Pleasure Exchange Read online

  “Yeah?”

  “What was that you said?”

  “Nothing.”

  Shivering, she hugged herself and leaned toward him. Cat lifted one perfect brow. “I could have sworn you just said something.”

  He rolled one shoulder and hedged. “The elevator is old. It makes noises,” he said, shifting his stance to hide his inflated body part.

  Her arousing scent reached him. A delicious combination of sweet summer rain and succulent vine-ripened oranges. Of all things good and holy, that had to be the most seductive aroma he’d ever inhaled.

  Shit, his goddamned cock just grew another inch.

  Cat rubbed her palms up and down her arms. The gentleman in him urged him to offer his warmth. The man in him urged him to offer something a little farther south.

  “Come here, you’re freezing.” Stepping into her personal space, he cradled her under his arms, warming her body with his. The snug contact created an instant air of intimacy. He felt a curious shift in his gut as she nuzzled against him and absorbed his heat.

  The last few months had been hell. Total and utter hell. He’d barely been able to concentrate on his work knowing the sexy vixen lived mere minutes away in the condo across the courtyard. He wasn’t sure whether it was a blessing or a curse that the positioning of their buildings provided him with a direct view of her bedroom when he stood inside his own.

  He’d wanted to ask her out. In fact, he’d planned on it right after he completed his project and perfected his serum. Which would have been soon had she not written the damn article and drawn so much negative attention to him.

  For the past six months his crazy schedule and deadline had left little room for extracurricular pleasures. He wasn’t about to call on her until he could give her the attention she deserved, because judging by the number of men coming and going from her condo, Sam knew Cat Nichols demanded a lot of attention. And dammit, he wanted to be the guy to give it to her, not one of the six men who paraded in and out of her place at all hours while he was swamped with work.

  Not that he watched and counted.

  Not at all.

  Not much anyway.

  The truth was, Cat was exactly the kind of woman he dated. One who appeared to enjoy playing the field and didn’t seem anxious to settle down or ask more from him than he could give.

  The last thing he needed in his life was to get involved with a girl looking for a serious relationship, which made him wonder why he found the idea of Cat consorting with so many other men unsettling.

  He berated himself for feeling so possessive toward her. His six-month boner and oxygen-starved brain had to be the reason he was feeling all peculiar inside. Christ, he really needed to get this girl out of his system. Surely once he appeased his body’s primal urges, his thought processes would return to normal.

  But he couldn’t do that until he completed his project. Now, thanks to Cat’s article, and the media’s erroneous take on it, things at the lab were totally fucked up. Animal rights activists were pounding down his door, assuming the experimental serum would be tested on his pet chimpanzee, Rio. Due to the unexpected turn of events the Research Center’s board of directors had halted his experiment, which prohibited him from completing his assignment. Even the press conference his Director, Reginald Smith, held hadn’t assuaged protestors. Another round of curses lodged in his throat as he considered his dilemma.

  He had to figure out a new game plan. Fast. But what? If only he could test the female libido enhancer on himself. Preliminary results had been a success with no side effects. He just had to run one more analysis before he could verify his findings to the Grant Governing Board. If he failed to make his deadline, his grant money would be allotted elsewhere. He couldn’t let that happen. Too many people were counting on him.

  He pulled Cat tighter in his arms as the perfect solution flashed through his mind like a lightning storm. Undoubtedly, the sexy wildcat who had messed things up would never agree to such a sinfully wicked plan.

  Or would she?

  His body buzzed as he entertained the idea. It was the perfect solution to his problem, really. He could complete his assignment and get the little spitfire out of his system.

  The old elevator squealed and then jerked to a halt. As soon as the metal doors cleared he linked his fingers through hers, stepped out, and ushered her down the hall. He swiped his identification card through the electronic lock and pushed the lab door open.

  “After you.”

  Cat offered a smile and walked past him, her sweet scent lingering behind, teasing and tormenting his libido. He banked his desires but his traitorous cock refused to obey.

