A Blind Fall

chapter ten

... Siena Brighton could feel her heart beat rapidly than was safe. Though it was at night time, her body felt all sorts of heats. Her trembling, sweaty palms clung to her dress in an attempt to eradicate the shivers. She tried to ignore the reason to her reaction, the very source of her discomfort but it proved futile. She could still feel him, the rawness of his gaze as it raked through her body while he sat their, in all his potent masculinity like nothing unusual was occurring. Like he didn't make her feel vulnerable, naked under his scrutiny. Her knees joined her hands in the quivering dance and she prayed he'd look away lest she slumped to the floor in a heap. Her skin burned as if exposed to hot, red coal, her blood pounded in her ears and places she never dared acknowledge tingled disturbingly. He had gotten under her skin, making her wish herself under his...literally.

A goofy grin split on Gabrielle's face as she brought her fingers from the keyboard where they'd been typing furiously. A sigh of sheer contentment escaped her lips as she reveled in her moment of triumphant. Finally, she thought, she'd moved past that despicable writer's block. For two weeks since she'd began her romance book she'd found herself stuck at a part in her book where the hero, Jasper Lionel, came for an office party at the heroine's father's invitation. Gabrielle hadn't been able to describe the heroine's reaction to the hero's attention.

Until last night....

After being rescued from making an utter fool of herself by Josse by accepting Oscar's invitation to be a cheap one night stand, the kind chauffeur -and bodyguard, Gabby suspected- had ensured her safe arrival into her room, wished her a good night despite the embarrassment she'd made off herself in his presence and left her to her own vices. Too tired and ashamed of her wanton behaviour last night, she'd ridden herself off her gown, make up and jewels before she damped her overly excited body to bed. She'd only woken up in the morning with an aching urge to write and had retrieved her computer which she'd brought along from home and began typing her fingers away. She'd surprised herself at the flow in which she'd captured every word, the sense of life in it and the realness there.

Every urge, every bit of emotion the heroine underwent under the overbearing gaze of the hero was amazingly described to Gabrielle's joy... and discomfort. Apparently, whatever her heroine felt -she acknowledged uneasily- was everything she'd felt the previous night in Oscar's presence. She'd felt as if his looming gaze was stripping her bare, his touch had made her weak and tremulous. And when he'd followed her out and made a show for Parisians to see when he'd kissed her neck and whispered his wish to be with her, she'd completely lost her mind at the throbbing between her thighs. It was frightening yet... enthralling.

The thought of being in his arms again made her heart somersault and an anticipation build in her stomach while in the same disgusted her. How dare he invite her for a one night stand?! And... how dare she contemplate it?! No doubt if Josse hadn't turned up when he had she'd have gone with him and she doubted she'd have been in the right frame of mind or even have had the willpower to deny him and herself his physical attentions. Today morning she'd have woken up a true woman capable of passion. Oscar's woman.

Where were these thoughts rousing from? Obviously from her feeble mind's reminiscence. She couldn't fathom how a man could corrupt her thinking so easily by a mere touch. Still, she found herself rethinking every little exchange they'd had since he bid for her that dressing table whose fate she hadn't the slightest idea of.

Her thoughts were invaded by a rap at the white bedroom door followed by a familiar voice. "Good morning, Miss Oliver. A call from Mr Mayor."

Leon! She'd tried reaching him but the man had been determined to avoid her calls. Anxious to give him a piece of her mind, Gabrielle leaped out of bed, uncaring she was in a skimpy nightie. Yanking the door open, she almost knocked a suit clad Josse off his feet. Even after so many years of trial, she was still clumsy. "Oh! I'm sorry, Josse."