The executives? You mean, yourself?

Nevertheless, my mouth watered. I always wanted to go to Italy. He smirked at me, knowing full well that he was dangling a fat, juicy carrot in front of my face. I snapped back to myself. “Why me? Seriously. I really doubt that you need employees you get along with.”

He suddenly reached over and grasped my wrist. His thumb ran up and down, tracing my veins. “No, but I’d rather go with you.”

I snatched it away, the huskiness in his voice making my face hot. “Don’t lie to me.”

“Do you really think it’s that far-fetched that I might be attracted to you?”

Yes, I thought to myself, but admitting that would be a bit pathetic. “I’m getting very mixed signals from you. You said you weren’t interested in me, now all of a sudden you want to go on a three week trip with me?”

He looked at me, his eyes blazing. “You’re not my usual type, but I like the fact that you’re so open. You were so sad at the party. You didn’t even try to hide it. Everyone could see how miserable you were, but you didn’t care.”

That was news to me. My whole body felt unpleasantly hot. It was incredibly embarrassing, but it was true. He was saying things that no polite person would ever say out loud, but he said them with respect in his voice.

“At the restaurant, too. You sort of lost it.”

I had a flash of anger for the well-dressed, rich man sitting across the table, dishing out judgment towards me. I didn’t want to hear this shit. “I know that I’m a fucking mess and I don’t need to be reminded of it.” He leaned across the table suddenly and grabbed both my arms. “What’re you—”

“Natalie, I’m trying to say that we are very alike. You turned me down and that intrigued me.”

The fact that I could have anything in common with a billionaire was absurd, and yet William wasn’t the polished, put together person I would’ve expected from the Pardini family.

My arms had dark imprints where he grabbed me. He sat back in his chair and let that sink into my head.

“So is that what this is about? The chase? After one night with me, you’ll be done.”

William stood up from the table with a serene expression on his face and I wondered if I offended him. “I don’t think I’d want just one night from you.”

The sincerity in his voice took me by surprise. My heart thumped loudly in my ears as he swept around the table with a smile that made me feel like I was prey. Did I want him? Hell yes. No, he wasn’t a long-term solution to my loneliness, but he would make me feel good. Will pulled out a chair and sat too close to me. I was close enough to see the stubble on his chin.

His hand slid across my shoulder to brush my hair from my neck and I shuddered as if his hand slid up my naked thigh. His deep chuckle sent goose bumps over my skin.

“Are you afraid of me? Is that it? Or are you afraid of letting go?”

Both. Maybe he just wanted someone to fuck on the trip. Did it matter? My spirits sank. I don’t want to be used as a toy.

What demons are you hiding? Luke’s dire warning against Will echoed in my head.

I wanted to say something to stop the inevitable. I knew that if I looked at him, I would kiss him. “Luke warned me about you,” I said to his chin. “He said you had done something terrible.”

All the color drained from his face as he pulled away from me and sat up straight, staring across the table. “He told you?”

He looked like he had been stabbed. He almost looked dead, but his lips moved and a humorless laugh left his throat. “You must despise me.”

Waves of shock obliterated everything. My heart rammed hard against my ribs. I expected rage against Luke, or petty insults, but not guilt. He couldn’t even look at me.

Whatever it was, Will felt horrible about it and I never should have brought it up. I regretted it instantly, hating that empty look on his face. He stood up shakily and looked at the door.

“Will, he didn’t tell me anything. I just wanted to know what happened.”

Within an instant, his demeanor shifted. He whirled around and shot me a dark, electric look. Disgust wrinkled his nose as he looked down at me. “What the hell is wrong with you? Why would you bring that up?”

I shrank into my chair. “I’m sorry—it’s just—he mentioned something and I was concerned. If I’m going on a trip with someone, I think I deserve to know if I’ll be safe around them.”

The dark-haired man looked like he was on the verge of exploding. He wavered a bit on his feet, looking like he wanted to throw something, before dropping into his chair. His head fell into his hands and I heard him draw a deep breath.

What the fuck? What the hell do I do now? He was still breathing heavily with his face in his hands. He glanced up to give me a frightened look and he clutched his chest, gritting his teeth.

“Fuck,” he managed to spit out.

Holy crap. My heart bulged in my throat as I thought of what to do. He looked like he was having some sort of mental breakdown; he looked completely insane. No, he’s not crazy. He reminded me a lot of Jessica when she was having her panic attacks.

“Just breathe,” I whispered to him. My hand twitched as I meant to let it fall on his head, but I was afraid to touch him. I grabbed his shoulder instead and squeezed through his thick suit.

I had no idea what was going through his mind, but I recognized the signs. God, all those times when Jessica would have panic attacks, and of course she had no health insurance so we could never call the ambulance. It always scared the shit out of me.

Gradually, his breathing slowed and he was able to look at me. “Will you do it?”

I gaped at him. How could he ask me that when I just pissed him off? That’s why he wants me there. He needs someone to watch over him, to calm him down when he’s having his panic attacks. It has nothing to do with sex. I felt terrible for how I judged him.

“Will—”

“No,” he growled suddenly. “Don’t ask me.”

I nodded, understanding. Jessica couldn’t talk about her problems either. It took her years. “Will I be safe around you? I mean—this is not; I’m not trained for this sort of thing. If you’re using this graphic designer thing just as an excuse—”

“I’m not,” he said in a pained voice. “I just need someone to travel with me. You’ll be safe, I promise.”

He stood up suddenly with his hands balled at his sides.