The Secrets of Seduction - Elizabeth Lennox
Chapter 1
The elegance and respectful hum of conversation in the upscale restaurant shattered without warning. Malcolm turned his head, startled. But as soon as he took in the three lovey ladies hugging and chatting excitedly, his irritation disappeared. Ella!
“Do you know those ladies, my lord?” his companion asked indignantly, obviously just as affronted by the interruption as Malcolm.
As soon as the beautiful ladies pulled away, his eyes focused on one in particular. Ella Fleming. She was back and…shockingly, more beautiful than ever. If Malcolm hadn’t seen her himself, he wouldn’t have believed it was possible.
“Who are they?” the older man demanded, looking disgruntled as he twisted in his chair to get a better look at the noisy group. “Is that…?” the man asked, his outrage dissipating as his mouth hung open in shock.
“Yes. That is Queen Cassandra del Soya Irazi and Naya Danilov.”
“Oh,” he took a longer look at the trio. “I’ve wanted to speak with Pierce Danilov for ages!” Shaking his nearly bald head, he sighed. “I don’t suppose you know him?”
Malcolm shrugged. He was friends with both Nasir and Pierce. But since Malcolm wasn’t particularly fond of the blustering fool sitting across from him, there was no chance that he would offer the man an introduction. “We’ve crossed paths,” was all Malcolm would confirm.
Besides, his attention was focused on the third member of the trio sitting at the table by the window. The sunshine glinted off Ella’s blonde hair, shoots of gold sparkling around her head and creating almost a halo effect as she sat down. Queen Cassandra was lovely as well and Naya Danilov was a beauty, to be sure. But neither of them were as stunningly gorgeous as Ella. There was just something about her that drew his eye and captured his attention. There was an undefined quality about her that was just…alluring. Perhaps it was the energy that seemed to emanate from her. Or maybe it was that their pasts had collided one too many times over the years. Malcolm wasn’t sure. But for the rest of the meal, he was distracted by Ella’s beauty and irritated with the pointless ramblings of his pretentious lunch companion.
Finally, the end of the meal arrived and both men stood up. If Malcolm’s eyes again drifted towards the three lovely ladies sitting in the corner, he could be excused for his curiosity since most of the other patrons were glancing in that direction as well.
“My lord,” his companion stood, bowing slightly. “It has been a pleasure. Please convey my greetings to your father. He doesn’t get into the city as often as he used to, does he?”
Malcolm’s good humor faded at the mention of his father. “No.”
The other man waited for more. Perhaps more of an explanation for the duke’s continued absence from society functions or maybe something about his father’s health. But Malcolm didn’t say a word. A moment later, the man awkwardly nodded, as if understanding the unspoken message, then turned and exited the dining room.
Malcolm made a mental note to call in the irritating man’s debts. The lunch had theoretically been a way for the man to obtain an extension on the amount due to Malcolm’s company. The man had explained how his factory was doing extremely well and that he had several orders that he hadn’t been able to fill because of a lack of capital to expand the business. But what the man had actually revealed was that he had run his business into the ground and probably all that was left was the shell of a factory and a team of disgruntled employees. Since Malcolm had anticipated this, had even loaned him the money so that he would go further into debt, there wasn’t an issue. Malcolm could now step in and take over the factory. Exactly as he’d expected. The pompous ass had no idea how to run a manufacturing plant and had spent the loan amount repairing his decaying house and paying for the flighty spending habits of a mistress more than thirty years his junior. A very expensive mistress, Malcolm thought.
And on the subject of women…Malcolm shot another glance at the lovely blond. Time to rekindle an old acquaintance, he decided as he stood and moved across the dining room, weaving his way through the other diners. Malcolm heard his name called by several voices, but he barely acknowledged the calls, intent on one lovely blond with sparkling brown eyes.
From the fury in those gorgeous eyes, Malcolm realized two things; her