Scanning the room, I noticed some important men that I’d seen splashed across the papers or on the television. Senators, high-powered businessmen, moguls, and city officials owned the room and glanced our way as we walked about the room. There were five pedestals around the room that we were supposed to rotate through. I found my first pedestal and stepped up. It was only a couple inches off the ground, but given my height and my heels, it gave every single man in the room a straight on view of my barely-there dress.

I could feel the silk fabric brush against my already-hardened nipples, sending ripples of pleasure straight through me. I looked over at Tootse who was smirking at me, knowing exactly how uncomfortable she made me. Bitch. All I wanted to do was flip her off, but knew the gesture would most likely be looked down upon.

Tootse. She knew exactly what she was doing when she designed my dress…that bitch. Well, I was just going to have to own it, so I did. Cocking one hip out to the side, I showed off my leg and stood in the middle of all the wandering-eyed men with pride as my nipples tried to poke every last man who walked by me.

Standing still in my heels for a long period of time was going to hurt, but we were only on the pedestals for five minutes, then we walked around for a while, and then got back up on the pedestals. The event wouldn’t be too bad, at least I hoped.

The ballroom doors that led to the entryway both opened at the same time as light blared through the entrance. It felt like the room stopped and started playing in slow motion as a shadow of a man walked forward wearing a finely-tailored suit that would make any woman’s mouth water. I couldn’t catch a glimpse of the man until the doors closed, due to the light, but once they did, I lost all ability to breathe.

Jett.

Standing there, in the most mouthwatering black suit, black shirt and black tie I’d ever seen was Jett Colby. He fastened one of the buttons on the front of his jacket as he stepped forward and observed the room. His dirty blonde hair was combed perfectly back and slightly to the side, and his face was perfectly shaven and begging for my touch. His eyes stood out against the light bronze tan that caressed his skin, something I never noticed in the dim lighting of the Bourbon Room before. He was perfection, fuck me in the ass, all finger huts in the room are weeping, my lady cactus drought is over, panty pudding overload, kind of perfection.

As he walked into the middle of the room, his swagger commanded the attention of every important man that surrounded the room. He adjusted his cufflinks as he sidled up next to the bar and ordered a drink, while shaking hands with the men who stepped up to say hi. He was such a stark contradiction sometimes, domineering and demanding in the Bourbon Room, but approachable and personable with his comrades. He intrigued me.

Easily, he stood out amongst the men in the room, not because of his sensuous appeal that would make any woman weak in the knees, but because of the way he owned the room. He didn’t need money or power or fame, all he needed was the quirk of an eyebrow and the tick of his jaw and he owned every single human in the vicinity.

Trying to slow down my heartbeat, I focused on the task at hand and that was being completely still as men walked around me and observed what I had to offer as a Jett Girl, well Jett Girl in training, but they didn’t have to know that.

The color around the walls changed from a deep purple, to a gold, signaling it was time to walk around the room. I stepped down from my pedestal and started walking the room in a clockwise manner, as I’d been told. The task was rather easier than I thought, given the fact that the men parted like the red sea when I approached them, giving them a better opportunity to take me all in.

I smiled casually as I walked around, feeling a little uncomfortable and maybe a little stupid for not interacting with anyone, but I just did as I was told; I didn’t want to get in trouble. Although, going into tonight, I thought that maybe, since it was a social, we could have a little drink and do a little dancing, but apparently that wasn’t in the plans.

Seeing another light change, I found the closest pedestal and started walking toward it. Right when I was about to step up, a familiar warm hand pressed to the small of my back. I smiled to myself as I turned around, knowing he wouldn’t be able to resist me in this dress for too long.

“You are going to have to wait until later to…”

My words were cut short when I made eye contact with a pair of molten brown eyes…not blue.

“I’ve been searching up and down New Orleans for you, kitten. If I knew you were right under my nose the entire time, I would have come sooner for you.”

Rex Titan stood in front of me, looking sexier than ever with fury and lust blazing through his eyes. I thought for a second of denying that it was me, telling him that he was talking to the wrong person, but there was no use; he spotted me easily, but how, was my question?

“How did you know…?”

“Oh, kitten. I know your body like the back of my own damn hand, plus it’s hard not to recognize your heart-shaped birthmark that is so prominently on display tonight,” he said, as he caressed just above my ass where my trademark rested.

Shit…I didn’t think about covering it up.

“I can’t talk to you.”

“I know. That is why you are going to meet me on Sunday at Café du Monde at noon. I will be at the back table to the right next to the hedges.”

“I can’t…”

Rex leaned down and brushed his stubbled jaw across my cheek as he spoke into my ear. His hand was dangerously close to my ass as he spoke softly, “Kitten, please do not say no. I need to see you, talk to you. I have so much to say and I can’t do it with the almighty Jett watching so closely over you.”

“Rex…”

“Please, kitten.” His pleading tone cut to my very soul as he pulled away to look at me. His thumb reached up and caressed my bottom lip. “You’re all I think about, all I crave and I can’t stand to be without you anymore. Please say you will come on Sunday.”

“I’ll think about it,” I found myself saying, as a small grin started to appear at the corner of his mouth.

He leaned in one last time as he nipped my earlobe and caressed my bare stomach with his hand, almost sending me to my knees, begging for his touch.

“Until Sunday, think of me, kitten.”

With that, he walked away, making me not only completely and utterly turned on, but nervous as fuck for thinking about what the hell I just possibly agreed to. How come I couldn’t say no?

As I watched his back side retreat, I knew why. Rex Titan owned my body at one point and it was pretty much impossible to say no to him, just like it was impossible to say no to the man who was currently staring daggers at me as I stood up on the podium.

A wave of heat flooded my body as I thought about him seeing the interaction between me and Rex. I just prayed that he didn’t catch anything, or else maybe I would be seeing Rex a lot quicker than I expected.

Determination rang through Jett’s eyes as he slowly walked toward me, shaking hands with men, but never really breaking eye contact with me. Anxiety started to build up in my bones as he came closer and closer. What was he going to say? Was he going to reprimand me in front of everyone?

The way he took in my entire body made me feel self-conscious, exposed. If looks could undress, I would have been stripped naked and shaved completely by Jett’s glare.

The lights turned again signaling for me to change. I turned away from Jett’s death glare and started making my way around the room. It wasn’t until my arms were grabbed from behind and I was pulled up next to a pillar, out of sight, that I realized Jett had caught up to me.

The look of hazy lust took over his deep pools of blue as he breathed heavily. Swallowing hard, I just stood where I was, waiting for Jett to make his first move, because hell if I knew what I was supposed to do.