Eclipse of the Heart Read Online Free Page A

say them to stop this dangerous madness.
"I’m not attracted to you."
     He released her just enough to look down at her.
"So why are your nipples hard?"
    "Because you’ve been manhandling
them!"
    His half smile showed, though his face looked a little
strained. "Yeah, technically I suppose they have been handled by a man. With great pleasure."
    "Look, I've had a long day." If she didn't get out
of this room, she might grab him. "I'd like to retire to my room. Will you
need me tonight for work?"
    He raised his brows. "Yes, I will need you," he
said firmly. "Perhaps you’d like to change into something more
comfortable?" Dropping his hands, he glanced at his watch. "Shall we
say half-an-hour?"
    "Fine." She suppressed a
sigh. He had told her this would be her first night on the job. "Though I
don’t need to change," she added. "What will you want me to do?"
    His gaze, which had been lingering
on her breasts, snapped to her face.
    "Amanda, you’re a sharp woman. Right from the beginning
I liked that about you."
    She took a step back. "Your point is?"
    "Look, unless you’re wearing a plaid skirt and knee
socks, the ingénue approach isn’t my thing."
    "The ingénue approach?" He’d reduced her to a parrot.
    "The dumb, innocent act. Even in
the right outfit, it wouldn’t be my first choice."
    "I …" She opened and closed her mouth. Words
failed her. Had she taken a job with a pervert? Damn! It had seemed so perfect!
"What are you talking about?"
    "Are you new at this?" he demanded, his eyes narrowing
as he looked down at her. "Because I’m sure I’ve told the agency I want
only experienced women. And no games."
    "You know exactly what my experience is." Amanda
grabbed her purse from the floor. "But if you don’t like to play games,
then stop speaking in riddles. Just tell me plainly what you want."
    "Fine." He jerked his
hand toward her. "Get undressed."
    Her gasp boomeranged around the room.
    "Are you crazy?"
    He slammed his hand down on the sofa. "No, I am not
crazy. I don’t enjoy being teased, annoyed and treated like an idiot. I just
want a simple fuck, which you are being well paid to provide. Is that plain
enough?"
    She backed away from him, her eyes wide, one hand covering her mouth.
    "There’s been a terrible mistake," she whispered.

Chapter 3
    "Mistake?" Logan felt his
eyebrows rise with his temper. "You don't know the duties expected of an
escort?"
    "Escort?" she whispered. "What are you
talking about? Do you mean 'whore'?"
    "That's an ugly word. It demeans both of us."
    "It’s an ugly scenario."
    "It's a business transaction." He stared her down,
determined to make her face the truth. He hated playing games. He would never
treat her with anything but courtesy and respect, but she had to know upfront
that there would be no emotional component to their relationship.
    "Wait a minute." Relief sparked in her eyes.
"You told me five minutes ago that I wouldn’t have to sleep with
you!"
    "'Sleep ' being the operative
word!" He picked up his drink and tossed back the contents. "You
weren’t under the impression I was paying you that generous salary merely to
serve as arm candy?" He plunked the glass down on the table with a thump
to punctuate his words. "I can get that for free."
    "You can’t get sex for free?"
    "Of course I can." Anger flared and he had to take
a deep breath to rein it in. "If I don't mind the emotional ball and
chain." He showed his teeth in a deliberately fake smile. "I have
more cash than I do caring. You might as well know that right up front."
    "You also have a lot more cash than sense if you think I
care about your checkbook or your emotional state," she shot back.
    He had to hide an unexpected smile. "Look. I don't know
what your game is here. If you're trying to play a reluctant virgin role, drop
it now. I like my women to be experienced and adventurous. Not dowdy and
innocent."
    "And I," she retorted,
"like my employers to be intelligent and law-abiding."
    "Law-abiding?" His