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“You heard me.” She raised her chin. “As a major stockholder, I have the right to ask for your resignation.”
Nash held up his hands. “Now, Deirdre, I don’t think we need to ask for Samuel’s resignation. I’m sure he didn’t mean to do… whatever he did.”
“He drugged me and then dragged me to the sultan’s tent and took advantage of me.”
“I took advantage of you?” Samuel said. “If I remember correctly, you were the one who helped me get out of that damned uncomfortable suit of armor you forced me to wear.”
“Only after you slipped something in my drink.”
“You didn’t even have a drink!”
“Then you put something in that brownie. There is no other explanation for what happened.” She glanced at Nash. “I think that a verbal resignation will work just fine. Wouldn’t you say, Nash?”
Nash struggled to play catch-up. Samuel wasn’t gay. He and Deirdre had a past. And obviously, Mrs. Huckabee’s brownies really were magic. While Nash tried to absorb all the information, Samuel gave in to Deirdre’s demands.
“Fine. You want my resignation, Mrs. Beaumont, you’ve got it!” He headed for the door, slamming it behind him. When he was gone, Nash expected Deidre to gloat or have some snide remark. Instead, she sat down in the chair and burst into tears.
“Why did you have to interrupt when you did?” she sobbed. “I had him right where I wanted him.”
Not knowing what else to do, Nash searched around until he found a box of tissues and brought it to Deirdre. Once she had the tears blotted from her cheeks, he asked the obvious question. “So how long have you been in love with Samuel?”
Her head came up. “What in the world would make you think that? I hate the man.” Instead of replying, Nash waited her out. She caved only seconds later. “Okay, so maybe I don’t hate him. Which is shocking since he is such an annoying man, and has been ever since I met him. But love?” She twisted the tissue in her hands. “Why would I be in love with a man who wasn’t even willing to fight for me? When Michael showed interest in me, Samuel just gave up.” She looked at Nash. “If he cared for me, why would he do that?”
“Maybe he thought that you and Olivia would be happier with a billionaire than with a young designer who had yet to prove himself.”
She nodded. “I’ve often wondered if it was a test to see if I was actually the spoiled gold digger he thought I was.” She laughed cynically. “I guess I failed.”
Nash leaned back on one of the design tables and crossed his arms. “Which is why you started the rumor about him being gay?”
She studied the tissue in her hands. “I thought he would prove the rumors wrong soon enough. But he hasn’t gone out with one woman in all these years.” She swallowed. “How do you explain that?”
“I think you know the answer.”
“But then why didn’t he make a move after Michael died? Why did he ignore me?”
A few days earlier, Nash couldn’t have answered the question. But he could now. It seemed that he and Samuel were two peas in a pod. Samuel had ignored Deirdre because of his fear of rejection, and Nash had ignored all women rather than deal with them shrinking from his touch and thinking him a rapist. And looking back, he had to wonder if some of the fear he saw in women’s eyes had just been a reflection of his own insecurities.
“I think that Samuel was worried that you wouldn’t return his affection,” he said. “And I think that if you were to show him your true feelings, he’d be willing to show you his.”
“So you think I should go after him?”
“Yes.” He grinned. “But not with a pair of scissors.”
After Deirdre left the design studio in search of Samuel, Nash headed to the executive floor to tell Kelly that the crisis was over and he wouldn’t be back for the rest of the day. But on the way past Jason’s office, he decided to stop in and subtly remind the guy that he needed to control his libido at the workplace. But when he tapped on the door and stepped into Jason’s office, the company lawyer didn’t look like an insatiable sex fiend. He looked like he had been ridden hard and put away wet.
“Thank God,” Jason said as he fell back in the chair and covered his face with a hand. “I thought you were Kelly, and she’s the last person I want to see.” He cringed. “I didn’t mean that. I want to see her. I just need a break from being the best lover she’s ever had.”
Nash bit back a smile. “So I’m going to assume that you had the wedding night early?”
“Yes, and I don’t know if I can keep up the pace. How do you do it? Women must expect a lot from a guy like you. How do you keep them happy in the bedroom?”
Nash could’ve come up with some male-ego pile of crap, but that’s not what Jason needed. He needed the truth. “I haven’t always made women happy. In fact, I’ve made more than my fair share of mistakes. But I don’t think being good in bed has anything to do with how many times you have sex in one night. My father, who happens to be an expert on women, always says that quality is more important than quantity.”
Jason perked up. “Really?”
Nash nodded. “I think you and Kelly were both too uptight about the sex part of your relationship. Now that it’s out of the way, why don’t you just relax and enjoy each other’s company? I’d start by inviting her to the basketball game.”
For a moment, Jason studied him. “You know, you’re not who I thought you were. I thought you were one of those guys who loved women and left them. I didn’t take you for a sensitive guy who believes in long-term relationships.”
