Unfortunately, they didn’t even realize that they were in a downward trend and he couldn’t seem to convince any of them to change their business models to stop that trend. He’d seen it coming for the past few years but none of them would allow him to help, eschewing his offers to improve their profits or even hiring a town manager. All they saw when he spoke to them was a badly beaten little boy hiding from a tyrannical father and not the competent business man he’d grown into.
But Derrick wouldn’t allow them to avoid the problems any longer. They needed to take control of their future and this slender beauty was the only person so far who had been able to break them out of their ruts.
Instead of giving her the village history, he said simply, “You got Mary to come out of the technological Ice Age. Anyone who can do that is definitely ready to tackle this project.” He picked up his sandwich, “Now eat and tell me the things that are initially going through your mind.”
Zarah took a small bite of her salad, but in truth, she was too excited to eat anything. The ideas were zipping through her mind and she was eager to get back to her apartment and start writing down her thoughts.
As they ate, she tossed out thoughts and he discussed possible obstacles and she was impressed with how he worked her ideas into a more concrete opportunity. She had to give him credit. As they talked, she suspected that all of those rumors about his business acumen weren’t exaggerated on little bit. She definitely wouldn’t mind his help on this project. He seemed to have vast information and ideas on how to implement things more effectively.
Chapter 4
Two weeks into the project, she wished she’d turned Derrick down flat!
She stood outside his house, a massive manor home on the edge of the village surrounded by beautiful trees and stunning landscaping. Right now, all the roses were in bloom and the vibrant colors were shocking against the castle-like edifice. There were turrets and crenellated ramparts in various places and one could easily tell how the building had changed throughout history by the various additions with slightly different styles. But the overall effect was both lovely and impressive. If she hadn’t grown up in a palace, she might be intimidated by the view. As it was, she knew how much money it took to care for a place like this and she couldn’t believe that the man only resided here part of the year. It looked like a place out of a fairy tale and she’d decided that, if she ever owned something like this, she’d never leave it.
She’d been inside twice on previous visits with Derrick and was amazed by the interior as much as the outer beauty. There were all the modern conveniences such as central air conditioning and heating, with none of the downsides to castle life such as cold and drafty rooms or dark corridors. The rooms were filled with light because of state of the art windows which had been installed recently, but Derrick had kept the renovations in line with the building’s character. Everything flowed perfectly. Last week, she’d walked through the hallways to Derrick’s office and peered into the various rooms she’d passed, wishing she could have done more than just a peek. She wanted to go into each room and explore the amazing architecture, the design features as well as the ancient artifacts that hung on the walls.
His home was a fascinating place and she couldn’t believe she was jealous that he got to live here whenever he chose. She knew he also had a place in London and someone in the coffee shop had mentioned he had some residences in other parts of the world but an argument ensued as to where those residences were. Zarah had almost laughed at how many homes the people thought he had in different cities.
Today she stood out on the street, looking at the castle from underneath a large oak tree. The problem with entering the edifice had nothing to do with the actual building, but everything to do with the owner himself. During last week’s meeting, she’d found herself staring at his mouth as he spoke, her mind wandering and wondering what it would be like to be kissed by those firm lips. And his shoulders looked so strong, so muscular! She wanted to feel what was underneath his tailored shirt. She’d never been so brazen around a man before and had definitely never thought things like that with any of the men her brother had set her up with.
She was actually embarrassed by how her thoughts had strayed to sexual fantasies around the man. If he ever suspected that she was thinking things like that, she’d never be able to show her face around him again!
Looking up at the house, she thought about him sitting behind that massive desk, his eyes alert and focused on whatever he was working on. The man had an intense level of concentration and she admired him for it, while at the same time, was irritated that he didn’t feel the same things for her that she felt for him.
What would he do if she walked into his office and started taking off her clothes? She shook her head at the idea, but couldn’t shake the image of making love with him on that massive desk. Or even just breaking his concentration by distracting him.
Her fingers were unconsciously fiddling with the buttons on her blouse, smiling at the idea of unbuttoning just one button to see if he would notice. Would he try to take a peek as she was always doing with him? Or would he be irritated by her attempt to flirt with him? He was always so serious when he was with the women in the village who were her age. He definitely gave off the vibe that he would not get into any kind of relationship with someone in the village.
In the end, she kept her shirt buttoned, not having the courage to actually follow through on her mind’s desire to catch his attention.
What was she thinking?! She tore her hand away from her blouse, blushing at her rampant sexual thoughts. She couldn’t believe that she wanted the man to be attracted to her. He was completely the wrong kind of man for her and she should be thankful that he wasn’t interested.
Good grief! She’d really veered off course on this one!
Not only was he not interested in her, but even if he were, Rashid would never approve of him as a husband. Although, it was a known fact around the village that the current Duke of Huntington was not the marrying kind so thoughts of marriage were a ridiculous waste of time. He was a bonafide, tried and true bachelor. Too many women had ventured down the path of trying to get the man to the altar. In fact, she’d been sitting in the coffee shop a few days ago listening to a conversation at the nearest table where a group of elderly ladies were intently discussing all the ‘fancy’ women that had decorated the man’s arm. All the women, including the most recent Elise, never lasted more than a couple of months at the most, and only for a weekend fling if they were truly unlucky. The Duke of Huntington, it was declared, would never marry because he enjoyed playing the field so much.