I Want Read Free Page B

side.”
    The waiter repeated back the order
before departing to get their wine, leaving them alone once more.
    “Ok, I will tentatively agree, with
the final agreement depending on seeing the contract, but I still think maybe
we should not have any further dinners until it has been launched.”
    William frowned. “You mean not see
you for a month?”
    “At least not out in public, unless
they are business oriented.” She tried to concede.
    “A month of intimate dinners in the
privacy of my home sounds like a delightful alternative perhaps?” He suggested
in a teasing tone.
    She blushed, trying to think a witty
response.
    “That sounds like the perfect compromise
to me.” He continued, trying to tease the seriousness from her stance, noting
how she remained edgy around him, even though she gave the notion of enjoying
his company. He deeply regretted how the poor impression he had given her,
still hung between them. 
    “We will have to see if you behave
yourself well enough tonight, to see if there will be another dinner.”
    “Do I take that as an invitation to
open the champagne?”
    She gave in, and nodded.
    The rest of the dinner was a haze of
bubbles, as she enjoyed a couple of glasses of champagne.
    Taking heed of her wish to avoid the
press, William arranged for them to leave the restaurant from the back of the
kitchen. After saying their thank yous to his chef, he guided her to the waiting
car, which was parked in a quiet street near the restaurant.
    He felt that, despite the hesitation,
she showed at times in his company, that they had made significant progress.
She enthralled him, making him even more determined to convince her of his
integrity, as he wanted her in every aspect of his life, and William Dexter
always got what he wanted in the end.
    Behind the darkened glass of the passenger windows, and the
privacy screen separating them from his chauffeur, he finally made a move to kiss
her. Placing a hand either side of her cheek, he leaned in and pressed his lips
softly onto hers. “I have wanted to do that all night.” He whispered huskily,
as he moved his lips onto her earlobe and proceeded to nibble it gently, before
drawing her soft upper body towards him in a tight embrace. “I will get my
assistant to liaise with your agent over schedules, so we can finalise the
agreement quickly.”
    “Ok.” She replied softly. Her heart
was beating so fast from the kiss. She was sure he must be able to hear its
booming sound. She could not think straight in his arms, but the sensation was
all too consuming of her sanity to want to break the moment, so allowed herself
to surrender to it proceeding to snuggle into his chest silently for a few
minutes.
    All too quickly, the luxurious car
slowed to a stop outside her house. It was raining so, as Edward opened the door,
he handed an open umbrella to William, who exited the vehicle first. Holding
her close to his hip, he ran her up her steps quickly, the large brolly protecting
them both from the worst of the wind and drizzle. “Do you want to come in?” She
asked shyly, feeling both a sense of apprehension and excitement at the same
time.
    Using his free hand, he touched the
side of her hair affectionately, as he stared down at her face, his thumb rotating
over her cheekbone. “I had better not. I have a breakfast meeting starting at
7am, but I will be in touch, as soon as I have a quiet moment.”
    She nodded, kicking herself for perhaps
appearing overeager to invite him in.
    “Until next time…” He breathed, brushing
his lips to hers in the lightest of touches.

 The First Time
    April 2002
    In spite of
many tries for William, Elle, and her agent, Lauren, to make space within their
busy schedules to sort out the contract signings during the following three
weeks, no progress was made, with each one of them having to cancel at least
once, due to other pressing matters. With Dexter Media’s PR department in the
driving seat of the deadline, Lauren earned