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As surprised as Ashley had been when the handsome—and not at all geeky—tech CEO had invited her to celebrate the close of the deal with them, she was even more surprised when she reached Club Phoenix. It appeared to have been a warehouse or some other large business on the edge of Denver, but that didn’t stop the line waiting to get in from trailing down the long block. Presenting the card to the bouncer as Rafael had instructed, she got a calculating look from the bouncer, but he didn’t hesitate to open the door and let her right in, much to the irritation of the next few people in line. She felt a little out of place in her light-colored business suit next to the clubbers, but there wasn’t much she could do about it now.
The unassuming outside of the club—for all its fancy, lit signage—did nothing to prepare her for the club itself. Dark wood and deep purple leather were everywhere, contrasting the glass, mirrors, and the walls painted in shades of red, orange, and yellow that matched the phoenix theme. There was enough seating that there were nearly as many people on the dance floor as scattered around the noisy room. From the amount of food on the tables, it looked like there was a dinner rush in full swing.
"Ashley!" It took her a moment to register her name in the din, but when she turned, she saw Mr. Brantley—Rafael, she reminded herself—minus his suit coat, sliding through the crowd by the bar. His smile was easier here, she noted; this was as much his comfort zone as the office, which surprised her. She wasn’t sure why, since he had been nothing like her expectations of a tech CEO from the moment she laid eyes on him, but this crowd of drinking, laughing party-goers was about as opposite to the fancy conference room they’d met in as could be. "Come, let’s get a table further from the floor," he called as he beckoned her toward a raised seating area beyond the bar. From the burly man and velvet rope, it was a VIP of some sort, but then, he was the owner. Long, black curtain panels artistically decorated with sparkling, mirrored shards of flame-colored glass blocked some of her view, but they likely helped with the noise and made the side area more private.
She did her best to follow him, but he was far better at slipping between people in the crowd than she was. By the time she reached him at the far side of the room, the bouncer had pulled back the rope and was nodding at something Rafael was saying, leaning in close so he could be heard. Ashley blinked as she saw that the big and tall bouncer was the same height as the club owner, and the two were equally well-muscled. Just who was Rafael, really? CEO, club owner, and apparently an athlete or body-builder?
Another nod from the bouncer and Rafael turned to smile at her, gesturing for her to precede him up the few stairs to the raised level of the VIP lounge. Large panels of plexiglass had been set up between the tables to give more protection as a nod toward public health, but they, too, had been hung with dark cloth and flame-themed art, nearly creating tiny private rooms.
Rafael appeared at her side, smiling, and escorted her toward a table within sight of the bouncer, likely where Zach and the other programmer would appear momentarily. He gestured her to one bench seat and stood by the other, waiting to sit until she’d slid onto the leather seat. "Can I offer you a drink? Anything you like." A crooked finger brought a waitress right over to the table.
Ashley hesitated, not sure if she wanted something too strong, but it was a celebration, wasn’t it? "Dirty Cosmo with a twist, please."
Did his smile grow a little at her request? He was turning to look at the waitress too quickly for her to be sure. "I’ll try the new bourbon, Casey, and why don’t you get us a combo platter while you’re at it. I’ve another couple people coming. Thanks."
The waitress bobbed her head. "Sure thing, Raf. I’ll be right back with your drinks." Again the nickname caught Ashley’s attention, but this time she was less surprised. After the way his employees had treated him at Heliodoro Software, it seemed in-keeping with his personable nature. The only time he had been less open was the meeting that hadn’t quite sealed the Surge deal, and she could hardly blame him—she wasn’t fond of her employers, either.
It wasn’t until he grinned, flashing very white teeth, that she realized she’d been staring into space, more or less in his direction. Heat flooded her cheeks immediately; she dropped her eyes to the table for a moment. "Sorry."
"Quite all right."
Before he could say anything else, Zach Slater approached the table with the lead programmer right behind him. Their waitress was back by the time the two men had seated themselves, Zach sitting beside Ashley. Even with the other lawyer beside her—a nice guy and more than adequate in the looks department—she couldn’t help but feel Rafael’s eyes on her from across the table. She took a large sip of her drink as soon as it was in front of her to ward off his attention for a moment longer.
The newcomers ordered drinks as well, each naming high-end liquor that Ashley only vaguely recognized, and then Zach leaned back. "Am I glad that’s done with."
The other men laughed, and Ashley had to nod her agreement. "Same. That was more cantankerous crap than it needed to be."
Raf snorted across the table, just barely audible in the still-loud VIP area. "Did they pull that sort of thing many times?"
Zach’s groan was likely answer enough, but Ashley nodded again, forcing herself to meet his chocolate-brown eyes. There was heat in his gaze that both unsettled her and pleased her on some level. "They dragged us through so many revisions I stopped lettering them and just dated each."
The quiet programmer raised his glass as soon as it arrived. "To Surge and a done deal!"
