The Ultimate Playboy(26)

                ‘Watch me.’

                ‘I could scream, you know.’

                Nice, Ruby. Nice.

                ‘You could. And I can turn you over to the management and let them deal with what can only be regarded as a security breach. Trust me, breaches aren’t taken lightly.’

                She tugged at her bound wrists. ‘I can’t believe you tied me up.’

                ‘You left me no choice. Now start talking before I call security.’

                Her breath caught as images tumbled through her head of being stuck in a foreign prison. Aside from her roommate, Annie, no one knew her whereabouts. And even if Annie tracked her down to Macau, she wouldn’t have the first clue where to find her.

                ‘Tell me what you want to know,’ she offered in a rush.

                ‘Is Ruby really your name?’ he asked, his gaze dropping to her lips.

                Remembering what he’d said about her mouth, she felt heat spike through her belly again.

                ‘Yes.’

                ‘And your earlier assurance that we hadn’t met before?’

                ‘Is true. Although we almost did...last week.’

                One sleek brow shot upward. ‘How?’

                ‘I tried to find you at a nightclub—Riga—but you were leaving when I arrived.’

                He prowled closer to the bed, and a fresh load of anxiety coursed through her system. Hands poised on lean hips, he stared down at her.

                ‘I’ve had women do...unexpected things to get my attention but I don’t think I’ve had the privilege of a full-blown crazy stalker before.’ His eyes raked her from head to toe. ‘Perhaps I should’ve made it happen sooner.’

                ‘I’m not a crazy stalker!’ She yanked at the restraints and only succeeded in tightening them.

                ‘Of course not. Because those ones readily admit to their charges.’

                ‘Look, I can explain. Just...untie me.’

                He ignored her and leaned down, placing his palms flat on the bed so his face was level with hers. ‘We could’ve had so much fun, amante. Why did you have to spoil it?’ There was genuine regret in his tone, but bitterness had crept in with the iciness.

                ‘I have a genuine reason for being here.’

                ‘For your own sake, I hope so. I don’t take lightly to being manipulated.’

                Her mind flashed to earlier in the evening. Watching him toy with his opponent had shown her just how dangerous this man was. Despite the outward charm and spellbinding magnetism, he could become lethal on the turn of a dime.

                He turned and prowled to the window. With jerky movements, he tore off his expensive shirt, sending cufflinks she was almost certain were made with black diamonds pinging across the room.

                Tossing the shirt the way his bow tie had gone, he shoved his hands into his pockets.

                The movement contracted his bronzed, strongly muscled back. Among the electrons firing crazily in her brain came the thought that this was the first time she’d come this close to a semi-naked man worth looking at.