The Billionaire's Revenge

Chapter 2

Derek spent the next half hour on a phone conversation with one of his business partners in Brussels. But after the conversation he returned to the party and spent some time at his table with several of the invited dignitaries conversing. He didn't hear a lot of what was being said as images of Pearl Ashton raced across his mind. He could not quite settle down after that first introduction. He had dreamed of this day for a while now. He was quite anxious to put his plans into motion.

And she was every bit as lovely as she had seemed from across the room. Her creamy complexion was flawless, her eyes large and blue and generously fringed with dark lashes. He had been substantially entertained by her reaction to his deliberately lavish flattery.

At the other end the room, Pearl didn't notice that Derek was actually observing her, but her eyes had met with his for a brief moment, and she stared at him with a knowing boredom but she had also smiled which made her look even more lovelier than before.

When she had accepted his dance invitation he had smiled contentedly with a glint in his eyes that she found quite unphantomable. She wondered how it would feel to dance with him.

An hour later was when the dancing was about to begin. Derek sort out his dance partner and found her almost crowded by three gentlemen who were probably about to give the same invitation. She was slightly animated just then as she explained to them that she had already promised the set to someone else.

As she stepped out of the circle, she released a breath and smiled up at him as she saw him approaching. "Miss Ashton, I believe this dance is mine." He said with that same laughter in his eyes, she noticed. "Yes I believe so Mr. Edensor." She said as she looked suspiciously into his eyes as they took their places on the dance floor and waited for the music to begin.

Then she felt it again, that nervousness of being close to him, her heart was throbbing against her rib cage, and her knees were threatening to wobble beneath her, she felt a strange sense of awareness. But all other considerations aside for the present mindless moment, he was truly, truly a gorgeous man.

It was to be the final entertainment of the evening. And it would be her final encounter with him, she thought. How grateful she felt. She glanced up at him with some curiosity as she remembered that she had a question she had been meaning to ask him. She found him looking very directly back into her eyes.

"I've always wanted to ask,” she said, “why did you choose to have your legal advisers fired and move into a partnership with Fairchild and associates?"

"You did, Did you?” he asked, his eyebrows arched upward, his voice almost haughty. "Well, I had found myself diversifying the business and I wanted some fresh new minds to work with moving forward." He said.

It was a straight-to-the-point, matter-of-factly answer. Apparently not what she wanted but she did not attempt to press for more information in that direction. Her clerk gossiping days were about over.

What had she just thought? That he was a gorgeous man? Gorgeous? Did she have car batteries in her head? She looked up at him again. His eyes were far too piercing and dark. No, it was not. It was his dark hazel eyes that gave his face character and made it more roguishly handsome than it would have been with subtle coloured eyes.

Subtle colours would have made him look quite sheepish and altogether harmless. She smiled at the thought.

"Have I amused you Miss Ashton?" He asked.

"No, not really.” She laughed. “It's only my own thoughts. I was thinking how men can look sheepish." She said,

"Quite so,” he said, with that same glint of something indefinable in his eyes.

Then the music began. Derek now took her right hand in his left and set his other behind her waist. She set her free hand on his shoulder, they were so close that she had to stop herself from gasping again. He surely was holding her at the correct distance, wasn't he?

But now suddenly she understood why many people still considered dancing quite improper. She had never felt this close to any other man when she had danced with them. She could not remember feeling his body heat or smelling his cologne. Her heart was throbbing again, yet they had not even started yet.

But in a moment they did.

Derek led her off into the dance, twirling with small, careful steps while he tested her knowledge of the dance and her ability to follow a lead. But she possessed something more; he could feel it even during that first minute, when they danced as sedately as everyone else around them.

"Shall we make this a little more exciting love?" He asked. Her eyes widened, though whether in response to the question or to his use of the endearment she could not say, but she wondered what he meant, still she nodded in approval.

And she knew within moments that she had never really danced before. He danced with long, firm steps and twirled her firmly about so that the light from all the chandeliers blurred into one whirling line. She had not known what it was to dance like this before tonight. Not really. It was pure sultry bliss. The light, colors, perfumes, body heat, a man’s musky cologne, the music, the smooth floor, his hand at her waist, his other hand holding her own, the delight in her own body’s lightness and movement was a pure enchantment.

Pearl looked into his eyes and smiled and for the moment felt utterly, almost mindlessly excited.

He gazed back at her, and in the flickering of the lights from the chandeliers overhead it seemed to her that his eyes glowed warm for once.

But she was truely a beauty! Derek thought.

She sighed as the music came to an end and the dancing ceased, as if to say "not fair"

I did not know dancing could be so-" she said, she could not think of a suitable word with which to complete the sentence.

"Dreamy?" he suggested as he whispered in her ear. "Romantic?"

"Pleasurable," she said, as she frowned at him, why have you called me love ?"

He smiled into her eyes. She looked bright-eyed and slightly flushed and sounded a little breathless. And managed to look even lovelier than before.

"When you suggested dreamy, you intended that I think of that other word, did you not?" she said. "I believe, Mr. Edensor, you are flirting quite outrageously with me. But beware I'm not as gullible as you think. But all things being equal, I must admit that you are an extraordinary dancer." She smiled at him.

"Thank you for the compliment, love, but actually,” he said, “I was charmed by you.” "Perhaps, you could do me the honor of having your number?" he said. He saw her scowl but ignored it as his eyes smiled at her some more. She was far more interesting than he had expected.

Her cheeks flushed. But she would not look away from him, he noticed. "I believe this is good night Mr. Edensor, it was nice meeting you." she said.

"Thank you for having me Miss Ashton. You were spot light in my evening." He smiled slowly back at her before making a bow as she took her leave.

She had not responded to his request, but he knew what he was doing.

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That night, just before she fell asleep, Pearl thought about Derek Edensor. She had heard about him for the first time the week before at the office during one of the many clerk hangouts which she had not lost membership in , even though she had since been promoted to the position of a junior associate.

He was a wealthy billionaire, who had a reputation of being an extraordinarily intelligent businessman, a very single bachelor, and was also a compulsive womanizer. This she had all but confirmed with in her meeting with him.

"I am glad I'm not involved with him", Pearl said to herself.

She disliked him with a passion. It was quite an alarming thought though. She would have far preferred to be indifferent to him.