“What inspired you for this particular scent, Ella?” Hunter asked, his voice filled with curiosity. “It’s so completely different compared to the first two.”
“I knew Worth wanted the scent to smell like the modern woman. A confident woman who knows what she wants and how to get it, who enjoys pampering herself, who fully lives her life but has a hard time allowing herself to relax and be free.” Gabriella paused, letting everything sink in. She weaved a story with only a few words and everyone at that table was enthralled by it. “I wanted this scent to take her away. Remind her that life is not only about your every success and career but also hope and love and—and sex. That such an indulgence is good for the soul, good for the blood. Every woman needs that reminder. This scent tries its best to capture that and hopefully becomes the reminder she needs to stay in tune with every aspect of her life.”
The room remained quiet for a long moment
“Rhett told me that was what you were all looking for,” she finished lamely, a complete and utter lie, a way for her to give him some credit for this amazing creation of hers.
“Here, here,” Gracie cheered.
Gabriella ducked her head, seemingly embarrassed.
“I think it’s brilliant.” Alex’s voice was pitched low, his hands resting on the tabletop, fingers laced, posture stiff. “It’s edgy but not over the top. Unique but not strange and off-putting. I agree with everyone else’s evaluation. It’s very sexy, dark yet light. Do you like it, Rhett?”
“I love it,” he said simply. How could he not? It smelled like the woman he wanted like no other.
“I believe we’re all in agreement then?” When everyone at the table nodded, Alex scanned everyone who sat at the table. “It’s unanimous. That was the damned easiest decision we’ve ever come to in the history of Worth, I swear.” He glanced up at Ella. “Excellent job, Miss Durand. I think we have a future hit on our hands.”
Chapter Seventeen
The accolades came rapidly as everyone exited the cavernous conference room. Heavy doses of kind words were offered, murmured congratulations and plenty of handshakes. Half of the Worth marketing team was in attendance and praised her efforts, letting her know how excited they were to be working on the perfume launch.
Ella nodded her thanks with a few stuttered words in return, too overwhelmed by the flurry of activity surrounding her to truly process what they said, what it all meant. She would have time to contemplate everything later, back at her tiny apartment, all alone in her bed in the dark. Mull over the smiles and whispered approvals, Alex’s firm affirmation that they would go with the third scent, the stunned expression on Hunter’s face when he’d first smelled sample B26.
A secret smile played upon her lips as she bent and grabbed the box from beneath the table. Carefully, she placed her samples inside, winding the thick layers of tissue paper around the glass vials to protect them from knocking against each other, still musing over Hunter’s reaction. It was exactly what she’d been looking for. She wanted to shock, wanted to rivet them into place as they breathed in her scent.
Her thoughts drifted to Rhett. He hadn’t been surprised. From the knowing looks he’d shot in her direction, she knew he understood. Knew he recognized what she’d done, what she created. She hoped he wasn’t displeased, hoped she hadn’t gone too far…
“Quite an impressive meeting, wasn’t it?”
She whirled around on a gasp, surprised to see Rhett standing before her with a smirk on his face, his hands sunk into his pockets. Glancing about the room, she realized they were completely alone.
Not necessarily a good thing…
Steeling her spine, she contemplated him. “Were you impressed?”
“You know I was. Your scent was a hit.”
“But did you like it?”
Cocking his head to the side, he studied her. His eyes narrowed, his lips pursed the slightest bit, and she grew impatient. Clamped her lips shut to restrain the anxious words that wanted to burst forth.
“It…surprised me,” he finally said, his voice a sexy drawl.
“In a positive way or a negative way?” She crossed her arms in front of her chest, trying her best to remember her suit of armor, her supposed aura of power that she needed to fuel her. It had worked only a few moments ago. She’d had everyone eating out of her hand by the time she finally passed around the final scent.
Unbeknownst to her, she had actually picked up a few pointers from her father after all those years working with him. He was brilliant at captivating an audience, explaining his scents in vivid, sensory detail.
