by Holly Rayner
“It just seems entirely out of character for you to be so giving, when you’ve shown me nothing but a cold businessman who will do anything to enlarge his bank account. Did you forget why I’m even here?”
“Did you?” he countered.
They sat in a charged silence for a moment before he visibly relaxed and smiled down at her.
“Just because you’ve seen one side of me doesn’t mean you know who I am, and just so you know, ninety-eight percent of my charity funds go directly to people in need. The other two percent pays for the manpower to run it. You can look it up if you don’t believe me.”
“So you are capable of seeing other people as human beings, but only sometimes?”
“I’ve done a lot of good in this world, Annabelle, and I hope to do more. At this juncture, the most readily available resource we have is oil, and I want Americans to be self-reliant enough to fuel ourselves. It’s a tough ethical dilemma that one cannot help everyone, and someone must pay the price for the good of the whole.”
“What if it was in your backyard? What if you were the one who had to give up your office building so an oil rig could profit someone else, while supposedly helping out the whole? You’re the one pocketing the money, Frost, so don’t tell me you’re some kind of saint.”
“I never said I was a saint, and can you please lower your voice? We’re in love, remember?”
“How could I forget?” Annabelle mumbled, taking a bite of salmon and groaning with pleasure in spite of herself.
The food was delicious, though the portions were tiny, for rich fancy people. Each course brought new surprises until finally the dessert—a small chocolate torte with almond cream and a peppermint stick poking out at the top—was served. Annabelle tried not to hoover up the whole thing. She adored chocolate.
The orchestra changed over from Christmas music to classical tunes, and a few of the gentlemen at the table offered their hands to the ladies. Annabelle glanced around, smiling awkwardly until her gaze dropped to Chase’s outstretched hand.
“A dance, my lady?”
Annabelle stared at his hand for a moment before she came to her senses.
It was an act. This was for her town, for her family. She could dance with the devil in the moonlight if it meant saving the people she loved.
“I’d be delighted,” she said, placing her hand in his.
He led her to the dance floor, where he twirled her around until she faced him, his palm gently settling on her lower back as he held her other hand, slowly circling the two of them around. His closeness, the way he smelled, was mesmerizing, and Annabelle found herself struggling to keep her sanity.
“Where did you learn to dance? The nineteenth century?” she asked, breaking the tension.
“Do you have any other tone beyond sarcastic?” he retorted, letting her loose to spin her around again before pulling her close to him once more.
“I do. Just not for people like you.”
“People like me, who give millions so that others can eat, who mine the earth for energy so people can get to work, to support their families?”
“People who forego environmental impact reports, and ignore the protestors begging to be heard? Why do you think people are willing to stand out in the cold with signs? It’s not because they’re bored, Chase. Our community is falling apart because of your actions. Why don’t you care about that?”
Chase was quiet as they circled around the floor. He wouldn’t meet her eyes for a moment, and when he did, his expression was unreadable.
“Are you a Seahawks fan, Belle?”
Annabelle started, surprised by the sudden change of subject. Still, even she found it exhausting going over what he had done. It seemed so unnecessary as she grew comfortable in the circle of his arms, no matter how hard she tried to fight it. Her smile was genuine for the first time.
“Of course I am. I’m not crazy.”
“Well that is certainly debatable.”
She was about to retort when Chase lifted a hand with a gentle grin.
“Kidding! Only kidding,” he said, spinning her around before dropping her into a low dip.
Unable to help herself, Annabelle laughed as she kicked up a leg. She realized in that moment that she was falling into the man’s trap. She tried to bring forth the image of him mocking her and her fellow protesters just the other day, but that man and the one before her seemed like strangers.
He pulled her back up and pressed his lips close to her ear. “You see, we do have at least one thing in common,” he mumbled, and Annabelle shivered.
The music came to an end, and Annabelle took a step back. The emptiness she felt was immediate, acute, and dangerous.
“I need to get some air,” she said.
Chase frowned. “Is everything all right?”
“Yes, I just get warm quickly,” she lied.
Before Chase could get another word in, Annabelle bee-lined to a wide outdoor veranda that faced the mountains.
A wave of cool air washed over her, and she instantly began to shiver. With nothing but a thin gown on, the winter cold was brutal, but it was good for her to feel it. She needed a bucket of cold water over her head if she was going to resist Chase’s charms.
Annabelle wrapped her arms around her middle as she stared out at the twinkling lights of the city beneath the slivered moon. She was thinking about turning back and going inside when a suit jacket slid around her shoulders. She glanced up to see Chase beside her.
