A Playboy's Love Affair (4 page)

She narrowed her eyes at him and dragged her gaze to the document. Signing something without her lawyer seeing it first was a big no-no. Carly could refuse to sign it and send him on his way, or she could play along and see how far he was willing to take it. Her gut told her, no matter what she did there was no getting rid of Alex St. Jones anytime soon. She blinked as the tapping sound of his fingers drew her out of her thoughts.

“And here I was starting to think you were a nice man, but it turns out you’re still a skunk.” Carly grabbed the two-page document from the table. That had to be the shortest contract she’d ever had to read, and the most ridiculous one at that. What kind of agreement was this? Carly read through each of the clauses listed only to confirm Alex had done an excellent job of summarizing what the darn contract said.

Their agreement was strictly confidential and effective as of that night, and its expiration date was six months out. A heavy breath escaped her, followed by a murmur as she read through the first clause. Alex had the right to end their agreement at any time and without explanation, if he so wished. Of course, he’d do that. What did she expect? Once he got bored and was ready to move on to his next conquest he’d forget all about this.

Carly looked at him from the corner of her eye and moved on to the second clause. She wasn’t allowed to talk to the Press during or after their liaison ended. Gosh, as if it weren’t enough putting up with him now, she’d have to worry about evading the Press.

At no time would she or he introduce each other to friends and family. Carly imagined the exception were Paul and Kiera. Her relationship with Alex was limited to the events for which or where he’d require her company, as well as any of her own engagements he decided to attend. Spending time with him in no way meant their liaison would evolve into something more. Humph, as if she wanted it to become something else.

She proceeded on to the next clause. Proper attire for any and all events was a must. Expenses for all required clothing, accessories, and anything else she’d need would be paid for by him. A wave of anger rose to her throat, making it hard to speak. “You…” She glared at him. Just who did he think she was? Did he seriously think she didn’t know how to dress properly? Her taste in clothes, accessories and more, was impeccable; how dare he suggest otherwise? No way she’d let him pay for any of it either. He wouldn’t be her sugar daddy. Not if she had a say in the matter.

When Carly read the following clause she wanted to punch him right on the nose. She tightened her grip on the two page contract. Her fingerprints were surely now imprinted in it. “This is absolutely ridiculous!”

“What is?” The corners of his mouth curved slightly upward.

She tapped her finger on the clause. “
I
, Carly Mitchel, will make myself exclusively available to Alex St. Jones for the length of the contract.”

“Ah, right, you can’t date anyone,” Alex said.

“How about you?” Carly asked.

Alex shrugged, grinning.

“I can’t date?” She reached for her wine glass and downed in one gulp what was left in it. “Tell you what—I’ll date whomever I please. Oh, wait there’s more—how about, I’ll sleep with whomever I fancy too?” She gestured with her wine glass in hand. “Playboy, you forgot to add that to your pretty little contract, didn’t you?”

“No, I didn’t. It’s implied by you being exclusive to me. But if I must, I don’t have a problem with adding more specifics.” His gaze bore on her.

Silence reigned in her living room for what seemed an eternity. If she had special powers Carly wished them to be daggers flying out of her eyes. “You can’t be serious. You’re messing with me, aren’t you?” She placed her glass back on the table.

In a serious tone, he replied, “No, I’m not.”

Carly read through the rest of the outrageous document filled with nothing else but absurdity. The contract required that she let him know of her whereabouts always. If any of her activities conflicted with one of his, his affair would take priority over hers no matter what. The agreement was a sort of a liaison with no strings attached. Sex wasn’t mentioned, but she wondered if it was also one of those details Alex considered as implied. She’d basically be a non-paid escort. The bottom line was that failure to adhere to any of the terms and conditions would result in a lawsuit for breach of contract, defamation, and financial damages for a sum that made her eyes pop. That last would leave her without a single penny and with a debt hole she’d never be able to get out of. God, what had she done to deserve this? It’d been an innocent lie. Not once did she ever think Matt would have it in him to give someone a black eye, let alone for that someone to be none other than Alex St. Jones.

