Claimed (2 page)

She laughed. “I sort of fell into it but it
has become a passion. I own a modeling agency with my partner,
Raul.”

“Now that’s an interesting career,” he
said.

“Sure, if you don’t mind putting up with egos
and demanding and emotionally charged young men and women,” she
said.

He nodded. “Tell me, Leslie, what are you
looking for tonight?”

She didn’t miss a beat. “A strong man.”

The corner of his mouth quirked into a smile.
“Is that your criteria?”

It was her turn to study him. “I love strong
men who challenge me. Most men can’t handle me.”

He looked at her with some amusement on his
features. “Apparently you just haven’t found the right man.”

“I don’t think that’s possible.” Leslie gave
a soft laugh. “But perhaps I can find one who is fun to play with
for now.”

“Play with?” He laughed. “That’s an
interesting approach. So why don’t you think it’s possible?” he
asked.

“I like to control situations and most men
have trouble keeping my interest,” she said. “I imagine you have
had a lot of relationships.”

“I like to have fun but I’m not really into
relationships right now.” He shrugged. “And you are looking for a
playmate as you say. Might be perfect.”

“So you’re a love ’em and leave ’em kind of
guy.” She toyed with her wine glass as she flirted with him. He was
like her.

“I wouldn’t say that.” He held her gaze.
“Maybe I just haven’t found the right woman. Not to mention, my
choice in career has made it tough.”

As she looked at him, she wondered if perhaps
he could be someone she could settle down with. She mentally shook
her head. Not likely. After a while, relationships bored her.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please join us in the
ballroom,” came a man’s voice over the sound system, interrupting
her train of thought. “The auction is about to start. Bachelors and
bachelorettes, please meet behind the stage. Everyone else find a
seat and we’ll get started.”

“My cue,” he said.

“I will see you afterward.” She put on her
most sensual smile. “Plan on it.”

As Rick left her, she made her way into the
ballroom and found a seat in front of the stage. She settled back
in her chair as she waited for him to be announced. She casually
glanced around her to see what other women were in the crowd who
would be interested in bidding on him. Several women would be
bidding on the few men in the auction, so there would be
competition. But of course she would win. She was determined
to.

Her gaze met Daniela Danesworth’s and her
hackles rose and her neck prickled with heat. Daniela owned the
modeling agency that Armand worked for, and she found pleasure in
competing against Leslie whenever possible. Daniela knew that
Leslie didn’t give up easily. If Daniela was going for the Navy
SEAL tonight, it was going to cost Leslie a small bundle to
win.

But that didn’t matter. Leslie faced the
front again and settled into her chair. Rick was worth every penny.
Besides, the money went to a good cause, a shelter for battered
women and their children.

About halfway through the auction, the
auctioneer said, “Ladies, we have a special treat for you. Captain
Richard Pierce of the US Navy.”

Rick walked out from behind the curtain and
gave a casual wave as the crown applauded. He looked comfortable
and confident. He didn’t carry himself with an arrogance about him
like she had expected from one of the Navy’s elite. She had always
heard that SEALs were confident to the point of arrogance because
they had to be to do their job. They were the best of the best and
sent into the worst situations a war had to offer. Their arrogance
was well earned.

“Captain Pierce is a Navy SEAL and has
graciously taken on a new challenge.” The auctioneer smiled. “One
of you ladies is his next assignment as he joins you in Cabo San
Lucas, Mexico for a weekend for two.”

Leslie’s heart beat just a little faster as
adrenaline kicked in. Bidding brought with it a thrill, an
excitement, that she didn’t feel with anything else. It was a
challenge, something she could conquer.

Bidding started low enough that multiple
women bid on Rick. As the dollar amount increased, eventually only
Leslie and Daniela remained.

“Fourteen thousand dollars.” The auctioneer
took Daniela’s bid. “Do I hear fifteen?”

Leslie indicated that she had raised the
bid.

