The Tycoon's Seduction Plan Page 0,24

didn’t think so except perhaps in her case. That was really the whole basis for this little experiment, she thought and laughed.

She caught a cab back to her apartment and changed into a pair of stretch pants and large shirt, then immediately sat down and started writing. She was so absorbed in writing, she didn’t realize what time it was until late in the afternoon when her body rebelled against the lack of food and movement.

Her fingers ached from typing so quickly and she stood up and stretched, reaching for her phone to dial Victor’s number. She felt good about the progress she’d made on her book today. The morning’s work definitely made up for the lack of productivity from the previous day. She had to chuckle as she remembered her fears of the previous day. She’d been so frantic! And for what? Victor was the ultimate lover, she suspected.

“Lana?” he answered the phone immediately.

She hesitated, wondering about the abrasive tone. “Victor? Is everything okay?”

One hand sifted through his hair and he had to breathe deeply in order to not snap at her in his frustration and worry. It wasn’t her fault that he didn’t know where she was. He hadn’t gotten her cell phone number or any way to communicate with her and he’d been trying to get in touch with her all morning. “Everything except you didn’t let Jimmy drive you home so I’ve been worried about you ever since Beverly said you weren’t in my bed anymore. Are you okay? How did you get home?”

Lana relaxed. He sounded protective and worried but she knew she was probably reading too much into his tone of voice. She liked it though. She liked having someone worry about her, even if it were in her mind. It had been a long time since someone cared about where she was or how she was moving about the city. “I took a cab. I didn’t know anyone was waiting to drive me home but that’s a very sweet thought.” She relaxed back against the desk chair, feeling her muscles un-knot as they felt support for the first time in several hours. When she worked, she didn’t let her back relax, knowing that good posture would help her to concentrate.

Victor’s shoulders relaxed and he ran a hand through his hair. He couldn’t understand his reaction to the news this morning that Lana wasn’t there any longer and no one had seen her leave. He didn’t want to identify it too closely but knew that he didn’t like it. “Next time, you let Jimmy drive you home to make sure you arrive safely. I don’t like not knowing you’re okay.”

His comment made her feel all soft and mushy inside and she smiled. “Sure thing. Is there going to be a next time?” she asked tentatively, worried that he might have only been in this for the one night despite his comment.

He chuckled softly. “Absolutely. There’s so much more you need to know. I’ve never written one personally, but I would imagine a romance novel has several scenes in which passion is the main issue. And you’ve only had one lesson. There are so many variations on the same theme but they’re important. A good novelist must do her research, you know.”

He leaned back in his desk as she laughed softly, propping his feet up on the polished surface and looking out at the skyline of New York City from his window. For the first time in his life, he was ignoring pressing business and just enjoying a conversation with a woman. Normally, the women in his life were allowed to interfere only in the evenings and, even then, only when he was sure they wouldn’t interrupt any business discussions he was having. Since most of the women he saw socially were selfabsorbed and only interesting to him sexually, and even then only for a short while, he didn’t allow them into his life except during entertainment events. Lana was different. He wasn’t going to explore why she was different. He just accepted that she was and would enjoy her refreshing personality.

“Is that so?” she challenged him.

Victor could hear the smile in her voice and thought even her voice was a turn on. She had a husky sound that made him think of what she sounded like in bed. He hadn’t noticed that before since he’d been concentrating too much on getting her into that particular place. “Exactly so,” he confirmed. “What are your plans