Page 26 of My Arrogant Millionaire

Oh, wow. There she was again. I almost had to smile, recognizing the quick-witted, sharp-tongued woman who incessantly dominated my thoughts. However, the cheeky glint was fleeting, and she returned to the same cold façade I offered her. I could have vomited, feeling so wretched in this situation amidst others who scrutinized our every move. My heart raced, and my hands were clammy with sweat. I longed to seize her and whisk her away to a dark, secluded corner, where I could devour her. My arousal, dormant for many days, finally stirred to life. Why now, of all times?

»You most certainly have, and if I’m to believe the words of my assistant, this outcome was quite predictable.«

»Only your assistant’s words?«

Hell, how I had missed our conversations. How I had missed her.

»If I hadn’t believed in you, I would have informed you during our very first meeting.«

A retort lingered on her tongue, but she swallowed it down. We were not alone; countless eyes of my employees, the people she had hired, photographers, and guests were upon us.

A young man emerged from behind the stage and suddenly called for her. A wave of jealousy washed over me, as I yearned to hold her attention longer. »I should get back to work. Betty, it was such a pleasure!« she said with a genuine smile. To me, she offered only a curt nod. »Mr. Spencer, I hope you have a lovely evening.«

With that, she turned away, leaving me to stare at her beautiful, bare back, struggling to suppress the throbbing desire to chase after her like a lovelorn puppy.

18

Grace

I circled around the stage and, as soon as I was out of Baron’s line of sight, I exhaled shakily. I needed a few seconds to process the encounter with him. He looked incredible in that perfect black tuxedo and matching bow tie. His coffee-brown hair was tousled as usual, and his gaze had nearly burned me; I could read each of his thoughts individually. All I had wanted was to be alone with him. If he had uttered just one word, I would have run away with him without a second thought, to a place where we could be alone. My job was the last thing on my mind the moment I saw him.

What was wrong with me? I was the one who had wanted distance, and he had given it to me. More than that. I had seen him enter arm-in-arm with a breathtaking brunette. He had replaced me just as quickly as I had anticipated. Even if he still physically desired me – a fact neither of us could deny – he had no appetite for complicated drama. I could have accepted that if I had only continued to have him in my thoughts. But seeing him here now, basking in the looks he gave me, and inhaling the scent of his closeness, had made me buckle. I felt like an addict in withdrawal, temptation right before my eyes.

»Grace, can we briefly discuss the opening sequence?« Jace, one of the technicians, lightly touched my arm, and I suddenly realized that I was completely lost in my daydream about Baron.

»Yes, of course.« I put on a professional expression and went over the program with Jace, which would soon commence. Seeing Baron on stage, as confident, arrogant, and sexy as ever, was overwhelming.

As the time came and people gathered in front of the stage, I squeezed myself into the darkest corner. When the main theme of the game began and Baron strolled nonchalantly onto the podium with one hand in his pocket, an incredible heat washed over me. I swallowed hard as I looked at his long, slender fingers gripping the microphone tightly, for I instantly remembered all the places they had been.

I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment and took a deep breath. I was probably not the only woman in the room who knew the virtues of those hands. I had to face the truth. His gaze swept searchingly through the crowd for a moment and fortunately didn’t find me, as I was still in the semi-darkness. But surely he was just looking for his companion, who stood right in front of the stage and excitedly waved to him. He winked at her, and nausea crawled up my esophagus. Bastard.

»He has quite a presence on stage, doesn’t he?« I flinched, as I hadn’t heard Betty approaching.

Before I spoke, I cleared my throat, not trusting my voice. »He’s made for it,« I replied, not wanting the bitterness to be so evident in my words. But Betty didn’t react to it and continued to smile as we watched Baron stride across the stage, cracking one charming joke after another, and thanking his employees for all their hard work. No matter what I wanted to believe, he was at least a good boss.

»Did you know that he’s actually just putting on a facade up there?« I paused and gave Betty a fleeting glance. Was it appropriate for her to talk about her boss like this? It was quite intimate, wasn’t it? »I was one of his first employees, and he used to be different. Shy. Insecure. Can you imagine that?« She laughed briefly, as if recalling something. My heart swelled and longed to hear more of her stories about the young Baron.

»To be honest, no, I can’t quite imagine that.« This time, I was more amused than bitter.

»He was a slender, clever boy searching for his fortune. Maybe he’s finally found it.« She met my gaze, and something told me she didn’t mean his work. »But my instincts tell me you already know that, don’t you, Grace?« Damn, was she trying to blackmail me? What did she know? My heart raced for a completely different reason this time. »I know Baron and have never seen the sparkle in his eyes that he has when he looks at you. Whatever problem is holding you two back, get it out of the way,« she said with a slight smile. Her advice was motherly, and I felt that Baron genuinely meant a lot to her. Perhaps he had problems with his parents, but in Betty, he had found a very loyal confidant.

»It’s not quite that simple,« I whispered in response, and she nodded, as if she could understand.

»Finding happiness is never easy; it’s hard work, but it’s always worth it in the end.«

I looked back at the stage, where Baron’s expression now appeared thoughtful. He fell silent and stood still, his gaze directed into the void. »I also want to thank the entire team at Incentive Event Agency for making this evening possible. My special thanks go to a woman who can read between the lines and made this release truly unique. Something I will never forget.« His words were undoubtedly meant for me, and they sounded like... a farewell. It was hard to breathe, and the thorn of loss pressed deeper into my flesh. The clicking of cameras increased, as it seemed the people in front of the stage were also aware that Baron was struggling with himself. But he seemed to feel that he was involuntarily revealing himself in front of strangers. He put on a fake smile. I recognized it instantly. »But now it’s finally time for the party, right?« The crowd shouted a loud »Yes« back at him. He took a few steps back and gestured a bow, while the trailer for his new game began on the screen behind him. I saw a brief moment of pain as he turned away and left the stage. Could it be that... our separation was affecting him as much as it was affecting me?

»Now would be an appropriate time,« Betty suddenly said, nodding encouragingly in Baron’s direction as he descended the stage steps. The people were all distracted, and I knew that the trailer and the game presentation would run for at least twenty minutes before Imagine Dragons took over and the video area opened. Damn it. What should I do?

I nodded gratefully to Betty once, then gathered my dress and walked determinedly toward the other side of the stage. When I reached the backstage area, I encountered technicians and people who were ensuring that everything ran smoothly, but fortunately, no one spoke to me. I couldn’t think too much, just keep going, one step in front of the other. My high strappy sandals didn’t exactly make my mission easy, but I had to know.

»Do you still think of us?« I asked softly, and Baron stopped. He had his back turned to me, and his shoulders tensed when he heard my voice. Slowly, he turned around, and finally, I saw the Baron I had come to know. He had been honest with me from the beginning. He presented a mask to the people out there, but he had shown himself to me from the very start.

I swallowed hard, the lump in my throat, as he didn’t answer. Some people walked past us, and I became aware again that we were still not alone.

I gave Baron one more intense look and turned away to a door that led to a props room. As I turned around, I saw in the corner of my eye that he followed me, and the feverish longing to be alone with him set me ablaze.

I looked around one more time before entering the room. Baron came in and closed the door behind him. The silence that spread between us was deafeningly loud.

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