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Draco watched her and she saw regret in his expression.
Flattered, hope and desire fluttered inside her like restless butterflies. “I’ll pick you up at seven thirty sharp. If you wait outside I’ll get the taxi to pull by for you, okay?”
She thought he might follow her to the door, kiss her, and turn her into a puddle of lust all over again. But he saluted and stayed where he was. Thankfully.
When she got into the taxi the sense of elation she carried made her high. Excited and nervous about the business venture, yes, but more than that, about what had happened between them.
It was crazy to be distracted by a casual flirtation. She’d put so much work into this. If her father figured there was something unusual, they’d be out on their ear in a flash.
When she’d mentioned a friend who would like a placement her father agreed, but in practical terms he was humouring her. He’d done little more than nod, making reference to boyfriend-material as if he was more amused by that. Would he even remember? Probably. She’d been proved wrong in that point before. Very little got past Compton Senior. When she assumed he hadn’t listened or heard she was always chastised
Would her dad suss out what she was up to? God, it wasn’t worth thinking about what his reaction might be. Reason tapped on her shoulder. He’d have to find out eventually. Yes, but he’d admire her initiative, and reward her by giving her equal status to her brothers. Her father was maverick to the core. He enjoyed a good joke and a crackpot scheme that paid dividends. If he didn’t, she’d lost nothing. Her place in his life was an obligation to her mum, no more. Whatever, she’d find out in a few days.
Touching her lips tentatively, she recalled the kiss.
Crazy girl, she told herself. Focus. It was crucial to be in control, and she wasn’t. Even after she’d left Draco’s side she was high and dizzy. It was massive, what she was attempting to do, and the man she was doing it with was lawless and too sexy for his own
good.
“Don’t let me end up regretting this,” she murmured to herself, but even while she said a silent prayer a smile crept over her face, because that’s what he’d done to her. He’d made her feel good, and whatever else happened, she didn’t regret that kiss.
***
After she’d gone, Draco grabbed another slice of pizza then wandered back to the glass table. The laptops were still open and logged onto Compton Finance in Lara’s name. This was too good.
All he had to do was seduce the princess, find the trophy so she could win her quest, take the money prize, and unleash a few demons on the way out. Congratulating himself on his good fortune he sat down at the computer and got ready to take a good mosey around.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Compton Finance was located right in the center of the area called City of London, the square mile of land dominated by British finance—the banking district. The offices took up three floors in an awe-inspiring glass skyscraper. It was the sort of place Draco never thought he’d enter in physical form, but used to get a kick out of trying to hack.
Virtual invasion they’d called it. Sean came up with that one. Truth of the matter was Draco didn’t need to walk in there to wreak havoc, but it was quite a kick being able to do so.
“Stay close,” Lara murmured as they entered the reception area.
She was really nervous, he could tell.
“Sure thing, Sweetheart.” He peered at the other suited workers heading into the building suspiciously. As far as he was concerned this was not only foreign land, it was enemy territory. What would Sean think of this? he wondered as he strolled past the security guards.
“You’re not going to bail out on me are you?” Lara asked under her breath while they waited in the corridor of elevator doors.
“No, just taking it all in.” He gave her a quick smile when he saw the dismay on her face. She really thought he was going to run out on her. No way. This was a golden opportunity to wreak revenge. Plus the added bonus of the intimacy they’d shared the night before. Right by her side, that’s where he was staying.
An elevator door opened and a crowd of workers moved toward it.
They were crammed in at the back, but the bodies didn’t jostle. They stood like sentinels. He felt her arm against his and instinctively reached out and took her hand.
She glanced up at him surprised. It was the first time she’d looked directly into his eyes for longer than a moment that morning. She’d been totally business like and when he’d made reference to what happened between them the night before, in the cab, she quickly redirected the conversation.
“Here we are, tenth floor.” She nudged him when the elevator doors opened, easing through the crowd to exit.
Draco followed. Moments later they walked down a corridor flanked by glass walls, beyond which he saw numerous people at desks divided by low walls. He’d never been in a place like it. He’d imagined it enough times though, when they were hacking. They used to make jokes about people working like drones at their desks, the creativity quashed out of them by the people at the top, the people who are making the real money. Surprisingly, he felt the sharp bite of anticipation to delve deeper into the environment.
“We’re reporting to my dad first. He likes to meet everybody who comes through the doors to work here.” She stared at him as if trying to gauge his reaction.
Draco shrugged. “Suits me.”
At the far end of the corridor they passed through two sets of glass double doors into a more hushed area. An ice-maiden receptionist sat behind a flash desk with Compton scrolled artfully across the front of it, like it was handwritten. Draco stifled a laugh. The guy ought to be more precious about his signature.
