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  “Well that hardly seems fair. You took my clothes off. I want to take off yours.”

  “I’ll tell you what. After we get some sleep and you sober up, I’ll let you take my clothes off.”

  But Candy didn’t seem to like that idea. She sat up, which put her face an inch away from his. His blood surged with a sudden and unexpected lust.

  She stared him in the eye, but he could see how dilated her pupils were. “Do you think I’m pretty?”

  The scent of her skin perfumed by a floral soap filled his senses. He also caught a slight undercurrent of wine on her breath. “I think you’re beautiful.”

  The corner of her mouth lifted into a private grin. “Then why don’t you kiss me?”

  Mark tried to talk himself down, but he was very excited. He wanted to kiss her more than anything else in the world. He simply couldn’t say no. His lips touched hers in a tender, light kiss, but Candy wanted more. She placed her hand behind his head and kissed him back with a savage sexuality.

  Mark became so desperate for her he almost crumbled. But just as he was about to push her down on the bed and maul her, he stopped. This wasn’t right. She wasn’t sober. He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back. “We can’t do this right now.”

  Candy frowned, and it tore at his heart. “Why not?”

  “Because you’re drunk, Candy. You might not want this kind of relationship with me when you sober up.”

  She turned her face away. “Just be honest. I’m just a grunt who works for you. You don’t like me in that way.”

  He kissed her again, matching her passion with his. Then he pulled back and stopped. “You’re wrong. I very much like you in that way. But this would be taking advantage of you, and I won’t do that. Do you understand?”

  Her eyes drifted closed, and she began breathing deeply. Mark was both proud of himself and disappointed. Damn his stupid morality. But deep down he didn’t regret his decision.

  When she woke up, he’d see if she really wanted to pursue this further or if it was just drunken, meaningless flirting.

  The sky outside was starting to lighten with the approaching dawn. Mark stripped down to his briefs, pulled Candy under the covers, and buried his face in the back of her neck.

  Chapter Six

  Candace woke up with a mild headache. She had no idea what time it was because the room was darkened by heavy drapes. She stretched, rolled, and bumped into a warm, hard body. Mark had a tray of food over his lap, and it smelled really good.

  He grinned at her. “Good morning. I made you some breakfast.”

  She sat up, trying to get her bearings. She was wearing just a T-shirt and her bra and panties. A few isolated memories came rushing back, making her cringe. “Did we . . . ?”

  He chuckled. “No, we didn’t. How do you like your coffee?”

  She sat up and draped the sheet around her breasts, even though she was wearing a shirt and bra. “Black, thanks.”

  He handed her a cup and saucer. Candace sipped from it gratefully. Her headache faded.

  “What time is it?”

  “Two in the afternoon.”

  “Wow. What time did we get here?”

  He ate a piece of toast and offered her one. “We got here around four in the morning.”

  She took the toast and ate it. Some of the things she’d said came rushing back into her head. She closed her eyes for a moment, resisting the urge to groan. “Oh boy. Listen, I’m sorry about how I acted last night. I guess the drinks caught up with me.”

  “That’s okay. You were very tempting, but I didn’t want us to sleep together unless you were stone-cold sober.”

  “Some men wouldn’t have let that stop them. That was very nice of you. Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome. Are you sober now?”

  She finished her cup of coffee and placed it on his tray. “Like a judge.”

  “Good.” He leaned forward and kissed her. The kiss was tender, with a slow carnal burn behind its sweetness. Candace recognized it as an exploration to see how she was going to respond. She could have analyzed the wisdom of getting involved with her boss, but the truth was she didn’t care. He was sexy as hell, and she needed this. It had been way too long since she’d been in a man’s arms. Let the consequences be damned. It was only sex, after all.

  Candace responded to his kiss. She infused their contact with a little pressure, a little fire, and a little spice. He groaned softly and broke the kiss. He removed the tray from his lap and placed it on the bedside table. Then he pulled her into his arms and tenderly stroked kisses down her throat.

  Her body ignited like a match. Hunger, buried inside her for so long, roared to voracious life. Her hands took on a life of their own as they explored his heavily muscled form. Everything about him was big and hard and strong. She caressed his chest, stroking the light chest hair and circling his nipples.

  He lifted her shirt off and unhooked her bra. Her breasts sprang free and were immediately covered with his eager, hot kisses. He knew exactly how to touch her. His hands worked magic over her skin, coaxing an arousal in her she’d never experienced before. He ran his hand into her panties and over her bottom, squeezing and caressing the mounds. His breath came quicker in her ear.

  “Take your panties off,” he commanded.

  Candace’s sex responded to the tone of his voice by growing even more wet and lusty. She ached for him to touch her. The thought of refusing him never even entered her mind. She took his hand and guided it into her panties. His fingers slipped through her generous moisture, and he made a sound that resembled a growl. He grew impatient with their playful petting. Mark clawed at her panties.