She glanced at Daniela whose mouth was
tighter than normal. She wanted the SEAL and she was clearly
frustrated that Leslie continued to bid against her.

The bidding reached seventeen thousand.
Leslie bid eighteen. This time when the auctioneer looked at
Daniela, the woman gave a shake of her head.

Leslie smiled to herself. The SEAL was
hers.

The auctioneer instructed Rick to meet Leslie
at the bottom of the stairs leading down from the stage. He reached
the bottom stair as she came up to him. He held out his arm and she
took it.

“You are persistent.” He smiled down at her.
“I knew from the moment that bidding started that the other woman
wouldn’t be able to beat you. You like to win, don’t you,” he
stated.

“Absolutely.” She returned his smile. “Do you
plan on staying for the after auction dessert party and dance?”

They came to a stop at the ballroom doors as
he shook his head. “I can’t. I leave for the airport. I have a
redeye to California.”

She schooled her features to avoid showing
disappointment. “Then I shall see you when we leave for Cabo.”

“I’ll meet you there,” he said. “Until then
I’ll be in California visiting my parents.”

She held out her hand. “I will see you
then.”

He smiled. “I’m looking forward to it,
Leslie.”

Just his smile and the way he said her name
made her stomach twist in the strangest way and she felt a little
unnerved, off-kilter, in a way that she never had before. There was
something about the toughness of the man that combined with a
certain depth of person she rather liked. He just might be perfect
for her.

She straightened her shoulders and returned
his smile. “I’m looking forward to it, too.”

He gripped her hand before leaning down and
brushing his lips over her cheek. He smelled good, a natural scent
that was all man. Sexy and sinful all at the same time. Her cheek
tingled where he kissed as he drew away and she resisted touching
her fingers to her face.

“Goodbye, Rick,” she said as he took a step
back.

He gave a brief nod before he turned and
walked away.

“I love the flowers.” Leslie smiled as she
looked at Rick’s image on her laptop at her kitchen table. Over the
past two weeks since the auction, their Skype conversations had
become an almost daily occurrence. She drew a yellow rose out of
the bouquet of assorted yellow, white, and orange flowers. She
brought the bloom to her nose and breathed in the wonderful scent.
“Yellow is my favorite color.”

He smiled in return. “I had a feeling you
would like them. Yellow suits you.”

She twirled the rose as she looked at his
handsome face. “Thank you.”

When they talked, she was always struck by
how good-looking he was but even more appealing was that he had a
great personality that made him easy to talk to about her day, her
friends, her business, her co-workers, and even the models she
worked with.

The one thing she wouldn’t talk about was her
family. What she had to say about any of them wasn’t worth sharing.
Why ruin a perfectly good conversation?

And of course Michael. She never talked about
the bastard.

When she asked him, he shared a little of
what it was like serving as a Navy SEAL and as an instructor at the
academy. There wasn’t a whole lot he could tell her because the
things he had done were highly classified.

In his voice she could always hear the
respect, admiration, and appreciation he had for his fellow SEALs
when he spoke about some of the guys he had worked with past and
present.

He told her more about his parents, brother,
and sister, and it was obvious he cared for them and loved them.
He’d had the kind of upbringing that she always wished she had.
Being born with a silver spoon in her mouth had not been a pleasant
upbringing. Not when that spoon was shoved down her throat all of
the time.

Over the years, both she and Rick had
traveled around the world. Her modeling business took her places
and she could afford to vacation in exotic locations. He had
traveled because of his career. They compared notes on places that
he was allowed to talk about and she told him stories about some
locations that she’d been to. Both enjoyed their travels to most
destinations, although she didn’t really know what he thought about
some of his more secret missions.

After all the time they had spent talking,
she felt like she knew him.

And she knew that she wanted him.

Even though most of their communication had
been over Skype and phone, there was a definite chemistry between
them.

She smiled at his image on her laptop screen.
“I’ve never asked you what made you decide to join the
military.”

