Dangerous Temptations Read Online Free PDF Page B

feeling since arriving back home.
    I stood anxiously in the foyer, repositioning the antique glass vase that’s centered on the five-thousand-dollar cherry table—for the tenth time. I was growing accustomed to all of William’s high-priced furniture, but it still made me uneasy. I was always afraid I’d trip and break something that’d cost more than my entire life savings.
    William’s penthouse apartment was on the Upper East Side and was a drastic change from where I lived before. An even bigger change from my childhood lifestyle.
    I heard his footsteps through the hall, announcing his arrival. The door opened and my stomach somersaulted at the first glance of him. He was wearing his usual business attire, but he was wearing my favorite one—a Dolce & Gabbana ‘Martini’ Grey Wolf & Silk three-piece suit . I smiled as I recalled the memory of picking it out for him just a few months ago.
    “Welcome home!” I walked toward him and wrapped my arms around him. I sunk my face into his chest that smelled of his Dolce & Gabbana cologne—cedar and spice. It was comforting. Just like he was.
    “Thank you, darling.” He kissed the top of my head. “I missed you.”
    I tilted my head to look up at him. He was a good ten inches taller than my five-foot-three size, which always made me feel small and precious around him. “I missed you, too.” It was true. He’d only been gone for four days, but William worked a lot . He was gone more than he was home, so I made sure to soak up all the time we could spend together.
    “Everything go smoothly?” he asked, backing away slightly. I let go of my grip as he began to walk through the apartment.
    I followed behind and answered, “Yes, great.” I tried to hide the anxiety in my voice. I’d never tell him what happened. It was a mistake, and I’d never put myself in that position again. And no matter how many times I replayed Alex’s last kiss in my head, my heart raced with betrayal and desire. It was wrong, but my body disagreed.
    Staci tried comforting me, making sure I covered all my bases so I wouldn’t out myself. If asked, we partied at Club Le Bain all night and then took a cab to Brittainy’s apartment where we stayed for breakfast the next day, and I arrived home mid-afternoon.
    William and I ate dinner in casual conversation. I told him about work and he told me about his business trip. It was easy. Everything with William was easy, except society. They didn’t approve of us being together, but we were in love. I meant it when I said those three words to him a year ago. I was young, but I knew I never felt safer when I was with him.
    We lay on the couch together in front of the fireplace until ten o’clock. It was a rare occasion he gave me his time after dinner, so I was more than content to sit in silence and do nothing. William ran several businesses. He bought and sold them in parts, dividing the assets for more money to the highest bidder.
    I rested my head on his shoulder as his arm wrapped around my waist. I looked over at him, admiring his strong, dark features. His hair was a dark shade of brown, trimmed, and styled well. For being in his late forties, he didn’t look his age with his very calculated and precise appearance.
    Once the news had gone public we were dating, I found out the press tagged him as Manhattan’s most eligible bachelor. By the streaming number of women who had no reservations of commenting about his relationship status, I had no doubt it was true. When the press first heard he was dating someone half his age, they reported how I was a slutty, younger woman who was only with him for his money and popularity. They used their assumptions and ignorance in finding out who I really was in order to blast headlines. However, I hadn’t even heard of William Lancaster until my boss mentioned he was coming in for a meeting at Boxy magazine where I was interning. I had no idea a simple meeting would lead to the fate I was now living