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‘I won’t change my mind. And you won’t regret this.’ She was almost vibrating with excitement. ‘You won’t even know I’m there. Promise.’
Rafe groaned silently at the enormous smile on her face. He should have left her asleep at the desk.
* * *
Pacing the upper floor office suite at Bound, Rafe watched on a bank of security monitors as guests continued to pour through the front door of the club, each one wide-eyed with delight as they took in the chrome and glass chandeliers and the Dalí-inspired decor.
‘So far, so good,’ Hannah, his assistant, ventured beside him. A pocket rocket, Hannah had the energy of a racehorse, which was probably why she hadn’t quit on him like so many of his other EAs had done over the years.
Rafe grunted in acknowledgement. At this point he didn’t much care about the success of the club. He just wanted to know where Alexa was.
‘Oh, relax,’ Hannah admonished as she saw him check his watch again. ‘I organised Chase Security to travel in with her as well as her own security detail, as you instructed. Between the lot of them, you’d think she was bringing the heads of state of fifty nations with her. But she should be here any minute.’
‘Since when do I worry?’ Rafe said, not bothering to hide his irritation.
Hannah’s grin widened before she checked a message that popped up on her tablet. ‘Since you got married, it seems. But I can see why you married her. We had a great time shopping. She’s truly lovely. Not at all stuck-up, as one might expect from royalty, but then you’re not stuck up, so I don’t know why I thought she would be. And she looks incredible in her new dress. We had a lot of fun choosing it. Oh, I better go. The Duke and Duchess of Crenshore have arrived and I need to show them to their private table.’
Not hearing a word she’d said after ‘new dress’, Rafe’s mind was now obsessed with exactly what this new dress would look like. Would her hair be up or down? He still had no idea how long it was. Another unwanted obsession he’d suddenly developed.
Glancing once more at the display showing the entrance, Rafe saw one of the Chase Security guards he’d organised to shadow Alexa walk through the door.
Not realising he was holding his breath, he waited for Alexa to appear and exhaled at seeing her.
Her hair was down. And it was long. Almost waist-length and as straight as an arrow.
Wearing a trench coat and stiletto heels, she looked regal and calm except for the glitter in her eyes that gave away her excitement as she scanned the foyer.
A similar feeling went through him now and he did his best to douse it. There was no reason he should be ‘excited’ that she was here. He’d agreed to let her come because he felt sorry for her, stuck in his apartment working. She worked too much, trying to prove herself, as he had once done. Only she was perfect as she was.
Stopping those thoughts dead in their tracks, he noted with satisfaction how her security detail scanned the crowd before allowing her to move further inside. It was guests only at the club tonight, and Rafe had personally checked over the list and given it to her team to cross-reference, but he didn’t want to take any chances with her safety.
For some reason I feel safe with you.
A muscle ticked in his jaw. She’d been talking about taking charge of her professional needs, but his mind was still stuck on her ‘taking charge’ in a much more pleasurable capacity.
Cursing at the single track his mind had been on ever since the Santarian charity ball, he refocused on making sure Alexa made it into his club without incident.
A member of his staff approached her, indicating that he would take her jacket, and Rafe’s gut tightened as she slowly pulled at the belt, shrugging her shoulders so that the fabric slipped down her arms.
Rafe nearly choked on the air he’d just sucked into his lungs.
The dress she was wearing was black, tight and minimal in the extreme. It was as if the manufacturer had run out of fabric, shrugged and sewn it together anyway. Sheer gossamer tights covered legs that looked impossibly long in stiletto heels. Her waist looked tiny, her breasts full and voluptuous.
Nearby, men gave her covetous looks and Rafe found himself moving towards the lift that would take him to the ground floor before he’d even thought about it. She would cause a war in his club if he didn’t immediately bundle her back into that coat.
‘I feel so alive. Almost electric.’ Alexa’s eyes sparkled with pleasure when she spotted him. ‘This place is fantastic. Dark and mysterious—it’s as if something magical could happen around any corner. But it’s also a touch romantic with the effect of the mauve and blue lighting on the wall murals. And the music—’
Hannah interrupted her excitement with a glass of champagne. ‘It’s French, of course. You look brilliant. That dress is perfect. Don’t you think so, Rafe?’
‘Perfect.’
Alexa raised a brow at his droll reply. He was going to have to pull himself together before he sank his hands into all that lustrous hair and said to hell with the club—they were going back to the apartment to have the kind of sex he was always reputed to have.
‘Thanks to you, Hannah.’ Alexa grinned happily. ‘I had the most amazing afternoon.’
‘My pleasure,’ Hannah replied. ‘I’ll swap the office for Bond Street any day of the week.’
‘Are you okay?’ Alexa finally remembered he was present and frowned. ‘You seem angry.’
