The Business Proposal

Chapter Four

"You're sure this is the house?" Ethan stared at the intimidating structure in front of him, not an ounce of warmth to be found in its cold lines.

"Yes, Sir." Came the clipped reply from his mobile.

Ethan said his thanks before snapping it shut. He approached the door with something that bordered on apprehension. What he found more confusing was it had everything to do with the woman he hoped was staying there and nothing to do with the place.

He tried not to dwell on his feelings, knowing that he had yet to figure them out and a few more seconds of contemplation would yield the same results. He just couldn't get Ivy Thorn out of his mind.

Blaming his sudden need to see her on the passion he felt between them and nothing more, he rang the bell and waited.

The door was opened by a plump woman in her thirties with a pinny tied around her waist. Her hair was tied back in a bandana and she smiled as Ethan walked in.

"Can I help you?" She spoke delicately, but he could see the steely determination behind her smile. If he was here for trouble, she could have just as easily thrown him out.

He cleared his throat. "I'm here to see Ivy Thorn." He could see his answer had surprised her.

Evidentially Ivy didn't get many visitors, and he wondered why that was. She was rich and beautiful, yet no man.

"Right this way, she's in the garden, I believe." She recovered herself quickly and led Ethan through the house.

He followed her diligently, his head swiveling back and forth as he took in Ivy's family home.

"Why don't you go on out on to the patio and I'll radio Danny to see if he can find Miss Ivy?" She gestured to the patio doors that stood slightly ajar before bustling off.

Ethan stepped through the doors and was blinded by the sun. Raising his hand to shade his eyes, he noticed a body laid out on a lounger further down the patio. From the mass of blonde hair, he knew it wasn't Ivy.

As a connoisseur of women, he couldn't help but notice her. Smooth tanned legs, leading up to a flat stomach and narrow waist. She was wearing a skimpy white bikini that barely concealed her ample bust.

Although he had never met Sasha Thorn, he had seen enough of her pictures in magazines to know who's presence he now found himself in. This was his type of girl. Someone who liked to have fun no matter what the costs and if the magazines were right, she certainly liked to have fun.

He cleared his throat loudly, so she wasn't unnerved by a strange man just appearing.

Sasha turned her head in his direction and removed her sunglasses. She smiled coyly at him and swung her legs over the side of the lounger. It made her surgically enhanced bust strain against the thin fabric of the bikini.

"Can I help you?" She spoke in a husky tone that Ethan had heard a thousand times before. This was one game he was used to.

He smirked at her undertone and turned a chair around so he could see her.

"Just here on business. Enjoying the sun, I see." He was here for a reason and should keep that in mind, he reminded himself. But that didn't stop him from enjoying this small treat that was so obviously willing to play. After all there was only so much time he had left before he was due to be married so he may as well enjoy it whilst he could.

"It's often so boring around here. This is the best I can do to entertain myself." She pouted prettily at him and leaned forward to pick up her hat. A move that was aimed to give Ethan the best few of her chest. And what a view it was.