Page 24 of Entwined

CHRISTOS

SHE’S NERVOUS. Her eyes dart everywhere at once as her heels click across the marble floors. She can’t see me from where I sit beside an array of lush potted plants behind the koi pond carved into the floor.

I’m back to being a hunter observing my prey. But I don’t want her to replace Jessie. Not that anyone could. Right now, the thrill running through me is because I know I’m about to change her life forever just as I did my dove’s.

With deliberate grace, I move from my spot stepping directly in front of her. “Miss Townsend.”

Her hand flies to her throat as her head tilts to stare up into my face. “Oh. You startled me, Mr. Devillo.”

I smile pleased by the rapid pulse beating in her throat. “You did your homework, I see.”

“Your face is all over the European tabloids.”

“Yes, well that’s why I need someone like you. Shall, we?” I gesture with my arm for her to walk forward towards the bank of elevators.

She swallows hard, “Where are we going?”

“Somewhere more private.” I bait her deliberately.

“Of course.” She recovers quickly, “I doubt a man like you would fly in a dumpy ex-housewife, from the States, across the world in an effort to make a pass at her,” she mumbles with downcast eyes.

“On the contrary, rare women are hard to find.”

The elevator doors chime as they open, I wait for her to enter before stepping inside, inserting my key to the penthouse. We ascend in silence until she turns to me whispering, “Why? Why me? Why did you bring me here?”

“For a job. Why else? Come. We have much to discuss. Would you like something to drink?”

“No, thank you.” She sits, crossing her legs, nervously fidgeting with the hem of her skirt as it slides up her thighs. She has long, thick raven hair that’s wavy. Cornflower blue eyes and curves where Jessie had more muscles.

I take a seat across from her watching her face color as I open a folder on the table between us; pulling out her résumé and the personal letter she penned to accompany it.

“I can’t believe I wrote that.”

I frown, eyeing her over the papers. “Why? It’s the only reason you are here. You are the only candidate I flew in to interview. You see Ms. Townsend, I like to acquire rare people on my team. Your honesty, how candid you were in your reason for needing new employment intrigued me. Combine that with your strong education and work history made you my number one pick. Now, explain everything to me in person. Pitch me. Can you make the world believe the devil morphs into an angel?”

“It’s going to be hard. I won’t sugar coat it. The good news is you did a good job of keeping your private life out of the press. Actually, I couldn’t find any public photos of you with any women. And yet, after some digging, I found out you have quite a reputation in the business world of being ruthless. Which would be fine if the widows of a few of the CEO’s whose companies you dismantled didn’t talk to the press. They accused you of blackmail, sleeping with their husband’s mistresses and even daughters…”

“Guilty as charged. But the daughters were always legal.”

Her eyebrows raise, “So seducing them was business?”

“It made winning sweeter.”

“Even after several of the CEO’s committed suicide, after you forced their companies to break apart?”

“A man’s downfall is always by his own hand,” I shrug.

“I see.”

“Do you?”

“Yes. We have a lot of work to do if you want to re-brand yourself. But first I need to know what exactly I’m supposed to have the world believe about you.”

“I want to reform. Everything. After the sale of my company, I’ll be a multi-billionaire—in liquid cash. I want to save the world.”

“From what?”

“Humans. Humans like me.”

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