Chapter 1: An Accidental Meeting

Sharon was late for her meeting with her boss and in a hurry, so she leapt out of her taxi and ran across the pavement towards the Mayflower restaurant too intent to notice the man in an evening dress who got out of a parked car on the other side of the road and headed in the same direction.

They collided in the revolving door, each in such a hurry that they had not held back for the other to go first. They had not really seen each other but had glanced briefly at each other.

As they both collided in the revolving door, the door jammed with the both of them crushed together in one session.

Sharon looked up, her eyes a stormy green and met with black cold eyes that looked irritated.

'If you back out, that will free the door', a deep voice said to her.

'If you had had the courtesy to let me go first, this wouldn't have happened. Step back!' she snapped.

Sharon did not like his tone nor the fact that she had been forced too close to him. Not even the thinnest sheet could pass through them and this made her aware of just how powerfully built he was.

He was six feet of muscle and bone and his skin was smooth and tan with a face that could have been carved in granite.

'There is no need arguing about whose fault it is. The most important thing is for us to solve this problem so just wriggle backwards', he said.

'You could do the wriggling', she said furious that she was about a foot shorter and perhaps that was why he thought he could boss her around like some helpless female but he had another thought coming if that was what he imagined that she was.

He looked down into her angry green eyes and Sharon got furious. He reminded her of her ex fiance who had walked out on her close to the wedding and went ahead to marry another girl.

It had been five years since and Sharon had dated men but had not fallen in love like that again and would not even allow it. She guarded her heart well. She had been deeply hurt once and was never going to allow that happen to her again.

'Why can't you just swallow your pride and anger and back out since that is the easiest way of freeing the door?'

Without saying anything to him, she backed into a more suitable position that would help her wriggle out easily.

She had high heels on and since his foot was in the way, she felt her heels sink into his polished shoe and he reacted violently, taking a sharp breath and swearing under his breath.

'Sorry', she said as she met his glittering black eyes.

'You did that delibrately, didn't you?' he asked.

'Don't be ridiculous. Your foot was on the way. How was I to know you would put your foot on the way?'

He eyed her with great dislike. Then turning sideways, he began to slide past her,his body pressing against her, his arm brushing her breasts.

Despite herself, she felt a sharp needle of sexual awareness stab through her and she tensed in shock.

'Watch it!' she said knowing instinctively that he was delibrately forcing his intimacy on her in male revenge because she had not accepted to back out.

He looked down on her in a condescending manner and said still standing close to her, their bodies touching, 'Don't flatter yourself, this isn't giving me any thrill at all, I assure you!'

Sharon blushed angrily.'Oh, just get a move on will you? We are attracting a crowd'.

Inside the restaurant, there were people who were waiting to get out and outside, there were others waiting to get in and they were all giving them knowing smiles that got Sharon angry but she hid it as she smiled back at them shrugging.

The annoying man finally squeezed backwards and Sharon immediately pushed the revolving door to emerge in the restaurant apologizing to the people as she slid out of her jacket and handed it to the waiter.

'Is Mr. Stanford here?' she asked.

'Yes, he is in the bar, ma'am'.

She and her boss frequently dinned in this particular restaurant with their clients.

As she walked towards the bar, she saw the tall frame of the arrogant man reflected on the glass lining the wall, as he walked behind her.

She walked into the bar confident that she was looking her best in her white short gown that displayed her long legs to perfection and her dark auburn hair.

She looked around but could not find David. She hoped that he had not forgotten that he had asked her to dinner here tonight.

He had flown in from New York that morning and had not been to the office but had stayed home, resting after the trip.

He had always been punctual but the death of his wife had really affected him so much that he had buried himself in his work giving himself time for little else.

She felt that he wanted her to discuss some important business proposals and innovations or perhaps to introduce her to some clients and when he wishes to do any of those things, he talks to her pit of the office in a place he feels more relaxed and comfortable in.

She sat on one of the empty chairs to wait for him.

'What would you have ma'am? said a waiter that immediately came over.

'Just a glass of sparkling water', she said and crossed one slender, shapely leg over the other, her short gown ridding Up to her thigh and she had to stroke it down over her knee.

She glanced casually round the room and found herself looking into black eyes on the other side of the room. Eyes that had been watching her smoothing down her gown and coldly assessing her legs and coming up with an unimpressed expression on her figure and face.

She did not like getting stares like that. It made her feel that the person was considering her as an object and not a human and could even mean it as an insult and she was sure this man with the black eyes meant it as an insult considering what he had said to her when they had collided in the revolving door.

She gave him one of her coolest glacial states and he looked disinterestedly away, down on his gold wristwatch and frowning, got up.

Sharon stiffened, thinking for a moment that he was coming towards her but he went out of the bar without giving her another look and as he went, women watched him avidly.

She conceded that he had his points especially if you saw him in a good light.

She liked it all men especially those who walked that way and his tan was striking too and he probably stripped well, his body had interesting proportions,broad shoulders, slim hips and very long legs.

Catching herself, she grimaced.

'What am I doing thinking about him that way?' she thought to herself.

Men like him were nothing but disaster waiting to happen.

She had not had a man in her life for almost a year now, that was the trouble and no matter how hard she worked or the number of hours that she put in, she still felt blue at times.

But frustration and loneliness must be having a dire effect on her brain for her to look twice at that mannerless guy.

She consulted her watch.

'Where was David?'