Breathless Series - (2 page)

“It was a pleasure meeting you, Ms. Fox.
And your lovely sister. We’ll leave you to enjoy your evening,” he said, that deep voice of his doing things to the insides of Alyssa’s belly.

She hoped she hid her disappointment well. Of course it was all about business. What did she expect? He had a freaking bombshell on his arm; he could be with any woman he wanted, Alyssa knew. She must have been insane to imagine he’d feel anything like the instant, grinding lust she felt rippling through her core for him.

Alyssa caught sight of him many times as the night progressed. Pam had proven a perfect escort and stuck to Alyssa’s side all evening, giving the needed support in the frankly overwhelming event. The music, the wine and food plus the many known faces made the night memorable but far more remarkable was the moment when Alyssa had felt Lucas Edge’s hand enclose hers; when he’d looked into her eyes and said the first words which she could now only recall as the feelings it gave her. It was so whacky, just like out of one of her novels but it was true. He looked like the ultimate romantic hero and he’d even felt like one, standing close and making the air around her suddenly tight with agonizing awareness.

No matter how much she wished it, they never got to meet or speak again the entire evening. Other people came around to make her acquaintance; she even found she had fans in a few Hollywood stars as well. One recently Oscar-nominated female lead had hinted that she’d love to play the heroine in Alyssa’s latest book if it got adapted for the big screen. Alyssa had been flattered especially since
such talks had been bounced around by her agent and a motion picture studio or two. With Janice never far away, Alyssa was able to make a few vital contacts so all things considered it wasn’t a wasted evening at all. Pam had a whale of a time and said her friends would be green with envy when the photos came out in some entertainment column of Pam partying with the cream of Hollywood.

Alyssa couldn’t make up her mind if it was the happiest day of her life or the saddest ever.

*

It just didn’t seem right. She’d always believed that if she’d ever meet her soul mate, he’d know at the exact moment like she did that they were meant to be. But with Lucas Edge, there’d been nothing. A charming smile, a tilt of his head and a firm handshake that had been merely impersonal to him, but tingling and
earth-tilting for her.

Over the next few days, Alyssa berated herself for her foolishness. Thankfully, her Lucas Edge crush ended soon after that night. She put it down to the circumstances surrounding her sex life, which at present was non-existent. It had been months since she’d had sex. That was pathetic enough for an adult, sensually aware female, but for an author of steamy romance, it was downright criminal. She had to do something and fast.
But what? She wasn’t a fan of flings or a seedy one-night stand.

To make matters worse, she still hadn’t written above two pages in the last few days. Each time she tried, all she could see was a certain darkly handsome face, with eyes such a cool grey yet so full of the promise of flames. He stole into her thoughts so many times during the day and even at night, in her
dreams, he teased her with his unattainability. Was she out of her mind wishing a man like him could be hers?

It was almost a week after they met that she received the call.

*

Alyssa couldn’t say if she was breathing when she arrived at his front door.

Barely half an hour ago, a limousine had picked her up from her place to make her appointment with the billionaire, Lucas Edge.

It was only yesterday her phone had rung and his unmistakable voice had come on the line. Silly twat as she was, half of his words had jumbled up in her suddenly fevered brain.
Luke
. In her mind, he was always Luke. In her fantasies, when he touched her, drilled her deep, she moaned his name over and over.
Luke, oh Luke. Take me. I surrender
.

Luckily, she was still able to make some sense of what was spoken.
A special invitation to dine privately at his home. They never really had the chance to talk at the awards party, he said. There was so much more they had to discuss.

“The publishing contract, Mr. Edge?” Alyssa had asked, surprised her words came out so normally. Inside, she was a roiling storm.

She heard his light, low chuckle. “It’s not the main purpose on my agenda, but yes, the contract. I’m now a publisher so by all means, we’ll touch on the matter of you providing some of your very captivating material for my firm to publish.”

