The Billionaire's Challenge Read Online Free PDF

the more I thought about him, the
more I regretted not giving in to his desires.
    When
Monday rolled around, Charlise and Mrs. Eddison both wanted the
scoop. I lied and told them that Garret had taken me to coffee
because he wanted to coach me through an interview that one of the
papers was going to do on our charity date. This ticked off Mrs.
Eddison a bit since it related to his PR, and she had the nerve to
mumble something about me switching sides. It only made for a worse
Monday. Charlise, on the other hand, became disinterested the second
she realized there was nothing juicy to dish. I was grateful for her
disappearance into the back. My mood was already sour and I just
wanted to be left alone with my work.
    Sometime
after first break, there was a delivery of flowers. The bouquet was
absolutely adorable. A dog made of white carnations sticking out of a
basket filled with orange and yellow daises. I immediately assumed it
was for Mrs. Eddison. Her husband was the only one who would buy
something so extravagant.
    However,
when the delivery man went to set them up on the desk, he said they
were for me. A knot quickly formed in my chest. There was only one
person I could imagine would send me flowers. Sure enough, the card
attached was signed from Garret Fabel. Why, I wondered. I had been so
rude to him. I just didn't understand.
    On
the back of the card was a message that read, “Meet you at five
o'clock.” This made my heart beat even faster. Persistent
little shit, I thought with a smirk, graciously accepting the gift
and sending the delivery man on his way.
    Charlise
came from the back, ready to take the basket to Mrs. Eddison.
“They're mine,” I told her.
    “ They're
so cute.” She turned the basket around so that the carnation
puppy was facing her. “Who are they from?” Her mouth
dropped open as she read the name on the card, and then she squealed
with unmerited glee, as if the bouquet had been for her instead of
me. “O M G, Garret Fabel sent you flowers, Mia. He must really
like you.” Charlise looked genuinely happy for me, but I
couldn't help feeling that it was fake.
    Promptly,
at five o'clock, he arrived with a smile that suggested Friday night
never happened at all. I briefly wondered if I had been brought back
in time to relive the day over again—given a second chance.
    “ Did
you like the flowers I sent?” Garret asked.
    “ Yes,
they're lovely. Thank you.”
    “ Shall
we.” He opened the door, biding I follow.
    Today's
car was a yellow Toyota Spyder, equally sporty to the Porsche but not
quite as expensive. The seats were black leather and had already been
warmed by the afternoon sun. He must have driven here with the top
down.
    “ I
have a surprise for you,” Garret told me as he pulled out of
the parking lot.
    “ I
don't like surprises,” I admitted. It was the truth. My happy
shocked face wasn't very pleasing to the eye. Even my ex-husband had
been disappointed on the day he had proposed to me. Then again, it
was a horribly difficult time in my life dealing with pressing family
issues, so all happiness had been drained out of me beforehand.
    “ Well,
you're just no fun then, are you?” he teased playfully.
    “ I
think we should talk about what happened the other night,” I
suggested after several minutes of silence.
    “ We
will, but not right now.”
    He
seemed to want to silence me, and so I remained quiet until we got
back to the mansion and he ushered me in. Once inside, Garret led me
to his expansive living room, seating me on a burgundy love seat that
was a bit too soft for my liking. As soon as my ass hit the seat, it
felt like I sunk into the cushion about a foot deep.
    “ Water?”
Garret offered, and I nodded, sending him to the kitchen to retrieve
two bottles of water.
    It
gave me a bit of time to check out the décor. All the seating
was matching burgundy, accented with mahogany tables. The rich
brownish red color contrasted beautifully against the white carpet.
On the