He raised his eyebrows but moved on to the next subject. They discussed everything and Helen was astonished at how charming the man could be when he put his mind to it. It was as if she’d challenged him and now he was out to prove her wrong.
The meal was extraordinarily delicious as well and over far too quickly, although she glanced at her watch and realized they’d been there for almost five hours, talking and eating and she honestly could say that she couldn’t remember laughing so much in a single evening.
When she realized it was almost midnight, she glanced up shyly. “I need to get home,” she admitted. “But it’s been a wonderful night. I hate to say it, but I really appreciate you coercing me into this meal.”
Alec leaned back in his chair, sipping his brandy slowly as he contemplated a strategy for getting her back to his penthouse and into his bed. His body simply would not accept that she wasn’t coming home with him. He’d been aching since he’d held her in his arms out on the street. The need to possess her, to somehow put his stamp of possession on her and claim her as his and his alone, was raw and urgent. He didn’t investigate these new feelings accepting that there were just some things in life he could take on intuition. As soon as he had her, made love to her and found out her secrets, she would be out of his blood.
“You haven’t finished your coffee,” he pointed out. “And I don’t think I want to let you leave yet.”
Helen laughed. “I’m not sure that’s possible. I have a meeting tomorrow morning and, although it isn’t early, I need my beauty sleep.” She pushed her napkin onto the table beside her plate, preparing to stand up.
“Stay with me tonight,” he said softly. “I’ll make sure you get to your meeting tomorrow with plenty of time to spare.”
Helen couldn’t deny she was tempted but she had a promise to live up to. “I can’t. I won’t even explain because you wouldn’t understand but I made a promise to someone and I can’t break that promise.”
Alex stiffened with anger. “Was this promise made to another man?” he asked, his tone just as soft but with a deadly force which was undeniable. Alec couldn’t even consider that she might be attached, even casually, to another man. The feelings that were shooting through his system were new and unrecognizable, but as a man, he reacted to them at a primal level. He would not allow any other man to touch Helen, not while he was still interested, he told himself.
Helen looked at him curiously. She could sense his anger but didn’t understand it. What had she done or said to make him so furious? “Yes. Of course, but I don’t see what…”
His brandy plunked down on the table with a thunk and he leaned forward, his dark, dangerous eyes capturing her green ones and holding her captive. “Let’s get something straight, Helen. From now on, you make promises to no one but me. Is that clear?” His voice was firm and he thought she would understand that he was not going to stand for her being with another man, no matter what the circumstances.
Helen was stunned for a long moment, blinded to his logic by the intensity of his tone and his gaze. But slowly, she realized that he was ordering her about, thinking he had the right. And stubborn woman that she was, she’d always fought against any kind of authority, driving her father crazy until he’d figured out how to deal with his stubborn daughter.
She shook her head, instantly irritated. “Alec, I’m not sure what you’re expecting here but I’m not making promises to you at all. And this promise was made long before I ever met you and I’m not going back on my word.” She stood up and pushed her chair in, ignoring the waiter hovering nearby and Alec’s security detail that was instantly alert. “Thank you for a very pleasant evening and please, don’t do anything about Mick’s or Edith’s transgression. It was my fault.”
Alec was livid that she would walk away after making that kind of a statement. Didn’t she know who he was? What he could do to her and her family? With only a phone call, he could destroy her career, ensure that she never sold another photograph. “Sit down, Helen. We haven’t finished with this discussion,” he articulated carefully.
Helen couldn’t believe this man. Where had all the charm gone? Where was the man who had made her laugh throughout the meal and who had listened to all her dreams as if he really cared about her goals and ambitions? He was definitely not this stern autocrat who thought she would jump at whatever commands he wanted to deliver.
She pulled out her wallet, grimacing at the small number of bills left after her lunch. “I’m sorry, I know this won’t cover my half of the meal, but it’s all I have. Goodnight, Alec,” she said and walked away from the table. A part of her wished he would stop her, to take the decision out of her hands. She suspected that, once he started kissing her, she would fall easily into his bed.
When she reached the sidewalk, Helen quickly raised her hand to hail a cab. She should probably take the bus but she had no idea where the nearest bus stop was or what time it would arrive at this time of night. It was safer, if much more expensive, to take a cab tonight.
Glancing back at the restaurant, she wished the evening could have gone on longer. Alec definitely was a different kind of man than what she was used to. She’d never met anyone quite like him. If only he hadn’t changed so drastically at the end of the night….
No, she thought as the cab turned a corner and the restaurant’s lights faded around the next building, Alec was dangerous. His touch could make her forget. She needed to stay away from him completely. He definitely wasn’t the man for her.
Alec watched her as she walked gracefully through the tables, his body rebelling at his patience. He’d have her, he knew. It was just a matter of time. He knew he could convince her but that wouldn’t be as good as if she came to him willingly.
“Follow her,” he said to Dominic, one of his body guards. The man nodded immediately and turned to leave the restaurant.
He then looked down at the table and burst out laughing. The impertinent woman had left him nine dollars. He chuckled as he stood up, shaking his head in exasperation. He’d have to eliminate that stubborn and independent streak she had, he thought. The meal had cost more like nine hundred dollars but he admired the fact that she’d emptied her wallet for him. She obviously had no concept of how much a meal in this kind of establishment could cost but he didn’t mind. At least she wasn’t after him for his money.