The Prince of Pleasure Read Online Free PDF Page A

respectful. Some were even…
    Obsequious.
    Hell, they fawned over him. Yes, your highness. Really, your highness. How interesting, your highness.
    He could stand in the center of a room, reading aloud from a dictionary, and nobody would object.
    Khan opened his eyes and took another swallow of wine.
    No danger of that ever happening with the Cruz woman.
    She'd made her feelings clear. No backing down. No apologies. She was wrong about him, of course, and her accusations had been ugly…
    But who wouldn't admire her for all that attitude?
    And for more than that.
    The high-cheekboned face. The deep blue eyes. The body that he suspected was a lot more voluptuous than he'd at first thought, that  he knew was more voluptuous because he'd taken her in his arms, felt those elegant feminine curves against him…
    Khan shot to his feet.
    It was time to phone room service, order something simple. Steak. Salad. Coffee.
    Beep. Beep. Beep.
    His cell phone was ringing. Where had he left it?
    He checked his pockets, went into the sitting room and looked around while the thing kept beeping. Frowning, he went into the bedroom.
    There it was, on the dresser.
    The beeping stopped just as he picked it up. The call had gone to voice mail. Good. Dinner first, then…
    Who was he kidding? He had responsibilities. He couldn't simply ignore a message. Sighing, he retrieved it and heard a familiar voice.
    "Hey, man, it's Travis. Nothing urgent. I just wanted to touch bases with you about tonight. Give me a call, okay?"
    Khan blinked.
    What about tonight? Was he supposed to be…?
    Damn. Yes, he was. He'd completely forgotten that Travis had called early this morning.
    "I'm having a few people over," he'd said. "Nothing fancy. Jeans and T-shirt casual. I'll put a few steaks on the grill, open some vino and you can do some off-the-record talking with a couple of guys you already met and a few others you haven't. Or you can avoid business altogether, just enjoy some R&R. No pressure, you know what I mean?
    Khan knew.
    It was code, meant to assure him that Laurel would not be there.
    Damned right, she wouldn't. Travis knew that bringing them together again would be like mixing oil and water…
    Or kindling and a match.
    An image of her flashed through Khan's mind. Blue eyes bright with spirit. Rosy mouth made for kissing.
    That would be one way to bring her to heel.
    Take her to bed.
    Strip away her clothes, her defenses. Touch her. Suck on her nipples. Put his hand, his mouth between her thighs until she cried out in his arms, screamed his name in passion, in pleasure.
    His sex stirred, hardened as if he were a sixteen year old schoolboy. The cellphone fell from his hand.
    "Goddammit," he snarled, as he bent and plucked it from the floor.
    Maybe being alone was the last thing he needed tonight. Maybe being with people was a better choice. A relaxed setting. Some laughs. And, with luck, a woman. A beautiful woman, one who'd smile at his jokes, be flattered by his attention.
    Call me, Travis had said, but what for? A glance at his Rolex and Khan had the answer. It was late. Almost 7:45, and Travis had expected him at 7.
    He headed into the dressing room. The jeans were okay. The shirt wasn't. He yanked it over his head, exchanged it for a black T, slid his bare feet into a pair of mocs. A quick glance in the mirror. His jaw was showing its usual dark, end-of-day stubble but the keyword for the night had been 'casual.'
    He grinned.
    Stubble was about as casual as a man could get.
    He scooped up his wallet, his keycard, his car keys, and headed for the door.
    The lobby was busy. He moved through it quickly, knowing that the faster he moved, the less chance he had of running into another problem.
    Outside, he tossed his parking stub and a fifty dollar bill at the attendant.
    "Make it quick," he said, and the kid all but clicked his heels.
    The Ranger skidded to a stop seconds later. Khan got behind the wheel, stepped on the gas and roared away.
    Hello,