang Quinn. With the moon almost full and lust burning through my body, it wouldn't have been wise to go anywhere else but straight into the arms of my vampire. It was simply too much of a risk to attempt any further investigations tonight. I'd already experienced blood lust once in my life, and even though I couldn't entirely remember everything that had happened, the scars on Quinn's arms were reminder enough that it wasn't a place I wanted to go again.