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that point.” That
was the most she dared to spill her guts to him about why she kept people at a
distance.
    He
frowned. “None of my business, and you really should slap my face for asking,
but are you a virgin?”
    She
smiled. “I won’t slap your face for asking. It’s a legitimate question under
the circumstances. No, I’m not a virgin.” She might as well be. Did it grow
back when you didn’t have sex for close to a year?
    “Why
have you avoided getting that close to anyone?” His tone changed. It was
subtle, but she caught the sudden sharpness in his voice, and the way his body
shifted slightly.
    “It’s
a long story.”
    He
watched her for a few moments, sipping more wine, and then she saw resignation
in his eyes, but not complete acceptance. Rather, it was as if he’d decided to
let her win the battle, but he hadn’t yet surrendered the war. This man was too
powerful to let him get that close to the truth. She couldn’t put him or his
company in danger. What the hell was she going to do here?
    “I’d
like to know the answer to one question.”
    “All
right.” What if it was not something she could tell him? Was she going to have
to lie to her new boss on the first day? She’d already told one tiny white lie
about why she spoke Italian. You’ve been
lying to everyone since you were eight years old.
    “Do
you find me attractive at all, or am I wasting my time here?”
    What? Was he out of his mind? She was
grateful she hadn’t taken another sip of wine or she’d be choking on it right
now. Angela blinked a few times, certain she’d misheard him, but the look on
his face told her she hadn’t. He looked like a high school boy asking his crush
out on a date, and her heart melted. “Dominic, I find you very attractive.” She took a quick sip of wine for courage. “If
we’re being brutally honest here…”
    “It
would help if we could be.” His voice was quiet and unsure, and that shocked
her.
    “Then
let me rephrase that. I think you’re the most handsome man I’ve ever seen in
person, and you overwhelm me, but in a good way. You’re charismatic and
powerful, and that’s a difficult combination to resist. I have images of
jumping across this table to kiss you racing through my mind right now.”
    That may have been a mistake to
admit.
    He
covered her hand with his, and she resisted the urge to grab his arm and pull
him across the space between them. His touch sent tiny jolts of electricity up
her arm and back down again to her throbbing clit. “Perhaps we shouldn’t try to
resist it, then?”
    Hellfire! “Perhaps not.” Now, in addition to
her wet panties and all-consuming horniness, she was sweating. That might be
the effect of drinking wine before noon, but probably not. More than likely it
was Dominic’s dark gaze, full of lust and determination. Fuck. What the hell had she just started?
    Their
server returned, and the spell was broken. She ate calamari that tasted better
than anything she’d ever eaten, and drank two glasses of water to cool off
inside. It didn’t help. She still wanted to fuck him into next week.
    “Is
the sauce too hot?” he asked.
    “No.
It’s fine.” You’re too hot. “It’s
delicious. I love the way they haven’t put too much breading on it. Usually
when you have fried calamari at a restaurant, there’s more coating than squid.”
    He
chuckled softly, nodding. “I agree. Thank you for this, Angela. It’s been a
while since I’ve had such an enjoyable lunch companion.”
    She
swallowed the food in her mouth. “Seriously? I mean come on. You can’t tell me
you don’t have women throwing themselves at you.”
    His
gaze turned dark and thoughtful. “That may be true, but it doesn’t mean I
respond to all of them.”
    “I
didn’t mean to insult you. It’s just that you’re rich, powerful, and
ridiculously good-looking.” He averted his gaze for a second, and now she was
really confused. Surely the man had been given compliments by every