Page 109 of Perfume Girl

I’d given myself over to him so many times…and all those seductive moments had led to this…

“Give us the missing piece,” said Penelope.

No, this isn’t what you think it is…

I couldn’t help but feel that Astor and his sister had set me up. One word from me and I would lose everything.

“I’m intrigued to hear what you think.” Astor reached for the folder and brought it over to me.

“Have her smell it,” snapped Penelope.

“It’s here?” I swallowed my trepidation. “The bottle is in this room?”

Astor flipped open the folder.

My gaze rose to meet his as my body stiffened in response to his formality. His serious stance told me that whatever we had been—or what I’d thought we were—was now over.

“Ms. Wren,” he said quietly, “please share your thoughts on the formula. Let’s see it finished.”

ILOVED HER.

Quite simply, I had fallen for this woman and I believed now more than ever that I could trust her. The ghosts of my past were dissipating, my hope rising and those old doubts lifting…setting me free.

Sheset me free.

Raquel strolled into my office, wafting the scent of roses overlaid with my cologne, which had rubbed off on her, and beyond those tones I detected the delectable aroma of our combined chemistry.

Not that long ago I had knelt at her feet and lavished affection between her thighs, worshiping her while savoring her moans. In that moment she had become mine…in that moment nothing else had mattered because she was with me again.

I’d savaged her pussy possessively after seeing Damien in my parking lot. He’d upset her, which meant he still affected her, and that had twisted my jealousy into a quiet rage. Those raw emotions had merged into a desire to comfort her, spoil and soothe her, and—more than anything—fuck her.

Standing on the other side of my desk, Raquel had transformed herself from a passionate lover to a professional chemist. Her lab coat and serious expression reminded me that she was a talented employee and deserved respect.

And yet she was much more than that to me. I could still taste her…this woman was quite literally absorbed into my senses.

“Have a seat?” I gestured to the chair opposite.

Raquel didn’t move and our eyes locked on each other, tension bouncing between us. She was complicated but I didn’t mind that about her. The woman was an enigma, and I’d felt drawn to her bravery.

Penelope burst through the door in a cloud of fake business acumen and superiority. “Am I late?” She pushed herself up to sit on the edge of my desk.

I ignored her arrogance and once again focused on Raquel.

“We can’t wait to hear your take, Raquel,” said Penelope. “We need to get this to market.”

I pushed to my feet and rounded the desk, approaching Raquel. Maybe it was Penelope’s overwhelming presence that had thrown her.

I was just about to warn Raquel my sister was joining us for our meeting when she had burst in unannounced. Still, since Penelope had discovered this scent in its current form, I had honored her right to be here for the completion of the formula.

I found this process stimulating and intriguing, trying to imagine all the possibilities I couldn’t yet see. This formula I hadn’t been able to crack so far because no matter how much I tweaked or added or removed the ingredients, I couldn’t decipher its originality…its destination felt out of reach. Yet something told me Raquel could unravel the elements which evaded me. This mysterious scent in a way reminded me of her.

I ran my palm up Raquel’s arm to comfort her. “Show her how talented you are.”

Raquel swallowed hard. “I’ll try.”

I squeezed her arm reassuringly. “Just look at the ingredients and tell me what you think we can add.” I pulled back to read her expression. “Raquel?”

“Give us the missing piece,” Penelope piped up.