Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 57407 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 287(@200wpm)___ 230(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57407 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 287(@200wpm)___ 230(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
That was the logical assumption since Drew handled a lot of high-profile mergers and acquisitions clients at McKenzie Goodwin. Since making partner almost a year ago, his workload had definitely increased, but that wasn’t the reason for his head not being in the game today.
“Would you believe me if I told you it was a woman?” he admitted.
“Well, now you’ve got my attention.” Tripp sat down, placed the ball on the ground, then tossed Drew one of the two bottled waters next to him. “I didn’t even know you were seeing anyone.”
“I’m not,” he said, cracking open the top before taking a long drink of the cool liquid, which felt great going down his dry throat. “I met her at the awards dinner last night.”
Tripp smirked. “I can’t remember the last time you got hung up on a one-night stand.”
Drew shook his head and corrected his brother. “I didn’t sleep with her.”
Tripp’s dark brows rose over his green eyes as he gulped his own water. When he was done, he said, “And now I’m even more intrigued, so spill.”
When Drew agreed to meet Tripp at the gym for a game of one-on-one—which didn’t happen often with both of their crazy schedules—he hadn’t intended on discussing his encounter with Georgia. But considering she was occupying too much of his brain power, he decided to talk about the evening with his brother to hopefully clear his head.
He glanced at Tripp. “Do you remember Elliott Eastman, the dick colleague I told you about that’s always resented my success?”
Tripp didn’t have to think long. “Oh, yeah…the one who nearly had an aneurysm when you bagged the eight-billion-dollar merger between Gould Logistics and Capstone, over him?”
Drew nodded, even though their rivalry encompassed so much more than that one client. It went back to their law school years, but acquiring that huge corporation hadn’t helped matters. The contention between the two of them had always been instigated by Elliott, who never missed an opportunity to belittle Drew, which was ironic since Drew came out on top more often than not.
“Ahh, so you do listen when I talk to you,” Drew said to Tripp, then finished off his water.
His brother chuckled. “Sometimes. But in this case, it’s hard to forget the accomplishment that put you on the fast track to making partner. So, what about Elliott Eastman?”
Drew leaned forward and braced his forearms on his knees. “He was there last night with a woman I assumed was his date.” His mind went back to the first moment he’d seen Georgia accompanying Elliott as he made the rounds during cocktail hour. Drew’s first thought had been, what was a beauty like her doing with a schmuck like Elliott?
And she was beautiful. He’d been captivated by her pretty face with delicate features and expressive blue eyes, made more prominent with her blonde hair swept into some kind of stylish updo. She’d worn a modest black cocktail dress, but there was no missing her full breasts, curvy hips, and long, slender legs that inspired all sorts of dirty thoughts.
So when he’d seen her alone at the dessert table, Drew figured there was no harm in talking to her—and if their interaction irritated Eastman, he’d count it as a bonus. He thought she’d be nothing more than a flighty piece of arm candy or a spoiled socialite, but quickly realized how wrong that presumption had been.
“Hey, where’d you go?” his brother asked, dragging Drew’s thoughts away from Georgia.
So much for talking about her to get his mind back on track.
He gave his head a shake. “I’ll admit, I might have approached her when she was alone for the sole purpose of annoying the douchebag, and I’d only intended to flirt with her a bit. But then she told me that Elliott wasn’t her boyfriend, so I asked her to dance.”
In the short twenty minutes he’d been in Georgia Brooks’ presence, he’d been introduced to a sophisticated woman who came across as strong, intelligent, and mature. Yet, there had been a few times when she’d also given him a look into underlying self-doubts that surprised him. He would have missed those nuances had he not been paying such close attention to the emotion in her eyes, her revealing expression, and her soft voice.
He wasn’t lying when he said she intrigued him. More than was probably wise.
“So, you danced, and what happened?” Tripp prompted, making Drew realize that he’d let his mind wander. Again.
He glanced at his brother. “There was a genuine connection and attraction between us, which I wasn’t expecting at all. I mean, I haven’t felt that kind of chemistry with a woman since…Angie.”
“Wow,” Tripp said, his eyes widening in surprise. “It’s only taken what, three years for you to get past her betrayal?”
Drew shrugged. “I’ve been over Angie since the day I found out she was having an affair with someone else.”