“I need your expert advice,” Scarlett announced a couple of weeks later as she sat down among the four lovely ladies, accepting a cup of tea.
Three of the four women snickered. Livia shook her head. “I doubt we’re experts at anything other than getting pregnant,” she commented, rubbing her slightly protruding stomach. She was three months along while Sasha was about to burst with her first child any day now, Sierra was about six months along. All eyes turned to Jina who immediately blushed.
“Guilty,” she whispered as she nibbled on her fifth cookie. “Morning sickness leaves me around noon and then I can’t find enough food to fill me up,” she said, delicately trying to carefully brush the crumbs from her fingers onto her napkin.
Livia nodded her head while she pushed the cookies closer. “Been there. Done that. Don’t ever want to deal with that again!”
Scarlett sighed. “You’re all experts, obviously,” she said, gesturing to all of their pregnancies. “You must be doing something right to be with the men in your lives. You’re all madly in love and expecting so you qualify as experts in my book. And I don’t have anyone else to turn to.”
Sasha rubbed her back. “Well, I’d agree that we’re all mad.”
“Maybe the better term would be insane,” Sierra teased and the other women laughed.
“What kind of advice do you need?” Jina asked. The men were in the other room and Malik had their daughter, Lika, as the men discussed some sort of intricate business deal they were planning or hatching or whatever it was that five genius businessmen did when they got together. Some might even consider it “planning to take over the world” and they wouldn’t be completely off the mark. Those five men were brilliant at business and a menace to the global stock markets.
Scarlett considered her predicament carefully, not sure how much to reveal to these women. Her fingers trembled slightly at the thought of one of those men. The bad one. The horrible, obnoxious, truly-can’t-stand-him-never-wanted-to-see-him-again one.
She shook her head slightly, trying to dismiss Grayson from her mind. He’d run out of her house after their one night together faster than she’d ever thought the huge man could move.
“I need advice on how to catch a man,” she announced.
The four other women watched the beautiful blond woman’s features carefully. “Is there a particular man that you want to catch?” Sierra finally asked, the same question all of them wanted to ask. She’d just gotten the words out first. And all of them knew that she was madly in love with Grayson. Was she finally going to act on her feelings?
“Yes,” she replied. Looking up at each of the women who had become like sisters to her. “His name is Mark Sellers. He’s an accountant who lives down the street from me. He’s very nice, about three years older than me and…” she squirmed, feeling like a fraud. “Well, he’s a very nice man but he is shy. And I don’t know how to catch his attention and let him know that I’m interested.”
Four mouths fell open simultaneously. “Mark?” Sierra said. “Sellers?” Sasha went on. The four of them looked at each other, not sure what to say. Scarlett was in love with Grayson. And what’s more, Grayson was crazy in love with her. Why the two of them couldn’t figure this out was a mystery to all of them.
Sasha straightened up, trying to be diplomatic about the idea. “Well, an accountant. That sounds like a very…nice man with a good occupation. Very steady,” she commented. “And he’s close by.” She looked at Livia, trying to send her a silent message. “I don’t think I’m a very good candidate to advise you, Scarlett,” she said, but her eyes turned to Sierra, sending the same message. “I was married under duress and then left to wait for my husband to notice me for six years. So I have absolutely no clue on how to gain the attention of a man.”
Sierra caught on. “And I doubt I could help you. I kissed Harrison at my engagement party to another man. And then he had to blackmail me into marrying him. Any advice I could give you would be pretty pathetic.” She hesitated. “Livia? What about you?” she suggested, shaking her head slightly.
Livia bit her lower lip, glancing between Sierra and Scarlett, not sure what to do. “Don’t look at me,” she finally said. “I ran away on my wedding day. Not the best candidate either.”
Jina chuckled when the eyes all turned her way. She’d only been silent because her mouth was full with another cookie. “Don’t look at me,” she said, her hand covered her full mouth. She swallowed quickly. “I only know how to avoid men.” She patted her stomach gently. “And obviously, I can’t even do that very well.”