Alyssa chewed hard on her bottom lip. “Then shouldn’t you be talking to my agent, Janice?”

There was a slight pause. “Ms. Fox, I understand your wish to be cautious. After all, we only just met last week, very briefly. I got myself introduced to you on some pretext of a publishing contract. And tonight, I’m inviting you to my home, presumably to spend the evening dining and talking about the possible issuing of your next bestseller. However, something tells me we’ll find other means to pass the time than just business. I hope you’ll agree?”

Alyssa drew in an inaudible, ragged breath. “I was under the belief that you are truly interested in my work, Mr. Edge. Now I’m not sure what to think.”

“Trust me, I’m very interested in your work, but not entirely in the way you’d expect,” he told her ironically, and she could almost hear the smile in his voice.

Alyssa closed her eyes, seeing his face and willing her heart rate to return to normal. He wanted to see her again. She wasn’t sure why, but it definitely wasn’t all about business. He was up to something, and she had to find out what. The sensible part of her told her it was some kind of trap. What would Lucas Edge want with her? He’d shown no undue interest that first night they’d met. He’d been of utmost politeness, his charming smile naturally courteous. Nothing more.

So, after sharing barely five sentences with her, he wanted them to meet again but his time without a crowd to observe the proceedings. This would be a private encounter, secret. If he wasn’t up to something, then why go to all this trouble?

He went on lightly, “I would like to send my limo for you. Seven sharp. My private chef assures me he will outdo himself on this occasion and it would be a shame if you said no.”

Alyssa knew she should say no. She didn’t know a thing about Lucas Edge apart from what she’d dug up from the internet after their meeting. He was a self-made billionaire, age thirty-five and unmarried. He’d made his name in the business world as ruthless opponent when it came to his rivals. And as for his personal life, he was no saint there either. It wasn’t so much that he had a playboy status, but he certainly did break a lot of hearts.

Only six months ago he
was engaged to be married. It didn’t work out and since then, he’d been seen with a number of different women on his arm. It was said he had a long-time mistress; one of those cougar-type women he’d met when he was in his twenties and starting out in the corporate world.

Alyssa didn’t know what to believe but she did know how it had felt when she’d set eyes on him and when they’d met face to face. She now put it down to just being fanciful. Her lurching attraction to him had just been a passing thing and she’d be an idiot to try to see where anything would lead.

When she didn’t reply, he added, “I’ll send Vernon for you at seven.”

The line went dead and Alyssa dumped the phone, her mind filled with confusion. She was a grown woman; she’d already made a colossal amount of money as an author that allowed her to live her life in as much luxury as she desired. Some men pursued her with intentions she knew were far from honorable. Some for her money, and some were fascinated by her and what she represented in her worldly, risqué writing. Alyssa had no way to know exactly what Lucas Edge wanted from her in his case.

And now she was going to find out.

*

The limo was sliding noiselessly away as she finally rang the doorbell of the palatial house. As the housekeeper led her inside, she looked around with interest. The place looked like something from an elaborate Hollywood movie. The furnishings and design were done with style and obvious high expense. Everything spelled impeccable taste, and the tone was warm and inviting. From the grand foyer, she was shown down a passage and through a door into a living area. Comfortable seating, large windows running the whole face wall, paintings, mirrors, book cases and gentle lighting. A welcoming room accented in appealing shades. She was invited to take one of the sofas angled close.

Now that she was within his four walls, her excitement was in no way lessened but her earlier consternation was gone. She was very much looking forward to seeing Lucas Edge again, and knowing what he wanted.

She wasn’t kept waiting long. The next minute, the doorknob turned and someone came in. Alyssa turned slightly and saw it was him. She stood, smoothing the hem of her dress down her knees.

“Good evening, Mr. Edge.”

“Good evening,” he said, coming to her side and taking her hand. It was a brief handshake but it seared her all the same. So did looking up at him and finding his looks had in no way lost their appeal. He still was the most handsome man she’d ever met. He was dressed formally, in a suit and tie. Everything suited him to perfection and Alyssa was glad she’d taken even more care with her appearance.

