The Player's Club: Lincoln Read Online Free

was adjusting a silky negligee over a faceless, curvaceous mannequin in one of the windows. Having reassured himself that no one was eavesdropping, he turned his gaze back to her.
    “You’re not joining the club.”
    There was controlled fury in his voice. He was staring at her as if he wished he’d never met her, much less was letting her in his precious club. She crossed her arms.
    “Why not? Is it because of who I am?”
    “What?” He faced Finn. “Who is she?”
    Finn sighed. “She’s Juliana Mayfield,” he replied in a low voice. To her shock, Lincoln’s face remained blank.
    “So?”
    “She’s…um, famous,” Finn explained. “Sort of, anyway.” He sent her a look of apology.
    She knew she wasn’t a true celebrity, but damn it, she was famous. Some would say “infamous.” Now she was not only completely ignored by this gorgeous, arrogant man, but her old friend Finn was apologizing for her.
    Well, this wasn’t going at all the way she’d planned.
    “She’s one of those celebutantes, isn’t she?” Lincoln’s tone was one of sheer revulsion.
    “No, no. She’s cool.”
    “And she’s standing right here,” Juliana interrupted. She quickly cloaked her vulnerability with her second-best weapon: anger. And not just any anger, but Southern-woman anger. She might’ve been born in Los Angeles, but her mama had been a Georgia peach with an iron fist. Even as a waiflike model, her mother’s words could cut men to ribbons like razor wire, as she smiled and offered pie the entire time.
    “I didn’t realize that you needed Lincoln’s permission for me to join, Finn.” She paused, letting that sink in. “What, do you work for him?”
    Finn might not be the macho jerk his cousin was, but no man wanted to be considered his friend’s subordinate.
    “I don’t,” Finn said, scowling at Lincoln. “I seem to remember that someone told me I could choose the next pledge. Remember?”
    “She’s not a pledge,” Lincoln replied quietly. His hazel gaze swept over her, she could feel the heat burning from its sheer intensity. He was pissed at her, obviously.
    He also wanted her. She smiled, letting her tongue lick her lower lip in a quick, almost imperceptible gesture. He might not want to show it, or even admit it to himself, but he wanted her.
    She would use that, she thought, sharpening her smile.
    “Oh, really? I’m not a pledge, hmm?” She stepped closer to Lincoln, smiling coquettishly even as she let her eyes blaze. She knew her chest was heaving slightly as she breathed a little harder, and she let it work in her favor. “So what, exactly, am I?”
    He surprised her again. Despite her shameless display of cleavage, his eyes never left hers.
    “You’re a woman who courts publicity, who lives for it.” Even upset, his low, husky voice made her want to shiver with pleasure. “You’re a woman who knows what she wants and doesn’t anticipate that anyone will say no to her. You’re smart enough to think that traipsing around in lingerie is going to get a man wrapped around your finger—you’re dumb enough to think that I would be that man. And you’re clearly a woman who thinks that by joining the Player’s Club, you’ll get something out of it, rather than add something to it.”
    He stepped back from her with a withering glance. “Finn, she’s out. Pick another pledge.”
    He turned on his heel and walked away.
    Finn’s face was red. “Sorry, Jules.”
    “What? That’s it?” she said, shocked. How had things jumped the rails so irrevocably? “He says no, and you’re just letting him? Just going to follow instructions?”
    Finn straightened his shoulders. “Don’t push, Jules,” he answered, then let out a frustrated breath.
    “Who the hell is he?” she asked, crossing her arms.
    “Lincoln Stone. He’s my best friend and, lately, a bit of a horse’s ass,” Finn muttered. “Listen, let me work on him. Either way, I’ll call you soon, okay?”
    And with a gentle,