6. Bianca

I"d gone through the worst torment of my life in the last few weeks. So wrecked with worry I"d been that Theo had fallen in love with someone that I could barely sleep. I"d resorted to keeping myself awake by sniffing more and more white powder, all the while checking all surveillance devices I"d placed on his person.

But nothing happened. He never met with anyone.

My paranoia was getting the best of me, and I simply could not focus on anything else but Theo"s mystery woman. Who was she? How was she better than me?

Most importantly, how do I kill her?

One late afternoon, I am going through one report that my P.I. had compiled on Theo. So focused I am on what I"m doing that I barely pay any attention to the notice that someone is asking to see me. I absentmindedly think it must be Drew.

Ever since I"ve become more independent, he"d started stepping back from his duties and had even married last year. Now, he mostly works remotely if I have any assignments for him. He"s also the perfect alibi when my father decides to show some interest in what I'mdoing.

I head downstairs, and to the drawing room, expecting to see Drew. Instead, I"m more than surprised when it"s Theo who is waiting inside the room, his back to the entrance.

I carefully step inside, suddenly alert and curious to the reason for his visit.

"Bianca." He turns, offering me half a smile. I reciprocate, putting on my best act.

"Mr. Hastings." I greet him back, still addressing him formally.

"Call me Theo, please," he says, motioning me to the settees.

"Theo." I settle on the couch next to him but still keep an appropriate distance — even if it"s killing me. My nostrils are flaring ever so slightly as I take in the scent of him, his nearness, both of which I"d missed so agonizingly much over the last few weeks.

"What brings you here?" I ask, schooling my features to reflect my confusion at his presence when all I want is to jump his bones, tell him to take me right here.

"I wanted to make sure you"re ok. After last time . . ." he pauses, "I hope nothing happened after I left." His concern floors me, but then I realize what this is all about.

I"m just a battered woman to him, someone in need of saving. So he"s taken it upon himself to make sure I am ok. If I didn"t know this was Theo"s nature — to save everyone — I might have been hopeful at his inquiry. But as it stands, I can see that I am just another pet project for him.

From reading his file and following his daily life, I"d drawn some conclusions about what makes Theodore Hastings the man he is — his humanity. He simply can"t help himself when he sees anyone in trouble, offering to help even if it might be to his disadvantage. He"s simply that good, the opposite of me.

But then I realize that this might be to my advantage. Maybe playing the victim is exactly how I can ensnare him.

I look down, and I fidget.

"I"m fine," I say, making sure my voice trembles a little. As expected, he picks up on my distress immediately, and he takes my hands into his. I almost sigh out of pleasure from that contact alone.

"You can tell me if something happened. I don"t think I mentioned this last time, but I work with the NYPD." He"s clasping my hands, as if to reassure me. I turn my head to the side, a whimper escaping my lips.

"It"s nothing I"m not used to," I finally admit, looking at him from the corner of my eyes to gauge his reaction. His eyes widen slightly.

"It"s happened before?" he asks as if it"s hard for him to hear this, so I just softly nod.

"Goddamn it!" he curses.

"I"m so sorry, Bianca. I"ll have a talk with your father." The moment he mentions my father, I vigorously shake my head.

"No. Please. Don"t mention it to my father . . ." I keep shaking my head, molding my lips in a thin line to reflect both fear and reluctance.

"But . . ."

"Please, you"ll only make it worse." I beg him.

"Then what can I do?"

"You don"t have to do anything. It"s not your problem."

"I want to," he continues, his expression grim.

"It"s fine, really." I stand up, my back to him. Taking a deep breath, I put on the best act of my life.

"You should go, Mr. Hastings."

I don"t even turn to see how he might react to this. I just continue what I already started.

"You"ll only get me in trouble with my father. He doesn"t like me to entertain strange men."

He doesn"t speak for a moment, and I have to wonder if I went too far with my rejection.

"I"m sorry you don"t feel safe enough to talk to me," he says, his tone defeated.

I don"t look back as I leave the room, still debating whether I"m doing the right thing. I"m literally banking on Theo"s savior syndrome.

Prove me right, Theo!

The following days turn into weeks and into months. Theo proves to be as relentless as I"d pegged him. Every so often, he would come to check up on me, finding some sort of excuse to question whether I feel unsafe or if anything else happened to me. He"s sweet that way. But even though his visits are quite frequent, it isn"t enough anymore. Especially with this mystery woman he"d left Pink for still unknown.

I bite on my pen, trying to figure out what to do next. Sure, I"d appealed to his protective instincts, and he"d taken the bait, coming to see me almost weekly. Still, I need more. I need him to see me in a romantic light.