The women all laughed while Scarlett stood up and filled the cookie plate again, placing it in Jina’s lap instead of on the table. “Okay, so who would know how to get a man’s attention?”
“Grayson,” Sasha said firmly, even adding a nod of her head for emphasis.
Scarlett choked on the sip of coffee she’d just took.
While Scarlett tried to catch her breath, Livia nodded her head as well. “Oh, I think Grayson is a perfect candidate to help you! Of all the guys, he’s probably the best candidate. I mean, who knows the mentality of a single guy like a single guy?”
“And Grayson has that look about him,” Sierra added, eager to add in her agreement to the plot to get those two together. Something had to happen! The two were crazy for each other and Scarlett was going in the wrong direction with this other man!
“The look that warns women off?” Scarlett snapped. Oh, this wasn’t going the way she’d planned it at all. Not in any way!
The others laughed softly.
“What’s so funny?” Harrison asked, leading the rest of the men into the room. They were here for dinner before they all flew out to various parts of the world once again tomorrow.
Jina stood up, hiding her plate of cookies from her husband and daughter. Not because she didn’t want the two of them to know she was eating them but because they would steal them from her and she was hungry! “Scarlett needs a man-mentor. She’s trying to get a guy to notice her and she wants someone who can give her advice.”
Every set of eyes except for one turned to look at Grayson. Of course, he was furiously looking down at the blond-haired woman who constantly went to great lengths to drive him nuts. This conversation was just another case in point.
“We volunteered you, Grayson,” Sasha announced, leaning forward slightly so that Damon could massage the tension from her lower back. She closed her eyes as his magic fingers accomplished the miraculous in amazing speed. “We told her that you knew exactly what men want and would be able to tell her how to get this guy’s attention.”
“What guy?” Grayson asked through clenched teeth, hoping that his smile didn’t look as lethal as he felt.
“I’m not giving you his name,” Scarlett interrupted before any of the ladies could offer him the information.
Grayson leaned closer, trying to intimidate her. “Why not? If I’m going to help you get this guy’s attention, I should know his name, shouldn’t I?”
She turned furious blue eyes up to him, looking at him for the first time since she’d arrived. “Like you’d help me in any way.” She leaned back against the cushions, crossing her arms over her stomach, unaware of how the action pressed her breasts against the thin material of her silk blouse.
But Grayson was aware! He was painfully conscious of her lovely breasts pressing against that material and the way her nipples were taunting him, driving him even more crazy because he’d had his chance with her. “You know I always give you exactly what you want.”
She wasn’t aware of her hands fisting on her lap but the others all noticed. “You don’t even know what a woman wants!” she snapped right back.
“Oh, are you saying…” he stopped and looked at the others who were avidly watching the interplay between him and Scarlett. He snapped his mouth shut, his mouth compressing into a thin, furious line. “Never mind. We’ll discuss this in private.”
Malik shifted his tiny daughter on his hip. “You gotta finish whatever it was that you were going to say, old man. We’re all interested in what you thought she might be saying.”
Harrison, Damon and Stefan all nodded in agreement. Something was going on between those two and they were sick of them sniping at each other. It had been going on for a couple of weeks now and things had almost gotten interesting with that comment.
When Grayson only glared at the men, Sierra stepped in, trying to ease the tension. “About that man-mentor help for Scarlett. What do you think Grayson? Do you think you might be able to give her some tips on how to catch this man’s attention?”
“I think that’s a great idea,” Malik said, finding his wife’s stash of cookies and stealing one, winking when she glared up at him. “Being Scarlett’s mentor in finding the man of her dreams seems right up your alley, Grayson.”
“It’s a perfect fit,” Stefan chimed in. “What’s the guy’s name? Do we know him?”
The others all laughed. Well, everyone but Scarlett and Grayson. Those two looked like they might just go for each other’s throats.
Scarlett was the first to glance away and she uncurled her fists, laying her hands carefully on her lap. “No. I’m sorry. Grayson won’t work. This requires a gentle touch. One doesn’t send a bull into a china shop.”
“I don’t remember you complaining about my touch the last time,” he snapped back at her.