They all agreed, clinking glasses together and drinking to the completion of her job. She didn’t know what her next project would be yet; she’d likely find out tomorrow morning. If that had anything to do with how quick she was to order a second Cosmo when the waitress appeared with a steaming platter of grilled and fried appetizers, she neither knew nor cared at that point.
Just as easily as Raf welcomed her into the group, Ashley was included in the banter between the men who had clearly known one another for a while; she enjoyed their teasing one another as much as they did. The programmer—whom she’d been reintroduced to, Nate—was the first to beg off after his third drink. "Thanks, Raf, but if I’m going to show up at work tomorrow, I’d better get home. Wouldn’t want to piss off my boss for showing up late and hungover."
Zach nearly choked on his scotch; Ashley pounded him between the shoulder blades as he sputtered, laughing the entire time. "I should probably do the same. It’s later than I’d planned." His glance at his large watch showed Ashley it was eight o’clock already, and they had to have gotten there two hours earlier, if not more.
A beckoning gesture from Raf with two upheld fingers brought the waitress over, offering bottles of water to the two men leaving. It was a startlingly kind gesture from the club owner, whom Ashley had decided to stop trying to understand since her expectations failed every time she did. It wasn’t until both men had risen and said their farewells that Ashley realized she was left with the good-looking man whose eyes had lingered on her all evening.
"Would you like to join me for a more private celebration?" The rumbled words flowed over her like molten lava, setting her body on fire. His eyes held hers, desire now just as visible as his interest in her had been for the last hour.
She couldn’t tell if she was blushing or not, her entire body was too heated to know the difference. She opened her mouth to refuse him, but his eyes dropped to her lips and the hunger in them took her breath away. It took her a moment to find the words. "I’d like that."
His smile was almost predatory, and spoke of much to come. Raf rose quickly and held out a hand to her; she took it, feeling as giddy as a schoolgirl with a crush. When they descended the stairs to the main floor, Raf paused to hand his keys to the bouncer. "Have one of the guys take it to my place sometime tonight." The bouncer’s eyes barely flicked to their joined hands, but he accepted the keys without a word.
The drive from the club to the Four Seasons downtown passed in a blur, Ashley constantly aware of Rafael sitting beside her with the prickling of being watched; she kept her eyes on the road, knowing if she glanced his way she would probably crash. As soon as they were parked and the attendant notified that she was his guest, Rafael reclaimed her hand and led her upstairs to his apartment.
As soon as the door was open, he pulled her inside and right up against him; kicking the door shut, he pressed her against the wall and his lips came down to hers, sending a jolt of energy through her body that pooled between her legs. Ashley clung to his strong arms, the world around her disappearing in the heat of Raf’s insistent kisses. His hands slid around her far less randomly, slipping under her suit coat and burning a trail of heat through her thin silk blouse, which he pulled loose from her slacks so he could get his fingers against her bare skin. She gasped into his kiss when his hands drew burning patterns on her skin. The sizzling awareness of his fingertips swept her up in a haze of arousal unlike anything she’d ever felt. She heard a moan and was shocked to realize it had come from her.
Without stopping his assault on her mouth, Raf picked her up, encouraging her legs to wrap around his waist, and carried her further into the apartment—she didn’t register any of the scenery, not with him pressed against her so intimately. She could feel his arousal pressed against her low belly, and it only served to make her own pleasure skyrocket, unashamedly grinding her hips against his.
His arms held her closer, only to disappear suddenly as he bent over, surprise shaking her loose with a yelp—she landed on the soft coverlet of a king-size bed. Looking up at him to call him out for making her think he’d dropped her, she was confronted with the sight of Raf hastily unbuttoning his shirt. His muscles were defined, far more than she had anticipated, wishing she could use her tongue to trace the abs that led to the sexy narrowing of his hips. She stared at the dark trail that led down into his pants, licking her lips, and was amazed when he groaned.
His eyes focused in on her face only briefly before trailing down her body, spread out just as she’d fallen. "May I?" he purred, not waiting for permission to stroke her hips and reach for the zipper on her slacks. She just nodded, unable to make her suddenly-dry throat form words, and let her jacket slide down her arms. Ashley threw it at an armchair by the bed, her pants following moments later. Raf’s dark eyes grew even darker as he took in her lacy panties and the outline of a matching bra beneath her thin shirt. She pulled that over her head and tossed it after the rest of her clothing.
His chest rose and fell more rapidly, practically panting as he took in the sight of her. "Take it off," he murmured, his hands moving to his own belt and slacks. He fumbled momentarily, apparently unwilling to take his eyes off her even for the moment it would take to glance down at his waist. Both shed their remaining layers in the same instant, and Raf crawled over her in bed without hesitation, the crinkle of a predictable foil package in his hand. "I want to enjoy every part of you, but I need you so much I can’t wait. Can I promise to do better the second time?"
