Chapter 3
If Desiree’s frown was anything to go by, Cobra could tell that she really hadn’t wanted to dance with him, but had wanted to remain in her grandfather’s presence even less.
It was obvious the two didn’t have much of a relationship.
From the conversations Richard had shared with him, his granddaughter had been a handful while she was growing up.
Cobra had gathered that instead of being firm, Richard had taken the path of least resistance and had catered to her every whim.
Now, after hearing how she’d taken a semester off school without bothering to tell her grandfather, causing him unnecessary stress and worry, he figured he’d been right. She was inconsiderate and selfish. Just the way he’d assumed her to be.
And what was there about the name Allison that seemed to bring out the worst in some women?
First, there was Allison/ Bernice—the woman who was the cause of his current predicament.
And now he’d met this Allison, who preferred to be called Desiree.
Not that he had a problem with that—the name Allison left a bad taste in his mouth anyway.
Besides, the name Desiree suited her. Because something about her had desire sizzling through his veins. Talk about living up to a name; the first six letters of hers literally spell ‘desire’.
As they moved to the music, she turned and met his gaze. She had the most beautiful hazel eyes he’d ever seen—a perfect blend of brown, green, and gold.
“Thanks for asking me to dance, Cobra.”
He wished that he didn’t like the way his name sounded on her lips.
Her French accent was a turn-on. It wasn’t too heavy, probably because she had moved to the States when she’d only been twelve.
“Thanks for accepting. I should admit, though, that I did it more for Richard than for you. You should try not to aggravate him so much.”
He could tell from her glare that she hadn’t liked what he’d said. Unfortunately, a glare from those gorgeous hazel eyes just revved his libido, rather than put his bluntness in check. “And what about him aggravating me?” she asked in a clipped voice.
“He gets a pass.”
Her glare deepened. “Why? Is it because he’s one of your most important clients and you don’t want to get on his bad side?”
If that was what she thought, she was definitely wrong.
The reason he and Richard Sharpe got along so well was because Cobra wasn’t anybody’s ‘yes’ man—he wouldn’t hesitate to tell Richard what he thought.
The old man often told Cobra that he was the only snake he could trust. Cobra knew Richard wasn’t used to being defied.
But over the years, Desiree had obviously learned how.
“No. because at his age, he deserves peace rather than aggravation.”
“Then maybe I should have stayed in Paris.”
“Why didn’t you?”
Cobra regretted asking the question the moment it came out of his mouth.
“It was time for me to come home.”
He was surprised she answered his question, instead of telling him where to go.
“For your information, Cobra, my grandfather is the one who asked that I return. In fact, he practically demanded it. I can only assume he felt it was time I begin learning everything I can about the family business.” She looked him up and down.
“I start working at the Sharpe Corporation on Monday.”
That was news to him. Although Richard had mentioned his granddaughter was coming home, Cobra had figured it would only be for a short visit and that she would be returning to Paris.
Did that mean he would likely see her when he joined Richard for their Thursday night chess games?
Or when Richard invited him to dinner? Damn, if that was the case, these next few months of celibacy might just kill him.
When they’d first met, Richard Sharpe had been a lonely man who reminded Cobra of his own grandfather, Kenneth Masters.
After divorcing wife number five, Kenneth had moved back into the community where wife number four–Cobra’s grandmother ─lived. He’d purchased a home on the same street. Of his five wives, she had been the only one to give him children…or so Kenneth had thought.
They had discovered just last year that his first wife had also borne him a child—a son that Kenneth had died not knowing about.
The one thing Cobra would forever appreciate was the way their grandfather had taken an active role in their lives, even while married to wife number five.
He figured he and his family were likely part of the reason the marriage hadn’t lasted.
The woman probably felt she couldn’t compete against an ex-wife, four sons, and a slew of grandchildren.
Not every woman could tolerate a man spending so much time with the family she had assumed he had given up.
But then, that was the thing—he never let go.
