The Tycoon's Blondie (The Tycoon Series Book 2) (2 page)

“That’s better and it
is Tiaan.”

Allison stubbornly
kept quiet and took another large sip of wine.  She needed strength and what
better fuel than the soothing taste of an imported Shiraz to fortify her.

“I want to see you.”

“I’ll send you a photo.”

Another heavy silence
followed and she smirked, seeing his irritated frown in her mind’s eye.  He
released a heavy sigh.

“Have you had
dinner?”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Woman, you are
really …”

She could hear him
grinding his teeth at the same time that she heard her stomach growl at her
lie.   She frowned and silently ordered her stomach to behave.  Despite taking
frozen lasagna from the freezer earlier, she decided a relaxing bath was more
important than her stomach.  Allison had more sense than to accept a dinner
invitation from the notorious, sexy, nefarious, muscled, roguish and hot…oh
Lord, she could keep going for hours…Tiaan Sheppard.

“Then keep me
company while I eat.”

“I’m afraid I
am busy at the moment.”

“Doing what?”

It was on the
tip of her tongue to tell him she was taking a bath, but she thought better of
it.  Knowing him, he would have some suggestive comment to make and she might
just set her bath water to boil.

“I am busy
coloring
my hair.”

Once again, a
heavy silence followed and Allison took another sip, waiting with a smile on
her lips.

“You are
coloring
your hair?  Really?  That is the best flimsy excuse you can come up with?”

“It is not an
excuse.”

“Allison, if
you
color
your hair, I will eat my old shoes. 
Those blonde locks of yours are natural.  I dare you to deny it.”

This time
Allison was the one to bite her lip and she did not respond immediately.  Suddenly
a picture of his gorgeous naked body surrounding hers in the tub made shivers
run down her spine.

“Again, what
do you want, Mr. Sheppard?”

“You are
sorely trying my patience, sweetlips.  My name is Tiaan; use it.  I need to see
you.  Where can I pick you up?”

“I already
told you I am busy and I am also very tired, so I am afraid that is out of the
question.”

“Tomorrow
then?”

Allison sighed
and closed her eyes, remembering the articles in the newspapers and the
numerous pictures of him with a myriad of women on his arm.  He was a notorious
womanizer and Casanova.  There was no way she was going to be one of his
floozies.

“I am afraid I
will be busy for a number of weeks to come.  Surely you have more than enough …
women who are eager for your attention.”

“But you are
not one of them?”

“You are quite
astute, Mr. Sheppard.”

“Let me warn
you one last time, Allison. I expect total honesty from you at all times.  Our
relationship is inevitable. The sooner you realize and accept it, the better.”

“Then let me
be blunt.  I am not an heiress, an actress or a model and therefore do not fit
the criteria of the … women you normally have hanging on your arm. I do not
want to see you and do not have any interest in what you classify as a …
relationship.”

“You seem like
a reasonably intelligent woman.  I would have thought you knew better than to
believe everything you read in the tabloids.”

Allison
laughed and Tiaan felt his cock tighten and harden at the tingling sound.

“Pictures
don’t lie and there is no denying that you have a different floozy on your arm practically
every night.  Find your little black book, Tiaan Sheppard and lose my number.”

Allison ended
the call and shivered in the water, which was now cold.  She ignored the phone
when it started ringing again, knowing whom it would be.  A short while later
her phone beeped, indicating a text message.  She opened the message and
growled with irritation.

Make
no mistake, Blondie.  You will be mine. It is only a matter of time.

Chapter
Two

Tiaan growled when Allison’s
phone went to voicemail yet again.  He had been trying to get in touch with her
for two weeks, to no avail.  She did not answer any of his calls, nor did she
respond to his voice or text messages.  He was frustrated.  To make matters
worse, she had clearly threatened her cousins with murder if they divulged any
further information about her.  Mason and Brooklyn were at odds, so even he was
of no assistance.

Turning away
from the large office windows overlooking the city, he sat down behind his
desk.  With a grim look on his face, he pulled his laptop closer.

“Very well,
Allison Hadley, I did not want to do this, but you asked for it.”

He opened the
internet search engine and typed her name with stiff, angry fingers.  A number
of medical websites popped up and his eyebrows rose – a sign of his surprise.
He selected one to open and his smile turned broad and wicked.

“Got you,
Doctor Hadley!  As luck would have it, I am due a visit to the dentist.”

He
dialed
the number to her office and saved it
in his contact list at the same time.  He made an appointed under a different
name and even surprised his PA with a friendly smile when she brought him his
lunch.  Over the past two weeks, Tiaan had been particularly grumpy.

Mason had been
planning a surprise birthday party for Brooklyn and he knew Allison would not
be able to stay away, but he did not want to wait any longer to see her.  He had
never had such an intense reaction to a woman as he did the moment their hands
touched.  It was as if he had been electrified.  When their eyes met, he saw
his future in the depths of her forest green eyes.  Feeling her soft body
against his masculine hardness, engulfed him in a need so strong it nearly
crippled him.  That kiss …
holy smokes
… she completely brought him to
his knees with her soft lips, her sweet submission.