Scarlett stared at the man’s brown eyes. Were those yellow flecks near the center actually glowing? She wasn’t sure, but he looked furious enough that it was possible.
“I’ll handle it on my own,” she told him and glared right back at him, not intimidated in any way by this man who thought he was all so wonderful.
Grayson just wasn’t going to let it go. The idea of Scarlett, his Scarlett, in the arms of another man just made him want to punch a wall. “Like you’ve been doing such a great job of that so far?”
She picked up the delicate bone chine of her cup, trying very hard not to throw it across the room at him. “Like you would know! Last time we spoke, you were racing away from me.”
“Last time we had a conversation, we were discussing…” he stopped and looked around, noticing that there were eight other sets of eyes that were watching and listening carefully. “We’ll discuss this later.” He turned to Malik, raising his eyebrows as if to say that dinner needed to speed up.
They all got the message and Malik nodded to a servant standing beside the doorway. The man immediately nodded back and opened the doors to the dining room. The others moved into the room, relieved to have a bit of the tension ease. All of them were aware of Scarlett standing up and trying to avoid Grayson. None were going to allow that to happen though. In fact, by silent agreement, they all manipulated the table seatings so that those two were seated next to each other. An occurrence that neither of them appreciated.
When the salads were brought in, Malik quickly looked over to the two that looked ready to do battle with each other, waiting to see what might happen. Sure enough, as soon as a salad was set down in front of Scarlett, she took her fork and carefully pronged each of the olives. Very carefully, as if she didn’t think any of the others knew what was happening, she handed her fork to Grayson. He accepted the fork, still glaring at her, and ate all of the olives.
“Did you do that on purpose?” he asked his wife who was sitting at the other end of the table. No one else at the table understood what he was talking about, but Jina’s smile brightened. “Of course! It was a test. I wasn’t sure that…well, that things were still…” she shrugged.
“Still what?” Grayson asked.
Jina shook her head. Everyone else around the table shook their heads or rolled their eyes. “It’s always been like that,” Harrison explained to the newest member of their group. “As crazy as it seems.”
“What is crazy?” Scarlett asked as she inconspicuously took Grayson’s fork that held a stub of broccoli. She knew that Grayson hated broccoli and she hated olives. They’d developed a way for both of them to clear their plates over the years although no one knew what they were doing. No hostess was ever insulted because one of them didn’t eat everything on their plate and neither one had to suffer through swallowing vegetables they didn’t like. It was a win-win situation for all parties.
Malik shook his head, not understanding why the two of them didn’t just admit they were perfect for each other.
Grayson spoke up, changing the subject since he had no clue what the others were talking about, which seemed to be happening a lot lately. “Nothing. Back to this guy you’re trying to woo. What’s his name?”
“You’re not helping me,” she told him, refusing to look at him.
Grayson sighed, accepting that this would be his penance for that one night of bliss with her in his arms. “Yes I am. I’m going to help you get this guy if he’s really who you want.”
Scarlett took a deep breath, briefly closing her eyes. The man she really wanted? Was he stupid? She shook her head mentally. No. Grayson definitely wasn’t stupid. He was one of the smartest men she knew, present company included. Even among a group of brilliant men, she still considered Grayson to be smarter than all of them. She could be slightly biased, but she didn’t care.
Which only meant that he didn’t want her. She’d had her one night with him and that was all he’d wanted. She had to stop mooning over him. And she definitely had to stop dreaming about him. She was exhausted because every time she started to fall asleep, her mind replayed that night over and over in her dreams. Didn’t Cinderella sing that a dream is just a wish that one’s heart makes? Yeah, Disney knew what they were talking about. Her heart loved this man next to her.
As the meal progressed, the conversation around the table was lively which was normal. But Scarlett couldn’t really get into the mood and sat in the chair, barely eating any of the food. She just wasn’t hungry. At least, not for food anyway.
