Resurrecting Her Dragon (Dragon Guard Series Book 13) (20 page)

“Well...it’s just that...” Taking a deep breath to stop further embarrassment, Cyn began again. “I have a previous engagement and to be honest Mr. Marinos, I’m in pharmaceuticals not tech. I think there’s been some mistake.”

For several seconds, Cyn could only hear him breathing on the other end of the phone. She was just about to apologize for seeming ungrateful when the rumble of his deep voice floated from the phone. If possible, his accent seemed thicker and his voice more intense. “My invitation has little to do with the gala and everything to do with you, Cynthia St. James.”

Unsure what Marinos meant and with no idea how to answer, Cyn fell back on the one tried and true excuse she always used when she wanted to get out of something. “I appreciate your invitation. I am truly humbled but as I said, I have a previous engagement.”

Chuckling like she’d said something funny, Marinos’ only reply was, “No you don’t. Pick you up at eight.”

He disconnected the call while Cyn was still dumbfounded by his response. It took several minutes before she returned the receiver to its cradle. Shaking her head, she just stared out her window at the cars on the freeway.

I have no clue what just happened but I’m sure I’d be safer directing traffic out there on the highway than spending a night with Roman Marinos.

“E
njoy your stay in London, Ms. Romalesky. Thank you for flying American Airlines.”

Enjoy? Yeah, right.   

“I will and thank you, Natalie,” Kat smiled and answered the perky flight attendant as sweetly as she could as she exited the plane.  It was the best she could do considering the Diet Pepsi and poorly baked fish she’d consumed during her eight-hour sleepless flight from the states were threatening to make an unwanted reappearance.

In less than eighteen hours she would meet the single most powerful businessman in the world—the elusive Viktor Katsaros. Not only her future but that of her father’s company depended on the multi-million dollar deal she was hoping to broker between Roma Technologies and Katsaros Industries. In the last two years, Kat had taken the nearly bankrupt company she’d inherited after her parent’s death and turned it into a thriving business that just the day before she’d left home had been added to the Forbes’ Most Innovative Companies list. If she had any hopes of getting their new product in the hands of consumers outside the U.S., she had to convince Katsaros to be her partner.

The man she was hinging all her hopes of success on was not known for his willingness to partner with people. The little bit Kat had been able to dig up about him on the internet and in articles gave her a clear picture of a corporate raider. He took what he wanted at the lowest price, kept it if it was something that interested him, but in most cases, broke the companies into pieces and sold them off to the highest bidder. It was easy to see how he’d become so rich and so infamous.

But none of that mattered. Kat had a stable company that was operating in the black and she had the tech to back up a partnership. All the patents and copyrights belonged to her personally, not Roma Tech, so even if Katsaros tried to take her business, he would never get the moneymaker. That was the beauty of still being an independent owner. Viktor Katsaros may be a viper in business but Kat had dealt with vipers before.

She’d been working on the proposal for almost three months, basically from the moment she’d met Roman Marinos, KI’s Vice President of Operations, and if all the stories on the internet were true, Mr. Katsaros’ right-hand man. Kat had to believe it had been destiny that they’d literally bumped into one another at the bar while attending Fortune Magazine’s Man of the Year awards banquet.

She’d been there with the hopes of meeting Viktor Katsaros and pitching her idea of their partnership to the man himself. After her many emails to KI’s development department had gone unanswered, Kat was betting on a long shot. By all accounts, Katsaros hadn’t been seen in public for nearly twenty years, but she’d taken the chance that winning the same award for the tenth year in a row would bring the recluse into the light. The outcome she wanted hadn’t happened, but thankfully, the luck that had seen her through some of the roughest times in her life was still on her side and she’d met Marinos.

Kat had been so shocked when he’d called her by name and introduced himself. She’d almost dropped her ginger ale. Her surprise grew as he apologized for her previously ignored correspondence and asked if she had the time to discuss her proposal right then and there.

Never one to miss an opportunity, Kat had followed Marinos to the table farthest from all the commotion, pulling data out of her overworked brain as fast as she could. Once seated, he’d asked a few preliminary questions about Roma Tech that she was positive he could’ve had answered by any business website anywhere. It was Business 101 – never ask a question you don’t know the answer to. If possible, it made her respect him even more.

Fifteen minutes into the hour-long presentation she’d practiced at least a hundred times in the mirror, Marinos lifted his index finger and offhandedly said, “Excuse me for just a moment.”

Kat prepared for what she was sure was going to be the most elegant and practiced brush off she’d ever gotten. From everything she’d seen of this man so far, he was nothing if not the consummate professional. But to her surprise, he’d taken his cell phone from his jacket pocket, made a few quick key strokes, and placed the device between them on the table.

Marinos smiled as the phone rang but gave no explanation. On the fourth ring, Kat opened her mouth to speak but quickly swallowed her words as the voice on the other end answered, “Katsaros.” 

The man’s voice was deep and warm but with a raw power that seemed to resonate within her. He had an exotic accent; one she couldn’t place but knew without a doubt was not British, despite reports that he’d lived in London for most of his life.

You just can’t trust what you read on the internet.

“Roman, here. Glad to see you’re still awake, old boy.”

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I
don’t think there’s a woman alive that didn’t spend at least some of her childhood dreaming of being a princess. Lord knows, Disney has done a good job at giving us every make, model, and description imaginable. They fueled the imaginations of the little girls that wanted to be the damsel in distress waiting for her prince charming, the ones that wanted to hang with a bunch of little short men and sing in the woods and then even those of us that wanted to kick ass and take names. To overcome whatever fate threw our way with flair and witty one liners and come out on the other side to cheering followers, a kingdom saved and the hot prince by our side.

Yeah, you guessed it. I was the latter, and still all these years later, the girl inside of me screams to be set free and take over the world. She wants to wear the crown, be the hero, and tell the rest of the world to kiss her fanny.

I guess I’ve gotten ahead of myself, which is pretty much par for the course. My name is Phoebe. I’m presently sitting in a dungeon. (Yes, they still exist. No, I had no clue.) Waiting for my half-sister, (Didn’t know one of those existed either.) to decide if I’m to be beheaded, hung, or shot at dawn.

To say our long overdue family reunion was something that Jax, a retired Marine and my best friend, would call a FUBAR, is an understatement. It all started when my best bud and I were on our way to Frank’s Place, a sports bar with the best wings in a five-hundred-mile radius, to celebrate me finally passing the BAR exam. I say finally, not because I’ve taken it more than once, but because it was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do and now that I was officially a lawyer, I could justify the six-figure student loan debt staring me in the face.

Thankfully, I had graduated in the top one percent of my class and landed a job with the top firm in the state. Unfortunately, if Helena, my bitch of a half-sister, has her way, it’s not going to matter. But I digress...

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J
ulia Mills is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of the Dragon Guard Series. She admits to being a sarcastic, southern woman that would rather spend all day laughing than a minute crying. She has two of the most amazing daughters ever created, a menagerie of animals, and a voracious appetite for reading. She decided to write the stories running through her brain and is having an absolute blast!! She read her first book, Dr Seuss'
Cat in The Hat
and has been hooked ever since. 

She believes a good book along with shoes, makeup, and purses will never let a girl down. She knows for a fact that all heroes in all the books she has ever read or will ever write pale in comparison to her hero, her dad! She's a sucker for a happy ending and loves some hot sweaty sex with a healthy dose of romance.

She's still working on her story but can guarantee you that it'll contain as much love and laughter as she can cram into it!!!!! Dare to Dream! Have the Strength to Try EVERYTHING! Never Look Back!

Julia absolutely adores stalkers so look her up on
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