1
LILA
“Ms. James?”
The man who said my name as I stepped off the elevator wasnotwhat I was expecting, and it took me a moment to respond.
“That’s me.”
The guy was a geek—no question about it. His thick, dark glasses sat slightly askew on his strong nose. Dark blond hair fell in unruly tufts almost to his shoulders—as if it hadn’t occurred to him to get a haircut in quite a while, or to trim his bushy mustache. He wore a white lab coat over an ancient band t-shirt, black jeans, and high-top sneakers.
“Please call me Lila,” I said. Then I turned to my companion. “And this is my assistant, Penny.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Brad.” He brushed his hand off before shaking with both of us. Then he absentmindedly pushed his glasses up with one long finger.
Oh, yeah, he was a nerd all right. I recognized the type. But unlike the guys I’d studied computer science with in school, this nerd washot.
His brown eyes sparkled, and his square jaw and rakish grin hit all the right notes. I didn’t even mind the oversized mustache he rocked, though the sexy stubble that lined his jaw did more for me. Why was it that men could be unshaven and dressed down but still look sexy when we women had to work at it?
But that was a question to ponder another time. Today, I was here for one reason, and one reason only.
Behind Brad, a plaque with the name of the company hung on the wall. On the other floors the elevator had stopped at, there had been a directory. It was impressive that his startup occupied the whole floor. Real estate wasn’t exactly cheap in the Chicago area.
He followed my gaze to the sign and then gave me a direct smile, one eyebrow raised at a cocky angle. “Welcome to the Pleasure Institute.”
My skin shivered as the wordpleasureechoed through my body. It was a concept that I was fascinated with. Indeed, I’d built my brand around it. And I was extra fond of pleasure when it was my own. If Brad and his partner could deliver on what they’d promised, then I was in for a real treat today.
I took one of the equipment bags from Penny as we followed Brad down the hall. His back view wasn’t as impressive as the front—his lab coat was too large to showcase his muscular body. That didn’t stop me from looking, however.
Penny seemed mesmerized by our host, too. She had a boyfriend, but I didn’t blame her for looking. In my opinion, her boyfriend was a lot like her ancient car: rusty, subpar, and likely to let her down at the worst possible moment.
Brad stopped in front of a door on the left. Like the others, it was closed and made of hard polished wood. “I’ll just see if my partner’s ready.”
“Is there a place where I can freshen up?” I asked. Not because I was vain, but because it was part of my job. No one followed an influencer who looked like a slob.
“The ladies’ room is just down there.” A slight frown formed under Brad’s bushy mustache.
It was hard to believe that a man who’d founded a successful startup could be mystified by women’s grooming rituals.
But he was still cute as hell.
2
GIDEON
“Where is she?” Cole, one of my oldest friends, was not his usual calm and collected self as he hovered in front of the bank of computer monitors.
“I can’t just snap my fingers and make her appear,” I pointed out. When he got nervous, I made it my job to radiate calm. “Brady’s text said that she’s on her way up.”
“I just… we just need everything to go right.”
“It will. We’re ready. We know what to do.” Then I looked around the little room. “Everythingisready, right?”
“Right.” His voice was steadier now, which was good. We needed this to work, because a lot was at stake today. Maybe everything.
I heard a noise from the hallway. “Is that them?”
“I think so.”