But dearie, did it give her a nosebleed when she got to those scenes. When she read the first line, she almost threw the book across the room, but her curiosity for the unknown prevented her from burning the whole stack of books in the log burner. Her mind had now been corrupted with those steamy, jaw-dropping scenes, but they did give her a clearer understanding of what she must do.
Sitting on the bed and making sure she was comfortable, she started skimming through the contents again.
“First step,” she started reading, “to lure him in.”
She chuckled and shook her head. Yeah, it was so like her to lure Anton into bed. She could not, in a million years, see herself luring anyone into her bed, least of all Anton.
“Step two: say sweet things to him in a seductive tone, dripping with honey, to turn him on.”
Clarice pondered this statement. Sure she could muster the “sweet things.” Max mentioned she said sweet things to him all the time, so that wasn’t a problem at all. But to say sweet seductive things dripping with honey, she’d never done that before. Did she even possess such a voice?
“Step three: kiss him,” she read out.
Kiss him? Clarice shook her head. How does one kiss someone? Then the image of that Casanova popped into her head, like an uninvited gatecrasher at a party, of that one episode when they’d accidently smashed their lips against each other’s outside the bathroom at the Cambodian restaurant.
No, no, no. She shook her head to dispel the image. Definitely not, most definitely, definitely not. But she couldn’t help remembering the feel of those lips resting upon her own, so soft, as he tasted her, teased her, as if searching for something.
She touched her own lips, remembering the feel of Hunter’s on hers, tracing her index finger softly along. Yes, right there. Those lips touched hers right there, so silky smooth, so velvety, like the taste of a plum, ripe and juicy, deli—
“Clarice, stop it right now.” She snapped out of her delirium and slapped herself on the cheek when she realized she was fantasizing about Hunter. “Why are you fantasizing about that Casanova kissing you? Step four, step four, read step four.” Her hands were fluffing around in nervousness, trying to grab hold of the notes in front of her, and then when the words came into focus again, she read, “Step four: have seeex with him.”
Not used to saying the word, her mouth just wouldn’t cooperate with her.
“Sex?” Clarice asked herself. “Have sex? How does one do that without love?” She pondered. Surely they needed to love each other.
What other reasons could drive someone to seek another person’s bed? Money? Boredom maybe?
Oh, what was she thinking? Clarice slapped herself again. What she-devil had possessed her to write this stuff down? It wasn’t like she was going to act out any of it . She was a woman, a woman with morals and dignity. She couldn’t go around seducing harmless hot guys like Anton for the sake of sperm. She would find other ways to get that sperm.
Happy with that thought, she quickly shoved the notes in the drawer out of her sight before she started thinking about it again. Then, picking up her presentation notes this time, she started reading.
It was only a one-hour presentation, so she should have plenty of time to dress up then meet Max at The Burger by six.
The Burger was a restaurant next door to Torque, one of the most prestigious nightclubs in all of New Zealand. She didn’t know why Max would want to eat there. It was just burgers anyway, and to get to The Burger, she’d have to walk past the nightclub.
She so wasn’t looking forward to it. The last nightclub she went to turned out sour. Then her dilemma about Anton, the art-of-seduction notes, and the potential baby sperm resurfaced in her mind again. She felt a nervous shudder run through her. She shook her head to free herself of this feeling. She was here in Queenstown anyway, the land of fun, so there was no use sulking and having panic attacks over these issues. She’d sort it out once she was back in Auckland.
Yes, let’s present this talk with dignity, poise, and confidence.
***
Who was she kidding, presenting the talk with dignity, poise, and confidence? Pah! There was nothing confident or poised about her right now as she eyed her audience, her nerves a shivering mess. Her hands shook like she was having an epileptic fit. Thank God she was standing behind the podium and her mini episode was unseen. Otherwise, an ambulance would be called and she would be admitted into Queenstown Hospital. And it wasn’t because she was scared of public speaking. No, far from that. She was actually nervous because Anton was here, at the Dental Hygiene Conference, sitting near the exit, talking to a few of the other hygienists.
What in heaven is he doing here anyway? was the first question that came into her mind. Yes, he was the owner of the hotel chain, but did he have to make an appearance now of all times? She didn’t even know he was here in Queenstown. Just when she was thinking about him this afternoon, he suddenly appeared.
She was about to make her presentation and she didn’t want to think about him just now. It just reminded her of how perfect the man was for her baby. To be so close yet so far away. She should just muster up the courage to ask him for that sperm. Just one single sperm. That’s right. It would be her goal when she got back to Auckland to just ask for his sperm. At that moment, while her mind was still mulled up about that prospect, Anton turned his eyes toward her.
Anton couldn’t help admiring the woman standing on stage before him, exuding a look of poise, confidence, and dignity. She was about to present her talk on dental implants. She was so beautiful, well mannered, delicate and small, like a china doll that needed to be treasured or else it would break. He wanted to be the man that would treasure this china doll.
Clarice had to swallow to wet her dry mouth because that staring contest with Anton was making the back of her throat feel like sandpaper. Turning to her audience, she finally broke eye contact with Anton and began to speak.