  Sam watched Cat catalogue her surroundings before making her way over to Rio. Without taking his eyes off her, Sam moved to his desk and pulled a pair of scrubs from his drawer. His lab wasn’t huge, but it was big enough for his work station, his desk, and Rio’s cage.

  Hunkering down, Cat reached into the cage. Her hair spilled forward, brushing over her breasts. “Hey Rio, how are you, girl?” she asked. Gripping the bars, Rio rocked back and forth and made a hand gesture. Cat turned to face him. “What’s she saying Sam?”

  “She’s saying she loves you.” Which Sam thought was rather odd. Rio proved to be the jealous type. She hated when Sam brought women into the lab or into his condo. Perhaps Rio felt a certain closeness with Cat from seeing her around the condo complex. Kind of the same way he did.

  Oh boy!

  It occurred to him that he was far more intrigued by Cat than he would have liked. She unearthed things in him he preferred to keep buried. Sam had had his fair share of physical relations with women but had avoided making deep connections. After his mother bailed, leaving a family behind, his father had a plethora of female companions. They’d hang around for a while, long enough for Sam to form a bond, then just like his mother, when something bigger and better came along, they would up and leave without warning.

  Sam did a mental reminder of his rules. Never get too interested and never let them get too close because in the end, all women he got emotionally attached to ended up walking out.

  One perfect brow arched. “You taught her sign language?” Cat climbed to her feet.

  Sam shrugged. “Yeah.” He pointed to the small bathroom. “You can get changed in there. I’ll make coffee.”

  He took pleasure in the sight of her sweet backside as she moved across the room. At the sound of the door clicking shut behind her, Sam went to work on making a fresh pot of coffee. He turned his attention to Rio while waiting for it brew.

  Crouched on his knees, he petted her. “What are we going to do, girl? If I can’t finish the assignment, I can kiss my career and any future grants good-bye.” Rio signed that she loved him. Sam laughed. “I love you, too.” Lips flapping, Rio grabbed the metal bars on her cage and pulled, giving Sam a message. “Yes, I know, I promised you a bigger cage, too.” A fresh wave of anger ripped through him. He fisted his hands and clenched his jaw. “That damn article has complicated everything.” He stroked Rio’s back, nuzzled his face next to hers, and then stalked back over to the coffee pot.

  “These things are pretty comfortable.”

  The sound of Cat’s voice brought his attention back around to her. He twisted sideways and made the mistake of panning the length of her body. There was something very sensual about a woman in a pair of scrubs, he decided.

  As his gaze caressed her curves, anger once again segued to desire, leaving him warm and wanting. Cuffs rolled up at the ankle, her pants rode low on flared hips. Underneath her thin top she wore no bra, gifting him with a view of perfect round peaks. Eyes fixated on her sweet angles, he tried not to stare, but her gentle slopes proved too much of a distraction. His fingers itched, forcing him to fight his natural inclination to touch her. Christ, if she’d removed her damp bra, he could only bet she’d disposed of her panties too. Fire licked over his thighs. Oh hell! He gulped air as his thoughts scattered like his lab rats when the lights
flicked on.

  “Coffee smells good.”

  Right. Coffee. Censoring his thoughts, he turned from her probing gaze and filled her mug. His knuckles brushed her skin as he handed it to her. Soft. So very soft. Like a kitten’s fur. He wondered if she purred too.

  “Have a seat; let’s talk.” He tried to keep his voice level, but it came out harsher than he intended.

  She raised one hand in a halting motion. “Before you start yelling, I want to apologize.”

  He opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off.

  “First, hear me out.” Cat grabbed a chair, tipped her mug, and took a tiny sip of her coffee. “I heard what you said to Rio and I really am sorry, Sam. The article wasn’t meant to draw negative attention to your experiments. I just wanted to break away from fluff articles and show my editor what I’m capable of.”

  Sam’s head came up with a start. It surprised him that she considered her work fluff. He loved her humorous “Cat on the Prowl” column. A satirical take on “men, mating and masturbating” as she put it. On many mornings her column was the topic of conversation around the watercooler.

