Page 48 of Virgin's Stolen Nights with the Boss

He said nothing. Just took a very pleased with himself and surprisingly well-behaved two-thousand-pound stallion back to his stable and bolted him in.

‘Now he needs another treat,’ Carmen said, and had the audacity to reach into the pocket of her skirt and take out some more liquorice.

‘Is that what you’ve been bribing him with?’ Elias snapped, and took the damned treat from her.

He patted and stroked the horse then, pretending that everything was completely fine, so as not to confuse the horse.

‘Good boy,’ he said nicely. ‘Well done for not killing Carmen. Good Dom.’

Then he turned with eyes blazing.

‘My office—now!’

He practically marched her there, and when she stepped into his office for the first time she saw not the gleaming desk, nor the leather chairs and sofa, only the blaze of his eyes.

‘Clearly,’ he said, ‘you have no idea what you’re doing!’

Carmen blinked. Elias was white-faced—she assumed it was with anger.

‘You could have been killed!’ he shouted. ‘I swear to God, Carmen, if you’ve been taking him out alone, with no one around...’

He was livid, she could see that, and trying to contain it.

‘You had no business taking him out without permission!’

‘Would you have agreed if I’d asked?’

‘We both know the answer to that,’ he snapped. ‘Can you imagine how it would have felt for Laura or Blake to find you unconscious on the floor? Or dead?’

He sucked in a tense, shuddering breath and closed his eyes for a moment, as if envisaging just that.

‘Damn it, Carmen!’

There was only the sound of his heavy breathing in the silence that followed these words.

‘Where do you think you’re going?’ he demanded as Carmen turned to leave.

‘The animals are all settled,’ she called over her shoulder. ‘I’m now officially on my day off. You can get back to your date.’

‘Date? What date? What the hell do you think I’m doing here?’

‘I’ve no idea.’

‘I came to say...’ He took a breath. ‘I came to say that you’re wrong.’

She knew exactly what he was referring to. How could she not? It was all she had thought about all day long.

‘No, no, no...’ She shook her head. ‘Listen to me, you arrogant man. I don’t expect flowers, and I don’t give a damn about your past, or what you do after I’m gone, but don’t make out with your eyes and then go off with your date—’

‘On that point you are correct,’ he said. ‘And that is why I called Wanda last night and told her...’

‘Told her what?’

‘That our arrangement is over.’

‘So why did she call you today?’

‘Because I promised her an introduction to a producer she’s been trying to impress!’

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