The man standing in her living room was a temptation; disputing his contract was hard; resisting his charms would be harder, and how she’d make it out of it in one piece was questionable—but the allure to go along with his game was too great to resist. Carly had her doubts about this agreement, signed or not, having much weight in a court of law. She could always void it claiming she’d signed under duress, but made a mental note to do more research and find a way to get out of it. Against her better judgment, she signed the document and handed it back to him. “There. I want a copy of it. I’ll have my lawyer look it over and I’m warning you Alex, whatever scheme of yours this is I’m coming after you hard and fast—”

Alex’s arms encircled her waist as his warm mouth captured hers demanding her surrender. Carly had every intention of breaking the kiss, showing him she wasn’t for his taking whenever he wished. But all coherent thought left her the moment his tongue entered her mouth, engaging hers in a battle of wills. He tasted delicious. The rich black cherry flavor from the wine they’d shared still lingered, drawing her in, enticing her more. Breaking the kiss now would take twice the effort than giving up control. She slid her hands up his arms not caring anymore where things could end.

Alex tightened his strong arms around her in response, bringing her closer to him. The warmth of his body enveloped every inch of hers, and the dance of their tongues shot a thrill down her spine, making her knees weak. This was wrong. Wanting more of his kiss, more of him, was something she shouldn’t want but dammit, she did. Then he was gone.

Alex let go of her and snatched the contract from where it sat checking she’d signed in the right place.

“What was that about?” she asked breathless, already missing his warmth. The kiss had fogged her thoughts.

Alex lifted his gaze from the contract. “That was one of the requirements you just agreed to.”

She ran her fingertips over her swollen lips. “The contract didn’t say anything about kissing.”

“It’s implied.”

Feeling dazed and confused was never a good thing at least not in these circumstances. It took her a moment to recover from what had happened. “Implied,” she repeated, gaining her composure once again. “What’s number two?”

“Sorry sweetheart, our contract details are on a need to know basis only. Thank you for the wonderful evening. Sleep well.” Alex tilted her chin with his forefinger and gave her a chaste kiss before turning for the door.

The warmth of Alex’s kiss still lingered on her swollen lips. If she wanted a reason to stay away from him, now she had it. The kiss they’d shared had given her a glimpse of the dangerous path she’d just agreed to walk. Keeping her distance from him would be the right thing to do, but how could she? Signing his absurd contract had just tied her to him for the next six months. The man was a lure to sin and she’d have a hell of a time resisting him. No, no, no. Falling prey to his charms wasn’t part of the contract or an option even. It was simple. It wouldn’t happen.

Chapter Six

Carly presented a challenge he liked far too much. Her defiance only drew him toward her, fueling his desire even more. He’d never worked this hard to get a woman in bed. Usually his famous Alex St. Jones’ smile did all the work and had his prey eating from his hand, but that didn’t seem to be working this time.

Alex had fed her all right; he’d almost had to force dinner down her throat. Carly was ready to kick him out the door. He chuckled at the memory of her shocked expression when the delivery guy arrived with their food. She was definitely a piece of work, wasn’t she? Pursuing Carly would be lots of fun. Her determination to be rid of him was something to admire and practically humorous. Then again, how long would she be able to keep it up before she gave into his charms? Because she would.

Normalcy back in his life was a must, and he wouldn’t have it until Carly was panting underneath him in his bed. Then, as non-committal as he was, Alex would move on like he always did. Remaining with a woman more than a few days was out of the question. Dealing with the uncomfortable “what am I to you?” conversation all women seemed to want to have, wasn’t on his agenda. Alex never understood why women couldn’t take it for what it was: a mind-blowing sex, short-term liaison, and leave it at that. Carly probably wasn’t any different but it didn’t matter. He’d have her, and she’d come to him willingly.

Carly stepped out of the elevator in the lobby at her workplace. She was enthusiastically engaged in a chat with what had to be another co-worker. His gaze studied her, imagining how he’d slowly remove that floral wrap dress, leaving her only in her panties and those three-inch high heels she wore that were now directly on his line of vision as Carly approached him. Alex shook his head, getting rid of the thoughts in his mind.

