The risk he was taking with his reputation and sales campaign just served to heighten the thrill of being with her. He loved the danger. He loved the contrasts, the frosty exterior which vaporized when she caught fire in his arms. He needed to get her to stay there more often. He wanted her to melt into a puddle for far more than a few snatched hours in a snowstorm—he needed a period of total saturation if he was to get her out of his system before it all came to an end in under a couple of weeks. And it needed to end on launch day–no strings, no commitment, that was the deal.
They were shown into a mirror-lined elevator that silently transported them a couple of floors down to a front desk area where a glossy blonde smiled a welcome.
“Mr. DeLeo,” she purred with a hint of a European accent. “So good to see you here with us tonight. You really don’t need this as I’m sure everyone here knows who you are but, for insurance purposes and security, I’m sure you understand?” She tipped her head to one side in a coquettish manner and slid an identification tag across the front desk with neon pink fingernails that clicked on the polished surface. Then her bright blue gaze and false smile found Piper. “And you must be Miss Reilly. Welcome.”
It never failed to amaze him how bitchy and predatory women could be with each other when there was an eligible billionaire in the building. Or maybe it was just him; maybe he brought the worst out in a certain type of female. Still, he didn’t like the way the blonde receptionist had changed her tone from sexual simpering when addressing him to clipped ice as she handed Piper her ID and then tossed her hair back. It was an unspoken girl-to-girl challenge, he was sure of it.
“I never go anywhere without the lovely Miss Reilly these days,” he said, far more loudly than necessary. “The lady is non-negotiable.”
There was the beginning of an ironic smile on Piper’s scarlet lips, one that reached her eyes, a genuine smirk of understanding of what he was up to. She lifted her chin haughtily. “Time is money, darling.”
“Of course,” he said in a deliberately stiff tone and offered her his arm. “We must press on.”
Piper smothered a giggle as the door closed behind them and they found themselves in a large bright room full of chattering people. “Non-negotiable? Was that a nod to Charles and Camilla?”
He leaned over and whispered in her ear. “You have a wild imagination, Miss Reilly.”
She smirked and took a flute of champagne from the attentive waiter who had suddenly appeared at her shoulder. “And so, apparently, do you.”
He watched as she put the crystal glass to her lips and there was the slightest hint of the tip of her tongue as she drank. His groin stiffened almost instantaneously. “Champagne suits you,” he said softly, feeling an almost unbearable kick of lust.
She swallowed and ran that wicked tongue over her top teeth before saying, “That’s because it’s so much nicer than your smelly old beer.”
“I could watch you drink it for hours.”
“You might have to if this event turns out to be terminally dull.”
Tiny silver conch shells dangled from each of her earlobes, catching the light as she moved, and he noticed the huge mother-of-pearl bangle on her slim wrist as she lifted her glass and the cuff of her jacket slid back. He should re-evaluate. She wasn’t an ice queen, she was a sea sprite with her coral red hair and kelp-green eyes sparkling like the setting sun on a calm sea. “It won’t be dull with you showcasing your jewelry so beautifully tonight. Make the most of the attention you’re getting and charm some potential clients. Business, not pleasure, for a few hours.”
“You’re right, look at them all fawning over those strange paintings. The more-money-than-sense brigade is out in force tonight. I’ll have some of that.”
“Got your business cards?”
She lifted up the red sparkly clutch bag. “Never leave home without them. Although I won’t drop them anywhere this time.”
He chuckled silently and then took a swig of his own champagne. “That thing is so tiny I guess you can’t fit much more than a handful of cards in there anyway.”
“It’s not very practical,” she said with a dry look. “But with a billionaire to look after me, what else could I possibly need?”
“Women’s purses are a complete mystery to me. You’d just about get a pack of cigarettes in there and a lighter.”
“For your education, I have my cell phone in there, a house key, and a credit card for emergencies. So I’m not actually that reliant on you. And I gave up smoking years ago.”
“Didn’t we all?” He flicked her a warning glance as he spotted a particularly dull country club owner coming their way. “This would be a good time to mingle,” he muttered quickly. “Super dull dude approaching.”
She closed her eyes briefly to indicate she understood without actually saying anything and wisely didn’t even look over her shoulder before sashaying into the center of the room. He felt the loss of her company immediately, following the top of her red head bobbing through the crowd like a buoy on a choppy sea until she disappeared completely from view. He was irritated that Bob Dodge had sought him out so early in the evening. The man was prone to cling, bore, and dominate more than was polite or subtle, but business was business, and Bob’s chain of snobby resorts bought a lot of beer. In fact, Bob probably sank most of it.
“Fancy.” Bob Dodge jerked his beer glass in the direction Piper had headed. “About time you settled down with a nice young lady and gave the rest of the Passion Creek bachelors a chance.”
“Now, Bob, you know how it is.” Matt slapped the older man on the shoulder and a little beer slopped onto the floor. They both smiled and looked around guiltily to see if anyone had noticed them messing the place up. “Matt DeLeo is more than happy being a bachelor boy and there are no major changes on the horizon.”
“You sure about that?”
“I’m sure about that.”
“You see, it’s just that I’ve been watching the two of you since you came in and…and there’s something there this time, boy. Something there, you mark my words.”
He wanted to say something about it just being sex, but thought better of it. Piper deserved better than that even if it was the truth. “You need more beer, Bob, mark my words.”
Chapter Nine
Piper drew up to an elegant woman with platinum cropped hair looking at a canvas of red and yellow splatters. She spoke in a whisper. “Do you like it?”