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he asked.
    She turned and smiled brightly at him. “Just because I can"t grow them, doesn"t mean I don"t appreciate their beauty and scent. The complexity of the flowers never ceases to amaze me,” she said and turned back to walk further along the pathway. “I mean, have you ever really looked at a plant? The perfect shape of the petals that are designed to encourage and entice bees and other bugs to rest and take their nectar. Each bloom has a particular insect that it is trying to entice and all parts of the flower are specifically created for only that insect. It"s amazing,” she said, unknowingly enticing him further with her talk of the sexuality of the botanical world.
    “What can I get you to drink?” he asked abruptly, walking ahead of her toward an open area that contained a table laid with white linen and candles along with a bar to one side.
    Electra followed, a little surprised and hurt by his angry tone but tried to breeze through the moment. Perhaps he just wasn"t interested in flowers and she was boring him with her silly talk. Biting her lip in confusion, she leaned against the bar and looked around at the various bottles available. Unfortunately, she didn"t drink very often so she had no idea what sophisticated women would request.“I"ll have whatever you"re having,” she replied, hoping whatever he drank wouldn"t taste too awful.
    Standing behind the bar, he thought he had his libido more under control. At her answer, he grinned at her wolfishly. “Will you always be so amenable to my preferences?” he teased.
    Electra stared at him, not sure what happened but he was suddenly the same man he"d been when she"d walked through the door. What happened to the man who had almost stomped away from her only moments ago? Shaking her head slightly, she eased into one of the tall chairs and leaned onto the bar. “Depends on what you"re suggesting,” she replied. They were getting into dangerous territorybut she didn"t want to back down, her heart rate speeding up and her breath coming in quick, short gasps. She was afraid she might be promising him something unknowinglybut felt sure he"d never pressure her into anything she felt uncomfortable with.
    “Ah, a woman with conditions,” he said, shaking his head as he poured several liquids into a shaker, then tossed ice cubes in. “All my hopes are dashed.”
     
    Electra laughed. “You seem like the kind of man who needs to be disappointed every once in a while,” she countered. “I suspect you get your way too often.”
     
    One eyebrow raised teasingly he said, “Are you going to be the one to take me down a peg?” he suggested.
     
    Her mouth dried up with his suggestion but she couldn"t even go on teasing any longer. “No. I"m afraid I"m not going to be that woman,” she said.
    His eyes caught hers and held her with their intensity. “Good,” he finally said. He then broke the connection and handed her a martini. Raising his glass to hers, he said, “To a lack of disappointment,” he said and touched her glass gently.
    After taking a sip of the dry martini, he said, “So what did you do today besides try and fix your missed appointment?” Instead of standing behind the bar as she"d expected, he came around to the front of the bar and sat down beside her.
    Electra hid her disappointment when he didn"t immediately take her into his arms and carry her off to his bed. Good grief, she"d be happy if he"d take her right here on the soft grass beneath the chair, she thought, shivering in anticipation at the thought.
    Trying to think of what she"d done, she shook her head when she came up blank. “I shopped for this dress,” she said and held out her arms to show him the dress.
     
    His eyes flared instantly as he looked down at her voluptuous breasts contained in the glittering green material. “Very nice,” he said. “And what else?” he asked.
    Electra shook her head and laughed. “I"m not sure you understand how difficult it is to find a