Annihilate Me (Vol. 1) (The Annihilate Me Series) (12 page)

And
that’s what I intended to sell.

When
the elevator slowed and the doors started to part, my heart thrummed in my
ears.
 
Alex was standing just beyond
the elevator when the doors slid open.
 
As promised, he was in black tie.
 
He had a grin on his face, and his hands were in his pockets.
 
He looked dashing, and I felt my heart
skip a beat.

“Jennifer?”
he asked.

“One
order to go.”

“Very
funny.
 
You look beautiful.
 
Step out for a moment.
 
Let me see.”

I
moved out of the elevator and because I was damned if I wasn’t going to be
myself, I twirled in front of him.
 
“This is like an out-of-body experience for me,” I said.
 
“I never look like this.”

“To
me, it looks like an in-body experience.
 
This is all you.
 
I don’t
know what to say.
 
I knew you’d
be—”
 
He stopped himself
short.
 
“I mean, there was no
question....”
 
He shook his
head.
 
“Never mind.
 
Thank you for going to such
trouble.
 
I couldn’t have asked for
more.
 
I’m going to have the
prettiest woman on my arm this evening.
 
I can’t tell you what that means to me.”

“You’ll
be able to get business done,” I said.

He
paused for a moment, and then nodded.
 
“Right.”

“That’s
what this is all about.
 
We’ll keep
the wolves at bay.
 
Do you like the
dress?”

I
watched his eyes soak me in.
 
I
don’t think he was aware of it, but when he spoke, it came out as a low
growl.
 
It sounded like, “Very much,”
though I couldn’t be sure.

“Ms.
Blackwell and a clerk chose it for me.”

“They
may have chosen it, but you’re the one wearing it.”

“Ms.
Blackwell insisted that I wear my hair up.
 
Do you like it this way?”

“I
actually like it when you wear it down, but Blackwell is right.
 
At this sort of event, you’d wear it
up.
 
The better to see your graceful
neck, not to mention the necklace.
 
Maybe later, when I bring you home, you can take it down.”

It
was an odd request from a man who only saw me as an object, but maybe that
object also served as a fantasy figure for him.
 
Not that he needed it.
 
For whatever reason, Alex said he wasn’t
looking for a relationship, but there still was a raw air of sexuality about
him, and he had the look of a man who was enjoying his share of women on the
side.
 
Right then, looking him in
the eye, there was something almost predatory about him.
 
I wondered what his type was.
 
I wondered how many women he slept with
during a given week.
 
No man who
looked like him and who had his kind of money wasn’t getting his share of it
when he wanted it.
 
I was certain of
that.

This would be so much easier if I
wasn’t attracted to him.

“Should
we go?” I asked.

“First,
tell me how we met.”

“Oh,
that was two weeks ago.
 
We met at
MoMA.
 
Both of us were admiring our
favorites—the Impressionists.
 
We struck up a conversation.
 
You suggested lunch.
 
Lunch
turned into dinner.
 
We’ve been
inseparable since.”

“Sounds
romantic,” he said.

“It
does.”

“But
I like our story better.
 
You
looking back at me when you left the building.
 
Me standing at the door looking at
you.
 
The connection we made, and
then your collision with the fat man.”

Why is he talking about
connections?
 
It’s confusing.
 
“I could have done without the latter.”

“At
least he had some padding.
 
It could
have been worse.
 
All of that chunk
of his couldn’t have hurt too much.”

“I
think my pride was hurt the most.”

“I
hope today made up for it.
 
And
tonight.
 
Are you ready for
tonight?
 
The press will be there.
 
They’ll photograph us.
 
You need to be prepared for that.
 
You’ll be in newspapers and on blogs
tomorrow.
 
People have been waiting
four years for me to find someone.
 
And you’re it, at least to them.”

“Why
four years?” I asked.

He
shrugged, but didn’t answer.
 
Was
that when his parents died?
 
Was he
in a long-term relationship and it ended four years ago?
 
I was surprised by how little I knew
about him, but I kind of liked it that way.
 
I enjoyed the mystery, which would
protect me.
 
The less I knew about
him, the better.
 
He’s
an object.
 
I’m an object.
 
Keep it that way.
 
You don’t need to know anything about
him.

He
reached out his hand for mine.
 
“We
probably should get used to this,” he said.
 
“You know?
 
So we look natural together.”

I
took his hand in my own, and felt the heat pass between us.
 
He pressed the button to call the
elevator, but the doors immediately slid open.
 
Obviously, no one had used it since I
stepped out.
 
We walked inside and
stood silent, his shoulder against mine.
 
The elevator plummeted to the lobby, and as we fell, he squeezed my
hand.

It’s too much
,
I thought.
 
I
thought he’d be indifferent to our arrangement until we were in public, but
he’s being anything but.
 
He knows
I’m attracted to him.
 
He mentioned
our connection.
 