  “Off.”

  Candace slipped her panties off and threw them on the floor. Mark pulled her against him as he lay on his side and lifted one of her legs over his hip. Then he entered her, probing first so she could get used to his size, then driving deep inside. She moaned and leaned her head back, overcome with the intensity of her pleasure. His strokes were fast and hard at first.

  Then, without warning, he stopped.

  She was about to complain when he pushed her legs apart and buried his steamy mouth in her pussy. His lips and tongue worked their magic, tickling and teasing her flesh until she was at the threshold of climax. Then he stopped once again. Mark grabbed her and tossed her onto her belly. There he elevated her buttocks with pillows and entered her pussy again, reaching around in front to tickle her clit.

  Candace couldn’t help it, she screamed out her delight. She pushed her hips up to meet his wicked thrusts, marveling at how her body spiked with pure bliss with every penetration. Her orgasm exploded inside her. The contractions gripped on to his cock and milked it of its pulsing seed. Even after the pleasure subsided, she was still shaking from the intensity of it.

  She expected Mark to be done for a few minutes, but she was wrong. He pulled out and rolled her onto her back, keeping the pillows under her hips. He pushed his still-erect cock into her again and smiled as she wrapped her legs around his hips.

  “That’s good, Candy, real good,” he growled.

  Candace moaned several times. She massaged her breasts, pinching and rolling the nipples between thumb and forefinger. Her body sang with dueling sensations. Each pleasure blended into the other, clouding her brain with sensual fog.

  Mark slowed down, making his strokes deeper and slower. “You love that cock, don’t you, Candy?”

  She whimpered and pinched her nipples. “It feels so good, baby.”

  He placed his hands on either side of her face and kissed her. “Fuck me, Candy. Fuck me harder.”

  Candace locked her ankles around his hips and pumped her hips up to meet his thrusting cock. The shaft massaged her swollen clit, pulling ecstasy from every glide. It was heaven and torture all at once. Two orgasms came quickly, one right after the other. They rushed her in an unexpected wave of heat and lust. She cried out his name, and he responded by slamming his cock into her faster. Then he snarled
something and stiffened. He eased off her, panting.

  She pulled the sheets over them both and listened to Mark’s breathing as it eventually slowed. Then she closed her eyes and went right back to sleep.

  Chapter Seven

  Mark kissed her on the cheek, letting his lips linger for a moment. “Wake up, baby.”

  Candace stretched, frowning as her stomach rumbled. Everything was kind of an exciting blur. “What time is it?”

  “It’s late in the afternoon.” He tossed Candace her cell phone. “You’re going to get a phone call in a few minutes from Esther Rose. I want you to answer it.”

  She blinked several times, trying to piece together what he was saying. “Why would she be calling me?”

  “Because I told her to.”

  “Wait, wait a minute here. I’m confused. Can you please fill me in?”

  Mark sat on the bed next to her, and she suddenly realized he was already dressed in a light gray suit. She felt hopelessly unready. She was still in his T-shirt and her pink panties. Couldn’t he have woken her up when he woke up?

  “Last year I was pulling a film together about Chicago in the Jazz Age. One of the people we wanted most to play one of the lead characters was Esther. Well, she strung us along for months with all kinds of outrageous salary demands and ridiculous perks. When the director and I finally thought we had a deal worked out with her agent, she suddenly didn’t want to do the movie anymore.”

  “She didn’t even give you a reason?”

  “Nope.”

  Candace nodded. “I’ve read in the tabloids she can be hard to work with.”

  “That’s an understatement. So anyway, we shelved the deal, thinking it was dead. The movie wasn’t going to be nearly as successful unless Esther was in it. Then suddenly, out of the blue, she calls me directly this afternoon and tells me she was pleased I’d chosen a woman of color to be my new assistant.”

  “Just because you have a black assistant, now she’s willing to talk to you about the movie? Wow, I don’t know how to feel about that.”

  Mark laughed. “Wait now. She hasn’t said anything about doing the movie yet. And you shouldn’t feel any way about it. It’s not about you as much as it’s about Esther. Welcome to Hollywood, Candy.”

  “So I’m still confused. What does all this have to do with me?”

  “She wants to meet you.”

  Candace ran her fingers through her hair, smoothing it out. “I don’t get it. She met me last night and hated my guts.”

  Mark jumped off the bed and yanked the blanket off her. The cool air made her shiver. “Don’t question it. Just get ready.”

  Candace jumped out of bed and ran into the shower. She was just lathering up when Mark poked his head in. “Listen, I have some people I have to meet. The car is waiting out front for you when you’re ready. Just tell the driver where you need to go.” He kissed her and rushed out.

