Read Online The Billionaire's Desire by Kate Lambert - Free Book Online

Chapter 1
    The plane had been in-air for roughly six hours when Ally Elizabeth woke, the colorful portfolio on the tray in front of her.
    I fell asleep…when did I fall asleep ? she thought.
    She yawned, stretched as much as she could without disturbing the people around her and gazed out the window of the 747, happy the airline had been able to accommodate her with the innermost seat, her favorite. It was dusk; she checked her watch and saw that they would be nearing the airport in about an hour, which gave her sufficient time to finish flipping through the portfolio of vibrant, tropical paintings, at least one of which she would hopefully return back to the States having acquired.
    “Hummm,” the woman sitting next to her murmured, a bleac hed-blonde about her age who was still napping, the weight of her hand steadying the Tattle-Tale magazine which sat closed on her lap.
    Ally glanced over at the sound and her eyes were drawn to the irresistibly attractive people on the cover. She craned her neck to read the headline.
    Gemme Hosts Party of the Season, Honors Local Artists, This Weekend in St. Tropez . The smaller subtitle queried: Is Fashion’s Most Eligible Bachelor Finally Tied Down? Catherine Federoff Dishes on her Budding Romance with Luc Jeneau . The photo was a candid shot taken from some party the two fashion powerhouses had attended together.
    The renowned waifish Russian beauty, a runway and editorial model as well as the long-time face of fashion house Gemme, Catherine Federoff was wearing a miniscule silver sequined dress to compliment her enormous, million-wattage smile. Her stick-thin arms draped around the shoulders of a dashing, sophisticated man in about his mid-30s, impeccable in a slim-fit tailored navy suit. He was tan, taut and his lips formed the faintest of smirks, as if he knew, in the moment the bulb of the camera had flashed, that this photo would appear in every gossip magazine the world over.
    Ally pursed her lips and refocused her attention on the paintings, but her gaze kept wandering to the man and woman on the cover.
    *
    Luc stood, bent against the ledge of his sea-view balcony, his eyes skimming over the expanse of blue-green water that stretched as far as the horizon. It was May, warm but not oppressively so, and he was comfortable in a simple white linen button-down. He swirled the crisp pear-flavored wine in his glass before taking another sip, savoring the delicate flavor.
    If there is one thing I have learned to do in these last few years, it is savor, is it not? Yet he had to chuckle at the thought that he was congratulating himself for taking it easy. He had never taken anything easy, had worked nonstop since he was 16, never stopping and no end to it in sight, though the manner of the labor had certainly become more refined since then.
    “Monsieur Jeneau – all arrangements are in readiness for the evening,” Gilles, his butler and sometimes confidante, announced.
    “Ah, Gilles, it seems no matter how many years pass, you can always creep up on me unawares. How do you do it?” His deep, rich voice was warm, laughing.
    The compact, wiry Frenchman in a plain but well-made black suit only betrayed a hint of a smile. “Monsieur, serving you is a lesson in discretion,” he replied before disappearing as abruptly as he’d materialized.
    Luc gave the glittering sea one last longing look before turning into his opulent chateau, through the ornate French doors that were kept flung open most of the time, allowing the salty sea air and the perfume from the ground’s formal gardens to waft into his bedchamber on the warm breezes of the Cȏte d’Azur.
    A black garment bag hung from a free-standing clothes rack near his walk-in closet. He unzipped it and scrutinized the contents with a critical eye.
    The cut is not so good as ours…still, I suppose the Valentino should suffice.
    He stripped off his white button-down, revealing perfectly chiseled abs that rippled as he moved about,