This was more
than lust.  For the first time in his life, he felt a driving passion.  A need
… a need to possess, a need to belong and a need to love.

“Yes, Doctor
Allison Hadley, you will be mine.  Come what may.”

Tiaan made
sure he had the very last appointment of the day and arrived exactly on time. 
He did not want to give Allison the opportunity to run away.  The dental
assistant came to fetch him and stammered when he smiled at her.

“Er … your
teeth look absolutely perfect, Mr. Shuttle.”

“Well, I have
always made sure to keep to my
semiannual
appointments and I guess it has paid off.”

She ushered
him into the dental consulting room and he settled into the chair, indulging
her flirting while she placed the paper apron on his chest.

“Doctor
Allison will be with you in a moment.  She just had to make a quick phone
call.”

“I am in no
hurry.”

“Why did you
change dentists, Mr. Shuttle?”

“My regular
dentist retired, so it was time to find a new one.”

“Now you have
found the best there is, let me assure you.”

“Oh, I have no
doubt about that.”

“What the
devil are you doing here?”

“Er … this is
our last patient for the day, Doctor Allison.  This is Mr …”

“I know who
this is and I sincerely doubt he has a toothache.”

“He doesn’t. 
He is here for his
semiannual
check-up.”

Allison
glowered at a smiling Tiaan.  His eyes
traveled
slowly up and down her body.  She had tied her hair behind her head in a loose
knot and was wearing a pair of black pants with a white button-down shirt. Even
in her reserved work clothes, she looked good enough to eat.

The ornery look
in his eyes told her he was not about to go anywhere and she sighed.  She grit
her teeth and forced a smile on her lips when she looked at Jeannie, her assistant.

“Why don’t you
go home, Jeannie?  I’m sure David would appreciate it if you were home early
for a change.”

“Oh!  Are you
sure?  I don’t mind assisting with Mr. Shuttle.”

“It’s fine, Jeannie. 
It is only a check-up.  I’m sure I’ll be able to manage.”

Allison took
her place on the round stool positioned behind the large patient chair, and
pressed the lever to reposition and lower Tiaan.  After placing a paper mask
over her face, she took his face in her hands and tugged it backwards.  Determined
to get this over with, she picked up a small round mouth mirror and a dental
probe. 

“Open wide,
please.”

Tiaan forced back
his smile and opened his mouth.  She ignored his blazing eyes, which were glued
to her face, and began to probe his teeth.

“You have very
strong, healthy teeth, Mr. Sheppard.  I don’t see any crowns or fillings in
your mouth.”

“Hmm, my
mother insisted we brush every morning and evening.  I still do and I floss too.”

“Very
admirable of you, Mr. Sheppard. Hmm … what have we here?  Oh well, seeing as
you are the last patient, I can fix that quickly.”

Before Tiaan
realized what she was doing he felt a sharp prick.  As soon as she removed the
silver dental syringe from his mouth he glared at her.

“What the
bloody hell did you do that for?”

“You have a
small cavity. I’m just going to drill it out and fill it for you. It will be
super fast
.”

“Like hell I
do!”  Tiaan knew he did not have a cavity.  He was at the dentist not three
weeks ago for his real semiannual check-up.

“No?  Let me
just make sure then.  Open wide again, please.”

She probed
inside his mouth again and looked at him with wide apologetic eyes.

“Oh my
goodness.  I am so sorry.  It wasn’t a cavity after all, just a spot on the
mirror. Oh well, no harm, no foul.  At least I hadn’t started drilling your
tooth.” 

“You think
this is funny?  You just bloody injected me!  I hate needles, woman.”

“As I said, no
harm done.  Your lip will be thick and lifeless for two hours or so, but after
that, you’ll be as good as new.”

“Well, since
you just spoiled the hot date I had for tonight, you’ll have to join me for
dinner. Plus, you get the added entertainment of watching me drool while I attempt
to drink water.”

“I’m sure your
hot date
wouldn’t mind something as insignificant as a thick lip.  Just
to show my most sincere apologies for this slipup, I won’t charge you for this
consultation.”

She pressed
the lever and the chair moved upright.  He did not move.  She removed the paper
mask and rubber gloves, throwing them in the bin.

“Well, Mr.
Sheppard, you are good for the next six months.”

“You are
having dinner with me tonight, Allison.”

“No, I am
not.”

“I suppose I
will have to accept that journalist’s invitation to chat with me in … ten
minutes.”  He said glancing at his watch.  “I might even mention the
unprofessional dentist who injected me with the intention of fixing a non-existent
cavity, simply to make a few extra bucks.”

“You
wouldn’t!”  Allison gasped.