Perhaps she could be just as good someday. Perhaps better.
“Are you fishing for compliments, Gabriella?” The smirk grew, bursting into a full-blown grin and she had the sudden urge to slap it from his face.
“Absolutely not.” Turning her back to him, she finished packing the vials and the small stack of leftover touches, folding the top of the box back over itself to seal everything. Gripping the sides of the box, she breathed deep, ready to offer him a polite goodbye before she would push past him and leave.
It was easier that way. He was toying with her and she wasn’t in the mood.
“The scent was amazing,” he murmured, his voice so low she almost didn’t hear him. “I don’t quite understand how you did it.”
She exhaled slowly, relief flooding her veins, rendering her limbs languid. “Simple chemistry is all.”
He chuckled, the sound sending a ripple of fire along her nerve endings. “It’s not simple and you know it. Are you a witch, Gabriella? Concocting your little scents, sprinkling pixie dust and enchanting them so I’ll fall under your spell?”
“You’re not under my spell.” She glanced over her shoulder, her gaze meeting his. He may have laughed, he may have mocked her only seconds before, but the expression on Rhett’s face at this very moment was one of complete and utter seriousness.
The sort of seriousness that struck fear in her heart and turned her speechless.
“Ah, you have no idea the power you’re capable of.” He started to approach, his steps measured, methodical. She turned to face him, her body trembling as he drew closer, and she sidestepped the table, walking backwards to avoid him. “Are you trying to avoid me?” He sounded incredulous.
But he didn’t stop coming.
“O-of course not,” she stuttered.
“Then stop running away from me.” The dark command in his voice was unmistakable.
“I’m not running away.” She was being pursued by an intent man across a conference room, all the while walking backwards and nearly tripping on her heels.
She was most definitely running away from him.
“Do you realize how magnificent you were, passing around your little vials, setting them up for the final and most impressive scent of all?” The admiration in his voice was clear. “You had them leaning forward in their seats, breathless with anticipation.”
His praise meant more to her than anyone else’s could, even her father’s. “I didn’t set anyone up.”
He waved a negligent hand. “Figure of speech. You must admit, it was a carefully orchestrated presentation meant to impress. Meant to tantalize and shock.”
Ella’s backside made connection with the wall, startling her. She could go no further. Which meant he could keep coming at her and she had nowhere else to go. “It was rather spontaneous, actually.”
Rhett arched a brow, his expression one of disbelief. “Really?”
“Well, I went over what I wanted to say but, yes. I pretty much winged it.”
“Impressive,” he murmured, stopping just before her. She glanced down, saw the tips of his shoes nearly touched the front of her shoes, he stood so close. “What other secrets are you hiding from me?”
“I should be asking you that,” she retorted, irritated he would accuse her of such a thing.
Dipping his head, his gaze met hers. She pressed back against the wall, palms flat, shrinking away fr
om him as best she could, but it was no use.
She was stuck.
“There are no secrets between us, Gabriella. I can promise you that.”
White-hot anger rose within her and she clutched her hands into fists. “Stop lying.”
He frowned. “What do you think I’m hiding from you?”
“Everything!” The word burst forth before she could stop it. “You’re nothing but a coward. Running away from me, pretending what happened between us on Maui didn’t mean anything.”
His frown turned into a hard, furious scowl. “You’re the one who’s pushing me away.”
“Only because I’m afraid you’ll run again. You don’t know how to stick, Rhett. You want everything in your life to be easy, no troubles, no problems. You don’t want to work for anything.” She was on a roll now, and it didn’t matter if she hurt his feelings or not. She was mad. And it felt good to give him a piece of her mind. “Heaven forbid you come up against a challenge or have to, you know, do something.”
“You’re angry.” His fingers curved, he reached out, drew his knuckles, whisper light, down the length of her neck. Making her shiver, making her lose her train of thought, damn him. “I didn’t know you cared so much.”
