"Hello."
Fleur had the shock of her life when Philippe DeRose suddenly showed up at her side, as blond and good-looking as a fairytale prince, and so strikingly tall that he was able to gaze directly into her eyes even when the treadmill had already given her a few added inches.
"Hi..."
That's it, Fleur. Keep it at that. Don't ruin it, don't ruin it.
But with her inner slut still nowhere to be found, and her inner prude already reeling from his proximity, she made the tiniest mistake of letting her gaze dip just a wee bit—-
Oh no.
His combination of sleeveless ribbed top and athletic shorts just had too much of bronzed muscles on display, and the sight made Fleur feel so self-conscious that she could only self-destruct as she heard herself say, "...ho."
Philippe stared at her, visibly bemused, and she could only empathize since she had no idea why she had said that either.
"Hi...ho?"
Philippe's French accent was too delicious by half...but all it made her want to do was run and hide.
Operation Yuletide, Fleur reminded herself doggedly. Talking to Philippe had to happen, and while it obviously did sooner than later, she just had to proceed as planned, and so...
Fleur managed a smile for the tycoon even as she felt like dying. "Well..."
Shit, shit, shit, she was so not ready for this!
Where you at, inner slut?
She waited desperately for something inside of her to take over, but when it was still just her and inner prude, Fleur could only clear her throat again while telling herself to just roll with it.
"Sorry about that. I like to multitask when exercising." Lie. "And I'm currently working on a Snow White party theme..." Another lie. "And I was testing out different hashtags in my mind, like...#heighhohoho?"
"Catchy."
Philippe sounded so polite she knew he didn't mean it at all, and she couldn't blame him either. Seriously, Fleur? Heighhohoho? You know that could also pass for a hashtag for a stripper club's Christmas bonanza, right?
"And I should be the one to apologize, in that case. I didn't realize you were multitasking."
The apology caught Fleur off guard, and she automatically shook her head. "No, really, it's not your fault. I..got spooked," she finished lamely. "I get spooked really easily, it's ridiculous."
"Are you saying I spook you, chérie?"
At first, she thought she had accidentally insulted her target, but then she saw the way he was looking at her so intensely, and oh my God...
He was flirting with her?
Philippe DeRose, who was only attracted to B&A girls, was actually flirting with her!
Fleur knew she should be happy, but the tycoon's interest in her only made her feel like running and hiding even more. She was so, so not ready for this, but because she had made up her mind about Operation Yuletide, and there was nothing she hated more than quitting...
Fleur flipped her hair over her shoulder as she lifted her gaze up to Philippe. "It's more like..." Play it cool, play it cool. "I know I should avoid you?"
"Is that so?"
"I mean..." Fleur lowered her voice as if about to confide a secret. "It's because of what everyone's been saying."
"And that's...?"
"I'm exactly your type?"
Philippe stared at her, and Fleur didn't dare let herself look away until...
Oh my God!
The Frenchman's lips slowly started to curve. "Oui, chérie. You are absolutely my type."
Mon dieu!
Her stomach cramped, but Fleur told herself it was because of excitement and not fear. Operation Yuletide had just unlocked its first achievement goal, and she needed to focus on maintaining momentum.
"And me, Fleur?"
Her breath caught even as her stomach turned upside down. He knew her name? And he said it so perfectly, too, just like a Frenchman would to a word that meant 'flower' in French.
"Am I your type?"
Fleur's inner prude was internally freaking out.
Oh dieu, mon God!
She placed a hand over her chest, knowing that it made her look like she was being dramatic, but it was really to cover the amount of cleavage her sports bra was showing, which she suddenly felt self-conscious about.
"All I can say, monsieur...is that you are too dangerous, and I am not in the habit of playing with fire."
Jade-green eyes gleamed, and she managed a demure smile even when she felt like throwing up.
"I think I'll be able to change your mind on that."
That French accent of his was such a killer, and Fleur didn't know whether to faint or swoon.
Keep it together, Fleur!
Fleur inclined her head in a deliberately noncommittal response. "À bientôt, monsieur."
"À bientôt, chérie."
Fleur caught a dangerous glint in the tycoon's eyes as he spoke, and it was all the warning she had before his cool, beautiful lips landed on her cheek.
Merde!
She could not imagining anything more nerve-wracking happening to her, but as Philippe walked away, it was then she realized there was something worse, and it was seeing a grim-looking Julian standing just a few feet away.