C.J. poured herself some wine because it had been a long day at the office and frankly because the invitation given to her by Matt had unnerved her a little bit. What was he up to now? He'd just gotten back from his latest business trip a few hours ago and he had this award bash tonight and he was asking her to go because his steady flock of dates wasn't available or interested. She wasn't sure which and she didn't really care.

No she was not dressing up in some mystery gown, having her hair fussed with and wearing glass slippers or anything like that to go to some ball with someone who yeah, was pretty charming but a prince?

He certainly had the bucks and the looks but she didn't care about either. Okay, wait she was lying there because face it, the guy looked hot. Dark brown hair, some facial hair but not too much but enough to make her wonder how it would feel if they kissed….and a body that had been molded by plenty of exercise… The guy hiked, ran, rode horses, sailed and climbed mountains when he wasn't making even more money. He had estates all over the world, including a horse farm in Kentucky, a chalet in Italy's Tuscan Valley and a townhouse in New York City, for starters.

She couldn't figure out why he had even asked her out because any woman in L.A. would drop anything to go out with him…so how could it be that he had been turned down. With him, the ordinary dating rules of not being asked out the same day as the date just didn't apply to him.

But here he had gone and asked her out and she had to put her foot down…because though they had gone to social events before…he hadn't picked out her clothes for her. He knew what would happen if he did and…spending a weekend with him in a suite…yes suites meant they came with more than one bedroom and one bed…but still, something seemed fishy here and she had to find out what it was before he suckered into something that might turn out to be…overwhelming.

For the moment though, she was at a loss.

Matt just kicked back in his office. He thought about heading to his gym in the building and doing some reps on the machines to take the edginess that always came with jet lag but then he had to be honest with himself here, it wasn't coming from just flying across half the world to get back here.

It came from that woman in the other room and what he had wanted to do with her since he flew over the international dateline. At first he thought he was coming down with something like some weird form of flu. Because he had been thinking on his flight back while lying back on his customized couch with his favorite Scotch about how he had been going about this all wrong…this whole revolving door deal with women coming in and out of his life. While he loved the sex and occasionally the company, it just left him feeling …unsatisfied. After all, he had hoped to get together with Tricia or Patty for some post-trip frolic before he even had to go pick up his award but when he had reached for his phone…

He sighed, realizing that wasn't what he wanted at all. He wanted to spend time with someone who knew him, including his strengths and his faults and then he had turned his attentions towards his associate.

He did pick up his phone to make a call.

"Hi…this is Matt Houston….yeah that Houston…I'm calling about the wardrobe that's to be delivered this afternoon…Yeah, black sounds perfect…could you also send a selection of your best to the Beverly Ventura…the presidential suite…. Thanks.."

He moved on down the list.

"Hi…this is Matt Houston…yeah him…I called earlier about the sampler package…what flavors do you have…never mind send them all…okay…presidential suite at the Beverly Ventura…thanks…"

Next item…

"Hi…Matt Houston again…my uncle…he's doing fine…still wearing those carnations…listen…those flowers I ordered earlier…add some orange roses…and some forget-me-nots…okay that will work…Thanks…"

Matt put his phone down wondering if he had covered all his bases and he checked his list. He was a man who paid great attention to details, rarely missed anything and he wanted everything to be just perfect.

C.J. heard the phone ring in her office and went to pick it up, from underneath a pile of papers that the secretary had left.

"Hello…"

"Oh glad to catch you…this is Pandora's Pleasure Chest…"

"Pandora's…who…what?"

"Pandora's Pleasure Chest…we're just calling you back to tell you that the saloon girl's costume is ready…"

"The…what…?"

"Yes, and we're sure you'll really like it, it's red hot sexy…a really good choice…"

C.J. nearly dropped the phone.

"Do you have the right number?"

"Yes…let's see…this is the office of Matt Houston…"

Damn, he really was up to something here which she didn't care unless it involved her…then on the other hand…curiosity won out.

"Yes…the red hot saloon girl costume?"

"Oh yes…smoking hot if we say so ourselves…wait until you see the stockings…"

C.J. sighed.

"I can't wait…well Mr. Houston isn't in this office…I can transfer you to him if you'd like…"

She did just that, shaking her head. But then a vision flashed of her wearing that outfit in a saloon out of the Wild West and being pressed against the clapboard wall by a man dressed like a sheriff….or a rustler…or both…with rugged looks, dangerous shadow and a lethal pair of lips, claiming her own mouth while his hands ran her dress up her thighs until he found her garter. Would he take her right there or would she lead him up the stairs to the boarding rooms?

Either worked for her just fine…but then maybe the costume was for some other woman on his Rolodex.

Still it made her hot just to think about it so she left the office to get herself some bottled water both to drink and splash herself down if necessary.

Matt had just gotten off the phone with the Pleasure Chest about some items he would need for this weekend. When he had seen the costumes online, he had immediately known which one that he liked. And he imagined her wearing it, with her hair curly, the bold red feather in her hair accentuating the red and black laciness of the skimpy dress which would mold perfectly to her figure. Silky enough to elicit sensations for both of them when he ran his hands over the parts of her body it sheathed until he reached the parts beneath. He sucked in his breath as he imagined her own breath becoming ragged while he ministered to her. Kissing her hot on the mouth as she sat on his pool table his legs wrapped around him would be nice…but there was no chance in hell of coaxing her to dress up like a saloon girl while here. He was hoping to soften her up at the hotel…but getting her there hadn't proven to be easy either.

