immaculate smile.
He was breathtakingly beautiful with his blonde hair stylishly
tousled and brushed forward, perfectly accentuating his deep-blue
eyes. Garret looked more like a model than a businessman in his black
Armani suit.
He
offered me his hand as I came down the last step, and I was honestly
afraid to take it, but I knew better than to refuse. I hated being
touched, even worse now, because I knew that as soon as my skin
touched Garret's, I would blush as red as the dress I was wearing.
Nothing would be able to stop it.
“ My
lady,” he said as I descended from the final step and made the
fatal mistake of looking him in the eye. Here it comes, I thought,
and I instantly averted his gaze, feeling the warmth flush my cheeks.
I could only hope that the makeup would hide it.
“ That
was a very generous offer, Mr. Fabel. I'm sure the American Cancer
Society is very appreciative of it,” I tried to sound as
genuine as possible.
“ Thank
you, Mrs. Harrison.”
“ It's
Miss Harrison,” I corrected him quickly, then felt my cheeks
might burst into flames because of.
“ Miss
Harrison.” Garret smiled warmly. “Both of my parents died
of cancer, so I think it's the perfect cause for my support.”
“ So
did mine,” I replied, digesting this new knowledge about him.
“ Shall
we.” He ushered me into the crowd.
It
was ten times scarier mingling with the wealthy people than it was
standing up on that stage for display. Naturally, Garret did all the
talking while I stood aside, giving brief answers when I was asked
questions and smiling the rest of the time. No one was interested in
me anyway. It was all about him.
Finally,
it was time to depart for wherever he planned to tolerate my company
for the rest of the evening. We climbed into the back of a white
stretch limo, and I felt my heart racing once more at the prospect of
being alone with him. Soon, the doors were closed behind us, and I
was trapped with impossibly beautiful Garret Fabel.
“ Well,
that wasn't much fun for you, now was it?” he asked as the limo
began driving towards our destination.
I
felt suddenly sick by the wide array of things that question could
imply. “Why would you think that?”
“ Because
it wasn't much fun for me.” He smiled, looking down at the
floor. “I'm not usually one for such formal events, but I can't
pass up charity.”
“ You
seemed a natural at it.” I did my best not to sound like I was
kissing too much ass.
“ When
you go to enough of them, it becomes second nature to know how to
act. So, you work for a PR company?”
I
had forgotten they mentioned the company I worked for during the
auction. “Yes, we specialize in local celebrities.”
“ It
must be interesting talking to so many important people.”
“ I
don't think that being a celebrity makes someone important.”
Garret
laughed at this, and I instantly felt bad for saying it, though I had
no idea why.
“ So,
where are we going?” I asked.
“ The
Tower of the Americas,” he replied, looking out the window.
I
cringed at this. There weren't many things I was afraid of, but
heights was one of them. “Listen, I know that you just bid on
me because of the charity. It's not necessary for you to take me out
to dinner. We can—“
“ I
want to take you out the dinner,” he cut me off, giving me a
look that suggested I had hurt his feelings somehow.
“ I'm
not hungry. It would be a waste of money,” I insisted. It
wasn't a lie. My nerves were too unsettled to eat in his presence.
“ You
really didn't want to do this, did you?” Garret smiled slyly,
and I couldn't help but blush. He had such a beautiful smile.
“ No,”
I replied quietly, averting his eyes.
“ I
generally like getting what I paid for, Miss Harrison.” There
was a strange sternness to his tone.
“ I'm
afraid of heights,” I muttered.
A
short laugh escaped Garret's lips before he pressed a button on the
wall to call up to the driver. “Change of plans. We're
Anne Marsh
Con Coughlin
Fabricio Simoes
James Hilton
Rose Christo
W.E.B. Griffin
Jeffrey Thomas
Andrew Klavan
Jilly Cooper
Alys Clare