  She was truly bewildered. Everyday life seemed to have accelerated to a dizzying pace. And speaking of dizzying, what the hell was that that had happened between her and Mark? Was it a friends-with-benefits thing, a casual affair? Even she didn’t know. She guessed for the time being it didn’t really matter what it was. The truth was, it was fun and exciting, just like her new life.

  She climbed out of the shower and had just dried herself when her cell phone rang. She almost twisted her ankle diving for the phone on the bed. She took a second to catch her breath.

  “Hello?” She did her best to sound bored.

  “Candace? This is Esther. We met last night at the party.” She was talking like they’d been buddy-buddy all night. Weird.

  “Oh sure. How are you Esther?”

  “Not too bad. Listen, I’d like for us to have dinner together and talk about a few things.”

  “That sounds great. Where would you like me to meet you?”

  “You heard of Jackson’s Barbecue Shack?”

  Candace brought up the Internet on her phone and typed in the name. It came up immediately with directions. “No, but I’m sure I can find it.”

  “Good. I’ll meet you there in one hour.”

  * * * *

  Esther was seated in the rear of the restaurant and had already ordered some barbecue short ribs and a large plate of coleslaw. She was dressed in a long, loose-fitting black-and-turquoise dress. Her neck was adorned with several colorful necklaces. Candace took a seat and ordered the same special as Esther.

  The singer tore a paper towel off the provided roll and wiped her hands. “Thank you for coming to meet me on such short notice.”

  Candace smiled. “You’re welcome, but I’m kind of curious what this is all about.”

  Esther shook her head as though Candace was someone to be pitied. “He’s using you, girl.”

  Candace sipped her iced tea. “Who’s using me?”

  “That dog, Markus. He’s using you to get to me.”

  “Why would he want to get to you?”

  “To be in his damn movie,” Esther said as her voice rose in indignation. “Where the hell have you been, girl? Surely you must know that man’s been after me for a year to make that hopeless Chicago movie.”

  Candace’s food arrived, and she dug in to one of the ribs. She hadn’t realized how ravenous she was until right this moment. “He’s given up on that movie,” she said between bites.

  “He told you that? I don’t believe that lying snake for a second.” She watched Candace eat for a few minutes. “What else did he say?”

  Candace shrugged and tore off a paper towel to clean her face. “He said that the movie couldn’t sell without you, so he gave up.”

  Esther leaned across the table and grabbed Candace’s hand with as much earnestness as a doomsday preacher. “He really say that to you?”

  “Yes, he did.”

  Esther leaned back and frowned. She appeared deep in thought. “I didn’t like some of the stuff in the script.”

  “Maybe they’d be willing to change it.”

  The singer fixed her gaze at a faraway point behind Candace’s head. She looked like she was giving the idea some new consideration. She suddenly seemed to remember Candace was there. “Do you think I should do it?”

  “Esther, I can’t tell you what projects to pick. That’s a job for your agent. But it might be something worth considering to push your name back out into the public eye.”

  “I do have a new album coming out next fall.” She smiled, and that simple act made her look ten years younger. Candace was happy she’d broken through that tough exterior. Esther stood up and threw a hundred on the table. “Dinner is on me. I’ll be in touch.” Then she rushed out the door, leaving a bewildered Candace behind to finish her food.

  She pulled out her cell phone and texted Mark: Looks like you might have Esther as your star after all. See you soon. Candy.

  Chapter Eight

  Mark had gotten a call from Esther’s agent just as he was about to sell off the Chicago script to another producer. The agent simply said that after having dinner with Candace, Esther changed her mind about being in the film. She wanted to seal the deal in the next few days. Even more surprising was the agent said Esther was willing to do the film for even less than they originally offered her.

  Sitting in a restaurant called The Tiki Room, he called Candace on the phone to tell her the good news.

  “Hello?” Her lovely voice came on the line, and his cock grew painfully erect. He needed to be with her again soon.

  “How’d you do it?”

  “Do what?”

  “Get Esther to agree to be in the film again?”

  Candace laughed. “Don’t blame me. She came to that decision all on her own.”

  “No matter how it happened, it’s great news. I’ve already called the director, and he’s thrilled. Now all I’ve got to do is secure the funding from the studio.”

  “Is that hard to do?”

  “Not usually, but I’m dealing with a real cagey studio exec who has been jer
king me along all evening. Our meal already came, but he’s spent most of the night chatting up these bimbos at the bar. He’s really starting to piss me off.”

  “Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked.

  He glared toward the bar where the studio executive, Glen Meyer, was sipping a martini and buying drinks for any women who paid attention to him. “As a matter of fact, there is. Can you call me back in two minutes? It appears I’m going to have to play a game with Mr. Meyer to get his attention.”