“Of course, sir,” she said, proud that she managed to keep her voice relatively emotionless.

She sat down at the antique secretary that she had claimed as her workstation and tried to hide her wince when her butt and back hit the hard, unforgiving surface of the ornate high-back chair.

She rolled her shoulders and sighed quietly as she closed her eyes and kneaded the tightly knotted muscles in the back of her neck.

“Tired?”

She jumped when Damaso’s voice came from behind her, and she looked up over her shoulder to meet his dark, enigmatic gaze.

He’d come up to within half a yard of the back of her chair and had his hands shoved into his trouser pockets. He was staring down at her, his eyes narrowed and intent.

“A little,” she admitted.

He nodded, never taking his eyes off hers, and seemed to weigh his next words before speaking.

“Would you like a neck rub?”

Cleo blinked, shocked by both the question and the heat that flared in his eyes.

She knew very well what that neck rub would entail, where it would lead, and he meant for her to know that.

Until that very moment, she would never have guessed that the man had even noticed her as a female, yet the way he was looking at her right now told her that he very much appreciated what he was seeing.

He kept his hands to himself and his expression—despite everything going on in his eyes—impassive.

If she refused his offer and all it entailed, she imagined he would simply shrug it off, and they would carry on as if this crazy moment had never happened.

The question was . . . did she want to refuse him?

She was tired, frustrated, and his offer could be a fantastic way to let off steam and unwind after a hard day.

Who would it harm?

They were both consenting adults. There was no romance or love or hearts and flowers here.

She might dislike him, but she’d be lying to herself if she didn’t admit to feeling sexually curious about him.

Maybe just this once?

Just a taste. This was sex, plain and simple, and sometimes that’s really all anybody needed.

Dante Damaso watched the play of emotions on his assistant’s ridiculously expressive face.

Shock and confusion, followed by intrigue, trepidation, and definite interest.

He couldn’t have surprised himself more with that damned question.

She was a tempting little thing, which he’d been trying damned hard to overlook in light of their personal connection through her brother.

To that end, he limited the amount of time he spent with her as much as possible.

But right now he was as human as the next guy.

He was irritated by the way his day had gone, and his frustration built as the hours wore on with little progress being made.

Now, after seeing this woman in her distracting blue dress, he was also horny as hell.