“Nope. He’s nineteen years older. And that, my friend, just means he’ll have perfected killer moves in bed.” Presley stopped. “Shit. Are we lost?”

A loud whistle rent the air.

Katie waved at them from the very end of the hallway. “Down here!” When they reached her, she said, “You’re just in time.”

“For what?”

“For the super-secret Operation Jealous Hag.”

“I’m in,” Presley said without hesitation.

“Good. Because you’re the other one he wants.”

“Who?”

“Maddox.”

“Katie, have you been drinking?” Molly demanded.

“No! This is my big chance to get Black and Blue Promotions noticed in the industry. I will be stone-cold sober until I’m back in Colorado.”

“Okay. So what’s Operation Jealous Hag?”

“It’s best if Maddox explains.”

That’s when Molly noticed Maddox sitting at a table by himself, lost in thought.

Katie whirled around and walked backward. “This operation cannot go beyond the five of us, okay?”

“Five? I count four.”

“Fee’s included in this for obvious reasons.”

Obvious to who? Molly wanted to ask, but didn’t.

“Amery is with Ronin and some House of Kenji people, so we’ve gotta make this fast before she gets back.”

Katie sat next to Maddox, and Molly and Presley took the chairs opposite him.

“What’s going on?”

“Basic story? Nasty divorce with my ex, Rox. I’ve been lying low in Colorado, building the Black Arts program. Now that we’re launching it, Rox will be here to see how I’m doing—not just professionally.”

“His ex-wife is Gil’s sister,” Katie interjected.

Maddox raked his hand through his hair. “So I’ve got a plan. Each night I’m here, I show up with a different gorgeous woman on my arm. My ex sees I’ve moved on, and I can watch her choke on her jealousy.” His gaze flicked to Katie. “Katie is my date for the party tonight.” His focus moved to Presley. “Are you willing to be my date tomorrow night after the fight?”

“Sure, but I’m not exactly the kind of woman that other women are jealous of.”

“Wrong. You’re young, hot, and edgy. You’re everything she never was and will never be.”

“While that bullshit flattery might work at the country-club bar on a forty-year-old divorcée on a Friday night, it won’t work on me.” Presley stood and placed her palms on the table, angling toward him. “Why would I be interested in you? I’m twenty-six, baby. You’re forty-five. What’s the pull between us? Convince me that you’re equally ready to play a part in this and I won’t just be standing by your side looking . . . young, hot, and edgy.”

Way to throw down the gauntlet, Pres.

Maddox stared at her long enough for it to be uncomfortable for everyone. Then he rolled to his feet in a sensuous move like a jungle cat about to pounce. His measured gait as he strolled toward Presley hit the sweet spot between predatory and constrained.

Molly couldn’t get over the change in Maddox’s demeanor. He’d gone from disheveled to disarming in a slow blink of his long black lashes. He looked as if he’d spent all night fucking hard in bed, but he didn’t have the aura of a satisfied man; instead he looked hungry. Wild. Greedy. Like a man who hadn’t gotten enough and was back for more.

He moved in behind Presley, who’d pushed herself upright. “The pull between us is sexual. A man of my experience can get you addicted to my touch, baby.” He trailed his fingers across the bare section of her shoulder. “Very addicted.”

Presley visibly trembled.

“Every time I look at you, you know I’m imagining all the wicked things I can do to your hot little body and make you beg me for more. Beg me in that sexy bedroom voice of yours. I’ll demand what’s mine anytime, anyplace. And you’ll say yes to me without hesitation.” He slid his hand up the back of her neck and grabbed a fistful of her hair. He pulled it hard enough she gasped, but she didn’t try to escape when he used his hold on her to maneuver her face next to his. “Couples look at us and want to be us. Not because we’re rich or powerful. Couples will envy us because of that zing of sexual need that radiates out from us. They’ll imagine us fucking, Presley.” His voice had dropped to a raspy whisper. “They know even their most vivid imaginations won’t do justice to how hot and dirty we are behind closed doors.”