“What are you doing here?” Carly stared at him in question.

His lips twisted into that wicked grin of his that made women’s heartbeats skip. “Why, I’m taking you out to lunch.”

Carly closed the distance between them by half a step. “I’m not going to lunch with you. I have other plans.” Her gaze discreetly traveled around the lobby. “You can’t just show up at my workplace without advance notice. If you want to meet, check with my assistant first. My calendar is always full, so good luck trying that anyway.”

Just how stupid did she think he was? Alex would never try setting up something with her assistant because Carly would always be busy for him, even if he scheduled a lunch date a year from now. “Darling, I hate to break it to you, but your lunch plans have changed. Remember, the contract says you’ll make yourself available to me whenever I deem fit. Well, that’s now.” Alex grabbed her hand, leading her out of the lobby. His Range Rover was parked in front of the building’s entrance. He opened the passenger door, gesturing her in.

Alex placed his hands on the steering wheel and turned to look at her. “What are you in the mood for? Italian, Chinese, Thai, Mediterranean, or something else?”

“How about, I’m in the mood of being rid of you?” Carly replied.

“It’s not happening, sweetheart,” he said, steering the car into traffic. “You still haven’t told me what you’re in the mood for.”

Carly stared out the window and let out a heavy sigh. “I guess the question is: what are you in the mood for, Alex?”

Alex regarded her from the corner of his eye. As arguments went, Carly gave as good as she got and he couldn’t help not getting on her nerves. “I don’t think you want to know what I’m really in the mood for, so let’s settle on food, okay?”

“Whatever. It doesn’t matter. Let’s just go. I have to be back in an hour.” She folded her arms easing back in the seat.

Alex changed lanes, steering his car onto the 101 Ventura Freeway. Twenty minutes later, he took the Santa Monica Boulevard off-ramp and turned into a small parking lot. The corners of his mouth drew back in a smile. He was willing to bet his midnight temptress watched her daily calories and this kind of food wasn’t in her diet. “I hope you like hamburgers.”

“You bet.” Carly stepped out of the car.

Ah, hell. Did he hear her right? He’d expected her to complain and refuse to eat something so mundane for lunch, but now what was he supposed to say? He blinked twice and followed her inside the place.

While Alex placed their orders, Carly picked out a table just a few steps from the lunch hour traffic busy boulevard.

“I didn’t think you’d like this kind of food.” He sat across from her at their table.

“You thought wrong. I love a good hamburger and this place serves the best.”

“You’ve been here before?”

Her gaze shifted from the passing cars to settle on him. “Certainly. Whenever I need comfort food, this is
the
place to come.”

He didn’t see that one coming. Good one, Alex.

“You look surprised,” Carly said, taking a sip from her soda.

Alex leaned back in his seat, allowing the sound of the passing cars fill in his silent response. This was wrong, wrong, wrong. Didn’t she like salads, water, and that type of shit? Whoa! She could even be one of the guys and no one would be the wiser. Who knew!

“Is this one of your contract requirements?” she asked.

“No. This is one of those, I felt like having
you
for lunch moments, but I knew you wouldn’t, so I opted for having lunch with you instead.”

“Do you always get what you want?” Carly bit on a French fry.

“I do, yes.” Alex grabbed his soda cup. “What do you do for fun, Carly?”

Her eyes were busy studying the big hamburger in front of her. “What, are we playing twenty questions now?” She took a bite of her burger.

His mouth was suddenly dry, so dry he couldn’t swallow. This wasn’t happening. She hadn’t just taken a bite of a burger with delight. The refreshing cold of his soda made it down his throat, getting rid of his sudden parched state. “No. What’s wrong if I want to know more about you? Contrary to what you may think, you and I will be spending quite a bit of time together, and I’d like to know the person I’ll be spending time with.” His fingers played with the straw.

Both grew quiet, although the sound of the cars driving by surrounded them, reminding them of where they were.

“I have a new hobby,” she broke the silence.