Chapter 1 - Temptress

The ballroom of his hotel was decorated in gold and white, the favorite color combination of his mother. Emma Starr was surrounded by her friends, all of them middle-aged women who were being loud and having the time of their lives. It looked like they had one glass too many but he wouldn't question it. The last thing he wanted was to get eaten alive by those women. He sipped from his amber colored drink, needing the alcohol to get through this night. His brother joined him for a drink, Noah seemed quite amused by the scene. Middle-aged women behaving like they were teenagers again. It was amusing but also intimidating. He couldn't quite look at the scene the same way as his brother. His brother was happily married with three children. Those women didn't bother with Noah. He, however, always needed to listen to those women brag about their daughters, nieces or cousins. They were like vultures trying to get him to marry someone close to them so they could enjoy the benefits of being close to the Starr family. It was horrible so he couldn't laugh his ass off at the sight of those women behaving like idiots.

"Should we cut her off?" Noah asked, sipping his bourbon.

Lucian gestured to the loud women, grinning at his brother, "After you."

Noah glanced at him, the smile which had been plastered across his face and showing off his dimples dropped instantly. The blue eyes no longer gleaming with amusement. Lucian tried to hide his smile by sipping his bourbon.

"I rather not," Noah mumbled.

Lucian flashed his brother a mocking smile, "Oh, I see. You were okay with throwing me in front of the wolves. Good to know, brother."

Noah chuckled, "Aren't you the bachelor they're all chasing? You should enjoy the attention more."

Lucian grunted, "You know me better than that." He finished his drink, glancing at his watch. The luxurious watch which was gleaming in the lighting caught his brother's attention. Noah grabbed his wrist and observed the new watch he bought, "Are you collecting these or what?"

Lucian shrugged, "Some people collect cars I collect watches."

"Others collect wine." He let go of Lucian's wrist and nodded toward their mother, "Speaking of which I think that giant watch of yours alerted all the women surrounding you." Noah grabbed his empty crystal tumbler, "I'll grab us another drink."

His brother was a huge jerk, he'd get back at that man later. Noah forgot that as CEO he had a lot of reach within their company. Come Monday Noah would regret trying to make fun of him and throw him in front of the wolves like that. Brothers were supposed to have each other's back. A charming smile which he practiced often slipped into place as he watched his mother and one of her friends approach them. They were giggly and loud, definitely behaving like drunk teens. He fake smile widened.

"Lucian, this is my friend Ellen Pratt."

The overly sweet smiles thrown his way said it all. This wasn't his mother introducing her precious friend to him. His mother was supporting this. He mentally sighed. His eyes scanned the crowded ballroom. He was looking for all the exit. He knew it by heart but he was making sure no one was blocking his escape route. His eyes landed on his brother who stood by the bar, holding his glass up in mock kindness. Fucking Noah was getting it come Monday. He flickered his eyes to his mother and her friend Ellen.

"Ellen, nice to meet you."

The woman who was dressed in a black dress which was decorated with golden flowers held her hand out to him. Lucian didn't want to be rude so he shook hands with her.

"Nice to finally meet you." She kept her voice low, speaking to him in a gentle tone which was supposed to feign kindness. He knew better, "Your mom has told me all about you." She placed her hand on his arm, "It was so nice of you to commit to your family business so your brother can focus on his family."

"Well, Noah is a father of three."

Emma smiled, this time her smile actually looked genuine. It reached her hazel eyes, "The girls are so lovely. They're at home with their mother tonight. But I can't wait for you to meet them. Such nice girls they are."

"That they are." Lucian agreed, "Though they are also loud and nosy."

Ellen laughed, "Typical girls then?"

"Hey, I'm not saying that. Boys can be loud and nosy too." He smiled.

Ellen nodded, "Your mother and I started talking about the hotel. My husband is actually ready to retire and our daughter Jenna isn't interested in taking over the family business." She sighed, it didn't look like she thought it was sad that her daughter didn't take over. She was definitely bad at acting, "Maybe you could meet with my husband once and discuss the possibilities."

"I'm sure my assistant can move things around for me to meet your husband for a business meeting." He emphasized on it being a business meeting. Ellen caught on but she didn't look taken back. She reached into her purse and handed him a guard, "Give him a call when you do find the time to schedule in a meeting."

His mother clapped cheerfully, "How exciting." She almost jumped up and down. Lucian was sure it took all his mother's willpower not to jump right now, "So what does Jenna do?" She asked her friend. It sounded rehearsed like they had done it a million times before.

"Oh, my Jenna started her own company a few months ago. She's launching her own clothing line made out of used fabric. She's very passionate about it."

"That sounds great." He said, he honestly did think it was something to be admired but he knew if things sounded too good to be true they usually were too good to be true.

"So Lucian-"

"Oh." He grabbed his phone, hoping his acting was better than Ellen's crappy performance, "Excuse me. Something urgent came up at the office. I need to take this." He walked away from them, flashing his brother a glare as he passed the bar and headed for the elevator bank.

