Rage Of Passion: Accidental Romance Book 1 (Contemporary Romance) (2 page)

And yet, with Ms.
Borgia, he sensed that there was something different.

She’d walked in
after her partner Cheryl Barrington and suddenly, Malcolm had the sudden
sensation of walking into a minefield. He took one look at her, and something
started to tick in his brain like a detonating mechanism. Cheryl Barrington was
an eye-catching redhead, with perfectly rounded features and a pretty,
attractive figure that fit well into her business-like skirt suit. But she
paled in comparison to her partner, Eva Borgia.

He’d taken in Ms.
Borgia in a flash. He was used to making quick-fire assessments. It took him
just moments to come to the conclusion that he wanted to fuck Eva Borgia
–
hard
.

 
She had the perfect combination he’d
always sought in a woman but despaired so long of ever finding. That potential
to fit into his private mold. To give him exactly what he preferred in a lover.
He took her hand in his and it was all he could do to keep from exerting any
undue pressure, to stake his claim or state his intent in subtle ways.

She was lovely,
exquisite. Maybe not by everyone else’s standards. But Malcolm’s keen,
perceptive eyes knew exactly what to look for. And to his delight, Eva Borgia
suited his every preference just fine.

He’d always had a
thing for brunettes although he hadn’t dated or even bedded that many. His last
two lovers had been the trophy blonde types, complete with the size zero-to-two
figures. Eva Borgia was on the right side of curvy without being “thick”. She
filled out her femininely cut skirt-suit delightfully. She was tall, just the
right inches above five feet to reach the perfect height that suited him, he
felt. Her eyes were a gorgeous, melting brown, and she had an intriguing face.
A face that would stand out in the crowd for being striking if not textbook
beautiful. There were angles to her jaw and chin that he itched to trace with
his fingertips. There was fullness to her pinkish bottom lip that made him want
to smudge it beneath his thumb, hard. Right before he sank into it with his
teeth and sucked her in with a hot, harsh kiss.

Years of
self-discipline kept him from betraying his instant attraction for Eva Borgia.
She was here on a mission, and she was not alone. Those two instances saved her
from getting the full wattage of his skills of pursuit. Any other time and
place, and he would have gone in for the kill. He was no fool and had sensed
her equally strong reaction to him. He had no doubt that he could make her
amenable to his…attentions given the right time and place.

But Malcolm had the
common sense to know that he had to keep his own needs in check. No matter that
the woman had sex appeal stamped all over her even without trying. No use that
he got hard just looking her way and finding her staring at him with that
expression of unbridled lust in her own deep brown eyes. The woman had not
bothered to hide it too carefully. Seeing her mouth go slack while he’d been
speaking gave him the distinct impression she was thinking of anything but the
business at hand. He could almost smell her sexual arousal from where he sat
behind his desk. It took the utmost of his willpower not to leap over the wide
expanse of desk, swing her into his arms and take her somewhere far off where
they could be alone to explore the raging fires rising between them.

Thankfully, decorum
was maintained and the meeting ended without him mounting her right there with
her draped over the back of her chair just as he fantasized he would. He’d ride
up her skirt till it lay at her waist, and he’ll make her hold fast to the
posts of the chair while she kneeled on the seat, her ass curved in waiting for
his first, drill-powered thrust into her pussy from behind.

His advisory team
had spoken well of the two-woman PR consultancy, assuring him that it would be
a worthwhile investment. Of that Malcolm had no doubt, especially after the
meeting came to a close. And yet, for some reason, he decided to hold back a
few more days to make up his mind.

And now, barely two
days later, he was faced with temptation once again.

He’d decided to
attend this fundraiser weeks ago. He took his charitable concerns quite
seriously. An ingrained sense of wanting to give back to society was built in
thanks to his own past. He knew what it was to go without, or to have no one to
turn to. He took part in many worthwhile projects both home and in third world
countries, ensuring that children around the world had a better chance at life.
He didn’t just hand out checks; he got personally involved, and got his friends
and associates involved to. Only last month, he spent a week in troubled
Algeria, distributing hordes of relief items to displaced children. Not many
knew of these trips and they’d probably call him crazy for risking his life the
way he did. If he got kidnapped by terrorists or got killed, he’d have himself
to blame. But Malcolm didn’t believe in living a life of fear. He grabbed life
with both hands, the same way he handled his business – and his romances.

Although he had a
very beautiful companion on his arm for the evening, Malcolm was at present,
unattached. Fiona, his escort, was the daughter of one of his long-time
business associates, who was also a top player in government. It suited Malcolm
to have such a high-profile companion. It drew attention to the event and in
turn got more publicity, which meant raising even more money for his causes.

He just hadn’t
expected to see
her
here.

She was not alone;
beside her stood a young, well-dressed man who was attentive to her every word.
She walked in smiling and chatting amiably, looking everything like the woman
who’d caught his attention only days ago. Tonight, she was all woman, dressed
in some kind of slinky black dress that would look good on any A-lister worthy of
the red carpet treatment. Her companion’s formal outfit complimented hers
perfectly, and they made a striking couple. Malcolm had to admit, seeing her in
this environment brought to mind just how truly lovely she was. Her figure was
displayed to perfection, and she had her hair done in a flattering up do that
revealed her deliciously elegant neck that she’d left unadorned. She stood out
in the gathering and he watched, as eyes turned in her direction, both male and
female. Malcolm could see her companion was proud to be at her side and he had
a proprietary hand on her arm as he led her through the crowded room.

For Malcolm, the
music and people suddenly faded away. He was thrown back to the first moment in
her office and how he’d felt when he’d seen her. She wasn’t even looking at him
now and yet he felt the familiar stirring in his groin, the darkness clouding
his vision for a moment. Never, ever had he wanted a woman this badly. So bad
to the point that he would go to whatever lengths to have her. He almost didn’t
realize he was neglecting his own companion, who was chatting on and on till
she noticed that he wasn’t even listening.

