Read Online Whisper Privileges by Dianne Venetta - Free Book Online Page B

her voice, a part
of her geared toward the carefree and fun. This was the part he
wanted to know more about. “You like to travel, I take it.”
    “I do. There are so many things I want to
see, places I want to visit and what better way than to combine
work and pleasure, right?”
    He grinned. “I couldn’t agree more. But one
can travel for pleasure alone, too.”
    “If they’re independently wealthy, sure.”
    Lunch landed between them, each receiving a
thick chunk of Mahi Mahi scored by the familiar dark line through
its flesh, a wedge of lemon, side of asparagus and small portion of
pasta. Pleased by the sight of it, he commended her choice.
    With a glance outdoors, Sydney picked up her
fork and changed subjects. “So what do you do for a living?”
    Nice one-eighty, he mused. Smooth and easy.
But why? Did she not enjoy discussing her private life? Or did he
make her uncomfortable? Satisfaction swelled in his chest. He hoped
it was the latter. “Family business. My family has been in textiles
for generations. It’s expected that we kids continue the business,
keep it in the family.”
    “What exactly do you do with the
textiles?”
    “Nothing. I work the numbers side.
Management,” he said, purposely vague.
    “Hm. Sounds interesting.”
    “Can be.”
    She stared at him. Where she could have
continued to probe, she switched subjects instead. “So when is your
son’s first event?”
    “Sunday morning,” he answered, intrigued by
her change in direction. Most women he met wanted more information
about his background, his job, but Sydney didn’t seem to care.
Desire surged warm and new. It was a refreshing change. “Why don’t
you stop by? If you’re not needed elsewhere, I mean.”
    “It’s possible.”
    He cut his first piece of fish and slid it
into his mouth. Light, flaky, near creamy in texture, it hit the
spot. “This is fresh fish.”
    “I’m glad you like it.”
    “Anyway, I know Q would enjoy talking to a
fellow athlete. Now that he’s swimming, he’s all about the
competition, his time, how he can improve. Some days I can barely
get him out of the water!”
    She smiled.
    Clay reached for his glass and added, “I’ll
enjoy talking to her as well.” He winked. “An athlete—who by the
way—looks fantastic today.” For the second day in a row, she was
dressed in a sleeveless tank and plain straight skirt cut above the
knee. Today’s color of choice was a shade lighter than her
skin.
    “Thank you.”
    Short, sweet, it was the perfunctory
response. She sliced off another chunk of fish and he thought if
attire were any indication, Sydney was a no-fuss kind of woman.
“That shade of tan really compliments the green of your eyes,” he
said. It complimented the lean muscular tone of her arms, too.
Outlined the broad cut of her chest and shoulders, hugged her
fat-free midsection.
    She cocked her head and finished chewing,
peering at him with a mix of pleasure and suspicion. She swallowed
and reached for her water. “You always this complimentary?”
    Clay reminded himself not to push too hard,
too soon and smiled, “When the situation warrants it, I am.” Women
liked to be noticed. They liked to know that men hadn’t missed
them. But Sydney was no ordinary breed of woman. She combined brawn
and beauty and from what he could tell—brains—and rolled them up
into one damn fine package. So fine, you couldn’t miss the
woman. Yet he believed she wanted to hear the words same as any
other. “I hope you don’t find this too forward of me, but you have
one of the nicest figures I’ve ever seen.”
    Her cheeks tinged pink, her lids shuttered
and her gaze dodged to the side.

Chapter Six
     
     
    Direct hit , he mused. Satisfied, he
watched as she sought shelter in her water. Actually, her body was
phenomenal, though he wasn’t about to push that flap open.
He wanted to reel this prize in slowly. “Somehow I managed to catch
sight of those amazing hits of yours. You're an