Sweet Seduction Sayonara by Nicola Claire Read Free Book Online Page B

moving to his desk and taking a seat.
    I sit in the chair opposite, making myself comfortable. My weekend? I stall. My weekend was long. And lonely.
    I left Momoko on Saturday morning, my phone number locked into her cell. I haven't heard from her since and it's driving me crazy.
    I've never been crazy for a woman before.
    "My weekend was fine. Yours?"
    "The Wiggles at the Aotea Centre and Auckland Zoo."
    "Is Samantha old enough for the zoo?" I ask.
    "You're always old enough for the zoo," Dom replies equably.
    "But she won't remember a thing," I protest. Sam's two and barely talking. Unlike her irrepressible older brother.
    "It's all about the journey, Finn. Not the destination. You'll see," he adds, sounding confident. "When little Drakes are running around, all you'll want is for them to be happy."
    I frown. Unsure if little Drakes will feature on my horizon anytime soon.
    "I think you need a wife first," I offer.
    "Wife. Girlfriend." He shrugs his shoulders, looking too damn pleased with himself. "It'll happen."
    I suck in a breath. It's now or never. Dom's actually making it easy for me. But that's Dom. He sees everything.
    Not that coming in for a chat on a Monday is unusual, but he's sensed something. Maybe it's not something new. Maybe he's seen how unhappy I've been. I don't want to know. I'll just take the hand of friendship he's offering.
    "How do you know?" I say. "When a woman is interested?"
    Yeah, my oration skills leave a lot to be desired lately.
    "She doesn't say no when you kiss her," Dom says drily.
    "Not that interested," I say with a wave of my hand. "Interested interested."
    "Oh, interested interested. Why didn't you say?" he teases.
    I roll my eyes at him.
    "Who is it?" he asks.
    "No one," I immediately reply.
    "Ah, an elicit liaison. How intriguing."
    "Not really," I hedge. It's the most intriguing thing to have happened to me in my life.
    "Did she say no when you kissed her?" Dom asks.
    "Of course not."
    "Then you're off to a positive start.”
    I frown at him. And then man up.
    "I spent Friday night with her, left Saturday morning, and haven't heard from her since," I admit. Then wince. I'm sure I saw a movie about this once. It didn't end well.
    "Ah," Dom says. "Was she enthusiastic?"
    "Extremely."
    "How many enthusiastics?"
    I hold up three fingers and grin like a Cheshire Cat. Dom stifles a laugh.
    "Give her time, Finn. It's only been what? Fifty hours since you saw her last. She's recovering. I should think you are too. You are knocking on forty."
    "Speak for yourself, old man. Kids age you."
    "Kids keep you young."
    "Whatever."
    "Yes, an argument that never fails in litigation."
    I smile at him. He smiles back.
    And then he sobers.
    "Honestly?" he says.
    "Yeah?"
    "You like her? Really like her?"
    "Yeah," I say, swallowing.
    "Then chase her. Make her yours. It's what I did. And look how that turned out?" His grin is infectious. I can't help smiling back.
    All right. I'll do it. I'll chase her. How bad could it be?
    I almost laugh. But I'm too excited to stop grinning.
    And a little scared shitless, as well. Because Momoko is Koki Tanaka's little sister. And he's batshit crazy dangerous.
    I spend a few more moments with Dom, shooting the breeze, then attack my appointments. It's with a brighter outlook on life that I leave the office at six-thirty and head home to my empty house.
    I'm still a little excited, truth be told. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. About her.
    I'm sure my clients noticed.
    And the prospect of a cold, dark home doesn't faze me. Because tomorrow I'm going to swing by Momoko's shop. Maybe I'll buy her some flowers.
    I'm chuckling to myself as I roll my car in under my garage door. The soft hum of the Lexus reverberating off the walls. Everything makes me smile. Even the sound of my 5.0 litre, 467 horsepower RC F.
    It's not until I'm out of the car, approaching the internal door to the house, that I notice.
    Someone's been in here.
    My toolbox hasn't been pushed