“And please, now that you’re here to dine with me, I’m hoping we can dispose of any stiffness,” he told her with a smile. “I’m glad you came.”

Alyssa let out a sigh. “I’m still not sure why I’m here. If you’d wanted to ask me out on a date…”

His smile widened. “Conventional. I could have asked you out but then I had this notion I’d prefer it this way – as would you. You’re a writer, Alyssa. Don’t you like the sense of a bit of mystery?”

“I do,” she agreed. “But it’s nice to know what I’m getting into. What do you want, Lucas?”

Saying his first name sent a thrill straight through her. She could act all composed, but inside she was a jumble of nerves. Her palms were sweaty and her chest was heaving beneath her bodice. His eyebrow lifted at her directness, though his lips curved with slight humor.

“Why don’t you sit down and I’ll pour you some wine? Dinner will be served at seven fifteen.”

Alyssa had to bite down a frustrated sigh as she retook her seat. He went to a cabinet and poured out wine into two glasses. He returned and handed one to her, before sitting adjacent to her.

He didn’t start to speak right away. Instead, he looked down into his glass of wine. This gave Alyssa the chance to study him in more detail. He looked even younger than she’d suspected. He had an air about him of a leashed jungle creature; sleekly fine yet just a breath away from springing into predator mode.

He wasn’t holding her gaze yet but just by sitting there, he mesmerized her; set off some kind of synaptic transmission that had her female hormones buzzing. It almost appalled her the way she was attracted to him. No man had ever made her feel like she’d lost control over her own impulses. It was like being under a spell, and it frightened her. She almost wanted to jump up and leave.

But then he started to talk. His tone was almost conversational.

“You mentioned earlier about not knowing why you’re here. But something tells me that deep down somewhere, you have a vague suspicion of why I wanted us to meet again.” His eyes shot up and she wasn’t sure he needed a reply. She couldn’t even speak, not with his eyes pinning her in place and making it hard to form thought.

“But even though you do have an inkling of what I want, I can’t help but believe you’ll still be surprised when you hear what I have to say. You might think I don’t know much about you, Alyssa, but I do. I’ve read your books with great interest. I told myself, this is a woman who truly understands dark, searing cravings. I wondered if the image I had of you would be shattered when we met.”

Alyssa waited. She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear what he would say next. She remembered their first meeting; it had been all on her side, the jolting awareness. With a Barbie doll on his arm, he’d treated Alyssa with a formal charm. Now what did he want her to think? Was he about to tell her his expectations were shot?

Alyssa wasn’t dumb. She didn’t think she looked the picture of a sexpot. She certainly was no runway model. She had serious curves. Not dumpy or thick, but you could tell she liked to indulge. Her face wasn’t going to stop traffic but she felt reasonably pretty. Her dark brown hair was her one vanity; she left it growing down almost to her waist and it was luxuriously thick and rich.

Her looks overall had never received complaints from her past partners but she couldn’t picture herself as Lucas Edge’s type. She wasn’t one of those kinds of women who made a point to look perfect all the time: hair and makeup done, clothes designer and always eye-catching. She liked to keep things simple. In general, her image was nothing like the women she wrote about.
Daring, exposed and glamorous. Someone that would look accurate next to a man like him. Not her.

She may not be a plain Jane, but she was not the ravishing beauty that she felt could catch and hold Lucas Edge’s attention. And that feeling of inadequacy suddenly ate at her guts.

Alyssa had always told herself that life wasn’t all about what you looked like; it was personality that mattered. As it happened, Lucas had the looks but it wasn’t all about that either. It was about how she felt when she was around him. He had something going for him that only few men she’d met ever had. A magnetism that was both sexual and intellectual. She wanted to know what made him tick; his interests in music, art and life in general.