Alluring Attraction: Book 1 of Illicit Illusions Series Read online

  Sarayashi Publishing

  2852 Willamette Street, #144

  Eugene, OR 97405

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2018 A.F. Zoelle

  www.afzoelle.com

  All rights reserved.

  This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Published in the United States of America

  Cover Design and Interior Design © 2018 Damonza

  www.damonza.com

  Copyediting and Proofreading by Teja Watson

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-7324473-0-1

  Print ISBN: 978-1-7324473-1-8

  To my persistent “plunnies,” who always keep pushing me forward toward dreams.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Thank You

  Next in the Series

  Also by A.F. Zoelle

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  “Man, tonight is going to be awesome!” Jake exclaimed to his friends as they waited for their industrial psychology class to start. “Kyle, are you sure you can’t join us?”

  “We’ll still be there for your birthday dinner, Jake,” Kyle reassured his friend.

  “Yeah, but later is when the real fun begins,” Jake protested, unable to stop the perverse grin from appearing on his face. “Ryder, you’re still in, right? Since Derrick apparently isn’t man enough to join us.”

  “Hey, it’s not my fault my sister’s babysitter canceled!” Derrick defended himself, less than thrilled that his sister had called in a favor on such an important night.

  Reclined against his desk, Ryder Hardwin sounded amused as he confirmed, “Against my better judgment, yes.” He was wearing faded jeans and a dark green sweater that made his emerald eyes even more vibrant. With his golden skin and dark hair, Ryder was handsome, with an easygoing confidence that drew people to him.

  Loudly laughing at his friend’s answer, Jake joked, “At least one of you manned up!”

  “He’s probably only going to make sure you don’t do anything stupid,” Emily pointed out, causing Jake to growl good-naturedly. “Besides, I fail to see how any of this ‘makes you a man,’ as you put it.”

  “You don’t get it, because you’re a girl,” Jake dismissively said, earning him a huff of indignation from Emily and an eye roll from Ryder.

  “Jake,” Kyle said in a mildly reprimanding tone, even though he knew saying anything further would be useless.

  As Emily started to defend herself, Jake was distracted by a snort from the back of the classroom that instantly put him on edge. “And what the hell do you have to say about it, bastard?” Jake loudly demanded, glaring at the source.

  Hunter, who was wearing an expensive designer moto jacket over a black shirt, merely arched an eyebrow as he looked up from his phone, his cold blue eyes regarding Jake with disgust. “I almost find it amusing that you believe your plans will somehow change you from a mutt to a man,” Hunter insulted, smirking arrogantly as Derrick held Jake back from an attempted assault.

  Jake’s blood boiled with rage at Hunter Cole—he hated him even more than he was capable of understanding. They had gone to high school together, and ever since then, Hunter’s haughty attitude and demeanor never failed to irritate Jake. Hunter may have been tall and gorgeous with his piercing blue eyes, but his arrogance was infuriating.

  Ignoring Jake’s ranting, Hunter let his gaze drifted over to Ryder, subtly tracing up his lithe form until their eyes met. Ever since Ryder had transferred to the university from Egypt after his parents died three years earlier, he and Hunter had had a long-standing rivalry that started with their academic accomplishments and infused all of their interactions. Hunter found it exhilarating, even when the battles were just pointless posturing.

  “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that you’ll be going along to hold his leash,” Hunter sneered, chuckling when Jake’s indignation hit a new volume.

  “Nor should I be surprised that you’ve taken an interest,” Ryder smoothly countered as he tilted his head to get a better glimpse at Hunter, a knowing look in his green eyes.

  Piggybacking on Ryder’s comment, Jake all but shouted, “Yeah, what the fuck is your problem, asshole? You’re always telling us your opinion, like we give a shit!”

  Deliberately disregarding Jake once more, Hunter continued silently assessing Ryder. Even though Hunter was loathe to admit it, Ryder helped liven up his day like few others. Sparring with Ryder was invigorating and far more enjoyable than it probably should have been.

  Deciding that maintaining his silence any further would fuel suspicions, Hunter retorted, “If you didn’t give a shit, you wouldn’t be getting so worked up, correct?”

  The casual arrogance and vicious expression antagonized Jake, who threatened, “I’ll show you what worked up is!”

  When it looked like Jake was going to get out of his seat to go confront Hunter, Derrick restrained his best friend and tried to rein him in with logic that was promptly ignored. He looked over to Ryder for some assistance, but Ryder’s gaze was firmly trained on Hunter, as usual. Sighing to himself in irritation, he looked to Kyle and Emily for some help, even as he tightened his grip and continued fighting to keep Jake in his seat.

  The professor’s arrival into the classroom was largely ignored, as everyone was paying more attention to the fight, but it was a far too common sight for her to get overly worked up about any more. She merely clapped her hands and loudly commanded, “That’s enough of that, you two! Jake, Hunter, if you would please cease your morning rituals long enough for class to start, I would appreciate it.”

