Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

B raxton

Women.

I could have my pick on any given day. Just like with everything else, I’d grown bored with spending time with arm candy over the years.

Which is what made the fact my cock remained rock hard close to ludicrous.

Beauty and substance were often skin deep. Was that harsh?

Yes.

Was it true?

Absolutely.

The elevator was swift and when I walked into my creatively designed office space, I took a deep breath, yanking off my suit jacket and tossing it across the back of the leather couch. It was impossible to keep my mind off the unexpected treat and out of the gutter.

A strange laugh bubbled to the surface and I wiped my jaw as I headed to the bar. I had a feeling tonight was going to be… interesting. After pouring another scotch, I headed to my laptop, sitting down behind my desk. Our security was topnotch, allowing no criminal activity to be missed while not intruding on our guests’ fun or privacy.

After taking a swig, I unfastened my shirt sleeves, rolling them up past my elbows. While I certainly didn’t dress as formally as my guests or my brothers did while maintaining watch over the place, I was a different man. I was the kind of guy who preferred surfing and skiing to dressing like a freaking penguin. But appearances meant everything.

True to his word, Travis had sent footage from three different nights of the mystery woman. I shifted from one video to another, zooming in on certain hands. Yes, she was damn good, so much so if I weren’t incensed, I might consider hiring her as part of the security team.

I could only imagine what my brothers would say about that hot, spur of the moment decision. Yes, I was known for making somewhat rash decisions, but there was something about this particular instance that sparked an innate instinct that the woman was seeking attention.

But why? She was beautiful, a magnetic draw for every man around her. That meant she had a story to tell.

That intrigued the darkness inside of me.

I scrolled through another video until I finally heard a knock on the door. There was no reason to rise from my perch, or what some of my employees liked to call my throne.

“Come,” I said, sitting back in my seat.

As Travis opened the door, ushering the woman inside, I noticed his grip on her arm was firm. My guess was that the little woman had caused trouble.

“Let go of me, you bastard,” she muttered, finally able to jerk away from one of my other employees.

I was surprised to see Wally was more amused than normal. I had a feeling she’d given both men a load of shit while being escorted to my office.

Travis did indeed have a salacious look on his face as he walked in beside her. “Here you go, boss. Our con artist as requested.”

“Who the fuck are you calling a con artist?” she demanded.

“Was there an issue?”

“Oh, she tried to get away but that’s impossible to do in the resort,” he answered, throwing her a fun-filled look as if he’d captured the criminal of the year.

My mind was still processing the reason for my intense attraction, a longing that had been far removed from my system. Maybe it was her pert little nose and the way she wrinkled it when she was irritated or the delicious Australian accent. Grilling her would be far more fun than I’d originally thought.

I studied her as she planted her hands on her hips, cocking one and glaring at me. There was utter venom in her gorgeous eyes, the girl certainly not accepting the fact she’d been caught.

“Yes, you are a con artist. What did you discover about our rather notorious guest?” I asked.

“Notorious? Are you bloody out of your mind? Do you always threaten your guests, Mr. Owner, or is it just about me? Should I think of you as a chauvinist or just an asshole?”

“I would be very careful as we are on a private island,” I told her. “Anything could happen.”

“Oh, my God. You are an arrogant prick, using your masculinity to threaten a well-paying guest? I bet you have a tiny little dick, which is the reason for your arrogance and need for control.”

Both Travis and Wally coughed, unused to anyone daring to talk to me that way.

“Big words from a thief.”

The words seemed to settle her down.

For now.

Her accent was noteworthy and sexy as hell. There was also a well-educated feel to both the dialect and the woman herself. I was usually pretty good at sizing people up and I’d say she came from wealth. I remained amused, bringing my crystal tumbler to my lips as she scanned my office like she owned the place.

“Her name is Jane Smith. Go figure. She checked in five days ago with legitimate credentials,” Travis said, grinning after doing so. “She laid low until a couple nights ago, but I knew she was casing both casinos.”

Of course she was, which meant she was an expert card shark. “Ah, Jane Smith. It’s funny just how many women I’ve met with that name. Thank you, Travis. I can handle it from here.”

“You got it, boss.”

He left with Wally, closing the door behind him and ‘Jane’ rolled her eyes.

A few very tense seconds passed by. I had to admit, my cock was rock hard. She was even more beautiful than I’d imagined. The violet dress was form-fitting, the low cut V in the front providing enough of a hint what was underneath that I suspected there wasn’t a male who hadn’t been drooling.

“Well, it would seem we have an issue we need to handle,” I told her as I swirled my glass in half circles.

“Oh, yeah?” she threw out. “What’s that?”

I took my time answering. “You, dear Jane, are a fraud and a thief. I have it all on tape. You’re a very good con artist, I must say, but still, someone I cannot tolerate in my resort. So here’s the thing. I can either have you escorted off the island, police notified of your atrocities or…” I allowed the information to dangle.

She stopped fidgeting, her hate-filled gaze continuing. “Or? Get on with it.”

I lowered my gaze, concentrating on staring into my glass. I was having way too much fun with this and what I was about to propose was highly… irregular but I could do what I wanted. “Or I can handle your discipline in house.”

“Discipline?” She was obviously incensed, gawking at me as if I was an alien. “What the hell does that mean?”

Again, I took my time. “It means, lovely Jane, that I will dole out my own brand of harsh, lengthy punishment as I see fit. Then you will be escorted off the island and no one will be the wiser as to your atrocities. Now, if I had to take a guess, and I’m usually right, your name isn’t Jane Smith, which means you’re either hiding your true identity to avoid scandal or a lost waif with no money of her own, hoping to score big. So, this is your decision entirely. However, the clock is ticking. You will need to decide before my patience runs out completely.”

I took another sip, never allowing my eyes to leave her.

There was something about her including the spark of electricity already existing between us that I wanted more of.

And I was the kind of man to always get what I wanted.