He had always remained a part of their lives, and Cobra could honestly say Kenneth had been the grandfather his generation of Masters had needed.
When he’d grown older, Kenneth had once admitted to Cobra that one reason he’d spent so much time with them was that he feared growing old alone.
And they had made sure he hadn’t.
Cobra figured that he needed to keep Desiree talking so he wouldn’t be tempted to notice how good she felt in his arms and how her scent was getting to him. He was familiar with several feminine fragrances but couldn’t put a name to hers.
And focusing on her physical attributes was even worse.
Her upper arms and shoulders, bared by the design of her gown, seemed to invite his touch.
She appeared rather fit, and he wondered if, while living in Paris, she frequented the gym.
And the low dip of her cleavage, exposing the top of her round breasts, made his mouth water.
“Anything else you want to know?”
His gaze reluctantly moved from her chest to her eyes, then shifted to her mouth, studying the sexy shape of it, wondering how good she would taste if he were to kiss her. So yes, there was more he wanted to know but dared not ask. At this point, his libido couldn’t take any more.
“What are you going to be doing at the corporation?” he decided to ask, thinking it was a safe enough topic.
“What’s wrong? You think I’ll do something that will make the Sharpe stock go down? I understand your concern. After all, you are my grandfather’s wealth and asset manager.”
“I’m not worried at all. Richard has an excellent executive team, and they have many safeguards in place. It would take a lot more than something you do to make Sharpe Industries’ stock collapse.”
“It’s good to know my financial future continues to be bright.”
She sounded like someone who came from money. So far, his instincts were on target. “So how long do you plan to be in New York?”
“Any reason you want to know?”
“Just asking.”
She nodded and then said, “For a while. I love New York. The one thing I regret is not getting to spend a lot of time here when I was young.”
He frowned. “Didn’t Richard get full custody of you when your parents were killed?”
“Yes, but I spent most of my time at a boarding school in California, and during the summers, I returned to Paris to visit my mother’s sister, Aunt Margot.”
He nodded. “But you did come home for holidays, right?”
“Yes, but do you know how many school holidays there are in a year, Cobra?”
Good question. He’d never had a reason to count.
He and his brothers always looked forward to returning to Savannah whenever they got the chance.
They still did. That was why, although they lived in various areas of the United States ─Tez in LA, Colton in Boston, and he in New York ─the triplets owned homes in Savannah, the most beautiful city in Georgia.
Knowing she was waiting for an answer, he said, “I never had a reason to count, actually.”
“Well, I did.”
Those words revealed a lot, whether she had wanted them to or not.
Could there be more to this situation between Richard and his granddaughter?
But then, he might be reading more into it.
Hadn’t she spent the last three years in Paris?
According to Richard, she had taken off less than a week after graduating from college.
Since she had no living relatives there ─her mother’s sister had died a few years ago in a car accident ─Richard had assumed she had spent the past three years hanging out with friends.
“In a way, I’m glad that I’m back.”
“Tired of partying in Paris, are you?”
He could tell his words had struck a nerve.
Whatever blistering retort she was about to make was drowned out by the cheers and claps when Colton and Kelly reappeared dressed for travel, and looking like a couple madly in love and filled with extreme happiness.
The music stopped, and everyone began moving toward them to see them off.
He turned to Desiree to suggest they follow the crowd, only to see her strolling off in the opposite direction without a backward glance.
***
Cobra seldom gave women a reason to walk away from him, and as far as he was concerned, he hadn’t given Desiree one.
Still, maybe it was a good idea to accept her actions as an omen.
The last thing he needed was to spend time with a woman who’d make it impossible for him to think of anyone else.
A woman who could test his ability to be in control… especially, of a locked zipper.
But then, maybe that was what he needed —a challenge.
If he could resist the most beautiful creature he had ever seen, he’d know for sure that he’d win the bet with his brothers.
And after all, there were still five months to go.
And unless he cooled his friendship with Richard, temptation would undoubtedly eat him alive. Destroy the very essence of his being.