“Hey Mr. K,” Kara grinned and stood on tiptoes to plant a kiss on Lucien’s cheek. “Did ya miss me?”

“I survived,” he said dryly, tugging lightly on her ponytail before slinging his arm around Sophie’s waist and kissing her shoulder. “I missed Sophie more.”

Kara laughed. “Get a room, love birds.”

“We have one. Sophie said we can’t go there yet because I have to be polite.”

Sophie smacked him in the ribs and crossed to load the dishwasher, safe in the knowledge that Kara and Lucien’s sparring was underscored with mutual affection.

She tuned out as they talked shop for a few minutes, Kara quizzing Lucien on the readiness of the club and boutique. Business acumen was one of the traits that bonded Kara and Lucien as friends, and Sophie usually enjoyed the way Kara was unafraid to challenge him. But right now, her mind was on other things. As she tuned back in again she realised that Lucien had drawn his mobile out of his jeans and was talking to someone. Within minutes a driver had materialised to take an eager Kara down to the club to have a nose around, and she silently thanked her friend for her tactical withdrawal. If Lucien didn’t get her alone soon he was in danger of spontaneously combusting. And quite possibly, so was she.

Kara let herself into the club with Lucien’s keys, looking forward to seeing the development for herself. She and Sophie had followed it closely from back home in the UK via email updates and photos, but experience had taught them that despite the common perception to the contrary, the camera can actually lie. Bad workmanship could be disguised with a few carefully positioned props, and slow developments can appear faster with the right omissions and clever lighting.

She knew the club layout pretty well from studying the plans, well enough to know that the boutique lay just off to the left of the main vestibule. Kara took a moment to appreciate the effort that had gone into transforming the club’s interior to meet Lucien’s exacting, opulent standards. Lavish and sexy, full of the promise of pleasure with its curvy, embracing seats and sensual colour scheme, the interior already exuded the exotic glamour that so successfully seduced customers the instant they crossed the threshold.

Kara had never set foot inside an adult club before Sophie and Lucien had offered her the opportunity to join the business. She well remembered her first eye-opening visit with Sophie at her side, and marvelled even now at how what had once seemed outrageous now struck her as entirely routine. Kara had been instantly fascinated, and over the years she’d entrenched herself firmly in the world of adult pleasure, from a strictly commercial perspective. Or mainly so. It was impossible not to feel the frisson of it at times. She’d gone quickly from a toy novice to an industry expert, thanks to the trade shows and exhibitions she attended on behalf of Knight Inc., usually with Sophie at her side. They’d become well-known faces around the industry, one blonde, one brunette, one shared aim of making their boutiques a runaway success.

Kara hadn’t anticipated this turn in her career, and she definitely hadn’t anticipated that she’d love it so much.

Stepping through the archway into the boutique space, she was pleased to see that the progress reports they’d received seemed to have been accurate. The place was looking pretty shipshape; shelving already on the walls, velvet mannequins ready to be dressed in wisps of lace and silk, and boxes of stock lining the walls, all ready to be opened. Leaning down, she peeled the tape back on the nearest box and delved within it.

“Pretty as your ass is, sweetheart, you have thirty seconds to get out of here before I remove you myself.”

Kara jumped up and twirled around in shock at the sound of the drawling Californian voice behind her. Lucien had specifically told her that the club was empty of workmen, and her heart banged hard with both panic and indignant annoyance. She had the right to be here, and this guy didn’t.

“Who the hell are you?” She planted one hand on her hip and jutted her chin at the stranger. He glanced down at her other hand.

“It looks as if you got what you came for.” He crossed his arms and leaned on the wall of the archway.

Kara swallowed hard and closed her eyes for a second to gather her thoughts. Problem. She was gesticulating at him with a vibrator. This seriously weakened her stance. She had two choices, and Kara was a woman who always came out fighting.

“This?” She held the classic vibrator up in front of her. “Oh, I don’t think so. This is a beginner’s tool. If I’d come here to steal sex toys I’d go for something bigger. More functions. Something like the Thor, or maybe the brand new Thor Deluxe. It's, umm, waterproof.”

He raised one eyebrow. “Your encyclopedic knowledge of vibrators tells me a lot about the state of your sex life, lady.”

