Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88879 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88879 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
It’s easy to understand why I’ve been so captivated. He’s everything. Intensely powerful and magnetic. I stop judging myself for my reaction and realize that he is worth it. He’s worth every bit of this overwhelming attraction, every moment of self-hate.
I turn my face away, trying desperately to ignore him. After all, I’m not required to acknowledge him like his secretary does—I don’t work for him.
"Oh, you’re here?" his PA exclaims, clearly thrown off by his unexpected arrival. "You have a meeting in Manhattan.”
"Something urgent came up so I called and canceled," he replies with a careless shrug. The sound of his voice is so rich, so deep, that my entire being seems to vibrate in response.
"You cancelled it yourself—" she repeats, confusion evident in her voice.
"Yes, I knew you were busy with the contract. You can reschedule the meeting for next week," he says calmly.
She frowns. "Something urgent came up? What’s more urgent than the meeting you had?" she presses in an amazed, almost disbelieving voice.
"Something of a personal nature.” His words send a wave of satisfaction through me, though I try to suppress the smile creeping onto my lips. I can feel his gaze on me, even though he’s addressing her.
Her reaction is telling—her posture stiffens, and I can tell that my earlier suspicion about her feelings toward him was correct. She clearly desires him, and now she’s faced with the reality that his attention has been captured by someone she considers a two-bit slut.
I meet his eyes again and it’s like the world stops spinning. Everything and everybody just falls away. There is only him and me. His gaze is intense, unwavering, and I feel it on me like a physical touch. I want to hold his gaze, to show that I’m not intimidated by the sheer intensity of the emotions swirling inside me, but after a few moments, it becomes too much. I break eye contact, looking away quickly as though I’ve been burned. How does this man have such a strange ability to make me feel completely out of control? Almost as if my body reacts without my permission.
Suddenly desperate to do something with my hands, I grab my cup of green tea, though it must be cold by now, only to realize it’s empty. Needing to escape I stand.
“I’ll be in the conservatory if you need me,” I mutter and almost run up the winding stairs.
Chapter Thirty-One
IVAN
I’ve done something I’ve never done—breaking my work ethic for the most frivolous reason. Even Greta, who is usually composed, looks visibly shocked because she knows there is no emergency.
“Are you done here?” I ask.
She recovers quickly, like the professional she is, but boy is she’s flustered—more flustered than I’ve ever seen her.
“I, uh... I was waiting for her to sign the contract.”
“I’m here now. I’ll get it signed.”
“Okay, I’ll head back to the office then,” she says stiffly and starts walking towards the door.
I pick up the contract from the table, grab a bottle of water from the serving tray, and head out to the conservatory to join Lara.
I find her sitting on the edge of one of the chairs. She looks nervous and edgy. An image flashes into my mind of bending her over the table and fucking her until I get every ounce of frustration out of my system. I sit across from her and place the contract on the table between us.
“Greta says you haven’t signed.”
“Greta,” she repeats, nodding. “That’s her name, huh? She didn’t bother introducing herself.”
“She’s busy.”
A flash of irritation comes into her eyes and her voice is sarcastic. “Of course, she is. Everyone is. Which makes me wonder why you came back. Why did you come back, Ivan?”
“To fuck you, of course.”
Her eyes widen in shock. “What?”
I stand, growing impatient. “Sign the papers, Lara. I have to get back to work in thirty minutes.”
She frowns, then snatches the document up and stands. As she reads through it she paces around the room. I relax and take in Muriel’s extraordinary garden. It’s been so meticulously maintained and is now bursting with so many plants, flowers, and fruit. I have never been in here ever since I bought the apartment, and now, for the first time, I realize the effort she has put into this space. It's transformed from a glass room with an indoor garden into an enchanted mini forest. And now the forest has a delectable sprite walking through it.
“I have one more stipulation,” she says.
I don’t stand because if I do, she’ll see how hard I am. The only thing I can think about is the feel of her skin under my hand as I grab her hips and fuck her senseless. My desire for her feels almost crazed, maybe even unnaturally possessive. Yet she’s taking her time as always, torturing me. I curse under my breath.