The Hamptons Bachelor Club (Book 1 - 3)

1

Daniel Sinclair settled back into the comfortable leather seat of his limousine which was taking him to JFK airport for his flight to San Francisco.

“We should be at the airport in forty-five minutes, sir,” his driver Maurice announced.

“Thank you.”

Instead of chartering his own jet, he’d decided to fly first class on a commercial airline. Since both his lead attorney and his girlfriend were scheduled to fly out to meet him on the West Coast the next day, there’d been no reason to charter a jet just for one passenger.

Audrey, his girlfriend of almost a year, had an important charity function to attend, while his attorney Judd Baum was working on final contract revisions and thought it more prudent to finish them in New York where his staff could assist him.

Daniel had been working on the acquisition of the San Francisco-based financial services company for almost a year. Despite the fact that his attorneys and his business managers handled most of the details, he preferred to be intimately involved in any deal his company struck, especially when it came down to the final few days.

He always made a point of sitting at the table with the other side when the final signatures were exchanged, rather than finalizing the deal remotely. Besides, another trip to San Francisco would be just what he needed.

It provided him with an opportunity to relax as well as to catch up with his buddy Tim. His ulterior motive for coming to San Francisco, though, was to introduce Audrey to Tim. Things had been a bit on shaky ground with Audrey for the last few months, especially because he’d been working so damn hard on this deal.

Daniel had neglected her on several occasions and was wondering where to take the relationship. The truth was he needed a little bit of advice from his old college buddy on what to do with her. He never discussed relationships or women with any of his friends or business associates in New York. Tim was the only person he felt comfortable with talking about other things than guy stuff.

Never one to sit idly, Daniel opened his briefcase to start reviewing some of the documents for the deal. As he flipped through the files, he cursed under his breath. One of the files his assistant had put together for him was missing. He remembered that he’d taken it out of the briefcase the night before.

He’d gone to pick up Audrey from her apartment, but as usual she hadn’t been ready. Since Audrey was never one to be rushed, he’d started reviewing the file while he’d waited for her and then promptly forgotten it there. And since he’d dropped her off after dinner rather than spend the night, he hadn’t noticed his neglect.

As he thought about the previous evening, he had difficulty remembering when he’d last spent the night with her. It must have been more than a couple of weeks ago. And for that matter, it must have been a while since he’d had sex with her. Strangely enough, he hadn’t even noticed. That’s what work did to him—it made him forget everything else.

“Maurice,” he called out to his driver.

“Yes, sir?”

“Swing by Miss Hawkins’ place, please. I left some documents there last night.”

“Certainly, sir.”

It wouldn’t be much of a detour. Maurice was still fighting traffic in midtown, and Audrey’s place was only a few blocks away. Daniel glanced at his watch. She was already at her charity event, but he had a key and could let himself in. The doorman knew him well and would have no objections to let him go up to her apartment.
Minutes later, Maurice double parked in front of the building, and Daniel sauntered out of the car. Audrey’s apartment was on the top floor of the turn-of-the-century-co-op. He impatiently tapped his foot as the wood-paneled cab of the old-fashioned elevator climbed from floor to floor.

There were only three units on the top floor, and he headed straight for Audrey’s. As soon as he let himself into the apartment, he thought he heard noises.

Walking to the bedroom, he wondered whether the housekeeper was there. He was prepared to give Betty a fright. He liked the older woman, who always had a ready smile when he visited.

Daniel listened. The sound was definitely coming from the bedroom. The TV was probably on while she cleaned. Grinning and already imagining Betty’s shocked face, he gripped the door handle, pushed it down slowly, and yanked the door open.

“Boo!” He almost choked when he didn’t see what he was expecting. This was definitely not Betty cleaning the apartment.

“Daniel!”

It was obvious that Audrey had decided not to go to the charity event after all. Naked, her hair a mess, her body sweaty and impaled on a naked male body, she’d never get ready in time. Not that she ever had any intention. Charity seemed to be furthest from her mind. The position she was in suggested anything but. Of course, Daniel could be mistaken.

Maybe Audrey was fucking his attorney out of charity.

“Judd. Audrey.”

Audrey’s long red hair cascaded over her breasts, strands of them sticking to her glistening skin. She’d obviously worked up some sweat riding him, and by the looks of the tangled sheets and the smell of sex in the air, this was a repeat session.

