The driver told me he was at my disposal. I rush to the couch, s.n.a.t.c.h my purse up, and glance in Foster's general direction, avoiding his hypnotic eyes. "Call me." My heels click noisily across the tile and I step into the hallway outside, desperate to escape.

Another minute under his spell, I would have ripped his clothes off.

Chapter 8.

Foster "Ripe as forbidden fruit." I suck down half a beer. "I let her slip through my hands like an idiot."

"I had my doubts yesterday," Kevin says. "But if she's repressed her s.e.xuality all this time, does it really surprise you how she responded?"

I stare at my best friend, wondering if he's from a different planet. "Shed the f.u.c.king lab coat and talk normal. She's not a medical case."

"No, but I'm fascinated."

"Find your own."

"Maybe I will." He nips his wine. "Did you have a chance to review the nondisclosure agreement and other paperwork for Erin?"

"It's fine."

"Good. I plan on stopping by her store tomorrow morning and getting her signature on the necessary forms."

"Shouldn't you call first, make an appointment?"

He exhales loudly. "The element of surprise always works to our advantage, one of the first rules you taught me. Give women too much time to think and they'll likely change their minds. Do you want Ms. Covington to back out?"

"No," I snap, s.e.xually frustrated for the first time since adolescence. "I want you to run an extensive background check on Thomas Kingsley."

"The port-a-potty king's son?" He looks amused.

"Yes."

"Are you considering a recommendation for membership?"

I'd prefer eliminating him from the human race, but Kevin just gave me a better idea. "Report back to me as soon as you can."

"Anything else?"

I glance up, still absorbed in my own thoughts. Mutual attraction was never in question, but after I got a taste of Erin's sweet lips again, something happened. It's similar to a G.o.dd.a.m.ned aftershock, and the earthquake hasn't even occurred yet. "Drink."

"Isn't that what I'm doing?"

"Get drunk," I clarify.

He smirks and refills his gla.s.s. "Should I be worried?"

I laugh. "Shall I drink you under the table again?" I outweigh Kevin by thirty pounds. "Get me a whiskey on the rocks while you're up." I offer him my empty high ball.

He grabs it. "Anything else, mistress?" Kevin trudges to the wet bar on the far side of my living room. "Perhaps I need to reevaluate your mental fitness to remain an active member."

I like the sound of the ice cubes c.h.i.n.king the bottom of my gla.s.s. "Invite her to the c.o.c.ktail party tomorrow night."

He gazes at me. "That's for platinum members only."

"Not anymore. I need to see her in a different setting, when she's open to physical contact."

"But not with you."

I nod. "I've picked my front man."

"Who?"

"Jeffrey Whitmore."

Kevin hands me my drink, then reclaims his place on the couch. "He's nearly a dead ringer for you."

"Precisely."

"You know how I feel about this, Foster."

"And you know how she feels about me. I f.u.c.ked up any chance of a normal relationship with her."

He waves his hand. "Years ago."

"Not to her."

"What if she gets attached to Jeffrey?"

"I've taken every precaution, established a rigid understanding with him."

To my surprise, Kevin guzzles his drink now, apparently up to the challenge. "We've never experimented like this before or broken rules."

"There's always a first time." I'm determined. Kevin's acute sense of right or wrong won't sway me. After spending several hours with Erin, I know she'll resist me just to prove something. I knew it before I visited her store. "Your only concern is to make sure she shows up."

Erin Dr. Mallory arrives at my store while I'm knee-deep in boxes, packing tape, and garbage. Katie escorts him to the storage room and stands behind him with her arms crossed over her chest.

"I wasn't expecting you today," I say, stepping over a pile of hardcovers. "Is there something wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Good." I offer my hand and he raises it to his lips. "There's paperwork to look over. Can we go to your office?"

"Sure."

"Erin?" Katie coughs.

"Can you finish the inventory alone?" I ask her.

"No." Although she initiated contact with the club, I think she's having second thoughts. I'm afraid she'll say something out of line.

"Dr. Mallory, this is Katie."

"Ms. Vargas." He flashes perfect teeth, his gaze lingering on her for a few seconds, then focuses on me again. "Twenty minutes and we'll be done."

