Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 79898 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79898 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
“Good,” Nell said. “I’m counting on you, Harper.” Then, she turned her attention to her laptop and I scuttled out of her office like a dog with its tail between its legs.
God, I was exhausted. I couldn’t wait to go home and relax – maybe even pour a glass of wine and take a bath after Ada went to bed.
But no matter what I did, I had a feeling that Nico was going to be on my mind.
9
Nico –Friday
Two days after seeing Harper, I was still riding high on the memory of her scent, that spicy, floral perfume that absolutely captivated me. It was more than just her perfume, though. Everything about her was hypnotizing and wonderful.
I wanted her more than I ever thought possible.
And maybe it was crazy, or just stupidly naïve and optimistic, but after the way she’d acted with me in person, I could almost believe that she wanted me, too.
“Mr. Ulrich?”
I looked up and saw Portia standing there, twirling a strand of pale blonde hair around her finger.
“Yes?”
“The party at Rhouge is tonight,” Portia said. She cleared her throat. “Are you attending? They just called to see if you were bringing a plus one.”
Shit, I thought, immediately realizing that I’d been so dazzled, so fucking stunned by Harper that I’d forgotten to ask her if she was going or not.
And it wasn’t exactly like I could call her and ask – no, that would look fucking desperate and sad.
And desperate and sad was the last way I wanted to look to Harper.
“I don’t know,” I said, thinking about it. The idea of going out and seeing Harper in a tight little dress was appetizing ... as was the prospect of venturing into a dark alley with her and taking her, making her mine.
But maybe the problem wasn’t Harper.
Maybe the problem was me.
Maybe I needed to go to the party for an entirely different reason – to move on. I pictured the kinds of women who would be there: young and slutty and just ready to be bent over my knee and spanked with a leather paddle or a cane or better yet, my hand.
The thought was one that would have been tremendously exciting to me years ago, before meeting Harper.
Now it almost sounded ... well, stale.
“Mr. Ulrich?” Portia asked. “I have the girl on hold – what should I tell her?”
I fixed my assistant with a stare. “I don’t know,” I said. “What do you think?”
Portia blinked, clearly taken aback.
“I ... it’s your decision,” she said.
I smirked at her. “You think it’s a good idea for me to go?”
Portia’s feature contorted, and I wondered if she knew that I was testing her.
“Sure,” she said finally. “It’s for that magazine, right?”
I nodded.
“I’ll tell her that you’ll be there,” Portia said. She left my office and I leaned back in my chair and sighed.
Come on, old man, I told myself. You can do this – you can fucking nail this, if you want. Go out and find another woman and forget all about Harper and her killer curves and those green eyes.
I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to pump myself up and get excited for the party, but by the time I left the office and went home to change into a different suit – all black, with a leather blazer and a black shirt – I was more lukewarm than ever on the idea of going.
Just as I was about to leave, my phone pinged and I frowned down at it. There was a new email, from Nell Taylor of HAUTESCENE.
What now, I thought, rolling my eyes as I remembered the way Harper’s boss had been so clearly tickled by everything I’d said.
Nico,
If there are any issues working with Harper, let me know ASAP and we’ll put someone else on your spread.
I blinked down at the screen in confusion. Had Harper said something, complained about me? Or had Nell sensed the way I couldn’t stop staring at her lithe, brunette personal assistant? Seeing Harper working for someone else had made me jealous that her talent was being put to use elsewhere, but I hadn’t been that obvious.
Had I?
I sat down hard on the edge of the bed and dropped my phone to the floor. This was fucking bullshit – Nell emailing me like this was borderline unprofessional, and I was dying to know what was going on.
At any rate, thinking about Harper again was only making me realize just how miserable I’d be at Rhouge if she wasn’t there ... or if she was, and she spent the evening giving me the cold shoulder. Now that her boss was suspicious, I clearly had to be more careful.
With a groan, I got to my feet and stripped out of my suit before pulling on sweats and a T-shirt.