It also figured that Judd wasn’t quite as busy with revisions to the contract as he’d claimed, otherwise, how would he have found the time to screw his boss’s girlfriend? That he was screwing himself by doing so had obviously not yet crossed his mind.

Strangely, as he looked upon the scene before him, Daniel felt detached. And oddly relieved. Audrey’s shocked face was the first genuine emotion he’d seen her exhibit in a long time.

“I can explain.” Judd made a feeble attempt at disentangling himself from Audrey, who still straddled him even though she’d had the decency to stop moving up and down on Judd’s cock.

Daniel lifted his hand. “Spare me.” The situation was pretty self-explanatory from where he stood.

“Audrey, there’s no need for you to fly out to California. Here’s your key. We’re done.”

He placed her apartment key onto the dresser and picked up his file.

“Daniel, we need to talk about this.”

He shook his head. He wasn’t one to make a big scene. He’d never been emotional like others, at least not since puberty. Tim used to kid him, saying he didn’t believe that Daniel’s Italian mother was truly his mother, and he couldn’t possibly be half Italian with the lack of emotion he showed.

At the door, Daniel turned once more. “And, Judd. You’re fired. I’ll finish the deal myself.”

“But, you can’t just fire me. You need me …”

Even though Judd had actually done him a favor by taking Audrey off his hands, he couldn’t continue working with somebody, who went behind his back, especially not an attorney who he had to trust one hundred percent.

“You’re replaceable. Get used to it.” His stab at Judd wasn’t referring to the job he’d just lost but to the woman in his arms. She’d replace him with somebody else soon enough.

Two minutes later, Daniel was leaving her building and was out of Audrey’s life—for good. He felt as if his step was lighter when he walked toward the car, as if a burden had been lifted off his shoulders. He realized the loss of a good attorney hit him harder than the loss of Audrey. Without a lawyer by his side to finish the acquisition, things could blow up in his face.

Daniel pulled out his cell phone and speed dialed as he got into the car, instructing his driver to continue to the airport.

The call was answered within two rings. “Tim, it’s Daniel.”

“Oh shit, did I screw up on your arrival time?”

“No, ‘course not. I’m still in New York.” He heard Tim exhale, audibly relieved. “Listen, I need a favor. I need the best corporate legal firm out there to take over the deal.”

“What, you ran out of attorneys in New York?”

“I fired Judd five minutes ago.” He didn’t feel like going into details. There’d be plenty of time to rehash the story when he got to San Francisco.

“Okay, I’m on it. I’ll have somebody for you when you arrive. Can’t wait to see you and finally meet Audrey. I made reservations for dinner. We can—”

“Yeah, about Audrey—”

“What about her?”

“She’s not coming. It’s over.” He didn’t even give his friend a chance to comment. “Which brings me to another issue. I have to attend that damn reception tomorrow night in anticipation of the acquisition. I was planning on having Audrey there to ward off those eligible bachelorettes they usually throw at me at those events, so I need a stand-in.”

He wasn’t interested in having to fend off advances from every woman under forty, who threw herself at him because he was rich and unmarried.

“A stand-in?”

Daniel ran his hand through his hair again, messing it up as if he’d just gotten out of bed, which couldn’t be further from the truth. He’d been up since four in the morning to get in a workout in the gym before his busy day had started.

“Yes, some arm candy.”

“I can set you up with a blind date,” Tim suggested eagerly, obviously already having somebody in mind. “In fact, this is perfect timing. The roommate of a good friend of mine is—”

Daniel could virtually see Tim rub his hands together. “Forget it. I want a professional. No romantic entanglements, no blind dates.” Yeah, that’s what he needed like a hole in the head, a blind date.

“A professional?”

“Yes, what do they call them? Escorts.” That was the solution. Instead of a girlfriend, he needed an escort, somebody to indicate to all other women that he wasn’t available. It would solve all his problems. “Get me one of those. Not too pretty, just reasonable looking and with a bit of a brain so she doesn’t embarrass me at the reception.”

“You’re kidding!” Even though he couldn’t see Tim’s face, he could tell that his friend’s jaw had just dropped.

“I’m dead serious. So, make a booking for me. I assume they take credit cards?” If anything, Daniel was practical.

“How the hell should I know? Do I look like someone who hangs out with escorts?” Tim sounded less miffed and more and more amused.

“Come on, do this for me and I’ll tell you why I broke up with Audrey.” He knew just how much Tim liked some good gossip.

