What if she took Betty's advice—?Scott hated that thought. "Damn," he muttered, not liking what was rattling around inside him. Where was the guy who focused purely on business? The guy who barely noticed a woman unless she was stretched out naked on a bed?Perhaps that was it. He needed a woman. Sex, he named it. A long night of seething hot passion with the kind of woman who could appreciate what he could do for her without expecting the whole heavy emotional bit by return. He was not possessive. He was not even mildly demonstrative like Vivian had dared to suggest. If he touched her like she said he did, it was done with attention to polite good manners and respect. She was the one who’d misread the signals.Okay maybe that was a lie, but he wasn't excessively obvious about it as she claimed. —---------Senator Adams Griffin was at first stunned by Scott's decision to pull out of negotiations, then he grew increasingly more angry by Vivian's apologetic inability to give him answ
Vivian opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn't find the right words so she closed it again. Scott shook his head." Yeah, that's what I thought.""Scott, you don't understand." "I think I do, Vivian. Just forget it." The car stopped and Vivian looked out the window. They were already at the cheesecake shop. She returned her gaze to Scott, but he wouldn't even look at her and she felt very bad. "Thanks for the ride." she said. "Good night." "Good night, Vivian." Vivian got out of the car and hurried into the shop, feeling even worse than she felt in the morning. Scott watched her as she walked away. Damn her, he thought. Damn her for making him feel this way and putting him in this constant state of confusion. Then he withdrew his phone and canceled his date with Olivia. —-------Jennifer Bennet stood in the foyer and stared at the front door as the ring of the doorbell echoed through her house.Seven o’clock. Right on the dot, she thought and rolled her eyes. It was time to
“I should be annoyed with both of you,” Janet Harper said, her smile erasing the reproach from her words. Leaning forward, she dropped her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “But the two of you outing yourselves as a couple tonight has made my little dinner party the social event of the season.”Jennifer smiled, glancing up at Scott, “I told Scott he should at least give you some warning of who his plus one would be, but…” She tipped her head to the side and murmured, “The rumors are true about that stubborn nature of his.”“I find myself giving in to you way too often, though. My reputation might not survive it,” Scott replied, playing along. He squeezed her neck and brought her closer, brushing his lips over the side of her head.“Well, damn.” Janet said to her husband in an amused whisper. “Honey, I need you to take notes.”Beside Janet, her husband snorted lightly. “We’ve been married thirty-two years, darling. My hand is cramped.”Jennifer's laughter drew more gazes in their dire
Groaning, Jennifer turned from the mirror. It would’ve been so easy to stay in bed today and burrow under the covers. Just pretend that this wasn't happening. After all, that was her forte lately. Pretend to be in a relationship. Pretend to be in love with Scott McCall. Pretend she hadn’t just thrown all common sense and family loyalty out the window. She thought about what Emily had told her. Was she really telling the truth? Did Bruce really have some kind of history with Scott's sister? With a sigh, she glanced at the clock on her bedside table. Well, no time for breakfast, and she could grab coffee at the office. If traffic cooperated, she would just make her nine o’clock meeting with the event planners for Bennet Inc's huge annual holiday party.She took a quick shower and got dresses. Grabbing her coat and purse, she descended the steps, her mind already locked on the multiplying items on her to-do list today.“Jennifer.” a voice called. She halted at the front door, shooting
For the second time in the space of minutes, shock robbed Jennifer of speech. Icy fingers of astonishment and dread trailed down her spine.Bruce cocked his head to the side. “You believed I didn’t know about your little company all this time? Nothing gets by me. And as long as you were discreet, I didn’t see the harm in letting you dabble in business. It didn’t interfere with your responsibilities to this family. But now, your actions are jeopardizing us. If you don’t end it with Scott, I’ll ruin every business that has received money from you. And with my name and reputation, you know I could do it with just a whisper. Now, while you take some time to make your decision about who you’re giving your loyalty to, I’m going to insist you step back from your job at Bennet Inc. I’ve already asked Emily to take over some of your duties for the next few weeks. Consider it a leave of absence while you choose between a man you barely know and your family.”With that parting shot, he exited th
She hoped she didn't look horrible standing so close to him. Dressed in a dusky-lilac shift dress and a black satin jacket, with a lot of long legs showing and her ankles elevated by the four-inch heels on her shoes. Annoying and juvenile… those words began to ring in her head once again. Was he on his way to meet a woman? Was she tall and blonde and heart-stoppingly beautiful and screamingly intelligent and sophisticated? Just like the woman she'd seen with him the first day they met. Was he planning to bring her back to his place to make wildly passionate love with her while she went home to lay alone in her bed and— "Where—?" Her small chin jerked up and their eyes clashed; tiny prickles of attraction attacked her flesh."Excuse me?" she murmured blankly."I was asking where you are going for dinner," Scott enlightened dryly. "Oh. I don’t know," Vivian let slip before she could think about it, watched his eyebrows arch, felt a deep inner niggle at the slip. "I am meeting someon
"Was insensitive, then," he altered, the chiseled line of his jaw clenching. "But it does not change the fact that your so-called date has either stood you up or is only too happy to leave you to stand around here like a fool!" "And that is your sensitive side talking?" So close to tears now, she had to push a hand up between them so she could cover her trembling mouth.A soft curse rattled from him. "I will take you to dinner," he offered, sounding so driven to say it that Vivian almost snapped the hand up higher to slap his face!But she didn’t because it would be annoying and juvenile of her to do it! "I can provide my own dinner," she told him stiffly."And you already have a date." "I did have a date until—" Scott stopped, compressing his lips, then dealt her a glinting glimmer of a look "—until I was stood up too," he finished dryly."You—?" It was like discovering he had a chink in his impenetrable Armour. Vivian was so intrigued by the phenomenon she stopped fighting his grip
"I have a sweet tooth." said Vivian. "Among other things," Scott murmured oddly.About to ask him what he meant by that— "Do you want coffee?" he got in before her."And spoil the taste of the wine? Thanks, no," she refused."Then if you’ve finished do you mind if we leave now?" he asked. "Oh…" Vivian tensed, her slender spine arching up on the sudden realization that she’d talked his socks off all the way through the meal! It was no wonder he was wearing that blank expression on his face. "I had lost track of how long we have been here…" "And the restaurant has emptied," Scott pointed out dryly. "We’re the last ones here…" Flickering a surprised glance around the empty tables she noticed the restaurant staff standing around, trying hard not to look impatient for them to leave. "Why didn’t you say something sooner?" she whispered from the depths of a sinking embarrassment."You were enjoying your meal. There was no need to rush." With the merest glance in the waiter’s direction h