The Billionaire's Gamble Page 0,2

meal just to make it a little easier. My neighbors are a lot of fun, very silly and irreverent at times but good people. What about you?” she asked.

“I have some work to do,” he said tersely, hiding his frustration. His plans to initiate their personal relationship would have to wait one more day, he thought with a flash of irritation.

A light in her eyes that had been sparkling a moment before dimmed slightly with his news. She nodded and stood up. Sabrina turned and started to walk uncertainly toward the door, but she stopped and turned back to him, facing him hesitatingly, as if she wanted to say something more but wasn’t sure if she should. Her eyes darted to her file and then to his face, before settling on the file again.

Sabrina hated the idea of this incredibly handsome and fascinating man sitting in this sterile office on one of the happiest and holiest days of the year. No one should spend Christmas alone. It just wasn’t right. Christmas was a joyful time of the year but how could one celebrate while doing work? And what work could he be doing on Christmas that couldn’t wait one more day?

Should she invite him over? She felt silly just thinking about it. What if he was only being polite about his plans for tomorrow and he actually had something wonderful to go to and just didn’t want to make her jealous? No, that wasn’t his way. Sid was brilliant and creative and handsome and all those other extreme adjectives used to describe successful and gorgeous business men. But she knew she could also add in the term “harsh” to that list. He never beat around the bush so if he was doing something interesting, he would have made a vague reference to it and he certainly wouldn’t care if she was jealous or not. The idea was almost laughable. Why would he care what she thought of him? She was just projecting her own sensibilities onto someone else.

Would he want to join her and her neighbors? Sabrina’s heart raced at the idea and her skin tingled with excitement. Sid Matthews, in her house, sitting across the table from her where she could look at him until her heart’s content. That would be the ultimate Christmas present, she thought.

The idea was ridiculous and she tossed it aside. He was probably spending the day with some glamorous, talented actress or model. Someone charming and intelligent who could make witty remarks about all the movers and shakers. Sid wasn’t really the type to spend an evening with down to earth people with normal jobs who laughed about the difficulties of getting their children to eat broccoli or picking them up after school for soccer practice.

Dismissing the idea as silly and wishful thinking, she smiled and turned slightly back to the door to his office. “Well, if there isn’t any other information you need, I’ll get back to work,” she said, again turning slowly and moving toward the door. She walked across the vast expanse of Sid’s overwhelmingly masculine office, nervously aware of him watching her. Her hand was on the door knob when she stopped once again, tense and biting her lower lip in indecision.

But what if he wasn’t with someone else? She turned and looked back at the forceful man sitting behind his large, polished desk. He looked so elegant and powerful. The man radiated sexuality in a way she’d only read about in books. He was the epitome of tall, dark and handsome but those words just seemed completely inadequate to describe Sid Matthews, owner of Solara. Incredibly tall at well over six feet, enigmatic, dizzyingly handsome, charming and extremely dangerous were all words she had applied to the man either in her descriptions to her sister or in her mind as she wondered what he was like personally.

Machine was another applicable word that would adequately describe the man so she didn’t understand why she was about to act on the thought that popped into her head. She twisted the corner of the file folder, worried that what she was thinking would make her look silly or foolish. Should she? Could she? Sabrina looked into the man’s eyes and saw the flash of something she didn’t understand. With that one look, her heart melted as it always did whenever she was around him. She knew he would turn her down flat, but she wanted to offer the suggestion just in case.

Stilling