Tied to the Billionaire(71)

“You sure you’re ready for all this, Jade?”

Am I?

She already knew. It made no sense, and yet it made all the sense in the world. Jade smiled up at him.

“I was born ready.”

“Good,” Will told her, and entered her in one thrust.





About the Author





Tanith Davenport has been writing for ten years and first got into erotic romance through the Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writer’s Scheme. Besides writing, her first loves are rock music and travel. She lives in Yorkshire with her long-suffering husband and cat.



Email: [email protected]



Tanith loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website and author biography at http://www.total-e-bound.com.





Also by Tanith Davenport



The Hand He Dealt

Haunted By You: I Heard Your Voice





WORKING FOR HIM





Willa Edwards





Dedication





For my mother, without whom this book would never have been written. Thank you for all you do for me. Your support means more to me than I can ever express.





Trademarks Acknowledgement





The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:



Coke: The Coca-Cola Company

Montblanc: Montblanc International GmbH





Chapter One





“Merlot, please,” Serena ordered from the bartender, handing him the single paper ticket parcelled out so no one got drunk on the company dime. From the animated conversations around her, a few had already done so at their own expense at the hotel bar.

The Vertical Aeronautics annual all-people meeting had got off to the same start as last year, reminding Serena why she’d chosen to become an engineer. She’d much rather spend the day with gears and equations than people. Plus it was the closest she could get to flying, due to her horrible vision and flat feet.

Subtly, she looked down at her watch, trying to gauge how much longer she had to stand around the banquet hall and make nice with the other employees. The day had already been a long one, and the night continued to drone on. All she wanted to do was get out of this uncomfortable suit and too-tight shoes and relax for what remained of the evening.

“Ms Carter, how are you doing tonight?”

Serena turned and smiled at the man who’d slid up to the bar beside her, even though her cheeks were already tired from so many forced smiles today. “I’m doing well, Larry, how are you?”

He nodded. “Good, good.” He smiled at the bartender and ordered a whisky sour. “Though my department didn’t perform quite as well as yours did last year.”

Serena nodded. “Thank you. We were very lucky.”

Luck had nothing to do with it. It was damn hard work to keep her staff motivated, most of them still begrudging that she’d got the promotion to vice president over many of the more senior team members. But she’d learned long ago that modesty worked better at these work functions than the truth.

“I hope we’re so lucky next year.”

Serena smiled and took another sip of her drink. Sure he did. But that would require him to get off his ass and spend less time between his secretary’s legs. “I hope so, too.”

“How are you liking the conference this year?” Larry continued talking, and Serena fought back a groan at being forced to continue with such pleasantries. How does he not get the hint? “The food’s not as good as last year, but I’m enjoying the location. Vegas is a fun time.”

She smiled, wondering exactly what kind of good time he was having in Vegas. “It’s nice to travel somewhere warmer this time of year, but Vegas isn’t my kind of town. Too much activity, too many lights.” Too many co-workers.

“You just haven’t seen the city yet. Let me show you around, give you a tour of the casinos.” Larry moved a fraction closer to her along the bar, and against her will the corners of her mouth drooped into a frown. “Play a few games of craps, and you’ll be singing a different tune in no time.”

“I’m not much of a gambler.” Serena tried her best to ease back without showing it. Maybe the stink of liquor on his breath will help with his perceptions.

“We’ll play slots then. That’s not really gambling.” As he spoke, Larry’s eyes drifted down to her chest. He was far from the first to sneak such a peek today. Even beneath her conservative blouse and knee-length skirt, she still received quite a bit of attention from her male colleagues. Maybe because they came into contact with so few other women in the rest of their lives.

“Good to see someone’s enjoying the bar.”

Serena looked over to her side, where the dark husky voice had emanated from. Richard Barrett stood beside her with his own pleasant forced smile. He looked every bit the powerful playboy billionaire in his perfectly tailored black suit. He’d left the top two buttons of his shirt undone, allowing his collar to gape a bit and display a hard chest and thick dark hair. Serena’s mouth watered at the small peek.