As I keep on thinking how to turn our relationship around, one of the staff announces that I have a visitor. I go down the stairs a little too fast, deep down hoping it will be Theo.

I"m not disappointed as I see him in the foyer, all dressed up in a suit and flowers in his hand. He looks a little uncertain as his gaze roams around until it settles on me.

"Theo?" I ask, coming to stand on the same level as him.

"B, hi." He gives me a lopsided smile, thrusting the flowers in my direction. "For you."

I frown. "With what occasion?"

"I wanted to talk to you about something, if that"s ok," he replies instead, leading me toward the garden.

"What is it?"

During his visits in the last few months, we"d engaged in some small talk and we"d gotten to know each other better. Well, he"d gotten to know Bianca Ashby. I already knew all there was to know about him.

"I know we haven"t known each other that long but . . ." He trails off, bringing his hand up to scratch the back of his head.

"I talked to your father, and I asked permission to court you," he blurts out suddenly, and my eyes widen. What? "If you"re agreeable, that is," he amends.

"You"re asking to date me?" I ask him to clarify, because really, this was the last thing I would have imagined he would say. A spark lights itself within my heart, and I get the urge to smile like a fool — but I know I can"t. I need to keep my ruse.

"I know this is rather out of the blue. I"ve esteemed you for a long time now, but I was trying to give you space to get used to me since I know you"ve never dated before," he adds, almost apologetic.

"You like me?" I must sound like a broken record, but I need him to spell it out for me so I can throw an inner party and finally plan our future wedding.

"Yes." He nods, and tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, he gives me the most gorgeous smile. I almost swoon, but not quite, since I need to keep up my shy girl image. I lower my head and blush.

"I"d like that very much," I tell him, probably the only honest thing I"ve ever told him. "You said my father approves?"

"He"d given me permission a few months ago, but it was my prerogative to take it slow. I don"t want you to feel pressured in any way to say yes to me . . ."

"No, no," I say, rather quickly. "I"m not pressured. I like you too," I admit, lowering my gaze.

I watch from under my lashes as a wide smile spreads across his face.

"I"m curious," I start, still not looking at him. "Since when have you liked me?"

"Since I first saw you," he answers solemnly and I hold my breath. It can"t be, can it?

I wreck my brain for the dates and realize he broke it off with Pink after that disastrous lunch. Is it possible I was the mysterious woman all along? I suddenly want to laugh at the absurdity of it all.

I was jealous of myself.

I school my features, centering my thoughts on the present. I slowly lift my head to gaze at him bashfully.

"I"m glad," I whisper.

Maybe not all is lost.

***

Iput in a lot of effort for our first date. After spending hours shopping and watching different tutorials to learn how to comport myself, I feel like I am finally ready.

I"d chosen a black dress that, while modest, still emphasized my curves and drew eyes to my cleavage. Theo needs to be reminded that while I am a sweet, gentle woman, I am still a sexual being and his thoughts should be focused on that. He should yearn for me, but not get me. This is all about building that anticipation that will make him mine in the end.

I slip my feet into a pair of sandals and I head downstairs.

Theo is already waiting for me, looking as sleek as always. Taking advantage of the fact that he has not noticed me yet, I let my gaze roam greedily over his figure. He is so decidedly attractive that I feel myself growing wet just gazing at him. All these months of celibacy haven"t done me any good, and I"m one step away from pouncing on him.

He suddenly turns, his eyes roving over my body, the darkening of his irises a good indication that he likes what he sees. By now, I"m quite familiar with Theo"s cues, especially his sexual ones. And I know he"s one step away from ravishing me, too.

Oh, if only he would . . .

"You look exquisite," he rasps, and I give him a shy smile and a blush.

"Thank you. You too."

He offers me his hand, taking me to a cab and then to our restaurant. I can tell he"s put a lot of thought into this. The entire setting is intimate and romantic. We are led to a small alcove, and we both take our seats.

"This is lovely." I add, trying to break the awkward silence. I look up slightly to see Theo staring at me intently. I frown.

"Do I have something on my face?" I ask, afraid I"d smeared some lipstick.

"No." He shakes his head, half-amused, but he doesn"t continue.

The server comes around to bring us water and hand us the menu. Theo"s eyes narrow as he follows the server"s movements. It"s only when the server leaves that Theo returns to normal. Odd.

He turns his attention back to me and smiles.

"What are your plans after graduation?" he asks, and I internally smirk. This is what I was waiting for. I"d prepared for this, and I have the perfect answer for anything he might ask.

On the outside, I school my features to convey uncertainty as I start my rehearsed speech.

