A Date With A Billionaire. Julianna Morris

Чтение книги онлайн.

       Chapter Two

      Billionaire Charms “No” Into Maybe?

      “I didn’t know you were that charming,” Shannon announced as she walked into Kane’s office late Monday morning and threw a newspaper on his desk.

      Kane sighed. “I’ve seen it.”

      Another bold title, this time with art.

      Beneath it was a picture of him looking intently into Beth Cox’s face, his hand hovering in the vicinity of her chest. To say the least, it was highly suggestive, because you couldn’t tell from the photo that he was reaching for the braid that tumbled over her shoulder. His only consolation was knowing the article had been printed in the Lifestyles section of the newspaper, rather than the front page.

      The buzzer on his desk rang and Kane pushed the intercom button. “Yes?”

      “Mr. O’Rourke, there’s a Miss Cox here to see you.” His assistant’s voice held a wealth of amusement and Kane groaned to himself.

      Great. Not only were his employees laughing their heads off, but Beth had to be upset about the invasion of her privacy. Not that he blamed her. He didn’t enjoy the notoriety that accompanied his success, either. All too often there were photographers in places meant to be private, and prying questions from people who didn’t have any business knowing the things they were asking.

      “Tell Miss Cox to come in.”

      His sister grinned broadly. “I can’t wait to see this. A woman with the guts to tell Kane O’Rourke ‘no’ has to be something else.”

      “Shannon, leave or you’re fired.”

      “You won’t fire me, you practice nepotism, remember?”

      She didn’t leave and Beth walked in, her face stormy. “It wasn’t good enough to hand me a big check, you had to set everything up with a photographer and newspeople to save your pride.”

      “That isn’t what happened.”

      “Sure it isn’t.” She flung a handful of confetti at him. “Keep your money. We don’t need it that badly.”

      Kane rounded his desk, instinctively realizing he had to deal with her on a more personal level. The truth was, he should have called the minute he saw the newspaper article, but he hadn’t known what to say. Or how she’d react.

      “I swear, I didn’t know there was a photographer out there. I was leaving the house—how would I know you’d follow me?”

      Beth hesitated. He looked sincere. Darn. All her life she’d struggled with a tendency to overreact. She’d thought it was under control, then she’d seen the newspaper and come unglued. Maybe she should have thought things out before charging into Seattle and making accusations.

      “Much as it pains me to say this, I believe him,” announced the woman sitting on the couch.

      “Who are you?” Beth asked, though she hardly needed to ask—the resemblance to Kane was unmistakable.

      “Shannon O’Rourke,” the woman said. She rose gracefully and stuck out her hand. She nodded her head toward Kane and gave Beth a comradely grin. “That big goon is my brother, and I’m his public relations director. Please don’t be too hard on him, he’s had a rough week. It isn’t easy being publicly turned down for a date.”

      A groan came from the “big goon,” but he didn’t say anything, apparently accustomed to his sister’s lack of respect. Beth stared at Shannon and wondered if everyone in the O’Rourke family was gorgeous, sophisticated, and larger than life. She was a small town girl; she didn’t know anything about designer suits and silk blouses.

      “I didn’t intend it to be public,” Beth said finally. “But the newspaper sent someone out and they kept asking questions. I finally said I didn’t plan to go and the reporter made a big deal of it.”

      “Which is exactly what they did with that picture…taking it without us knowing,” Kane interjected. “Let’s have lunch and talk it over.”

      “Great idea,” Shannon said enthusiastically. “I’m starved.”

      “You’re not invited. Besides, didn’t I just fire you?” he asked.

      Beth’s jaw dropped, but Shannon just laughed. “Don’t worry, I get fired at least once a week,” she said. “It was nice СКАЧАТЬ