Page 31 of Landry
Landry felt the grin tugging at his lips. If looks could kill, he would certainly be a dead man. He was no longer interested in the report; he would get it from Leonora, his assistant, who took very thorough notes. He was more interested in flustering Kady-Ann. It was such a pleasant diversion and a painful one.
Even looking at her, even sitting in a meeting that was designed to bore a person to death, he was aroused. Shifting on the chair, he acknowledged wryly that he was torturing himself. He was going to have her. He already made up his mind, and it would happen. It was a matter of timing.
He had his hands on her several times and even if he were not a man who knew women and had had more than his fair share, he would have known that she wanted him as much as he wanted her.
Timing, he pondered. It had to be perfect. And if it weren't, well then, he would take whatever he could get. But the end result would be them both naked, even if he had to storm her apartment.
He couldn't tell her the reason for his leaving, at least not yet, and that troubled him greatly. A frown touched his brow at that. But he would have her. He wanted to show her that he had never stopped loving her. He was aching to fold her in his arms and just lose himself in her.
She looked up then as if his thoughts had transmitted to her. At the look on his face, she froze, heart hammering, palms sweating. Damn him! she thought in despair. If this continues, she was going to disgrace herself in front of the members of the board and her own staff. He was getting to her, wearing down her resistance, and what was even worse, she had the uncomfortable feeling that he knew it, knew exactly what he was doing to her.
Chapter 9
Sensations screamed along her nerve endings, making her limbs all but tremble. It was three weeks since the airlines had changed ownership. It seemed more like three months. During that time, she had been dodging and evading the inevitable: falling into bed with her childhood sweetheart.
She figured she was doing pretty good, even if when she was alone at home and in bed at night, she was having a tough time falling asleep.
Standing in front of the full-length mirror inside her bedroom, she studied her reflection with more than a touch of nerves and anxiety. It was the grand opening of the new airline. A lot had happened since the takeover. New planes had been purchased and the old ones remodeled. The uniforms were chic and modern, giving the men and women who worked on the planes an added zest in their steps. She had to admit that everything Landry had done was right on the ball.
The dress had been an extravagance. A Romano's original, she had splurged, but it had been worth the extra chunk out of her credit card. A shimmering, ice-blue color, it settled on her skin like a whisper of silk. The front was deep and plunging, making it impossible to wear a bra. Thin straps crisscrossed at the back, plunging to her bottom. It was scandalous, or nearly so.
She hesitated in front of the mirror, wondering if it was too much or too little, she amended with a shaky laugh. Top executives would be there, associates of Landry's, whom he was hoping to rope into making investments. His parents. She sucked in her breath at the thought of seeing them again and wondered if she looked like an expensive escort.
Lifting her chin, she took one last look in the mirror at her expertly made-up face and shook back the hair she had shampooed and conditioned at the salon earlier today. She was a professional, and there was absolutely nothing wrong in flaunting her physical assets. She was a woman, and tonight, she was determined to be seen as one.
Besides, she would have her brother as a shield, in case she needed one. Picking up the cashmere wrap, she took one last look at herself before leaving her bedroom.
***
It would be tonight, Landry decided as he shrugged into his navy-blue jacket. They had been playing the game for the past three weeks, and it was about time.
Any longer and he was going to burst wide open from unfulfilled desire and fiery passion.
He had been at the airline in meetings two or three times a week, and each time it was getting decidedly worse. He had to have her. He had made up his mind. No more nonsense. Yes, bloody hell, he had hurt her, crushed her to pieces by his leaving, something that wasn't his damn fault, but they wanted each other.
He wouldn't be forcing her. And if he didn't have the pleasure of her delectable body under his, he was going to explode. It was as simple as that.
Hating the fact that his hands were trembling, he rocked back on his heels and eyed his reflection in the mirror. His parents and sister would be at the party. It was a grand event, and his assistant, the very capable and efficient Leonora, along with his sister, had arranged everything.
It was being held at one of their hotels, a recent acquisition along the Plaza. He had invited a considerable number of people who would be interested in hopping onto the bandwagon and finding the prospect of owning a piece of the airline a pleasing one. He knew people, wealthy people with money to burn and ones who loved to be in bed with the Crenshaws.
He was counting on that.
If he could just get her out of his mind for a few seconds, he could manage to concentrate on the business aspect of things. But Christ, it was getting to be more and more difficult to stop thinking of her. Wanting her was a constant ache inside his chest, not to mention his loins. If this continued, he was going to end up with blistered balls.
It was going to be tonight, he resolved firmly. No longer.
***
Her brother's whistle of appreciation had her turning in a circle.
"What do you think?"
"I think that if you were any less clothed, you would be as bare as the day you were born." His eyes narrowed as he took her in. "Scratch that, you are as bare as the day you were born. What the hell?"
"I like it."
"And so will all the men at that damn party. Christ, sis. You're going to have a damn riot on your hands." His thick brows lifted. "Or is that what you're hoping?"