Kara fought the urge to shove the vibrator somewhere that would shut this guy up for a very long time.

“Managing a string of adult boutiques does that to a girl.” Her voice dripped with cool sarcasm, and by the look on his face she’d made her point because he dropped the attitude and his face cleared.

“Gee, I’m sorry. You must be Sophie.”

Kara shook her head. “Sophie would have been much politer. I’m Kara Brookes, Sophie’s business partner. And you are?”

He paused for a beat. “Dylan Day.”

“Catchy.”

He shrugged.

“Well, we’ve established I have a right to be here. How about I give you thirty seconds to explain yourself?”

He had the audacity to laugh. “Or else?”

She could hardly remove him bodily. He was at least six foot, and by the looks of him, all muscle. Not that she’d checked him out, nor had she noticed the way his T-shirt outlined the definition of his body. Nope, definitely not. She especially hadn’t noticed the tanned band of skin beneath it that had made a brief appearance when he’d pushed his hand through his too long, sandy hair a few minutes ago.

“Or else I’ll…”

“Shoot me with your vibrator gun?” he suggested helpfully.

Kara sincerely wished she’d had the forethought to put the vibrator down rather than brandishing it at him some more. She was losing all the ground she’d gained.

“Or maybe you’d like to upgrade your weapon to that Thor Deluxe, given its power and all?”

Oh, he was cute. “Believe me, surf-boy, if this thing had bullets, I wouldn’t think twice about shooting you right now.”

He held up his hands with a disarming smile. “Don’t shoot. Lucien Knight hired me yesterday. I’m the new club manager.”

Kara was aware that Lucien had been having problems filling the management vacancy. So it could very well be true. She gave him a sharp look. Dylan Day’s eyes were clear of any deception. They were also piercingly green, not that Kara would confess to having noticed.

“Fine.” Kara nodded, gathering herself together. “Fine. But just so you know? You’re not the manager of this place.” She gestured around the boutique with the vibrator. “I am.”

He cracked a killer smile. “Suits me, darlin’. You stick to selling panties and sex toys, and leave the rest of the show to me.” And with a knowing lift of his eyebrows, he turned and sauntered away.

The urge to throw the vibrator at the back of his head was tempered only by the fear that she might miss and give him the upper hand.

“I’m English!” she hurled after him instead. “They’re fucking knickers!”

Dylan laughed under his breath as he walked back to his office. English. She was that all right, he’d almost sliced himself open on her cut glass vowels.

The girl was a firecracker in frayed denim hot pants, cowboy boots and a pink T-shirt that clung alarmingly to her every curve. Move over Daisy Duke. Her ponytail had swished like an angry cat’s tail as she’d waved that goddamn vibrator around like a grade A weapon, and every word that had left that full, wide mouth had dripped sass. She was going to be a handful to work with, that much was for sure.

Closing his office door thoughtfully, Dylan realised that even though the sparks flying between them had been enough to set the club alight, the one spark he hadn’t picked up on from Kara was sexual interest. He breathed a sigh of relief mingled with regret. Working relationships were best kept that way. For sure.

He’d found it pretty easy over the last few days not to react to the interest from the air hostess or the pretty waitress back at the bar.

But Kara Brookes was a whole different ball game.

Back at the villa, Lucien scooped Sophie up and carried her downstairs to the master suite.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and let him. Every now and again he needed to release his inner caveman, and she was more than happy to be in his arms.

“You decided on the bedroom rather than the front door then,” she murmured, brushing her mouth over the smooth skin just below his ear.

“Call me conventional,” Lucien muttered, tugging on the ties of her bikini behind her neck.

Sophie laughed softly. “That I'll never do, and you know it.” Lucien was the most unconventional man she’d ever known; his unpredictability was just one of the many things she loved about him.

He lowered her onto their bed, already shedding his clothes. Sophie lay back and enjoyed the view as he peeled his T-shirt over his head and threw it aside, then moved his hands down to unbutton his jeans. He paused for a second, his eyes on her, then smiled, a slow, barely there intimacy that said my girl. And then he dropped his jeans, and his proud, enlarged cock told her a whole lot more about his feelings for her.