Her father had felt it almost a duty to sleep with as many women as possible, throwing it in their mother’s face. He’d told her she could leave, but he’d never allow her to take the girls with her. She’d vowed to the end that Sierra was his child, but Sierra figured death had been a welcome relief out of the hell her mother’s life had become.

With how much her father hated her, Sierra figured he’d be happy to have her leave, but instead of pushing her out, it had become his life’s obsession to make her pay for what he deemed as her mother’s infidelity, so instead of kicking her out of his home, he’d refused to let her leave - refused until Damien Whitfield had shown up.

Now that Sierra had a glimpse of freedom, there was no going back. She refused to allow Douglas Monroe any further power over her. With new resolve, she waited for Damien. It was time to let him know she wasn’t going to take being anyone’s whipping post ever again. She refused to allow the man to try and bring her down with his cold stares, and ridiculous requests.

Sierra heard a movement and turned to find Damien standing before her. Her mouth gaped open in shock. He was wearing a low slung towel wrapped around his waist, water dripping down his rock solid chest and six-pack abs. She couldn’t even manage to bring her eyes past his incredible athletic build to see the expression on his face.

She was sure the man was irritated about obviously being interrupted, and she knew she should meet his gaze, but instead she continued to stare with utter reverence and awe at the work of art before her.

She heard him clear his throat, and it was just what her brain needed to become un-frozen. Quickly closing her mouth, she drew her eyes up the additional eight or so inches to meet his eyes. She was right, he wasn’t happy.

“Is something wrong? An employee told me you were demanding to see me, refusing to leave,” Damien said as his eyes looked over her. “You don’t seem unwell,” he finished accusingly.

Sierra frantically searched for her voice, coming up with nothing. Damien Whitfield was extremely attractive on a normal day, but with water dripping off him, and his hair tousled, he was downright devastating. She felt instant desire heating her stomach, the sensation foreign, but not altogether unwelcome. She curled her toes, trying to pull herself together.

Before this moment, Sierra really had thought she may be broken from all the years of abuse. She’d never felt desire toward a man, not even her ex-boyfriend, never wanted to reach up and run her tongue down a guy’s glistening chest, like all her college friends would brag of doing. She found herself wanting to taste his hardened nipples, test them, see if they were salty or sweet. Sweat broke out on her forehead and she still hadn’t said a word, stretching the awkward silence beyond the point of no return.

“Sierra!”

“What? You don’t have to shout,” she finally whispered, her voice sounding far too husky, even to her own ears.

“Obviously I do need to shout, as it seems you’ve lost the ability to speak. From what Kendra was saying, you were speaking just fine earlier,” he snapped.

“Oh,” she replied, forgetting why she’d even come to the spa.

“Look, Sierra. I don’t have time to stand here and play guessing games. You can either tell me what you need, or I can turn around and head back in. I work hard, and when I get five minutes to work-out, I like to do so uninterrupted. That’s already been ruined for the day, so I’d at least like to get back to my swim.”

“I want to leave,” she said, her voice a bit stronger.

“Then leave. I didn’t ask you to come here,” he said in exasperation as if the matter was settled.

“I didn’t ask to be here,” Sierra snapped, jumping to her feet and pushing her fingernail into his chest to make a point. “I’m sitting around all day and night, doing nothing but twiddling my thumbs while you’re out having the time of your life. Fine. I really don’t care what the heck you do, but I do care about my time, and it’s being wasted in that hotel. I want to go home, now,” she demanded.

Damien’s eyes narrowed to dangerous slits, and Sierra felt a moment of dread. His hand moved and she fought the flinch, proud of herself for her control when she did nothing but stand strong, holding her ground, looking him in the eye.

He finished lifting his hand, running it through his wet strands and she breathed an internal sigh of relief as her stomach loosened from the knot it had instantly tied itself into.

“Follow me,” he commanded as he started to move toward one of the ‘oh so exclusive’ doors. Sierra couldn’t stop herself from smirking at Barbies one and two as she followed Damien inside the exclusive spa.

“I think it would’ve been easier to get to you at Fort Knox,” Sierra muttered after they passed through to the other side of the gym.

“There’s a reason it’s hard to get in here. The members don’t want to be interrupted. Maybe you should’ve considered that before being so rude and rushing down here.”

Sierra ignored his comment as she looked around the place. He led her to a small fruit bar. She’d heard her sister talking about the amazing shakes they made from all fresh ingredients. Suddenly she realized she hadn’t eaten anything since early morning, and she felt her stomach begin to growl as she smelled something delicious in the air.

She glanced up, hoping to spot the juice bar, when her eyes landed on his back. She lost her breath as her heart pounded. She didn’t think it possible, but he was even sexier from behind. His wide shoulders looked strong, sure, able to hold a woman against a wall as he slowly pressed his body against her...

