Book excerpt: A notorious woman must rely on the devil himself for help. Too bad she learned long ago never to trust anyone… Frank Lucifer is having one hell of a week. His gambling hell is short staffed after firing his floor manager, and his half-brother has offered him a title—one he doesn't need or want. Then the woman he’s obsessed with dismisses him from her bed, and the problem is he doesn’t know who the hell she is. Mistress Lash has her hands full. Her apprentice is missing under sinister circumstances, and Scotland Yard refuses to lift a finger. A liaison with Frank Lucifer—however attractive she finds him—is something she no longer has time for. Besides, someone should take the arrogant rake down a peg or two. She sets out to find her apprentice on her own, but everywhere she turns, up pops Lucifer. He’s following her, and she’s growing suspicious about why that is. When he suggests they join forces, she reluctantly agrees. After all, one should keep their friends close and their enemies closer… she's just not sure which he is. Yet. Working together to find her missing apprentice, she worries about her ability to protect both her heart and her own secrets from the perceptive man. And as events play out, she must decide if Lucifer is the villain she is searching for… or just the devil who haunts her scorching hot dreams?