Read Online Happy Mother's Day! by Sharon Kendrick - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Sharon Kendrick
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fountain pen and twirled it around between her perfectly manicured fingers like a mini-baton.
‘Won’t you sit down?’ she said coolly, watching as he spread his elegant frame in the chair and made it look as substantial as a piece of dolls’ house furniture. ‘And then we can discuss what you have in mind.’
He allowed himself the idle fantasy of telling her that what he really had in mind was to rip that horrible skirt from her body and to press his tongue into the little dip in the centre of her belly and to lick her there until she gasped with pleasure.
She stared at him with polite question in her eyes and reluctantly he dragged his thoughts away from the silken softness of her thighs to the infinitely more mundane subject of his recent takeover.
‘You remember that I said I was thinking of expanding further in England?’
Aisling nodded.
‘Well, the opportunity to do just that presented itself to me recently.’ He paused. ‘I’m in the process of buying a hotel and it’s all been very hush-hush. I would prefer you to say nothing until the official announcement is made.’
‘Oh?’ Concentrate on what he’s saying to you, and not on the high, proud slash of his cheekbones. ‘Which hotel?’
‘It’s the Vinoly,’ he said, seeing her blue eyes widen.
Aisling blinked. ‘You mean theVinoly in central London?’
‘I wasn’t aware there was more than one.’
‘Good heavens!’ she said faintly, putting the pen down on the desk. ‘It’s one of the city’s most famous landmarks!’ She blinked again. ‘In fact—it’s practically an
institution.’
‘But of course. That’s why I wanted it.’
Aisling gave a dry laugh. ‘Just like that?’
‘Why not? Acquisitions excite me.’
Something about the way he said it unsettled her. All successful businessmen were constantly seeking out the new. Like sharks, they were never still—the very best of them always looking out to make a killing, because you never stayed at the top by remaining stagnant.
Maybe that attitude had spilled over into his private life, too. Was that why he had never settled down with one woman—because he conducted his private life on a similar scale? Had she just been another, rather unexpected ‘acquisition'?
Angrily, she straightened the pen, so that it lay at a perfect right angle to the blotter.
This
was why people didn’t have affairs at work—because you started to think about everything in how it related to
you,
instead of how it related to the business!
‘Is something wrong, Aisling?’ he murmured.
‘Wrong? No. Why should anything be wrong?’
He shrugged, but, oh, he was enjoying this—watching Little Miss Prim try not to react to him and failing hopelessly. ‘You were
glaring.’
‘Was I?’ She shrugged right back and met his eyes defiantly. ‘Probably because I often glare when I concentrate.’
‘I see.’
Was he
laughing
at her? wondered Aisling furiously.
There was a knock on the door and Ginger brought in a tray of coffee. Aisling noted that, not only had she made a whole potful of the stuff, but she must have nipped out to the deli next door for some of their fancy biscuits.
‘What a lot of trouble you have gone to, Ginger,’ murmured Gianluca.
Had he deliberately exaggerated his accent to make the first syllable of her name rhyme with ‘jean'? wondered Aisling. And did Ginger really have to bat her eyelashes at him like some amateur vamp as she breathed out her breathless response?
‘Oh, it’s no trouble, Gianluca!’
Aisling wondered how he would have reacted if he had been given a mugful of the rather mediocre instant coffee which was what they
usually
drank, but she didn’t say anything. She waited until the door had closed behind her before picking up the pot and forcing her mind back to his hotel. ‘The Vinoly,’ she mused. ‘Second biggest hotel in London after the Granchester, and an architectural gem. I guess congratulations must be in order.’
His dark eyes
‘Won’t you sit down?’ she said coolly, watching as he spread his elegant frame in the chair and made it look as substantial as a piece of dolls’ house furniture. ‘And then we can discuss what you have in mind.’
He allowed himself the idle fantasy of telling her that what he really had in mind was to rip that horrible skirt from her body and to press his tongue into the little dip in the centre of her belly and to lick her there until she gasped with pleasure.
She stared at him with polite question in her eyes and reluctantly he dragged his thoughts away from the silken softness of her thighs to the infinitely more mundane subject of his recent takeover.
‘You remember that I said I was thinking of expanding further in England?’
Aisling nodded.
‘Well, the opportunity to do just that presented itself to me recently.’ He paused. ‘I’m in the process of buying a hotel and it’s all been very hush-hush. I would prefer you to say nothing until the official announcement is made.’
‘Oh?’ Concentrate on what he’s saying to you, and not on the high, proud slash of his cheekbones. ‘Which hotel?’
‘It’s the Vinoly,’ he said, seeing her blue eyes widen.
Aisling blinked. ‘You mean theVinoly in central London?’
‘I wasn’t aware there was more than one.’
‘Good heavens!’ she said faintly, putting the pen down on the desk. ‘It’s one of the city’s most famous landmarks!’ She blinked again. ‘In fact—it’s practically an
institution.’
‘But of course. That’s why I wanted it.’
Aisling gave a dry laugh. ‘Just like that?’
‘Why not? Acquisitions excite me.’
Something about the way he said it unsettled her. All successful businessmen were constantly seeking out the new. Like sharks, they were never still—the very best of them always looking out to make a killing, because you never stayed at the top by remaining stagnant.
Maybe that attitude had spilled over into his private life, too. Was that why he had never settled down with one woman—because he conducted his private life on a similar scale? Had she just been another, rather unexpected ‘acquisition'?
Angrily, she straightened the pen, so that it lay at a perfect right angle to the blotter.
This
was why people didn’t have affairs at work—because you started to think about everything in how it related to
you,
instead of how it related to the business!
‘Is something wrong, Aisling?’ he murmured.
‘Wrong? No. Why should anything be wrong?’
He shrugged, but, oh, he was enjoying this—watching Little Miss Prim try not to react to him and failing hopelessly. ‘You were
glaring.’
‘Was I?’ She shrugged right back and met his eyes defiantly. ‘Probably because I often glare when I concentrate.’
‘I see.’
Was he
laughing
at her? wondered Aisling furiously.
There was a knock on the door and Ginger brought in a tray of coffee. Aisling noted that, not only had she made a whole potful of the stuff, but she must have nipped out to the deli next door for some of their fancy biscuits.
‘What a lot of trouble you have gone to, Ginger,’ murmured Gianluca.
Had he deliberately exaggerated his accent to make the first syllable of her name rhyme with ‘jean'? wondered Aisling. And did Ginger really have to bat her eyelashes at him like some amateur vamp as she breathed out her breathless response?
‘Oh, it’s no trouble, Gianluca!’
Aisling wondered how he would have reacted if he had been given a mugful of the rather mediocre instant coffee which was what they
usually
drank, but she didn’t say anything. She waited until the door had closed behind her before picking up the pot and forcing her mind back to his hotel. ‘The Vinoly,’ she mused. ‘Second biggest hotel in London after the Granchester, and an architectural gem. I guess congratulations must be in order.’
His dark eyes
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