“Dental implants…” She began, eyeing the dental hygienists and dental therapists who flew from all over New Zealand to Queenstown for this particular conference. “How do we go about caring for implants for our patients…?”
Once she got going, she realized she lost sight of time, place, and even Anton, who was sitting there watching and admiring her from afar, her focus solely on her presentation.
After an hour presenting the many cases of implants she had preformed and the many ways the hygienists could help care for them, Clarice found herself with a bottle of wine in hand as a parting gift and claps and applause on all sides.
The wine, Clarice knew, she would dispose of through Gracey, since she herself couldn’t drink even a lick of alcohol, what with her memory still fresh from that embarrassing episode from that night at the club on the day of her thirtieth birthday. She could still remember that foul taste of liquor on her taste buds, and no thank you, she would not be repeating that experience ever again.
As the applause continued, Clarice basked in the glory of her audience for an extra full minute before she was led offstage to find Anton patiently waiting for her.
He hadn’t left yet? Suddenly, her heart thumped nervously. Could he have known about her plan for asking for his sperm? She cringed. But she didn’t have to worry herself long, because Anton walked toward her, then made his intention clear.
“Can I speak with you in private, Miss Clarice?”
Private? Why would Anton want a private meeting with her? What was he planning on doing to her? No one had ever requested a private meeting with her before. Not ever. Was he one of those playboys too, like that Casanova Hunter? Did he have evil designs on her? Or was this her God-given opportunity? Was she supposed to take the opening and ask him nicely now? Clarice found herself shaking once again. What to do? What to do? She must calm herself. Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out.
“Clarice?”
“Yessss?” She almost jumped into midair, she was so startled at hearing Anton’s voice next to her
ear. Then she came to realize they were now in very close confinement in an empty office with the door shut. Her pupils grew larger than a golf ball.
Anton gave her a warm smile when he realized he startled her. “I just want to say that I was really impressed with your presentation today.”
“Ugh… thank you,” was all Clarice could say.
“Would you be willing to give a presentation about your cases to our guests at the hotel in Auckland? We want to provide the extra service for our VIP guests, and since they are of the older generation, I thought dental implants and oral care would be perfect to entertain them.”
Oh, is that all? Clarice thought. Phew! She wiped her forehead that was dotted with sweat droplets. Then she turned to Anton.
“That would be a splendid idea.” Clarice agreed, hyping up all enthusiastically. “As health professionals, we always thrive to encourage our community to take care of their oral health,” she said proudly, and even suggested, “I could even ask our hygienist in our practice to come along too so we could collaborate.”
“That’s an excellent idea. Thank you. We would really appreciate that.”
Anton smiled warmly. He had never seen a woman this enchanting before. The first time he saw her was when she accidentally bumped into him. And he was smitten. Then when he realized she was the guest speaker for the conference, he had planned to come along too, just to see her again.
She was professional when she spoke on stage. Now he wanted to know her even more, so he’d come up with this plan, for her to present her work to his guests back in Auckland. That way he could continue to liaise with her and see her.
In all of his thirty-one years, Anton had been searching for the right woman to become his wife, to bear his offspring. He was disgusted with women these days, what with their lack of respectable wear and their provocative nature. Yes, he was sure. He was really sure his search for the right wife would end soon, because he had a really strong feeling that woman would be Clarice.
“Well then…” Anton smiled at her again. He wondered if it was okay to ask her out tonight, but then he remembered he needed to entertain his guests at Torque. Feeling that neglecting his responsibility wasn’t the way to go, he decided to see her back in Auckland instead. “Here are my contact details. I’ll see you when you get back in Auckland,” he said, his voice shaking with nerves.
“Oh, you can have mine too.” Clarice offered her card to him, then paused and wondered if it was best to ask Anton now, but she shook her head. No, she didn’t know him well yet. It was best to know him first before asking. That way she had a higher chance of getting that sperm.
As they both exchanged business cards, Anton’s hand couldn’t help shaking a bit when he accidently brushed against Clarice’s.
“Have fun for the remainder of your stay, Miss Clarice,” Anton said all too quickly. After glancing back one more time, he walked briskly out the door.
“Yes. Thank you,” Clarice said, smiling as she watched him leave.
CHAPTER 13
By tonight, he would score himself a hot babe to warm his bed, Hunter thought as his eyes scanned the crowd in one of his favourite bars. Torque was an established high-class bar set on the busiest street of Queenstown. He frequented there quite a bit when he was in this part of New Zealand. Not that he wanted to be in Queenstown in the first place, but his dad managed to con him after he ditched Caroline at the Cambodian restaurant.
Since arriving in town, Hunter had felt like he was trapped in a cage, with Caroline sticking to him like glue. Now that she’d gotten over her initial stage of being shy, she was such a hyperactive person, grabbing his arm here and dragging him along there as if they were a couple in love.
Well, at least his dad would be happy now. Caroline could report his behavior as being the perfect host, even though he’d wanted to grind his teeth many times at her tactics. It was like she was bipolar, undergoing a one-eighty change from that timid mouse to a sly cat with sharp claws. Where was the quiet girl from before? He just hoped she wasn’t the clingy type.
