Page 3 of Destined
Slowly, his touch moved lower, worshipping her. She couldn’t hold back a moan as his skilfulhands found her wet and needy for him. As he slipped a finger through the wetness, she held her breath. The acceleration of her heartrate had nothing to do with fear and everything to do with the arousal that burned through her body, engulfing her senses.
His lips unsmiling, his hot gaze intense as he looked down at her ...
The shrill sound of her alarm clock sounded loudly in the quiet of her room, and Serena’s impending orgasm was rudely ripped from her. Reaching over, she slapped an unforgiving hand onto the snooze button. She wasn’t quite ready to leave her sensual dream and face the reality of a new day. Snuggling back down, she tried desperately to return to her dream. Frustratingly, it remained just out of reach.
By the time the second alarm blared, she was ready to cry with disappointment. Sighing, she rolled out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom. She had a new client coming in to see her today, so she couldn’t afford to be late.
Stripping down, Serena stepped into the shower and turned the water on high. As the spray beat down on her overstimulated body, she replayed the erotic dream of the very sexy stranger. What was it about that specific man that consumed so much of her mind? What made him stand out above all other men she’d met before?
Her heart beat a little harder at the thought of the stranger from the club. What would it be like to have his hands running all over her body instead of her own? Well, it was to remain a mystery. It was unlikely she’d ever encounter her stranger again.
Pull yourself together, woman.With another sigh, she shook herself out of her reverie. Stepping out of the shower, she grabbed a towel and headed into her walk-in closet to get ready to face her day. She needed something sharp to make a good first impression.
Filtering into the morning traffic, Serena went through her appointments in her head. Her new client would be her first for the day. He was hosting a fundraising event, and since he had neither the time nor the inclination to organise it himself, he was looking for an events coordinator to handle all the details. His secretary, who normally dealt with this sort of thing, was off sick and wouldn’t be back in time to pull it off.
After years in the industry, Serena had finally gone out on her own, and this account would be an enormous boost to the reputation of her budding business as it was an international construction company renowned for the luxury accommodations they built. She would have to pull out all the stops on this one.
* * *
Broodingover a cup of coffee as her mind raced with a million ideas, Serena was pulled from her thoughts by the insistent buzzing of her desk phone.
“Mr Marino is here, Serena,” Ginny announced.
Trying not to let her nerves get the best of her, Serena answered her phone. “Thanks, Ginny. Please take him into the boardroom. I’ll be right there,” she replied, taking a fortifying breath.
She picked up the file and made her way to the boardroom. Smoothing a hand over her hair, she took another big breath and pushed the doors open. She couldn’t see the client as Ginny obscured her view, but she heard him reply and went weak at the knees.That voice.The rich, deep baritone was simply sinful. It conjured up thoughts of satin sheets and hot, sweaty sex. There was a hint of an Italian accent, and, dear god, he could probably read the telephone directory and make it sound wickedly sensual.
As Serena stepped forward, Ginny moved to the side, and she got her first look at her new client. Shock rooted her to the spot. She blinked. Lifting a trembling hand to her throat, she simply stared. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She felt as if she’d entered the twilight zone, because larger than life and as wickedly sexy as she remembered him, stood her mystery man.
Despite not making a sound, it was as if he sensed her presence. His gaze zeroed in on her, his eyes trailing down the curves of her body. Ever so slowly, his eyes came back up and locked with hers, holding her shocked stare.
She couldn't catch her breath. Her body was frozen to the spot. Her brain scrambled to process the fact that her mystery man was none other than Sebastian Marino, decked out in a bespoke suit that did little to hide his muscular body. A body she had dreamed about only hours before. She felt the blush burn across her cheeks and her body react to the memory of that dream. But as she looked back at him, his eyes were not smiling. If anything, he looked pissed off.
Almost as if he suspected the thoughts rioting through her mind, he gave her an almost-knowing smirk. Nothing more than the quirking of his lips. These very feelings were the reason she’d run the night before. She’d thought she’d never see him again, yet here he was in her boardroom. Fate certainly had a perverse sense of humour.
When Sebastian cocked his eyebrow at her, like he had the night before, she finally managed to gather herself. This was business, pure and simple. She needed to pull it together. The last thing she wanted was for Sebastian Marino to think she was unprofessional. It would be the kiss of death for her small company. With one last shaky breath, she stepped forward, extending her hand to Sebastian.
“Mr Marino, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” she managed to say in a clear, cool voice.Was that really her voice sounding so calm?
Taking her small, elegant hand in his large one, Sebastian dipped his head slightly without breaking eye contact. Holding it a little longer than she was comfortable with, he murmured, “Miss Callum, a pleasure.”
It felt like a live wire of electrical current pulsed through her body, shocking her enough to pull her hand from his grasp. In an attempt to appear unaffected, she smiled.
"Please, call me Serena. May we offer you anything to drink before we get started?”
“Serena then. Thank you, yes. A coffee would be wonderful.”
“Ginny, would you please get Mr Marino some coffee?” Serena smiled at Ginny.
“Certainly. Coming right up. Can I get one for you too, Serena?”
Serena nodded, and Ginny left the boardroom, closing the door behind her. The silence in the room following the other woman’s departure was deafening. She had to do something to regain control of the situation.
“Well then, Mr Marino. Shall we get down to business?”
“No need to stand on formalities, Serena. Sebastian will do.”
With a small incline of her head, Serena acknowledged his words.
