"I'm sure you do." She paced the perimeter, exchanging an amused look with her friend. "And where is your office?" Hailey schooled her expression to one of complete innocence.

"This is my office." Smoke literally streamed out of his ears. "Your desk is positioned outside." Hailey curled her bottom lip. "But as my a.s.sistant... ahhh... a.s.sistants, you will be spending most of your time in here with me."

"Hmmm..." She suspected she'd spent most of her time spread out naked on his big desk. She slowly unb.u.t.toned her blazer, her p.u.s.s.y moistening and her body trembling with antic.i.p.ation. "I a.s.sume there's an employee discount on the jewelry." Hailey drifted her fingertips over the desk and picked up a gold letter opener.

"There are other people wanting this position." There was a threatening edge to Oro's voice.

He was nearing his breaking point. Hailey watched him approach her, excited and stimulated by his pa.s.sion. And she'd push him right over the edge.

"There are other positions." She stroked the letter opener up and down, up and down, mimicking the slide of her palm over a hard c.o.c.k. "I hear The Lair's hiring." She named his rival's s.e.x club.

Flames danced in Oro's golden eyes. "They won't be hiring you." He placed his hands on the edge of the desk, trapping her body between them.

"Or Ember?" she reminded him of her friend's presence.

"Ember, I need coffee -- black, strong, and very hot." He didn't turn his head, holding Hailey's gaze. Smoke curled around his nostrils.

"Hailey?" Ember raised her eyebrows, asking permission to abandon her to her deliciously s.e.xy fate.

"I'm in the mood for something hot and golden." Hailey tapped the tip of the letter opener against her lips, heating the cool metal with her breath and drawing Oro's gaze to her mouth. "I'd like a caramel mocha from that place we visited last night."

The trendy little coffee shop was situated near Greenwich Village, and it was always very busy, ensuring her that Ember wouldn't be back to the office for well over an hour.

They'd have time for multiple rounds of desk-burning s.e.x. Hailey sucked on the letter opener, tasting gold and paper and him.

"Very well." Ember sighed. "Hopefully we'll still have a job when I return," she grumbled, closing the door behind her.

"What does that mean?" Oro settled his big hands on Hailey's hips and lifted her easily onto the desk.

Hailey's face heated. "I like it rough." She slid the sharpened letter opener down her neck, between her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, slicing b.u.t.tons off her blouse. "And not all my lovers can handle me." Fear of hurting the men she l.u.s.ted after had resulted in a long, dry s.e.xual spell.

"None of your other lovers were dragons." Oro spread her legs and leaned into her, pressing the letter opener between them. Scales cascaded over her skin, protecting her tender flesh. "I can handle you, mate."

"The t.i.tle is a.s.sistant, and I'd like to see you try." She lifted her chin and parted her lips, issuing a challenge she knew no male could resist.

Chapter Two.

Oro surged toward Hailey, wedging his hips between her thighs and covering her full, plush lips with his. She opened for him, her mouth hot, hotter than any human female's, and he basked in their joining, relishing the slide of his tongue against hers, savoring the burnt taste of her mouth.

He captured her beautiful face between his palms, stroking his fingers along high cheekbones dotted with golden freckles. Emerald green scales shimmered under her ivory skin, and curls, colored with both fire and gold, caressed his knuckles.

She was perfect, she was dragon, and she was his.

He'd lost one prospective mate to Frey, his big, brutish Bronx rival. That female had meant little to him. There was no instant connection with Perla as he had immediately formed with Hailey. He pressed his pants-covered c.o.c.k against the wet silk of Hailey's panties, her arousal ratcheting his higher. He wouldn't lose her.

Oro rubbed his tongue over the roof of her mouth and she moaned -- a stimulating sound that pulled at his soul. She tilted her head back and thrust her b.r.e.a.s.t.s into his chest, her softness flattening against his hard muscle. He clutched her to him, kneading her muscles with his big hands, trying to reach skin, to reach her.

Too many clothes.

He extended his talons and raked them across her back, shredding both her snug-fitting blazer and the silk blouse underneath it. She pushed his jacket off his shoulders and tore at his cotton shirt, her ferocity exciting him.

Dragon. Mine.

He snapped her bra in two and tugged at fabric, stripping away layers of garments, revealing pale skin, generous curves, and b.r.e.a.s.t.s tipped with delicate pink nipples.

"Hailey," he rumbled, dipping his head. Oro licked along the ivory column of her slender neck and nibbled on her collarbone. Needing to taste her, be closer to her, he bent her body farther and farther over the desk until she lay flat on her back, looking up at him with her startling green eyes.

Oro retracted his talons and rubbed along her flat stomach, nudging the letter opener with his fingertips, the metal warmed by their bodies. He curved his fingers around the handle and dragged the blade over her torso and between her b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

"Hmmm... gold." She writhed beneath him, rubbing her lithe form against the precious metal.

"I'll cover you with gold," Oro promised, willing to give his mate the world if she wanted it. He blew flames over her dainty emerald scales, melting the letter opener into a puddle of liquid gold.

"Yes." She arched, the musky scent of her arousal filling his nostrils.

