Page 3 of Stronger Than Fate

“May I join you, then?”

“I was just leaving,” I replied.

I was used to men approaching me trying to “chat,” because when they often saw me alone at the bar, they assumed I was a woman looking for a romantic adventure. That attitude annoyed me tremendously, so I always responded rudely and left quickly. In this case, I must admit that this man had made me consider the possibility of staying a bit longer, but I wasn't the type to hook up with strangers, no matter how handsome and irresistible they might be.

“So early?” he asked.

“It's not that early when you have to get up at dawn.”

“Forgive me for not introducing myself. My name is Henry Woollard.”

“Pleased to meet you, I'm Dalina Dukart,” I responded.

“Are you staying at this hotel?” he asked, sitting on the stool next to mine.

“Yes,” was my brief response. I wasn't about to tell him I was the owner and lived here—that information I didn't share with strangers.

The entire time his eyes were fixed on mine, only looking away when his gaze dropped to my lips. I was sure no one had ever looked at me the way this man did; he looked at me as if Iwere the most exquisite delicacy placed before his eyes, and that had made me nervous.

“You?” I asked.

“No, I just came for the marketing and development conference that was held in one of this hotel's meeting rooms, and then decided to stop by here for a drink. I'm glad I did,” he stated, looking at me with that captivating gaze.

I had forgotten that one of the rooms was rented for that event today. I knew that more than 200 people had attended, and at that moment I understood why there was so much noise in the hotel that night. I had been invited as a speaker because I was quite well-known as a professional in the field and because I had presented on these topics on several occasions, but I had to decline the invitation because I knew that, leaving the next day, I would have a lot of work to finish and little time to do it.

“Is that what you do?” I asked, just to say something.

“No, I’m a lawyer, but I run my company and in these matters you always have to stay up to date, plus I was invited.”

“It’s always good to stay updated,” I said, and I stood up to leave. “Well, it was nice meeting you,Henry Woollardy.”

He surprised me by taking my arm and looking at me intensely. The powerful magnetism stunned me, and I think something similar happened to him because he looked at me with confusion.

“Stay a little longer. Give us the chance to get to know each other,” he asked, and his beautiful, penetrating eyes made my heart beat at a dizzying pace.

“I can’t,” I said, hesitantly, “tomorrow I have to be at the airport very early.”

“You can make an effort,” he stated, and I nearly melted right there from the pleading tone he used.

“Is everything okay over here, Dalina?” Billy interrupted, standing in front of us but behind the bar.

“Everything’s fine, Billy. I was talking with Mr. Woollardy about the conference that was held today in one of the hotel’s rooms,” I said immediately, because Billy was looking at him with a murderous face.

Henry Woollardy was also looking at him seriously, but he didn’t release my arm.

“Let me know if you need anything, I’ll be watching,” Billy said, looking at the hand that was closed around my arm, and he withdrew, but not before giving Henry a warning look.

“Who is he?” he asked, when Billy was far enough away.

“He’s a friend,” I replied, surprised by the seriousness in his voice.

“I see,” he said, rising from his stool and looking at me with an accusing gaze. “You could have told me and we would have saved ourselves this awkward moment.”

“What?” was all I could say; it was obvious that this man was thinking there was some kind of romantic relationship between Billy and me.

“Enjoy your time with your ‘friend,’” he said with irony, turned, and left.

I stood watching him, completely surprised by his comment and absorbed in his image. His walk was elegant and confident, and he radiated sensuality and masculinity. He was dressed in a blue suit, white shirt, and a tie in shades of blue and white, and everything looked spectacular on him. As I watched him walk away, for a few minutes I felt a melancholy that disturbed me. He didn’t even look back, he walked out of the bar with firmsteps and I lost sight of him. When I emerged from the confusion I had been left in, I turned and looked at Billy who was watching me from the other end of the bar. I raised my arm to say goodbye and he responded.