Hunger (Seductors #2) (7 page)

“Why are you even here, Alicia? What if Oliver found out you came here to see me? How would you explain that?”

“He’s gone back to his apartment. There is no chance of him finding out. I came here to tell you to give up. He’s not interested in you anymore.”     

“You’re wrong. He’s mad at me now, but he loves me. I can still feel the connection we share.”

“I intend to break it. Do you think I’ve forgotten what you did last year?”

“I’m not backing down on that. You overstepped the rules, and I couldn’t let you do it.”

“You better watch you back, Jade. I’ll bring you down this time. One way or another, I’ll make you pay.”

“Threats don’t scare me,” I glared. “There is nothing you can use to get to me.” Only Oliver could be used against me, but Alicia didn’t know that.

“Oh, I’ll find something.”

“It’s time for you to leave. You’ve overstayed your welcome.” I marched over to my door, holding it open for her.

“I’ll be watching you, Jade.”

“And I’ll be doing the same with you. You haven’t won yet, Alicia. Not by a long shot.”

“We’ll see,” she smirked, strutting off down the hallway.

My heart was racing so fast. Oliver wouldn’t pick Alicia over me, I was sure of it. So why was there doubt in the back of my mind?

Chapter Four

I didn’t really want to make an effort for my lunch date with Mr. Brentford, but he was the only thing linking me to Oliver at the moment.

Reluctantly, I opted for a sophisticated, red cocktail dress. It wasn’t very revealing, but it did fit my body like a glove. I didn’t do much with my hair, though. My natural, loose curl was enough to finish off the look. In my mind, there was no reason to put in the extra effort. It wasn’t like I was trying to impress my
boss.

Mr. Brentford was already waiting for me when I arrived at reception.
Talk about enthusiastic!
 

“Wow, Jade, you look stunning,” he beamed, kissing my cheek and hugging me. His hands were too low on my back as he escorted me out of the hotel, and I had to take a deep breath to maintain my composure. “How are you feeling today?”

“Much better, thank you,” I smiled, allowing him to lead me outside.

“I thought we’d take my limo.” What was it about rich men that made them use their wealth to seduce a woman?

“You didn’t have to go to so much trouble,” I murmured, watching him as he joined me in the backseat.

“You seem to be a woman who enjoys the finer things in life.” He pulled out of bottle of wine as he spoke. How cliché could this guy get? “Would you care for a glass of wine?”

“I better not. My stomach is still a little woozy from yesterday,” I winced, moving further down the seat to get some room. Why did he insist on being so close to me all the time?

The new Italian restaurant he took me to was very modern. Most of the large space was white except for a deep purple feature wall and tiny twinkle lights that covered the entire ceiling. The kitchen was an open layout, and all the chefs were busy preparing food for the bustling lunch service.

Mr. Brentford helped me into my chair in the far corner of the restaurant before finally taking a seat with his back to the whole room.

“This place has had some great reviews already,” he mumbled, picking up the menu to look over. The sommelier took our orders while we were still deciding what to eat.  

“Are you having an antipasto?”

“Mm…I was going to just have a main dish.” He smiled and nodded while looking back at his menu. “You didn’t need to go to all this trouble for a business lunch, Mr. Brentford.”

“Please, call me Brian, Jade.”

“Sorry,
Brian,
” I giggled as someone in the distance walked in and caught my eye.
No, it couldn’t be.
Why would Oliver be having lunch here?

As the person drew closer, I gasped. It
was
Oliver, and he was scanning the crowd. I sank down into my chair, trying to hide myself from his view. What were the odds of him being here?

“Jade, are you okay?” Brian frowned, looking at me over his menu.

“I…um…Oliver just walked in,” I muttered, gazing toward him. It was bad timing, because just as I did, Oliver’s eyes locked with mine. Anger seemed to cross his face for a short second when he noticed Brian sitting opposite me.

“Why is he here? Did you invite him?” Brian fumed.

“No, I have no idea what he’s doing here.”

“Are you going to explain what’s going on between the two of you? This is getting ridiculous, Jade. You are
my
employee. He already attempted to warn me off you last night when I came back from taking you to the hotel.”

“He did what?” I gasped, watching Oliver make his way to a table a few feet from ours. He wasn’t even going to come over and say hello? Was he meeting someone here?

“Are you in some kind of relationship with him? I need to know!”

“I don’t know what I am to him anymore.” I looked over at Oliver, who was already sipping a glass of water, gazing directly at me.  

“Try to ignore him. We’re here on a business lunch, and he’s being a cocky bastard. That’s his style. Trust me, you’re better not to get involved with him.”

“Maybe he has a meeting here, too?”

“I doubt it. I don’t think he’s here by chance. Is he with anyone now?” Stretching in my seat to see around Brian, I made sure no one was at Oliver’s table. He was talking to the waiter and didn’t notice.

“No, he’s alone,” I breathed.

“Pay no attention to him. He wants you to make a big deal out of this. Ignore him,” he replied sharply, clearly annoyed.
Ignore Oliver?
That wasn’t going to be easy.      

I almost made it through my lunch without any eye contact with Oliver. Brian and I made the best of our time and talked business. He loved my ideas of showcasing one of the apartments as an art gallery.

He also tried to show off with his knowledge of wine, sending three bottles back that he believed had been corked, or not stored properly.

“I’m sorry, Madam.” A waiter placed a bottle of lager down in front of me while I watched Brian taste his fourth bottle of wine. “This is from Mr. Kirkham. He said he thought you might be more comfortable drinking this.”
Damn, I loved him!
I snorted, covering my mouth as Brian frowned at the bottle.