"Yes." He breathed his fire upon her, pushing the stream of gold over her curves, and she undulated, her nipples tightening to mouthwatering peaks, her talons leaving a stimulating trail of red across his chest.

"Beautiful." Oro lowered his body upon hers, sharing her burn, large golden scales coating his body. "So hot." He groaned, his c.o.c.k as hard as a diamond, his b.a.l.l.s aching.

He kissed her, needing the heat of her mouth, as he tugged up her knee-length skirt, exploring the softness of her thighs with his fingers. As their tongues entwined, he cupped her silk-covered mons and rubbed against her wetness. She was boiling hot, her body radiating heat, and he had been so cold for so long.

No other female touched him like she did. No other female could. She was a dragon and his mate, perfectly designed for him.

Oro slipped his fingers into her panties, and he rumbled into her mouth, aroused by her lack of hair, her bare body primed for his flames and his gold. Needing to experience her warmth, he tore the flimsy ribbons holding the fine silk in place, lifted his body higher and breathed between them, his fire directing the rivulets of melted metal downward.

"Yes, cover me, Oro." Her voice rose to a female dragon's arousing shriek, and she ripped at his dress pants, crisscrossing his a.s.s with stinging scratches. "Fill me with your fire."

He spread her thighs wider and dipped his fingertips into her p.u.s.s.y, her juices bubbling around his hand. Hailey lifted her hips, pushing him deeper inside her, animal noises coming from low in her throat, her form covered with scales and her talons extended. She clasped him tightly, digging into his tough dragon hide and reaching his flesh, the pain heightening his pleasure.

Oro pumped into her with first one finger, then two, then three, gazing down at her in wonder as she moved with him, panting, her mouth open, her b.r.e.a.s.t.s heaving. She was a creature of pure pa.s.sion, and he had never seen anything so magnificent in all his centuries of living.

He had to be inside her. Oro yanked the remaining fabric away from his body, freeing his c.o.c.k, and she reached for him, stroking him with the razor-sharp tips of her talons, teasing his rim and poking into the slit, drawing his fire.

"No." He moved her hands to his a.s.s, his restraint battered and bruised. More of her touching, and he'd spill his seed all over her belly.

She growled and pierced the scales on his a.s.s, the scent of his blood mixing with the aroma of her womanly musk and the smoke of his fire. He prodded her entrance with his c.o.c.khead, teasing himself with her heat, before pushing into her.

G.o.d. She was tight and hot and wet, her body made for his. His eyes rolled back in his head as he slid into her, her inner walls clasping his shaft, squeezing his c.o.c.khead. She shrieked, squirming frantically, trying to escape him, but he wouldn't tolerate any retreat, pushing and pushing and pushing, sinking into her up to his base, his b.a.l.l.s pinched between their bodies.

Oro stilled, breathing hard, struggling to regain his control and allowing her to adjust to him, her mate. Their hearts beat in time, her b.r.e.a.s.t.s brushing against his chest, her scales sliding on his, small and green against his large and golden.

"Mine," he declared as he moved, rocking into her tightness. She clutched his a.s.s, her legs wrapped around his thighs, encouraging him, guiding him, holding him, and he thrust deeper and faster and harder, grunting with effort, striving to please her, to claim her. She was his. No other male would touch her.

And he was hers. After her, after this encounter, no other female would satisfy him. He breathed fire upon her slender shoulders. No one made him burn as she did, and no one held him with such heat.

She panted his name, flames licking around her lips, dancing over his chest, as they f.u.c.ked like savage animals on his hard metal desk, the papers burning to ash around her head, the melted gold covering her mons pinching his scales.

Outside the office, business continued as usual, but for Oro, there was only the female underneath him. He drove into her again and again, his b.a.l.l.s drawing up close to his body, his control stretching thinner, threatening to snap.

"Burn me, dragon," Hailey begged, raking her talons over his back, her p.u.s.s.y tightening around him. "Cover me with flame."

Oro bent his head, blasting her with fire. He seared her supple form with heat while he rammed his c.o.c.k deep inside her. She released a window-rattling shriek and exploded, flames streaking from her mouth, boiling hot lava gushing from her p.u.s.s.y, soaking his shaft.

He roared, pushing his hips forward, spurting hard jets of scorching c.u.m into her body, setting off another wave of tremors. His blood scented the air as she clung to him, her talons puncturing his scales.

Oro sagged upon her trembling body, his energy drained, and he licked her heated face, steam rising from his wet tongue.

Hailey had offered a token resistance to his charms, her fervent denials both adorable and arousing, but she had succ.u.mbed as he knew she would, for he was a golden dragon, his beauty beyond compare.

She was equally beautiful, her green scales complementing his. "You are mine." He kissed her forehead. They would next f.u.c.k in dragon form, bonding them permanently, and then no one could ever take her away from him.

Her lashes fluttered, her emerald eyes soft with exhausted pa.s.sion. "I am your a.s.sistant."

Oro growled his discontentment, possessively covering more of her skin with his. "I am your mate." She had to feel the connection between them.

"Hmmm..." Hailey didn't deny it, yet she aggravatingly didn't acknowledge it either. She reached for the phone and dialed casually, as though she wasn't naked on top of his desk with his c.o.c.k lodged deep inside her.

