Thinking about her affected my work at the office. Every time she glared at me during a disagreement over planning the grand opening or shot a sarcastic comment my way with a complementary eye roll, I wanted to silence her with a kiss, caress her curves and make her eyes roll for all the right reasons.

Delilah affected me differently than any other woman I’d met. A whiff of her lotion or the sound of her giggles turned on an insatiable desire. I prided myself on having self-control, especially in the bedroom. I knew every touch, every trick to make women lose themselves.

But Delilah had become an aphrodisiac, constantly tugging the strings of my libido, unravelling my self-control.And, if I wasn’t careful and didn’t keep myself in check, those very strings would be the end of me.

I’d be damned if Delilah Malone would be the first woman to make me lose myself.

Chapter 6 - Delilah

FINALLY! Saturday!

The grand opening of the club had arrived!

Mere hours before, the club had been bustling with last-minute preparations. At seven p.m. sharp, Sebastien cut the ribbon, and his exclusive guests filtered into the V.I.P. section.

As an event planner, this was my first high-profile event. As much as I slammed Sebastien at the interview for being just a club owner, his guest list was pretty impressive. Besides his brothers, who were billionaires, each with their own successful business, there were other powerful attendees, the creme de la creme, so to speak—from high-profile investors and politicians to A-list celebrities, the elite of society.

After making my rounds, satisfied that everything was running smoothly, I sat at the bar and ordered sparkling water. As I sipped from the champagne flute the bartender insisted on giving to me, my eyes scanned the crowd and fell on Sebastien. Tonight, he looked like a whole meal in his black tailored tuxedo, and unconsciously, I licked my lips.

Men like Sebastien didn’t give their time and energy to women like me, but they did give it to women like famous actress Stephanie Voss. Her black minidress stretched over her slender frame, and her long legs caught the attention of men when she stepped into a room. She leaned against Sebastien as she twirled her black, curly, hair around her fingers of one hand while the other trailed Sebastien’s chest.

She looked desperate, immature and cheap standing there, hanging on to his every word. Nothing Sebastien was talking about could be interesting enough for her to act like that! And why couldn’t she keep her stupid hands to herself?

Delilah, why are you bothered by who is touching or not touching Sebastien Quantum? Do you want to be the one touching him?

I gulped down my water and ordered another one.

“Someone told me that the beautiful lady at the bar was the person who helped plan this amazing event,” a deep voice rumbled behind me, and I spun on my bar stool to face it.

The man standing there was very easy on the eyes. His black suit fitted his tall, solid build perfectly. His dark wavy hair fell onto his forehead, almost into his blue eyes, and a charming smile was plastered on his face. His hand was extended.

“The name’s Matt Hunter, CEO of …

“Hunter’s Distillery, home of the finest whiskey in the country,” I finished his sentence and smiled. Dean loved his whiskey, so by association, I knew who he was.

I placed my hand in his and he lifted it to his lips, his eyes locked with mine. His lips lingered on my hand before he released it and sat next to me.

“I didn’t catch your name, beautiful.”

His eyes roamed over me, but not in a perverted way, more in a “likes what he’s seeing” type of way, and I tried not to look uncomfortable under his gaze. My emerald cocktail dress hung loosely around my curves as its delicate thin straps framed my shoulders. His eyes lingered on my cleavage, which was framed by the V-shaped neckline of my dress, before his eyes made their way to my face. My makeup was professionally done for the event, as well as the elegant updo my hair was styled into with soft curls hanging from it. A pair of nude strappy heels completed my look.

“My name’s Delilah Malone. It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Hunter.”

His eyes met mine once again and he smiled. “Please, call me Matt. I must say, I’m impressed by what I’ve seen so far at this event. Trust me, I’ve been to my share of grand openings, but none as elegant as this.”

My cheeks flushed. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. So tell me, beautiful, what epiphany did you have that made you decide that event planning was your calling?”

Before I could respond, I felt someone standing behind me. His familiar scent hit me, and I stiffened. Sebastien.

“Ms. Malone.” His voice was low, tense and dripping with venom. “Instead of fraternizing with the guests and scouting for a potential man to warm your bed tonight, maybe you should get back to work and figure out why the caterer hasn’t arrived yet.”

What the actual fuck!

I squeezed my eyes shut, keeping my tears at bay, praying that this was just a bad dream, that the bartender had slipped me vodka instead of sparkling water. Anything was better than the embarrassment Sebastien had just dealt me. I heard the stool next to me shift and I knew Matt had left.

Enough was enough!