Beauty (Fated Encounters) Read Free Page B

plate was completely clean
while she explained. She knew she should let him read over the material without
her interference, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t seem to shut
her mouth.
     “People always like themed
parties, and I think our best option would be to go for the masquerade gala for
this event. It’d be something different than other affairs, setting an almost
whimsical and elegant tone, especially for the women, giving them the
opportunity to dress as elaborately as they please. But most of all, I think
the masquerade aspect suits your image...sort of reserved and a little mysterious.”
    For the love of God, stop
talking!
    Tessa finally forced herself to
shut up. Now that the room was silent, she waited anxiously as he pulled the
binder in front of him. The waiter came back and Drake ordered coffee for both
of them, but Tessa shook her head. “None for me. I don’t drink coffee.”
    Drake glanced up at her as if she
had just told them that she was a contract killer in her spare time. “You don’t
drink coffee?”
    Feeling foolish again, Tessa
smiled up at the waiter. “Some tea would be nice.”
    Drake watched the waiter stumble
out of the room after Tessa had leveled that smile of hers on him. He couldn’t
blame the kid for reacting like that. She was a very beautiful woman. Hell, she
hadn’t even been smiling at him and he felt it’s effect, but when she turned
back to look at him, Drake felt the impact of her beauty full force.
    Ah man, those dimples just
weren’t fair.
    He had a weakness for dimples on
a woman, even more so when the dimples came with a sincere smile. Drake had
been in the company of beautiful women before, but Tessa had a highly unique
quality to her. Happiness seemed to radiate out of her, surrounding him with
its warmth. It was as if he knew what she was thinking simply by watching her
expressive face, and he liked watching her...too damn much.
    Drake shifted his focus to the
outline she’d prepared for him, using the time to regain control of himself
before he did something stupid, like pull her across the table so he could kiss
her.
    Because he knew he wouldn’t stop
there...
    Damn, he’d waited far too long to
get laid. That’s all it was. Thinking back, he couldn’t remember the last time
he’d been with someone, and that was never a good sign. He’d gotten tired of
the women who sought him out because of his reputation, and he hadn’t found
someone who had kept his attention for longer than a few sweaty hours between
the sheets.
    Ah, hell. With that, images of being
in bed with Tessa flashed through his mind, and he instinctively knew a few
hours with her wouldn’t be enough.
    Shaking off those impossible thoughts,
he ordered himself to read the words on the page in front of him, but the
phantom need to touch her didn’t abate. He clenched his hands as he fought the
urge and forced himself to focus. He was impressed by the work she’d put into
her plan, but he would have to make a few adjustments before he could agree to
anything.
    The waiter returned with a
steaming hot cup of coffee for him and a small pot of hot water and tea cup for
Tessa. After placing the items on the table, the waiter discreetly closed the
door again when he left. Drake picked up his coffee and took a sip, watching as
she chose a bag of tea before pouring the hot water over it. “I think you have
a good outline here. But—if I’m going to agree—a few changes need to be made.”
    He could see the relief in her
eyes as she nodded before taking a sip of her tea. “I assumed there would be.
Once you approve the budget, we can—”
    “And that would be the biggest
change,” he said, cutting her off. “I’ll approve everything personally, since
I’ll be working with you on the planning of this project.”
    “You what?” The teacup slipped
from her grasp and she let out a horrified gasp as tea spilled all over the
tablecloth, and the delicate china rim of the teacup