Page 3 of Whispered Sins

“Yeah. I’m early. I’m a little nervous, actually.” The words came out like I’d had three glasses of wine at the bar with my best friend. Literal word vomit. The nerves were getting to me. I wasn’t sure if they were because of my meeting or this stranger who just turned up.

“Why is that?” he asked, crossing his arms.

“I’ve been researching him for the past month. I know just about everything there is to know businesswise, but then my landlord sprang some gossip on me before I left for this meeting. She told me he was some playboy who’s seen with a different woman every night. Hell, multiple at that.”

This was really not anything I should be discussing with his assistant, but it was too late. The words had already toppled out of me.

I noticed the amused smile on his face waver momentarily, but then he let out a laugh that rang in my ears like a favorite song I could play over and over.

“Is that so?” he asked.

“It must be. I mean, just judging by the women who work here. He probably sleeps with them, too.”

He studied me for a moment before looking out toward the city, but it was really not the city he was looking at. It was just sky because this was one of its tallest buildings. I had a moment to study his profile, which was ridiculously chiseled. I wondered what he was thinking about, and worried I might not even have a meeting anymore. Why did I have to open my dumb mouth?

Chapter 2

Daniel

Ilooked out over the edge of the terrace wall, wondering if I should be offended or amused by what this woman said to me. Maybe I should be proud of how my reputation precedes me. Either way, she had no idea who I was. I liked that. I was going to run with it.

I turned toward her and my eyes quickly wandered, as they’d been known to do. I couldn’t help it. I loved women, and the one who stood before me was striking. She wasn’t my usual type. Addison, was it? I think that was why I found her so captivating. Rather than being stick-thin with blonde hair and a tan I was never sure was natural, nor did I really care to find out, Addison was different.

Her body curved in places I’d like to place my hands on, my fingertips pressing into places I wondered when were last touched. I couldn’t tell if her dark hair was brown or a warm shade of black. It was pulled into a bun that said she tried, but not too hard by the way unruly strands fell around her face. That face, though. It was in the shape of a heart that matched perfectly with the rosy pout of her lips. Right above her top lip was a kiss of a mole, which my eyes couldn’t help but be drawn to.

She seemed to notice where my eyes had stopped and covered her mouth shyly, chewing on her thumbnail. She was self-conscious of it when it might have been the sexiest thing about her. She didn’t even know it, which made her all the more attractive.

The woman cleared her throat nervously and my eyes caught hers. They were a warm brown and searching mine to see if perhaps she went too far. I decided to put her mind at ease, but also have a little fun.

“You’ll be fine. But entertain me. What else have you heard about my boss?” I asked with a playful smirk. I might as well play the part of whoever she assumed I was.

“That he only dates models. He thinks he is Leonardo DiCaprio.”

Ouch. I was only thirty-two, and I took out women over the age of twenty-five.

“Hmm. What else?”

It was interesting to gain perspective on myself from a complete stranger.

“That’s all Elma said.” She shrugged.

“Elma?”

“My landlord.”

“Ah.” I nodded.

“She loves to gossip,” said Addison. “The last thing she said was he was going to eat me alive. What do you think she meant by that?”

I fought back a smile because her landlord seemed to know me quite well for never having met me, because that was exactly what I’d like to do, among other things. My imagination was already running wild.

“Maybe she thinks my boss tends to get what he wants…” I quipped.

“Well, I highly doubt he wants me.”

You doubt wrong. Very wrong.

“Plus, I’m not that kind of girl,” she added.

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