She sat a room away sensibly working unaware of how charged his thoughts were right now. He went to pour himself another glass of Scotch.

C.J. drank her water and it helped somewhat but man, what the hell was going on her with Matt? Some plotting had been going on here and no doubt it was mostly evil. But was it really…she had to cop to some honesty here….what she had been speculating about had been so damn exciting. Her life had become if not droll exactly at least predictable and she really needed to change that. She had just signed up for some salsa dance lessons and enjoyed them very much and she and Eliza her closest friend had been hitting margarita nights at their favorite restaurant. She jogged every morning and had taken up kick boxing and had crammed all that into a busy, often frenetic schedule.

And it had pretty much wiped her out physically but she did enjoy that regimen. It certainly kept her busy when Matt had been out traveling on business…and when she faced it, missed him in the office because after all…they were friends.

But this whole deal with him buying her a dress…getting all gussied up and then after the award ceremony, spending the weekend in a suite?

She looked at the clock. He still had several hours to work on her but she would stand firm, there would be no way that she would be going to the gala with him. She had way too much work to do, still piled up from him being out of town and charming some business out of other businessmen across the globe.

"C.J. may I talk to you for a moment?"

She looked up and he stood there in her doorway…his hair rustled and a few buttons undone on his business shirt. She blinked because he had caught her by surprise..and because he looked a lot better jetlagged than she ever did.

"What's wrong?"

He sighed, leaning against the doorway.

"Who said anything's wrong…I'd just like to catch up with you."

She nodded.

"Okay spill…how did your trip go…I heard you landed a couple of great deals but…"

"Whoa…that's not what I'm talking about…I mean on a personal nature…"

That halted her thoughts a bit.

"Oh…well did you sleep well?"

He chuckled.

"No…not really…too much on my mind…to sleep…"

"Well it's probably from being in unfamiliar surroundings," she said, "I know how that is…it can be very disorienting."

He paused watching her prattle on, understanding it was because although on the surface she appeared as if she didn't know where he was going with this, a part of her underneath did.

"I was thinking about someone actually…someone on the other side of the world."

She shrugged.

"Oh…well you're back now…problem solved then."

He tilted his head.

"Is it…?"

She took a deep breath and looked at him from her work.

"Houston…are you going to continue to talk in riddles because I'm really quite busy here…"

She opened a file to show him that yes, she had a lot of work to do…and he needed to run along and find himself another date for the ceremony…and for a weekend in his suite. Because why blow a weekend reservation at one of the best hotels in the state with a business associate rather than a lover?

"I'm sorry…I'm not trying to be obtuse…it's just that I have a dilemma and I'm not sure how to work it out."

She closed her file and sat back in her chair.

"Okay then…well you'll figure it out, you're a smart guy…and if you need any help…"

He smiled, folding his arms.

"I definitely need your help."

She shrugged back at him.

"Okay shoot…how can I help you?"

"Go to the award ceremony with me for starters…"

She looked apologetic.

"I can't…look I know we're friends and business partners but frankly I believe I deserve better than being a last ditch date."

He smiled.

"So you agree it's a date…and you're not my last choice…more like my first…well after Crystal bailed."

She just shook her head.

"Excuse me…"

She got out of her desk and walked out of the room and he followed her. That annoyed her after what she had told him.

"C.J.…"

She spun around on him.

"No…you don't get to follow me…"

"Why not…?"

She ran her hand through her hair, grabbing onto some words that weren't eluding her.

"Because I don't know what kind of game you're playing but I'm not interested…and I'm so on to you…"

He folded his arms.

"Okay…what am I up to?"

She slowed her breathing down, because suddenly some emotions were battling for control over here and she didn't know why. After all, she had known Matt for years and what was going on here?

"You are getting some huge honor which is richly deserved by the way and you've rented a suite in a hotel in a city where you live…and you've invited me to spend the weekend there…and not one of your girlfriends…and…you haven't said why…and don't feed me this, you need a vacation…BS."

He watched her and then his expression softened.

"You do need a vacation…look at you…you're all worked up because someone's offering you a weekend of rest and relaxation at one of the best hotels around."

She watched him carefully.

"You expect me to spend a whole weekend in a suite with you…getting room service and relaxed from too many spa treatments and not…"

She couldn't even finish her sentence…because the thought was just beyond her. The thought that he might have ulterior motives for getting her in a suite…this was just so unlike him.

"I asked…I don't expect…but I've still got some time left in which I plan to convince you to accept my invite."

She pursed her lips.

"Good luck…because you aren't being straight with me and after all we've been through together…I at least deserve that."

His own face showed he seemed to be warring over some emotions and finally he sighed.

"Okay…you're right…I do have an ulterior motive…"

"Why are you doing this?"

He looked at her puzzled face and thought there were a couple ways to go about this and he chose the one he wanted most.

"Because…I've waited long enough to do this…"

He stepped forward and after wrapping his arms around her waist, he pressed his lips against hers in a searing kiss.

And all around them, the world just stopped.