Hunter almost gasped when he had a look over their itinerary upon arriving. Their day was filled to the brim with activities, like jam-packed sardines in a metal can. At this rate, he wouldn’t have any room to breathe at all. In the morning, Hunter took Caroline up to the Gondola, and for lunch they ate at a fancy restaurant, followed by the Earnslaw boat lakeside viewing along Lake Wakatipu, and in between they went shopping at all the high-end boutiques in the area.
Hunter felt like his arms were about to fall off his shoulders, what with all the bags he had to carry for her. He couldn’t believe a girl could spend that much money on clothing and accessories. All the time, he was cursing under his breath as he followed her from one shop to the next. If not for his father, he wouldn’t be seen holding anyone’s baggage like a bellboy and following her footsteps like a damn loyal dog. But now, as the sun set along the horizon of Lake Wakatipu, showing off its brilliant orange hue on the lakeside, Caroline had finally voiced her tiredness and asked to retire to her room.
At last he was free, he thought, almost weeping with joy. At last, tonight he could enjoy before dawn appeared and he would be dragged into Caroline hell again.
Where was the best place to enjoy, to wind down for the night, but at Torque? But he soon came to the realization that his joyful night would once again be ruined when Anton came to his suite and asked him to stand in as the face of Silverton Enterprises for his VIP guest social gathering at Torque, the same place he planned to have fun.
Yeah, he wanted to go to Torque to have fun, but not as the face of Silverton Enterprises. He didn’t want to deal with business right now. Why did Anton have to come and ruin his night like this? Wasn’t it enough already to be punished by Caroline?
Bastard, he wanted to yell at Anton. Just because he didn’t have the social skills to entertain people like Hunter, now he had to take over. He wanted to tear out his hair. He’d never been so utterly frustrated before. But if he didn’t go in Anton’s place, then Anton would simply cut off his credit card spending spree, since his dad had given Anton full authority over his spending. What a way to blackmail him.
Anton must have something up his sleeve to ignore his responsibilities like this. Hunter couldn’t think of anything Anton would be doing if not work. Could he have caught a maiden here in Queenstown? Unlikely. Anton was the type to work at all hours around the clock. The only woman who would attract his old-fashioned cousin would be someone boring and old.
“Anton, you bastard.” Hunter couldn’t help cursing his cousin under his breath. Now he was sitting here grinning like an idiot, with his facial muscles aching from all those fake laughs and smiles, pretending to crack up at any lame joke those old croons came up with, like he was having the time of his life, when in actual fact he just wanted to kick the backsides of all of them to get the hell out of Torque so he could have some real fun with the ladies and maybe end this miserable day on a more pleasurable note.
After a grueling two hours of entertaining the old croons, though, they all managed to disappear, much to his relief, without a lot of fuss. If they started moaning and groaning like fifty-two-year-old ladies who have gone through menopause, then he would surely kick their backsides for real.
Finally, Hunter sighed in relief as the last guest left the bar, feeling free for the first time since arriving in Queenstown. His eyes scanned his playground from where he stood on the VIP platform.
So many foreigners, he thought. What was he thinking anyway? Of course Queenstown was the land of tourists, so all kinds of people would frequent here. From Asian to Caucasian and from African to Americans. You name it, Queenstown would have it. Definitely a multicultural country, New Zealand. They even let Asians serve liquor now, he thought when he saw the Asian bartender tending drinks.
“A Speight’s, mate,” Hunter barked when he got down to the lower floor where a majority of the people were. “And put it on the tab,” he instructed.
“Under who, sir?” the bartender asked.
“Anton Silverton.” He was forced to play this role, so there was no way he was going to pay for all the liquor he consumed tonight. The least Anton could do was this.
“Yes, sir,” the bartender replied, then handed over a pint of Speight’s.
After taking a gulp, he realized his foul mood wasn’t going to get any better. There were people dancing and the music was melting in his eardrums. His blood was thick with the beat of the music, yet his body just wouldn’t move. Instead, he just sat at the bar, sulking, drinking his beer, thinking about the night he met that avocado. He wondered why he started thinking of her all of a sudden. Probably because the bar was playing J.Lo’s “Papi,” the same song playing on the night he met her.
Truth be told, they’d only met four times, so Hunter shouldn’t have any lingering feelings for her. All he knew was her name and her occupation. He took out her business card from his wallet and looked at her name again.
“Clarice Chantee Mason, Periodontist, Happy Smile Dentistry.” He read it, then glanced over at the picture he took of her on his iPhone. She looked ridiculously cute, despite being surprised. Her face looked like she had just sucked a lemon. It was hilarious and it made him laugh aloud. His first real laugh since he’d gotten to Queenstown.
Mmm, maybe he should pay her a visit at her clinic when he got back to Auckland. Not that he had any dental or gum problems, though. His teeth were in perfect health. He just wanted to ruffle her feathers again, he supposed. It was mighty fun teasing her.
Baby Be Mine (Spinsters & Casanovas Series Book One) Page 12