Imperfect Match (Elixir Bachelor Billionaires #1)

Confusion paints Mr. Hart’s face, and I’m about to put my foot down because there’s no way this man is accompanying us. My wife has something romantic planned and no one sees it but me.

“Of course. You lovebirds go away.” He shoos us like pigeons, something no one has dared to do to me before.

But I’m too happy to care about anything. Daisy and I skip out of the room like arrows shot from a taut string. I don’t know who pulled whom out first. We step into a lobby that is thankfully vacant, and Daisy leads me down the left corridor flanked by several rooms on either side.

“It’s here?” I raise an eyebrow. I thought it would have been on the top terrace.

She places a finger over her lips and motions for me to follow. We finally stop at one of the last doors, and she takes out a key card from her purse.

As we step inside the room, my gaze traces the walls, which have olive-green wood panels. There are several paintings hung on them, but nothing says “romantic” to me.

“It’s here? The romantic thing?” My hands slide into my pants pockets as I scan the room once again.

“I’m sorry, there’s nothing. I booked this room for you in case it became too overwhelming in the ballroom. But you’re doing so great.” Daisy steps forward and pats my tie. Her hand lingers over my chest. “I still wanted to tell you about it. You can come here anytime, under the pretense of an urgent phone call.”

My heart is about to burst out of my rib cage.

She’s taken care of everything.

But why am I surprised? It’s not the first time she’s done such a thing. There’s a reason Daisy is the absolute best assistant I’ve ever had. She knows what I want without me saying it, and she delivers it without fuss.

My heartbeat escalates, whispering slowly that she’s more than an assistant, but I ignore the voice, which has slowly started to grow louder and louder.

I take a step forward, and her eyes go wide as she steps back until I have her captive against the wall.

“Don’t you dare look at me like that, Charles!” She tries to move away, but I circle my arm around her waist, pulling her closer to my chest.

“Like what?”

“Like you do when you’re turned on.” Her hands on my chest make a lame attempt at pushing me away.

“What can I say? We’re alone in a room that you arranged for us, and you’re looking so beautiful. I wonder if you imagined us like this.” I tuck a curl of her hair behind her ear with my free hand. “You against the wall, your dress bunched around your waist, my hands pushing the zipper down.”

“Wh-what? I did not!” She gulps hard, and I almost want to laugh.

“But you don’t hate the idea,” I quip, drawing circles over the column of her neck with my thumb.

“I—I…” she stammers, then closes her eyes. I clamp down on my laughter, watching her breathe deeply and mumble something inaudible before she opens her eyes again. “Charles, we cannot have sex here!”

“Why not?”

“Because there’s a party going on less than fifty feet away, and I’m not going to walk into that room after having sex with you. People will know!”

“Nobody will know. I’ll make sure of that. You just keep your screams under control.” I dip my head lower. Even though she’s wearing those killer heels, she only reaches my chest.

“My screams? What about you?” Her chest rises and falls in sync with mine as I kiss the column of her neck.

But before I can do or say anything more, a loud noise comes from right outside the door, as if somebody just dropped a tray full of cocktail glasses. Daisy pushes against my chest and slips out of my hold.

“Don’t you dare put me under your spell, Hawthorne,” she says, fixing her hair before opening the door and storming out.

I follow her back into the ballroom with a grin on my face. The night is once again looking up.

“I was searching for a scowling face among the crowd, yet here you are, grinning like this is your favorite spot.” I hear Ray’s voice before he slaps my back.

“And I didn’t know I should be looking for you here. Have you secretly become a fan of such events, brother?”

He smirks. “I like them just as much as you do. Of course, unlike you, I’m not here to flaunt my wife or marriage, but for business.”