The servants took the main course away and she pushed her chair back. Excuse me for a moment,” she said and stood up. She turned to leave but something inside of her, an anger she just couldn’t hold back, prompted her to turn back around and punch Grayson’s shoulder. She knew that it didn’t hurt him. She hadn’t even tried. But it still let him know that she was furious with him.
“What was that for?” he asked, glaring up at her.
Scarlett opened her mouth to respond but she just huffed a bit, unable to tell him what an absolute jerk he was, especially in front of everyone else. She could just imagine Harrison’s dry British sarcasm if he knew that she was in love with Grayson. He’d tease her unmercifully! Stefan would probably kidnap her and dump her off in some beautiful house, pat her on the head and tell her that the sunshine would help her get over Grayson. Damon might take Grayson outside and a fight would start and Malik…well, one never really knew what Malik might do. He had an army at his beck and call so he was pretty dangerous.
She stared at her face in the mirror, blinking rapidly to try and stop the tears from slipping over her lashes. Her makeup would be ruined and everyone would know that she was upset. They were too protective of her.
“You’re an idiot,” Damon snapped.
Grayson looked across the table. “What the hell did I do?” he demanded, taking Scarlett’s dessert. She wasn’t going to eat it anyway. Besides, it was payback for the punch. Not that it had hurt. It was the principal though. He couldn’t let her think she could get away with that.
“She’s going to get you back for that,” Malik commented, chuckling at the way those two continuously provoked one another. If they could simply…he sighed and shook his head. “Why don’t you just…” he started to say make love to her but stopped himself. Everyone else at the table knew what the two of them should do. They all just needed to come up with a plan to get the two of them together.
Sierra stepped in at that moment. “So what are you going to teach her about luring in a man?” she asked Grayson, a mischievous twinkle to her eye.
The three other ladies leaned forward, eager to hear his reply. “I’d like to know as well,” Livia commented.
Stefan grumbled. “You don’t need to know anything more, love.” He draped an arm around the back of her chair, pulling it closer to his own. He started to reach out and take a bite of her dessert but she quickly pulled her plate out of the way, anticipating his theft.
“Mine,” she told him firmly.
Grayson watched with fascination and jealousy as Stefan slid a hand under his wife’s hair. Her whole body froze at his touch and he was then able to reach across and take a bite of her decadent dessert. The whole table laughed softly and then turned back to Grayson’s issue.
“I think you should give her ideas,” Sierra commented. “Tell her the things that catch your eye when a woman walks by.”
Sasha nodded her head. “Or what should she do when she walks into a bar? I mean, if this new guy actually goes to bars. We don’t know that.”
Grayson ignored all of their comments. Scarlett wasn’t the “bar” kind of woman. “I’ll have him investigated.”
Livia pulled her husband’s hand off of her neck and placed it on the table. “That’s a good idea. Maybe you could find out his likes and dislikes so you can tell Scarlett.”
“Oh, and be sure to tell her what turns a man off when she actually does catch his eye,” Jina added. “I mean, of course she’s going to catch his attention. She’s beautiful and intelligent, brilliant when it comes to designing just about anything. She’s what you men would call a ‘prime catch’, right?”
Grayson glared at each woman as she spoke, then looked to her husband, silently demanding that he get his woman under control. The look he received back from each of the men was basically, “What can I do?”
“She’s not dating this ass,” he commented with feeling.
Malik shook his head. “She’s going to marry someone, old man. And it is going to happen quickly. It would be better if we knew who the guy was and we knew she was going to be safe with him.”
Grayson shifted in his chair. Furious that they were accepting this situation. “She’s not marrying this guy.”
“Why not? You don’t know anything about him. He might be perfect for her.”
Grayson felt as if he might just punch one, or all, of his friends. They hadn’t had a good brawl since…well, since Scarlett came into their lives. But right now, he was more than willing to break all of their faces, his fury was just too strong.
“I’ll find all of his skeletons.”
“And in the meantime, you’ll help her?” Livia asked. “I mean, if this guy isn’t the right one for her, then she’s going to want to find another man, right? One day, she’s going to fall in love with someone but she won’t know how to entice him because she’s…” she almost said she’s been in love with Grayson for the past ten years but stopped herself. “Well, because she’s beautiful, inside and out, and deserves a good man. Someone who will love her with all of his heart and soul. Someone who will hold her in his arms when she’s sad and a guy she wants to turn to when she’s happy.”
