Chapter 40: Chapter 40

Lucas was exhausted by the time he got up to his office at eight o’clock that night. His flight had been delayed twice and the nasty turbulence had made it almost impossible for him to sleep.

As he let himself in, he trudged past the deserted cubicles toward Yolanda’s office. All he really wanted to do was curl up in his bed and treat himself to a restful night of sleep. The last thing he wanted to do was go over one of the designer’s portfolios on a Thursday night, with the last person he wanted to see. But he had to. Dafina was expecting their

report on her desk Friday morning before she left for a weekend trip to

Paris that afternoon. She couldn’t leave without that report if she was going to make a decision between the final two designers in time to start making preparations for the Spring line. In fashion, preparations for lines started months, sometimes years in advance, and they were already a month behind on the swimsuit component of the line. They just didn’t have time to spare, which was why as soon as he’d gotten Yolanda’s message, he’d headed straight to the office without even dropping off his luggage at his home.

Seeing the light spilling over from under Yolanda’s door, he knocked once before stepping inside. He knew something was up as soon as he walked in when he saw that she sat in her high backed leather chair, with her back facing him.

“Lock the door please.”

He twisted the lock in place, as he strode across the room. “Yolanda, what is—,”

His next words died in his throat when she spun around in her chair to face him. Although the desk obscured the lower half of her body, he could easily see that she was nude as her lovely breasts winked at him, with their cherry topped nipples. Despite his anger toward her, his body leapt to life. He wanted to scream at his lengthening cock that he was a traitor. He was still furious with Yolanda, but apparently his body didn’t give a damn.

“What are you doing?’ He croaked out, slightly appalled that his voice cracked, making him sound more like a nervous teenage boy than the grown man that he was.

“I’m trying to apologize and seduce you all at once,” she said with a naughty smile, although he could tell she was nervous by the wary look in her eyes. That’s when he noticed the diamond and white gold bracelet that twinkled on her wrist.

“I see you got it,” he said flatly as he frowned.

She nodded slowly. “I did. Thank you. It’s lovely,” she said with a small smile.

“I ordered it before you left.” He added, as he tried to justify why he’d gone to such lengths to impress a woman who apparently still saw what she wanted to see and not what was actually in front of her face.

“I figured that. You had to have put in the order by the second day of our trip so the New York location could have it engraved and delivered by today.”

He nodded, not knowing what else she wanted him to say. They both worked in fashion so they knew how the process worked. She was right; he’d ordered it the second day they were there. He’d actually placed the call right before he’d headed to her room to apologize, after

their spectacle at Leonora Vatrelli’s boutique, and if she thought more

about it, it was also the night they’d first made love. He’d called a friend at the New York location to get the gift rushed to her. In his mind he’d had it all planned out perfectly. After they finished up on Wednesday, they’d have dinner, maybe go sightseeing or enjoy a show, before returning back to the hotel where he’d planned to spend the rest of the night making love to her. And then when she arrived home the next day, she’d find the gift waiting for her on her doorstep. His plan had never involved her flying home early so that she could spend the weekend with her ex.

“So you got the bracelet, realized you were wrong and now you’re here to apologize.” He shrugged. “Alright, apology accepted. Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to go home and get some rest, since apparently this was just a pathetic ploy to get me to come down here.”

He ignored the dejected expression on her face as he spun on his heels and stomped toward the door. At this point he was too angry to care. Why had it taken that stupid gift for her to realize what he’d been trying to tell her, show her, all along?

“Lucas, wait,” she said, as she lunged out of the chair, and raced around her desk to clutch at his arm before he could walk out.

He stopped to stare down into her face, valiantly struggling not to let his gaze drift lower, because he knew if he did, it would all be over, and whatever she had to say would become secondary to his body’s need for her. And right now he wanted to hear what she had to say.

“I’m sorry, Lucas,” she said softly. “I didn’t know how you felt—”

“I’ve been trying to tell you all along.” He thought of all the small overtures he’d made over the last year expressing his interest, only to be rebuffed. From the moment he met her, he knew that she would need a little coaxing, but he hadn’t given up. When the Vegas opportunity rolled around, he’d practically begged Dafina to send Yolanda on the trip with him, even though they all knew the job could have been accomplished with just one person.

“I realize that now, but at the time I just thought you were a notorious flirt and a gig—”

“I know what you thought,” he said dryly. “But those were your

own issues, your own insecurities getting in the way. I never once

behaved in a manner to suggest that I wasn’t interest in you and only you,” he said quietly as he lifted his hand to stroke her cheek.

“When it comes to men, I don’t trust easily.” He wanted to say he knew that better than most, but he kept his mouth shut as he just listened. “Especially when it comes to men who are as handsome and confident as you.” She lowered her gaze to the floor. “I just didn’t believe a man like you would seriously be interested in a woman like me,” she whispered, as she kept her eyes glued to their feet.

He swore softly as he dragged her into arms. He’d caught glimpses of this before—the insecurities that she carried around. He wanted to pummel whoever had convinced her she wasn’t beautiful because she now seemed to believe it. She was tall and curvaceous, and he often thought of her as an Amazon, toned and taut in some areas, and lush and full in others. She also boasted the most perfect features, with her pretty heart shaped faced, full sensual mouth, and alluring almond shaped eyes. He’d been captivated the day he’d met her, and it had taken him awhile to realize she didn’t see herself the way he did.

Sticking out a single finger, he lifted her chin until she met his gaze.

“Yolanda, you’re beautiful. I’ve told you this many times before, as well as shown you with my actions.”

She smiled. “I know. These are my own hang ups and I’m working on them.” She reached up a hand to stroke his stubbled jaw. “I’m sorry it took me so long to see you for the man you really are and not the man I painted you out to be. Please just give me the chance to show you that I see you for who you truly are,” she said in a hushed whisper. “I know I don’t deserve it. You’ve already done so much to show me how you feel and—”

He placed a single finger against her lips to keep her from babbling, something she only did when she was extremely nervous. He read the uncertainty in her gaze, as she searched his face. He understood her anxious expression, but if she truly knew just how long he’d been half in love with her, she wouldn’t have been the slightest bit worried about his answer. Yes, he’d been angry with the way things had turned out in Vegas, but he’d spent far too much time and energy pursuing her to be discouraged by a small bump in the road. He’d planned to return home,

lick his wounds and start fresh on Monday with her. He knew when he’d

started down this path that going after her wouldn’t be easy, but then nothing truly worth having was ever easy to come by.