The Millionaire's Seductive Revenge - Maxine Sullivan Page 0,2

he wanted to give the impression they were a couple didn’t mean they should act like characters in a thirties melodrama. It made her uncomfortable.

Suddenly the hairs on the back of her neck began to rise. There Brant was, dancing with a woman at the far end of the dance floor. Her breath caught at the sight of him, desire shooting to every region in her body.

He was certainly something to look at. Handsome, wealthy, extremely sexy in a black suit that matched the color of his gleaming dark hair and fitted his lean body to perfection. He exuded an attraction she found difficult to deny.

“Who’s that dancing with Brant?” a visitor to the table asked the question on Kia’s mind.

“That’s his date,” someone replied.

Kia hid her surprise. Brant usually only dated blondes. Beautiful blondes with gorgeous figures and impeccable style, if the photographs in the newspaper were anything to go by. Certainly the women who frequented his office were blond and beautiful. And according to Evelyn, his personal assistant, so were the women who called him constantly on the phone.

This brunette was definitely not in his league. The woman wasn’t beautiful, though she wasn’t unattractive either. She just lacked the confidence of those other women, and that red-and-white floral dress looked totally wrong on her. It seemed to swallow her up. Just as Brant’s presence seemed to be doing.

And didn’t she know how that felt, she scoffed to herself as the other woman smiled shyly up at him and Brant returned the smile with a devastating one of his own. The woman stumbled, and who could blame her? Brant Matthews, Womanizer Extraordinaire, had struck again. Maybe she could suggest he have that printed on his business cards.

All at once she realized Phillip had spoken. “Sorry, Phillip. What did you say?”

“I said she’s my new physiotherapist.”

Ah, so this was Serena. They’d spoken on the telephone. But why had Brant chosen her as his date? It didn’t make sense.

Then it hit her.

“Phillip, you didn’t,” she said for his ears only.

“Didn’t what?”

“Fix them up together.”

He frowned. “Why not? I thought it would do Serena good to be asked out by someone like Brant. He didn’t mind.”

Oh, that poor girl. Why were men so insensitive at times?

“That’s exactly why he’s wrong for her.”

His brows drew closer together. “What do you mean?”

“She’ll know people will be wondering what Brant sees in her and that’ll make her feel even worse.”

“I was only trying to help,” he said a touch defensively.

Kia’s heart softened. “I know you were. It’s just that…” How to explain the mind of a shy, insecure woman? It wasn’t easy delving into her own past and reliving her inadequacies.

“Merry Christmas, Kia.”

Without warning, Brant was beside her, his lips brushing against her cheek in a gesture that meant nothing yet everything. Kia’s pulse almost fell over itself as his warm hand touched her bare shoulder and she caught a whiff of his masculine scent. Her throat went dry.

Then he moved away and held the chair out for his date. “Serena, this is Kia, Phillip’s personal assistant.”

“We’ve spoken on the telephone,” Kia said with a smile as the woman sat down opposite her.

“Oh, yes.” The other woman gave a wavering smile in return, and empathy stirred within Kia, helping her recover from the shock of Brant’s greeting.

“Serena’s a lovely name,” Kia said, wanting to put her at ease.

Serena smiled tentatively. “You think so?”

“It suits you,” Brant said before Kia could respond.

Serena blushed, looking quite pretty. “Thank you.”

He sat down and handed her a glass of champagne. “Not too many women are as restful as you to be around, Serena.”

Kia saw his eyes flick toward her. Was he saying she wasn’t restful to be around? What a cheek. It wasn

’t her fault he wanted her but couldn’t.

“Some men aren’t restful to be around either,” Kia pointed out, not willing to let him get the upper hand.

He eased back in his chair, confident but with a dark look in his deep blue eyes that sent shivers down her spine. “Are you saying that some men disturb you, Kia?”

Was he asking if he disturbed her?

“People only disturb you if you let them. I don’t ever intend to let any man disturb me.”

“Really?” His eyes slid across to Phillip at her side, then back to her again. They hardened, reminding her that from the day he’d met up with her outside the hospital room after he’d returned from his trip, this man had grown more and more hostile toward