Bought by a Millionaire Read Free

wanted to see her again. Would he?
    Those thoughts only made the butterflies in her stomach flap their wings even faster, so she turned her head away and stared out the window at the passing scenery. She’d never been in a limousine before, but the soft, deep seat cushions and perfectly regulated interior temperature made her think it was something she could definitely get used to.
    Within minutes, they pulled up to the restaurant, a swanky place called Le Cirque, with tiny, star-like lights in the windows, valet parking, and a row of fancy cars lined up out front. Shannon had heard of it, of course, but never dreamed of eating here, considering the upscale clientele and soaring menu prices.
    Burke, it seemed, had no such qualms.
    The driver came around to her door, opened it, and offered his hand to help her out. She stood staring at the other patrons who were entering the restaurant until she felt a warm hand at the base of her spine.
    Lifting her head, she saw Burke standing at her side and forced a smile. “I think I’m underdressed.”
    Men in tailored suits and women in satin and sequins passed before them. Shannon suddenly felt horribly out of place.
    â€œNot at all,” Burke said as he guided her past the waiting doorman. “Besides, I’ve reserved a private table so we won’t be disturbed.”
    Without calling attention to Burke’s presence, an effusively pleasant maitre d’ with a suspicious French accentguided them around the outskirts of the crowded dining room and into a shadowed alcove with only one small round table and two chairs. Shannon still felt out of place, but less so in this darker corner where no one could see them.
    She sat with her back to the wall, with a row of fake ferns and flowers—or maybe real ones, considering the rest of their luxuriant surroundings—running behind her head.
    The oversize menus, bearing black leather jackets and tassels, offered more choices than a multicultural food festival. Shannon could barely pronounce even half of the entrées listed.
    When Burke offered to order for her, she nodded, trusting that no snails or other disgusting cuisine would end up on her dinner plate.
    After the waiter had taken their orders to the kitchen, he poured them each a glass of deep red claret and left them alone.
    â€œDid you have more questions for me?” Shannon asked, taking a small sip of the rich, flavorful wine. After all, what other reason would he have for bringing her here?
    With a shake of his head, he said, “I think I know everything I need to about your general health and well-being.”
    â€œThen why did you ask me to dinner?”
    The hint of a smile twisted his lips as he ran one long, tan finger slowly up and down the stem of his wine glass. “Because I wanted to. Why, aren’t you enjoying yourself?”
    â€œIt’s not that,” she responded quickly, though it was partially true. It was hard for her to enjoy herself when she was so nervous about doing or saying the wrong thing. “I’m just not sure why you felt the need to bring me here if you didn’t intend to continue our interview.”
    â€œForget about the interview,” he told her. “For tonight, I want you to relax. I thought we could talk, get to know each other a little better.”
    She chuckled at that, dropping her gaze to the cloth-covered tabletop. “If you’ve read the reports from your legion of doctors and lawyers, I don’t think there’s much more I can tell you about myself. They investigated me back to the womb.”
    â€œMy people are very thorough,” he agreed without a hint of chagrin. “But that doesn’t mean they—or I—really know you. I know your blood type, your birth date and your grades from kindergarten to the present. Tonight, I’d like to hear about some of the things you weren’t asked on the surrogacy forms.”
    â€œSuch