  Jake growled in response as he spun around to face the professor, arguing, “Hey, it’s not my fault he’s an asshole!”

  The professor just glanced at him, looking exhausted already. She began taking attendance.

  Jake crossed his arms over his chest, muttering, “Why don’t you ever tell him to shut his damn mouth?”

  Even though Hunter had resumed looking at his phone, Ryder swore he could feel Hunter’s intense blue eyes on him, waiting for some sort of reaction. Ryder ignored the sensation, because there was no point in adding more fuel to the fire. Besides, what else was there to say?

  Class passed by quickly without further incident, something that everyone had learned not to take for granted. If it wasn’t Jake fighting Hunter, it was Ryder engaging his rival in an intense debate that sidelined the whole class.

  When class was dismissed, Jake made a show of ignoring Hunter and exiting the classroom, earning him an eye roll he couldn’t see. The immature par
t of Ryder that always seemed to surface around Hunter couldn’t resist the urge to confront his rival. Ryder’s friends shook their heads as he walked over to Hunter’s desk.

  “You can’t help yourself, can you?” Ryder asked Hunter as he came to stand next to his desk, watching as he packed up his bag.

  Giving Ryder a rather pointed look, Hunter replied, “You’re one to talk, aren’t you?”

  Keeping pace with Hunter as they walked to their next class, Ryder shrugged as he pointed out, “You don’t do yourself any favors by provoking him, Hunter.”

  Looking down at the shorter man, Hunter appeared smug as he repeated a phrase he had used often in their past arguments, “Again, you say that like I care.”

  “I’m starting to think you like riling him up,” Ryder challenged, amused when he received a particularly vicious glare. “I mean, you must be getting something out of it, otherwise—”

  Cutting Ryder off mid-sentence, Hunter sarcastically shot back, “Oh, yes, because I live for that sort of bullshit.”

  “Could’ve fooled me,” Ryder replied with a grin, silently granting himself a victory point when he heard Hunter sigh in irritation under his breath.

  “That’s easy enough, considering you are a fool,” Hunter insulted in a cool tone as they rounded the corner and reached the staircase.

  “If I was a fool, you’d have nothing to do with me and you damn well know it!” Ryder exclaimed in protest, immediately pulled back into the argument. “You’re the one getting your kicks out of antagonizing him!”

  Shrugging, Hunter argued, “That is merely your perception.”

  “And what is your perception, oh great and mighty Hunter?” Ryder facetiously questioned.

  Turning sharply and almost pinning Ryder against the classroom door with the abruptness of his action, Hunter murmured, “That you seem a hell of a lot more interested in me than in your friend.”

  “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Ryder retorted, completely unfazed by the lack of distance between them, which seemed to be growing smaller by the second.

  “Maybe I would,” Hunter suggested.

  His low tone of voice sent a thrilling shiver through Ryder. In moments like these, Ryder felt an almost physical connection to his rival and everything else ceased to matter. Everything was focused on the blue-eyed man in front of him, so close they were almost touching.

  “Is that so?” Ryder murmured, getting ready to continue the verbal sparring match.

  They were both pulled from the moment by the sound of someone clearing their throat. The pair looked at the source of interruption: their International Business Practicum professor, less than surprised at the looks of irritation reflecting back to him.

  “While I’m sure this epic battle of wills is of the utmost importance,” their professor joked, “I would appreciate if you would leave it until the end of class.”

  Hunter only grunted as he pulled away, entering the classroom with a final warning glance aimed at Ryder, smirking when he received one in return.

  Ushering Ryder into the classroom, the professor could only sigh as he shut the door behind him and tried to start class. It wasn’t even worth reprimanding the duo, because it was such a common occurrence. It would be strange if the two of them weren’t at odds with each other.

  Even though Ryder had his reservations about Jake’s plans, he had to admit that his friend’s enthusiasm was somewhat infectious. So long as nothing else is infectious, it should be okay, right? Ryder tried to reassure himself.

  “We should call Derrick later and make fun of him for flaking out on us,” Jake crowed as they walked along the dark streets, lightened by the glaring artificial neon bulbs. “Dude, that guy is never going to get laid at this rate!”

  “Are you really sure about this?” Ryder asked in a final attempt to get Jake to reconsider his idea.

  “Come on, you can’t back out on me now.” Jake wrapped his arm around his friend’s shoulders amiably. “I promise, it’ll be awesome. Besides, it would probably do you a lot of good, you know?”

  Raising an eyebrow at the implication, Ryder dryly questioned, “Good how?”

  “You know, lighten you up some,” Jake replied with a laugh. “You’re always so serious! That can’t be good for you.…”

  Sighing quietly, Ryder didn’t try to defend himself as they continued walking the winding backstreets of Manhattan, silently wondering if this was really such a good idea. How did I ever let him talk me into this? Ryder could still hear Kyle’s endless list of warnings in the back of his mind.

  As Jake continued to ramble on, Ryder eventually interrupted, “So how did you hear about this place, anyway?”

