Chapter 4
Beth stands to greet the man that enters the room but when she meets his eyes she can’t seem to form coherent thoughts. The air in her lungs is suddenly sucked out by the sight of the man before her.
His appearance is practically magnetizing. He looks much more gorgeous standing here in front of her than he did in the pictures she saw of him. Besides being even more handsome than she had thought, he’s at least six feet three inches tall, broad-shouldered, and athletically muscular. His thick dark hair was beautifully cut and styled. Masculine strength is carved into every feature of his proud profile, from his straight dark brows to his chiselled cheekbones and strong jaw. And through his well-fitted expensive tailored jacket, she can make out the tapered V of his chest. He looks at her with the most intense eyes she’s ever seen.
“Hello.”
His voice is low and sexy, but smooth, matching perfectly with the rest of his unreal beauty.
Gosh, Beth, say something. “Um… sorry, hi. I…I’m from 'Buzz' magazine. I’m here for…uh… for the interview.”
Wow, real smooth. What the hell is wrong with her?
But he looks like he doesn’t even notice the effect he’s having on her. Like he’s used to women acting like complete fools around him. He takes a few steps toward her and shakes her outstretched hand which she had completely forgotten about. She shivers when their hands meet. A warmth travels from where he touches her to between her legs.
“Nice to meet you. Shall we begin?” he says and motions to the chairs surrounding the long rosewood desk.
Determined to appear poised, she straightens her stance and walks toward the chair she was previously occupying. When she sits, she fumbles in her bag for her recorder and the list of questions she plans to ask. All the while, his intense gaze remains fixed on her, following her every move. He keeps sneaking glances down her body and she feels like he’s mentally undressing her.
When she finally has everything set up, she clears her throat hoping it’ll help her regain composure. She can’t let this man distract her from what’s important; doing her job and atoning for her mistake. She has so much to lose.
“I'm recording our interview to make sure I don't forget anything. Is that okay with you?”
He scrutinizes her as if considering something. After several painful seconds, he simply nods. Why does this man make her so flustered? She's a confident, well-spoken woman on a normal day. But not around him.
Pull it together, Beth. It’s just an interview. She angles her head to glance up at him. His jaw is slightly shadowed with stubble, his eyes shrouded by thick lashes. He looks dark and dangerous, and it is all too easy to imagine the scrape of that five o’clock shadow against her neck.
She bites her lower lip, forcing her thoughts down a more professional road. He glances at her, his mouth kicking up on one side as if he somehow sensed the indecent thoughts she was just having of him.
She sits up straighter, attempting to find some semblance of courage and when she addresses him, her voice sounds a lot calmer than she feels. “This interview is for a feature which we intend to publish in the magazine’s next issue. The interview questions are a mix between business related questions and a few personal questions, since our magazine looks to provide our readers with a holistic image of the lives of those we feature.“
He nods like he’s acknowledged what she’s said but there’s something more to his expression. The look he gives her makes what little courage she’s mustered fade away. His glare makes her feel bare, vulnerable…naked.
“I don’t believe I got your name, love,” he says with that breathtaking smile of his, which pisses her off slightly.
Love?
Her body might be reacting to him in ways she can’t explain but she’s no fool. She knows how men like him operate– flash their billion-dollar smiles, make every woman bend to their every need, get them in their bed then never see them again. And she simply has no time for that.
She looks him dead in the eyes. “Iris Andrews.”
It’s a split second decision. She has no idea why she gave him Iris’s name. All she knows is she has no desire to be his next trophy.
She doesn’t want to give him any time to come up with his next flirty remark, so she immediately asks the first question on her list. “So, Mr. Dane, what would you say makes your company so effective? What do you attribute your company’s success to?”
His expression hardly changes when he starts speaking. “The usual answer– a ton of diligence, hard work, determination. Or would you prefer a different answer?” he asks in a teasing tone.
She’d asked a very simple question that only needs a simple answer. She has no desire to sit here and deal with him teasing her. “No, Mr. Dane, I would like you to answer in whatever manner that best suits you.”
His expression softens and he leans forward, trapping her in his sights and she can feel herself shrink. “Well, Ms. Andrews, I’m a detail-oriented man so I never let any details go ignored. I’m both diligent and persistent and when I seek to acquire something, I learn everything I can about it, and then I pursue it wholeheartedly. So I would say that’s what makes my company effective.”
She feels like there’s a double meaning to his words. And she might be imagining it but she sees something in his eyes– a desire… a longing. But who is she kidding? Men like him don’t ‘long’ for anything. They get exactly what they want when they want it, no questions asked.
“Umm…” she starts, clearing her throat, “What have been some of your biggest challenges and some of your biggest successes?”
He cocks his head, contemplating her with puzzled eyes and a slight smile. “Nothing challenges me, Ms. Andrews. My career has only been characterized by successes. I mean, look around.”
She has to resist the urge to roll her eyes. How can a person be so arrogant?
He looks at her like he’s expecting some sort of reaction from her but she refuses to give him the satisfaction.
She asks her next question. “What brings you the greatest satisfaction in your work?”
He assumes a slightly more business-like expression. “I believe that the work we do here has a positive effect on the greater world. I find great satisfaction in knowing that our company plays an important role in moving the world forward.”
She finds it hard to believe that he could care about anything so much. She has no idea how to reply so she gives him a polite smile and moves to her next question. “Would you like to share any plans you have for the future of the company?”
He pauses like he's taking a moment to think of his answer. “Triad Technologies is always looking to expand, to create more cutting edge technology. The company currently has branches in most parts of the world but we're working toward opening even more branches and expanding our reach.”
They spend another fifteen minutes talking about things like who runs what at Triad Technologies, how well the company is doing, and the direction he would like to take things in the next few years. Then she attempts to get some personal questions in.
“What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?”
The corner of his mouth twitches with amusement. “It isn’t hard to guess the answer to that, now is it, Ms. Andrews?”
Her cheeks heat. She can’t believe she fell right into that. She wants to respond, but she has lost the power of speech.
A small smile creeps on his face as he leans in closer to her. She breathes in the clean, crisp scent of his cologne, like the woods after a rain and her body tingles all over, every hair on her arms and the back of her neck stands up. She feels the tingles most strongly in the increasingly demanding flesh between her thighs.
“Did I say something to upset you, Ms. Andrews?”
The way he speaks, his voice, it's so…hot. She crosses her legs and when he catches her movement he flashes a wicked grin and she suddenly feels even more uncomfortable. He knows exactly what he’s doing to her– what he’s making her feel. But he seems to find her misery fascinating.
Remaining in a room alone with him no longer feels possible.
She still has about five unanswered questions but the interview is the last thing on her mind. All she can think about is leaving this man’s presence. She stands up quickly and almost knocks down her recorder.
"Oh…um sorry. Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Dane. We'll get in touch with your assistant for the photo shoot and any other updates."
She gathers all her things and is out of the room in seconds.