The Deal (Trading Hearts #3) Read Free Page B

was she using her child as a pawn, she was hanging on to her marital status symbol for grim death. It grated on Naomi. And it had haunted her since they'd first encountered one another the week before, in Switzerland. Naomi had checked on the Internet though. Clara was his ex.  Had she used her erstwhile status to scare off other women?
    Naomi forced a smile. "Congratulations on your divorce."
    She didn’t wait for Clara to shut the doors on her, quickly turning on her heel she walked away. She heard the doors close and felt relief.
    To think she thought she wasn't even going to see Lucas. She'd not only seen him, she'd seen his whole family.
    Then she felt a hand on her arm.
    It was Clara.
     
     
    Chapter Three
     
     
    Lucas looked away from his presentation in time to see Naomi staring at him through the glass wall of the board room.  Longing filled her eyes, and it called to him. Mid-sentence he halted, because he couldn't drag his attention away from the sight of her.
    Her hair scrolled over one shoulder in a loose plait that ended on the curve of her breast. The fitted skirt and jacket she wore clung to her womanly outline. She was wide-eyed, her beautiful lips parted as if in surprise. Never had he seen her looking quite so ethereal. It mesmerized him. Lucas couldn't look away.
    It was Naomi who broke the contact.
    She disappeared quickly from his view.
    I have to go after her. They were due to meet that evening, but now he'd seen her he couldn’t wait to touch her. It'd been a week since they'd parted, and it seemed much, much longer. No Skype interaction would ever match up to holding her, tasting her – no matter how X-rated those Skype sessions had been – and they'd communicated that way every night.
    Lucas quickly apologized to the assembled group, a cost meeting for a client's advertising campaign. "Forgive me, there's something I need to deal with. I'm going to have to leave you to look over the figures without me."
    It wasn't his usual modus operandi , but circumstances demanded he act.  He needed someone to step in and looked at the gathered personnel for a likely candidate.  Jack Hudson looked sharp and focused, and Lucas trusted him to be able to cope with the unexpected request. He'd called on Jack before at short notice, and he'd delivered the goods fast and without question. "Jack, can you run through the various advertising budgets on the next screen and explain to our client what the options represent?"
    Jack was on his feet in a flash 
    As Lucas left, he asked reception to call catering in early so they had refreshments while they worked through the financial aspects of the campaign. That would keep them busy for a while.
    There was no sign of Naomi anywhere in the Eaglestone suite.
    A quick glance at his watch informed him she'd completed her meeting with Georgio. Waiting impatiently for the elevator he considered how far she might have got, then the doors opened. Moments later he emerged on ground level reception and saw Naomi standing nearby, deep in conversation with Clara. 
    Clara. Lucas frowned.
    Passers by were staring, not surprisingly. The two women were feet apart, facing off like cats with their backs up, voices raised.
    As he closed on them, he caught part of the conversation.
    "You don't know the first thing about me," Naomi said, "you're in no position to speculate."
    Naomi had her back to him, but his view of Clara was clear. She was livid. "I don’t need to speculate. You're clearly looking for a sugar daddy."
    Lucas's blood hit boiling point in a flash.
    "Don’t judge me on your standards, please. I'm here on business." Naomi gesticulated with her portfolio bag.
    Lucas stepped between them. "Clara, Toby's late for school."
    Clara glared at him, daggers in her eyes. She cursed loudly and headed back to the elevators.
    Lucas turned his attention to Naomi, only to discover she'd taken off. 
    Her heels clacked against the marble floor as she darted across reception toward