They all stared at Grayson because that’s exactly what Scarlett had with him even though neither would admit their feelings for each other. No matter what happened in Scarlett’s life, Grayson was the man she turned to for all of her emotional needs. They were practically husband and wife already, just not acknowledging their feelings for one another. At least not to each other.
“I’ll find her a man,” he finally said.
The others all sighed with frustration. For a long moment, it had looked like Grayson was going to announce that he would be her man.
Scarlett stepped into the doorway, still fighting back tears but for a whole different reason now. “I don’t need help finding a man,” she explained stiffly, her hands fisted at her sides as she glared at the man she loved so painfully but wouldn’t love her back. “I can find a man on my own and I don’t need some arrogant ass to find him for me.”
With that, she spun around on her heel and almost ran down the elaborate palace hallway to the room she’d been assigned. Locking the door, she pulled her suitcase out of the closet. She hadn’t brought much because this was just an overnight stay. She was due back in New York tomorrow to meet with a new client but she would just take a flight tonight. She had to get out of here. There was no way she was going to fly back to New York with Grayson as she’d planned. She’d just get a flight out tonight and be done with the man! She couldn’t believe what she’d just heard!
All of them thought she was so pathetic that she couldn’t get a man? Was she that silly about the men she’d dated in the past? Okay, so none of them had been Grayson, which was really the only reason none of them had worked out. She compared every man she met to him and all of them came up short. No man had that special way of looking at her, the way that made her feel all tingly inside. And special. Yes, Grayson made her feel special and loved and cherished. When he touched her, she just wanted to curl up onto his lap and feel his arms wrap around her. No man had better arms, or a stronger chest, like Grayson.
The banging on the door was predictable.
“Scarlett, open the door,” Grayson yelled.
“Go to hell,” she muttered under her breath, continuing to toss her clothes into the overnight bag.
“Scarlett, I know you’re in there. We’re going to talk.”
She whipped over to the door, so angry and it wasn’t dissipating by not talking to him. When she opened it, she found a glaring Grayson on the other side. “Don’t you ever walk away from me, Scarlett.” And he stormed into the bedroom, slamming the door behind him.
“I’ll walk away any time you’re being an ass!”
He couldn’t believe she was so angry with him. Wasn’t he doing exactly what she wanted? She was looking for a man, he’d help her find a man! “What? All I said was that I’d help you find a man to marry!” he threw his arms up into the air, furious that she’d completely misunderstood their conversation. “Isn’t that what you want?”
“Yes! But I don’t want or need your help!” she poked him in the chest.
Grayson grabbed that finger poking him and twisted it around her back so that she was pressed against his chest. “You obviously do need my help. Otherwise, you’d already be married.”
She started to wiggle against him, trying to get free but the feeling of his hard body against hers shocked her. Desire surged through her and all she wanted was for him to bend down and kiss her, to feel those hard, demanding lips, against hers. No man could kiss like Grayson, she thought. Every touch was an erotic caress and her eyes almost went cross-eyed just thinking about it.
“I don’t need you to find me a man, Grayson,” she said with absolute sincerity.
Grayson felt his body hardening with just her touch. Hell, he was pretty much semi-hard every moment he was in her company now that he knew all the secrets of her body. Oh hell, there were probably dozens of secrets he still had yet to discover and he couldn’t believe she was looking for another man, thinking of giving another man rights to her perfect, beautiful body when they’d been so amazing together.
Pulling away, he released her. “Tell me this guy’s name. I’ll have him investigated and make sure he’s good enough for you.”
She stiffened with those words. “No! You’re not having him investigated. And according to you, and all of those other hypocrites back in the dining room, no man is good enough for me.”
He leaned down, his mind still alert to her scent. “Scarlett, what’s his name?”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “No.”
He looked down at her bed, realizing what she was doing. “Why are you packing? We’re not leaving until tomorrow morning.”
Scarlett stepped back slightly. “I’m leaving now.”
His eyes narrowed. “You’re not flying back without me, Scarlett.”
Her chin went up with defiance. “Yes. I am.” She wasn’t letting Grayson push her around!
“On whose plane?” he demanded furiously. He knew the others’ schedules and they weren’t flying out until tomorrow either. In fact, he was the first to leave, knowing that Scarlett had to get back to meet with some damn client. If he had his way, he’d just buy her a house every couple of weeks so that she could decorate it and she’d never have to meet with another stranger again. It made his stomach clench every time she was meeting with someone new, someone who could hurt her.
“I’m flying commercial,” she told him and walked towards the bathroom to get her toiletries.
Those words were like a red flag in front of a bull. She was only doing that to make him furious, and it was working! “Like hell you are!” he told her with a growl. “You’ll fly back with me tomorrow morning! That’s the end of this conversation, Scarlett,” he told her with a glare down into her equally angry, blue eyes.
Scarlett glared back at him for a long moment before she walked into the bathroom and packed up her toiletries. That man made her so angry! She stood in the bathroom for a long moment, her makeup bag clenched to her stomach as she fought the need to either burst into tears or burst through that door and pound on his hard, muscular chest until he realized how perfect they could be together.
Why had he walked away after their one night? What had she done wrong? Why hadn’t he enjoyed it as much as she had? She walked back out, her arms loaded with her makeup and shampoo.
“You can’t stop me from flying out, Grayson. So just get out of my room.” She dumped her toiletries into the suitcase, not caring about the disorganized mess.
Grayson wasn’t budging. In fact, he moved closer. “Don’t push me, Scarlett. You’re not flying on a commercial flight. You won’t even be able to get a flight out tonight.”
She poked his chest. “Watch me!” she challenged right back.
Grayson was furious that she was acting so insulted. But he also knew her well enough to know that making commands wasn’t going to get her to see reason. Trying to calm down, he ran a hand through his hair, trying to be logical about this. “Look, why are you in such an all-fired hurry to leave? Why not just hang out until tomorrow when we can fly back to New York together?”
“Because I’m leaving tonight,” she told him, no explanation was necessary. She just wanted to get away from him. Needed to get away from him!
“You’re not leaving here without me, Scarlett,” he warned her, hands on his hips as he glared down at her.
Scarlett was so hurt by his attitude and all of that pain was coming out as anger. Fury, actually.
“And what are you going to do to stop me?” she demanded.
Grayson considered picking her up and tossing the annoying woman over his shoulder, carrying him to his own suite and locking the doors. Oh, yeah, the things he’d like to do with her in his own bed, where he knew he wouldn’t be disturbed.
Unfortunately, his conscience wouldn’t let him do that. Not again.
His eyes shifted. “You want that idiot down the street from you, don’t you?” he asked, completely throwing her off.
Scarlett had no idea what he was talking about. “What guy?”
Grayson rolled his eyes. “The one all of the ladies were trying to get me to help you attract? The boring accountant you had your eyes on? Are you so fickle that you can’t even remember the men you’re supposedly in love with?”
Scarlett vaguely remembered the guy but she had been too wrapped up in Grayson’s presence that Mark What’s-his-name had flown out of her mind. “What about him?” she asked, still not sure she could even remember what the guy looked like.
“Do you want him or not?”
Pride was an ugly thing, she realized suddenly. “Yes,” she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest, trying to protect herself from…well from this enormous, brilliant man realizing the truth. She had to hide that from him at all costs, she realized with overwhelming sadness.
“If you want him, then you’ll need my help. I’ll get information on him.”
Her eyes widened. “You’re going to spy on him?”
“Of course! I told you I was going to run a background check on him.”
“You did not tell me that!” she came right back.
He shrugged one of his massive shoulders. “Perhaps it was mentioned with the others. Doesn’t matter,” he dismissed. “I’ll get my security team working on him tonight. By the morning, I’ll have more information on him.”