Is he just playing
along so I’ll look all dreamy-eyed when we arrive at the Four Seasons?
 
Maybe that’s it.
 
In fact, that
is
it.
 
This is important to him.
 
The illusion needs to be real.
 
People will know if it isn’t.
 
He’s just doing what he needs to
do.
 
He’s playing me.
 
Go with it.

Outside,
a limousine was waiting for us.
 
The
driver wasn’t Eddie, but another man who stood beside the rear door, which he
held open.
 
It was warm out, but at
least the sun had dipped below the Manhattan skyline.
 
Ever the gentleman, Alex motioned for me
to step inside first.
 
I tucked my
dress behind me, lowered my head, and slid across the seat, hoping that I
wouldn’t wrinkle the material too much on our drive to the Four Seasons.
 
He stepped in after me, reached again
for my hand, and held it on his rock-hard thigh.

“Who
are you hoping to see tonight?” I asked.

“Darius
Stavros.
 
He’s a Greek shipping
tycoon.
 
Wenn Oil is expanding.
 
I’m hoping that we can come to a
reasonable agreement to use his ships to export our oil.”

“That
will be complicated.”

“He’ll
make it complicated.”

“I
know he will.
 
It’s his reputation.”

He
turned to me as the car pulled into traffic.
 
“You know of him?”

“Of
course, I do.
 
I came here to use my
MBA, remember?
 
For years, I’ve
devoured the business sections of any number of newspapers, mostly the
Times
and the
Journal
.
 
I’m a business
junky.
 
I have to say, he seems like
a son of a bitch to me.
 
He’s too
old.
 
He’s off his game.
 
I don’t want to speak out of line, but
if I were you, I’d go through his son, Cyrus.
 
He’s poised to take over his father’s
empire.
 
I’d talk with Darius first,
but just keep it to a friendly chat.
 
I wouldn’t talk business with him.
 
If Cyrus is here tonight, I’d mention your idea to
him
, and see if he proposes anything.
 
He’s young—maybe early thirties.
 
And he needs to leave his mark, which
Darius obviously doesn’t.
 
But if
Cyrus brings something to his father that has real potential to further their
shipping empire, it’ll be a game changer.
 
Darius will finally see the initiative he’s been waiting for years to
see in his son.
 
Do you know how
powerful that is?
 
Cyrus has a
reputation for being a playboy.
 
He’s a good-looking screw-up.
 
If he shows some interest in his father’s empire and brings Darius a
good deal, you’re on your way because Darius will want to encourage his son,
not discourage him.
 
Not at this
point.
 
As far as I see it, if you
get Cyrus, you’ll get Darius.
 
And
then the negotiations will begin.”
 

A
look of surprise came over his face.
 
Yes, I’m more than just this dress, Alex.
 
I worked hard in school.
 
I came here to succeed in business, not
to do this.
 
Though this is a
business deal, I guess, despite how tightly you’re holding my hand.
 
“Do you know if Cyrus
will be there?”

“He’ll
be there.
 
He goes everywhere with
his father now, for the very reason you just pointed out.
 
As you said, soon his father’s business
will be handed down to him.”

“Then
go to Cyrus,” I said.
 
“He has
something to prove.
 
He’s your key,
and you’re his.”

“Jennifer,”
he said.
 
The way he said it sounded
as if he was about to thank me.

I
squeezed his hand, and I have to admit that I felt a little powerful when I did
so.
 
The business world was in my
blood.
 
I finally felt a trace of
confidence because I was talking about things I knew and loved.
 
There was no awkwardness when it came to
talking about the world to which I wanted to belong.
 
“There’s nothing to say.
 
Feel free to use me for business advice
at any point.”

“But
that will cost extra,” he teased.

“I
think I’m fairly well compensated, so no worries.”

“Then
why am I worried now?”

His
voice was serious.
 
“About what?”

“About
this ending sooner than it should.
 
You’re very bright.
 
You gave
me an angle I didn’t consider myself.
 
I don’t know why someone hasn’t hired you, but they should have by
now.
 
I still think it’s because you
intimidate people.”

“I’m
a small-town girl from Maine.
 
Before today, I was pretty much down to my last dime.
 
How could I intimidate anyone here?”

“With
your beauty,” he said.
 
“And your
intelligence.
 
For whatever reason,
you don’t see it.
 
But others
do.
 
Why don’t you see it?”

I
wasn’t going there with him, so I was relieved when the car started to
slow.
 
I looked through the
windshield.
 
“Looks like we’re
here,” I said.
 

“You
didn’t answer my question.”

“I
don’t intend to.
 
I have my reasons,
but they’re private.
 
This is a
business relationship.
 
I need you
to respect that.”

“I
apologize.”

“There’s
no need to.”

“Are
you nervous?”

“Not
anymore.
 
Now that I know why we’re
here, I’m excited.
 
Work your magic
on Cyrus.
 
I’ll work mine in other
ways.”