FIRE AND ICE Read Online Free PDF Page B

didn’t.
    “You were chosen for what, Mr. Harrington?”
    “William,” he corrected. “Please, no formalities. I can already tell you and I are going to be close.”
    Wanna bet?
Sophie impatiently brushed her bangs out of her eyes and let her frustration sound in her voice when she repeated her question for what seemed like the umpteenth time. “You were chosen for what, William?”
    Mr. Talkative suddenly became evasive. “I really shouldn’t be discussing this.”
    “You’re the one who brought it up.”
    “I know I did, but I’m not supposed to talk about it. Not until it’s over.”
    She decided not to press him. She checked the time instead. Itwas already close to nine o’clock. Harrington had been talking nonstop about himself and his twenty-four races and his blisters for over two hours, and now that the subject had become interesting, he turned reticent. It all sounded so bizarre, she thought he might be making it up to keep her there.
    “I understand, William,” she said. “If you can’t talk about it—”
    “It’s confidential,” he blurted.
    She nodded. “Confidential. Then I guess we’re finished here. Thank you for the interview.”
    “Would you like another drink?” he asked as he held up his hand to get the waiter’s attention.
    “No, thank you.”
    The poor waiter, his eyes shooting daggers, had been watching them for about an hour now. He looked hostile as he dropped their bill on the table. An iced tea and a sparkling water—not much of a tip there.
    Sophie was hungry, but she didn’t want to eat with Harrington. She would wait until she got home and could kick off her shoes. She’d relax while she zapped a frozen dinner in the microwave.
    “I’ll tell you what I’ll do,” he said in a conspiratorial whisper. “If you will go out to dinner with me tomorrow night, I’ll explain everything to you then. I guarantee you’ll be happy you did.”
    “Happy I went to dinner with you, or happy I heard what you had to say?”
    He smiled. “Hopefully, both. Interested?”
    “I’m sorry. I already have dinner plans tomorrow night … and Sunday.”
    “Monday night then?”
    Sophie weighed the bad against the possible good. On the one hand, she’d have to suffer through another night listening to him drone on and on about himself, but on the other hand, what if he was telling her the truth? What if there was some kind of a secret club that only a select few were invited to join? What would be thepurpose of such a club? And if they all had to be super athletes, was it some kind of a superman club? What would be the point?
    Crazy. It had to be crazy. Still …
    “Yes, all right, I’ll have dinner with you, but …”
    “Yes?” he asked eagerly.
    “We’ll have dinner here at Cosmo’s. Seven-thirty, Monday night.”
    “No, no, I don’t want to eat here. I want to take you to a five-star restaurant. Perhaps Nuvay or J’Adore. They’re both excellent. Give me your address and I’ll have a driver pick you up at seven. Don’t you worry,” he added with a wave of his finger, “I can afford to take you to dinner anywhere in the world.”
    She remained unimpressed. “As enticing as that sounds, I still prefer eating here at seven-thirty or not at all, William. Take it or leave it.”
    “I don’t like bar food,” he pouted.
    While Sophie would have loved to dine in a great restaurant, she felt safe at Cosmo’s, and she didn’t know much about William Harrington except that he seemed totally into himself.
    He must have figured from her silence that she wasn’t going to budge.
    “Oh, all right. We’ll eat here,” he conceded. “If you weren’t so pretty, I wouldn’t bother with you, but I’m a sucker for curvy blondes, and those gorgeous blue eyes of yours …” He looked away as he said almost offhandedly, “You’re stunning.” He shrugged. “I guess you’ve heard that before.” His glance shifted to her feet and slowly moved up her body. “You know,