As he shut down the computer, he shook his head and erased the possibility of talk. He didn’t really want to talk to her except whatever words it would take to lure her into his bed. That was all he needed, he told himself. He could bed her, enjoy her and be done with her so he could move on. He wasn’t used to having to work this hard to get what he wanted when it came to women. They threw their lovely bodies in his direction constantly and all he had to do was pick which one interested him at the moment and for however long his interest lasted. Then he moved on, knowing that there was always another woman to conquer.
Maybe that was it as well, he thought as he walked swiftly through the lobby of his headquarters building. Maybe she was just one of those challenges he needed to conquer. Perhaps he’d been thinking about her too much and once he actually got her into bed, he’d discover that she wasn’t as alluring or intriguing as he’d been anticipating all along.
That had to be it, he thought. She was just a mystery, a challenge that he’d been working through. Just like any other business deal he’d decided to conquer, his mind had fixated on her and, since she was more of a challenge than the other women he’d bedded, he was simply working through the details. Alec always won whatever he went after and Helen was one of those resisting issues he needed to conquer.
“Good afternoon, Edna. Is the contract ready?” he asked as he walked past her desk.
Edna snapped to attention as soon as he walked through the door, eager to please him since he’d been in such a good mood lately. “The newest version is printed out on your desk with the revisions you asked for,” she said, following him into his office.
Alec stopped short, his eyes narrowing in on the bottle on his desk. “What’s that?” he demanded but he already knew. Helen. The burning inside him increased as he realized that she’d been thinking about him as well.
Edna was quick to explain, a huge grin spreading across her face. “Helen dropped it off along with the picture she sold. There’s a note that goes along with the wine.” Edna knew that he’d been seeing Helen regularly and, in Edna’s opinion, was the main reason for her boss’s current good humor. Life had been so nice for the past several weeks.
Alec picked up the bottle and read the label, frowning. “Helen bought this for me?” he asked, remembering how she’d only had nine dollars in her purse the first night he’d taken her out to dinner, and how she didn’t have the money yet to spend on a mobile phone. How could she afford a bottle of wine this expensive?
Edna shook her head. “I’m sorry, Mr. Dionysius, but I didn’t read the note. I’m not sure what it’s for.”
He picked up the envelope. His eyes were drawn to the picture and he was stunned by the intensity of colors she’d been able to capture from his balcony. He looked at the picture for a long moment, absorbing the sunset, relishing the fact that Helen had taken it made the picture that much more astounding.
“When did she drop this off?” he asked, his eyes skimming the note.
“I think it was about noon. Is there a problem?” she asked.
He dropped the note onto his desk but propped the photo against his light, knowing he’d want to see it later on. He picked up the bottle and examined the label, his eyes growing concerned. “This is from our vineyard”, he explained absently.
Edna smiled tentatively and wondered about the look in his eyes. It wasn’t one she’d seen before. If she had to put a name it, she would say he was actually confused but that was impossible. Edna had been working for this man for more than five years and she’d never known him to even be indecisive, much less confused. “I thought so. Why is that a problem?” she asked. “Don’t you like the wine you’re producing?”
“It's excellent wine,” he murmured. “Call Jimmy and tell him to meet me out front.”
He walked back out of his office, completely ignoring the work that he needed to be resolved this afternoon.
Fifteen minutes later, Alec was knocking loudly on Helen’s door. The sound was a little harder than perhaps was needed but he was impatient to talk to her and find out about the bottle of wine. And to see her. It had been too long. He’d wanted to call her while he was away, but he wasn’t sure his frustration level could take the long distance communication. He wanted her and it was becoming painful. He was going to have to stop this torture and finalize the issues with Helen. He’d find out why she was so resistant to become intimate and then work out a plan to get her over her fears of the sexual act. There was no way either of them could continue with the way things were going.
It took her a few seconds longer than he could wait so when the door opened with her smiling face, Alec was furious.
“Dammit Helen, did you even know who was knocking?” he demanded, pushing his way into her apartment and slamming the door on his body guards.
Helen’s shocked expression turned to anger. “What are you talking about?” she asked, backing up quickly in an effort to keep from getting too close.
He wouldn’t give her space though. He knew exactly what she was doing and closed the distance between their bodies. After having been denied her company for the previous four days, he wanted nothing separating them. And he wanted satisfaction on several points. “You opened the door without finding out who was knocking. What if it had been someone other than me?”
“Someone who might stalk me and make me nervous, you mean?” she asked pointedly.
He wanted to smile at her wit but held back. “I mean, someone who might cause you harm. Helen, you’re a female living alone in the city. You should know better than to open your door so trustingly.”
“You’re being silly!” she challenged. “Stop stalking me, Alec! Stay where you are.”
She reached up to push her hand against his chest, hoping to stop him but he ignored her feeble attempts. He continued, pressing her back so she was cornered. “Why? I want answers.”
She glared at him, wishing her heart didn’t accelerate and that the man didn’t smell so good. Hadn’t he just gotten off a plane? Shouldn’t he be exhausted and all rumpled? But no! He had to look glorious and rested and as fresh as if he’d just woken up, showered and changed this morning. He simply wasn’t human, she reminded herself. “I didn’t look because I was expecting my neighbor. She’s baking and she usually forgets something from the store.”