Read Online Heart Matters by tani shane - Free Book Online Page B

door
behind her.
    The interiors of the office were
breathtaking. Done up entirely in black and white, it spoke volumes
about the person behind it. Practical. No shades of gray. Yes or
No. No maybes. She was impressed. At least he wouldn’t lead her on
false hopes.
    Her shoes clicked smartly on the patterned,
white tiles and she noticed Steven didn’t seem to be around. The
office was massive. It held apart from his working desk and the
usual visitors chairs, a more informal seating arrangement in one
corner, a well equipped bar complete with two stools, a home
theatre system and two doors to unknown destinations.
    His desk was free of clutter apart from a
computer and phone. Behind it, large windows allowed filtered
sunlight to light the interiors through partially drawn venetian
blinds. The windowsill held several indoor potted plants that lent
relief to the otherwise serious interiors. She waited around
patiently for a while then out of sheer boredom dumped her purse
and the file she was carrying on one of the visitors chairs and
went closer to admire the potted plants.
    She smiled at the fragile greens, stooping
slightly towards them. “You like plants?” his voice unexpectedly
sounded so close behind her that she spun around startled. He
reached out a hand to steady her and smiled. “I’m sorry. I didn’t
mean to startle you.”
    Jessica managed a weak smile between the
deep breaths she was taking to steady her racing heart. He had
released her arm but her skin continued burn under the soft
material of her clothes. “I...was just admiring the plants. They’re
lovely.”
    He looked past her at them as though seeing
them for the first time and gave a slight nod. “My secretary takes
good care of them. She says they make the place look alive.”
    “They do,” she agreed, raising her eyes to
smile at him. Her heart jumped as she did so for nothing had
prepared her for the impact of the deep blue irises in broad
daylight. What shook her even more was the look they held. She
wasn’t exactly naïve to not recognize desire and it made her
fluster uncomfortably. The look left his eyes so abruptly that she
wondered if she had imagined it. Now they were etched with their
usual cynicism.
    “You blush beautifully,” he remarked, moving
away to seat himself on his chair. He motioned her to take the
visitor’s and said quite openly, “I’m sorry if I embarrassed you,
Jessica, I couldn’t help myself. You are a very attractive
woman.”
    So she had been right! Jessica’s
cheeks burned more furiously than ever. It wasn’t as if she was not
used to receiving compliments but coming from him made her feel
like a teenager receiving her first bout of flattery. She pulled
herself together roughly and smiled disarmingly just as the blush
was reaching the tip of her nose.
    His eyes narrowed over her but he suddenly
looked away to boot his computer. “Now, shall we get down to
business?”
    Jessica had gained control of her senses by
now as she leaned forward to place her file on his desk. She
briefed him about her proposal and then answered his questions
efficiently. After thirty minutes of discussion, he finally opened
the file to browse through. When he had finished, his blue gaze
rested on her once again. “Interesting facts. I like it.”
    A rush of pure happiness swept over her but
she chose to remain calm. “So are you genuinely interested in a
partnership deal with ‘Jess-C Creations’?”
    “Genuinely,” he repeated, smiling cynically,
“I like the way you put it. Yes, I am certainly interested.” He
paused watching her closely. “As you are aware Jessica, I run a
large empire and have a stake in various fields. Now I wish to
expand into the fashion industry. I want a well-established name
and yours fits the bill. I’ve seen your work. It’s got your mark on
it.”
    “I beg your pardon?” she asked a trifle
confused.
    “Your designs Jessica, they speak volumes
about your style. Defiant, bold and yet