He leaned forward, closer to his webcam.
“When I was going to college I saw a feature on a soldier. I
listened to what that guy said about his sense of duty. He ended up
losing a leg and didn’t regret it. He said he wanted to make a
difference and serving his country was doing just that.” Rick
leaned back again. “It struck a cord in me. I was set on a business
career and it hit me that I wanted to do the same thing as that
man. Make a difference.”

“How did you choose the Navy and to train to
become a SEAL?” she asked.

“I studied every branch of the military.” He
looked dead serious as he spoke. “The place I believed I needed to
be was where I could do the most good. To get there, I knew I had
to become a SEAL.

“After I graduated from college,” he
continued, “I enlisted and went through extensive training. When I
finished training I was deployed to places I can’t speak of to
serve my country. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.”

The man was unbelievable. “That’s pretty
amazing.”

“It’s not any more important than our boys
who are on the front line,” he said.

Modesty was something she found endearing
about Rick. He never took credit for things he’d done. Teamwork was
important to him.

When she asked him to tell her more, he gave
her a good idea of what he had been through to make it as a SEAL.
It was almost too much to take in. It wasn’t just combat training
but so much more. She loved that he was so tough. A man’s man.

He changed the subject and asked her about
her day. She told him some of the things she dealt with daily.
Considering what he’d gone through they seemed like petty little
things in comparison. But he made her feel like what she did was
important and it mattered in its own way.

After awhile, she said, “Are you ready for me
in Cabo, Rick?”

“You have big plans for us don’t you,” he
said in a teasing voice.

“Well, we’ve Skyped enough that I feel like I
know you…” She pricked her finger on a thorn on the rose and set it
down. “We can skip all of the awkward getting to know each
other.”

“So,” he said, “just a hello at the airport
when you pick me up and then I jump you when we get to the hotel…
Is that your plan?”

“No.” she shook her head. “I thought you
understood me better. You pick me up and I jump you at the
hotel.”

He flashed his adorable grin. “You are an
aggressive one, aren’t you.”

His smile made her feel almost like a
schoolgirl with a crush. “Only when I sense a connection.”

He rubbed the stubble on his chin. “Is this a
‘come into my parlor said the spider to the fly’ situation?”

“I’m shocked.” She pretended to be offended.
“What type of person do you think I am?” Then she gave him what she
knew was sensual smile. “To answer your question, yes, the spider
and fly story does fit. Frightened yet, Mr. Tough Guy?”

He laughed. “Should I call you black
widow?”

She had to admit that he had that right.
She’d been a black widow to many. Love them and leave them as she
moved on to her next. Although she hadn’t really killed anyone.
Yet.

A part of her wondered if this one would be
different. Maybe she wouldn’t dump Rick when she was through with
him. She knew deep down that she could not keep running from
relationships because of one major hurt. But something about
leaving them wanting and moving onto the next was fun. And safe on
her emotions.

Maybe if someone stood up to her… But that
would set her up for hurt. She’d been hurt enough after what
Michael had done to her.

“A black widow…” She tilted her head to the
side. “Yes, that’s me. You didn’t answer my question. Frightened
yet?”

“Frightened of you?” He raised a brow. “Naw.
You actually sound fun.”

“We have talked on Skype and at the auction
about what I’m looking for.” She might as well spell it out. “I
want a man to be a man. I don’t like wimps, but I like to control
things.”

Rick leaned back in his chair, giving her a
clearer view of the upper half of his body. “You have used the word
‘control’ a lot. Do you mean just in bed?”

“In a lot of things,” she said. “On top in
bed, yes, but also in business and in relationships.”

She wasn’t sure if he was amused or just
curious when he asked, “So it is obvious from what you have said
that you like kink. So how much kink?”

She nodded. “You’re pretty good at guessing
games aren’t you? Do you know what power exchange is?”

Rick cocked his head. “I think I can put two
and two together, but why don’t you tell me since you are in charge
here.”