The Billionaire's Elusive Lover (3 page)

Out on the street in front of the restaurant, Helen looked at the other elegantly dressed people entering the building and stopped.

He’d stepped away from the curb, intent on walking into the restaurant when he realized she was frozen to her spot on the sidewalk. “What’s wrong?” he asked, coming to stand in front of her so he could see her face, his height blocking out the street lights so they were mostly in shadow.

Helen looked up at him, the worry coming through in her eyes. “I can’t go in there dressed like this,” she said, holding out her dark green skirt which had seemed fine for running around London taking pictures but was completely inappropriate for an elegant dinner at one of the most exclusive restaurants in the city.

He looked down at her clothes and shrugged his shoulders. “I like it,” he replied.

Helen shook her head in exasperation. “Alec, just because you like it doesn’t mean it’s appropriate. You can’t just make everyone else accept a different dress code. I’ll be kicked out of the restaurant and even you can’t make them accept casual dining attire.”

He moved closer, towering over her with his height and broad shoulders. “You said that about obtaining a table earlier. And here we are.” His eyes moved to watch her lips as her teeth nibbled at the lower one. “When are you going to accept that I can, and will, do what I want and obstacles are really not an issue?”

Helen grimaced, conceding his point, wanting to step back to gain a little more space, but she’d fall off the curb if she did so. “Okay, so you have a lot of clout,” she said, pressing her hands against his broad chest. Unfortunately, he didn’t move and she had to look up at him, her stomach muscles clenching with unfamiliar feelings that she wasn’t sure she liked. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll be comfortable dressed in this outfit while dining in a restaurant like The Westin.” She waved her hand to indicate people walking along the sidewalk. “Look around you Alec. These people are wearing clothes that cost more than I earn in several months. I don’t belong here.”

He moved imperceptivity closer, his eyes holding hers intensely. “As I see it, you have three options.”

“Only three?” she teased, trying to make him smile which might make him a little less intimidating and overwhelming.

He didn’t smile, nor did he move back to give her space. His eyes glittered with his intent which only made Helen more nervous when she saw it. “Only three. You can go in there dressed exactly as you are, ignore the other patrons and enjoy the evening with me.”

She didn’t like that one very much. “And option number two?”

“We can walk across the street and I will buy you that very lovely red dress hanging in the window of the boutique,” he said.

Helen looked across the street and her mouth dropped open. The store was Dior and the dress was incredibly lovely but possibly cost over ten thousand dollars. The store was also closed for the night and she didn’t relish the idea of Alec bringing the salespeople back to work at this time of the night, regardless of the commission they’ll most likely bring in for the sale.

Looking back at him she shivered. “And option number three?”

Instantly Helen knew this would be the least palatable. The look in his eyes was too pleased and sensuous for her to accept this one. “We go back to my place and my chef cooks us dinner. That would be my preference of the three possibilities since I’ll have you all to myself and we can dispense with the formalities of a first date and I can simply take you to bed where we both would like you to be.”

Helen glared at him and hid her shaking hands behind her back. “You’re kind of a caveman, aren’t you? Just hit the woman over the head and drag her off somewhere.”

He smiled slowly and she gasped as his hand snaked around her waist, pulling her the last inch so she was flush against him. Her hands automatically came to his shoulders to steady herself and she had a hard time not moving them up around his neck. Instead, she fisted them against his arms, swearing to herself that she wasn’t tempted to reach up and touch him, find out what his skin felt like and if the heat radiating inside her was due to his temperature, or something else altogether.

“You like my caveman tactics,” he countered, his head dipping lower.

“Says who?” she argued, her chin going up a notch to contradict his statement.

“Says your body.” His hand reached up and touched the pulse at her throat which only increased it to a dangerous level. Helen’s breathing increased and she had a hard time catching her breath. “You can lie to me with those beautiful lips all you want but your body tells me the truth.”

“No. Not….” She started to say, terrified and confused by what he was making her feel.

He stopped her with his finger against her mouth, his head shaking back and forth. “No lies between us.”

She hesitated for a long, tense moment. Then finally, she closed her mouth and tried to relax, not saying a word. Her conscience wouldn’t let her lie once again but a promise to her Papa a long time ago wouldn’t let her tell the truth either. And the truth was frightening. She wanted this man to do things to her that were forbidden until she was married. She’d promised her Papa that so many years ago, given her word that she wouldn’t have sex before marriage. He’d been so adamant that she not be “one of those women” as he’d constantly referred to them and he’d made her swear that she’d never blacken the family name by doing something so disastrous. And here she was, in front of a famous restaurant being held in the arms of a man that made her wish she’d never promised her father anything.

Growing up, her father had constantly explained that there were two kinds of women, those that a man married, cherished and respected, and there were those that he had fun with but never showed respect, and never married but instead ridiculed behind her back to his friends. He’d begged her to become the kind of woman a man married and not shame the family name. She’d agreed easily, wanting her father to be proud of her and not ashamed. Family was everything to her and she didn’t have the heart to do anything that would bring shame to him or her family.

At the time, she’d only been out dating men for a couple of years and so far, hadn’t been very impressed. Even since then, she’d kept her dates casual, enjoying the company of men, but never going so far as to become intimate with any of them. Never had she even been tempted.

She hadn’t met Alec then. He was unlike any of the men she’d met or dated. He was definitely in a class all his own.

After a long, pregnant moment, he released her and Helen breathed a sigh of relief as she worked quickly to get her thoughts and body under control. It was difficult because, although he’d released her, he was still close. She could still smell his cologne and his male scent and she wanted to move closer, to run her fingers through his hair, to have his lips touch hers and feel his strong hands against her body once again.