“The only way
you can be guaranteed that I wouldn’t, is to have dinner with me.”

“That is
blackmail.”

“Call it what
you want.”  He turned toward the door and held out his hand.  “Shall we?”

“Only if it is
to an out of the way, small restaurant where there are no paparazzi.  I refuse
to be plastered all over the tabloids as the Finance Tycoon’s latest floozy.”

“Oh,
sweetlips, you will never be one of my floozies.”

“Oh, well, that’s
good to know.”  Allison was surprised at the hurt that flashed in her heart
with that statement.

“You, my love,
are going to be mine in every sense of the word.”

“You are rather
presumptuous.  I’m not interested in having a
casual
relationship.”

“Who said
anything about a
casual
relationship?  No, sweetlips, we are going to have a full-on, permanent, sexual
relationship.”

“Oh please. 
How long does permanent last on your planet?  A week?  We both know you have
never been with any woman more than once.  No thank you.  I have no interest in
being your sex partner for a week.”

“You are
deliberately trying to keep me waiting.  Beware, Allison, procrastination is a
bad habit, one which I detest.”

“Do we really
have to do this?  Nothing you do or say will change my mind.  I am not going to
be your next sexual conquest.”

“That is not
what you are.”

“What other
meaning do I place on … how did you put it again?  A full-on, permanent, sexual
relationship.”

“That we will
be in a permanent relationship and sex will be part of it. Let’s go.”

He took her
arm and started leading her in the direction of his car.  She stubbornly pulled
back and glared at him.

“I have my own
car.  I will follow you.”

Tiaan snorted
and did not slow down.  “I am sorry to say, but I do not trust you.  I will
bring you back here and follow you home afterwards.”

Allison did
not have the energy to fight with him any longer, so she allowed him to settle
her in his Bentley and they were soon on their way to a little restaurant in
Upper Manhattan.

“The
restaurant belongs to a friend of mine and I have asked him to reserve a
private dining room for us.  So, sweetlips, you don’t have to worry about being
seen in my dubious company.”

Allison sighed
and shot him a sideways glance.

“I never said
that.”

“No? 
Casanova, and if memory serves me correct, you called me a womanizing Libertine,
as well.  How are you going to introduce me to your friends, Allison?”

Her head
snapped up and she pouted at him.

“There is
absolutely no need to introduce you to any of my friends, so it hardly matters
and I really wish you would stop saying things like that.”

“Make no
mistake, Allison, we are going to become an item, a couple or whatever the hell
it is you want to call it.  The sooner you accept it, the better.”

He parked in
front of the quaint little restaurant and tsk’ed her when she reached for the
door handle. 
Okay then … he needs to prove he is a gentleman.  Gmphf, as if
that will help to make me fall into bed with him.

As if she
needed even that much.  The softest brush of his hand directed every nerve
ending in her body to full alert.  If he were to touch and kiss her the way he had
in his brother’s den, she would be putty in his hands.

Tiaan held the
door open for her and handed his keys to the valet.  He entwined his fingers with
hers.  Allison resigned herself to his electrifying touch when his fingers
tightened around hers the moment she tried to pull her hand away.  She sighed
and he stopped abruptly, spinning her into his arms, he looked at her with eyes
aglow.

“Is it really
such an unpleasant ordeal to have dinner with me, Allison?”

“I don’t
appreciate being manipulated, Tiaan.”

“I’ll give you
that, but can you please just grant me this one night?  Let’s get to know each
other and share a nice meal.”

Narrowing her
eyes with doubt, she considered him carefully.

“And that’s
it? You are not going to continue to manipulate or threaten me? Not going to
try to get into my pants later?”

A muscle twitched
in his jaw and a slow smile broadened across his face.

“Believe me, baby,
I am going to get in your pants, but there won’t be any threats or manipulation
involved.”

Allison tugged
at his hand and he sighed.  Gently, he caressed her cheek with the back of his
free fingers.

“But I promise
it won’t be tonight.  No, tonight, all I want is a nice, relaxing evening where
we get to know each other.  Is that really too much to ask?”

“I suppose not.”

He leaned down
to place a soft, tender kiss on her lips. With his eyes gazing into hers, he
smiled when her eyes flashed.  He turned and they walked into the restaurant,
still holding hands.

The private
dining room that the waiter led them to, was intimate and romantic with low
lighting against the walls and candles on the table.  Tiaan ordered their
drinks and Allison asked the waiter to bring a straw, as well.  Tiaan looked at
her with his brow lifted and his head cocked.

“You are going
to drink your wine with a straw?”

“No, but you will
need it for your whiskey.”

“Shit … stop
laughing woman, it’s not funny.”

Tiaan could
not stop his own lop-sided smile at her laughter.  His lip and tongue were
still thick and his speech slightly slurred.  He could only imagine what a mess
he would make trying to drink out of a glass.