Beauty (Fated Encounters) (2 page)

Drake’s eyebrow rose at that.
“Really?”

Tessa flushed with embarrassment
as she realized what she’d said, but she didn’t back down. “I’m sorry, I didn’t
mean to insult you, but from everything I’ve read about you, I really think you
could benefit from some good PR.”

Drake couldn’t help but be amused
at the casual way she had insulted him, but he refused to let it show. She was
without artifice, and he found it refreshing. People were always telling him
what they thought he wanted to hear, and it was rare for someone to speak so
honestly to him. “So, you think throwing a party is the answer to my problems?”

“Not exactly, but it’s a starting
point.” She reached down to grab her bag and set it on her lap. “I’ll waive my
fee to put everything together for you, and try to make this as easy as
possible, with minimal work on your part. I’ve brought a binder of basic
concepts for you to look over. I can leave it with you since I can see you’re
tired, and I don’t want to take up anymore of your time.”

He rubbed at the dark stubble on
his chin and cheeks absently. “So, now I look tired, and I need help with my
image? I don’t know if my ego can take anymore of your assessment of me.”

Her shoulders sagged under a new
heaping of guilt. Tessa let out a groan and closed her eyes. She needed to shut
up before he had her escorted out of his office and banned from the building.
Or worse. “I’m going to leave now.”

Drake looked down at the clock on
his computer screen and made an impulsive decision. He stood. “You’re right, I
am tired. I was in the lab working all night.”

She watched as he strode across
the room to the coat rack in the corner by the doorway. He put on his long,
black coat, then stalked over to open the door to his office.

“What? Wait...you’re leaving?”

He looked at her with that
penetrating gaze of his and simply said, “Come.”

***

CHAPTER TWO

Tessa stared after Drake with her
jaw hanging open as he walked out of his office. What the hell? Did he
just—well, crap. Hurrying after him, she sputtered, “Mr. Vidal—”

“Amanda, Ms. Campbell’s coat.”

The young assistant popped up
from behind her desk as if her feet had springs, and she raced to retrieve
Tessa’s coat from the closet.

“Mrs. Potts, cancel my one
o’clock.”

“Of course, Mr. Vidal.”

Completely baffled, Tessa
murmured her thanks to the pretty blonde who helped her put her coat on. She
called out to Drake, but he ignored her. Muttering under her breath, she hurried
down the long corridor, struggling to catch up to Drake’s long strides as he
moved toward the elevators. Her heavy bag banged against her hip making her
curse as she trotted after him. She was aware of all the curious stares cast
her way from the other employees at their desks, but kept her focus on the
infuriating man in front of her.

The elevator doors opened like
magic as soon as Drake pressed the button. Of course, Tessa thought
sardonically. It seemed that even things didn’t dare disobey him. He was a rude,
horrible man, but she got into the elevator with him anyways. When the doors closed,
she turned to him, ready to blast him with her ire, but lost her train of
thought as she saw amusement shimmering in his blue eyes.

Sweet Jesus, the man was hot.

Even if he was sort of an ass.
No, not sort of. He was...completely.

But a hot ass.

Damn, that just sounds
weird...and now I’m talking to myself. Focus!

“Where are we going?”

“I’m hungry, so we’ll continue
this conversation over lunch.”

Drake could feel the irritation radiating
off her, but she remained silent as the elevator car stopped on another floor
to let other passengers on. The men that boarded avoided eye contact with him as
they murmured their greetings. He wasn’t bothered by their fear of him. He was
used to it. However, he did find himself irritated by the appreciative glances
the men cast Tessa’s way, and he took a slight step forward to block her from
their view.

He was acting out of the
ordinary, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself. Drake didn’t give a damn about
throwing some party. Honestly, he could give a shit about his own reputation,
but if her plan allowed his company to get some good press and salvage the
situation without destroying her father, then he was willing to hear her out.

Hell, who was he kidding?

Drake was already prepared to
agree to her idea without seeing her plans...on his terms, of course. Insisting
she have lunch with him had simply been a way to spend more time with her. He’d
never felt such instant attraction toward a woman before. Something about her
intrigued him, and he wanted to know more. A scientist at heart, he liked to
study things, and once something caught his interest, he was hooked.

Tessa Campbell had certainly
caught his interest.

Now, he just had to figure out
what the hell to do about it.

Most of the women he was
acquainted with would have tried to use seduction to convince him. Actually, most
of the women he knew would’ve never even bothered to try to explain the
situation in the first place. Tessa had honor, and she obviously cared for her
father enough to humble herself to beg on his behalf.