He pushed the button and stepped back, straightening his jacket and letting out a tired sigh. He managed to escape this time but he knew he wouldn't be able to do it in the future. It seemed like his mother had this woman's back. They'd both push him until he finally agreed to meet this Jenna Pratt. He wondered if he skipped a few family dinners and completely lost himself in his work if it would make those women forget about meeting Jenna. Probably not. His mother would probably let his father come down the office and demand of him to show his face occasionally. He wasn't looking forward to that. He just had to accept that he managed to escape for now. He stepped into the elevator and shoved his key into the hidden compartment to reach his private floor which housed his office. Only the employees who worked for the headquarters were allowed up on his private floor. It was a small team of twelve people who had a key to this floor. It would give him some peace and quiet for the rest of the night. Reaching the private floor he stepped out of the elevator and headed straight for his office at the end of the hallway. He had a corner office with the best view of the city. The city was beautiful at night, lit up and so alive. He loved working through the night, it motivated him. Stepping into his office, he closed the door behind him and started to unbutton his jacket. His eyes landed on the blonde woman sitting behind his desk. The woman's blonde hair was long and silky, cascading down her back. Her green eyes glittered mischievously in the dim lighting of his office. Her plump pink lips curled up to a smirk as she leaned back in his leather desk chair, looking all dark and sinister. He hated how just watching her radiate so much confidence go straight to his crotch. He couldn't be attracted to a woman who broke into his office to play mind games with him.

"Mr. Starr." Her voice was soft and breathy, that definitely went straight to his dick which was now straining his tailored slacks, "It's so nice to finally meet you."

He carefully approached his desk, wary of what this woman was capable of.

"Yeah?" He asked, "Can't say the same since I don't have the privilege of knowing who is sitting in my chair right now."

A breathy chuckle left her plump lips, "If you had joined the meetings with your lovely assistant Lara you would have known who I am, Mr. Starr." She leaned forward, showing off her tits in that awfully tight white blouse which left nothing to his imagination, "I'm not that much of a bitch though so let me formally introduce myself." She got to her feet showing off the pale blue pencil skirt which her blouse was tucked into. That damn skirt wasn't conservative at all on her body. It was tight as fuck and showed off all her damn curves as she approached him, "My name is Scarlett Archer and I'm replacing Lara." She held her hand out to him, "Nice to officially meet you, Mr. Starr."

He couldn't believe his capable Lara would hire this temptress before him. She would never fit in, not with the way she swayed her hips when she walked or the way she showed off her damn body. She had a nice voice to listen to but everything else about her screamed trouble. What the fuck was Lara thinking hiring this woman?

"Do you need some water, Mr. Starr?" She asked, her eyes gleaming with amusement.

She still had her hand outstretched which he now took, knowing it would be rude to simply ignore her.

"Nice to officially meet you too, Miss Archer?"

"Miss is correct." She smiled, shaking hands with him, "I was surprised when Lara kept meeting up with me without you being present. She kept insisting that you are a busy man and rarely had time to spare. I suppose that is true. It's your mother's birthday party and yet here you are, ready to get back to work." She gestured to his office, "Your dedication is admirable."

Everything coming from her mouth sounded like an insult yet her face gave nothing away. This temptress was a damn good actress. He was impressed.

"Miss Archer, couldn't this have waited until Monday morning?" He asked.

She smiled like the Cheshire cat, "It could have." She agreed. She moved back to his desk and grabbed the black binder which belonged to Lara, "But I forgot this the other day and Lara kept insisting that it was important for me to memorize this by heart. I wanted to do that over the weekend. You see my problem?"

He shoved his hands in his pockets, viewing her with suspicion, "Yes, your dedication is admirable too, Miss Archer." He nodded, "So you were in my office to grab that binder but then decided to sit back in my chair like an evil Bond villain who awaited my arrival?"

She grabbed her purse too, shoving the straps of that black designer bag on her shoulder, "Well, actually I became good friends with one of your security men downstairs and he let me know that Mr. Starr was heading up while I was about to leave your office. I just couldn't help myself."

He was definitely impressed. Chuckling he shook his head at her, "Since you have what you are looking for and made a fool out of me as revenge for not showing up during your interview with Lara you can leave my office now, Miss Archer."

"Yes, I will give you some privacy, Mr. Starr." She walked around him and headed for the door, glancing over her shoulder with that sinister smile spread across her face, "I'll see you Monday, sir."

She left his office, closing the door behind her. He watched her hips sway from side to side and cursed underneath his breath. She was trouble. Lara lost her fucking mind when hiring that woman. Walking to his desk he pushed the button to frost the windows and door. He sat back in his chair, the faint scent of floral perfume lingering. That tightness in his pants wasn't disappearing anytime soon much like her perfume. Scarlett Archer would stir things up at his office and probably not in a good way either. He was so fucked.