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

stage!"
    "I did," he says. "And yes, I actually called you back here to apologize for that. I know this was not what you had planned for tonight."
    "Certainly not," I whisper.
    "I am sorry it turned out to be such a bad experience for you," he adds, smirking at me.
    "Are you, really?" I clarify.
    He doesn't reply with anything but just sends another smug smile my way.
    I have to know.
    "Why did you do it?" I ask.
    "Do what exactly?"
    "Pick me," I add. "I mean, why did you ask me up there? Did you plan to do something like this all along? The interviewer didn't seem to like it either..."
    He nods.
    "No, it wasn't planned," he responses. "And it wasn't random. I specifically picked you."
    My heart leaps. "Why?"
    He mysteriously looks back at me. "You didn't clap."
    So, I was right. He did notice that. Of course, he didn't like it.
    "You neither laughed nor clapped when everyone else was, and if I am not mistaken, you rolled your eyes at me," he continues. "In fact, it almost seemed like you were hardly paying attention at all."
    "I was!" I try to defend myself.
    "But you never read any of my books, did you?" he interrogates.
    I gulp. "Well..."
    "It doesn't matter to me," he assures.
    "It doesn't?" I ask. "Why then did you drag me up there, if not to punish me for being such an ignoramus?"
    He laughs again.
    "Who says I wanted to punish you? Trust me. That would look entirely different."
    I return his gaze, searching for clarification.
    "Yeah?" I whisper. "What... would that look like?"
    He looks at me with that eerily intense gaze again. Damn, he is enticing. His eyes are dark, almost black with a piercing intensity. His proximity doesn't make it easy for me to deny that I am drawn to him. But then again, his impressive height might play a significant factor in that. Tall men have always been my kryptonite.
    Instead of giving me an answer, he keeps observing me intently. My breathing changes, accelerates. I am sure he notices even the slightest change in my demeanor considering his unnatural alertness.
    What a creep.
    A sexy creep, though.
    It is getting harder and harder to withstand the urge to touch him. There is something about him. More than his dashing looks. The way he looks at me makes my heart skip beats.
    "I'm not sure you'd like to find out," he finally says with a low and steady voice. "You are hard to read."
    I raise my eyebrows. "Is that so?"
    He nods. "You should know, I am good with people. Very good. It's what makes writing stories for them so easy. I can read people, handle them, influence them, even manipulate."
    He pauses and waits for a reaction from my part. But I remain silent, just looking at him expectantly. What he is saying does not surprise me at all.
    "People, especially women, they are easy. Most of them, anyways. They usually react the way I want them to when I interact with them," he goes on. "It's satisfying to a degree - but it can get boring."
    I nod. "I can imagine that."
    "Then it shouldn't surprise you that you drew my attention tonight," he says. "After all, you were the only one in sight who did not dance to my silly moves like everyone else. No soulless puppet."
    I chuckle. "What if that's only because I wasn't listening? You said you had a feeling that I wasn't even paying attention to you."
    "Even if that were true - which I don't think it is," he advances. "Why would that be? Why were you here tonight if you have never even read any of my books?"
    "My friend Lesley," I reply. "The one who is outside waiting. She is a huge fan of you. And she's been dragging me to cultural events like tonight for years."
    "So, you have been dragged here tonight?" he clarifies, smirking at me.
    I smile back at him. "Yes. You could say that."
    "And then you get pulled up on stage and called out for your ignorance," he says. "Well, didn't that go great?"
    "That's exactly what I have been thinking," I say. "Plus, my friend now hates me. Why did you not pick her? She would have given you much better answers