Strip Search by Shayla Black Read Free Book Online

Three times in two weeks. Conan peeling off his armored breast-plate to reveal a Western vest kills the fantasy."
    "So when are you going to end Zack's misery and call your Mr. Yummy to hire him?"
    "My Mr. Yummy? Who are you talking about?"
    As if she didn't know.
    Mark Gabriel had swooped through her mind a time--or ten--after she auditioned him four days ago. But when he'd stolen into her office the following night, told her about himself, then won a kiss he hadn't claimed, she hadn't been able to get him out of her mind. What would his mouth feel like on hers? Would he be demanding? Tender? Exceptional, she'd bet.
    In her business, this kind of curiosity wasn't a good thing. Lusting after one of her dancers--stupid. Taking the energy away from Girls' Night Out while its outcome was still uncertain and she owed her uncle a huge chunk of change ... that would make her a candidate for the Darwin awards.
    "You know exactly who I mean." Lucia slanted her a skeptical stare. "He's gorgeous. You said he could move. He wants to work, you need a dancer. What's the issue?"
    Other than her personal hang-ups and her fear that she'd molest him in ... oh, the first ten minutes he worked for her? None at all. Nicki sighed. Maybe she needed to invest in a new sex toy. This morning, her B.O.B. just hadn't gotten the job done. Fantasies about Mark and down-and-dirty sex against the wall had worked wonders, unfortunately.
    On the other hand, he'd likely make her a fortune. She needed every dime of it. Once she'd paid off Uncle Pietro, then she could give her glorified babysitter, Blade Bocelli, the old heave-ho.
    "It's complicated," Nicki hedged. The truth was too embarrassing. "For starters, based on some things he told me, I don't think he'd stay long."
    Lucia frowned and tilted her head so her auburn curls slid down one shoulder. "Last time I checked, you weren't offering retirement benefits. Even if he stays a couple of months, isn't that better than nothing?"
    Damn it, yes. And she'd hired several of her current dancers knowing they hadn't intended to stay long. That some had, in fact, remained for a while was merely good fortune on her part, not an expectation.
    She was running out of excuses ... beyond not being able to control herself around one beautiful, testosterone-packed man. Time to dig through her mental bag of tricks for a little self-control. Who knew, maybe her attraction was a momentary blip, a hallucination produced by her utterly neglected sex drive.
    Nicki leaned over her desk and fished around for her stack of applicants' paperwork. All she had on Mark was a name, a Social Security number, his date of birth, and his cell phone number. Well, and the grainy picture of him she'd had her security company pull from their footage of the parking lot on Monday afternoon. Even that rough still of him from a distance screamed that he was major hunk material.
    What was a girl to do?
    "Nicki?" Lucia prompted.
    She sighed. "Where is the damned phone?"
    Half-hoping he'd skipped town or decided to apply for a job at any of the local banks, Nicki called Mark. Clammy palms weren't the usual for her. Nor this odd tightening in her belly. Quit it already, she told herself. You're extending a job offer, not inviting the guy over for an evening of screaming sex and sweat-damp sheets.
    The pep talk failed utterly when, on the second ring, Mark answered.
    "Hello?"
    Dark and deep, his voice vibrated its way up her spine, resonating inside her body--all from that one little word.
    "Mr. Gabriel, this is Nicki DiStefano from Girls' Night Out."
    He paused ... just for a moment. Nicki found herself holding her breath for his response.
    "Hi."
    Again, one word was like a blow to her gut. Full of invitation and a hint of suggestion. And this was a business conversation. How potent would his tones be when he was aroused, his voice raw, redolent of sex? A telltale flush of warmth crept through her at the thought.
    Get your mind between your ears and out