Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 144908 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 483(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 144908 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 483(@300wpm)
“That’s crazy. Your mother took a huge chance on a stranger.”
Ambrielle nodded. “They’re very intense about each other.” She looked Amanda over, really noticing what she was wearing and how meticulous her hair and makeup were. “You’re dressed for a killer night. Just who do you have your sights on, Amanda?”
Amanda did a slow spin to show off the clever way her dress draped her body, showing her figure to the best advantage without giving everything away. Then she took a step, and the slit up her left thigh opened to reveal her long, slender leg, an enticement that disappeared with her next step.
“Very nice,” Ambrielle approved. “Where do you find your clothes? I swear, no one but you has anything that can look that casual, elegant and sexy all at the same time.”
Amanda looked pleased. “I am so going after Marcus Phillips.”
Ambrie paused in the act of walking across the office toward the door. “Marcus? Cold-fish Marcus? You dubbed him that two minutes after he acquired the entire upstairs as his offices and wouldn’t deign to look at either of us when we said good morning to him on the elevator ride up to our floor.”
“Yep. That’s the one.” Amanda looked smug. “I’ve already started my campaign, he just doesn’t know he’s in my sights yet.” She laughed and indicated the door. “Women throw themselves at him. He’s rich, powerful, good-looking and seems very arrogant, which draws a lot of idiot women.”
“Apparently you too,” Ambrie pointed out.
Amanda shook her head. “I didn’t even give him a thought until about two months ago. He really isn’t at all the way he seems.”
Ambrie took her hand off the door. There was real interest in Amanda’s voice. “You don’t intend to drop him like a hot potato. You’re really interested in Marcus.”
Amanda nodded slowly. “I’ve been watching him carefully for a while now. I know that makes me sound like a stalker, but he did something really nice and seemingly completely out of character and I wanted to know which was the real Marcus.” She lifted her chin, color staining her cheeks. “So I started watching him. Under his cold-fish façade, he’s really a sweet man.”
Ambrielle leaned against the door. “What really nice something did he do, Amanda?”
Amanda sighed, the color going from a deep pink to an actual red in her cheeks. “I was really embarrassed at first, so I didn’t tell you, and then I realized I was kind of obsessing over him and that made it worse. I didn’t want to admit that to you either, so I kept it to myself.”
Ambrie lifted her eyebrow and continued draping herself against the door so Amanda couldn’t escape.
“Fine. Do you remember a couple of months ago when it was really storming outside, and I came in looking like a drowned rat? I came into the office in my stockings because I’d broken the heel off one of my shoes?”
Ambrielle nodded when Amanda didn’t proceed right away.
“I slipped in a huge puddle of water. I was running about half a block from here, carrying my books and a load of papers. I’d been at the coffee shop studying and forgot the time. I didn’t exactly slip. I wasn’t watching where I was going. There’s a big grate where the water is supposed to drain off the road, but there was so much water, it was covered, and I didn’t really see it. My heel got caught and snapped right off. I went down very hard. Not only was the fall utterly humiliating, but it hurt like hell. And my books and papers went everywhere. To make matters worse, I burst into tears.”
“Oh, honey,” Ambrie whispered, taking a step toward her. Amanda didn’t cry easily.
“I was going to call you, but my hand hurt so bad and was shaking. I dropped my cell in the puddle. A car went by at that exact moment, which sent a wave of water pouring over me, and that made it seem so much worse. I just sat in that puddle and cried. To my absolute horror, the car pulled to the curb right in front of me and Marcus got out of the back seat. His chauffeur began to gather up my soaking-wet books and papers, and Marcus crouched down beside me and asked me if I was hurt. If I had broken anything. When I kept crying, because I was so humiliated, he wiped my tears with his hand, and he was so gentle you wouldn’t believe it. He asked me again. I shook my head. When I did, he caught me around the waist, lifted me right out of the puddle, set me on the sidewalk and crouched down again to examine my ankle.”
Ambrielle was shocked to think of Marcus Phillips crouching down on a sidewalk in the middle of a rainstorm examining anyone’s ankle. It seemed so out of character.