I Want

  I want

  By Jo Briggs

  Copyright

  All rights reserved. This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any form without prior written permission of the publisher, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution, circulation or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly. Thank you for respecting the work of this author.

  Copyright © 2011 Jo Briggs. First Published in United Kingdom by Jo Briggs in October 2012

  I want is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places and events portrayed in this book either are from the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, establishments, events, or location is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Cover art by Daydream Books featuring Stock photo/© Denis Tevekov

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  First impressions

  Flowers and Dreams

  Kisses in the Rain

  The First Time

  Sightseeing

  Seduction in the dark

  Diesel fumes and new addresses

  Life’s ups and downs

  The Last time

  Life changes

  Hard decisions

  Follow the Rekindled Series

  Contact Jo Briggs

  First impressions

  March 2002

  Could a poor first impression be overcome, or will it always leave a fundamental doubt in someone’s true nature? This thought troubled Elle, as the arms of a certain presumptuous man drew her closer.

  The man in question, William Dexter, had a reputation for being somewhat aloof in society, and had offended Elle the first night they met. She had overheard him call her a gold digger simply because of her chosen profession of modelling. He rather snobbishly determined that because of prior experiences of women outside his usual circle being intent on catching him as an income source that her friendly manner meant she shared the same intention.

  The sense of presence he exuded astounded her at first, his sapphire blue eyes twinkling with something she could not quite explain. As they locked with her emerald-green ones, it warmed her insides. Whatever it was only lasted a few moments, before it shattered into a million of pieces. As soon as he opened his mouth, the warmth replaced by resentment at his condescension, perhaps some might even consider his attitude offensive, when he acknowledged the introduction of her two sisters, and herself to the Bingham and Dexter group.

  She still had not quite bring herself to forgive him for this insult, but he had apologised and shown a more charming side so she decided to place the unpleasantness to one side for the sake of her sister. Her sister, Jess was dating William’s best friend, Charlie Bingham, and it was inevitable she was going to have to get used to seeing William more and more.

  When she had agreed to be his date she told herself, it was for the sake of Jess’s budding romance, but the nerve endings on high alert all over her body told another story.

  She had been so determined not to dance with him, but here she was on the dance floor with him, his body pressed so close up against her causing her stomach to flutter uncontrollably.

  Trying to ignore all these new sensations, she glanced around the room, noticing the jealousy expressed on most of the women's faces standing around watching them. Even Elle could not deny that William Dexter was among one of the sexiest men she had met, and she had met a fair few in her line of work. Their envy bolstered her ego, as it was unheard of to see William Dexter dancing in unfamiliar company.

  The Benedict triplets were just coming up to their eighteenth birthday and had been sharing a flat in London’s Notting Hill for the past year. The girls’ parents were two successful travel writers, who lived in a small estate, in Hertfordshire that had been in their family for generations. Their Aunt and Uncle Gardiner mostly raised the girls until last year, when the couple decided to move to New York.

  In that year, Jess and Elle had become successful models, and Cate showed considerable promise in her photographic work. Her portfolio earned her the opportunity to help Lucas Potter, a renowned photographer of both celebrity and fashion. Elle was the most efficacious of the three of them; she had recently won a contract to be the face of a global cosmetic company that meant she was appearing on billboards and TV commercials all over Europe and America.

  The girls were becoming regular attendants of many charity dinners due to their rising celebrity status. These meetings finally encouraged an otherwise shy Charlie to ask Jess on a date, several months earlier.

  “You seem lost in thought, Miss Benedict” William’s voice spoke formally. His hot breath teased against her ear, making it difficult for her to breathe without taking in his glorious scent. The mix of Frankincense, vanilla and wood teasing at her nose as his voice penetrated her thoughts, returning her to the reality. As her mind crashed into the present, Elle became increasingly aware of his fingertips caressing the bare skin of her back in time to the slow rhythm of the music.

  “Umm, sorry was just enjoying the lyrics.” She stumbled over her words. She could not help, but blush as he leaned back to look intently at her face, she felt sure he could feel her body reacting against his touch.

  “Do you often let yourself drift away, and immerse yourself into the words of a song?” He questioned, his usual air of indifference had gone, as he seemed to take a genuine interest in what her answer would be.

