Seduced by a Stranger Page 17
Nolan ended the call with his parents, stood and walked over to the window to look out. Like most of his relatives, he leased space in the Madaris Building. His electronics company was across the hall from Madaris Explorations, owned by his older cousin Dex.
He loved Houston in March but it always brought out dicey weather. You had some warm days but there were days when winter refused to fade in the background while spring tried emerging. He was ready for warmer days and couldn’t wait to spend time at the cottage he’d purchased on Tiki Island, the village in Galveston last year. He’d hired Ron Siskin, a property manager, to handle the leasing of the cottage whenever he wasn’t using it. So far it had turned out to be not only a great investment, but also a get-a-way place whenever he needed a break from the demands of his job, life itself and yes, of course, the women who were becoming more demanding by the hour.
The buzzer sounded and he walked back over to his desk. “Yes, Marlene?” Marlene was an older woman in her sixties who’d worked for him since he started the company four years ago. A retired administrative assistant for an insurance agent, Marlene had decided to come out of retirement when she’d gotten bored. She was good at what she did and helped to keep the office running when he was in or out of it.
“There’s a woman here to see you, Mr. Madaris. She doesn’t have an appointment and says it’s important.”
Nolan frowned, glancing at his watch. It’s wasn’t even ten in the morning. Who would show up at his office without an appointment and at this hour? There were a number of family members who worked in the Madaris Building. Obviously, it wasn’t one of them; otherwise Marlene would have said so. “Who is she?”
“A Miss Ivy Chapman.”
He guessed she was tired of sending notes that went unanswered. Hadn’t she heard around town what a scoundrel he was? The last man any woman should be interested in? So what was she doing here?
There was only one way to find out. If she needed to know why he hadn’t responded, that he could certainly tell her. She could stop sending him those notes or else he would take her actions as a form of harassment. He had no problem telling her in no uncertain terms that he was not interested in pursuing an affair with her, regardless of the fact that his great-grandmother and her grandmother wanted it to be so.
“Send her in, Marlene.”
“Yes, Mr. Madaris.”
Nolan had eased into his jacket and straightened his tie before his office door swung open. The first thing he saw was a huge bouquet of flowers that was bigger than the person carrying them. Why was the woman bringing him flowers? Did she honestly think a huge bouquet of flowers would work when her cute little notes hadn’t?
He couldn’t see the woman’s face for the huge vase of flowers and without saying a word, not even so much as a good morning, she plopped the monstrosity on his desk with a loud thump. It’s a wonder the vase hadn’t cracked. Hell, maybe it had. He could just imagine water spilling all over his desk.
Nolan looked from the flowers that were taking up entirely too much space on his desk to the woman who’d unceremoniously placed them there. He was not prepared for the beauty of the soft brown eyes behind a pair of thick rim glasses or the perfect roundness of her face and the creamy cocoa coloring of her complexion. And he couldn’t miss the fullness of her lips that were pursed tight in anger.
“I’m only going to warn you but this once, Nolan Madaris. Do not send me any more flowers. Doing so won’t change a thing. I’ve decided to come tell you personally, the same thing I’ve repeatedly told your great-grandmother and my grandmother. There is no way I’d ever become involved with you. No way. Ever.”
Her words shocked him to the point that he could only stand there and stare at her. She’d crossed her arms over her chest and stared back. “Well?” she asked in a voice filled with annoyance when he continued to stare at her and say nothing. “Do I make myself clear?”
Finding his voice, Nolan said, “You most certainly do. However, there’s a problem and I consider it a major one.”
Those beautiful eyes were razor-sharp and directed at him. “And just what problem is that?”
Now it was he who turned a cutting gaze on her. “I never sent you any flowers. Today or ever.”
***
Find out if Nolan Madaris has finally met his match in
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ISBN-13: 9781488084447
Seduced by a Stranger
Copyright © 2010 by Brenda Streater Jackson
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