Page 24 of Man Seeking Woman

That'll be everywhere tomorrow.

But I didn't care. This wasn't about them or what they would paint the paper and tabloids with, this was about my lively hood, about keeping what was mine.

Her feet moved quickly as she tore through the restaurant, hip bumping against tables, causing her to sway on her heels, but she kept going strong, recovering easily as her ankles bent unnaturally.

She didn't look back over her shoulder, but I could tell she felt my presence behind her. She was taking longer, more determined steps, her arms out in front of her as she aimed for the door.

Slamming her hands into the glass, her shoulder followed, throwing the door wide open. Stumbling onto the sidewalk, Ella paused for a second, glancing left and right.

"Mr. Burke, is everything alright?" Gina asked, taking a step out from behind the podium as I passed by.

"Yes, we're fine," I said nonchalantly, not stopping to explain. Keeping Ella in my line of sight, I followed her outside. "Ella, wait!" I called out to her as she jerked her body indecisively, looking in both directions.

Whipping around, she snapped. "No! Forget it! This was a mistake, I shouldn't have come." She started to run, but her heels made it difficult for her to move too fast.

Jogging to her side, I grabbed her wrist, holding her in place. "Look, I know what I'm asking sounds crazy, but I'm willing to pay you anything you want, just name the price."

Jerking her arm free, she scowled. "You think you can just buy my body? Do I look like a fucking storage unit you can rent?" Crooking her jaw, her eyes shot up to mine. "How dare you!? You don't just put an ad in the paper for something like that!" Throwing out her arm, her teeth ground down. "Are you fucking insane?"

"I know how it looks and sounds, but I want you to know this was my only option. I'll take care of everything, money isn't an issue—"

"This is ridiculous." Dropping her hand to her hip, she cocked her head. "You think because you have money, you can just get whatever the hell you want? It doesn't work that way in the real world. I don't know what you thought I'd say to this, but my body isn't for sale."

Puffing up her chest, my eyes were drawn to her hard nipples poking through the fabric. A cool breeze blew between us, causing goosebumps to jump off her skin. My cock thickened at the sight of her stiff peaks, my mouth watering as the idea of nibbling her nipples and rolling them between my teeth ran through my head.

Wrapping her arms around her ribs, Ella's expression hardened. "Hey, Asshole, my eyes are up here."

Giving her a smile, I ran my tongue across the sharp edges of my teeth. "It's chilly, here, take this." Pulling the coat off my shoulders, I held it out to her.

"I don't want it, I don't want a damn thing from you."

"Just take it," I said, my eyes softening.

Pursing her lips, she snatched it from my fingers, and pulled it on. "This doesn't mean anything, I'm not agreeing to a damn thing."

Chuckling, I stepped off the sidewalk and waved down a cab. She had obviously had enough of me for the night, I wasn't going to keep trying to force her to listen. It wouldn't do any good if her walls were up, she wasn't going to hear another word I said.

I knew from the very beginning that this idea would be risky, but I was hoping it would bring me someone who didn't know who I was, a woman who was down to earth and normal, unlike all the other women I've ever been around or dated.

And it worked, it brought me Ella. It also meant I might have to work really hard to get what I wanted. There was no doubt in my mind that with a little convincing, she would see this as her golden opportunity. But I had to be the nice guy, she had to see the real me, not the desperate man about to lose it all.

Opening the door, I smiled and gestured for her to get in. Ella eyed me, reluctantly taking a small step forward. "Come on," I said, nodding towards the cab. "He'll take you home."

"I'm getting in this cab alone, you know that right?"

"Of course." Stepping past me, she slipped inside, and started to remove the coat. "Don't worry about the jacket, I have plenty." Shutting the door, I went to the passenger window and told the driver to take her where ever she wanted to go, handing him some money with a hefty tip.

Taking one last look at her, Ella whipped her head over her shoulder to look out the other window beside her. I wasn't sure why, but a small piece of me was hoping she'd look at me one last time.

She had the prettiest eyes I had ever seen. They were the color of the ocean, even glittering like the water when the sun was coming up over the horizon. That was the first thing I noticed about her when she came to the table.

But it was obvious she wanted no part of me, and I couldn't blame her. I had just told her the job was having my baby.

She despises you. She thinks you're fucking crazy.

I am crazy for doing this.

Slapping the top of the cab, it pulled back into the road, merging with all the vehicles. I watched the taillights until the taxi took a right and they were out of view.

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