Her eyes must have
followed his line of vision because Fiona suddenly noted, “Ah, I recognize that
black dress from Valentino’s spring collection three years ago. A bit dated,
but I must say she carries it well. Do you know her?”

Malcolm sensed the
jealousy in her tone, and merely smiled. “Would you like to dance, Fiona?”

She seemed to perk
up at the thought of having his attention to herself once again. Malcolm didn’t
have a choice; he needed something to distract him from the thoughts of that
undeniably delectable woman standing across the room from him, totally aware of
what her sudden appearance was doing to his trademark cool. He needed to keep
his mind off the wish to go over there, snatch her away from her companion and
claim her for himself.

Malcolm had to stay
professional. In all things. Eva Borgia was just one woman who seemed capable
of getting under his skin, but only if he let her. He led Fiona to the dance
floor just as Eva’s escort also swept her unto the clearing, which had
elaborate drapes hanging over it from the ceiling. The themed setting of the
ballroom gave it a romantic air and the music played by the live band added to
the enthralling ambience. As Fiona eagerly drew closer into his embrace,
Malcolm couldn’t help wishing it was Eva’s sexily curved body he had in his
arms.

Malcolm had learned
over the years the benefits of depriving himself of many things. It was a
discipline he’d cultivated from his years of having little or nothing to call
his own. There were times when he got a certain enjoyment refraining from
taking what would have been so easy to acquire. That mouth-watering corporate
bid; that new gadget or acquisition. He’d promised himself long ago that he’d
never let his wealth overtake his sense of worth or values. He wasn’t the type
to simply go for something just because he could afford it or
just because
; the way many of men having
his financial stature did.

In the same vein,
he’d deprived himself the pleasure of taking a certain female no matter how
alluring he found her, or how much she threw herself at him. It gave him more
satisfaction knowing that he had the self-control to turn a blind eye to the
available. He found this just as enjoyable as if he had given in to the thrill
in the first place.

So which was it
going to be with Eva Borgia?

Now that fate had
miraculously brought her into his vicinity once more, and in a more appropriate
setting, would he make his move, or keep off? She hadn’t become aware of his
presence, but he could easily make it known he was here at the same party. He
could also simply act like she wasn’t there, which was one good way to avoid
giving into the powerful sense of possessiveness overtaking his senses. He
wanted her; there was no doubt about that. But whether he was going to let
himself have her was a different matter entirely.

*

Eva could feel
those unmistakable eyes burning holes in her back like a laser. She didn’t have
to look around to know that Malcolm West was watching her. Like he had been
ever since she walked in with Vince, one of her many admirers who found it a
privilege to accompany her on such outings. Men like Vince always came in handy
as smokescreens. There was no threat of losing her head to them or even letting
them in her bed. But she did enjoy the utility of having a handsome man at her
elbow at such a glamorous event.

Getting invites had
involved plenty of string-pulling and Eva had only just managed to make it to
the event at such short notice. But catching a glimpse of Malcolm had made it
all worth it. No surprise that he was with one of his many known paramours.
That didn’t faze her in the slightest. Eva had dressed to kill and from
Malcolm’s reaction to her appearance, she knew she’d hit the spot. Naturally,
she had no intention of showing that she’d even noticed his presence. No use
letting the guy know she’d come to this event fully aware that he would be there.
It was downright silly and even risky of her but then when it came to Malcolm,
she obviously couldn’t help herself.

She laughed gaily
at something Vince said in her ear as they danced, and she hoped her voice
carried to Malcolm who was also taking his partner through a stylish waltz. It
didn’t seem fair using Vince this way, but Eva didn’t let that bother her unnecessarily.
All that was collateral damage as the saying went, and totally vital to her
cause. After all, Vince was no innocent. He had his own rep as a playboy
attorney. She figured he knew he only had half to zero chance of getting into
her bed or her heart, which was fine by Eva. Knowing the score from the get-go
was great for any fledging friendship.

Vince saw no harm
in pushing his luck though. He leaned closer to her ear, whispering suggestions
that would make a girl’s cheeks burn and her nerve-endings tingle. From the
right man – from the man of her dreams just standing a few feet away
– such words would have made her panties soak themselves. However, since
Vince, with his staid handsomeness, did nothing for her, she could only smile
and giggle.

“Didn’t picture you
as the naughty type, Vince,” she teased, looking up at him with hooded eyes.
“Why come all the way to this thing if we intend to sneak away so soon? I’ve
hardly been photographed enough, and you certainly haven’t danced me off my
feet yet.”

“But then, I’m
hoping to save your energy for more…satisfying pursuits before the night is
through,” the player said with a wide grin, the kind that got him the charming
and even wolfish reputation among his female counterparts in the legal
profession. Even female judges couldn’t seem immune to his charms.

“In that case, I’d
better start off on some more champagne to work me into the mood, see where it
takes me,” Eva murmured suggestively.

“Champagne it is
then,” Vince said, as they made their way off the dance floor. Depositing her
in a corner, he went to get some bubbly for the now slightly winded Eva. She
was fanning her flushed face which was mainly just a performance, to be honest.
She’d had to think of a way to get rid of him for a few moments.

It didn’t take her
being left alone long before she was joined by another figure, this time taller
and more imposing. Even without turning to see who it was, she could already
tell by the way her pulse quickened in her throat and her skin started to
tingle with primal awareness.

“Ms. Borgia. What a
pleasant surprise.”

She turned with
wide-eyed delight to face Malcolm West. “Why, hello, Mr. West. Indeed, so wonderful
to see you again! I didn’t know you supported water aid for West African
regions.”