My mouth dropped open in surprise. Men didn’t make me feel this way. I made men feel this way. I overpowered the men around me. I overwhelmed them. I unsettled them.
I didn’t like it. And yet, I also kind of did. It wasn’t only an unusual feeling, but it was a feeling. It had been a long time since I’d felt anything, let alone something so startling.
I swallowed and prepared to rise when he surprised me again, finally stooping down to my level.
“Edward Fasbender,” he said, holding out his hand.
With a scowl, I took it. My hand felt warm in his tight grip, and I let him hold on past the length of a standard handshake, let him help lift me back to a standing position before I withdrew it sharply.
He smirked at this too—that mouth smirked at everything, but I could feel the smirk in his eyes as well. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you, Celia,” he said in his distinguished British dialect. “Have a seat, will you?”
If there had been any logic to not taking a seat, I would have continued to stand, simply because I hated conceding any more control to him than I already felt I had. But there wasn’t anything practical about standing, so I threw my bag and the file on the table, pulled out a chair and angled it toward the head where, if the laptop and phone sitting there were any indication, I surmised he was going to sit.
“I hadn’t realized I’d only be meeting with you, Mr. Fasbender.” I purposefully didn’t scoot the chair back into the table so he could have a prime view while I crossed one long leg over the other. I had nice legs. They were two of my best weapons.
The bastard didn’t even glance down. With his eyes pinned on mine, he unbuttoned his jacket and sat in the seat I’d assumed he’d take. “Edward, please,” he said sternly. He’d already made it clear he meant to call me Celia, even without my invitation to do so.
“As I was saying, Edward, I would have insisted we met in my office if I’d known you were reserving a meeting room simply for my benefit.”
He tilted his head, his stone expression showing nothing. “It wasn’t simply for your benefit. I’ve been using this room as my office while I’m in the States meeting with potential investors. It’s unconventional, perhaps, but I’m already staying in the hotel, and so the location has proved convenient. Plus, I rather like the setting, don’t you?”
I ignored how much I liked the low timbre of his voice and surveyed my surroundings once more. The Fontainebleau was one of the more lavish meeting rooms in the hotel. With the numerous crystal chandeliers, gold leaf plating, and ornate molding, the decor seemed to have been directly inspired by Versailles. I appreciated the luxurious look, but this was a bit on the abundant side, particularly when being used as an office. The fact that he liked it said more about his character. I added pompous and extravagant to my earlier assessment. He was probably even going to use the room as an example of whatever it was he wanted me to design for him.
No. Just no. Even if I were accepting his job offer, which I wasn’t.
Refraining from commenting on the decor, I turned back to my subtle admonishment. “I’m sure this is convenient for you, but our discussion will be limited because of it. I’ve brought my computer and a portfolio, which will show you some of my work, but this would be much easier if you could see the models in my office. Maybe we can reschedule and meet there at a later time?” It would be even more delightful to reject him after stringing him along.
“That won’t be necessary. I’m not interested in your design work.”
The hairs on the back of my neck pricked up in warning, and I was suddenly glad for the man outside the door. Not that I couldn’t handle myself. I’d been in much more precarious situations than this and survived.
“I’m sorry,” I said, my voice cool and steady from practice. “I don’t believe I understand.” Though, I was beginning to have my suspicions. If I wasn’t here about a design project, this meeting could only have to do with my father.
“Of course you don’t. I didn’t have any intention for you to understand until I was ready to explain.”
He was such an arrogant piece of work. If I wasn’t completely aroused with curiosity, I would have been out the door at this point.
“Since I’m here now, I’d appreciate it if you’d go ahead and fill me in. What is it you want from me?”
He leaned back in his seat, somehow seeming just as upright with his posture even in the reclined position. “What I want, Celia, is quite simple—I want you to marry me.”
Discover the World of 1001 Dark Nights
Collection One
Collection Two
Collection Three
Collection Four
Collection Five
Bundles
Discovery Authors
Blue Box Specials
Rising Storm
Liliana Hart's MacKenzie Family
Lexi Blake's Crossover Collection
Kristen Proby's Crossover Collection
On behalf of 1001 Dark Nights,
Steve Berry
Doug Scofield
Kim Guidroz
Jillian Stein
InkSlinger PR
Dan Slater
Asha Hossain
Chris Graham
Kasi Alexander
Jessica Johns
Dylan Stockton
Richard Blake
and Simon Lipskar
Table of Contents
Book Description
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen