All He Needs
Page 10
Dominic’s mouth twitched. “I’m pleased to have your approval such as it is.”
“As if you need it. Care to tell me why she’s in Singapore?”
“No.”
If Dominic hadn’t been involved, he would have said so. “Staying at Raffles, is she?” Max inquired coolly.
“I believe so.”
“In the Cathay Suite?”
“She might be.”
Then Dominic had put her there. It was his favorite. “For long?”
A cool blue gaze. “That I don’t know.”
“I’m surprised. It sounds as though you have everything under control.”
Dominic leaned forward, carefully aligned the pen on his desk, then looked up and smiled tightly. “There are limits to what I can do.”
Max laughed. “That’s exactly why she intrigues you. You didn’t just leave her, she left you, didn’t she?”
“Is there no privacy in the world?” Dominic drolly remarked.
“Not a whole lot. When are you leaving for Singapore?”
“Tonight.”
“Staying long?”
“I doubt it.”
FIVE
Kate was sitting with a male colleague at a table in Raffles Bar and Billiard Room when Dominic walked through the broad doorway and came to a stop. He wore a dark polo shirt, dark slacks, a dun-colored sports jacket, and he looked cool and collected and beautiful as sin.
She went still, her heart grabbed at her ribs, hot desire dive-bombed her brain. Left her breathless.
Even at a glance, Dominic’s shocking physical beauty, the raw energy spilling from him, the arresting, electric blue of his eyes, pushed all her buttons, switched on every playing-with-fire impulse, made her suddenly conscious of all she’d missed.
He stood utterly motionless, his stance deceptively easy as he surveyed the room, a dominant lion contemplating his kingdom.
Every eye in the room was trained on him—on the unequivocal power beneath the careless pose, the hard-edged swell of muscle beneath the fine tailoring, the extraordinary beauty, the quiet confidence. Even the bartenders stopped their work. You could have heard a pin drop.
Dominic appeared immune to the hush.
Then he saw her, smiled faintly, and advanced into the room.
When he came to a stop at their table, he said pleasantly, “How nice to see you, Miss Hart. What brings you to Singapore?”
“Work.”
“Ah.” He smiled. “I should have known. Can I buy you and your companion a drink?”
“No.” She’d only just managed to put all the pieces of herself back together. She refused to unravel her hard-won normalcy.
“We’d be honored!” Her companion spoke at the same time, his expression one of wide-eyed awe.
The disparate answers broadened Dominic’s smile. “Why don’t we go with the yes. Another round of the same?” He half turned, nodded, and a waiter appeared as though by magic. After a quiet exchange, Dominic turned back to the table and took a seat, thrusting out his hand to Kate’s companion. “Dominic Knight. Pleasure to meet you.”
“Johnny Chen. I know who you are.” Beaming from ear to ear, Kate’s young associate vigorously pumped Dominic’s hand. “My family’s from Hong Kong.”
Dominic spoke to him in fluent Cantonese, Johnny replied, both men laughed, and Kate fumed. Damn him, Dominic was going to charm the hell out of Johnny, who’d been an amiable, good-natured colleague during her time at CX Capital, and she was going to have to pretend some minimum courtesy. She wasn’t sure she was capable of speech let alone politesse, with her heart beating like a drum and her libido doing the happy dance. Jesus, do you mind? she scolded herself, bitch-slapping her libido. This is the man who walked out on you. Johnny explained that they were celebrating the completion of the project they’d worked on together.
Dominic urbanely replied, “I’d say that calls for champagne.” As though on cue, the two bottles of champagne he’d ordered were carried over.
Kate knew what Dominic was doing and watched in silent exasperation as he kept refilling everyone’s glasses and gently persuading Johnny to talk about their project at length. Johnny explained how he and Kate had worked together all night at times, how they’d worked on weekends too when they were on the trail of something good, how he’d learned so much from her.
Dominic’s jaw clenched whenever Johnny pronounced Kate’s name with puppy-dog adoration. Then he’d reach over, top off Johnny’s glass, and politely ask another question.
Four bottles later, Johnny was slurring his words, swaying in his chair, and regularly losing his train of thought. Coming to his feet, Dominic beckoned a waiter over for assistance, then leaned over and spoke to Kate under his breath. “Stay where you are. I’ll be right back.”
She should have left. Really, any sensible woman would have. She wasn’t mentally or emotionally ready to deal with Dominic. Everything was still too raw, her feelings not up to the challenge. It was also insulting—how he casually trespassed into her life uninvited. Zero for five. She ordered a sandwich. Or maybe her hotspur libido did the ordering. If you don’t want to stay, I will, her little voice whispered. A month with only your vibrator is long enough.
“Some people can’t hold their liquor,” Dominic said on his return, sitting down and smiling at Kate. “Nice kid though. I know his uncle.”
Just because her libido had no boundaries didn’t mean Kate was willing to cave. “That was masterful to watch,” she said. “I’m impressed.”
“As if you need it. Care to tell me why she’s in Singapore?”
“No.”
If Dominic hadn’t been involved, he would have said so. “Staying at Raffles, is she?” Max inquired coolly.
“I believe so.”
“In the Cathay Suite?”
“She might be.”
Then Dominic had put her there. It was his favorite. “For long?”
A cool blue gaze. “That I don’t know.”
“I’m surprised. It sounds as though you have everything under control.”
Dominic leaned forward, carefully aligned the pen on his desk, then looked up and smiled tightly. “There are limits to what I can do.”
Max laughed. “That’s exactly why she intrigues you. You didn’t just leave her, she left you, didn’t she?”
“Is there no privacy in the world?” Dominic drolly remarked.
“Not a whole lot. When are you leaving for Singapore?”
“Tonight.”
“Staying long?”
“I doubt it.”
FIVE
Kate was sitting with a male colleague at a table in Raffles Bar and Billiard Room when Dominic walked through the broad doorway and came to a stop. He wore a dark polo shirt, dark slacks, a dun-colored sports jacket, and he looked cool and collected and beautiful as sin.
She went still, her heart grabbed at her ribs, hot desire dive-bombed her brain. Left her breathless.
Even at a glance, Dominic’s shocking physical beauty, the raw energy spilling from him, the arresting, electric blue of his eyes, pushed all her buttons, switched on every playing-with-fire impulse, made her suddenly conscious of all she’d missed.
He stood utterly motionless, his stance deceptively easy as he surveyed the room, a dominant lion contemplating his kingdom.
Every eye in the room was trained on him—on the unequivocal power beneath the careless pose, the hard-edged swell of muscle beneath the fine tailoring, the extraordinary beauty, the quiet confidence. Even the bartenders stopped their work. You could have heard a pin drop.
Dominic appeared immune to the hush.
Then he saw her, smiled faintly, and advanced into the room.
When he came to a stop at their table, he said pleasantly, “How nice to see you, Miss Hart. What brings you to Singapore?”
“Work.”
“Ah.” He smiled. “I should have known. Can I buy you and your companion a drink?”
“No.” She’d only just managed to put all the pieces of herself back together. She refused to unravel her hard-won normalcy.
“We’d be honored!” Her companion spoke at the same time, his expression one of wide-eyed awe.
The disparate answers broadened Dominic’s smile. “Why don’t we go with the yes. Another round of the same?” He half turned, nodded, and a waiter appeared as though by magic. After a quiet exchange, Dominic turned back to the table and took a seat, thrusting out his hand to Kate’s companion. “Dominic Knight. Pleasure to meet you.”
“Johnny Chen. I know who you are.” Beaming from ear to ear, Kate’s young associate vigorously pumped Dominic’s hand. “My family’s from Hong Kong.”
Dominic spoke to him in fluent Cantonese, Johnny replied, both men laughed, and Kate fumed. Damn him, Dominic was going to charm the hell out of Johnny, who’d been an amiable, good-natured colleague during her time at CX Capital, and she was going to have to pretend some minimum courtesy. She wasn’t sure she was capable of speech let alone politesse, with her heart beating like a drum and her libido doing the happy dance. Jesus, do you mind? she scolded herself, bitch-slapping her libido. This is the man who walked out on you. Johnny explained that they were celebrating the completion of the project they’d worked on together.
Dominic urbanely replied, “I’d say that calls for champagne.” As though on cue, the two bottles of champagne he’d ordered were carried over.
Kate knew what Dominic was doing and watched in silent exasperation as he kept refilling everyone’s glasses and gently persuading Johnny to talk about their project at length. Johnny explained how he and Kate had worked together all night at times, how they’d worked on weekends too when they were on the trail of something good, how he’d learned so much from her.
Dominic’s jaw clenched whenever Johnny pronounced Kate’s name with puppy-dog adoration. Then he’d reach over, top off Johnny’s glass, and politely ask another question.
Four bottles later, Johnny was slurring his words, swaying in his chair, and regularly losing his train of thought. Coming to his feet, Dominic beckoned a waiter over for assistance, then leaned over and spoke to Kate under his breath. “Stay where you are. I’ll be right back.”
She should have left. Really, any sensible woman would have. She wasn’t mentally or emotionally ready to deal with Dominic. Everything was still too raw, her feelings not up to the challenge. It was also insulting—how he casually trespassed into her life uninvited. Zero for five. She ordered a sandwich. Or maybe her hotspur libido did the ordering. If you don’t want to stay, I will, her little voice whispered. A month with only your vibrator is long enough.
“Some people can’t hold their liquor,” Dominic said on his return, sitting down and smiling at Kate. “Nice kid though. I know his uncle.”
Just because her libido had no boundaries didn’t mean Kate was willing to cave. “That was masterful to watch,” she said. “I’m impressed.”
