Who’s On Top

Chapter One

Reese Winter hit her proverbial “hot spot” in a wicked way.

Not many men got that rating in her book. Of course, she wasn’t alone in her assessment. Reese made a lot of women hot. The high-priced defense attorney drew plenty of attention. For one thing, he had a knack for getting really bad people off some pretty nasty charges. It gave him a sense of power. An air of success and confidence. He smiled and women swooned. No one really considered what kind of ethical lines he crossed to win his cases. Not with his movie star good looks and suave way with words.

Catherine Maxwell knew the type well. After all, her father was both CEO and founder of Maxwell Beverages. In other words, one of the corporate types who bent the rules to meet his needs. Someone like Reese. What she hadn’t learned from that venue, she’d learned from her hound-dog brothers who were too good-looking for their own good. They’d taught her much about the psyche of men. Then, of course, her job as entertainment reporter for The New York Review had added even more clarity to the world of the down and dirties. Money. Power. They corrupted and controlled the world. And then there was sex… Sex was a weapon. She’d seen others use it and she had learned how to profit from its rewards as well.

From across the bar, Catherine let her gaze roam toward the object of this evening’s obsession and found him looking at her as well. For a good hour, and the better part of an extra large frozen margarita, they’d been doing a sultry exchange of heated glances. She, killing time before an interview with a new Broadway sensation. He, having some meeting with an older, stuffy-looking man in a suit.

Her eyes locked with Reese’s and awareness charged the air. Her attraction to him was crazy, considering he wasn’t her kind of man. Not at all. She liked artists and creative types who had no agenda but feeling good. Yet with each contact, the looks grew less subtle. More charged.

Damn the man was sexy.

His dark hair fell over his brow with a bit of wildness. It begged for her fingers. And his eyes…she couldn’t see the color now, but she’d seen them on television and in photos. They were blue. A vivid color that made people do a double take. And, finally, his full bottom lip. Oh yeah. She could already imagine kissing him.
If only she didn’t have this interview…

Truth be told, her extreme reaction to Reese could be a result of her lack of a sex life. It had been months since she’d found a good diversion. Since her best friend announced her engagement and then married. Somehow a little fling here or there had lost its appeal. Until tonight. Tonight Reese, and a little privacy, sounded mighty good.

Catherine knew watching her best friend play house had gotten to her. It had messed with her head in ways she didn’t quite understand. She’d never admit it, but she even felt a pinch of jealousy. Happy jealousy. If anyone deserved good things it was Lauren. Her best friend shared one of those unique bonds with her man that few had. This was one of the few times Catherine thought maybe, just maybe, a couple had a real shot at happily-ever-after.

But in her real world, Catherine knew there would be none of that for her. She also knew a good dose of the human touch would get her past her weird mood. The one she slipped into on occasion when she felt…alone. What made her feel that way she didn’t know? It just happened every now and then. And over time she’d found what chocolate didn’t cure, sex did. She’d tried chocolate in many forms. Ice cream. Candy. Cake. If she ate much more she’d have to hit the gym. So sex seemed the better option.

And judging from the way Reese was staring at her, he needed a little under the covers action himself.

After another sizzling moment, he looked away, obviously drawn by something the man he was meeting with had said. She watched as they stood and shook hands. Catherine knew what to do next. A man like Reese had to be handled just right. In other words, Catherine knew she needed him to come to her. With a hint of a smile on her lips, she turned away from him, ensuring no further eye contact. With her bare legs crossed, black silky dress hiked just above the knee, she took a sip from the straw sitting in her strawberry margarita. And she waited. Knowing it was only a matter of time.

“Hello.”

The sultry male voice made Catherine smile to herself. She looked up to find him leaning on the bar, facing her. The dim lighting of the trendy club nestled inside the Manhattan hotel set a perfect stage for seduction. If only she had the time to see it through to completion. With a deep breath she inhaled his warm, masculine scent. There was a spicy quality to his cologne that made her all warm inside.

“Hello,” she said finally, having made him wait for her response with intent. It was all part of a game. The one she controlled, not him. He would have to work for what she wanted. She loved that. He worked. She wanted. The prize was hers.

“I’ve seen you here before,” he said.

“Have you now?” she asked, one dark blonde brow inching upward. Interesting. He’d noticed her before this night.

He smiled. A sexy, one-sided smile she’d seen him use for the camera. “I’m Reese Winter.”

She gave him a tiny nod and then reached up and slid her long blonde hair over her shoulder, exposing her neck. Testing him to see if he would follow the action. And he did. “Catherine,” she said. Life had taught her to leave her last name out of things. Maxwell made men get a hard-on and it had nothing to do with her and everything to do with money. “But call me Cat.”

“Okay, Cat it is. I’d buy you a drink,” he said, “but it looks like you have that covered. Perhaps your next one?”

“Buy you a drink,” she said. “This is my last. Everything is better in color. By drink three it’s a blur for me.”

He laughed. “Lightweight, huh?” Reese raised a hand at the bartender.

“Only when it comes to alcohol.”

After ordering a scotch on the rocks, he studied her a moment. “What does a beautiful woman like you do for a living?”

She tilted her head slightly. “Compliments will get you everywhere, Reese Winter.”

He laughed. “Good to know. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“As for what I do for a living, are you sure you want to know?”

His eyes narrowed. “I’m brave man. Tell me.”

“Brave,” she said. “Hmm. I guess we’re about to find out just how brave.” She paused and then dropped her bomb. “I’m a reporter.”

