A Little Holiday Temptation Read Online Free PDF Page A

Leo said to Erik and offered him his hand across the table. Erik took it and firmly shook it.
    “I’m sure we can work something out,” Erik agreed.
    After lunch, Erik and Leo, went into the family library and hammered out a deal that would give Whitaker Enterprises a quarter interest in Barone Shoes in exchange for a healthy loan. Erik felt confident that Whitaker Enterprises had made a good investment. And Leo felt he could trust Whitaker Enterprises to support them, but not interfere in the day-to-day running of Barone Shoes. However, Erik made one stipulation: Barone Shoes had to submit to Whitaker Enterprises’ efficiency experts and accountants in order to insure that the company was being run in the black from now on. Whitaker Enterprises didn’t invest in a losing proposition. They wouldn’t be the powerhouse they were today if they did. Leo wholeheartedly agreed.
    The two men stood and shook on it. “Since that’s settled, Ana and I should be getting back on the road,” Erik said.
    “No, please stay the night,” Leo said. He grinned. “We had planned a party for you tonight and invited some of the employees so they could meet you, the new owner. Now they can meet the new investor. Stay, won’t you?”
    Erik would like nothing better than to spend the rest of the day and the weekend with Ana. After last night, he was looking forward to some alone time with her. However, Ana had been promised a weekend in Connecticut and he hated disappointing her. Plus, it might be a good idea to meet some of Leo’s employees. “All right,” he said. “I’d like that.”

Chapter 3
    “A re you disappointed things didn’t turn out as you thought they would?” Ana asked Erik when they were alone on the common balcony of the guestrooms Teresa had shown them to after Erik’s talk with Leo. Earlier Teresa had discreetly asked Ana if she and Erik wanted to share a room and Ana had told her their relationship hadn’t advanced that far yet, to which Teresa had smiled and said, “How refreshing.”
    “It’s never wise to anticipate the outcome of a deal,” Erik said, his smile denoting he wasn’t that broken up about it. He closed the space between them and pulled her into his arms. Ana smiled up at him and said, “It’s cold out here.” She snuggled closer and breathed in the enticing male scent of him, which was like an aphrodisiac to her senses. Looking into his eyes, she said, “If I’ve appeared a bit distant all day, it’s because I can’t forget that kiss last night.”
    He’d taken her home after dinner and had come in for coffee. Among the things they had in common was an addiction to caffeine. Neither was bothered by sleeplessness if they indulged before bed. Ana had gone into the kitchen of her loft to make the coffee and Erik, as he often did, followed her. While she was tiptoeing to reach the container of beans on the top shelf of the cabinet, he was admiring her backside. Ana turned around and caught him looking. “Is that something you do often or is it a new development?” she asked playfully.
    “It’s pretty much a habit,” Erik confessed.
    Ana set the container on the counter and faced him, her expression aghast. “You mean to tell me that for the last three years you’ve been looking at my bottom without my knowledge?”
    “Oh, I think you knew,” Erik said as he slipped his arm about her waist and pressed her to his muscular chest, smiling all the while. He lowered his head and inhaled her unique fragrance. She’d noticed that he liked doing that, as though the smell of her skin gave him sensual pleasure. It turned her on, too.
    Her body immediately reacted to his. Her nipples grew hard, and she became moist between her legs. It was a heady, all-too-erotic sensation that was so delicious she let out a soft sigh. She looked at his lips. He was smiling and his white teeth, coupled with those juicy lips, looked so inviting that she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. Erik