page17 (1/2)

Sergio wondered whether that feeling would be diluted if Stanley knew the circu—if he knew that the nice little thing had shown up at his restaurant dressed to kill in a tight red dress on a supposedly uy whichthere in the first place

‘But I’ll leave you to get on with that i hness’s satisfaction’

He began to huhts

He was being driven to Susie’s house on acolours and he didn’t really knohy—except that he hadn’t been able to get her out of his head He’d met the woman once, under dubious circuer, had not even slept with her, and yet

Under nor life They didn’t show up at his office, they didn’t phone hiht processes when they weren’t physically around When he ith a wo When she wasn’t around she was forgotten It was just the way he was

Unfortunately he had spent soabout Susie that he hadn’t been able to focus He had found hi at his co the lines and coluet his secretary to repeat herself on several occasions because his mind had wandered off

He had no idea why this particular encounter had left hih she was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on, nor the smartest Her intentions were open to debate, and she had, frankly, led hinals about wanting to clih the roof, backing away and shooting out of his apartment like a bat out of hell

So here he was He didn’t knohat he intended to say when he showed up on her doorstep He didn’t even know if he would find her at home Maybe she had already dry-cleaned the little red dress and earing it at soout, on the hunt for another billionaire—so

He didn’t care for the thought, and rather than spend the trip brooding consoled hi prospect that if she was at ho the depths of that attraction she had talked about instead of being noble and resisting as on offer

He’d never done that before and he’d been a fool to do it with her

That was probably why he had found himself at the local florist and now here, in the back seat of his car He was allergic to self-denial

‘We’re here, sir’ Stanley killed the engine and io’s eyes