“I care too much.” She knocked his hand away. “Don’t make this another one of your funny little games, because it’s not.”
His lips tightened. “You’re not a game to me.”
She tilted her chin, glaring up at him. “Then prove it.”
Without a word, without a murmur of sound he reached for her, his hand at the back of her head, long fingers tangled in her hair, completely tearing apart her carefully constructed ponytail. His other hand spanned the side of her waist, pinning her to the wall, holding her in place.
For him.
It all happened so fast, seemingly in the blink of an eye. One moment she was looking at him, the next he was in her face, his lips on hers, his tongue sweeping her mouth. He broke the kiss as quickly as he initiated it, his mouth at her ear. “Do you know how exquisite you are? Vibrating with your righteous anger, your eyes blazing, your pretty little body so stiff with fury?”
His words were designed to melt her and she refused to let them. “Stop,” she murmured. She rested her hands on his chest, smoothing them down the fine material of his suit jacket. It was as if she had no control over them. “Don’t try and charm me. I won’t fall for it.”
He ignored her protests, pressed his mouth against the side of her throat, his lips hot, his tongue wet as he licked her skin. “I’ve missed you,” he murmured. His fingers tightened in her hair, making her gasp. “You don’t know how much.”
“I—I don’t believe you.” She closed her eyes, as if she could shut him out. But he was everywhere, possessing her completely, and her body gave in to him even as her mind protested and her heart cried out.
Did he know how much power he held over her? How easily he owned her?
“You don’t believe this?” He pressed his body against hers, his thick erection rubbing against her belly. He was huge and hard, all for her, and she realized dizzily she held a certain amount of power over him as well. “You’re all I think about, all I want. What can I do to prove how much I need you? How fucking sorry I am that I messed this up?”
The sorrow in his voice filled her with an odd triumph. She wanted his regret, wanted his apologies. But was it enough? Was he sincere? That she doubted him hurt.
His hand moved upward, his fingers nimbly undoing a button on the front of her dress, and she jerked in his grip. “Rhett, no, we can’t do that here.”
She wanted it. She wanted him. But not here, not like this. All crazed, confused desire and tangled emotions. It was too messy, too…much.
“Why not?” Another button came undone. And then another. “I can’t wait. I need you. It’s been too long.”
“As if you haven’t found someone else to drown your sorrows in.” She winced the moment she said it, expressing all of her secret fears in that one single sentence. The thought of him carrying on, finding another woman, a handful of women in the two-plus weeks since they’d been together cut her like a knife.
He reared his head back, his expression incredulous. That beautifully handsome face, the earnestness in his gaze, filled her with wistful longing. Oh, she’d missed him so much. “I haven’t been with another woman since you, Gabriella.”
If she didn’t believe him, if she refused him, he…he couldn’t think about it. This was going to happen, they were going to happen. Rhett was bound and determined to make that wish a reality.
Gabriella could fight it all she wanted, but they belonged together. The realization had come to him early this morning, after a long night of constant tossing and turning accompanied by little sleep. He’d called Alex first thing and woke his ass up, getting an earful of grumpy complaining before Rhett asked the question that had been haunting him for days.
When did you realize you’d fallen in love with her?
That question made Alex pause for a full thirty seconds, if not longer. Fear had wrapped a stranglehold around Rhett’s throat, worried that his brother would offer a smartass remark or worse, laugh at him.
But he’d done neither, much to Rhett’s relief. Alex had finally offered the words that had echoed through Rhett since he’d last seen Gabriella.
I knew when my every thought, every single thing that consumed my life, always came back to her.
Alex had given him the confirmation he needed. Offering a murmured thanks, Rhett had hung up the phone, resolve rippling through him. He knew what he needed to do.
Make Gabriella his—permanently.
Considering he’d never done such a thing in his life, had never so much as pursued a woman for the sole purpose of a relationship, he figured he had a lot of learning to do. So like an idiot, he’d gone online and did a little research.