He stared out at the mountains, his gaze pensive. Annabelle allowed the silence to stretch on. She was tired of talking. Tired of bickering. Tired of being witty. She thought longingly of her bed, and wondered at the wisdom of having her sister drive her out that evening. She could have escaped much more easily with her own car.
“Nathaniel has offered me the deal. His group will invest in my next venture.”
“Congratulations,” Annabelle replied woodenly. The warmth of him still radiated from his jacket, and his scent enveloped her in a way that made her stomach flutter.
“Thank you. I know that’s insincere, but I’ll accept it anyway. Now, to our business,” he said, turning to her.
“You can expect the rig to come down within the next three weeks, as promised. I’d be happy to offer you more, as you were so integral to the success of this deal, but I’m worried your next request might put me out of business.”
He was smiling, but Annabelle was not.
“Oil is an outdated energy source, Chase. Why aren’t you on the frontline of clean energy? Can’t you tell that’s exactly where everything is headed?”
“Look, Belle, you’ve given me plenty to think about tonight, but I’d like to try something else with you, if I may.”
“What are you talking about?” she asked, suspicious.
“Tonight you were charming, witty and endearing. It’s no wonder my investors were so adamant that you join us. The truth is, in spite of our differences, I’d really like to get to know you better.”
He was talking as though they were meeting in that boardroom, as if he were giving a presentation. Annabelle was certain that saying such a thing couldn’t have been easy for him. His posture was stiff and awkward when he was usually confidence personified.
Still, she had her end of the bargain fulfilled. It was time to go.
“Thank you for your kind words, but I really need to get home. It’s getting late…”
“Is it?” he countered. “I thought the night seemed young. I know a great place with the best hot cocoa in the world. Why don’t you come with me?”
Annabelle stared at him, at war with herself. She knew better than to accept such an offer. He would show her a side of himself she would very likely want to see more of, and she shouldn’t want that. She should want to get back to Bluewater and live out her quiet life with the victory she had just won.
On the other hand, she’d sensed good in him, he was ridiculously handsome and charming, and there had been times on th
e dancefloor when she had felt as though she was floating. She didn’t dare call it the spark, else she admit that she could have feelings for this man, but the truth was that she wanted to spend more time with him, too. If that was wrong, perhaps she didn’t want to be right.
“The best hot cocoa in the world, you say? That’s a pretty big boast. My mother makes hers from scratch.”
“Well why don’t we go find out just who makes it better?”
“Even with my obvious bias?”
“Yep. Do you trust me?”
He held out his hand for her to take, in the fashion of a true fairy-tale prince.
Annabelle stared at it, then looked back up at him. “I think we’ve established that I don’t, but for some reason, beyond my better judgement, I’m going to say yes.”
ELEVEN
Chase’s smile warmed Annabelle’s skin straight to her bones. Her whole body tingled when he looked at her that way. Was it desire? No, it couldn’t be—he’d kicked her out of his office just the day before with the help of his security guard.
Ignoring her reservations, she placed her hand in his, relishing in the sensation, and telling herself that just for one night, she could look past their differences and try and see the man behind the monster.
They bid farewell to the members of their dinner table party before heading to the coat check area and grabbing their jackets. When Annabelle made to remove Chase’s blazer from her shoulders, he took it, waited for her to put her coat on, and then gave her his own jacket.
“I don’t need two coats, Chase,” she protested.
“Nonsense. You think I can’t tell when you’re lying? I’m at the top of big business, and you, my dear, are an amateur.”
“I managed to get a deal out of you, though, didn’t I?”
“That you did. So perhaps not totally an amateur, but you definitely need to work on your poker face.”
“I hate poker.”
“Of course you do,” he grinned. “Come on, let’s go.”
He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, guiding her out toward the front. Annabelle had to admit that the cold seemed much less biting when she was wearing two coats.
Chase pulled out his phone and spoke a few words into it, and a moment later a black town car pulled up to the front.
“Shall we?” he asked.
Annabelle nodded and he opened the door for her, allowing her to slide in. The interior of the car was warm and smelled of rich leather. Chase sidled in next to her, and she did her best to ignore his firm thigh pressing against her own.
“So, where are we going?” she asked, trying to distract herself from his closeness. Why was he so infuriatingly alluring?
Chase cast a sideways glance at her. “My favorite place in Seattle.”