"I"ve been thinking about a project . . ." I trail off, "but I don"t know if I can do it."

"Of course, you can. What is it?" He reaches across the table to put his hand on top of mine and I soak in the contact, almost moaning at the feel of his skin on mine.

"I want to start a foundation for the less fortunate. I"ve put together a business plan, but I don"t think my father is going to allow me." I lower my gaze as I whisper. "He doesn"t like women working." I watch from the corner of my eye as Theo grits his teeth, that statement having the desired effect on him.

"I can talk to him. If you want to do it, you will." He squeezes my hand and I purr in satisfaction.

"Thank you . . . thank you." I return the touch, trying to convey my gratitude.

"None of that. I want you to know I don"t hold the same views as your father. While we may know each other in a professional capacity, I don"t subscribe to his way of thinking."

"I know. You"re a good man," I say and blush. His eyes crinkle at the corners, and he continues.

"What about family? Do you see marriage in your future? Children?" He goes straight to the point, doesn"t he? I"d already accounted for that, seeing that Theo is quite traditional in that respect.

"I"d like that. As an only child, I"ve always wanted a big family. Children . . ." I smile, "I"d like children." The corners of his mouth pull up and I can see he"s satisfied with my answer.

The server comes again and places the dishes in front of us. He lingers a little more than necessary in front of me, and I frown. Following the server"s line of sight, I see he"s a little too entranced by my cleavage. Damn! I wanted to go for classy, not trampy. I"m unsure how to react, since my usual go-to would be to beat the shit out of him, but I can"t do that with Theo in front of me.

"Eyes on me, kiddo." Theo suddenly interjects and the waiter flinches. Theo narrows his eyes at his name tag, "Owen," he starts, "I"m not a very forgiving man, especially when it comes to this lady." The threat in his tone was clear and Owen starts shaking his head while mumbling an apology. Theo only raises an eyebrow at him, and Owen immediately scurries back to the staff room.

"You didn"t need to be so harsh," I say softly, trying to ease the tension I sense in him.

"You"re too na?ve, little one. If you knew what he was thinking . . ." He shakes his head. "He needed to know you"re off limits."

"I am?" My mouth opens just a fraction, looking at him in wonder.

"You are." He smiles confidently. "When you agreed to date me, you agreed to be mine. And I don"t share."

Good. Neither do I.

But I don"t voice that. No, I just look away, releasing a soft giggle and pretending to be embarrassed by his words.

We spend the rest of the date discussing various topics, and while I"d prepared an entire list of answers to give him, I find that we do have a lot of things in common, like our stances on politics, religion and social reform.

As the end of the night nears, I instantly get giddy about the thought of him kissing me. The cab drops us at my home and I turn to him, looking expectantly.

"I had a great time," I say, the intensity of his eyes sending a shiver down my back. Yes, this is the moment.

He comes closer, his hand reaching out and caressing my cheek.

"Me too, little one. I"ll see you next week." He leans in for the kiss and I close my eyes, my lips ready to meet his.

But they don"t.

Because he doesn"t kiss my lips.

He barely grazes my forehead.

"Goodnight," he says, and then he"s gone.

What? No kiss? Where is my kiss?

I"m left flabbergasted, looking at the spot he"s just vacated, and I realize something. Maybe my shy girl pretense is backfiring. At this rate, will he ever touch me?

Shit!

I go straight to my room and I dial Vlad. I know what I have to do; I just need a little something to push him.

"Vlad," I say the moment he picks up, "I need you to hire someone to attack us. I need it to be perfect." I start explaining what I need the attacker to do: scare me enough that I"ll need to be consoled. Theo would, of course, save the day, and then he would have to comfort me. Ravaged by anxiety and in his arms, the entire scene would end in my much-desired kiss.

"Slow down," he drawls, "you want me to pay someone to attack you just so your suit can save you? You"re crazy."

"I"m not. Think about it! The intensity of the situation will make our endorphins run high, and one thing will lead to another and then . . ."

"Yeah, I got that, but really B? That"s your master plan?"

"He kissed my forehead tonight. My forehead." I try to emphasize the gravity of the situation. "What if he doesn"t think of me sexually? No, I can"t have that happen."

"B," he groans, and I can tell he"s going to object more.

"I swear if I don"t get any action soon, my lips will wither and fall off. You wouldn"t want that, would you?"

"I"m not sure that"s biologically possible, but have it your way. I"ll find someone. If it backfires, it"s on you, but don"t say I didn"t warn you."

"You"re the best," I exclaim and send him a virtual kiss.

My plan will work. All my plans do.