  “From one of my dad’s friends, believe it or not,” Jake answered, completely unfazed by the sudden switch in conversation. “It’s really genius when you think about it.”

  “It’s not like it’s a new idea or anything,” Ryder pointed out, wondering how much longer it would be until they arrived.

  “I meant the name,” Jake clarified. “If you didn’t want someone to know, you could just say, ‘Oh, I can’t see you tonight. I have a late-night meeting at Cole Corporation,’ and no one would be the wiser. Hey, do you think there’s any relation to that asshole we go to school with?”

  Ryder shrugged, not really caring one way or another. “I don’t know. I mean, I guess it could belong to a relative or something?” He sounded somewhat uncertain. “Regardless, if it’s connected to someone he’s related to or not, it’s not like it has anything to do with Hunter.”

  Looking down suspiciously at Ryder, Jake asked, “Are you defending that bastard?”

  Holding back a sigh, Ryder denied, “No, I’m not. I’m merely saying that the odds that it has anything to do with the Hunter we know are pretty slim.”

  “Yeah, but it’s not like Cole is that common of a last name, right?” Jake persisted, unwilling to give up his point. “I would never let the fucker live it down if he was related to someone who ran a brothel!”

  Ryder’s patience was quickly waning. “It has nothing to do with him even if it is owned by a relative. What benefit would there be in rubbing it in?”

  “To see the look on that bastard’s face!” Jake exclaimed, laughing at the mere thought of it. “I bet that would knock him down a peg or two!”

  “First of all,” Ryder argued as they waited on the street corner for the light to change, “we both know he’s too arrogant for something like that to shame him into silence or whatever.”

  Jake frowned at the element of truth in his friend’s words, but said nothing as Ryder continued, “And secondly, it gives him plenty of ammunition against you—since you’re the one actually going to a place like this, yeah?”

  “Shit,” Jake swore, easily picturing the embarrassing argument with Hunter. “Damn it! I want to one-up him at least once.”

  “You would never be satisfied with only one victory,” Ryder reminded Jake, knowing that their feud wouldn’t end there.

  Not willing to concede his point so easily, Jake muttered a few more derogatory words toward Hunter before rallying himself. “You know what? Fuck him! I’m not letting that bastard ruin tonight for us!” He pumped his fist in the air for good measure.

  “Yeah,” Ryder agreed, although with less enthusiasm.

  Before they could discuss things any further, Jake spotted the building and pointed it out to Ryder. They were surrounded primarily by normal-looking office buildings, but Cole Corporation loomed larger than the rest, a giant glass monolith.

  “Well, at least it looks somewhat respectable,” Ryder consoled himself, finding it odd that Jake had picked this particular place above all the rest. He had expected Jake to find a cheap dive with easy women, so it was something of a surprise to see a well-lit place that didn’t make his skin crawl.

  Making an excited noise of agreement, Jake led the way into the building, his eyes lighting up at the sight of three stunning women awaiting them at the reception count
er. They wore professional attire: black blazers and skirts, paired with bright red shirts that accented the curves of their bodies.

  Ryder raised an eyebrow at them, but he said nothing as they welcomed in unison, “Welcome to Cole Corporation. What may we do for you this evening?”

  “Oh, a man could get used to this,” Jake moaned in appreciation, not taking his eyes off the women before them. “Hi, I’m Jake Yardley. Hugh Carter sent us here today. I’m here for the birthday special, and my friend’s here to blow off some steam and not be so damn uptight.”

  Ryder sent a glare at Jake, who merely laughed it away. Before Ryder could defend himself, the beautiful Indian woman in the middle replied, “Yes, Mr. Carter called ahead and informed us that he was sponsoring a four-hour meeting for you and your friends, Mr. Yardley.”

  “Since it’s just me and my buddy here, we get two hours each,” Jake told her, with a boastful look at his supposed endurance, wondering what else would be in store for him once they got past the front desk.

  “Two hours?” Ryder repeated in shock. This was going to be ridiculously expensive, he thought, especially since there were no posted prices, making him think of the old adage, “If you have to ask, you can’t afford it.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Jake reassured Ryder as he handed over a credit card, “it’ll totally be worth it. Especially since Hugh’s paying.”

  Sighing in resignation, Ryder said nothing as he gave in to the inevitable.

  The Hispanic woman on the left instructed, “Since this is your first time here, we will escort you to the conference area, where you can sign our contract and choose who you will be meeting with tonight.”

  The Japanese woman on the right walked out from behind the counter and gestured for them to follow her, which Jake happily did, his eyes trained on her pert ass the whole way to the elevator. Ryder was slightly more respectful, shoving his hands in the pockets of his pants as he walked. This has bad idea written all over it, he mentally complained, realizing that he never should have agreed to it. What had he been thinking?

  Ryder ignored the looks Jake was giving him and instead trained his emerald eyes on the closing elevator door. The Japanese woman pushed the button for the seventh floor with a perfectly manicured finger as she explained, “We have something for every interest, so please let us know if there is something in particular you are looking for this evening.”