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"You heard what I said." He took a step, closing the gap between us again. He turned and I turned too, unable to look away from his eyes, pulling me in like a pair of steel-grey whirlpools. "Spend the day with me." He leaned into me, pressing me against the wall so tightly that if he pressed any further I might just fall backwards and plunge to my death.
"I have to get back to work." My breath hitched as I spoke and I cursed myself for it. It gave me away. He paused at my words as if he didn't quite understand them.
"You're refusing me?" He was so close that if I pushed up on my toes I'd be able to kiss him.
"Does that surprise you?"
He was too close. My head swam. I placed my hands on the wall behind me, needing as much distance as I could get. My hair caught in the spring breeze as I gazed up at him, waiting to see what this mercurial man would do next.
"Yes. Why are you refusing me?" He was confused. In fact, I think he was dumbfounded. I laughed out loud, I couldn't help it.
"Why don't you ask instead why Ishouldspend the day with you? Excluding reasons like your wealth and good looks." I eyed him, wondering how he would respond. I was painfully aware of his body so close to mine and I did my best to ignore it.
"Do you think that's all I am?" His eyes searched mine.
"Doyou?"
"Do you always answer a question with a question?"
"Doyou?" I shot back.
He let out an exasperated sigh. I was working him up. That was good. I was glad I wasn't the only one feeling affected.
His brows knitted as he thought. Looking at everything he was, at everything he had, I wondered if this was the first time he’d had to work for a woman’s attention.
"You should spend the day with me because I'm curious about you."Curious.He, Mr Tell, Mr Billionaire Business Suit, was curious about me? I was tempted to cave but no. He'd probably pulled this with a thousand girls and I didn't want tobe the latest. This man had playboy written all over him and just because he had me weak at the knees didn't mean I was going to fall.
"That's a good answer, Mr Tell, but I really do need to get back to work." I sounded more confident than I felt.
He leaned in, placing his mouth a breath from mine. "How about I take you to Paris?"
My knees almost buckled.Almost."How about you take me to my car?"
He paused again, straightened, and was silent for one very long moment. "You are very unusual."
"Thank you. Now, I really do need to go." He'd trapped me so close to the wall that I couldn't leave unless he let me, so I just stood there, waiting in limbo while he decided what to do with me. After several long moments, he relented and stepped back.
Without a word, I slipped past him and walked on unsteady legs to retrieve my bag and folder from the table.
He followed me into the stairwell and we descended into darkness where I was immediately aware of his close proximity.
I made it down the stairs but when I reached for the door, his hand got there first and held it shut. I turned and found myself boxed in, the darkness closed in around us.
He trailed his thumb along my lower lip and I struggled to maintain my equilibrium.
"Do you have any idea what I could do with this smart mouth?" He leaned in, an inch away from my lips. My palms were sweating, my skin was flushed, and my lips felt swollen from his light touch.
"Stay with me, O'Connell." He was so close. My body cried out for him with a passion that frightened me. I didn't even like this man, but I wanted him.
“Mr Tell,” I breathed. The scent of him was intoxicating and my head swam at his proximity. But there was an urge to runtoo. I lifted my chin and found his gaze in the dark. "What the hell kind of girl do you take me for?" I saw shock in his eyes and used the opportunity to shove him away from me. I wrenched open the door and made a run for it.
The man was insane.
My heart beat an anvil in my chest and part of me was desperate to turn around and sate myself with him, but a much bigger part was furious that he'd had the nerve to treat me like that.
Who did he think he was?
"Miss O'Connell," he called after me, but I was way ahead of him, my sister’s ill-fitting shoes not holding me back for a moment.