Prologue

Prologue

She was fucking perfect.

Normally, I detested charity events. While I had nothing against giving to a worthy cause, it was hard not to suffocate on the hypocrisy that filled the room. Half the people in attendance had no moral compass of which to speak, and if I were being completely honest, I was one of the people on that list. Now, while I didn’t club baby seals for sport or spit on homeless people as I walked by, I’d done my fair share of questionable shit, and I didn’t pretend otherwise.

At any rate, if given the choice, I’d rather just write a check than attend these functions, but I didn’t have much of a choice. As CFO of Moore Industries, I held the strings to the pocketbooks, so it was my face that needed to be seen at these things. Granted, it was the same face that Cutter wore, but still. If it weren’t for the fact that you could tell us apart by the scar on my left cheek, it’d be Cutter suffering at these events, not me.

However, things were looking up as I watched the beautiful brunette that I’d noticed upon arrival storm off from her date, heading to the bar to drink away either her sorrow or her anger. The fact that she wasn’t in tears or racing off to the restroom had me thinking that anger was the culprit.

I approached the bar just as the bartender was setting a shot of tequila in front of her. The smell of tequila was unmistakable, no matter how expensive the brand.

“What’d he do?” I asked, not one for playing games that didn’t involve dollar signs.

She took her shot before looking up at me. “What men always do,” she answered. “He’s been screwing his secretary, and he had no idea that I was standing behind him when he pulled his phone out to read a text from her, telling him how excited she is about the baby.”

Ouch.

“Are you in love with him?”

She gave me a scathing look. “That’s hardly the point. If it’s exclusive, love shouldn’t factor into any of it,” she replied, practically spitting fire. “I have no idea why men agree to be in a relationship when they have no desire to be faithful.”

“Not all men cheat,” I remarked pointedly.

The beauty arched a brow. “And on what planet would those men be living on?”

That had my lips twitching.

“How about we make a deal?” I suggested, rather than get into a deep discussion on fidelity.

She turned to face me fully, gearing up for whatever I was about to say. “What kind of deal?”

“A sexual relationship only, complete transparency,” I offered. “No feelings, no drama, no false promises, no blindsiding…no anything.”

“Exclusive or open?” she asked, entertaining the idea.

Now, while I had no problem with open relationships, you could get that anywhere. In fact, those were the only kind of relationships that I’d done before now. However, I was too busy to be hunting down pussy, though I wasn’t ready for marriage yet. I was only thirty-two, and my penthouse felt more like a motel room with how many hours that I worked just to prove myself. So, I was looking for something in-between a girlfriend and hookers, and a sex-only arrangement seemed like an ideal solution.

“Exclusive,” I answered. “Though there’ll be no dates, no meeting the parents, hanging out with friends, or any of that bullshit.” I wanted her to know exactly what she’d be signing up for if she agreed. “I’m free to knock on your door when I want to get laid, and you’ll be free to do the same. Sex only, and I cannot stress that enough.”

She turned to signal the bartender, and when he walked over, she said, “Another shot, please.”

I chuckled. “Liquid courage?”

She shook her head at me. “Nope. Just finishing what I started when I walked over here.”

I eyed her, and she really was fucking stunning. “What’s your name?”

“Aelix,” she answered. “Aelix Palmer.”

“I’m Cotter Moore,” I said, finally introducing myself.

“Yeah, I know,” she said as the bartender set another shot in front of her. “The entire world knows who you are.” She took her shot before adding, “Your family is always in the news.”

Ignoring that, I asked, “So, what’s your answer?”

She looked back up at me. “Screw it. It’s better than getting your heart ripped out for nothing.”

Like I’d said, she was fucking perfect.