Page 10 of A First for the Playboy Dragon

“I’m not abandoning you, I’ve never abandoned you, Joe,” she cried. “I just can’t do this.”

“No worries,” her brother said. “If there’s anything you want to tell me, now would be the time. I might be dead by tomorrow.”

Guilt finally overwhelmed her sense of self-preservation, and she let out a long sigh. “Okay, I’ll try, but I’m not making any promises,” she said. I’ll do my best, but maybe you should give me a better idea of what you’re after. That might help.”

“Anything and everything about the security on the island is what we need,” her brother said, the swagger back in his voice. “We’re going to take the island by force, big sister. You’re an educated woman; use that big brain of yours and figure it out.”

“Joe, that wasn’t very nice,” she said. “I just asked for a little help.”

“Sorry, I’m a little keyed up in case you missed it. Spending every minute of the day worrying if you’re going to die will do that to a guy,” he said, but his voice had softened. “Get access tohis computer. Everything we need will be in there. There should be a thumb drive in your computer bag, use it to copy the hard drive. It’s as easy as that.”

“But how do I get to his computer?” she asked. “I’m sure it’s in his cabin, I can’t just walk in there and start messing with it.”

“Use your imagination, Juliet,” he said. “You’re a pretty woman, use what you’ve got, sleep with him if you have to. Guys always fall asleep after sex. That would give you the perfect opportunity to copy all his files.”

“You want me to sleep with him?” she asked, shocked at his suggestion. “I couldn’t do that, that’s…”

“Why not? Is he a fat, ugly old man or something?” Joe asked. “It’s just sex, Juliet, everyone does it all the time. Stop being such a prude, heck it might even do you some good.”

“He’s not old or ugly, he’s…never mind,” she said, then sighed. “I’m not sleeping with him, even for you, Joe, but I’ll try to get those files you want.”

CHAPTER 7

***HARRISON***

After a long run and a hot shower, Harrison went to the kitchen, put on a pot of coffee, and then rummaged through the refrigerator for something to throw together for breakfast. Feeling far more in control than when he’d woken up that morning, he poured a cup of the island’s special coffee and took a sip, enjoying the flavor as it rolled across his tongue. After whipping up some eggs, he put butter in a hot skillet, poured in the eggs, and sprinkled cheese over the whole thing.

A few minutes later, he was sitting down in front of his computer again reading the responses to the emails he’d sent out the day before and munching on his food. After printing out several of the messages, he took his empty plate to the kitchen, poured himself another cup of coffee, and then went in search of the maps he needed. A quick search gave him what he needed and he stuffed the maps into a second tube, put it by the door, and looked around the cabin, making sure he hadn’t forgotten anything.

He wasn’t sure where to find Max, but decided to start with his office and headed for the village, pleased to finally have something concrete to give his friend. Max was lounging behind his desk reading a newspaper when he walked into the office, buthe put it down when he saw Harrison and gestured to the chair across from his desk.

“You’ve got maps with you. I take it this is a professional visit,” Max said, a grin on his face. “I guess I’ll have to wait to hear about your dinner last night. I saw Claudia this morning, and it looked like she hadn’t gotten much sleep.”

“That wasn’t because of me. Then again, maybe it was,” he said, then let out a long sigh. “Things didn’t end up working out between us.”

Max sat up and put his hands on the desk. “You’re kidding, I’ve never known you to screw up,” he said. “What happened?”

“I didn’t screw up, I just changed my mind,” he said, a little defensively. “Besides, I didn’t come here to talk about my love life.”

“You have a love life now?” Max asked. “When did that happen?”

“Will you stop, I’m not in the mood,” he said, scowling at his friend. “I met someone else, okay, and Claudia just wasn’t that appealing to me anymore; it really wasn’t that big of a deal.”

“So, you slept with this other woman instead?” Max asked, his eyes wide. “That’s pretty low, even for you, my friend.”

“I didn’t sleep with her. She’s mad at me right now,” he said, then wished he’d kept his mouth shut when he saw the look on Max’s face. “Don’t say it, don’t you dare, the island is not influencing me, I just…well…Juliet is different, that’s all.”

“That sounds about right,” Max said, resting his chin on steepled fingers. “Tell me more.”

“There’s nothing more to tell. I’m attracted to her, and she’s attracted to me,” he said, acting like it was no big deal. “I just lost interest in Claudia and moved on to someone else a little sooner than I normally would.”

“That’s not like you. This woman must really be something,” he said. “How long do you think it will take for her to agree to sleep with you?”

He didn’t answer right away. “Well…that’s hard to say…I mean, we’re just getting things sorted out, and she’s still mad at me,” he hedged. “I’ll have to get back to you on that.”

“You’re not even sure that she’ll sleep with you,” Max said, a look of astonishment on his face. “You’re chasing her! You never chase women. Now I know something is off.”

“I’m not chasing her, not like that,” he said. “She’s not that kind of woman, okay, she won’t just sleep with me like it’s no big deal, to her it is, and I’m trying my best to respect that. It’s a first for me, so give me a break. You’re supposed to be my friend.”

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