The thought sent a shiver of delight through her. Since he couldn’t see her ogling him, she let her eyes drift down his tapered waist, the muscles of his back flexing as he moved his arms, his body in perfect symmetry as he practically glided across the floor.

She so badly wanted to move closer, wrap her arms around his waist, run her fingers along all that tanned expanse of skin. What he was doing to her was unbelievable. He walked with confidence, but also with grace and agility. She’d bet her inaccessible trust fund, he made love the same way, confident, strong, in-control, and with a smooth technique guaranteed to send a woman over the edge.

She’d heard every story out there during her college days. Some of her roommates would come back complaining their boyfriend had finished in two minutes, only to leave her unsatisfied and in a hurry to get home so she could finish on her own.

It was the other stories, the ones where the girls were still well-sated as they practically floated into the dorm rooms, their eyes dreamy, their faces glowing. Those stories had awakened her curiosity and made her possibly consider the thought of having sex someday. With her ever-growing attraction toward Damien, she was thinking she’d prefer trying it real soon.

Sierra moved her eyes over the stark white towel that was gripping his perfectly proportioned hips, hugging the curve of his solid butt. Her fingers itched to reach out and slowly slide over him, to see if he was as solid as he looked. She continued her gaze onto his muscular calves, appreciating the way they flexed with each step.

They arrived at the juice bar, and Sierra quickly looked away, not wanting him to catch her gaping at him. She felt her face heat, but hoped the dimmer light of the bar would cover up her embarrassment.

The small area was chic, but with a sense of comfort, too, as tables were artfully arranged to give members privacy. Damien led her to a corner booth and motioned for her to sit.

“Are you thirsty?”

“Yes, and starving.”

He raised a brow in question at her answer. Maybe she’d spoken out of turn, but how was she expected to concentrate on her words if she was focused on her stomach.

“Do you want anything in particular?” he asked, his tone slightly annoyed. In a moment of surprise, Sierra realized she really didn’t care. She was just excited to have found the assertive woman she always wanted to be, but never could find within.

“It doesn’t matter, really. Anything solid to eat, and if they have a banana-strawberry smoothie, that would be excellent.”

“I’ll check,” he answered stiffly before turning around and walking to the counter.

Sierra sat back and looked around, watching as different members approached the bar and made their orders. A few of the girls, wearing work-out clothes that could barely be considered legal, made sure to stand extra close to Damien while ordering. Sierra watched while they fluttered their eyes at him.

She was shocked by the tiniest spark of jealousy that flared inside her. She’d never felt the emotion before. She had no reason to feel that way. He wasn’t her boyfriend; she didn’t even know him, much less like him.

It had to be the different time zone affecting her. She was still off kilter. After she ate something, she’d get back to feeling normal. She sat back and waited for Damien to return, taking a few minutes alone to try and clear her head.

When he turned back toward her and his gaze caught hers, she knew she was in trouble. Her heart rate increased, and from his predatory expression, he could smell her desire like a lion smells its next kill.

This wasn’t good. Not one little bit.

Chapter Nine

Damien had been avoiding Sierra most of the week, and then she had the gall to hunt him down. He was tired, irritable and frustrated.

All week he’d been behaving as if he were a teenager out with a date for the first time. He would walk into their large suite, and instantly smell her perfume. She was always in bed by the time he got in, and he made sure he was gone before she woke, but he could still feel her there, know she was only a door away from him.

It was playing hell with his senses, and he hadn’t slept more than a couple hours each night since they’d arrived. His plan was supposed to be simple, easy. It was anything but.

He had a feeling nothing was going to be easy as far as Sierra was concerned. He made his way back to their table and set the tray down, watching with amusement as she picked up the drink and took a deep swallow.

His amusement quickly fled when she groaned, the sound sending a sharp pain straight to his groin. Was she doing it on purpose? Did he simply need to take her back to their room and relieve the ache for both of them?

“This is great! Thanks,” she said with a huge smile, her entire face lighting up. She set the drink down and grabbed ahold of the sandwich. She took a bite, and once again groaned, further hardening his previous reaction.

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, grateful for the towel covering him.

“Whenever you’re ready,” he said, his tone thick.

“One sec,” she mumbled around her bite. She finished chewing and took another deep swallow of the shake. “This really is great. I didn’t realize how hungry I was.”

“Anything else I can do for you?” he mocked dryly.

His bad attitude bounced right off her. She finished half her sandwich before coming up for air. While she was eating, he grabbed his gym bag and slipped a shirt over his head and a pair of athletic pants on under his towel. His shorts were still wet, but he was tired of the women slowing as they passed his table. He didn’t have time for it. Besides, Sierra had all his attention at Present.