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inclination to act on them.
    He probably thought she was vulgar.
    Cheap.
    Easy.
    That kind of assessment would matter to a guy like Zach. He’d probably marry a woman who was a virgin on their wedding night—if there were any left on the planet over the age of eighteen. Zach was so nice. Did a woman as naughty as Caitlyn even have a chance of catching his eye?
    Never mind his heart.
    Why had he and Luke been such good buddies? Caitlyn couldn’t figure it out. They were like oil and water, and she would have expected them to hate each other’s guts. Luke’s oldest buddy was everything Luke wasn’t. Zach was courteous and polite, a gentleman with charm. He was every bit as hot as Luke, maybe even more so, and he wasn’t dangerous in the least. He sure wasn’t self-absorbed, or an invitation to disaster.
    He also didn’t seem to be interested in Caitlyn. He was friendly. He was gracious. He made her feel like the one with naughty expectations. It was hard to believe he and Luke could have been so close, given how different they were, but evidently they’d met in kindergarten and had been inseparable ever since.
    Even after Luke had driven his car into a concrete bridge, dying in the same blaze of fury in which he had lived, she couldn’t stop calling Zach. He’d given her his card at the funeral and Caitlyn had worn the paper to softness.
    She glanced at Zach through her lashes, her heart thumping at how handsome he was across the table. He was being incredibly kind in accompanying her on this trip. He had to be bored out of his mind. She’d felt badly for her selfishness in wanting this last week of his company before she never saw him again.
    Not so bad, though, that she’d ever considered calling it off.
    If she told him the truth now, he’d despise her. Zach was honest to a fault, and he sure wouldn’t appreciate knowing that she’d been deceptive, even if had been because she’d wanted to be with him.
    No, the only way to keep him from bolting was to continue to appear devastated by Luke’s death.
    What about that chance comment? How did Zach know anything about The Plume, the private BDSM club that had been the forerunner of The Phoenix? They must have looked for some investment capital or a loan or something. It had to be about money, because Zach did money.
    He didn’t do kink.
    She just wished the rain would stop for a little while. It had always turned her on, but now that she’d spent so many sweet nights at the cafe in Seattle with Zach, it just made her ache with wanting him.
    She supposed it would be a bad idea to invite him to spank her for being so naughty.
    Although if he accepted, it would be very hot.
    Caitlyn sighed, then forced a smile as she was introduced to the other guests. There were two couples, the four of them checking each other out so openly that Caitlyn assumed they had a swapping fantasy. There was also a single guy, who carried himself with confidence and seemed to have a lord-of-the-manor fantasy. He was standing behind the chair at the head of the table, as if there couldn’t be any doubt that it was his place.
    He turned and smiled at her, bowing slightly. “Devon Nelson,” he said, introducing himself. “At your service.”
    “Lady Caitlyn,” Caitlyn replied and considered the man bending over her hand. He had dark hair and was tall with broad shoulders. When he glanced up and smiled, she saw that he had dark eyes.
    And the kind of wolfish smile she knew best.
    A hot loser, just like Luke.
    Of course, he was checking her out as if he’d like to have her for dessert, all tied up with a pretty bow. Caitlyn tried not to sigh with disappointment. She knew the script to this exchange, but she wasn’t at all sure she wanted to say her usual lines.
    She wondered again about that clause in the contract, the one that said The Phoenix wasn’t responsible for the results of fantasies intersecting and overlapping. She spared a glance at Zach to find him smiling politely for