Chapter 1
“Thank you so much Edith,” Helen Alexander enthused, shaking the older woman’s hand. “I promise I’ll be out of here quickly.”
Edith chuckled. “Don’t worry. My boss isn’t scheduled to be back for hours. He won’t know a thing.”
Edith looked at the beautiful woman with the black hair that curled down her back in what could only be described as riotous. “What are you trying to capture?” she asked, fascinated at the way the young woman was examining the sky and the windows, as if they held the secret to the world and she was determined to unlock with a secret key. Edith had never seen such passion, she thought silently. The idea of maintaining that much energy all the time seemed exhausting to Edith.
Helen smiled back at Edith. “The sunset today is going to be perfect,” she enthused. “The afternoon heat has created a heavy haze that will filter the sunshine. I guarantee the colors will be spectacular. Just wait and you’ll see.”
Edith smiled at the young woman. She couldn’t believe she’d let this woman into Alec Dionysius’ office but there was just something about her that had Edith violating sacred rules. Maybe it was her energy or enthusiasm, or something even more subtle that had her convinced that everything will be okay. No one got through to this office without an appointment and usually those appointments were booked months in advance. Mr. Dionysius was a very busy and extremely powerful man and everyone wanted to have “just five minutes” of his time. His security team always surrounded him when he was out and about in public or even at private parties. But up here, in this office, it was Edith that was the obstacle. No one got through her unless Mr. Dionysius allowed it.
Which made this aberration all the more strange. She watched as the lovely woman clicked her camera over and over again, fascinated by her facial expressions. When she pulled out another camera, Edith considered asking her questions, but then stopped herself, seeing the intense concentration on the younger woman’s face.
Ten minutes later, Helen snapped the last shot and dropped her camera. “See what I mean?” she said almost breathlessly, staring out at the horizon.
Edith stopped her curious inspection of the brunette beauty and looked out the floor to ceiling windows in her boss’ office. At her first glimpse, she gasped in surprise. “Oh, my!” she said, her hand covering her throat as she looked at the spectacular array of colors minutely shifting over the horizon. In a reverent whisper, Edith agreed, “You were right, Helen. Amazing!”
The two women stood there for a long time, their eyes glued to the horizon as they continued to watch the changing colors of the sunset. Neither were aware of the executive floor security guard or the clerical support woman who worked for Edith as they both walked into the sacred domain of the man in charge. All four of them stood still, awestruck by the light show. The silence was complete, broken only by the flashes of color slowly forming a silent melody as they shifted across the evening sky. The shifting light from the setting sun had an almost symphonic beauty to it that even a heavy breath would be a violation against.
“What the hell is going on in here?” a deep voice asked from the doorway.
Four people jumped at the same moment. Edith spun around, her shoulders instantly tense and wary. “Oh, Mr. Dionysius! You’re back early! I’m so sorry!” she gasped.
“That’s not very informative,” he replied with dry sarcasm.
Helen tried to look away. She really did. She didn’t want to be fascinated by a man who would interrupt such an incredible moment in time and not appreciate its beauty. Unfortunately, her eyes were glued to the most amazing male she’d ever seen. He was tall with a chiseled jaw, hawk-like nose and black, dangerous eyes. His perfectly tailored suit framed his body with an elegant façade but she was still able to see the broad shoulders and flat stomach which distinguished the latent menace underneath the tailored fabric. His hands were aggressively resting on his hips, pushing back the suit jacket to reveal power more suited to a furious male lion than a mere human male.
The fact that he was glaring at her didn’t register with her mind for a long moment until her gaze finally came to rest back on his face after surveying the rest of him with a slow, compulsive perusal. The heat that flared within her stomach almost made her knees give out. His eyes captured hers, held her captive and she felt powerless, completely at his mercy. No man had ever made her feel this helpless. Nor had any man ever made her feel anything like this. Her stomach felt like it was filled with bubbles that were floating, popping and moving into her bloodstream to zing around her body. Her mind told her to leave but her feet were immobile as she continued to take in the man with all of his incredible strength.
Helen heard her new friend’s attempt at conciliating the angry man and Helen wished she could step in and offer her apology, protect Edith from the man’s wrath, but she was held captive by his eyes. “I..um…I was just letting Ms. Alexander…she wanted to…” Edith fumbled through the explanation but she was too nervous to finish it.
The stumbling explanation finally did the trick. Helen was at last able to break through her stupor and focus, turning to Edith and Mick, the security guard who had called Edith with her request.
“Mr….” she fumbled because she wasn’t sure who he was but wouldn’t let her new friends down in this situation. They’d gone out of their way to help her and she didn’t want to repay their kindness by dumping them to the wolves. Or wolf, she corrected. This man was definitely baring his teeth. “I’m sorry but I don’t know your name but this is all my fault. I asked Mick to introduce me to Edith who allowed me into your office. I just wanted a picture,” she explained, lifting her camera bag, “and she’s stood with me the whole time to make sure I didn’t do anything besides take pictures so if there’s anything confidential in this office, I promise I didn’t see it.”
Obviously, her explanation didn’t do the trick because the anger in his eyes didn’t ease. “And you think that’s okay?” he commented with an affectation of calm, moving slowly across the room, his eyes never leaving her face. “What, exactly, were you photographing?” he asked.
Good! An easy question. She needed those right now since her knees were trembling at his closer proximity. “The sunset,” Helen brightened. “Because of the storm we had earlier today, the refracting light was particularly extraordinary tonight. I really didn’t mean to invade your space in this way. I promise I’ll get out of your way now.” Helen grabbed her camera bag with shaking fingers, pulling it onto her shoulder and quickly walked toward the double doors that would give her freedom from the strange power he seemed to have over her.