  “Fluff articles?”

  She blew out a breath and continued. “If I ever want to move up the food chain at the paper, I need to start writing serious news. Without substantial experience or noteworthy editorials, no one is going to look twice at me.” Cat took another sip of coffee and blinked up at him. “So you see Sam, I respect your work. It was never my intention to upset you or lead protestors to believe you were going to hurt Rio. I, for one, understand the need for testing but never thought for a minute you’d do anything to harm her. I’ve seen the way you care for her.”

  The last shreds of anger dissipated as he met her apologetic eyes. He understood the inner drive to succeed. He had that drive himself.

  “So I’ve been giving it a lot of thought.” She leaned forward, her plunging neckline affording him a view of her creamy cleavage, fueling his imagination. In that instant, he knew there was nothing he could do to deter his cock from rising to the occasion and tenting his pants. The gentleman in him urged him to look the other way. The man in him decided at this particular moment, manners were overrated.

  His mind careened off track. Desire stabbed through him. He indulged his wayward thoughts as he envisioned his mouth wrapped around one perfect, pink areola, sucking, nibbling, and licking until she cried out in painful bliss. Sweet mother of God and all good things holy! His sinful thoughts were paving him a path straight to Hell.

  “I’ve figured out a way I can help you finish the experiment.”

  He transferred his thoughts back to the situation. “Help?” He poured a generous amount of cream into his coffee and met her at the table.

  She cleared her throat before speaking. Her voice thinned to a whisper as she proceeded. “Yeah, me in exchange for the chimp.” With a quick nod, she motioned to Rio.

  Had she read his mind?

  Blood racing, he came up short. His knees nearly went right out from under him, causing him to spill his coffee. Suddenly it took effort to stand. He pulled out a chair and lowered himself into it. He met her gaze from across the table.

  She had to be kidding.

  He paused and cocked his head, assessing her. They stared at each other for a long quiet moment. He furrowed his brow, unable to believe her offer.

  “Are you serious?”

  Her sensuous mouth twisted into a frown, clearly indicating her silent apology. She wrapped her slender hands around her mug and blew out a slow breath. “I got you into this mess, it’s the least I could do to get you out.”

  He got quiet for a moment as he mulled over her offer. Did she have any idea what she was getting herself into? Any idea of how they’d have to test the serum. Provocative images of how he’d like to test her responses to the libido enhancer made his pulse rate kick up a notch. He bit back a low growl of longing as his desire mounted.

  He threaded his fingers through his hair and kept his voice controlled. “Do you have any idea what this entails?”

  She nodded, dark lashes opening wide over come-hither eyes. “Testing a female libido enhancer,” she rushed out, leaning toward him. He caught another whiff of her delectable orange scent.

  Sam had to admit, right now there were two things he wanted. One, to complete his assignment on time, and two, Cat Nichols. Not necessarily in that order. Damned if she wasn’t offering him a way to have both. He’d never mixed work and pleasure before. The two had never gone hand in hand. Until now.

  “Cat, do you understand what you’d have to do to help me?”

  “Not exactly,” she confessed.

  Sam leaned back in his chair and stretched his legs. Warmth coiled through him as his calf brushed hers. She didn’t flinch, nor did she pull away. What she did do was shift in her chair, allowing more of her leg to brush his.

  It took all his effort to force his arousal-fogged brain back to their conversation. “First, we have to test and record your sexual responses to stimuli without the enhancer. Then we wait twenty-four hours, give you the serum, and test your responses again.”

  Her eyes darkened. “Sam?” she asked, her voice a little uneven, a little raspy. “What stimuli?”

  He angled closer, gauging her reactions. He spent a long moment just looking at her before he answered in a soft tone, “Me.”

  “I see.” The seductive lilt to her voice made his body tighten. Twirling a damp lock through her fingers, she stared into the depths of her coffee mug, her expression a mixture of apprehension and intrigue.

  “Second thoughts?”

