Sensual Confessions

And notorious he definitely was, with a face too gorgeous to be real. He possessed a ruggedly handsome square jawline, high cheekbones and a straight nose. And then there were his lips, the most sensuous looking pair she’d ever seen. They were curved in a smile that was trying really hard to seduce her, get on her good side and break down her defenses.

She found his efforts annoying and was determined not to let him get past her guard. Some men just didn’t know when to give up. Her mind went back to the flowers she’d left sitting on her desk, and felt the same held true for whoever had sent them. For the past three weeks she’d received a bouquet of flowers. They were beautiful, and she could tell by the blossoms in each arrangement that they had to have been expensive. Although she wasn’t one hundred percent certain, she believed they had come from Blade.

If he was the culprit, and assumed liked a lot of players did that a quick way into a woman’s panties was with sweet-smelling roses, he would be sorely disappointed. Maybe there were some women who were that naive, but their name wasn’t Samari Di Meglio.

Mac nudged her shoulder, interrupting Sam’s thoughts. “Our guys are waiting.”

Sam frowned, feeling a migraine coming on. “One of the guys is definitely yours, but the other is sooo not mine. I wouldn’t claim him if my life depended on it.”

As they began walking toward the two men, Sam wanted to believe what she’d just said.

Blade glanced at the two women who were making their way toward him and Luke. Both were stunningly beautiful. One was already taken by Luke. The other…well. He studied all five foot eight of her. He looked her up and down, top to bottom, taking note of her blue business suit with its short skirt that showcased a pair of lush brown thighs and long, sexy legs. They were legs that went on forever, and one of these days he intended to see just where they stopped. He could just imagine the body hidden under her suit—a body he was convinced needed a master touch. His.

He smiled at the thought before his eyes moved up to her face. She was a mix of Italian and African-American. She had a pair of beautiful dark exotic eyes, a cute nose and delicious looking lips. Her caramel-colored skin looked soft and smooth, and the mass of black hair that flowed around her shoulders gave her a sexy look. Samari Di Meglio was the kind of woman who easily drew men to her, made them drool mercilessly and compelled them to include her in any wicked fantasies they had. But he also knew that she was a woman with no intention of ever being claimed by any man—not now or forever.

That was fine with him, since the word forever wasn’t in his vocabulary, anyway. He wasn’t interested in any woman beyond the first two orgasms, maybe three on a hot night. To go beyond that was asking for trouble, especially if she had a tendency to become possessive, or assumed that most men’s brains were controlled by what happened below the belt, and that if you kept a certain part of their anatomy satisfied, then that’s all it took. But that was a false assumption where Blade was concerned.

That might be true for some men, but he had yet to encounter a woman who could make him forget what day it was, whose bed he was in or whose legs he was between. And when the time came, he had no qualms about pulling back, pulling out and getting the hell out, if necessary.

“Hello, Blade.”

“Hi, Mac.”

He kissed her on the cheek and then watched as her face broke into an incredible smile when she looked at her husband. Luke leaned over and kissed Mac’s lips as she slid into his open arms, almost instinctively. The gesture was as natural as anything Blade had seen in a long time. He had known—from that first night more than seven years ago when Luke and Mac had met at a charity bachelor auction in Houston—that the two had the hots for each other. And he was still having a hard time getting used to the public displays of affection between them, especially since Luke had always been aloof where women were concerned. Marriage had certainly made him a different man.

Blade shifted his gaze from the loving couple to the woman standing in front of him—who was so damn delicious looking he could eat her for dessert. And one day he intended to do just that. As usual, whenever they were around each other, the sexual tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

“Hello, Sam.”

“Blade.”

She held her hand out and he took it, liking the soft, warm feel of it. She reclaimed her hand as he pulled out her chair. “Glad you could make it.”

She smiled politely. “I’m sure you are.”

He sighed inwardly. He had a feeling that all the lines he had planned to use on her tonight would be wasted. The woman was what most would call a lost cause, but he didn’t intend to give up. All it took was a whiff of her perfume to know the battle wouldn’t be easy, but the victory would be well worth it. Besides, she hadn’t yet tangled with the likes of Blade Madaris—on a good day or an even better night.

He glanced over at Luke and Mac. The couple had finally sat down. “How are you, Mac?” he asked.

She smiled at him. “I’m fine. Luke mentioned that your company was awarded the contract for the Mosley Building. Congratulations.”

“Thanks.”

“How long do you plan on being in town?” she asked.

“Not sure. That depends.”

“On what?” Sam asked.

She watched Blade shift his gaze from Mac to her with a smile that would have made her drool if she was the drooling type, which she wasn’t. But she would give it to him for being the kind of man who could make her feel hot all over, whatever the temperature. And then there were his eyelashes, which were just as deadly as his lips. His lashes were long and thick—lashes most women would envy.

“As chief engineer of Madaris Construction Company, I need to make sure the groundwork is laid before my crew can start work. There are surveys I need to complete, research that needs to be done, soil samples to be analyzed, as well as planning the construction schedule from start to finish. I also need to work with the Mosley people to keep the public informed as to what’s going on.”

