Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 95816 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95816 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
“Just dinner and a few handshakes. Meet some clients you’ll be interacting with. You can slip out early.”
I couldn’t refuse.
I had to admit, it was a well-run event. The food was tasty, and the people I sat with friendly and entertaining. But my mind was elsewhere. When I arrived, a woman, obviously in charge, caught my eye. She was lovely—tall, willowy, garbed in a wraparound dress that hugged her figure and showed off her shapely legs. I crossed the room to the bar, where she was giving the staff instructions. When she turned, our eyes met, her beautifully alluring gaze widening. Up close, she was stunning. Her skin was a deep ivory, her almond-shaped eyes bright with the unusual hue of blue and green hazel swirls set in her oval face. She was tall for a woman, her heels adding more inches to her already statuesque posture. She was slender, with generous breasts and curved hips—and I could already feel my hands holding them as I rocked into her. Her straight dark hair hung in a ponytail down her back, and the fingers that clutched her clipboard were elegant and long. She was graceful and refined. Sexy.
Caught off guard, she had smiled, the action showing me the warmth and sweet nature under her businesslike mask.
“Excuse me,” she murmured.
“Not a problem,” I responded, mesmerized by her unique beauty.
She moved past me, the scent of her lingering. Citrus and jasmine—exotic and special—just like her, drifted over me. She glanced over her shoulder, those beautiful eyes confused, yet inviting.
We played cat and mouse the rest of the evening. I couldn’t take my eyes off her, and it seemed she found me equally fascinating. I refused to leave until I got her name and number—I just had to find the right opportunity to obtain it.
Finally, I saw her exit the room down one of the long hallways. She was alone for a change without one of her staff hovering by her elbow. I pushed out of my chair and hurried after her. I caught up to her partway down the hall, my footsteps echoing loudly in the empty corridor.
She turned at the sound, not looking overly shocked to see me.
“Hello,” she said in her low, sultry voice. “Do you need something?”
“Yes.”
She waited a beat, lifting one eyebrow in curiosity. “What might that be?”
“Your name.”
“My name,” she repeated.
“I need to know the name of the woman I’m taking to dinner on Saturday.”
Her lips quirked. “I’m working Saturday.”
“That’s an unusual name, but I can work with it,” I teased.
She laughed, and I held up my hands.
“Friday, then. Sunday. Monday. I don’t care which day, but I’m taking you to dinner.”
“Is that a fact?” She smirked.
Jesus, she looked sexy when she smirked, challenging me.
I took her hand, placing my phone in her palm. “Yes, it is.”
“Ashley,” she murmured, our gazes locked on each other. “My name is Ashley.”
I lifted her hand to my mouth and kissed her knuckles. “A pleasure, Ashley. I’m Luc. I’ll be the one dating you for the next few months.”
“A few months?” she said dryly. “I have a time limit?”
I stepped closer, unable to stay away from her. “No. By then, we’ll be more than dating. Just thought I’d let you know.”
“Oh,” she said, ducking her head, hiding her expression.
I saw the smile on her mouth, though.
“Number, love. I need your number.”
She keyed in some digits and handed it back to me. I called the number, hearing the soft chirp of her phone.
“Now you have mine.”
She smiled.
“Are you tired?” I asked.
She frowned. “No. Do I look tired?”
“You look beautiful. But I think you look that way all the time.”
She shook her head. “I’m not tired, Luc.”
I liked hearing her say my name. I wanted to hear her groan it.
“Then I’ll wait, and we can go for coffee.”
She blinked, then laughed, the sound soft and feminine.
“Pretty sure of yourself.”
I lifted my hand and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. I didn’t understand this immediate pull to her, or even recognize my own actions with her, but I liked it.
“Should I back off?”
“No. I’ll be ready in twenty minutes.”
I stepped back. “I’ll wait.”
We’d been together ever since.
Ashley shifted, her eyes slowly blinking open.
I bent my head and kissed her. “Hey, beautiful.”
“Hi. Have I been asleep a long time?”
“No, only about an hour. You were tired.”
“You wore me out.” She poked me in the chest. “You always do.”
I grabbed her finger and kissed it. “You never complain.”
She smiled, tracing her hand along my jaw. “Nothing to complain about. You always satisfy.”
I laughed. “Like a Snickers, am I?”
“Better.”
“Good to know.”
“We should get up.”
I tucked her closer. “Nah, I’m good here.”
“Don’t you have to go back to work?”
“Nope. Took the afternoon off. My minions are running the show.”
“Oh boy.”
I chuckled. “They know they can reach me if needed. We’re good. My team is top-notch.”