Chapter Two
Alexander tossedand turned half the night. He’d thought of Elizabeth all through dinner, and had scarcely been able to concentrate on the movie he’d thrown on while he perused his schedule for the rest of the week. The way she’d submitted to him had made his heart quicken, and his cock harden uncomfortably. This woman recognized the Dom within him, but unlike some of the women he’d played with in the past, there was a quiet strength to her. Her backbone had shone through her submission. Elizabeth could and would stand up for herself—at least outside the bedroom. She’d tried when they’d sacked her—or so she’d said. He’d bet a chunk of his sizable fortune that she was not responsible for that cockup.
Alexander was used to reading people. As CEO of Fairhaven Charities, he was responsible for appropriating vast amounts of money to deserving recipients. Applicants came out of the woodwork every day, and many were not worth the paper the applications were printed on. Along with his charitable foundation, he also oversaw the British arm of the conglomerate, traveling back and forth across the Atlantic every month. He had another trip in three days that would extend throughThanksgiving.
Bloody inconvenienttiming.
The thick black satin sheets whispered over his naked body and his hardening cock. He stretched out an arm and snagged his Piaget watch from the nightstand. Four-thirty in the morning. Good enough. Another few minutes fantasizing about Elizabeth’s voice or her body and he’d have to take a coldshower.
He tugged on a pair of running shorts, and ten minutes later, he was downstairs in his personal gym. He programed a high energy music mix for a long set of free weights, some Pilates, and a six-mile run. By the time he checked the clock, it was close to seven, and though he was dripping with sweat and spent, his mind was still onElizabeth.
He might need that cold shower afterall.
At precisely 9:00 a.m., Alexander reclined in his chair inside his top floor office overlooking the Charles River. He glanced down at his watch. “Three. Two.One.”
He smiled as his brother Nicholas burst into the room. “Alex, what the fuck were youthinking?”
Alexander chuckled. “You saw the morningpapers?”
“Eight million dollars in one donation? Are you a fucking dolt? Do you care nothing about the future of thiscompany?”
“Eight million won’t even give the board heartburn. You lost half that much gambling last year alone. And it will pay for the cancer treatments for at least fifteen children. The Jimmy Fund is the best charity in the city. Before Father died, he told me to make sure this company never sold its soul. I’m trying to keep his spiritalive.”
“More like trying to buy its soul back at a fifty percent markup with how much you’ve given away this year.” Nicholas paused, narrowing his blue eyes. “Are you ill? You lookterrible.”
Alexander rubbed his hands over his face, annoyed. “Bugger off,Nicholas.”
Yet again, Alexander wondered how he and Nicholas could be from the samefamily.
Nicholas had moved to the States at twelve with their father, while Alexander chose to remain in England with Mother until he’d completed his requisite two-year stint in the Royal Army. A business degree from Yale followed, and Alexander had been happy running Fairhaven Limited in London until their father’s cancer diagnosis. There were days he regretted agreeing to run Fairhaven Charities and taking a position as co-chairman of the board at FairhavenExports.
Still, Nicholas and Alexander were the two youngest members of the Forbes 400 Top Ten List, despite his brother’s penchant for betting on horses and his poor luck at thetables.
Nicholas dropped into a chair across from Alexander. “Then what is it? Have a hot date last night? Please tell me you finally fuckedsomeone.”
Alexander’s gaze returned to the window, seeking out a cluster of buildings across the river he knew surrounded Elizabeth’s tiny flat. Strange that he couldn’t get her out of hishead.
“Your vulgar Americanized English offends me. As does your insistence on prying into myaffairs.”
Undeterred, Nicholas leaned forward.“Does your poor mood have anything to do with the name you asked me to look up last night? Elizabeth Something-Or-Other?”
“Bennett,” Alexander answered withoutthinking.
“Oh, so itdoes!” Nicholas slapped his knee. “Who is she? And how did you meether?”
“It’s none of your bloody business. Don’t you have a meeting to attend? I’m off to the Jimmy Fund in an hour.” Alexander tapped a few keys on his laptop and then raised a brow at his brother. “That is your cue to clear off, Nicholas. But answer me this. Will you be returning to England for Mother’s holiday extravaganza onSunday?”
“Adequate deflection, Alex.” He grinned. “But believe me. Iwillfind out what you’re hiding. Perhaps I’ll go chat up Elizabeth Bennett myself. See what all the fuss isabout.”
Alexander saw red as he bolted around his desk. In a single breath, he hauled his brother to his feet. “If you so much as run her social security number, I will tell Mother that I had to bail you out of jail last year after you got piss drunk at the Celtics game and fell onto the court.” Alexander couldn’t keep the dominant edge from his voice. But Nicholas, though smaller, was a Dom as well and could hold hisown.
Nicholas threw up his hands. “Calm down.Youhad me look her up last night, remember? If she’s hands off, I respectthat.”
“She’s handsoff.”
“Okay. You got it. You won’t tell Mother, yeah? It will ruin herball.”
Alexander inclined his head. “No. I won’t. Go back to your tower, Nicholas. I’ll see yousoon.”
