Play Me Hot (7 page)

“I’m sorry,” I tell her, resting my forehead against hers. “I’m so sorry.”

She shakes her head, tries to pull away. “I don’t know what you’re apologizing for.” She glances over my shoulder, then starts to push me away. “I have to get back to work.”

“You’re done working for tonight.”

“No, I’m not. I need this job.” She walks away from me then, heads straight to the bar. “I need two Absolut and cranberries, a Nolet’s Reserve and soda, and two Diet Cokes,” she tells the bartender.

“On it,” he answers.

“After you deliver those, you’re done.”

“I’m done in an hour, when my shift ends.”

“Don’t fight me on this, Aria—”

“I just want to do my job, Sebastian. Let me do it.”

“Hey, Aria,” the bartender says as he sets the drinks on the bar in a steady stream, one after the other. “Is this guy bothering you?”

“No.” She looks right through me. “He’s not bothering me at all.”

I’m fuming as I watch her pick up the drinks and head off to deliver them. Partly at her but mostly at myself. I know better. I fucking know better. No matter what she’d told me, no matter how she’d acted as she was leaving my office, I should have known ending up here was a possibility.

I’ve got two choices at this point. I can force her to leave now or I can wait until her shift is over and care for her then. And while every instinct I have is screaming at me to get her the hell out of here, now, I’m smart enough to know that might not be the right move. Partly because David is already watching us suspicious
ly—and unlike the bartender, he knows exactly who I am. The last thing I want Aria to have to deal with right now is rumors about the two of us, especially since neither of us yet knows what “us” really entails.

Even more important, she told me that she wants to stay. Right now, with the way she’s crashing, the last thing I want to do is take this decision out of her hands. She doesn’t trust me as it is—forcing my will on her right now is probably the most unhealthy thing I can do to her. To us.

And so I wait. Impatiently. Silently seething every time she stumbles. Every time some dick with more balls than compassion lays a hand on her. I’d take care of it before it happens if I could, but the place is packed tonight and there’s no way to tell who is going to behave like a human being and who’s going to be a total jackass. At least not until after it happens, at which time I’m more than happy to make sure he understand the error in his ways.

But that’s not good enough. Not when Aria is so vulnerable. So lost. So fucking empty. And knowing that I did this to her—that I sent her spiraling into this state when all I wanted to do was give her pleasure—makes me crazy.

I’ve never been this careless before, and the fact that I made the mistake with her makes it ten times worse.

I try to talk to her a couple times, to run a soothing hand down her back or give her a squeeze on the shoulder, but when she just stares at me blankly I end up feeling like every other asshole who’s been trying to fuck with her while she’s doing her job.

It’s not a good feeling.

And so, finally, I settle myself onto a stool at the bar where I watch the second hand on my watch spin its way slowly, slowly, slowly around the numbers. Again and again and again. Sixty seconds—sixty minutes—never took so long.

The moment the clock reads two-thirty, I’m off the stool and across the room, my arm around Aria’s waist.

“I need to clock out,” she tells me.

I start to tell her to forget about it, that I’ll take care of it, but once again I stop myself. This whole thing was supposed to be about helping Aria gain control of her life, not about taking control away from her.

So I wait a little longer, watching as she strokes a few keys on the computer and logs out for the night.

When she’s done with everything she needs to do, when she’s logged out and gathered her things, I take her hand. Lace our fingers together. “Do you want to go upstairs?” I ask, putting the control firmly in her hands. “Or do you want me to take you home?”

She looks startled—a good sign, I think, considering it’s the first emotion she’s shown since she came, crying out my name. “I’m fine. I can get myself home.”

My good intentions go right out the window in the face of her stubbornness. “That wasn’t one of the options, Aria.”

“It should be.”

I incline my head, because she’s probably right. It probably should be. But she needs someone to take care of her tonight and leaving her alone isn’t a choice I can give her. Not right now when it’s taking every ounce of control I have not to sweep her into my arms and carry her through the damn casino. Not when I want nothing more than to take her up to my suite, to my bed, and keep her there for a week. Or forever. Whichever comes last.

“Choose,” I tell her when I finally have my shit together enough to speak. “Now. Because one way or another, you’re leaving this casino with me.”

Do
n’t miss this continuing series, five installments available now from Loveswept

Play Me #1: Play Me Wild

Play Me #2: Play Me Hot

Play Me #3: Play Me Hard

Play Me #4: Play Me Real

Play Me #5: Play Me Right

Play Me Wild

Play Me Hot

Play Me Hard

Play Me Real

Play Me Right

Ruined

Addicted

Exposed (coming soon)

Shredded

Shattered

Slashed (coming soon)

Full Exposure

Tie Me Down

PHOTO: © KEVIN GOURLEY

New York Times
and
USA Today
bestselling author T
RACY
W
OLFF
lives in Texas and teaches writing at her local community college. She is married and the mother of three young sons.

tracywolff
books.com

Facebook.c
om/TracyWo
lffAuthor

@tracywolff

I don’t know about you, but this is my favorite time of year. Sure, the month is crazy with holiday preparations, but before you know it, they’ve come and gone…which always makes me a little sad. Never fear—I’ve got some great romances to lift you out of those seasonal doldrums. Loveswept in December
—
guaranteed to keep you on that holiday high!

New this month is the latest tantalizing Rule Breakers novel,
Want It,
from Jennifer Chance, in which an irresistible alpha male follows his ex into a deadly standoff—and reignites a heated affair. A warm welcome to Wendy S. Marcus as she makes her Loveswept debut this month with
Loving You Is Easy
—she’s a survivor of the political front lines and he’s a wounded soldier returning home from the battlefield. Can they place their trust in the power of love? You bet! You’ll be thrilled to know that the conclusion of Ella Patton and Liam Stone’s story is here in Laura Marie Altom’s
Possess
—more of the contentious love affair that began in
Control
. Historical romance fans will adore
His Saving Grace,
by Sharon Cullen, a captivating novel that tells the deeply emotional tale of two devoted lovers facing the ravages of war.

And a little something special for you this month:
Play Me,
a serialization written by
New York Times
bestselling author Tracy Wolff. Five wonderful installments complete a full-size novel, and each section will tantalize you. Listen to this: Aria Winston lives the life of a loner, waitressing at a popular Las Vegas casino. Sebastian Caine is the hot son of the owner who manages the business while his father recovers from a series of mini-strokes. Things heat up fast, and the glimpses of the man behind the façade disturb Aria but also make her want him more (contains BDSM elements).

Wishing you a happy, healthy, and safe holiday season—and just in case Santa doesn’t deliver on the goodies, remember: Loveswept has what you need this month in romance. Until next time…

~Happy Romance!

Gina Wachtel

Associate Publisher