The Bachelor Bargain (Secrets, Scandals, and Spies) by Michaels, Maddison (short books to read TXT) 📕

dear. And he’d only bloody met the woman… Damn it, he hadn’t worked his ass off building an empire simply to give in to lust and emotion. To become weak. He wouldn’t put at risk all he’d achieved for anyone. Not even for a woman who was making him feel things he hadn’t felt in years, if ever.

Hell, she was already invading his dreams. A fact that was simply unacceptable.

“Clint, get in here,” Seb bellowed toward the closed door of his office. Barely five seconds later, the door swung open and his young clerk rushed into the room.

“Yes sir?” Clint asked, the usual ready look of eagerness in his pale blue eyes, with his light blond hair slicked. He was dressed in a neat blue suit with a high collar as was the current fashion for men. Seb could think of nothing more annoying than having a stiff and starchy collar practically touching one’s ears. It had to be uncomfortable.

“Here. Find out who wrote this.” Seb thrust out the note sent to Livie.

“Someone signed your name?” Clint glanced up, affront and perhaps anger in his gaze. “Who would have the nerve to do so?”

Seb raised a brow. “Isn’t that what I’m asking you to find out?”

A deep flush of red crept up Clint’s cheeks. “Yes. Of course. I will do so right away.”

“And have Lance and Rowan summoned, too.”

Clint nodded and began to back out of the door.

“One last thing.” Seb let his voice drop an octave, and Clint stopped in his tracks. “Don’t ever let another occurrence like what happened the other day with Lady Olivia occur again.” Seb still couldn’t believe she’d been able to waltz into his office without anyone thinking to stop her.

“Occurrence?” There was a question in the boy’s eyes while he tugged at his collar.

“No one should be allowed to catch me by surprise in my own bloody office. Do you understand me?”

The young man’s face fell before he began nodding his head up and down like a darn bandalore. “I’m sorry about that, Mr. Colver, and I promise I won’t fail you again. It’s just that, well…I saw her, and at first her limp threw me off, but then she walked over and smiled at me, she did, and I kinda got all flustered after that, especially seeing them spectacular blue eyes of hers. I know I should’ve protected your domain. And I promise I’ll do better next time. That ain’t no excuse, though.”

“That isn’t any excuse,” Seb said, automatically correcting the lad’s speech as he’d become accustomed to doing since he’d agreed to mentor and train Clint over a year ago, after Lance had pleaded the boy’s case. Well, Clint wasn’t really a boy, but to Seb a twenty-two-year-old still seemed like a boy, and in truth after Lance had explained the boy’s situation, that the lad’s mother had died when he was a babe, and his father had been crippled after someone had beaten the man to the point of death, Seb had felt sorry for the fellow.

Especially as the lad had essentially been an orphan since he was only eleven, his father as good as dead. “And, yes, I suggest you focus on your work instead of any more startling blue eyes, otherwise you will be looking for employment elsewhere.”

“I won’t let you down again, sir!”

Seb nodded at the lad. Not that Clint had actually let him down, and it was the first time he’d ever had to censure him. It was just that Lady Olivia had startled them all. And Seb never liked being surprised, so he probably was taking out his frustrations on the boy. “Good. And cancel the rest of my appointments for the day.”

“Of course, sir! I’ll be sure to make certain the lady is not allowed up here again.”

“No,” Seb barked, and then had to moderate his tone. “The lady and I are going into a business venture together.” If that’s what one would even call it. “She can now come and go as she pleases. Just be sure to announce her first.”

Confusion crossed the boy’s face, but Seb certainly wasn’t going to explain his edicts to anyone. Most especially when he knew he sounded like a contradictory ogre.

“Go and summon Lance and Rowan,” he found himself barking. “Tell them I want to speak with them immediately. And get word to Club Tartus that some pamphlets will be arriving this morning, which are to be distributed in the lounges for all to read.”

The lad bobbed his head in acknowledgment and backed out of the room, closing the door behind him and leaving Seb to his thoughts.

Returning his attention to the correspondence on his desk, Seb had to work hard to keep his mind focused on his task at hand instead of wandering back to think of the darned woman.

Twenty minutes later, he pushed away from his desk with a growl and stalked over to the window to look down at the street below, his eyes scanning over all the shops he owned. It had taken him years to slowly buy up the street and make it part of his growing empire.

Seeing everything he had achieved, and knowing he owned them all, was usually an activity that calmed and centered him, but it wasn’t working today.

Goddamn woman. What the hell was wrong with him? Why couldn’t he stop thinking about her and the kiss they’d shared? He was acting as if he’d never kissed a lady before.

What he needed was a cold bath. An ice bath, in fact. And then the company of a woman with whom he could relieve his itch. A woman he wouldn’t even think twice about the moment after he left her. Yes, that was just what he needed.

Normally, Seb didn’t bother much with female companionship, except for the very occasional dalliance with a widow, maybe once or twice a year. He was usually too busy to bother. But now that he thought about it, it had been a long time since