Read Online Outrageous Proposal (A British Bad Boy Romance) by Sienna Valentine - Free Book Online Page B

access? Judging by the suit, he was trying harder than he needed to as half the women on the patio were still staring at him with lustful, hungry eyes. He could turn around, gesture, and have a trail of them follow him home like the Pied Piper of Bali. What was going on?
    “Clarice?” said Harrison. “Would you do me the honor?” He held a hand out to her. “I promise I’ll have you returned in time to enjoy your dinner.”
    Knowing the girls would never let her live it down if she didn’t take a risk, Clarice took a deep breath and nodded. “Sure, yeah, of course.” She took his hand and he helped her out of the seat, making Sophie coo to herself.
    “Ladies, we’ll return,” said Harrison to the table with a wink and a wave. As she lingered behind him, Clarice turned back to look at the girls, all of them gave her excited, silent cheers with some obscene gestures to top it all off. Clarice shook her head with a quiet laugh.
    With her arm tucked in Harrison’s elbow just as before, he led her down the patio steps and out onto the open, private beach, one of the many shores owned by the resort. Despite the late hour, the beach still had quite a few visitors who were enjoying the eternally warm waters of the south Pacific, taking refreshing nighttime jogs in the cooler air, or doing some stargazing in the big bright sky. Clarice stopped once to remove her sandals and enjoy the feel of the soft sand under her feet as she walked alongside Harrison.
    “So, what’s this all about?” she asked, after a few moments of quiet walking.
    “I’ve been thinking about you,” said Harrison. “Ever since I left you at the lifts this afternoon, I decided I wanted to come find you and ease my longing.” He glanced over at her with a serious, lustful look that made Clarice’s legs weak.
    But her brain was still very much in denial mode, far too uncomfortable to simply sink into this fantasy world without trying to find the catch. Harrison was not the first charming man she had met. Working in New York, in the publishing industry, she knew damn well that attractive, charming, especially rich men frequently seemed a lot more innocent and sweet than they were. “I’ve got to think you have your veritable pick of willing women, owning a place like this.”
    “Are you suggesting you’re not worth thinking about?” said Harrison with a little half-smile.
    “Well, no…”
    “I would certainly disagree.”
    She sighed. “I don’t mean to be such a party pooper. I just haven’t found my groove here yet, is all. I’m trying not to disappoint my friends; they worked hard to get us here.”
    “You haven’t found your groove yet ,” said Harrison. “And, actually, that’s what I’m here to discuss with you. I had the feeling when we met earlier that you were not quite ‘in the zone’, as you Americans are so fond of saying.”
    “No one says that anymore.”
    “Really? I need to find time to watch more telly, I’m losing my edge.”
    “What is it you want to discuss?” said Clarice, her interest piqued.
    Harrison stopped walking and stood in front of her with a serious look on his face. The high moonlight reflecting off the calm low tide sent waves of light across his skin. “I have a very specific job I need done, and I’m wondering if you want to be the one to do it.”
    Clarice frowned, it wasn’t at all what she expected to hear. “Job? What job?”
    Harrison stared at her, and she could see the bobbing of his Adam’s apple as he swallowed hard and took a breath. Then he dug into the pocket of his trousers and came out with a velvet ring box.
    He cracked open the box and displayed the biggest, shiniest diamond ring Clarice had ever seen in person.
    “Clarice, will you marry me?”

7
    Harrison
    H arrison held his breath , watching Clarice absorb the information he had just given her. She stared at the ring like it had hypnotized her, which he took for a good sign, until she finally looked up at him with