‘Of course not. My father would never discuss business with a woman. He won’t be pleased with me but he’ll have to get used to the idea.’ The ache in her arm reminded her just how displeased he was likely to be. ‘I hadn’t thought about the implications for you. If it bothers you that he’ll be angry...’
‘That’s not a problem for me.’ There was the briefest pause and then he turned back to his desk in a smooth, confident movement and pressed a button on the phone. Without any further discussion or questions he instructed someone in his legal department to start making all the necessary arrangements to loan her whatever money she needed.
Having braced herself for rejection, or at least a load of awkward questions, Selene stared at him, unable to believe what she was hearing.
He was going to lend her the money. Just like that.
It couldn’t be this easy, could it? Nothing in life was this easy.
The knot of tension that had been lodged in her stomach for as long as she could remember started to ease. Anxiety was replaced by a rush of euphoria that made her feel like dancing round the room.
Apparently unaware of the impact of his decision, Stefan ended the phone call, supremely relaxed. ‘It’s done. My only stipulation is that you work with one of my business development managers who will give you access to all the in-house resources of the Ziakas Corporation. That way you won’t be ripped off by suppliers or customers, and basically you can draw on whatever funds you need.’
He was watching her from under those thick, dark lashes and her stomach flipped.
He was gorgeous.
People had him so wrong. It wasn’t right that everyone should talk about him in hushed voices as some sort of cold, conscienceless machine when he was obviously capable of all the normal human emotions. Maybe he was hard and ruthless in some aspects of his life, but to her he’d been nothing but kind.
‘I—’ She was dizzy with euphoria, hardly able to get h
er head around what had just happened. She was going to be able to start her own business, rent a small apartment and help her mother leave her father. She wanted to fling her arms round him and then remembered that this was a business meeting and she was pretty sure people didn’t do things like that in business meetings. ‘That’s an excellent outcome. Thank you. You won’t be sorry.’ She should shake his hand. Yes, that was what she should do. Shake his hand to seal the deal.
Standing up, she walked towards him and held out her hand.
His hand closed over hers, warm and strong, and suddenly what had begun as a simple handshake became something else entirely. He smelt good. She had no idea whether it was shampoo or something different but it made her want to bury her face in his neck and inhale deeply. All she had to do was lean forward and she’d be kissing him. Horrified by how tempted she was, she looked down at her hand instead and saw the expensive watch on his wrist and his lean, bronzed fingers linked intimately with hers.
Her stomach clenched.
Power and masculinity throbbed from him and suddenly all she could think about was sex—which was crazy because she knew nothing about sex.
But he did.
‘So now that’s out of the way,’ he drawled softly, ‘the question is how far are you willing to take this quest for independence?’
Busy imagining those strong, confident hands on her body, she felt her heart thud. ‘Why are you asking?’
‘Because I’m hosting a party tonight and I find myself minus a date. How do you feel about celebrating your new-found independence in style?’
Her eyes lifted to his and she saw amusement there. Amusement and something a little bit dangerous.
The excitement came in a whoosh that drove the air from her lungs.
Her head spun. The hungry look in his eyes was interfering with the normally smooth rhythm of her breathing. ‘You’re inviting me to a party?’ She never went to parties unless her father decided it was time to play Happy Families in public. They were the most painful moments of her life. And the loneliest, all of them fake.
She’d never been to a party for the sheer fun of it. Never been to a party where she was allowed to be herself.
She wondered why he was asking her.
‘If I say no does that mean—?’
‘You have my agreement on the loan. Your answer has no effect on our deal.’
In that case she should walk away. There would be time to party once she was safely away from the island. Selene licked her lips. ‘What sort of party is it?’
‘A strictly grown-up event. No jelly or ice cream in sight.’
A party. With him.