Chapter 12

Paige and Nathaniel finished their entrees and Arthur cleared the table. The other butler brought out the deserts. It looked like a creme puff with a pink custard in it, drizzled with a dark red sauce and fresh berries on the side. It was a decorated version of what Nathaniel had texted her.

"Please try it first. You chose it, after all," he said. Paige cut a piece and placed it in her mouth. The pastry felt like a fluffy cloud and the crème inside was a fruity sweetness that tantalized her tastebuds. Her eyes closed and she clenched her fist to restrain herself from making lewd noises.

"That might be the best thing I've ever tasted," she said. Nathaniel grinned broadly. He was now going to personally thank his chef, something unprecedented.

"I'm glad that you like it. If you'd like one to take home, I can have Arthur have the chef make another," he offered. Paige eyes widened.

"Really? It's not too much trouble? If it is, don't bother but honestly, this is the best thing I've tasted in my life. I know I'm being repetitive but it is so good," Paige said excitedly. The prospect of eating this again was wonderful to her. She tried not to eat too many deserts, many of them were too sweet for her liking, but this was perfectly sweet and delicious.

"It's no trouble at all. He can prepare it while we go over your presentation," Nathaniel said. "Arthur," he called emotionlessly, "have the chef prepare this desert for Paige to take home."

Paige couldn't get used to Nathaniel's cold demeanor around everyone else. She felt like it was another person before her. She wondered if he would ever treat her like that. She shuddered at the thought as she finished her delicious desert.

"I must complement you, Paige, on your etiquette. You used all the appropriate utensils for each course. Did you study to prepare for our dinner?" Nathaniel said in amusement. He wouldn't care if she used her bare hands to eat.

"Um," Paige started, not sure how to respond, "I learned when I was younger." 'It's true' she thought, 'but I don't have to give details.'

"Oh? You'll have to tell me the story after your proposal. If you're done with desert, we can head to my office," he said, sensing her hesitancy.

"Yes, let's head there," Paige said. He got up from his chair and Paige followed suit. He led her through a hallway and up a staircase. They went down another hallway and he opened a door. The office was very regal, with more wood furnishings with gold embellishments. She saw her paperwork on his desk. Nathaniel sat in a large leather chair behind the desk and Paige sat in one of the two chairs that were in front of it. The chair was comfortable and had an embroidered cushion.

"Alright, Paige, I see you brought some projections for me. I'll look over them and you let me know what I'm looking at," Nathaniel said seriously.

Paige was a little nervous. This wasn't exactly how she planned this, but she would give it a shot. "If you turn to page one, you'll see our current client numbers and successful program completion rates," Paige started. "Page 2 shows the recidivism rates and page 3 shows reasons for recidivism. The number one reason for recidivism is housing."

"Ok, are there any less costly interventions than building an apartment complex?" Nathaniel inquired.

"Of course. If you turn to page 4 through 5, you'll see a short outline of interventions from evidence based practices along with descriptions. Pages 6 and 7 show the impact of each of these interventions on recidivism, which has improved it by 20 percent. When surveying our clients for reasons for recidivism, distance was a factor in housing. The closest low income housing to our facility is about 30 miles away. It's a two hour bus ride. So, this factors in to the success of our interventions. If there was closer housing, our clients would be more likely to be able to successfully complete these interventions. I have a list of projected numbers on page 8," Paige said. She was nervous but she didn't show it. She watched as Nathaniel looked at her numbers.

"Page 10 says that the land is owned by the same person that rents you the building and talks about grants that cover your rent," Nathaniel said. "It would be easier if it wasn't already owned, but—" Nathaniel was interrupted by a knock on the door and the younger butler entering.

"Sir, your mother is on the line—" he started but was stopped immediately by Nathaniel.

"What part of 'do not disturb me' did your imbecilic brain not grasp? If there was a caveat to that statement, I would have made it known. My mother is capable of leaving me a direct voicemail or text message. Get out of my sight," Nathaniel said in a icy, menacing voice.

The butler scampered out with a "my apologies" and left Paige alone with Nathaniel. She got up from her chair.

"Mr. Donovan, thank you for your time. I need to be going. I was unaware of how late it is," she said, lowering her head to him.

"Paige, I'm sorry. Please don't leave," he said as he got up and moved quickly to stand in front of her.

"Please move. Honestly, I cannot stand when people treat others like garbage. There's never a reason to be that mean!" Paige exclaimed angrily, challenging him.

"Paige, I explained to you why I'm like this already—"

"What you are doing isn't being apathetic, it's being cruel! I knew I was right when I heard you say you didn't want to get your shoes dirty by visiting my shelter!"

"I was ignorant and acting on it in that moment. I apologize and will do better," he said, head hung low.

"Do you actually care about my shelter or are you just looking to sleep with me?" Paige asked. Her fury could not be contained in this moment. She wanted to make him feel everything he made his subordinates feel.

"I care because you care. I don't just want to sleep with you, I want to date you, to court you. I wanted to talk about this after we settled things and ask you on a date properly and I'm sorry I'm talking about it now. I just don't want you to leave or be angry with me," he said sheepishly. His arms had blocked her in from leaving without him even realizing it. He was acting in instinct and his instincts told him that this woman world run and never look back if they didn't settle this now.

"Honestly, I don't see how this would ever work. If you feel like donating to our shelter again, send Alex. Goodbye, Mr. Donovan," Paige said angrily. She was furious and wanted to be out of there. She couldn't wait to get away. However, her fury would lead to her making mistakes that evening.

Looking back, Paige made two mistakes that night.

She was moving Nathaniel's arm out of her way so she could leave his office when he surprised her and moved it himself. Her arm was already outstretched and had her full strength behind it, so she stumbled and grabbed Nathaniel's shoulder to steady herself.

The contact of her body pressed against his chiseled body made her incredibly aware of just how close they were. She looked up into his eyes to see him staring at her, transfixed. Her eyes moved to his lips. They looked so soft.

She tried to turn her head away, embarrassed by her mind, but it was as if Nathaniel had the same thought and he tried to turn his head away simultaneously, but in the opposite direction, causing their lips to touch. They both froze for an instant. Paige felt like she was on fire, had butterflies in her stomach and her head was a mess. Then, Paige made her first mistake.

She placed her delicate hand against his face and she kissed him. His lips were so soft and he tasted slightly of peppermint. She felt an arm wrap around her waist and his lips moving against hers urgently. His other hand moved to the back of her neck as he deepened their kiss and slipped his tongue in her mouth. She let out a small, audible moan at the sensation.

As if she evoked something within him, he moved both hands to her thighs as he groaned and then picked her up and pressed her back against the nearby wall. Paige wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, her tongue dancing with his. They continued to kiss and she noticed a very distinct, hard bulge pressed against her core. She let out another small moan as she felt her womanhood moisten.

Nathaniel pressed against her more and continued his aggressive onslaught of her mouth. She lightly rocked her hips against his in the rhythm of their kiss and she felt his manhood grow even larger between them. She wanted to feel more of him because his touch and his kiss made her feel so good. Her logical brain had turned off long ago, otherwise, it would have been screaming at her and reminding her of how much she despised this man.

Paige would guess the second mistake occurred around the time of her breaking their kiss and beginning to unbutton his shirt.

"Are you sure?" she heard him question.

"I just want to feel you," she whispered as she fiddled with a button. He proceeded to grab the fabric and rip the shirt open and off, causing buttons to fly everywhere.