“I’m sorry, Brian. It’s an inside joke,” I giggled. Oliver smirked at me as I glanced at him.

“I didn’t have you down as a beer drinker, Jade.”

“Mmhmm,” I muttered, not really paying any attention to him. Oliver was becoming
very
distracting.

“If you want to finish the meal at his table, Jade, just say so,” Brian sulked, throwing his napkin down on the table. “You’ve hardly kept your eyes off him since he arrived.”

“I’m sorry. It’s just that Oliver and I have issues we need to resolve.”

“Go to him. We can finish this conversation in my office on Monday.”

“Are you sure?” I knew he was angry, but I didn’t care right then.

“Go,” he fumed. “I’ll settle up and come say goodbye at his table.” I didn’t need to be told twice.

Oliver’s eyes were fixed on me as I slowly got up and stalked toward him, bringing my bottle of lager with me. I used a slow, sexy sway of my hips to draw him in further. He subconsciously licked his lips as his eyes wandered over my body. The red dress I was wearing showed off all my curves, and I could read the want in his eyes. His desire for me hadn’t diminished.

“Oliver, what are you doing here?” I asked, standing in front of him.

“Please take a seat, Jade,” he smirked. I couldn’t deny this man anything.

“I’m still angry with you,” I sulked, sitting down and crossing my arms. “I’m on a business meeting for Christ’s sake!”

“Judging the way Brian has been looking at you, I can assure you business was the furthest thing from his mind. He’s trying to make you another notch on his bedpost!”

“Why would you even care if that was true?” I snapped coldly.

“Sorry about the way I acted last night. I was angry and confused.” His voice was speaking right to my center. “Have you forgotten that you walked out on me six months ago? Now suddenly you’re back. How the hell am I supposed to react to that?”

“How many times do you want me to apologize?”

“I need more than an apology if we try to make
this
work again.”

“Tell me what I need to do,” I pleaded, leaning closer to him. “I’ll do anything.”

“I’m the kind of guy who needs trust. That is the one thing you can’t give me, Jade—not anymore.”  

“Then why are you even talking to me?” He studied my face for a minute, and my chest became tight as my heart began to beat furiously from all the adrenaline. Why was I suddenly feeling so hot?

“You have a hold on me I can’t explain.” His eyes darted behind me. “I’m sorry to monopolize Jade, Brian,” he muttered, still looking at me.

“I’m sure you are, Oliver,” Brian fumed, glaring at him. “I’ll see you in my office at nine a.m., Jade. We can finalize your drafts then.”

“Thank you, Mr.…I mean Brian,” I rebuffed.

“Have a wonderful afternoon, Jade.” With that, Mr. Brentford left.

“He’s pissed at me,” Oliver chuckled, watching him leave.

“Of course he is. We were on a
business lunch
!”

“Did you want dessert?” he asked, picking up the menu while completely ignoring my last comment. I wanted something but it wasn’t food, and I was sure he could read my face. He licked his lips and tilted his head, causing a gush of wetness between my legs.

“Only if you’re having something,” I managed to force out with a blush. It was amazing how easily I could go back to shy Jade. Maybe it was because I loved the way Oliver looked at that Jade—like he wanted to ride in on a white horse and save her. He had no idea just how past that I was, though. I could never be saved.

“Something tells me you’re not thinking about dessert right now,” he mused, raising his eyebrow at me. “I see some things haven’t changed between us. I’ve never felt a sexual attraction like this before.”

“You always have to bring everything back to sex, don’t you?”

“You were the one asking me to take you against the wall last night,” he quipped with a gleam in his eyes.

“Then you told me I should have kept on running!” I glared, raising my voice slightly.

“Let’s not do this here,” he winced. “Do you want dessert or not?” Was he still talking about food? I was completely lost.

“Why don’t we share one? I’m not that hungry.” Oliver nodded in agreement.

We quickly decided on the rich, chocolate mousse trio, and he ordered two more lagers while we waited.

“Brian didn’t see the funny side of your joke with the lager,” I giggled, playing with the empty bottle in front of me.

“I couldn’t resist. Sitting here, watching your face as he tried wine after wine—I could tell how bored you were.”

“You know me rather well.”

“Not
that
well,” he sighed, playing with his napkin. It wasn’t like Oliver to be restless. “Why did you leave me that night in Macon?”
Whoa!
We were doing this right now?

“Everything was happening so fast. I felt suffocated.”

“You could have told me. Why run? Was I really that bad?”

“Oliver, you hardly knew me and were declaring your love for me. You must see how frightening that is for a woman like me. I had no idea what you saw in me. What could someone like me really offer you? You’re this high-flying businessman who meets with world leaders and makes some kind of nuclear machines. How can someone like me fit into your world?”  

“You would have fit perfectly, Jade,” he murmured, his voice as soft as velvet. There went another pair of panties.     

“How can you know that?”

“You gave me a life outside of my job. No one has ever done that for me before. My desire for you was the best kind of distraction. It calmed me. I wasn’t thinking about work twenty-four-seven.” He always had a way of speaking straight to my heart. I was elated that I could make him feel that way. “I know you fell for me, too. What I want to know is why you fought it? Why did you leave?”

“I can’t do this right now,” I sighed, putting my face in my hands. I knew Sonia wanted me to use my real feelings for Oliver to trap him, but I wasn’t prepared to do that just yet. Firstly, I needed to make sure she’d keep to her word about giving me the Jade Gibbs identity when my contract was up.  

“Then when? Jade, you owe me answers.”

“I know I do, but there is no easy answer.”

“Is this about your ex, Mario?”
Ugh
! Why did he always have to bring Mario up when we argued?