Page 32 of One Night Seduction

“The money is good, the work is steady, and once you’ve defended one sleazy businessman, you’ve defended them all.”

“And the bad?” Arianna asks as she looks away from her camera.

For just one moment, I hold her attention, those piercing blue eyes on me. It sends my heart racing and my palms sweating like a goddamn teenager. I’m not a nervous man, and I’m not nervous now. More like…off kilter. She throws me off. I’m not able to speak freely, act freely. If I did, she’d be pinned to the ground, naked beneath me, and we’d never come up for air. Unfortunately, that reality isn’t possible. She’s drawn a boundary, and no matter how much I hate it, I’d never break her trust or disrespect her in that way.

“The bad,” I say, attempting to refocus my mind because, fuck me, what were we even talking about again? “Defending sleazy businessmen.”

Her lips tip up in the corners, the motion barely noticeable if I wasn’t paying such close attention to her mouth. She’s amused, even if she doesn’t want to be. Something in me likes that I can do that to her, for her. A lot.

“Couldn’t one argue that you’re also a sleazy businessman?” she asks.

My brows furrow at that.

“How do you figure?”

She shrugs. “You make a shit ton of money, you run a huge business, I’m sure you’re the type to do whatever it takes to get your way.”

Her playful expression falls away when she looks at me, and I can’t help but lean forward, resting my forearms on my knees as I look at her.

“You’re correct. I will undoubtedly do whatever it takes.”

Her eyes widen slightly, and I swear to god, I see her physically gulp. I hold her eye contact for several more seconds before easing back into my seat, fixing my eyes back on my phone screen as I deliver my next words effortlessly.

“Can you say the same, Arianna?”

I see her frown out of the corner of my eye as if she were truly thinking over my words. I expect her to get up, done with…whatever this encounter is. To my surprise, she doesn’t. In fact, she stands, moving to take the seat beside mine. I don’t outwardly react, but I can’t help but get eager with her this close to me.

We don’t say anything to one another. Instead, we both begin our tasks once more, enjoying the comfortable silence between the two of us for the next hour or so. Once I’ve answered my fifth repetitive email, I’m completely fried and decide to pocket my phone.

Looking over Arianna’s shoulder, I find her scrolling through the pictures she took, deleting ones and saving others. She must feel my eyes on her because she quickly turns the camera away, frowning at me as she does.

“Do you mind?”

“Not at all,” I answer.

She rolls her eyes at me in mock annoyance.

“You don’t let others see your pictures?”

“No, not really.”

“Why?”

Arianna shrugs.

“Are you afraid of someone else being too critical, or are you being too critical of yourself?”

Her uncertain blue eyes meet mine as she pauses. She blinks a few times before slowly turning the camera to face me. I keep my gaze on hers for several seconds, showing her that I appreciate the risk she’s taking in opening herself up, and I don’t take it lightly. Trust is the most precious thing one person can give another, and that is something I’ll never take for granted.

When my eyes do move to the screen, I’m stunned. I just thought she was taking pictures of the underside of a tree, but that’s not what she captured. The branches are swaying with a gentle breeze that is caught in perfect time. The colors are vivid and striking while still maintaining their authenticity. Like how she put it, her perspective has taken an ordinary vantage point and transformed it into something…

“Extraordinary,” I say lowly.

She looks up at me.

“You like it?”

I hear the uncertainty in her tone, and it gnaws at something in my chest. This brilliant woman has not been given near the amount of praise and recognition that she deserves. In fact, it seems she’s been given less than anyone deserves. That stops today.

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