He’d caught when she’d said her
father’s work was his number one priority. Since he was a biomedical engineer
himself, Drake knew how consuming the work could be. It could take over his
entire world if he let it. Thankfully, he had good people who took care of most
of the day-to-day operational matters when he was in the zone, but it made him
wonder who Tessa had looking out for her if her father was anything like him.

When they arrived on the main
floor and the elevator doors opened, Drake put his hand on the small of Tessa’s
back to lead her out after the others. He felt her stiffen at the touch, but he
took it as a good sign when she didn’t pull away. They didn’t speak as they
made their way out of the building. He guided her toward the restaurant located
on the ground floor of the building next door, and the crowd of people waiting
for tables parted for them as they entered Devine’s.

The woman standing at the hostess
desk beamed a smile at him as they approached. “Mr. Vidal! I’ll have a table
for you in just a minute.”

“Is the private room available,
Veronica?”

Tessa saw the brief glare the
perky young woman cast her way before she smiled at Drake again and told them
to follow her. It was probably her imagination, but Tessa felt as if everyone
in the restaurant was staring at them as they walked toward the back. Several
men tried to hail Drake. He nodded at a few, but ignored the rest, and she
wanted to roll her eyes at his show of arrogance.

Devine’s was an impressive place.
Tessa had always wanted to eat there, but it was almost impossible to get a
reservation in the well-known steakhouse. The decor was an interesting
combination of dark wood and contemporary embellishments in hues of deep purple
and silver. Votive candles sat in small crystal bowls on the center of white tablecloths,
and every table was full with patrons who seemed to be enjoying their meals.

They were shown into a small,
private room and a waiter rushed in carrying a large bottle of sparkling water
as soon as the hostess left after she helped them remove their coats. The
waiter poured the water before leaving them alone. Tessa picked up the menu,
then set it down again without looking at it. “I’ve always wanted to come here.
I heard the food is great.”

“It is.”

“I bet it is. There’s always a
line of people outside waiting for a table. I suppose with it being right next
door you come here a lot. Of course, you being you, getting a table wouldn’t be
an issue anywhere. And...I’m rambling, aren’t I?” She picked up her glass of
water, gulping half of it down as he watched her with those bright blue eyes of
his. “I didn’t expect...I don’t usually...why are you looking at me like that?”

One of his brows rose. “Like
what?”

“Like that,” she said, waving her
glass at him, making the water slosh against the sides. She set the glass back
down before she spilled it, then placed her hands down on the table before sliding
them off again so they were clutched together on her lap.

“What don’t you usually do,
Tessa?”

“What? Oh, I’m sorry. I tend to
ramble when I’m nervous, and you make me...”

“Nervous?” he supplied when her
voice trailed off into silence.

She nodded, feeling the heat
flooding her cheeks as he kept staring at her. The door to the room was pushed
open again, and the waiter began rattling off the specials for the day. Tessa
picked up the menu again, but she looked at it without really seeing it.

“Is there anything in particular
you don’t eat?”

“Wh-what?”

Drake repeated his question, and
after she shook her head, he placed an order for the chef’s selection steak
sandwich special with truffle fries for both of them. “So,” he said when they
were alone again, “show me what you have planned.”

 Relieved she had something to
do, Tessa pulled the binder out of her bag and set it down on the table. She
took her time explaining each page she had painstakingly prepared last night, highlighting
certain ideas she thought would appeal to him. She barely paused when their
meal was served. The food smelled absolutely divine, but her stomach was so
tied in nervous knots that she could barely choke down a few bites, so she just
focused on continuing her pitch.

Drake didn’t seem to have a
problem eating, though. He ate his meal until his plate was completely clean
while she explained. She knew she should let him read over the material without
her interference, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t seem to shut
her mouth.

 “People always like themed
parties, and I think our best option would be to go for the masquerade gala for
this event. It’d be something different than other affairs, setting an almost
whimsical and elegant tone, especially for the women, giving them the
opportunity to dress as elaborately as they please. But most of all, I think
the masquerade aspect suits your image...sort of reserved and a little mysterious.”

For the love of God, stop
talking!

Tessa finally forced herself to
shut up. Now that the room was silent, she waited anxiously as he pulled the
binder in front of him. The waiter came back and Drake ordered coffee for both
of them, but Tessa shook her head. “None for me. I don’t drink coffee.”

Drake glanced up at her as if she
had just told them that she was a contract killer in her spare time. “You don’t
drink coffee?”

Feeling foolish again, Tessa
smiled up at the waiter. “Some tea would be nice.”

