Naked by Gina Gordon

balanced with life. Although the typical day included five to six more hours than a regular nine-to-five office job, working shifts and alternating weekends made a big difference in employee morale and work ethic. When your employees knew you cared about them, they worked harder and went above and beyond to get the job done. And Ward Walker used that to his advantage. There was a long list of men and women just waiting for a spot to open up in his company.
    “Are you able to come in early tomorrow morning to help unload?” Lewis asked. “I’m going to need another set of hands.”
    “Sure. I’ll be here.”
    “And I’m going to need you full days and afternoons next week. We need to get the units ready on one and two. Move-in date isn’t too far away.”

    The more Noah worked, the more time it took away from the renovations on his mother’s house. And now the more he worked, the more time it took away from Violet. He’d show up to work tomorrow morning bright and early, but he had every intention of being dead tired.
    “You’re doing a better job than even I expected, kid.”
    Noah laughed. “Thanks. I think.”
    Lewis clapped him on the shoulder. “I’ve been talking to Ward Walker about you.”
    “Why would you do that?” He was a temporary employee, testing out a new training initiative. What could possibly interest Ward Walker?
    “For your future.” Lewis was as concerned about Noah’s future as he was about his own. Some days Noah hated that.
    “You know I want to go into business for myself.” He shook his head. He found it hard to mask his feelings and that included the look of confusion when he talked about being an entrepreneur. “Eventually.”
    “I don’t see you in any rush to do that.” Lewis gestured for him to follow as he made his way to the elevator, out of earshot of the men. “Besides, what if an opportunity presented itself? One you couldn’t pass up?”
    “I…” His first instinct was to say “too bad.” He took this job because it was temporary. A learning opportunity.
    “Lewis. I appreciate you looking out for me but—”
    “Just think about where you want to be in five years.”
    Knowing where he wanted to be in five years meant he’d need to commit to something and that just seemed unfathomable, but he knew where he wanted to be five hours from now.

    Tonight he hoped he and Violet were going to finish what they’d started in her foyer.
    Having women proposition him for sex wasn’t new. But Violet’s proposition, her entire attitude toward sex, was refreshing. It was like she’d been touching a cock for the very first time. And it was sexier than anything he’d ever experienced. Getting Violet into his bed had become less about staving off the loneliness and more about witnessing her reactions.
    Committing to this meant getting close to the fire, but her kiss had been intoxicating, and totally worth braving the heat.
    But he’d respect her wishes. Take it slow. And if it meant keeping it in his pants tonight, so be it. So he needed to fill the evening with something other than sex.
    Violet was competitive and he knew exactly where to take her to bring out that nature.
    He took out his phone and found her name in his contact list.
Get your game face on. I’ll pick you up at eight.
    The flash of the cursor blinked at him, urging him to say more. Push it further. And with a few more words he hit send.
And maybe this time it’ll be your hands behind your back.

Chapter 8
    Violet was nervous as hell.
    She should have phoned. What if Harper wasn’t here? What if Luke was here? They worked in the same tattoo shop. He’d tell Noah.
    Her brain was racing a mile a minute. Shit. Maybe her brilliant, impromptu plan wasn’t so brilliant.
    Had she even been thinking when she’d jumped on the subway and headed downtown to Inked?
    The tattoo shop was located in Queen West, a trendy neighborhood with a mix of independent stores and popular chains. The merchandise was