I was with an amazing woman. I was trying to find a way into Brooklyn’s life. I was now one-third owner of one of New York’s hottest, most successful clubs.

It was worth. I saw a shred of worth looking back at me in my reflection. Given that I’d grown up with a dad who took off and never came back and a mom who slept with anything that moved and mostly ignored me, I’d never been told I’d amount to much.

Maybe I would, though.

A knock at my door snapped my trance.

“Yeah?” I called, walking back into my office.

“The champagne you requested, sir,” said Julio, one of my servers. He carried a stainless bucket with a bottle on ice.

“Perfect. On the table’s good,” I said.

He set it on the small table for two I’d had set up in my office. My rooms upstairs were booked so solid that I couldn’t even get one for dinner with Viv. We’d make do in here. All that mattered was that we got to be alone.

“I’ll text you when I’m ready for the first course,” I said. “No interruptions tonight.”

Julio nodded, looking frozen in place. His hands were balled into fists at his sides.

“You okay, man?” I asked.

He swallowed hard before answering. “Yes, sir.”

“You nervous? You’re not like this with customers, are you?”

“No, sir. No, I’m not. I am nervous because I really need this job and . . . you know.”

I cocked a brow in amusement. “No, what?”

“I don’t want to make you mad.”

That should’ve made me feel like shit, but I found it funny.

“Listen, Julio. I’ve got good news for you. My woman’s coming here to celebrate and I’m in a great mood. Nothing’s bringing me down tonight.”

His shoulders dropped slightly with relief. “That’s great.”

“You’re solid, man. Just keep up the good work and you’ve got nothing to worry about, okay?”

He almost smiled and his cheeks reddened slightly. “Thank you, sir. I’ll await your text.”

When he went to the door, I heard a rich, sweet voice greeting him.

“Hi, I’m Viv.”

He paused before answering. “Hello. I’m Julio and I’ll be your server tonight.”

“Okay. Well, nice to meet you, Julio.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Viv walked into my office and closed the door, leaning against it. “He’s scared to death,” she whispered. “Am I scary?”

“No, but apparently I am.” I went to her and brushed a thumb down her jaw line. “Can you believe anyone would be intimidated by me?”

She laughed and slid her hands beneath the bottom of my t-shirt, her soft hands resting on my bare skin. Every touch from her, even an innocuous one, unleashed my sexual desire.

“Do you have any idea how fucking amazing you make me feel?” I asked, kissing the spot beneath her ear that made her moan.

“Mmm, not half as amazing as you make me feel.” She slid her hands up my back beneath my shirt.

I needed her. Now.

As I moved my hand up her thigh, she let out a soft gasp. She kissed me, her tongue brushing across mine softly. It was all the encouragement I needed. I led her over to my desk, shoving the stack of papers there to the floor.

I spun her around and ran my hand over her round, firm ass. She put her palms on the surface of the desk and I unzipped her skirt, sliding it past her hips and letting it drop to the floor. Her jacket and the silky shirt beneath it were next.

Seeing her bent over my desk in nothing but a red bra and panties had my cock throbbing in my jeans. I unzipped them and took it out, stroking it as I ran a hand over the smooth fabric of Viv’s panties.

She let out another gasp as I lowered her panties to the floor, helped her step out of them and got down on my knees. Her ass was so fucking beautiful. I grabbed two handfuls of it and ordered her to spread her feet further apart.

When she did it I took in her sweet, luscious scent. I put a finger inside her wet pussy and she moaned. Then I added another one and she rocked her hips, fucking my fingers in a rhythm that made my pulse pound.

I withdrew my fingers and she groaned with frustration.

“Lay down,” I demanded. “Get rid of the bra.”

She obeyed and I watched her, overcome with how unbelievably fucking hot my woman was. Spread out on my desk, her chest moving up and down in anticipation, nipples hard and pink, eyes locked on me as I undressed.

“You want me, babe?” I asked as I pulled a condom from the pocket of my jeans and rolled it on.

“Mmm, yes.”

I slid her ass down to the edge of the desk and took hold of her ankles, keeping them in the air as I thrust my cock deep inside her. It was perfect. I took her hard and fast just like that and she held onto the sides of my desk for support.

I wanted more, but I could feel her pussy starting to spasm around me. She was about to come hard, and I couldn’t make her wait for it. I gave it to her faster, my balls slapping her ass with every thrust, and her eyes never left mine as she moaned through sealed lips, trying not to be too loud.

As soon as she was done, I squeezed her ankles and came myself, holding back a hard groan. She gave me a half-smile, her eyes sleepy with satisfaction.

I never got enough of her. It was the way I’d felt about coke before prison. Much of life was spent just waiting for my next fix.

The desperation and willingness to do violence weren’t there, but then, I’d never been subjected to withdrawal from Viv. If anyone ever tried to take her from me, I’d do whatever I had to do to stop them.

Viv

A FEW DAYS LATER, I was laying eyes on Kane for the first time since our dinner in his office, but it wasn’t making me as happy as I’d expected it to.

Oh, hell no. I wasn’t having any of this.

Samantha, one of the paralegals at my office, was giving Kane a coy smile. He stood near Charlene’s desk, right on time for our meeting. But he couldn’t get to my office since Samantha had her hooks in him.

“You must lift weights,” she said, her eyes wide as she squeezed his bicep. “Oh my gosh, it’s so hard.”

I picked up my pace and covered the rest of the distance between me and Kane.

“Samantha,” I said sternly.

“Oh. Sorry.”

“You ought to be. Keep your hands to yourself.” I glared at her. “Get back to work.”

Amusement flickered across Kane’s face, but he cleared his throat to cover it. I cocked my head in the direction of my office and he followed.

He walked in behind me and closed the door. “You’ve got a possessive streak, babe.”

“She was grabbing you. Acting like a bitch in heat.”

I grabbed a handful of his t-shirt and led him to a corner of my office that couldn’t be seen through the glass door. As soon as I slid my hands around the back of his neck¸ he cupped my backside and squeezed, giving me a hungry look.

“I’ve missed you,” he said, kissing me softly and tugging my lower lip between his teeth.

My body warmed in response to him, which felt forbidden in my office.

“Sorry I’ve been so tired,” I said.

“You’ve been working long hours. It’s understandable.”

“You work long hours, too.”

He pulled back a little and looked at me. “Yeah, but if I don’t come over til after midnight, I expect you’ll be tired.”

I sighed and nodded. I’d been coming in early and staying late every day, catching up on the workload I’d already had when I took on the Cartwright case and also working on that one. Marcus had apparently taken me onto the case so I could do most of the work and he could take the credit. But such was life for a young attorney.

“We’ve got five minutes til the meeting,” Kane said in a low tone.

I smiled and ran a hand up from his neck into his short hair. “I think Cara’s ready for us now, actually.”

His body stiffened and I realized how nervous he must be.

“Is this gonna be good or bad?” he asked. “I can handle it, just tell me.”