“Ah, so basically the next most expensive bar in town. Or perhaps we’re going to a club? Do your dancing skills stretch beyond ballroom?”
“They do not. And you’re completely off the mark. You’ll see,” he said.
“You’re very cryptic, you know.”
“Rule number one in business: always keep them guessing. If I told you everything I had planned at all times, where would the intrigue be?”
“Why do we need intrigue? We’re basically mortal enemies, dressed in fancy clothes.”
“Do you really think that? Belle, you don’t know anything about me!”
“I know enough to understand that you think you have a big heart, but it’s not big enough to include the people that I love. That, to me, is a pretty big problem.”
“Look, I told you that I would take the rig down. Can we please try having a regular conversation for just a moment?”
“I don’t know how to have a normal conversation with you. How can we possibly have anything in common?”
“Well, so far we’ve figured out that we both like the Seahawks. We both like hiking, a good mug of cocoa, and we’re both exceptional dancers.”
Annabelle blushed at the subtle praise. “You flatter me, Frost. I’ve never danced like that before in my life.”
“Liar! You were fantastic. Not a single stomp on my foot, which I can tell you, I very much appreciate. Events that require dancing are usually a nightmare for me.”
“You hold these kinds of events often?”
Chase shrugged, his shoulder bumping against hers. Even with their coats forming a barrier between them, Annabelle could tell he was strong. When did he have time to work out? It seemed like he was constantly wining and dining people for favors, herself included. While she had gotten her end of the deal, Annabelle couldn’t forget that he had certainly gained what he wanted as well.
It would seem Chase Frost always got what he wanted, no matter what.
“Not really,” he replied. “Two or three times a year is really all I can manage. I hate being the center of attention.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“Really? Why?”
It was Annabelle’s turn to shrug.
“You just always seem so confident and sure of yourself. Why wouldn’t you want to be the center of attention?”
“Rule number two of business: always appear confident, and the world will fall at your feet.”
“I think it helps that you’re attractive and rich to begin with,” she blurted, blushing at her admission.
Chase grinned down at her. “You think I’m attractive?”
“You grace the cover of magazines. You know you’re nice to look at. Don’t let it get to your head,” she mumbled.
He continued to grin as he stared out the window. “You’re not so bad yourself, you know.”
“Well, thank you for the compliment. I think we were just friends for a moment there. Tenuous, I know, but here we are.”
“Friendship is a good foundation for all things, business or otherwise.”
The way he said “otherwise” made Annabelle’s body tremble for a moment; a fact which did not go unnoticed by her companion.
“Are you still cold? I can have the heat turned up.”
“No, no, it’s fine,” she said.
She didn’t want to think about what a relationship with Chase Frost would be like. She didn’t want to imagine what it would feel like to be wrapped in his arms, pressing her lips to his in a heated embrace.
So why the hell was it all she could think about?
She needed to get out of the car. She needed distance from him.
Fortunately for Annabelle, Chase leaned forward to speak with the driver.
“It’s just up here. You can park there on the street, and I’ll call you when we’re ready to be picked up.”
“Very good, sir,” the driver said, and Annabelle was surprised to realize that it was a woman.
She didn’t really know why she was surprised. She just imagined all rich people drivers as old men with blue caps and moustaches. Why hadn’t she thought to look up at the front seat anyway? Was it because her companion was sucking all the air out of her lungs?
Perhaps.
Chase opened the door and held a hand out to her. Annabelle thanked the driver before exiting the car, and looked around.
The neighborhood they’d ended up in was far from what she would have expected of Chase Frost.
A series of apartment buildings with dilapidated front porches lined both sides of the street. While the neighborhood was clearly a bit down at heel, Annabelle didn’t feel unsafe.
“This way,” Chase said, taking her hand again.
She really liked when he did that. She really didn’t like that she liked it so much.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked again.
“Almost there,” he said, continuing down the sidewalk.
Finally, they reached an intersection, sparsely populated with cars. There were very few people walking around, which was strange for the city, Annabelle thought.
“Here we are!” Chase said, gesturing to a building.
Annabelle stared at the old, greasy spoon chicken sha
ck, then looked back at Chase. “You can’t be serious.”
He grinned down at her. “What? You think you know me? My task tonight is to surprise you at every turn. Welcome to Joe’s Chicken Hut!”
TWELVE
Annabelle breathed in the scent of fried food as the two of them entered the tiny establishment. There were red, plastic-covered seats in a series of booths that lined the walls. The middle area had a few tables and chairs, and a family was eating together at one of them.
