Page 13 of Fifth Avenue Devil

For the first time since I've been in negotiations with Annalise Gellar, I start to lose focus on the merger itself. Instead, my brain fills with questions about Annalise herself and what she might look like in something other than those boring Chanel suits she seems to favor.

Actually, I wonder what she looks like in nothing at all. She would probably look utterly stunning naked, lying in the middle of my black silk sheets. All that creamy skin, ready to be explored...

"Mr. Fordham?" Annalise prompts.

I blink. She is holding the door open to the upstairs floor, looking at me with vague confusion.

Did I just sexualize Archer Gellar's little girl? Yes, I believe I did.

Smoothing down my tie, I bound up the last few stairs. My mind is already working overtime. I need to continue this conversation someplace much less formal.

"Do you like the ballet?" is what I come up with, grasping at straws.

Puzzlement settles over Annalise's delicate features. "I do..."

"The NYC Ballet is showing Sleeping Beauty tonight. Will you come as my guest?"

She lifts her chin, eyeing me. "Why should I do that?"

"So we can continue to talk."

She hesitates for a moment. "I don't think that's a very good idea, Mr. Fordham."

I smirk. "What if I pay you?"

She rolls her eyes and turns away. "I have everything that I could want already, Mr. Fordham."

I catch her arm, tugging her back into the stairwell. Annalise shoots me an annoyed look.

"Are you going to do this every time I try to leave?"

I slide my arm around her waist. She sucks in a deep breath, perhaps surprised at my boldness.

"Yes." I grab her hand and trail my fingers to her pulse. Her heartbeat is like that of a jack-rabbit. "I think you like that I don't want to let you go, Annalise."

She blushes, two bright red spots high in her cheeks. "You barely know me, Mr. Fordham."

I cock my head, wrapping one of her blonde curls around my finger. "You really should call me Nate."

"No, I shouldn't." She looks up at me, her expression pinching. "I think you are a dangerous man, Mr. Fordham."

"You have no idea." My lips twitch with a sparse bit of humor. "Come out with me tonight. We can talk more business. If you still don't like what I have to say... I'll walk away."

I know it's a lie the second it comes out of my mouth. If Annalise keeps being stubborn, I'll eventually turn my legal team loose on her. But she doesn't need to know that.

"Really?" she says. "You'll back off?"

"Sure." I shrug. More lies. "Just let me try to woo you tonight."

Her hazel eyes study my face for a few seconds. She bites her lower lip, drawing my attention there.

I intend to be biting and sucking at her glossy lips soon. And if things go as I want, I plan to groan and clutch the back of her head while she swallows my cock soon too. The idea of messing up her perfect lipstick stirs my blood.

"Okay," Annalise relents softly. "I'll come."

"I'll send a car for you." My eyes skate down her bland dress. "Actually, I'll send a dress, too. I want you to fit in."

She rolls her eyes. "I've been to the fricking ballet before, Mr. Fordham."

---