You have no fucking idea�

On the floor, the phone blinked up at her, but Charley ignored it, reaching into her purse instead.

"Don�t come any closer." She pointed Beyonc� at his chest. "Or I�ll fry your ass with�"

"Fifty thousand volts. I�m aware." Ignoring the threat, he bent down and grabbed her phone from the floor, glancing at the screen. "Shall I tell this� Rudy� you�re otherwise occupied trying to fry the ass of an innocent man?"

"I wouldn�t. Not unless you want a side order of Jimmy Choo to the nuts." Charley lifted her foot to show him the spiked heel, then held out her free hand, gesturing for the phone.

The man obliged, but that damn smirk wasn�t going anywhere.

"Twice in one night I find you sneaking around where you shouldn�t be. What are the chances?" His gaze trailed down her body, then back up, his eyes narrowing at the sight of her still-gloved hand. "And what in the devil�s name are you doing?"

Panic rose in her chest, but she quickly tamped it down. Her little rebellion had made her careless tonight�drinking, flirting, not covering her tracks. She�d gotten herself noticed�more than noticed.

But that didn�t mean she was exposed. Not yet.

"Not that it�s any of your business�" Lowering the taser, she peeled the satin glove from her hand and stuffed it into her purse. "I needed some privacy. For the phone call."

"The one you still haven�t answered."

"I was going to, but then you interrupted."

"By all means." He nodded toward the phone, still blinking in her hand like a bomb about to go off.

Right. Because getting reamed out in front of the hot stranger who�d busted her sneaking into the study at a fancy-ass auction sounded like the perfect way to wrap up her Friday night.

She sent the call to voicemail and shoved the phone and Beyonc� back into her purse.

"Does this mean my ass is safe?" he asked.

"For now."

"Perfect." His grin fell, his gaze turning cold and calculating. "Now tell me what you�re really doing in here."

"I� I needed�" Charley shook her head, thoughts and words crashing together in her brain, her heart hammering.

"No alibi, love?" He took a step closer, his crisp, delicious scent invading her senses. "You�d better think of something. Security is right down the hall." He cocked his head as he pretended to listen for the guard�s footsteps. "Getting close, I�ll bet. Maybe I should let him know we�re�"

"Wait! I can explain."

The man took another step closer. Lowering his voice to a raspy whisper, he said, "I�m on pins and needles."

Charley forced herself to stand strong, but inside, she was quaking like a prom-night virgin. Hundreds of jobs, hundreds of scenes, and she�d never been so damn reckless, never come so close to blowing her cover. Yet something about his intensity, his persistence, his very existence made her want to push past every boundary, to unlatch every safety mechanism, to risk it all.

What the hell is wrong with me?

"I don�t like to be kept waiting," the man said. JrNovels.com