The Golden Bough. Sir James George Frazer

      Connor pulled off with the attention-grabbing rev of a powerful engine. He winked at her. “No one ever has to work hard. But some of us don’t know any other way.”

      As they sped out of her neighborhood, Shondra felt a little thrill bubble up inside her. She was in uncharted waters. Although she’d grown up with money—lots of it—and had always had access to nice things, she was beginning to realize that Connor was playing in a whole other league.

      When she dated the average working-class man, Shondra knew where she stood. She was the one in control—often paying or going Dutch on the bills, and dictating when and where for most dates.

      Tonight felt very different. Connor was every bit as smart as she was. He had more money. And he was her boss. If she wasn’t careful, she was at risk of becoming Connor’s plaything or worse…a novelty.

      Getting involved with a powerful man was dangerous. And that fed her wild streak. The one she never indulged.

      Connor must have read the expression on her face, because he looked over and said, “Relax. It’s just dinner.”

      So she let herself relax. Determined not to overthink things any further, Shondra sank back into the seat and enjoyed the ride, as downtown Houston whizzed by her.

      Twenty minutes later Connor gave his keys to the valet at a trendy restaurant she’d always wanted to try.

      “Great choice. I hear the food here is top-notch,” she said as they were seated at a private spot surrounded by potted palms.

      “I thought you’d like it. The chef is a friend of my father’s. He makes the most tender porterhouse steak you’ve ever had.”

      Shondra looked up from her menu. “A real meat and potatoes kind of guy—is that you?”

      He grinned, flashing that smile that tickled her spine. “We’re in Texas. What do you think?”

      “I think it’s not healthy to eat a lot of red meat.”

      “Ah, you’re one of those.” He winked at her.

      She straightened her spine. “One of those what? Sensible people who don’t plan on having open-heart surgery before the age of forty?”

      Connor laughed, shaking his head. “So what are you going to order then? Please don’t say a salad. You can’t waste the superior skills of Chef Lerac on greenery.”

      Shondra folded her menu. “Actually, I think I’ll have the swordfish.” She eyed him with feigned deference. “If that meets with your approval, boss.”

      He looked up, not taking the bait. “I suppose it will have to do this time. But I insist you try Lerac’s sweet potato mousse on the side.”

      Shondra agreed and when the waiter arrived, she didn’t bat an eye when Connor ordered for both of them. She sipped her champagne cocktail, realizing it had been a long while since she’d been this relaxed.

      Lisa had been right about one thing. She worked too hard. Sixty-to seventy-hour workweeks had been routine long before her father’s passing.

      Tensions had been riding high in the Braddock clan ever since her oldest brother, Malcolm, had decided to leave the family business several years ago. Shondra knew it had broken her father’s heart, but she couldn’t fault her brother. Malcolm had always been the type of die-hard defender of the people that never could have lasted in the political game. He couldn’t understand that their father had to give away a few votes to gain ground for bigger battles.

      Shondra wasn’t even sure she could agree with all of her father’s decisions. But she and her brother Tyson were determined not to take sides. When Malcolm walked away, their only recourse had been to focus on their own careers.

      Not wanting to get lost in the melancholy that rose when she started to think about her father, she focused on Connor. He was talking about the direction he wanted to take Stewart Industries, but she scarcely heard him.

      He was a truly beautiful man. His dark blond hair, smoothed back from his face, was tucked behind each ear and hung an inch above his collar. He had a strong, rugged jaw and a sexy dimple in his right cheek. And although she was often captivated by his straight white teeth, it was only because she was avoiding the intensity of his gorgeous pale blue eyes.

      Whew. How did any woman in the office get any work done? Suddenly his lips quirked into a sly smirk and he gave her a knowing look. That’s when she realized her mistake.

      He had stopped talking and was watching her…watch him.

      Hating to feed the ego that a man that hot had to have, she struggled to save face.

      “I’m sorry. I let myself get distracted there for a second. I was trying to remember if I renewed my car insurance. I know I wrote the check, but I can’t remember if I mailed it.”

      Connor chuckled. He didn’t say a word but she could tell he had noticed her ogling him.

      A stinging heat rushed up her neck and bloomed in her cheeks. Picking up her water glass, she fished out an ice cube and began to suck it for a moment before crunching it between her teeth. It was a nervous habit she’d had since childhood.

      Anxious to force them past this awkward moment, she began to ramble about her Mercedes and how she should replace it with a hybrid, but loathed car shopping. As she talked, she continued to play with her ice, completely unaware of its effect on her dinner companion.

      Connor quickly found the shoe on the other foot as he watched Shondra tease him with her ice cubes. Only moments ago, he’d been awash in masculine pride as he watched her open appreciation of him. He was used to women finding him attractive, and it pleased him in particular to know that Shondra wasn’t immune.

      But his smug attitude didn’t last. In her fluster, she began a seductive game of pulling ice cubes from her glass with her neatly manicured nails, sucking them gently with her perfect plum lips, then plopping them into her mouth.

      It was mesmerizing and his pants were becoming uncomfortably tight. He’d had women attempt seductions in a variety of ways, but there was never any challenge in that. Shondra’s unconscious act was more erotic to Connor than a thong-clad girl gyrating on a pole.

      Connor watched Shondra with new appreciation. He’d found her attractive from the start. Wearing only a bit of eyeliner and lip gloss, she didn’t hide her beauty under a lot of makeup. Her glossy hair was parted slightly off-center and fell in brown-black curls past her shoulders. It was the perfect frame for her heart-shaped face. She was all cheeks and dimples, with a girlishly wide smile that belied her normally serious demeanor.

      He was glad she’d worn a dress tonight. It was a simple dark pink tank dress that tied behind her neck, smoothed over her ribs and flared from her hips to her knees. It left plenty of her rich, cocoa-brown skin to gleam in the candlelight, making Connor long to find out if it was as soft as it looked.

      Connor knew his father wouldn’t approve of his dating an SI employee. And until tonight, he’d found it easy to resist what few temptations he’d found at work. But after his flight back to Houston with Shondra, discussing business, politics and current affairs, he found himself wanting to look beyond her professional image.

      Their easy flirtations were leading Connor to suspect he was in over his head. Her effect on him was more than just the thrill of breaking the rules.

      The waiter appeared with their orders not a moment too soon for Connor. It gave him something other than Shondra to focus on, and it gave her something else to do besides frustrate him with those damn ice cubes.

      He sliced into his porterhouse, cooked to a perfect medium-rare. “Ah, it looks like Chef Lerac has outdone himself. How is your swordfish?”

      Shondra cut into her fish with her fork and tasted it. “Mmm, it’s delicious. Would you like to try some?”

      “Only if you’ll take a bite of this.”

      She