One Night with the CEO Read Online Free Page A

of them. But then she donned a placid expression, a tremulous smile undermining the ease she no doubt sought to convey. “No worries, Mark. I’m sure it was gibberish anyway.”
    Karen looped her arm through Gracie’s and smiled. “You said you wanted to get us together?”
    Gracie, who’d pulled out her phone and was texting someone, raised her head and grinned. “Yes. Let’s head back to the table. Ethan’s there. We have a surprise for you guys.”
    As Gracie and Karen walked ahead of him, he fought the urge to stare at Karen’s ass. A surprise? Shit. He could do without any more surprises today.
    When they reached the counter-height cocktail table, Ethan took Gracie’s hand and led her to stand beside him. His best friend looked more relaxed than Mark had ever seen him. And when Ethan raised Gracie’s hand to his lips and gave it a quick kiss, Mark suspected an engagement announcement would follow. That bothered him more than he cared to admit. There it was. The truth. He wouldn’t begrudge Ethan the happiness he deserved, but the fact that Ethan had found that happiness, through a committed relationship and in the arms of an incredible woman, heightened Mark’s awareness that he’d never sought the same for himself.
    Mark chose relationships with short expiration dates instead. It was easier that way. He had a multimillion-dollar communications company to worry about, he reasoned. He couldn’t give any woman the time or attention it would take to cultivate a serious relationship. And the last thing he’d ever want to do was make a woman feel expendable, unimportant, as though she didn’t matter in his world; not letting a woman into his world ensured he’d never do that.
    But that didn’t mean he couldn’t show a woman a good time. Treat her like a queen. Make her happy in some small way. He’d been lucky enough to meet women looking for precisely what he offered. Great sex. Fun times. No commitment. And when work called him away, as it invariably did, his companion would give him a soft peck on the cheek and nod in understanding. His lifestyle suited him. Looking at Gracie and Ethan now, however, Mark acknowledged the twinge in his chest might just be envy.
    Gracie shifted behind Ethan, her nervous smile all but confirming Mark’s initial suspicion. She wrapped her arms around Ethan’s waist and rested her chin on his shoulder. “We’re getting married. In three weeks.”
    Boom. The announcement settled in his gut like an anchor, heavy and unyielding.
    Mimi’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. “Holy shit, Gracie. What happened? You didn’t wrap any casing around that sausage and got knocked up?”
    Gracie dropped her forehead onto Ethan’s shoulder. “ Sinvergüenza. No, I’m not pregnant.”
    Mark leaned into Karen. “What’s sinvergüenza ?”
    Eyes wide, Karen whispered her response. “A shameless person. Look up sinvergüenza in a Spanish dictionary and a photograph of someone who bears a startling resemblance to Mimi will be there.”
    She’d moved closer to him, a fact he couldn’t ignore. Her sweet scent wafted around him, and he had to stop himself from reaching for her, from tucking her into him and proclaiming his interest in her. But that would have been impossible in any event, because she bolted across the small space, shoved Ethan out of the way, and enveloped Gracie in a fierce hug. “Congratulations, Gracie. You’re happy, right? That’s all that matters.” She lowered her voice, which nevertheless carried across the group. “But why the rush?”
    Ethan slapped Mark on the back. “It’s his fault.”
    With all eyes directed at him, Mark tried to appear unruffled by the declaration. “My fault? How so?”
    “You’re the one who moved up the timing of the KisNet launch. If we’re going to get that software ready to go before the holiday season, I won’t be able to take off any time in the fall.”
    Gracie squeezed Karen’s hand. “We don’t want a big