  He watched her throat work as she swallowed. “I’ll do whatever it takes to get the media off your back and help you complete your experiment, even if that means taking Rio’s place.” She gestured toward Rio and signed the words I love you.

  Sam smiled as he watched the exchange. The way she’d taken to his chimp, and vice versa, surprised and pleased him. Probably a hell of a lot more than it should have.

  “The thing is, Cat. I wasn’t testing the enhancer on Rio.”

  Her head came up with a start. “No?”

  “No. It’s not Rio you’re replacing, it’s her.” Jerking his thumb in the air, he pointed to Bonnie, his lab rat. “I was going to test the serum on Bonnie, but the Board of Directors halted all animal experiments until the protest died down.”

  Cat’s eyes opened wide. “Oh?”

  He leaned into her and grinned. “You’ll be taking the place of my lab rat. Does that change things for you?” he said, giving her a way out, hoping like hell she didn’t take it.

  She drew a shaky breath, slid her tongue over her bottom lip, and swiped away a raindrop that slipped from her bangs. She closed her hand over his, a combination of heat and desire flickering in her eyes.

  “Of course not, Sam. Why would you think that?” she asked, her voice darkly seductive. Suddenly, the air around them changed as sexual energy arced between them.

  Heat pooled in his thighs as her warm breath wafted across his face. A slow grin curled his lips. The look in her eyes spoke volumes. Her needs and desires matched his. Hot damn! His mind began racing, plotting, and tweaking the finite details of his experiment.

  “One question, Sam.”

  “Yeah?”

  She grinned. “Were you the stimuli for the rat too?”

  A low chuckle rumbled in his throat. “No.”

  Her eyes darkened. Her voice turned low, breathy. “Must be my lucky day.”

  He smiled. Damned if he didn’t like a woman who made no bones about what she wanted. He was quickly learning that Cat Nichols wasn’t the kind of woman to play coy or hard to get, like most other women he knew. With her, there were no cat-and-mouse games. And he found that damn refreshing.

  He squeezed her hand, bringing passion to her green eyes. All teasing disappeared from his voice. “Not yet it isn’t.”

  He watched the way her body trembled, despite the warm, dry clothes.

&n
bsp; “So what do you say?” Her voice sounded edgy. “Do you accept my apology and my proposition?”

  He opened his mouth to reply when reality hit him full force. It went completely against protocol to test the serum on humans before written approval. If his Director got wind of it, he’d kick Sam’s ass to the curb. But if he wanted to prove his findings to the Grant Governing Board and secure future grants, he’d have to break protocol. Who knew how much time it’d take for protestors to settle down and testing to begin again, and since time was something he didn’t have….

  He scrubbed his hand over his chin and considered his options. There really was only one solution. To make sure what happened in the research room, stayed in the research room.

  Could he trust Cat to abide by those rules? If he wanted to complete this assignment and get the little wildcat out of his system, he had no choice.

  He narrowed his gaze. “This won’t make it into your paper?” he asked.

  “Never.” There was nothing in her voice to suggest otherwise.

  He glanced into her seductive bedroom eyes. Heat curled a lazy path to his loins. Blonde curls had begun to dry and spring upward to frame her honey-tanned skin. Beautiful.

  “Well…?” she inquired.

  Oh yeah, he planned on taking her up on her offer alright. He had many reasons to accept, but right now most of them had nothing to do with the experiment.

  Chapter 2

  Darkness had settled over the city as Sam parked his jeep outside his condo and climbed from the driver’s seat. He stole a quick glance at his watch and hurried up the walkway. Damn, he hated to be late for anything, especially a sexy experiment with a woman who’d been getting under his skin for the last six months.

  As he pushed open his front door, his stomach grumbled, reminding him that in his quest to make the research room perfect for Cat, he’d stayed late and skipped dinner.

  Kicking off his shoes, Sam made his way to his fridge and grabbed a cold piece of leftover chicken. As he bit into it, he scooped up a napkin and looked at the wall clock. With only twenty minutes to spare, he still needed to shower and shave before calling on Cat.