Darn, I should have brought charts. Facts and figures. A graph that highlighted future returns…
Of course, first she would need to find a way for her research to bring in a positive cash flow.
The elevator opened to a sleek, modern sitting area. Windows lined the north wall and offered a treetop view of Central Park. Mid-century chairs and benches, the perfect combination of leather and metal, filled the space. Beneath the wall-mounted letters that confirmed she’d come to the right place sat an impossibly young woman with curly black hair.
Ivy approached the receptionist and gave her name. She’d expected a dragon of a woman waiting to breathe fire on anyone who dared to enter Carter Burke’s office without an appointment. But it was a few minutes after seven. Maybe the dragon had returned to her lair and left behind a mouse.
“Mr. Burke is expecting you,” the receptionist said, barely looking up from her cell phone. “First door on the left.”
“Thank you,” Ivy said.
Now the young woman glanced up and smirked at her. “Have fun tonight.”
What the…
Ivy pushed the receptionist’s comment out of her mind. She focused on the double doors to her left, her fingers wrapping around the polished brass door handle. She could do this. She’d graduated at the top of her class from Harvard Medical School. She’d presented to boards, spoken at conferences, and fought for funding. She was an accomplished, professional, thirty-five-year-old woman. She could have a simple conversation with the man who ran her company without being intimidated.
Ivy stepped into the room. The door clicked shut behind her. And she realized her mistake.
Carter Burke wasn’t merely a man.
Of course, she’d seen pictures of her billionaire boss. She’d even heard him speak at a conference a few years ago. But that day he’d stood at a podium half a football field away from her table in the back of the room.
What she wouldn’t give for a little added distance right now. Men like Carter Burke were best admired from afar or through a lens. Up close, his intense gaze, square jaw, and perfectly trimmed facial hair fought with his muscular chest for her attention. No, he wasn’t topless. She probably would have fainted from one look at his bare upper body. But his white dress shirt hung open at the collar, revealing inches of sculpted, tan chest. Her imagination took over from there. He possessed the broad shoulders and powerful arms of a man who could lift her without breaking a sweat.
No. Not me. He’d embrace a beautiful heiress, or a famous actress, instead.
She glanced up at his face. His short, dark hair held a touch of curl. At the right moment, one of those locks could fall across his forehead, teasing the thick eyelashes above his piercing blue eyes.
This man went to war…He fought…
And he’d survived. More than that really. He’d amassed a fortune.
He stared at her openly, and she no longer considered the young receptionist the mouse. Standing in front of this muscular package of combustible testosterone, she felt like the prey in the lion’s den.
I hope he plays with me before he devours me.
His unwavering gaze homed in on her lips. She felt his scrutiny and knew she’d come up short. He exuded confidence and sexual heat. She wasn’t a match for his power.
But if she walked out now, without a word, she would never forgive herself. She’d come too far, fought too hard, to quit simply because the way he leaned back in his leather chair awakened a riot of sensual awareness.
He’s just a man.
And her sister was right. She spent too much time in her lab. But she would address that problem later, after she secured her funding.
She ran her tongue over her lips. She could taste the artificial berry flavor.
She parted her lips. “Good evening, Mr. Burke.”
Chapter 3
Carter Burke could recognize risk a mile away. It was a skill he’d learned while serving his country and later honed in the business world.
He stared at the woman who’d walked into his office.
I wasn’t expecting her.
The stranger with the sparkling lips was definitely not his date for the evening. Carter had seen a picture of his business associate’s sister. The up-and-coming model who wanted to use the gossip sites’ constant interest in Carter’s personal life to advance her fledgling career stood close to six feet tall in heels. His buddy’s sister styled her long, dark hair to match that of a reality TV celebrity. And he’d bet she only wore a button-down shirt the morning after meeting up with her latest lover.