CHAPTER SIX
646 Words
##CHAPTER SIX##
That dangerous tension returned instantly beneath the humor.Elena became painfully aware of his hands on her waist, the warmth of his body and the way he kept looking at her mouth
Oh no.
NO NO NO.
Abort mission Immediately.
She pushed against his chest dramatically. “Well this blind date is cancelled!”
Damien didn’t let go.
“Is it?”
“Yes!”
“Pity.” His eyes darkened slightly. “Because I was starting to enjoy you.”
“You’re kidding,” Elena whispered.
“No.”
He looked entirely too pleased suddenly. In fact, it was the first genuinely entertained expression she’d seen from him all night.
And somehow that was infinitely more terrifying than the hotel suite.
And then she ran.
Actually ran.
“…….”
Bianca Sinclair was already laughing before Elena fully opened the apartment door.
That alone nearly pushed Elena toward violence.
“You’re alive!” Bianca announced dramatically from the kitchen island, lifting a glass of wine like she was celebrating a national holiday. “So? Was he horrible? Arrogant? Emotionally dead inside?”
Elena slowly closed the door behind her.
Very slowly.
Dangerously slowly.
Bianca’s grin faltered. “…Why do you look like you’re planning murder?”
Without answering, Elena walked farther into the apartment and dropped her purse onto the couch with enough force to startle the decorative pillows. Then she looked up calmly.
“Your blind date,” she said, “is Damien Cross.”
Silence.
Bianca blinked once twice then nearly choked on her wine.
“No way.”
“Yes way.”
A beat passed then Bianca burst into hysterical laughter. Not the cute or elegant laughter but
The kind of laughter that made people collapse against furniture for survival.
She grabbed the counter while gasping for air.
“Oh my God!” she wheezed. “No. No, this cannot be real!”
Elena stared at her with deep betrayal. You sent me to sabotage the number one bachelor every woman in the country wants to marry.
That only made Bianca laugh harder as tears streamed down her face. “This,” she gasped dramatically, “is the funniest thing that has ever happened to me.”
“I’m glad someone’s enjoying themselves.”
“Oh, Elena, I can’t breathe!”
“You won’t be breathing at all after I kill you.”
Bianca pointed accusingly at her between laughs. “You were supposed to scare away some boring businessman—not accidentally seduce Damien Cross!”
“I did not seduce him!”
“You suggested a hotel room.”
“I PANICKED!”
Bianca lost control again. Elena groaned and collapsed face-first onto the couch. Her voice came out muffled through the cushions. I hate my life.
Bianca finally calmed enough to wipe her eyes and lean smugly against the counter. You know, she said thoughtfully, Damien Cross doesn’t usually get entertained by people.
Well, maybe he should lower his standards because I accidentally insulted him for an hour.
Bianca shrugged unapologetically. Maybe he liked that you treated him normally.
He his the ceo of cross holdings he is a billionaire, Bianca. His version of ‘normal’ probably includes private islands and emotionally unavailable conversations.
Bianca grinned wickedly.
So he’s attractive?
Elena immediately threw a couch pillow at her which
Bianca caught it effortlessly while laughing.
Traitor.
Absolute traitor.
—
Unfortunately, Bianca’s laughter disappeared the moment she left because now Elena was alone to face reality and reality was horrifying.
She lay awake most of the night staring at the ceiling while replaying every second of the dinner in painful detail.
What if he hates me? Or what if he sends his bodyguards to lock me up and throw me the sea?
Worse—
what if he doesn’t hate me? No I think that should not be the case.
- Writer