She shifted slightly, trying to decide if she wanted the information or not. Well, she knew that she didn’t care a fig for the other man. She couldn’t remember if the guy was blond or dark-haired so why would she care about whatever information Grayson might dig up on the poor gent?
But then something occurred to her. If Grayson was willing to show her how to attract a man, maybe he could give her clues on how she could attract his attention? Maybe, if she did it right, she could share his bed for more than just one night. And maybe, he wouldn’t be running from her bed, and from her, the following morning.
Yes, she thought quickly, her mind working frantically to come up with a better plan. She could do this. She could use this Mark guy as a ruse, a means to pick Grayson’s brain on what he liked and disliked about women, why he ran from their beds so early in the morning, why he wouldn’t fall in love with any of the women he’d dated so far, why he kept emotional distance from…everyone, even her now!
Oh, this was going to be perfect!
And if she got her heart broken again, well, at least, when she was ninety and surrounded by twelve cats and she was kicked out of New York City for throwing too much cat poop down the trash shoot, she would have memories of a few nights in this man’s arms instead of just the one, magical, beautiful night that really wasn’t a whole night.
Was she being greedy? Was she trying to get more than what she deserved?
Probably.
Was she going to play the game and hope for more? Absolutely!
“Okay. Fine!” she snapped. “I’ll wait until tomorrow but you have to promise me that you’ll give me lessons. Personal lessons on how to attract a man. You have to tell me what you like and dislike when a woman walks into a bar or a party. You have to be open and honest about what men like and dislike about women.”
He huffed a moment and she thought he was about to withdraw his offer. Her whole body tensed in fear that he wouldn’t help her any longer. But then he shook his head. “I only know what I like in a woman, Scarlett. I can’t tell you what all men like.”
Her heart soared!
“That’s good enough for me,” she told him with a secret smile. The man didn’t know what he was getting into, she thought with eagerness. “What time do we fly out tomorrow?”
Grayson saw her smile and knew that something was going on. Something he should be very wary of. “Nine o’clock tomorrow morning. And you’re going to have to have dinner with me tomorrow night. We’ll start our lessons then.”
He wasn’t asking. He was telling. Grayson spun around and walked out of the room, not able to stand next to her any longer with that damn bed so close. And she smelled good! The woman shouldn’t smell so good! Most women wore that disgusting, cloying perfume that made him gag. Scarlett wore some flowery scent that, unfortunately, he suspected was just her.
As he walked down the long hallway, he suspected that the next few weeks were going to be brutally painful for him. And wonderful. Scarlett wanted lessons? Well she was damn well going to have to eat with him and be with him, meet him for lunches more often and, damn it, he was going to have her meet him for drinks too.
He smiled as he opened the door to his suite and pulled off his tie, tossing it onto the bed as he headed towards the bathroom and yet another cold shower. Inevitably, when he was around Scarlett now, a cold shower was necessary. Not that it did a whole lot of good, but at least it got his mind off of her breasts. Or the gentle curve of her waist. Or the golden glow of her beautiful hair.
He turned the water colder as images of his lovely woman flashed through his mind. If he played this correctly, he could even give her the worst kind of information.
No, that wouldn’t be good. He wanted Scarlett to be happy. If he told her the wrong thing about attracting men, she’d never find a husband. Of all the people in this world, Scarlett deserved to get married. And she deserved kids. Or more specifically, the unborn children deserved Scarlett for a mother. She would be incredible!
It suddenly occurred to him that, while he was giving Scarlett lessons on how to attract a man, he could ask her questions on what she liked in a man.
He could change, he thought as he shut off the water. Toweling himself dry, he chuckled at all of the women over the years who had tried to change him. He’d dumped them the moment they started their efforts. But for Scarlett? Yeah, he could become someone…nice. He pictured Damon or Stefan if he told them that. They’d be laughing their fool heads off. Grayson had never been nice. He wasn’t sure it was in his character. He preferred getting what he wanted and in business, that had served him extremely well. But for Scarlett, he could fake being nice.
Yeah, it was a good plan. One he’d put into action the following morning.