Begin Again novel Chapter 85

Eden tried every excuse in the book to get out of the business dinner with Liam.

She'd declined his invitation as soon as Clara sent it last night and again this morning, citing everything from being sick with a sudden bout of flu to Aiden not having a nanny, an obvious lie since Brenda lives with her.

Liam saw right through her bullshit reasons and rearranged his whole diary for her, moving their appointment from 7:00 PM to earlier in the day.

He was determined to get his money's worth from her and make sure she brings Lydia to the fold by any means necessary.

Promptly at 4:00 PM, he knocked on her door, and Eden sucked in her breath when she looked up from her laptop, and their eyes clashed.

She was convinced, now more than ever, Liam was sent on earth with the sole purpose of tempting her. He looked sinfully dapper in a navy three-piece suit and his usual white shirt, but he had abandoned the matching tie he'd worn throughout the day.

"Your chariot awaits," he bowed gallantly as he held out his hand.

Trying her best to ignore the way her heart skipped and the butterflies in her stomach fluttered at his silly gesture, Eden made a face at him as she grabbed her handbag and laptop and followed him out of her office. "I'm only staying for two hours."

"It's more than enough," Liam said, stopping her heart with his lopsided smile, only to pump it back to life with his hand on the small of her back as he led her in and out of the elevator and ushered her to one of the three black SUVs waiting at the entrance.

They were at the restaurant in under seven minutes and would have made it sooner if it wasn't for the peak hour traffic.

The hostess, a plump, middle-aged woman with long dark hair complementing her striking features, was way too excited to see them.

She prattled on in Portuguese, and Liam kept up the conversation fluently.

Show off, Eden pouted as he helped her out of her blazer and hung it neatly over her chair. She'd read in one of the Business Insider articles he's a polyglot. Something she never believed until now.

"Thank you," she smiled and graciously accepted the seat he insisted on holding out for her even though she was perfectly capable of sitting down with no help.

Eden looked around the room while Liam browsed the wine list, noticing for the first time that they were the only patrons.

"Where's everyone?" She leaned forward and asked in a hushed tone.

Liam mirrored her pose and whispered back. "I'm starting to question your processing power if you have to ask me that."

"God, you are infuriating!" She said, unable to keep her exasperation from her voice. How could she want him so bad and hate him all at once?

"Careful, Princess, I don't want you hurting yourself," he laughed as he watched her drape the napkin over her lap angrily, his denim blue eyes twinkling with joy.

"Why am I here?" Eden demanded, but their waitress returned with the oldest bottle of wine she could find in the cellar before she could get an explanation. She stopped her just as she was about to pour a glass for her and asked for sparkling water instead.

"I don't drink." She told Liam when they were alone again.

"Why?" Watching her carefully, he picked up his drink and twirled it in his hand. "On second thought, good choice. You look like you can't handle alcohol."

"If you brought me here to insult me—"

"That was a compliment," Liam smiled roguishly.

"I fail to see how that's a compliment." Eden threw her hands up in frustration, refusing to waste her intellect on him.

"So? Are you going to tell me what this is about?" She asked again, making a point of checking her wristwatch. The sooner he told her what he wanted, the quicker she could leave.

"Lydia Edwards," Liam announced in a business-like tone now. "I want a meeting with her handlers. The marketing team has tried countless times to get in touch with her, and she's rebuffed all their attempts."