of her office.
Ellie had no chance to catch her breath let alone time to contemplate what had just happened because her lunch partner and best friend, Judy, flew into her office.
“Oh my God, Ellie, who the hell was that guy?”
“The contractor for the warehouse project.” Ellie blew out a breath to move the wayward curl that had fallen over her forehead.
“Contractor? He looked more like the head of the Marquis de Sade academy! He's as scary as all get out!” Judy dropped into a chair with her usual drama.
“Scary? You thought he was scary?” Ellie glanced over to her doorway. Jackson Royce was definitely masculine, gorgeous, powerful and ultra confident, but scary? “Believe it or not, he actually asked me out after knowing me for a matter of minutes.” Ellie shook her head in disbelief.
“Get out of town,” Judy gasped, leaning across the desk and propping her chin in her hands. “Now that I look at you though, you do seem a little flushy and doe eyed. Oh my God, you're actually attracted to him!”
“Who wouldn't be?” she remarked a bit too breathlessly.
“Anyone who doesn't want to be whisked off in the dead of night to his evil castle, never to be seen again.” Both women laughed. “Make sure to take your cell phone and leave a trail of bread crumbs if you go anywhere with him, Ellie.”
“Don't be ridiculous, Judy. You know I don't date.”
[Back to Table of Contents]
----
Chapter Two
7:00pm, Crystal Gardens. Jackson.
Ellie picked up the little card that had accompanied a single red rose and read it for the hundredth time as she paced her small living room. The narrow box had been delivered to her office that morning, causing curious stares and whispers from her well-meaning coworkers.
Well, he was persistent. Or was he pushy. Or maybe just supremely confident? She would bet her bottom dollar that Jackson Royce didn't lack female company whenever he wanted it, so why her?
Ellie had some confidence of her own but was honest enough to admit she wasn't a raving beauty. She considered her large, expressive hazel eyes to be her best facial feature, but her shoulder-length wavy auburn hair was at times unruly. She appreciated the fact that she was five-foot-seven because she loved to eat and was never going to be a size twelve. She was comfortable in her own skin, though, and she was very proud of that.
She continued pacing the floor and checked the grandfather clock again. 6:05.
If he had known her for more than five minutes, he might have been attracted to her sense of humor or her work ethic, or her love of animals for that matter, but she kept running their brief encounter over in her mind and decided the only thing he knew about her was she had too much paperwork and she didn't date.
“Why did I ever say that to him?” she wondered aloud. How could she accept his invitation and not look like an idiot or, worse yet, feed his male ego by showing up against her own bold pronouncement?
6:15.
Ellie hadn't dated in over two years. There hadn't been any big incident. She'd simply gotten tired of unsatisfying relationships. She was financially independent, had a small group of close friends, and was happy with the life she'd built for and by herself. Sure, sometimes she was lonely, and more than sometimes, she was horny, but she had the toys and the imagination to solve the latter issue on her own. What was it about the prospect of spending time with Jackson that had her tingling all over in a way she hadn't experienced in a very long time, if ever?
6:22.
* * * *
Jackson checked his watch again. 6:55. He sat at an intimate round table for two, positioned perfectly in a corner of the room where he could watch the door to see her come in, and he was positive she would walk through that door.
There was no mistaking the instant arousal he had seen in her expressive face when she'd boldly perused him from shoe to head while kneeling at his feet on the floor. The image sent blood flowing
Ellie had no chance to catch her breath let alone time to contemplate what had just happened because her lunch partner and best friend, Judy, flew into her office.
“Oh my God, Ellie, who the hell was that guy?”
“The contractor for the warehouse project.” Ellie blew out a breath to move the wayward curl that had fallen over her forehead.
“Contractor? He looked more like the head of the Marquis de Sade academy! He's as scary as all get out!” Judy dropped into a chair with her usual drama.
“Scary? You thought he was scary?” Ellie glanced over to her doorway. Jackson Royce was definitely masculine, gorgeous, powerful and ultra confident, but scary? “Believe it or not, he actually asked me out after knowing me for a matter of minutes.” Ellie shook her head in disbelief.
“Get out of town,” Judy gasped, leaning across the desk and propping her chin in her hands. “Now that I look at you though, you do seem a little flushy and doe eyed. Oh my God, you're actually attracted to him!”
“Who wouldn't be?” she remarked a bit too breathlessly.
“Anyone who doesn't want to be whisked off in the dead of night to his evil castle, never to be seen again.” Both women laughed. “Make sure to take your cell phone and leave a trail of bread crumbs if you go anywhere with him, Ellie.”
“Don't be ridiculous, Judy. You know I don't date.”
[Back to Table of Contents]
----
Chapter Two
7:00pm, Crystal Gardens. Jackson.
Ellie picked up the little card that had accompanied a single red rose and read it for the hundredth time as she paced her small living room. The narrow box had been delivered to her office that morning, causing curious stares and whispers from her well-meaning coworkers.
Well, he was persistent. Or was he pushy. Or maybe just supremely confident? She would bet her bottom dollar that Jackson Royce didn't lack female company whenever he wanted it, so why her?
Ellie had some confidence of her own but was honest enough to admit she wasn't a raving beauty. She considered her large, expressive hazel eyes to be her best facial feature, but her shoulder-length wavy auburn hair was at times unruly. She appreciated the fact that she was five-foot-seven because she loved to eat and was never going to be a size twelve. She was comfortable in her own skin, though, and she was very proud of that.
She continued pacing the floor and checked the grandfather clock again. 6:05.
If he had known her for more than five minutes, he might have been attracted to her sense of humor or her work ethic, or her love of animals for that matter, but she kept running their brief encounter over in her mind and decided the only thing he knew about her was she had too much paperwork and she didn't date.
“Why did I ever say that to him?” she wondered aloud. How could she accept his invitation and not look like an idiot or, worse yet, feed his male ego by showing up against her own bold pronouncement?
6:15.
Ellie hadn't dated in over two years. There hadn't been any big incident. She'd simply gotten tired of unsatisfying relationships. She was financially independent, had a small group of close friends, and was happy with the life she'd built for and by herself. Sure, sometimes she was lonely, and more than sometimes, she was horny, but she had the toys and the imagination to solve the latter issue on her own. What was it about the prospect of spending time with Jackson that had her tingling all over in a way she hadn't experienced in a very long time, if ever?
6:22.
* * * *
Jackson checked his watch again. 6:55. He sat at an intimate round table for two, positioned perfectly in a corner of the room where he could watch the door to see her come in, and he was positive she would walk through that door.
There was no mistaking the instant arousal he had seen in her expressive face when she'd boldly perused him from shoe to head while kneeling at his feet on the floor. The image sent blood flowing
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