Colossally stupid and a complete waste of his time. The moment he caught sight of Gabriella striding into the conference room, gorgeously put together and with the most determined expression on her face, he’d been a goner. His brain had fried. He couldn’t get over all that steely determination, the woman who’d stood before them brimming with confidence as she handed out her own creations. Waiting for their opinions, which could’ve ended in disaster, she hadn’t a clue.
But she’d handled it all with style and grace. If he hadn’t known then he was a complete sucker for her, it surely would’ve hit him in that triumphant moment when they’d all known the third sample was a winner.
He still couldn’t get over her now, at this very moment. Pressed against the wall, her expression a mixture of desire and distrust, her lips puffed from his too-brief kiss, her eyes full of wariness. He couldn’t blame her. He hadn’t proved dick to her yet.
But he was determined to change that, if he could get his damn cock under control and not maul her where she stood.
Her hands were still resting on his chest, her fingers curling absently around the lapels of his jacket. He undid the final button on the front of her dress, unable to stop himself, needing a glimpse of her sweet, curvy body, if only for a moment. He caught sight of the black lace bra she wore and uttered a muffled curse.
She would drive him insane before the day was done. He knew this without a doubt.
“I believe you,” she finally said and for a moment, he forgot what they were talking about. “We can’t fix this with a quickie against the wall, though. You know this, right?”
He smiled, he couldn’t help himself. “It sounds like the perfect fix to me.” Leaning in, he kissed her. A soft, sweet kiss, once, twice, his tongue darting out for the barest of licks. He heard her murmur of surprise, the sharp inhalation of breath. He touched her, drew his knuckles down all that exposed skin, between her breasts, along her trembling stomach.
She exhaled a quivering breath, her mouth opening for his, and he took advantage. Stepping closer, he cupped the back of her head, holding her for his kiss while he searched
her mouth with his tongue.
The taste of her sent a blast of heat exploding through his veins, pounding through his cock. The feel of her soft skin beneath his fingertips, the way her body curved and molded into his, was like the sweetest shock to his system.
Did she feel it? Did she realize it too? They were perfect together. Made for each other…
“Rhett.” She tore her mouth from his, breathing heavily, her eyes dilated. “The door…”
“Is locked.” Like a cocky bastard, he’d made sure of that once everyone had exited the room. Not that he’d planned to take her like this, had only been seeking a moment with her alone. Privately, with no interference from the tons of people who were still in the building. So he could tell her how he felt.
“You planned this.” Her eyes blazed.
“No. I just wanted to talk.” He kissed her cheek. “Tell you how proud I am of you.” He kissed her other cheek. “Confess how much I need you in my life.” He pressed his mouth to her temple.
“It’s so…so hard for me to believe you.” Her admission sliced through him, leaving him raw. “You don’t do serious. Everything for you happens on a whim.”
“Not this. Not us. You have to believe me.” He stared into her eyes, leaving himself completely unguarded, laid bare for her perusal. “I want you, Gabriella. I want to take this further and see where it leads us.”
She nibbled on her lower lip, the fear, the worry written all over her expressive face. “But what if…”
“No what-ifs.” He rested his finger against her lush mouth to silence her. “We can’t predict the future.”
He’d known her for only a short time, but he was certain she was the only one for him. Yet he didn’t want to freak her out with such talk. She might run. And wouldn’t that be ironic, the runner making a woman run from him?
Gabriella remained quiet which scared the hell out of him. She studied him, eyes narrowed, nibbling on her lower lip. “Say something. Anything,” he whispered, his voice raw with emotion.
Curling her fingers tight into his jacket, she pulled him in, lifting up on tiptoe so she could meet him halfway. Their lips touched, ignited, mouths opening, tongues dancing. He reached for her, wound his arms around her, his hands gripping her ass as he lifted her up. She went with him, anchoring her long legs about his hips as he pressed her hard against the wall.
Worth the Challenge Page 18