Risking It All: The Proposition / The Dare / The Favour / The P.I. / The Cop / The Defender

“No, thanks.” She patted her stomach. “Right now, it’s pretty jammed up with nerves.”

“Then, we’ll dance.”

“Dance?” she asked as he drew her onto the dance floor.

“Yes. I take your hand, like this, and I put my other hand at your waist, like this.”

“I understand the concept—but we’re two men.”

“It’s a masquerade,” he said as he guided her smoothly into the rhythm of the music. “Anything goes.”

“This is ridiculous,” she said.

“No,” Chance murmured as he steered her down the length of the ballroom. “I’ve decided that we’re going to hit the gallery while Carlo is still tied up in the reception line.”

Nerves jumped in Natalie’s stomach. “It’s too soon. We just got here.”

“Call it a preemptive strike. He won’t expect anything this soon. And if the real diamond is in the gallery safe, we’ll be gone before he’s even suspicious.”

The moment they reached the far door, he drew her through it and down across the hall.

“If you try to disable the camera, he’ll send the troops after us,” she said.

“Got it covered. Just follow my lead.” With his hand on the knob, Chance paused long enough to meet her eyes. “Ready?”

Ready? How could she be when she had no idea what he was up to? But in spite of the nerves dancing in her stomach, Natalie felt the wave of excitement move through her. “Let’s go for it.”

“That’s my girl,” Chance said, leaning in to press his lips to hers as he opened the door and drew her into the small gallery. An instant later, he spun her around and pressed her against the closed door. Then his mouth was at her ear. “I’m going to tell you to strip for me. Make sure that you toss something to cover the camera.”

Before she could reply or even think, his mouth was on hers again. For one giddy moment, she wondered if Stan was kissing Ollie or if Steven was kissing Calli. Then she no longer cared as the heat shot through her. His mouth was as ruthless and demanding as the hands he was running over her. As her knees turned to water and her arms moved around him, her body strained toward his. But there were too many clothes, too much padding in the way.

Suddenly, he backed away, swearing in frustration. “I can’t feel you through all of those clothes. Get rid of them.”

Natalie stared at him. His hair was mussed from her hands, and his eyes were hot with a mixture of desire and frustration. She felt an odd little thrill move through her. So he wanted her to strip? Okay, she’d strip.

Not moving, she said, “Sit down.”

“I said I want your clothes off.”

She took the feathered mask off first, then she moved toward him until her padded stomach was pressed against his. As she ran a finger down the front of his shirt to the waistband of his trousers, she said, “I’m going to take them all off. But it’s going to take a while, so why not relax and enjoy it?” Then with her finger still prodding him, she urged him into the chair closest to the security camera.

The tie came first. She took her time pulling it off and then she looped it around his neck.

“What do you want me to take off next, Steven?” she asked as she backed a few steps away.

“The coat. Take the coat off.”

She smiled as she freed the first button. “I can do that.” Then she took her time, freeing one arm from the sleeve and then the other. Finally, as she lifted it and twirled it over her head, she considered. It was too soon to aim it at the camera. Besides, the security team might find the whole scenario more convincing if they could share a bit in the show. Natalie sent the coat flying wild. Then she fastened her gaze directly on Chance’s eyes and smiled. “What would you like me to take off next, Sugar?”

He raised a hand and flicked a finger. “The trousers.”

“Sure thing.” Natalie unfastened the belt slowly. In spite of the nerves dancing in her stomach, she was finding it erotic to strip for Chance—and for whomever was watching through that camera.

So far, she hadn’t exposed any skin, but she could feel the heat of Chance’s gaze right through her clothes. In one long smooth movement, she pulled the belt free and set it on the floor next to her. A muscle twitched in his jaw. She made it twitch again as she sent the trousers pooling to the floor. “You like this, don’t you?”

“Shoes.”

The request surprised her. Maybe he was letting her know that he approved of her plan to prolong the striptease. She toed the shoes off, then crossed to him and placed one foot on his knee. Inch by inch, she rolled her socks down and pulled them off. She was close enough now that she could tell his breath wasn’t steady. It grew more ragged as she repeated the process with the other sock. Then propping her hands on either side of the chair, she leaned in. Her mouth was a breath away from his when she said, “What next?”

He reached for her then, but she slipped away and laughed. “Let me choose this time. The shirt.” She made it last—one button at a time, then the sleeves. She’d never before realized that stripping was as erotic and arousing for the stripper as it was for the audience. But just the brush of the fabric as she pulled it down her arms was sensitizing her skin. Raising the shirt high above her head, she twirled it just as she had the jacket. But this time, she aimed for the camera.

Bull’s-eye.

“Take off that damn padding.”

She did and she immediately bent over to take out her tools.

“Come here,” Chance said. “I want to touch you now.”

His voice was ragged, but when she glanced up, she saw that he wasn’t in the chair anymore. Instead, he was opening the window. For their escape, she thought. Then she turned to the column and prayed that the safe was where she thought it was.

Though she hadn’t heard him approach, he was there, lifting the bronze sundial off the wall. At the sight of the small safe, she let her heart take one little leap of triumph before she put on the earphones and began work.

“Here. This is where you like to be touched, isn’t it?”

He wasn’t touching her at all, but Natalie found she had to use all of her powers of concentration to keep from feeling that he was.

“And here. Right here where you’re so wet and slick and hot.”

Immediately, she was. She could feel the wetness pooling between her legs. Damn him. Promising herself that she was going to get even, she listened for the last tumbler to fall into place. The moment it did, she decided that two could play at the game that Chance had started.

In the huskiest voice she could muster, she said, “Bite me there. Yes. Oh yes. Yes.” Then on a breathy moan, she opened the safe. The sight of the red velvet bag had her heart leaping.

Chance reached for it before she could, and a second later, the largest and most beautiful diamond she’d ever seen caught the light. To the naked eye, at least, it appeared to be real. But Chance was already examining it with a jeweler’s loop. Without taking his eyes off of the diamond, he mouthed, “Keep the scenario going” and stepped up close to her.

She let out a long breathy moan. It wasn’t hard, not with Chance’s thigh pressing hard between her legs. “Yes. Oh, yes.”

Only seconds ticked by, but to Natalie it seemed longer. Then Chance shook his head.

Swallowing her disappointment, she watched as he slipped the fake diamond back into the red velvet pouch and replaced it in the safe. As he rehung the bronze sun, she replaced her tools in the small pouch she wore. Then before she could even breathe, Chance had her pressed back against the column.

She didn’t even have time to absorb the sensation before he rained a string of kisses along her cheek to her ear and whispered, “Before we leave, we have to play out this little scenario to the end. Otherwise, they’ll wonder why suddenly everything got so quiet.”

Then in a louder voice, he said, “I love to touch you here. And here.” He ran his hands from her throat to her breasts and then slowly, lower and lower, until he slipped his finger beneath her panties and found her.

“And especially here.” His mouth was so close that she could feel his breath on her lips. And he was barely touching her. His finger hardly entered her before withdrawing.

“I love to touch you here.” His eyes were so focused, so hot. His fingers pushed into her—not far enough, not nearly—then withdrew.