Curtis Read Online Free Page B

how you are, thinking you have all the
time in the world and you should’ve been dressed hours ago.”
    “I wasn’t calling for that.” He didn’t
believe her if the snort from the other end was any indication. “And I’m
dressed. I have only to pull on my shoes and I’m walking out the door.” Which
was another lie. She still had on the towel she’d had on for most of an hour. And
the only thing she’d done to her long hair was brush out the tangles. It hung
in a mass of curls down her back. Reaching behind her she wondered if anyone
would notice if she went bald.
    “Dressed are you? Well, good. What is it
you’re wearing? I wish you’d have let me pay for your dress. No girl as pretty
as mine should have to go in anything but the best.”
    She looked over at the dress she’d
purchased in France with her first pay check. Nearly all the first pay check. She’d
had such a good time there and hoped someday to be able to go back. But her
daddy needed her and she would move heaven and earth for him.
    He’d done well for them. His father had
left him a nearly broken newspaper and her dad had brought it back to life. But
he’d not changed when the world around him did. He’d waited nearly too long to
realize that the computer age was here to stay. And now that subscriptions were
way down he was losing money and not able to upgrade to what they needed. She
glanced over at the file that she and Daniel were to go over on Monday.
    They wanted to take over her family’s
company and pay a hefty price to do so. The money was going to go a long way to
getting the computers where they needed them to be. And all the employees, who’d
not had a raise in nearly three years according to her dad, would be slightly
compensated with the little extra money they’d have. Kylie hated it.
    Not the proposal, but the man who’d come
up with it was what terrified her really. She didn’t think they needed his
money, but her dad did. Well, not Curtis singly, but with the entire firm. And
even though they had to sell some of their stock, they were selling it at a
good market rate. She just didn’t want to take it because of him.
    Her fingers drifted to her mouth again. He’d
kissed her. She couldn’t get that out of her mind. When he’d stood before her
and yanked her to his body she’d been so shocked that, when his mouth had
covered hers, she didn’t know what to do. Her body did, though.
    He’d devoured her mouth, ate at her
until she’d surrendered to his tongue and allowed it into her. Moaning, she’d
been amazed he tasted so delicious and so hot. Before she could wrap her fingers
through his hair and pull him closer, he pushed her away.
    They were both breathing heavily. She
could barely manage to catch her breath again when he spoke. Her hand was
connecting with his cheek so quickly that she barely realized it was her. But a
man did not tell a woman he was sorry after devastating her like he had.
    Then without a word, he was gone. She
couldn’t move. Couldn’t think beyond he’d kissed her and she’d slapped him. When
Daniel touched her shoulder she’d done the most incredibly stupid thing and
burst into tears. The one man she’d loved forever held her while she sobbed and
he suddenly wasn’t what her body hummed for.
    Her doorbell rang as she pulled her wrap
off the hanger. She was late. And she hoped that whoever was at the door was here
to help her zip her dress and not yell at her. She was sure it was going to be
Curtis and he was going to have a whip in his hand ready to… She wasn’t sure
what he’d be doing at her apartment, but she opened the door anyway. She almost
choked on disappointment when it was Daniel.
    If he noticed her look he was polite
enough not to say anything. “You look lovely. But I’m thinking…do you need
help?”
    “Yes, please. I’m running behind again. And
now my limo is going to cost me more and then there is—” She slapped her hand
over her mouth. She’d just blurted