Drake watched the waiter stumble
out of the room after Tessa had leveled that smile of hers on him. He couldn’t
blame the kid for reacting like that. She was a very beautiful woman. Hell, she
hadn’t even been smiling at him and he felt it’s effect, but when she turned
back to look at him, Drake felt the impact of her beauty full force.

Ah man, those dimples just
weren’t fair.

He had a weakness for dimples on
a woman, even more so when the dimples came with a sincere smile. Drake had
been in the company of beautiful women before, but Tessa had a highly unique
quality to her. Happiness seemed to radiate out of her, surrounding him with
its warmth. It was as if he knew what she was thinking simply by watching her
expressive face, and he liked watching her...too damn much.

Drake shifted his focus to the
outline she’d prepared for him, using the time to regain control of himself
before he did something stupid, like pull her across the table so he could kiss
her.

Because he knew he wouldn’t stop
there...

Damn, he’d waited far too long to
get laid. That’s all it was. Thinking back, he couldn’t remember the last time
he’d been with someone, and that was never a good sign. He’d gotten tired of
the women who sought him out because of his reputation, and he hadn’t found
someone who had kept his attention for longer than a few sweaty hours between
the sheets.

Ah, hell. With that, images of being
in bed with Tessa flashed through his mind, and he instinctively knew a few
hours with her wouldn’t be enough.

Shaking off those impossible thoughts,
he ordered himself to read the words on the page in front of him, but the
phantom need to touch her didn’t abate. He clenched his hands as he fought the
urge and forced himself to focus. He was impressed by the work she’d put into
her plan, but he would have to make a few adjustments before he could agree to
anything.

The waiter returned with a
steaming hot cup of coffee for him and a small pot of hot water and tea cup for
Tessa. After placing the items on the table, the waiter discreetly closed the
door again when he left. Drake picked up his coffee and took a sip, watching as
she chose a bag of tea before pouring the hot water over it. “I think you have
a good outline here. But—if I’m going to agree—a few changes need to be made.”

He could see the relief in her
eyes as she nodded before taking a sip of her tea. “I assumed there would be.
Once you approve the budget, we can—”

“And that would be the biggest
change,” he said, cutting her off. “I’ll approve everything personally, since
I’ll be working with you on the planning of this project.”

“You what?” The teacup slipped
from her grasp and she let out a horrified gasp as tea spilled all over the
tablecloth, and the delicate china rim of the teacup chipped on the saucer. “Oh,
no!”

She tried to use her napkin to
soak up the spilled tea as she repeatedly apologized for being so clumsy. Her
actions were stilled when Drake grabbed hold of her hand, and her breath caught
as she looked up at him.

“Leave it.”

They stared at one another, and something
elusive passed between them in the silence. She felt a jolt of electricity
shoot up her arm from where he held her, the attraction between them so thick
it was almost tangible. She wanted to pull away, to put a safe distance between
them, but she found that she couldn’t move.

Holy hell, this man was
dangerous.

They were interrupted when the
door to the room was pushed open with a loud bang. Their private moment
shattered, Tessa jerked her arm away from Drake. She tried to tell herself she
was glad for the interruption, but she knew it was a lie.

A man walked in wearing a white
jacket marking him as a chef, but his handsome face could have put him on the
cover of a magazine. He had a shaved head and light-green eyes that seemed
alight with mischief as he sauntered in. “Drake! We’re slammed right now, but I
had to stop in when I heard you were here.”

Tessa watched as Drake stood to
shake hands with the man, then gawked a little when he introduced her to the
newcomer, Nico Devine, the owner and executive chef of the restaurant.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr.
Devine,” she gushed as he took her hand. She remained seated as he waved at her
to stay where she was.

“The pleasure is all mine, Tessa.
And please, call me Nico,” he said, raising her hand to place a chaste kiss on
her knuckles.

Drake sat back down and all but
growled, “Shouldn’t you be cooking or something?”

Nico winked at Tessa before
pulling out one of the empty chairs at the table. “I have a few minutes.”

“I’m so sorry, I chipped your tea
cup and—” Tessa began, but she was cut off by Nico.

“Don’t worry about it.” Nico frowned
down at her plate. “Was something wrong with your food?”

“No! It was delicious. I was
just...I mean, I didn’t have time to...”

 “He has that effect on people,”
Nico murmured softly as he smiled at her in understanding and patted her hand.
Turning in his seat, he called out to the waiter hovering by the doorway. “Hugo,
wrap this up for Ms. Campbell, and throw in some of our famous chocolate cake
for her to take home.”