“Every dirty detail?”

“Can’t get any dirtier than that.”

“You’re so on. Any preference? Brunette, blonde, redhead? Big boobs? Long legs?”

Daniel shook his head and grinned. It wasn’t like he wanted to sleep with the escort; he just wanted her to accompany him to that boring reception. He really didn’t care either way what she looked like, as long as she wasn’t ugly and could parade as his girlfriend.

“Why don’t you surprise me? See you soon.” He was about to disconnect, then thought otherwise of it. “And, thanks Tim, for everything.”

“Love you too.”

Daniel settled into his comfortable first class seat and reviewed the last remaining issues of the deal. He would have his assistant send all current contracts electronically to his new attorneys, who could take over where Judd had left off. At worst, it would delay the deal for a week, but he didn’t care at this point.

Maybe he could use the downtime and go up to the wine country to relax for a few days. He’d ask Tim to recommend a place. As a wine snob, Tim was bound to know the best places in the area. He would unwind with a good bottle of wine in one hand and a book in the other.

Hell, who was he kidding? Since when did he know how to relax? During the last year, he hadn’t taken a single day off. Even on Sundays, he’d been working, trying to put together another deal, even when Audrey had begged him to go away with her for a weekend. He couldn’t really blame her that she’d found solace in Judd’s arms. He hadn’t exactly been the most attentive of boyfriends. Or the most romantic. He just wasn’t the type.

Daniel already pitied the woman who fell for him one day. Good luck to her trying to pull him away from his work. Audrey certainly hadn’t managed to, and she was beautiful and enticing. But his priority had always been his work, and that wouldn’t change. Ever.

He hadn’t come this far—and without taking any of his father’s money—to have a woman stifle his ambition and make him feel guilty for not spending enough time with her. That was the path other men took. It wasn’t his. He needed the challenge, the conquest, the battles. Not a woman sitting at home and whining that he didn’t have time for her.

He’d pretty much given up on finding the right woman, suspecting that the woman who’d put up with him wasn’t born yet. It wasn’t that he hadn’t tried, but the women he’d ended up attracting were like Audrey: high maintenance, spoiled, and ultimately after his money. No, thanks.

Looking back at his life, Daniel couldn’t put his finger on the exact point when he’d turned from a fun loving young man into the driven businessman he was now. Women had always flocked to him, mostly because of his Italian good looks, so he’d never really had to work at it and had taken them for granted.

Sex was certainly a part of his life, but not an important one. He’d often foregone sex with Audrey for late night business meetings. And it had seemed that she hadn’t minded that much as long as he went to important society events with her. These events had been few and far between, as most of them bored the hell out of him.
Daniel rarely appeared in any gossip pages, which had bugged Audrey tremendously since she loved reading about herself in the papers. He was much more of a private person and certainly not as flashy as she’d wanted him to be. Looking back now, he didn’t know why he’d ever started dating her. They were completely unsuited for each other.

2

If only Sabrina Palmer had taken the other job she’d been offered and not this one at the Law Offices of Brand, Freeman & Merriweather, she wouldn’t want to crawl out of her skin right now. She’d be sitting in an air conditioned law office in Stockton with a job that would probably go nowhere, rather than having one of the senior associates hover over her from behind, pretending to read the document on her computer screen when she knew he was peering down her blouse.

But no, Sabrina had to go for the job with the most reputable firm in San Francisco in the hope of gaining the right kind of legal experience to advance her career. She’d passed the bar with flying colors and thought she could take on the world, only to come up against an age-old problem: she was a woman in a man’s world.

And now, instead of getting to work on any of the interesting cases the male junior associates were assigned to, she was relegated to routine corporate law while Jon Hannigan, or Slime Ball Jonny, as the secretaries called him behind his back, checked out her boobs.

Not that her boobs were that pronounced, but for her petite size she had a nicely proportioned set, together with a relatively curvy figure. Slim like a model she wasn’t, nor was she tall. She would have loved to be at least a couple of inches taller so not all men would automatically be able to look down to her navel when she wore a V-neckline, but she couldn’t change her genes.

“You’ll need to rephrase this paragraph,” Hannigan suggested as he leaned even closer and moved his arm past her shoulder to point at the screen. A whiff of body odor accompanied his movement. “You need to convey intent.”

“I understand.”

