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“So, you fucked one woman?” Mase asks. He knows I struggle to get aroused by one person—it’s why I use the Indulgence service so much. It allows me to choose who I want, when I want them, and more importantly, how many women I want.

“I did. One!” I hold up my finger to emphasize the significance of the night. “Best night of my life.”

Tate turns his attention from his chest to me. “When are we meeting this woman who managed to break you?”

He’s not wrong; she sure as hell tried to break me. My cock has been perpetually hard since leaving the penthouse, and even though I asked security to locate her, I’ve had no luck. Hence my need for Owen to track her down. If anyone has connections to locate someone, it’s him. “Here’s the thing… I didn’t get her name or number,” I breathe out with a wince.

Tate gasps. “What?”

“I know.” The tension in my forehead amplifies, and I rub at it in a lame attempt to ease it. “I fucked up. She said no strings, and I was good with that. I didn’t expect that”—I motion toward the door—“she’d blow my fucking mind, and I have no idea who she is.” I meet Owen’s eyes, but instead of finding solace in them, I find anger.

“Oh, no you fucking don’t. Owen has enough shit to deal with, like my sister. Oh, and he needs to do his fucking job. Not hunt down women who don’t want a repeat of you,” Tate spits out, shaking his head.

My eyes narrow, and I block out all the shit with Laya. Let’s face it, his sister is nothing but trouble, and I’m more concerned by his comments regarding my girl. “You don’t think she wants a repeat of me?” How the hell did he even come to that conclusion?

A scoff comes from Shaw, and my attention darts toward him. “She didn’t leave her name or number. Pretty sure it’s self-explanatory.”

Wow. Don’t mince your fucking words.

A weird tension fills the air, and my best friends frown at me, waiting for me to tell them it was all a joke. That I haven’t allowed one woman to wrap me up in knots based on one night alone.

Embarrassment hits me, and I dart my eyes away, and when they finally come back to the group, I clear my throat and shrug. “Not like there aren’t a billion other women in the world falling at my feet.” Even as I say the words, they feel like poison on my tongue.

I don’t want any other woman.

I want her.

There’s something about her; we had something more. She made me feel.

As the group continues talking like I didn’t ask for their help, I agree. We have a lot going on, and finding a woman who doesn’t want to be found isn’t at the top of their list.

Nor should it be at the top of mine.

Nope, my priority needs to remain on George Fanzio and getting the deal of the century. I have to prove to my friends they can rely on me as a business mogul, that I’m not just the rich kid who threw money into his friends’ pipedream, just to feel like I belonged somewhere.

While the guys all continue to throw jibes at one another, I push back in my chair and head toward the door. It’s not until I’m about to go through it that Owen stops me with a hand on my shoulder. He scrubs a hand over his head. “Look, man, when all this shit with Laya is sorted, I’ll look into the girl for you if you still want me to.”

His eyes implore mine, and I notice the dark circles below them, and guilt hits me. This shit with Laya is slowly killing him. We all know he’s been in love with her for years, but now she’s married to a member of the cartel, and worse, pregnant with his baby. The need to protect her from the man she’s unwittingly married to is taking its toll on him, so the last thing he needs is me adding to the workload.

“It’s fine.” My lungs feel like they’re being crushed. “I have a date tomorrow night.” I lie, then quickly follow up with the more convincing response. “Two dates, to be precise.”

Owen nods, but doesn’t look convinced. I straighten my shoulders and step back.

“Now I have to do some digging, because George Fanzio is giving us that land, whether he likes it or not.”

Owen’s solemn face breaks out into a huge smile, and a burst of energy rushes through me at his response. This is what I need to do to show them what I’m capable of.

Show the world I’m Reed Johnson and no woman will bring me to my knees.

Not a single one.

CHAPTERTWO

REED

SIX MONTHS LATER…

The two blondescackle beside me, causing my teeth to grind. Jesus fucking Christ, what the hell was I thinking bringing them here?