Seduced by Fire Read Online Free PDF Page A

side.
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    H e arrived back at the hotel, dressed, two hours and forty-five minutes later. Though he always tried to be punctual, he had another reason for not being late that night: he wanted to watch Julie make her entrance.
    When he reached the hotel, he saw a few early guests had arrived. They lingered in the lobby, making small talk before wandering to the ballroom. Daniel waved at a few people, but his gaze kept returning to the elevator doors.
    They finally opened and she stepped out.
    His breath caught.
    Ninety-nine percent of the women attending the fund-raiser would dress in black. Julie Masterson was not ninety-nine percent of women.
    Gone was the harried and stained florist from earlier in the day. In her place was a siren. Her gown was white and fit close to her skin, showing off the curves he imagined buried beneath her standard pink polo. Sheer beading draped itself over one shoulder, allowing just a peek of skin. Her hair was twisted up, leaving her neck long and bare. She looked even better than his fantasy.
    She looked around the lobby for him and once her gaze settled on his, her mouth formed an
O
of recognition. She walked toward him, her hips swaying ever so slightly. Every step she took gained her more and more attention from the lobby crowd.
    “Let me assure you,” he said when she finally stood before him, “that no one is looking at your fingers. You are stunning.”
    “Thank you. My sister’s a buyer up in New York. She got this for me and tonight’s the first chance I’ve had to wear it.”
    “You’ll have to give me her address.”
    “You’re into clothes?”
    “No. I want to send her a thank-you note.”
    Her laugh was low, throaty, and the most seductive sound he’d heard in years. Once again, he was sure the intense sexuality he sensed in her was there.
    He held out his arm. “Shall we?”
    People surrounded them as soon as they entered the ballroom. Daniel was well-known for his work raising money for cancer awareness and research. While most of the time he was content to talk with anyone about his involvement, at that moment, he simply wanted to be left alone with Julie.
    But that wasn’t an option. So he greeted everyone warmly, and thanked them all for coming. She stayed by his side while he talked, looking at him every once in a while with a curious grin on her face. She looked so lovely, he wondered idly if he’d have so many people swarming around if it wasn’t for his date.
    They eventually made their way to the head table, where, finally, he could hear himself think. They sat next to each other, and he let out a deep breath.
    “That was certainly interesting. Do you always inspire such an entourage?” Julie asked.
    “Only when the woman by my side is wearing a gown like the one you have on.”
    He was pleased to see she could handle a compliment. It bugged him when a woman got all flustered just because someone said she looked nice. But Julie just smiled in recognition of his kind words. “There were a good number of women in that crowd. They definitely liked the way the man by my side looked in his tux.” Her eyes were dark.
    He leaned close so he could smell her. She smelled of oranges. “What about you? How do you think he looks?”
    “You look perfectly adequate.” She said it with a straight face, but her eyes were laughing at him.
    “You’re a dangerous woman, Julie Masterson.”
    She placed her napkin in her lap with the utmost care and attention. “If that’s not the pot calling the kettle black, I don’t know what is.”
    “I’m just dangerous to my competitors.”
    “Remind me to never get on your bad side.”
    He had a feeling he didn’t have a bad side where she was concerned. He felt comfortable and easy around her. She was an intelligent self-made businesswoman. She made him laugh and she looked fantastic. And she was the sexiest woman he’d met in years.
    “Tell me,” he said to her. “Why flowers?”
    She shrugged.