He’d known women like Blondie before. Eager. Experienced. Eyes full of hunger and expectation. They wanted a night, a fantasy, a fix.
But Shannon? She was a different breed entirely.
He couldn’t pin her down, and that only made her more dangerous. More tempting.
She hid behind a smart mouth and practiced indifference, but he’d already seen the flicker of intrigue beneath the surface.
A nervous energy.
A need she hadn’t figured out how to name yet.
She wasn’t ready for everything he wanted to show her.
And the last thing he was going to do was scare her off by coming at her like a freighttrain.
She stuffed the crumpled cash into her pocket like she couldn’t get away from him fast enough, and yet she lingered. That alone told him enough.
He could’ve let his mind spiral into darker fantasies, the kind that used to fuel nights like this. Blondie and Shannon together, tangled in silk sheets and submission.
But as quickly as the image flared, it vanished.
Because the fantasy had changed. Now, it wasn’t about indulgence.
It was about her.
Breaking her in wasn’t about control. It was about trust. And when she finally gave it to him, he’d earn every inch of her surrender.
Slowly. Completely. On his terms.
“You sure about this?” he asked, his voice quieter than usual.
Her head tilted, caught off guard by the gentleness in his tone.
She didn’t answer right away, and he didn’t push. That was the thing about women like Shannon.
They were independent, skittish, too proud to admit they wanted more. She wasn’t just playing hard to get because she didn’t even know she was playing.
But Jamie did. He’d spent years reading people, sensing fear under arrogance, curiosity behind control. So he stepped closer, letting her sense the heat rolling off him.
“When you walk into the suite with me, it’swithme,” he said, brushing his knuckles against the inside of her wrist.
His eyes locked on hers. “You’re safe in my company. I’ll take care of you, Shannon. You don’t have to know what you want yet. Just know I see you. And you’re worth my time.”
He caught her chin between his fingers, tilting her face up to his. “But you need to be sure.”
Shannon glanced up at him, those blue eyes sharp, but unsure. “What do you mean?”
“Just…don’t want you to feel pressured.”
Shannon’s lips parted, her smirk tugging at the corner like she knew what kind of fire she was playing with. “I might surprise you.”
“I’m counting on it.” Jamie leaned in, his voice a low rumble. “But just remember, every move you make tonight, you’re doing it with my eyes on you.”
Her breath hitched, and he noticed. Noticed how her fingers fidgeted at her side, how she stood straighter like she was trying not to be intimidated.
But there was a glint in her eye. That flicker of boldness he’d seen when she first refused his money. When she challenged him like no one else had the nerve to.
He wanted to feed it. Tease it. Own it.