How did he know her last name? "This way." We walk down a short hallway to my cramped s.p.a.ce. "Please, have a seat."

Once I close the door, he sets his expensive Italian leather briefcase on my desk. He takes out a folder and flips it open. "All of your lab results are in. My only concern is a slight iron deficiency."

"My levels fluctuate, but I take supplements and see my doctor regularly."

He nods. "I'd like to run another blood test in sixty days to establish a baseline for my own records. Okay?"

I agree.

"Good. Now the first doc.u.ment I need you to review is a nondisclosure agreement. Read it very carefully, Ms. Covington, it's legally binding. And if you choose to break it once you've signed, I must tell you, the legal fallout will rival Chern.o.byl."

I don't appreciate his threatening tone, but I suppose he's only doing his job. I take the paper. I'm immediately drawn to the section that reads The nondisclosure provisions of this Agreement shall survive the termination of this Agreement and Receiving Party's duty to hold Confidential Information in confidence shall remain in effect until the Confidential Information no longer qualifies as a trade secret or until the Receiving Party's death, whichever occurs first . . .

As a business owner, I've signed my share of legal doc.u.ments but this is so morbid. I flick my eyes up. "Blood of a virgin? My firstborn?"

His lips twitch. "Please note the agreement extends to your family members. If you discuss anything with anyone and they go public, serious ramifications will follow."

"Just what am I getting into, Dr. Mallory?"

"Something that can change your future for the better. The contacts you'll make through your membership will improve many aspects of your life, Ms. Covington. However, if you have any doubts, let me advise you to refrain from signing anything."

I stare at him. Is he an attorney or doctor? He's much too comfortable in his own skin. Cool and confident, polished and painfully s.e.xy. Does he represent the typical Lazarus member? If so, I'd be foolish to say no. However, underneath his sophisticated faade is a darker side. I sense it. Anyone who can represent a s.e.x club with such detached finesse must be dangerous. He doesn't bat an eyelash as I continue to scrutinize him.

"Your reaction is normal."

"Is it?"

"Perfectly."

"Somehow that doesn't put me at ease." How could it? "I don't know if I'm comfortable being told I can't engage in intercourse outside the charter."

"c.u.n.n.i.l.i.n.g.u.s, f.e.l.l.a.t.i.o, and penetrative intercourse are reserved for members only."

Heat suffuses my whole body. Suddenly I understand why my mother nearly fainted when I tried to discuss s.e.x with her. "Thank you for clarifying that for me."

"If you are in a relationship . . ."

"I'm not!"

He grins. "If your relationship status changes, you can cancel your membership at any time. Just know, once you do, you can never rejoin."

Such finality. I stare at the doc.u.ment again, rereading each section. We also review the club handbook, a booklet as thick as any paperback on my shelves. It covers everything from hygiene to interacting with members.

"Do you have a pen?" He offers me a Montblanc ballpoint.

I sign. I'm fully committed. And it's time to put my own needs first. "What's next?"

He pockets his pen, then checks the papers. "Everything is in order, Ms. Covington. Let me be the first to congratulate you. Read the handbook tonight. You've been invited to an exclusive c.o.c.ktail party tomorrow evening, an event typically reserved for our platinum members."

"Why?"

"It seems you already have admirers in high places." He stashes the contract in his briefcase. "Until tomorrow."

I stand up, not knowing what to say exactly. "Where's the party?"

He adjusts his silk tie. "A limousine will pick you up at home at eight-thirty tomorrow evening. Please don't question the driver and follow all instructions."

He leaves my office.

I can't help the exhilaration I feel, like I'm caught up in some espionage caper or soft p.o.r.n. I'm actually wet between the legs and no one has even touched me.

"What did Feelgood want?" Katie asks from the doorway.

"You mean Dr. Lookgood?"

She snorts. "If you like 'em stiff."

"I do."

She sticks her tongue out. "We're going to your house so you can tell me everything."

"I can't."

"You will."

Chapter 9.

Erin I'm a nervous wreck. The limo will be here in one hour, and Katie keeps lambasting me with questions. She spent the night and still won't be quiet.

"I can't concentrate on my mascara if you keep talking."

"Maybe you'll poke your eye and miss the party."