It had been way too long since he’d had sex.
“Fine.”
She turned and started toward the exit. For some reason, the sight of her walking away nicked his pride. He caught up to her in several swift strides.
“Where are you going?”
“Into Marseille. I have a lot of work to do.”
“You do know most of the vendors have phone numbers. There’s no need to traipse around and tire yourself. I can take you back, or,” he added testily, “if you’ve tired of my company, I can send for the limo.”
She stopped so quickly and turned around that he nearly careened into her.
And then they were close. Too close.
“I don’t need your limo.” Her voice was eerily calm, devoid of emotion, as was the rest of her countenance.
Save her eyes. Those glittered with some emotion he couldn’t discern. Normally he could read women with astonishing accuracy. It’s why they enjoyed him so much. He knew, and gave, exactly what they wanted.
What did Calandra Smythe want?
He watched her for a moment, eyes sliding down the curve of her neck, the slenderness of her waist, although now as he looked closer he saw the tiniest swell beneath her black dress.
That’s my child.
The thought simultaneously thrilled and terrified him. He wanted to be a part of that child’s life more than anything. But could he do it? Could he be a better father than his own?
“I was very successful when I worked for Cabrera Wines,” Calandra replied testily. “That is why you hired me, right?”
“Of course.”
“Not because you’re trying to pad my bank account?”
“I would never be so underhanded.”
She stared at him for a long, long moment. Then leaned in closer.
He went hard. Almost instantly. His eyes caressed her smooth, pale face, the column of her neck, the enticing place where her pulse pounded at the base of her throat...
His gaze snapped up. Calandra Smythe was just as affected as he was. Her pupils dilated as a slow smile curved across his face. Her lips parted. Her quick intake of breath sent heat careening through his veins.
“Let me do my job, Alejandro.” Her words came out breathy this time, all sense of calm laid waste by the attraction crackling between them. “And for the rest of the day, please leave me alone.”
She turned away again and started for the door. This time, he didn’t pursue. The uncharted territories of parenthood and interest in a woman beyond her body were unfamiliar and uncomfortable.
But the game of seduction was one he knew very well.
He had one week. One week to impress, to woo, to get her to agree not only to let him be involved in their child’s life, but to perhaps have her in his bed once more. The thought of feeling her body beneath him, of the novelty of making love to the woman who carried his child within her, made him positively giddy.
“Your wish is my command.”
She didn’t respond, didn’t even acknowledge she’d heard him, as she disappeared into the main corridor.
Unexpected parenthood. His company on the brink of being torn from his grasp. His arrogant bastard of a father still interfering in his life. With all the uncertainty, and all the things that could possibly go wrong, he should have felt concerned, on edge, nervous.
All that paled in comparison to the memory of that sharp intake of breath.
His smile grew wider still. In one week, he would achieve his desires. Cabrera Shipping.La Reina.His child.