MrTemptation by Annabelle Weston Read Free Book Online Page B

couldn’t take it. She wanted him—bad.
    “Really?” Preston said. “I would have thought you’d prefer
something more like the Waldorf or the Four Seasons.”
    “Up ’til now, I haven’t been able to afford a luxury hotel,”
she said.
    “I can change your reservation with a phone call.”
    “Don’t bother. The Michelangelo is my kind of place. I love
the historical feel. My degree is in the Italian Renaissance and so I try to
stay surrounded by as much history as possible to keep my muse going.”
    Did she sound flaky? Would he understand about muses?
    “That’s a smart idea,” Preston said as they pulled away from
the curb.
    He was really too good to be true, she decided. There had to
be something wrong. He was a player, no doubt. They’d barely touched and she
was already on the verge of stripping naked and fucking his brains out.
    “What do you plan to do now that you’ve graduated?” he
asked.
    “Ah…the infamous question,” she said with a distracted
laugh. She was glad he was talking about something more serious. Hopefully that
would get her mind off sex. “I’ve been working on applications for grant
money.”
    “Now that you’re mega-rich, money won’t be an issue
anymore.” He ran his hand through his hair. Hair that looked soft. She wanted
to stroke her own hands through it.
    “No, I guess not. I plan to travel as much as possible and
to write. I love writing about artists.” She couldn’t help erupting into a
genuine smile. Now her dreams could become a reality.
    “That’s great that you’ve found something you truly enjoy
doing. It’s rare.”
    She sat back against the cool leather. They were making
small talk, something she hadn’t expected from him. Perhaps there was a lot
more than met the eye with Preston. She knew he had to be intelligent to be in
the line of work he was. Beyond that, she’d thought of him as a ladies’ man,
actually hoped he was so she could invite him to ease the lustful ache in her
center.
    “Are you happy with your job?” she asked, wondering if the
question was too personal.
    “Me? Sure.”
    “That’s not an answer.”
    He turned away for a second and then met her gaze. “Being a
lawyer was something my mother wanted for me so I went about the motions. I’d
like to live abroad someday so I changed my area of expertise to international
business law and I’ve been able to do quite a bit of pond hopping. I recently
opened an office in Paris and last year Night and Night started an office in London.
I’m working on getting into China and possibly one in another European country,
maybe Italy.” He shrugged, dismissing his effort or his ambition, she wasn’t
quite sure which, as inconsequential.
    “Sounds like you’re busy,” Cadence said, impressed. “You
must be on the go all the time.”
    “Yes, we have been overworked at Night and Night lately.
It’s been pretty stressful.”
    She realized she was taking up his valuable time but he had
volunteered to escort her back to her hotel. Why was he doing this? She didn’t
want to be another notch in his bedpost…and yet she couldn’t stop the images of
the two of them, legs entangled, from worming its way into her mind.
    “I’m sorry to take you away from your work.”
    “We have a lot of capable employees working for us and a lot
of people that I trust. Trust is important,” he said and made a point of
looking at her.
    She caught his meaning and nodded. “It is.” There’d been a
moment when she hadn’t trusted him, believed his kindness and consideration had
been an act. She was glad to have been proven wrong. He might not be on the
up-and-up with relationships but she could tell he was interested in her for
more than just business.
    They arrived at the hotel in Midtown and the familiar place
brought a new sense of calm, like meeting a friend who shared the same
interests. Frank pulled right up to the no-parking zone. The bellman hurried to
the curb and opened the back