She knew all about intent. His intent. The day she was introduced to Jon Hannigan, she knew he’d be trouble. The sleazy look he’d given her had told her everything she needed to know: to be on guard. He’d squeezed her hand with his sausage fingers for far too long, and Sabrina had to keep all her cool not to yank it out from his grip.

His pasty face was accentuated by an often slightly red nose, which could have been either caused by too much exposure to the sun or too much imbibing of alcohol. She suspected the latter. Hannigan wasn’t handsome, but he wasn’t particularly ugly either, even though this personality made him ugly from the inside.

If she had to describe him to anybody, she would have said he was average: just an average asshole.

“Sabrina, I’ll let you in on a little secret. You want to move up here, you just stick with me.”

Sabrina shuddered inwardly. Moving up wasn’t what he had in mind, she was certain. Moving down was much more likely, down his body. She’d heard enough from the secretaries who’d been harassed by him. The mere recollection of what she’d heard made the hair on her neck stand up in high alert. The man was a pig.

“I can revise the brief first thing tomorrow. It’ll be on your desk before you get in.”

“How about you’ll be on my desk first thing in the morning?”

Sabrina sucked in a quick breath. Hannigan was getting more brazen.

“I’d better finish off for today,” she said cautiously and powered down her computer.

Hannigan didn’t make a move, but remained standing behind her chair, preventing her from pushing it back.
Turning her head slightly in his direction, she made another attempt. “Excuse me, please.”

He moved back only a foot, enough for her to get out of her chair, but it brought her far too close to his body. She sucked in air and tried to squeeze past him. He had a sick grin pasted on his face. Did he really think he looked seductive like that? The homeless guy at the bus station had a better chance at getting into her pants than Hannigan.

“Why in such a hurry?”

“Doctor’s appointment. Excuse me.”

After giving her boobs another palpable glance, he moved aside and let her pass. Sabrina felt nauseous from the mix of his overwhelming cologne and his body odor. Without turning, she snatched her handbag off the desk and headed for the door.

“See you tomorrow, Sabrina.”

His voice, too close behind her, made her speed up.
Even though it was barely four in the afternoon, and normally she worked at least past six o’clock, she couldn’t stand it any longer. The doctor’s appointment had been an excuse to escape Hannigan. Another minute in his presence and she would have puked or passed out.

How she was supposed to stick it out in this job for at least a full year, with him heavily breathing down her neck, or rather her blouse, she had no idea.

“Gone for the day?” Caroline, the receptionist asked as Sabrina crossed the foyer.

Sabrina answered with a look that said more than she could have imparted in a ten minute conversation.

“Hannigan again?”

She leaned over the counter to whisper to Caroline. “I don’t know how much longer I can take this.”

“You know what happened to Amy. If you complain, they’ll just find a reason to get rid of you.” The receptionist gave her a pitiful look. Apparently the partners valued Hannigan’s achievements enough to overlook his indiscretions.

“Doesn’t leave me many options, does it? See you tomorrow.”

Despite the fact that it was a warm summer day, Sabrina found the air refreshing when she stepped out of the building. She hadn’t been able to breathe in her office at all, not with Hannigan around.

The funny thing was that the secretaries had been happy that the firm had finally hired a female junior associate. Now she knew why: Hannigan wasn’t bothering the secretaries much anymore. Sabrina had become their lightning rod. As much as she felt for the secretaries, she had to look after herself and make a decision about what to do. Could she risk filing a formal complaint? How would this impact her career?

Remembering that the fridge at home was nearly empty, Sabrina decided to use the extra time to go grocery shopping on her way home. The supermarket was incredibly busy, and only one of the checkouts was staffed. Apparently some computer glitch had shut down all remaining checkouts.

While she made sure she could keep her place in line, she went back to the freezer aisle and picked up a pint of ice cream. She hoped Holly, her roommate and childhood friend, was home. Then they could devour Ben and Jerry’s together while bitching about men in general and Hannigan in particular.

The Hamptons Bachelor Club series revolves around several rich bachelors who one-by-one find the woman who brings them to their knees. It takes place in San Francisco, New York, and the Hamptons.

Book 1: Teasing

Book 2: Enticing

Book 3: Beguiling

Book 4: Scorching

Book 5: Alluring

Book 6: Sizzling

The Hamptons Bachelor Club (Books 1 – 3)

The Hamptons Bachelor Club (Books 4 – 6)

Exclusive Hardcover editions will be shipped from the UK. Large print paperbacks will be shipped from Ingram in the US.

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