His Secret Muse: An Alpha Billionaire Romance Read Online Free PDF Page A

and still cursed us with icy winds and rain that even turned to wet snow once in a while.
    Lesley is just as eager as me to get out of the venue and leave the crowd - and everything else - behind. I feel guilty for somewhat ruining her evening. But I feel that the nasty looks I am getting left right, gazes that stab like hot needles, are already punishment enough.
    I hear someone yelling "Excuse me!" behind us, but unlike most around us, neither I nor Lesley turn around to see where it is coming from.
    "Excuse me! Miss!"
    The female voice sounds more pressing now. Heads are turning around. Even Lesley casts a quick glance behind us.
    "Excuse me! Renee!"
    My eyes widen, and so do Lesley's. We both turn around and see a woman in a pantsuit approaching us. A sign around her neck signals that she is a staff member.
    My heart sinks.
    Does this never end? Why can't I just go home?
    The woman is a little out of breath when she closes in on us, but she is smiling.
    "Got her," she breathes into a tiny headset microphone around her neck.
    "Renee," she says. "I'm Mindy. I work for Mr. Crow."
    Oh, God no .
    "Yes?" I return.
    Again, everybody nearby is looking at us. Some are trying to hide it by averting their eyes and only glancing over for split seconds, but I know that they are paying attention to the conversation as well as they can within the dense crowd.
    "If you don't mind, could you come with me for a moment?" She continues. "It'll just be a few minutes."
    Great. So this is not going to be over anytime soon. I wonder if I am to sign something that declares that I am not suing him for doing what he did to me tonight. Or that I won't sue the organizer. Or a pledge for me to actually buy his books from now on...
    "I'm sorry, but what is this about?" I ask.
    Mindy puts on a conciliatory smile and shakes her head. "Nothing to worry about. Please, would you just come with me for now?"
    I hesitate and turn around to Lesley. She is not looking at me, but I can practically feel her rage.
    "We were just on our way home-"
    "Like I said," the woman interrupts me. "It'll be just a moment. Mr. Crow would like to talk to you."
    She should not have said that.
    My jaw drops - and so does everybody else's around us. Some women are gasping. Even more eyes than before now lie on me.
    Lesley is standing next to me, literally exploding with envy.
    "Can my friend come with me?" I inquire.
    The woman looks down at Lesley, then back up to me.
    "I don't know if-"
    "I'm only coming if my friend can come with me," I interrupt. "I don't want to make her wait out here."
    "Fine," Mindy says. "Please, follow me."
    I look over to Lesley as we follow Mindy, who breaks our way free through the crowd. Envious looks are following us from all over, but I don't care, because Lesley is smiling at me.
    We are moving against the stream, so it takes quite a while until we reach the area close to the stage. Mindy leads us through a range of doors until we are walking through empty and scarcely lit corridors.
    "Is this some kind of secret passage?" Lesley asks. The excitement is clearly audible in her voice.
    Mindy snorts. "I guess you could say that. Don't worry, I won't kidnap you."
    Lesley laughs, while I - once again - need a little too long to understand the reference Mindy just made.
    We walk through another door and end up in a much nicer corridor with bright lights and carpet. The corridor is rather short, and there are just very few doors leading away from it.
    I spot two tall and broad guys with headsets. One of them is standing in front of one of the doors while the other is strolling down the corridor. They both turn around to us as we pass the door.
    "Bodyguards!" Lesley breathes next to me. "Whoa!"
    They obviously recognize Mindy and nod towards her.
    "Sorry, that took a while," she says. "Almost like finding a needle in a haystack."
    Neither of the men reply anything and just look at us attentively. Not men of big words, it seems.
    Mindy stops in front of the