A slow nod of his head. “Ah,” he said, and stepped closer rather than distance himself as she half expected. So close, his hand went to the back of her chair and she could feel the warmth of his body. A slight lean forward and their legs would touch. She tilted her head upward to make eye contact. If he was trying to scare her off, it wasn’t working. She wanted him. Sexual intimacy didn’t frighten her. There was no little girl waiting to run, hidden beneath her shell.

“Thinking you might seduce me for a story, are you?” he whispered, his voice soft and husky. Seductive. He leaned down near her ear so that his breath tickled her lobe.

“You came to me, not the opposite,” she reminded him. “Who’s seducing who?”

For a long moment, he said nothing, leaning back to study her expression. Then he laughed. “I guess that’s still up for debate.” His drink appeared, and he turned away to deal with the bartender. Then, attention back on Cat, he lifted his glass in a mock toast before taking a sip. He set his drink back down and casually leaned against the railing, elbow on the surface. “So what game are we playing, Cat?”

“Game?” she asked, brow inching upward. “If this were a game I wouldn’t have told you I’m a reporter.”

“Maybe,” he said, his tone said he wasn’t so sure.

“Disappointed? Maybe you’d prefer a little Cat and mouse action?”

He laughed and leaned toward her again. “We both know I’m no mouse.”

“You wouldn’t be interesting if you were.”

“Unless I was a mouse who could make headlines,” he said. It wasn’t a question.

“Are we talking professional or personal?”

He studied her. “Is there a difference?”

She nodded. “There’s a difference.”

“So you don’t want to seduce me for a story?” There was amusement not irritation in his voice.

She slid her hand to his thigh, enjoying the flex of muscle beneath her palm. “Not for a story.”

His eyes darkened. Grew hotter. “But you want a story?”

“Absolutely,” she said reaching for her drink, taking a sip before finishing. “But not from you.” She smiled. “Sorry, Reese. You aren’t on everyone’s headline news. I do entertainment.” She paused, unable to stop the next words from slipping from her lips. “Of course, some might call your courtroom adventures entertainment. Just not me.”

“Is that right?” he challenged, amusement in his eyes.

Her teeth found her bottom lip. She was enjoying this. “Yes. That’s right.”

A shiver raced down her spine as his hand slid to her neck. He was testing her. Trying to find out if she was all talk. She looked into his eyes, letting him see what was there. Cat didn’t do serious relationships. She’d long ago found most men wanted her father’s money more than they gave a damn about her. Age had smartened her up. Promises of love did nothing for her, but she liked a hot night here or there. She wasn’t wild and crazy or anything. One-night stands weren’t her habit. However, a month-long fling once in a while did her right.

And right now, her body was screaming for Reese Winter. She could imagine him touching her. Almost feel his palm caress her skin. Even her nipples tightened and tingled.

“So what do you want from me?” Reese asked.

“What I want,” she said, glancing at her watch, “is better timing.” Cat looked at him. “My interview should be here any minute.”

“It ends here then,” he commented, his voice monotonous, but not his eyes. His eyes held disappointment.

“I suppose it does.” She glanced toward the door to find Marcus Alexander, the actor she was meeting, standing in the entranceway. Cat waved him forward. “He’s here.”
Reese reached for his drink and drank it down in one long swallow before discarding it. He smiled. “I know my exit cue.” Reese reached forward and brushed his fingers down her cheek. “Too bad.”

The touch sent a shiver down her spine. “Yeah. Too bad.”

And then he was gone.

Reese reached the exit of the bar and stopped. For some unknown reason, he had to turn back to the bar. Had to get one last look at Cat. Women didn’t often get to him. He had too crazy a life to deal with complications. A hit-and-run fuck was all he had time for. Cat didn’t strike him as looking for more. That should have been the reason she interested him, but it wasn’t.

Something about her…

Watching her now, she was a different woman than the one who’d flirted with him the past hour. Gone was the seductress. Now she was all business. A pad of paper in hand, she was taking notes, attentive to the man she interviewed. He watched her nod, silky blonde hair bouncing with the action. There was something familiar about her. Perhaps, he’d seen her because of her job. On the news or in the paper. Or even at some big event. Lord only knew he was subjected to hell in a black tie far too often. One of the many political obligations of his world he didn’t like.

Normally, Cat’s job would bother him. She’d been honest about it, and that had value. Still, it couldn’t hurt to be safe. Checking her out might be a good idea. He was about to plea a huge case that would have the press hounding him. He preferred making the news on his own terms. If someone leaked anything to the press before he was ready, head’s would roll.

Forcing himself to turn away from Cat, he nodded at the hostess and exited the bar, decision made. He needed a newsstand. That should at least tell him if she really wrote for the entertainment section.

A few minutes later he searched the street vendor truck to find himself out of luck. The paper was sold out. “Damn,” he mumbled.

Three stores later, he found himself more than a little irritated to exit with no paper in hand. Without giving himself time to change his mind, he started back to the hotel. For some reason, he wasn’t willing to dismiss Cat as a fun but over flirtation. Why, he wasn’t sure. But like his efforts to find a newspaper, he reached the bar only to find himself without luck. Cat was gone.

Fitting of his personality he wasn’t willing to give up. He flagged the hostess and found Cat had left only minutes before. With a healthy tip offered to the woman, he was directed to the bathroom just down the hallway. A smile on his face, he leaned against the wall and crossed his legs and arms, waiting.

He wanted Cat, and he was going to have her.

Tonight.