Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 98418 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 492(@200wpm)___ 394(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98418 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 492(@200wpm)___ 394(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
All too soon he pulls away from me and presses his forehead against mine. Damn it.
"I'm sorry." He smirks.
"Theo, you can kiss me..." I sigh in frustration.
He shakes his head. "Sugar, when it comes to you and me, it’s never just a kiss." He smiles lazily.
I scowl at him. "Let's go." I turn on my heel and stalk out of the room.
Theo drives us to the restaurant which is about twenty minutes outside of London. It's an old country house which is now used as a hotel. The restaurant is lovely with all the classical features from the original house. It’s all very cosy but upmarket.
We're seated at a large table next to one of the huge floor to ceiling windows. We appear to be the first ones here.
"So who are we meeting again?" I ask when we're seated. Theo didn't really tell me who we were meeting, only a business associate.
"Steve Hillford. He's the director of Media Inc. at the moment. I intend to keep him on in the business. He seems to be good at his job, but I like to get to know the people who work for me. His wife is also coming and my uncle Mike who you've met. Mike and Steve are old business acquaintances." He states matter of factly. It surprises me that Theo would take the time to get to know an employee.
“You and your uncle seem close.” I ponder.
He nods. “Yeah, he was pretty much the closest thing to a parent Cat and I had growing up.” This information surprises me. I sort of assumed that Theo was from a super stable background. I feel bad that I’ve never asked him about this. In fact I haven’t really asked him about much. I am curious, but I don’t want to ask about his parents in case he asks about mine. I really should know more about him though.
“I’m curious about something.” I muse.
“What’s that?” He smiles.
“Well, you run all these businesses and would by anyone’s standards be considered a businessman, yet you don’t actually do all that much.” I smile. “I always thought businessman worked twenty hours a day and died of heart attacks at the age of forty.” I raise an eyebrow at him.
He laughs. “Ah well you see sugar, business and pleasure can easily be mixed.” He flicks his gaze down to my chest. I roll my eyes. “It’s all about delegation. I make sure that the people who work for me are the very best, that way they do the work and make me money whilst I play millionaire. It suits me very well.”
“But surely if they can run your business they could run their own?” I ask.
“I pay them so well that the stress of finding funding and setting up an entirely new business just doesn’t appeal. If someone is vital to your business then you treat them as such. I value my staff, and so they stay loyal to me.” He shrugs.
“Huh, and I thought you were just a pretty face with a trust fund.” I smirk.
“I do have a pretty face don’t I?” He smiles and winks. I roll my eyes at him. “Anyway, you’re not entirely wrong. William and I did start the business with our trust funds.” He shrugs.
“So William runs it with you?”
“He runs the offices in Paris. Went out there for a business trip, met a woman, next thing I know he’s moving out there. Crazy bastard.” He shrugs clearly baffled by his brother’s behaviour.
"What would you like to drink?" He asks changing the subject.
"White Wine please." As he speaks to the waitress I notice that the soft lighting and the glow from the fire give his skin a rustic tone making his eyes glow brightly. He looks too beautiful, almost inhuman. The waitress blushes and stutters as he speaks to her. He doesn't even seem to notice her tripping over herself. She glances nervously in my direction before scurrying off.
"Wow. That was just embarrassing." I murmur under my breath. Theo smiles wryly at me.
"Yeah, he gets that a lot. I keep telling him, he's a taken man now. Send them my way. I thought there was something going on with you two at The Ivy. I knew I was right." I look up and into the infectiously smiley face of Theo's uncle Mike. We met briefly at the poker table.
"You wouldn't know what to do with them if I did, and please, you thought for years that I was shagging my over-weight maths tutor." Theo rolls his eyes.
"Don't listen to him, I taught him everything he knows. As for Lola, there is something to be said for a larger lady, they try harder." Mike winks at me. I can't help but smile at the two of them. I get the impression that Theo isn't close to many people and it's truly heart-warming to see him so at ease with his uncle, even if they do talk about shagging fat girls.