Page 31 of Not As Advertised

Right. Of course she would. Damnit.

I offered my arm, and we made our way out of the hotel and into the back of the town car. I may or may not have held her hand captive between my bicep and tucked in tightly to the side of my body. Apparently, so deep was my craving for her that I was hoarding every press of skin possible. Fuck this suit jacket and dress shirt from keeping my skin from hers.

I couldn’t stop staring. She looked so stunning in the pink light of dusk.

I didn’t attempt to make small talk with her on the way to the restaurant because I feared what would come out of my mouth.My mental shields were lowered from our afternoon together, and my desire for her made me feel out of control.

You are too incredible for words, and I need to put my hands and mouth on you right now.

Let’s forget this dinner and go back to my room so I can kiss you for hours. Then you will be mine, officially.

That last thought caught me up short. I had never imagined myself in a committed relationship. I had enough experience taking care of my sisters in my teenage years that I had never had the desire to settle down with a family of my own. It was enough to be financially prepared to support the family I already had. Even though things seemed stable at the moment, life could change in a heartbeat. I needed to remain vigilant in my priorities.

I couldn’t shake the need to get closer to Abbie.

Thank god the drive wouldn’t take more than forty-five minutes. The traffic gods must have taken pity on my poor brain.

The car stopped in front of therestaurant, its entrance looking like a hidden door surrounded by foliage. It was both charming and mysterious at first glance. I could see immediately why Abbie would choose it. It was appealing, not pretentious, just like her.

We left the car, walked through a nondescript black door, and entered a cozy library with booths and tables along the bookshelves.

I watched Abbie take it all in with a smile.

As we approached the hostess area, Abbie looked up at me from under her eyelashes. “I’m so glad this restaurant looks this good. The food is supposed to be amazing. Hopefully, everyone will be impressed.”

She looked relieved. We had wanted to impress these potential clients without going overboard. Appealdidn’t need to hide behind smoke and mirrors. Our work spoke for itself.

Feeling the need to reassure her in ways I hadn’t previously, before introducing her to Claire, I praised her efforts.

“It looks perfect to me. You’ve done well here, Abbie.”

Abigail’s body jolted with my compliment. Had I truly been so stingy with any positive feedback that these simple words would shock her?

A sense of heaviness settled over me. I hadn’t been fair to her, had I? I’d been so busy making inroads with the other teams I’d neglected to show appreciation to the person who helped me most in my job. She worked her ass off every day and met all my expectations. I determined I needed to do more to reassure her that she was a valued team member.

The hostess led us into the central dining area, and I was surprised that the ceiling was open air. The dark beams of the rafters were accented with all sorts of glowing lanterns hanging over the tables. But the real centerpiece was a huge live tree in the middle of the dining room, covered in thousands of twinkle lights. It continued that hidden fairyland feel.

I wished that it was just going to be the two of us tonight so I could savor the sight of Abigail in that exquisite dress throughout dinner. I wanted to spend the evening feeding her all sorts of delicacies before whisking her back to my hotel room. The idea of sharing her attention with five strangers was completely unappealing. Admitting my own primal tendencies when it came to her, I’d rather have a private dinner with her than a bunch of rich pricks staring at her. I loathed them already, and I hadn’t even met them yet.

Observing her in team meetings, I knew she hated group attention. Protectiveness surged through me at the idea of her discomfort.

As her boss, I knew learning to deal with uncomfortable situations would help her in the long run. It sucked being the oneresponsible for bringing her into the lion’s den. We were in the big leagues with these philanthropists.

We were first to the table, and I made sure to take the chair immediately beside Abbie. There were four men and one woman coming tonight, and I would be damned sure to escort the woman to the seat next to Abbie if I could have my way.

No sooner had the waitstaff poured our waters when the hostess brought the rest of our party to the table. After shaking hands with everyone, I quickly ushered Agatha Carmichael, the main client we were trying to impress, into the seat next to Abbie’s with an exaggerated bow.

Of all the philanthropists I had been in contact with so far, Ms. Carmichael was my favorite. At eighty-four, she had more energy than most people half her age, and she wasn’t afraid to call anyone on their bullshit. When I had personally invited her to this meeting, her response was to agree only if “the food was good, and the company was even better.” A half smile formed on my face as I remembered promising her that there wouldn’t be any “boring, soulless suits” at this dinner table.

The other four potential investors included a tech prodigy who had made his first million at fifteen, a former special ops military who’d inherited an obscene amount of money and was now funding veteran programs throughout the country, a former Wall Street trader who had left the boardroom for a surfboard, and finally, a British lord who had given up his ancestral title and moved to LA to work for a climate-change think tank.

As impressive as all these people were, my teeth clenched at the appreciative and covetous attention a couple of them directed at Abbie. Even while we made small talk (that was until Ms. Carmichael declared she was about to fall asleep before the appetizers arrived if I didn’t “get on” with the pitch already), all I could see were the gazes skimming over every inch of Abbie’s exposed skin.

Fortunately, she didn’t seem to notice their attention. She kept giving me subtle glances every few minutes.

I eyed the men across the table, wishing I could put my arm around her chair to warn them she was off-limits. My pulse pounded in my temples. I sipped my ice-cold water to regain a semblance of control. The last thing I needed to do was act like a possessive asshole in front of a group of people who were worth a billion dollars combined. Especially considering I had exactly zero rights to feel the way I did.

I couldn’t help myself. I shifted in my chair to press my thigh against Abbie’s while directing my attention to one of the potential investors.

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