"What are you doing?" He frowned. Hadn't she experienced the same mind-blowing pa.s.sion he had? Hadn't he pleased her?

"I'm phoning Ember." She gave him a cheery smile. "I'll need her to pick me up another set of clothes. Mine are ruined. Do you need anything?" He opened his mouth, a sarcastic reply dangling on the tip of his tongue. "Oh, hi, Ember." She twisted her torso slightly, showing him her pale shoulder. "I have to ask you a favor."

Disgruntled with her cavalier att.i.tude, he pushed away from her. He regretted his movement immediately. As his c.o.c.k slipped from the warmth of her p.u.s.s.y, the eternal coldness returned, a chill coating his dragon heart.

He'd lived with that deep freeze for centuries. He wouldn't live with it anymore.

Oro straightened, glaring down at his laughing mate. He didn't understand her reluctance to bond with him. He was handsome. He knew that. He flexed his muscles. He was strong. He blew fire from his mouth. He was dragon.

What else could she want?

He paced the perimeter of his office, pausing at the dragon-proof windows, staring at the puny humans walking along the sidewalk. He had to win her. He had to. He folded his arms, spreading his feet wide apart, pondering possible courting tactics.

She was a dragon. She liked gold as all dragons did, and he had plenty of that. Oro suspected, though, that Hailey wouldn't be bought. She'd take his impressive h.o.a.rd, share it with that d.a.m.n watchdog she had for a friend, and leave him.

She'd relocate somewhere hot, as dragons liked heat year round. Manhattan was hot in the summer but d.a.m.n cold and snowy in the winter. He couldn't compete weather-wise with other dragons.

Oro scowled as she chatted on the phone, acting like he wasn't near her. In contrast, he was achingly aware of her presence, and the thought of any other dragon touching her made him want to commit murder.

Dragons were possessive.

She was a dragon also. Oro grinned as a plan slipped into place. Hailey had threatened to leave him, to go to another dragon's territory, knowing he, a dragon, would never let her go.

Two could play at that game.

Chapter Three.

Hailey glared at the closed door in front of her. "Excluded again." Killer whined in sympathy, confined to his pet carrier underneath Ember's desk. Both of them were nine-to-five prisoners.

She wasn't a d.a.m.n dog though. Hailey slammed her fist down on the s.p.a.ce key, the impact causing the keyboard to jump. She didn't have to stay and take this. Except it had been her idea to take this job. And it was her fault she wasn't on the other side of that closed door.

Like everyone else was.

Vanna had waltzed into Oro's office three hours ago. As she walked by, her skinny-a.s.s body clad in an obscenely short black skirt and a tight-fitting blazer, there'd been color in her pale cheeks and an extra wiggle in her step. This wasn't Vanna's weekly sucking up to the boss appointment. This meeting with Oro was special.

Ember had picked up her tablet and joined them a half hour later, Oro having asked specifically for her help, as he had for the past four days, ignoring Hailey completely.

That wasn't anything new. Everyone liked Ember. She was friendly and nice and she fit into every group. She was a joiner. She belonged.

Hailey didn't fit in and she didn't belong, her coworkers viewing her with suspicion and fear. She told herself that was okay, dragons being solitary animals, except it wasn't okay, not this time and not with Oro. It hurt like nothing had ever hurt her before.

Hailey blinked back tears and jabbed the keyboard with her talons. Shirley, that old harpy, literally, hissed as she walked by. Oro had some stupid rule about appearing normal and human during work hours. Hailey didn't care what her boss thought.

Because he didn't care about her.

Oro hadn't f.u.c.ked her since that first time on his desk. He hadn't f.u.c.ked her. He hadn't kissed her. He hadn't touched her.

That wasn't a new development for Hailey either. No male lasted more than one s.e.xual round with her. She was too rough, too aggressive. She thought Oro would be different as he was a dragon, and according to her research, dragons supposedly liked violent s.e.x, but he hadn't been different. He preferred the cool, pa.s.sionless Vanna, someone who wouldn't burn his office to bits or shred his designer clothes.

Since his fascination with her had clearly evaporated to nothing, he hadn't moved them into the penthouse with him. He'd found another apartment a couple floors down that had been free.

Hailey pressed send on the e-mail, not bothering to proofread the letter one of Oro's other executives had requested.

Oro had f.u.c.ked her once, and that had been enough. He was done with her.

The door opened and shut, Ember exiting, traipsing over to the seat beside her, a ma.s.sive stack of papers in her hands. "He wants to see you."

He wanted to see her. Hailey's heart leaped. No. She squashed her blooming desire. He wanted to see her for work. "I'm done with him, Em." She couldn't stay here and be ignored. She couldn't watch him with other females. "I'm putting in our resignation."

"I don't mind... for me." Ember set the papers on the desk and bent over to pet her little dog's head. "He scares Killer. But for you..."

"He scares me too," she admitted. She didn't want to care so much, to risk so much.

"I know." Ember smiled sadly. "But take it from me, running away never solves anything. Sooner or later, you'll have to face your fears."