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He intoxicated her. Aroused her. Thrilled her.
She was falling for this man, hard and fast. And somehow, the logical, care-taking Claire, who should have already put on the brakes, since she had little time or room in her life for a relationship, was keeping her big fat mouth shut. The Claire who sometimes dreamed of more, who fantasized about true love and happily-ever-after, was strictly in charge.
“So when’s closing time?”
A gurgle of laughter rose in her throat as she heard the boyish anticipation in his tone. She suspected that box of condoms would be burning a hole through the bag, from all the heated thoughts sent its way.
“I usually stay open later on Wednesday evenings, so not until eight.”
“Your assistant—is she working today?”
“Uh-huh.”
“And the lady who is helping with the cooking?”
“Yes, Mrs. West will be in, too. She’s fantastic.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” he said with a satisfied smile, as if he’d personally selected the woman for the job. “So can you, perhaps, leave a little early?”
“I’m sorry. I’ve been so busy already, I honestly doubt it.”
“Hmm... What if I got someone else to help man the store?”
“Your mastodon in the china shop? I don’t think so.”
“No, not Teeny. I mean Shelby.”
Remembering the slightly snooty guy who’d been flirting with Jeannie the day before, Claire scrunched her brow. “I doubt he’d—”
“Oh, he’d love to,” Philip insisted with a nod. “He was just telling me this morning how much he’d love to learn more about business. And about candy. About the candy business.”
That didn’t sound like the man she’d met. “Seriously?”
“Indeed. He’s quite anxious to learn. You would be doing him a favor by allowing him to be your employee’s assistant tonight. And then you could leave early and come with me.”
Claire wrapped her arms around Philip’s neck and smiled up at him. “Where? All the way back to my bedroom?”
“No,” he said, dropping his hands to her hips and stroking gently. “I have arranged a surprise for us.”
Ooh, that sounded interesting. And very tempting.
“Well, if it’s just for an hour or so, I suppose I could—”
“Excellent. It’s settled. I will meet you here at six o’clock.” He kissed her forehead. “Dress up.”
There was that bossy tone again.
“Are you sure you can afford for us to go somewhere that requires ‘dressing up’?” In New York, dinner at a fancy restaurant could cost a lot of money, and on his visiting student income, she didn’t want him to overextend himself.
“I wasn’t entirely forthcoming with you about my finances,” he admitted. “I’m perhaps not quite as poor as I let on.”
She’d suspected as much, given the way he dressed and his confident manner. “So why did you say you were?”
“Because I wanted to stay here, in this building.” He dropped his mouth to her temple and kissed her again. “Near you.”
Every inch of her felt lighter, somehow, and her heart fluttered wildly in her chest. Because as strange as it seemed, she believed him. He had only just met her when they’d argued about the apartment, yet she’d felt an incredibly strong attraction to him. Was it so crazy to think he’d felt the same?
She turned so their noses touched, and pressed a soft kiss on his lips. “I’ll be ready.”
* * *
TELLING CLAIRE HE WASN’T poor had been the first step in easing her toward the truth. Philip knew that most women, here and on Elatyria, would be thrilled to find out their supposedly penniless suitor had wealth beyond their imagining. But Claire wasn’t like most women, which was why he’d fallen in love with her. She wouldn’t be happy that he’d deceived her—like the woman in the film his friends had watched last night. He only hoped she understood when he told her the whole story.
In the meantime, though, now that he was free to use some of his money, he intended to make the most of it. Claire had worked hard every single day since he’d met her, with very little help. She deserved a fantasy night out, and he intended to give it to her.
He knocked on her door right on time, heard her call from within. “Come on in, it’s unlocked.”
Unlocked. That displeased him, although he couldn’t tell her so without revealing that he, Shelby and Teeny had been guarding her full-time again. Stating that fact might not be so bad. Telling her it was because her brother, who hadn’t even contacted her in the weeks since he’d used and exploited her, was possibly in trouble again, could make things very painful for her. And causing her pain was something Philip did not intend to do. Now, or ever.
He twisted the knob and let himself in. Claire’s apartment was as immaculate and prettily decorated as her shop—nothing like the units upstairs. The front room was expansive, with tasteful furniture and soft lighting. The colors suited her—cream and mauve, subdued, elegant and graceful. He suspected this was her retreat after long days in the hectic shop, which had appeared to be empty of customers only during the brief minutes he’d spent with her this morning.
Of course, that had been because Teeny had been standing right outside the door, telling customers they had to wait a few minutes.
The rest of the day had flown by; Philip had watched from the restaurant across the street as the crowds streamed in. Knowing she was surrounded by people, he’d finally allowed himself to go upstairs and get ready for their evening.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” she said, sounding breathless as she emerged from a back room.
He sucked in a breath himself, his whole body heating up as he beheld her. Claire was always lovely. Right now, though, she was the most stunning creature he had ever seen.
She wore a black dress that clung to her curvaceous form. It was short, coming to just above her knees, showing off her slim legs to advantage. The dress plunged low in the front to reveal those magnificent breasts he’d so thoroughly enjoyed tasting. When she turned slightly to retrieve her coat, and he saw that the back plunged even farther, he had to swallow, hard, and remind himself to breathe.
“Are you sure you won’t be too cold?” he choked out, both loving the way she looked and dreading any other man seeing her that way.
Her eyes sparkled and her lips twitched. “I’ll be fine.”
She sauntered closer, her pose casual, but her trembling mouth betraying her. She liked this power, was reveling in her feminine strengths, confident and stunning.
Philip strode to her and grabbed her in his arms, pulling her against him and capturing her mouth in a kiss. Their tongues swirled, hot and hard, and he knew she’d worn this dress on purpose, wanting to inflame him, wanting him hungry for her every minute until they finally consummated their union .
“You know what you do to me,” he growled against her mouth.
She looked up at him, smoothing her hand over the shoulder of the tailored tuxedo he’d purchased earlier in the week. “The same thing you do to me?”
“I hope so.”
“Philip, if you told me you’d changed your mind and wanted to walk right back to my bedroom and strip me out of this dress, I would have absolutely no objection.”
That was so very tempting. But tonight wasn’t about merely seducing her body. He wanted her mind, her heart, her soul.
“You will tempt me all night long,” he told her as he reached for her coat and helped her put it on.
She looked the tiniest bit disappointed. So right before he led her out of the apartment, he bent to whisper, “Before we go, though, I must know.... What are you wearing under that dress?”
She licked her lips, smiling mysteriously. Then, without a word, she reached into the small black purse, opened it and withdrew a tiny tuft of soft black fabric.
“I was wearing these.”
Gods, the woman tormented him. He grabbed the tiny panties from her hand, brought them to his mouth and rubbed the fabric against his lips, catching the warm, sweet scent of her. Then he tucked them into his pocket, planning to keep this souvenir forever.
They had to leave now or they wouldn’t leave at all. He took her arm and escorted her down the hallway to the front exit. Standing outside at the curb was the long black vehicle he’d engaged for the evening.
When he led her toward it, she gasped. “You hired a limo?”
He shrugged. “I don’t have a driving license.”
“Ever heard of a cab?”
“This seemed a better choice.”
She let him help her in, and scooted over so he could move into place beside her. Exchanging nods with the driver, who had received his instructions earlier, Philip watched as the privacy panel slid up, leaving him and Claire entirely alone and shielded from the outside world in the shadowy darkness of the car.
