The Millionaire's Agenda

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She remembered the passion of Steven’s kiss. There was no doubt about it; he was a very sexy man. She couldn’t remember Nile ever being able to turn her on like that, just with a kiss. What would it be like to have Steven make love to her? she wondered. The memory of his hands moving over her skin made her body burn with a desire that alarmed her.

Turning, she buried her head into the pillow and told herself to stop thinking about it. She was only just getting over Nile; her emotions were in bits, and maybe she was even imagining the wild effect Steven had on her senses. Maybe she was on the rebound from Nile?

And anyway, whatever the truth of her feelings, Steven wouldn’t be interested in her, not when he had such a glamorous girlfriend as Helen. Tonight had just been a blip; he was tired, he hadn’t eaten properly…maybe he had even momentarily forgotten whom he was with.

Some time in the early hours of the morning Chloe finally fell to sleep. But her dreams were a jumbled, disturbed mix of Steven and then Nile, her body tossing fretfully as the night ticked by. When she opened her eyes she couldn’t remember where she was. There was a strange silence, most unnatural to her ears, as she was used to the distant hum of the London traffic outside her apartment.

Then there was the sound of footsteps running down the hallway and a little girl giggling. And her memory returned with a whoosh. She looked at her watch. It was almost nine-thirty; she had overslept.

Chloe was about to throw the duvet back and climb out of bed when the door burst open and Beth ran in.

‘Hi, Chloe.’ She smiled impishly and then paused just inside the doorway as if uncertain about her welcome.

‘Good morning, Beth; how are you today?’ Chloe struggled to sit up whilst holding the duvet protectively around her.

Beth came further into the room. Chloe noticed she was fully dressed in a pair of jeans and a thick woollen jumper, her hair neatly in a ponytail. ‘It’s stopped snowing outside and Daddy says I can make a snowman.’

‘Wow!’ Chloe smiled at her. ‘It’s like Christmas, isn’t it?’

Delighted with the analogy, Beth nodded and then climbed up on the bed beside her. ‘Will you come and help me build him?’

Before Chloe could answer Steven appeared in the doorway. He was also dressed in jeans and a jumper. ‘Beth, I told you not to go in there and wake Chloe up,’ he admonished sternly.

Beth frowned and her bottom lip quivered slightly.

‘It’s all right, Steven, I was awake anyway,’ Chloe interceded quickly.

She tried not to feel embarrassed as Steven transferred his attention away from the child to her. Suddenly she was extremely conscious of her hair, tousled and wild over the pillows, and the fact that she was wearing nothing beneath the covers.

He smiled at her, and it was a smile that did very strange things to her heartbeat. ‘Morning, Chloe; how did you sleep?’

‘Out like a light as soon as my head touched the pillow,’ she lied cheerfully.

‘Good. I’m going to fix breakfast; come down and join us when you are ready.’

‘Thanks. What’s the latest on your trip to Manchester?’

‘I’ve had to cancel it. There’s no way the jet would be able to leave this morning.’ He stretched out a hand to Beth. ‘Come on, Beth, come out and leave Chloe to get dressed in peace.’

His daughter pointedly ignored him. ‘After breakfast, will you build a snowman with me?’ she asked Chloe again, her big blue eyes very wide.

‘Well, I haven’t really got the right clothes for going out in the snow,’ Chloe said gently. ‘I’ve only got my suit that I wear in the office.’

‘Beth, I’m not going to tell you again.’ Steven came further into the room.

‘Oh, please, Chloe,’ Beth entreated, then scrambled quickly from the bed as her father advanced. He swung her up into strong arms and she giggled. ‘Please, Chloe,’ she said again as he swung her over his shoulder to carry her out of the room.