Page 34 of Captivated By You

I guessed returning the spa gift card must have driven my message home, because the gifts had stopped. For three days, nothing. I tried to tell myself it was for the best, but I hadn’t realized how much I’d looked forward to the message behind the present—that Asher wanted me and intended to pursue me until I capitulated.

I mean, come on. What woman wouldn’t get off on the idea of a rich, successful, gorgeous man wooing her with thoughtful gifts? Not me, that’s for sure. Pride was one thing, but a man who brought a smile to my face and made me feel important trumped that stupid pride anyway.

I had one foot in the shower when the buzzer sounded. I wrapped a towel around my naked body and dashed back into the living room, jabbing a finger at the intercom. “Hello.”

“Miss Doherty?”

“Yes.”

“I have a special delivery for you.”

A surge of exhilaration sped through me. This could only mean one thing, unless Mom had sent something to cheer me up. I doubted that, though. She’d have told me to expect it. No, this had to be from Asher. He must have licked his wounds at my rejection of his last gift and decided to try again. Ridiculously excited, I told the guy to wait in the lobby, hurriedly tugged on jeans and a sweater, and jumped into the elevator.

I signed for the package and rushed back upstairs. Sitting cross-legged on my couch, I opened the box. Inside was another box. Christ, don’t tell me this was one of those Russian doll situations and in the middle was a single chocolate or something. I opened that one, too, removing a third box, this one gift-wrapped and oblong. I opened it and gasped.

Inside was the most exquisite tennis bracelet. The diamonds—instinct told me they weren’t fake—sparkling despite the harsh lighting in my apartment. But that wasn’t all. Nestled beneath the bracelet weretwospa gift cards.

Oh, Asher.

The man knew how to seduce a woman; that was for sure. I dug around for a note. Nothing. A broad smile etched across my face. His message was obvious. He intended to up the ante. There was no way I could keep these gifts, but at the same time, the curious part of me wanted to know what he’d do when I returned them.

Only one way to find out.

Chapter12

Asher

Note to self: Don’t put your fucking foot in it.

A monthof sending gifts almost every single day still hadn’t broken Kiana down. There was a pattern to her acceptance or denial. She returned anything worth more than a hundred dollars with a polite note and a hidden message of the line she’d drawn. To me, that line only challenged me to pursue her harder.

During the last few weeks, she’d crossed my mind so often that it’d been easier to count the minutes that I hadn’t been thinking about her. Even multiple trips around the country to visit my various hotels, and one overseas trip to Dubai to attend the reopening of our branch there after a major refurbishment program, hadn’t quelled my need for her. The flames burned hotter, my desire and inherent competitive streak urging me to increase the stakes. To wear her down until she had no choice other than to capitulate.

Only the other day, I’d zoned out during a company-wide board meeting, my mind replaying the angles of her face, the way her golden hair lay in waves over her shoulders, the taste of her skin, her pussy. How it’d felt to be inside her. Dad had called my name three times before I’d been able to push thoughts of Kiana away and concentrate on the matter at hand.

All of the above were the reasons I found myself outside the Seattle Kingcaid hotel at eight forty-five on a Friday morning, eight days before Christmas. Time was up. I’d waited long enough, and trying to wear her down by keeping my distance and letting the gifts speak for me hadn’t worked. I needed a new strategy.

Squaring my shoulders, I strode inside. Like a teenager about to ask out a girl he’d crushed on for weeks, my stomach cramped and knotted, and even my palms were sweaty.

Get a grip, Kingcaid.

I stopped to share a few words with Curtis and then headed off to find Philippe. We’d spoken on several occasions since I’d installed him as the general manager, but despite the powerful urge to ask how Kiana was getting along, I’d refrained. He’d think it odd, and it was bad enough that my behavior had piqued Johannes’s interest. I had no intention of adding one of my managers to that list.

I found him chatting with a group of guests outside the restaurant. He acknowledged me, wrapped up the conversation, and then made his way over. As our headquarters was in Seattle, it wasn’t unusual for me to call into this hotel far more than any of our others, and Philippe showed no signs of surprise at my unscheduled visit.

“Asher, good to see you.” He held out his hand, and we shook. “How was Dubai?”

“Tiring.” I smiled. “But the hotel looks fantastic.”

“I saw the pictures on the intranet. One of these days, I’ll have to vacation there.”

“I can highly recommend it.” I motioned for him to walk with me, my eyes peeled for Kiana. “Shall we take a tour?”

“Of course.” We meandered through the public areas of the hotel, with Philippe pointing out one or two improvements he’d made. I nodded in all the right places and asked a question or two, but my mind was very much diverted. After thirty minutes, and still no sign of Kiana, I caved.

“I must send you the latest report on the intern program. We still have thirty percent of the vacancies to fill, but I was thinking of going ahead with the first intern conference in November. By then, I estimate we’ll have hired another five percent. I wondered if you’d like to take it on as a project?”

Philippe positively beamed. As one of our top-performing managers, he rarely said no to additional workloads, his dedication one of many attributes that made him a valued employee.

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