Turning slightly to the side, she took a deep breath.

“So which option are you going with?”

She bit her lower lip, concentrating. “Let me get this straight. I can either go inside as is, let you spend thousands of dollars on a dress, or go home with you. Does that summarize the options adequately?”

He didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

She crossed her arms over her stomach and shook her head. “What about option number four? I just leave here and go home alone, never to see you again.”

He stepped closer and shook his head, one finger moving to her cheek, touching her skin and sending fire along her nerves. “That wouldn’t be a good choice, my beauty. Helen was instantly immobilized by his touch, barely able to breathe or move. And she dared not move her head so that he was touching more of her. That would be wrong. Suicide, even. “If you went with that choice, we wouldn’t get to explore this attraction we both feel for each other,” he said and covered her protest with his finger before she could utter the first word to contradict him, “ and I would fire Mick and Edith by morning.”

Her eyes widened with horror. “You wouldn’t do that!”

His expression told her instantly that he would. This man did not bluff. “I would call the head of my human resources and have them instantly terminated for letting you into my office. But you’re not going to take that choice, are you Helen? And not simply because I would fire them. You’re curious about me. You want to go into that restaurant and find out something about me, anything that would get your mind off of this attraction that has fired up between us. Something that will negate what you’re feeling.”

“I don’t need to do that.”

“You do,” he contradicted softly. “Because if you don’t, you’ll go home tonight and wonder, try to work out this puzzle we’ve created between us but your mind won’t have enough facts. You’ll still be trying to work things out.” He paused for a long moment, letting his words sink in so she could realize the truth in what he’d said. “And for one other reason.”

“What’s that?” she whispered, trying desperately hard to fight the attraction, the hypnotic spell he was weaving but she couldn’t deny the truth to what he was saying either. She fought it, but her heart, as well as her mind, knew that he was absolutely right on target.

“You also want to find out that I’m not as good as you think I am. You want to find a weakness in me, something that will make you dislike me and discount the attraction we’re feeling, the attraction your determined to fight for some strange reason.”

She stared at him, her mind sifting through his words and knowing that he was right on target with what she was feeling. Helen shook her head, defeated. “As is, then.”

His only response was a slight raising of his eyebrows before he accepted her decision. He turned and walked away, leading into the restaurant.

Helen watched him for a moment, her eyes mutinous. She started to take a step, but then stopped herself, crossing her arms over her chest. She waited until he realized she wasn’t next to him. He slowly walked back to where she was standing.

“Is something wrong?” he asked with no expression on his face.

“Even cavemen had manners occasionally,” she quipped.

His eyes showed his amusement. “Am I to understand that you’re not satisfied with my manners?” he asked.

She shrugged slightly. “A little charm wouldn’t go amiss,” she pointed out.

It took a moment, but then he threw back his head and laughed. It took him a long time to get his mirth under control but eventually, he looked down at her, a smile still on his face as he said, “I will endeavor to be more charming. Will that get you into that restaurant? I’ve been up since four o’clock your time this morning, and have gone through six time zones and can honestly say that I’m not really sure what time I last ate. I’m starving.”

Helen rolled her eyes. “You’re horrible,” she said but took the arm he offered her, slipping her hand onto his elbow and allowing him to lead her into the elegant exclusive restaurant filled with all the movers and shakers of the business world, and beyond. If you wanted people to know you’d ‘made it’, The Weston was the place to be seen.

The maitre’d didn’t even blink at her casual clothing. Instead, he and the rest of the wait staff practically gushed over the honor of serving him and his guest. Helen looked at him curiously as they were led through the dining room. When he dismissed the waiter who held out Helen’s chair, preferring that he do it himself, Helen suspected that she might be in trouble. He seated her, but as he walked around the table, his hand brushed her neck and shoulder, sending shivers of awareness throughout her whole body. She inhaled sharply and looked up at him as he sat down. She gritted her teeth against the sexual onslaught caused by his casual touch when she caught the look in his eye. He knew exactly what he was doing and was simply toying with her. Did he have any idea how inexperienced she was? Was she just an easy target for him? Damn the man! That wasn’t fair!

She leaned back in her chair and watched him select a wine with the wine steward. He was extremely knowledgeable and she was stunned when he chose a bottle of red wine, one of her favorites whenever she visited her father in Greece. She couldn’t afford it here in London but that was her choice. She could live with her father all year round, but that would hurt her mother’s feelings. The two had been separated for more than twenty years but never divorced. Her mother, Elaina Alexander had met her father more than thirty years ago. They’d met and married within one month, having fallen in love at first sight. Unfortunately, the two were complete opposites. Elaina was a free spirit, loving life and willing to flit from job to job just so she could experience more of whatever struck her fancy. She was a wonderful mother who had taught Helen that life was wonderful, showed her all the exciting things that nature could provide.

Helen’s father, on the other hand, was a powerful Greek shipping tycoon who had a very strict way of living his life. Her father was in the office each morning at six thirty and didn’t leave until seven or eight o’clock at night. When he arrived home, he expected his wife to be there, smiling with a martini in her hand, ready to hear about his day and commiserate with all of his trials and tribulations he’d experienced during his day. He was strictly regimented and had grown his empire well since he’d taken over from his father. But he expected the kind of marriage his parents had, both of whom were still living and had never approved of Elaina nor their marriage, although they doted on Helen horribly. Being the only granddaughter had its advantages.