He took a sip of water. “The design of the Mosley Building will be unique, and it’s my job to make sure the materials we use and the work we do meet our highest standards. So there’s no telling how long I’ll be here—maybe four to six months.”

Sam nodded. Regardless of what he’d just said, she knew there was more to him hanging around Oklahoma City than he let on. The look in his eyes said as much. The man just refused to give up. She would hate to make him another casualty, like every other player who thought she was fair and easy game. Evidently, he felt pretty damn sure of himself.

Any other time she would have jumped at the opportunity to prove him wrong, but with the phone call she’d received from her parents before leaving the office, she didn’t have the time or the inclination. Although she was pretty good when it came to multitasking, she didn’t want to take on both Blade and her parents at the same time.

Her mom and dad, who had been responsible for choosing Guy as their future son-in-law, were at it again. For some reason they couldn’t leave well enough alone. At first, when they had called last week, they’d insisted that she fly home to New York to meet the man they thought was the perfect match for her.

When she had refused, they had tried playing on her sympathy by claiming that they would be too old to enjoy grandchildren when she and her brother, DeAngelo, finally settled down and produced offspring.

“Peyton sends her regrets, but she wasn’t able to make it, Blade,” Mac said, diverting his attention.

Sam glanced at him to see if any disappointment registered on his face. He smiled. “Luke told me and I’m disappointed,” he said evenly.

Was he really? Hmm. As if she’d spoken out loud, Blade shifted his gaze from Mac to her and once again gave Sam that predatory smile. She was relieved when the waitress appeared and placed glasses of water in front of her and Mac, and gave everyone menus. She had dined at this restaurant before, so it didn’t take long to decide what to order.

Sam closed her menu and glanced up to find Blade staring at her. She was about to ask if there was anything wrong, but decided not to. Instead she stared back at him. She smiled to herself. If he thought he could outstare her, he was so wrong. This was one of the games she and her brother would play as children, when they didn’t have anything better to do. Not only did she play it well, oftentimes she beat her older brother. She could hold her own with the best of them and could stare down anyone without blinking.

It didn’t take long for her to see that was exactly what Blade was trying to do. Evidently he’d played a similar game as a child and could definitely hold his own. But she had to admit—even though it bothered her to do so—that staring at him was affecting her in ways that the game she’d played with DeAngelo never did.

She felt a stirring sensation emanating from Blade’s dark eyes. They seemed to be staring right through her, reading her thoughts.

“Blade, I understand Jake will be hosting a huge party in a few weeks to celebrate Sheikh Valdemon’s marriage,” Mac said.

It was only then that he looked away from Sam, to answer her. “Yes, he is. And you know nobody throws a party like Uncle Jake and Diamond. They would have given the party sooner, but it’s been hard for the newlyweds to visit the States because of commitments between the two countries.”

“I can’t wait to meet the woman the sheikh chose as his bride,” Mac said excitedly.

Blade shrugged. “Everybody who attended the wedding celebration said she’s a beauty. Still, I thought Rasheed would remain a bachelor forever. But I guess he had to marry sooner or later to produce an heir.”

Sam remembered the sheikh. What woman who’d attended Luke and Mac’s wedding hadn’t? She had certainly checked him out herself. “Who did he marry?” she asked.

“A young woman from his country,” Blade said. “One chosen for him by his family. If I remember correctly, she’s the reason he had to unexpectedly leave Luke and Mac’s wedding. Rasheed wasn’t happy about that. But according to Uncle Jake, it ended up being a love match anyway, and I’m glad. I would have hated for him to have gotten tied down for the rest of his life, married to a woman he didn’t love,” Blade concluded.

Sam took a sip of water and looked over the rim of her glass at him. “So when you marry, it will be for love, Blade?”

She knew by the look in his eyes that he didn’t appreciate her question, and from the silence at the table it was evident that, like her, Mac and Luke were waiting for him to answer. Sam wasn’t exactly sure what had possessed her to ask such a question when she already had a pretty good idea what his response would be. But she had asked, and there was no doubt in her mind that he would make it crystal clear for her, so that there would never, ever be any misunderstanding. He enjoyed being a womanizer, and he proudly played the part.

He took another sip of water before flashing a smile that revealed a pair of dimples she hadn’t noticed until now. His eyes locked on her face. “I don’t ever plan to marry, Sam—for love or any other reason. I enjoy my life just the way it is. I could never be a one-woman man. What’s the point?”

“Yes, I agree with you one hundred percent. What’s the point? I don’t plan to marry, either. Like you, I like my life just the way it is, and I could never belong to one man exclusively.”

She wasn’t quite sure what he had expected her to say, but from the look on his face she could tell that hadn’t been it. He evidently thought men were the only ones who could play the field.

Sam was spared from saying anything else when the waitress returned to take their orders. But that didn’t stop her from glancing across the table at Mac and seeing the sly smile on her friend’s lips. Luke seemed inordinately preoccupied with his silverware.