Systematic Seduction by Ravenna Tate Read Free Book Online Page B

to dinner with him, but she had
the final say. They went to a place that served onion rings and burgers from
Hades, and he was up all night from heartburn. She, however, was sound asleep
in her bed. Probably laughing at the CEO in her dreams.
    Act Three
    The CEO realized it wasn’t
heartburn after all. It was the desire he had for her, melting his heart. So he
bought her some flowers and told her he couldn’t wait to see her again.
    The End
    P.S. I really did have a fabulous
time. I’m kidding about the burger giving me heartburn. Can’t wait to see you
again.
    Oliver, The Undiscovered Playwright
of SouthCentral
    How
could any woman resist such a man?
    Monday
morning at work, he kept coming to her office with so many bullshit excuses
that she was certain everyone on her team and most of the others noticed.
Marisol had the office next to hers, and poked her head in before lunch.
    “You
have plans today?”
    “You
mean for lunch? No.”
    “He’s
not taking you to some fancy restaurant? You won’t come back to work slightly
drunk about three, then leave a half hour later with him, giggling the entire
time?”
    Blair
grinned. “Sounds like you’ve been down that road before.”
    She
laughed. “Not me. He’s not my type.”
    “Really?
What’s wrong with him? What do you all know that I’ve missed?”
    Marisol
perched on Blair’s desk. “Nothing’s wrong with him, if you don’t mind used goods.”
    “Ouch.”
    “You
know what I mean. He’s been around the block more than a few times.”
    “Haven’t
we all?”
    She
frowned slightly. “Just be careful, hon. All right? You know I worry about you.
You don’t go out a lot. It’s easy to get swept along by someone larger than
life like him. He’s very charming, very handsome, and very wealthy. But don’t
let him break your heart.”
    Blair
forced her expression to remain neutral. She was quite practiced at that.
“Don’t worry. I won’t.”
    Marisol
rose and walked toward the door. “It’s Roy’s turn to get sandwiches. You want
one?”
    “I’ll
take tuna salad.”
    “Okay.”
    After
Marisol left, Blair closed her door so she could think. She knew Oliver’s
reputation. Everyone did. There were several women still working for him that
he’d dated. This wasn’t a shock to her, but hearing Marisol tease her brought
reality crashing down.
    Is
that what she was now? His flavor of the month? That was exactly what she had
not wanted to become.
    “Most of the women I date only go
out with me because of that reason. Because they know we’ll have our picture
taken, and they’ll get their faces and names on the tabloid websites, linked
with mine. They go out with me because I’m stinking rich and they think I’ll
take care of them for life. They go out with me because they want expensive
things. I can count the number who have cared about me—the person inside—on one
hand.”
    Wonderful
words. She had no reason to doubt them. He wouldn’t feed her a line like that
because he knew how easy it would be to catch him in a lie, or discover he’d
said the same thing to everyone in this building he’d ever dated.
    “That’s why I’ve wanted to go out
with you for two years. You’re not like that. You’re genuine and unaffected.
Plus you’re one of the most intelligent women I’ve ever met and I admire that.
It attracts me to you, as much as your looks do. More, in fact, because I know
I can carry on a conversation with you that has nothing to do with designer
clothes or rare gems. I know you won’t be glancing around to find the paparazzi
waiting to snap a picture.”
    Those
words told her all she needed to know. He liked her because she was different.
Maybe he was ready for that? He was over forty now. Perhaps he was tired of
dating around? She shouldn’t let things Marisol or the others said get to her.
She had a right to make up her own mind about Oliver, as much as he had a right
to make up his mind about her. Neither one should have to take