1925 - Millionaire's Secret Seduction Read Online Free PDF Page B

Hardcastle.
    She shut her eyes and willed her body to come under control. She’d locked lips with the boss’s son.
    Was this some kind of game to him? Revenge for the way she’d imperiously ordered him out of her lab?
    Did he say he was staying? Would she have to see him every day? Her breath came in ragged gasps.
    She wasn’t sure she could stand up to the stare of those unrelenting black eyes ever again. She’d probably dissolve into a column of disembodied atoms.
    How predictable of her. Tarrant Hardcastle had secured a reputation as the lady-killer of his generation and no doubt his son had inherited the gene. The DNA that enabled them to use people, suck them dry and toss them aside. She hugged herself against the air-conditioned chill.
    When the elevator reached the lobby she didn’t get out. Instead she pressed the button for the fifteenth floor.
    Back to the lab. To find what she was looking for and get out of here. To secure the rights to her father’s research and the chance to continue his legacy, before Tarrant Hardcastle and his wickedly seductive son destroyed her chance forever.
     
    Dominic remained in the restaurant for another half hour. He ate one slice of bittersweet Sacher torte with cream, a profiterole drenched in rich chocolate and a lime cheesecake with fresh raspberries. Yes, he had a sweet tooth.
    Three cups of black coffee too.
    But nothing seemed to fill the strange hole gaping in his gut.
    What the hell had that woman done to him?
    The waiter refused his attempt to pay the bill or tip. Thanks, Dad . He managed not to laugh out loud.
    Where had Tarrant Hardcastle been when his mom was trying to make dinner on a grocery budget of twenty dollars a week?
    He’d like to see Tarrant Hardcastle go down on his knees to her and beg forgiveness.
    Resentment heated inside him, alongside the desire that tight-lipped scientist had ignited there.
    Bella Andrews was one of Tarrant’s protégés. Funny how all the employees here were both brilliant and attractive. There was something downright creepy about that. Were they all Stepford Wives clones?
    He caught sight of himself in the mirrored steel finish next to the elevator.
    You fit right in.
    In his dark, well-cut suit, with his dark, well-cut features—which were obviously inherited from his famous father—he blended tastefully with the scenery.
    A mocking laugh fell from his lips as he stepped into the empty elevator. His dad hoped he’d stay and take over?
    No chance, Pops.
    But he wouldn’t be leaving empty-handed either.
    He went to hit the button for the lobby, but his fingers disobeyed and pressed the number fifteen instead.
    No doubt the lab would be locked for the night.
    But when the elevator opened, he stepped out.
    The door to the lab was closed, as it had been earlier that day. He tried the handle. Once again, it opened.
    The room wasn’t nearly as bright as it had been earlier. The overhead fixtures were off and the newly risen moon bathed the lab in silver light through the wall of windows.
    Eerie.
    He knew he shouldn’t be here, but that was part of the thrill. Not his fault if they didn’t bother to set the lock.
    A sliver of light at the far end of the long room drew his attention. His leather shoes were silent on the polished floor as he crossed the lab, past the moonlit shadows of microscopes, and the racks of glassware. He could hear a rhythmic, mechanical sound. Familiar, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
    In his Bella-awakened state it made him think of sex. Where was Bella now, with her accusing stare and her prim little mouth?
    The answer became apparent as he peered through the crack in the door.
    The sound was a Xerox machine.
    And Bella.
    She’d removed her shoes and stood on stockinged tiptoes, feeding sheets of paper into the machine. The moving beam of light flashed past her body, then the copy spat out with a rhythmic ka-thunk.
    He stood in the doorway. Silent. Watching.
    Bella took the sheaf of