  Elle smiled weakly under the continued power of his gaze, as he awaited her reply. “Yes, it’s an excellent way to relax. I like the sense of storytelling each song invokes, the writer opening a window into a make-believe world that they have created.”

  Her response intrigued William; he felt drawn to her since the first night. He never meant to be so blunt in his assessment, but Charlie had been goading him to dance all evening, an activity he hated when in unfamiliar company. By the time, he met Elle and her sister he was in a foul mood. The error mortified him even now.

  He had been trying to make amends since then. It took him several attempts at apologising and asking her to dinner, before she begrudgingly accepted his wish to be his dinner partner to this event. Her resistance towards him drew him to her even more. He was used to women falling at his feet, but she was not like that. He had come to enjoy their verbal battles, which ensued when she gave a candid opinion on whatever topic they had been discussing.

  Her sexy curves were on his mind constantly. He was so tempted to pursue her until she agreed to be his. With her vivacious personality, and the caring attitude around the charities, she supported through the charity functions, had made him decide she was the woman he needed by his side. He just needed to get her share this point of view! Simple enough, you would think, and maybe it would have been if he had not been so stupid as to insult her. Now he was paying the cost of having to work harder to get her to like him. But, the sensation of her in his arms felt so right; he knew she was worth any hardship.

  Despite having the responsibility of business assets worth well over £10 billion, he would prefer to spend his life away in his Derbyshire writing songs. The motivation of having someone like Elle in his life was just what he needed to start changing his priorities, and hand over more to his brother, Evan.

  “I agree, a writer is giving you a piece of his or her life to experience.” He answered, as the dance came to end. He offered her a reassuring smile, as he escorted her back to the table, they were sharing with the rest of their group.

&
nbsp; William sharing a similar view on music caught Elle off guard in her earlier assumptions of his character; she presumed him to be too conservative.

  They continued to talk about music for the rest of the evening. After making sure that Evan would accompany their sister home safely, they took a cab back to Elle’s house that she shared with her sisters.

  Asking the cab to wait for a moment, he walked her up the stone steps to her front door.

  “Thank you for agreeing to go to dinner with me tonight.” He began, his voice strained with nervous energy. His eyes were gazing at her luscious lips as the trace of lip-gloss glistened from the diffused porch light above them. I wonder if it’s too early to kiss her. How I would love tasting her soft lips on mine.

  “Thank you for asking me, I enjoyed myself.” She smiled nervously back at him. Her tongue flicked over her lips subconsciously, as she felt his gaze upon them. Her own gaze fell upon his lips unintentionally, as she remembered the beautiful smile that adorned them periodically throughout the evening, when he glanced her way. She wished he would smile more openly as it brought out the dimple on his cheek, softened the hard mask he sometimes wore upon his features.

  “I am glad; could I ask you out to dinner again tomorrow?” The beautiful smile was back.

  “Ohh,” she started; she truly was not expecting him to ask her out on another date - not that she did not want to see him again; rather, she was just astonished by his eagerness. She had shocked herself by enjoying his company so easily after their poor start. His smile began to decline at this hesitant response. “I will be in Prague tomorrow night for a photo shoot, but I will return by the following day. Would you be available for dinner then instead?” She blurted out, as she became aware that she was taking too long to respond.

  “Yes, I can be free then.” He knew there was a prior engagement in his diary, but he would change it. He wanted to spend as much time as she would allow him.

  “Ok, well text me the details of the restaurant, and I will meet you there.”

  He nodded eagerly.

  “If you give me your mobile, I can put my number in for you.”

  He handed over his smartphone, and she entered her details in there for him.

  “I guess I had better let you get inside,” he said as he observed her shiver slightly. She smiled shyly as she noticed him begin to lean closer. Oh goodness, he is going to kiss me, feeling excited by the prospect. She honestly could not believe how in one evening, she had gone from hostility, to wanting to kiss him.

  He leaned in and kissed her, but his lips landed on her cheek, rather than her lips. She felt disappointed by this.

  “Good night Elle, I will text you tomorrow.” He said softly, his eyes twinkling with that same something she had originally noticed in them, before he had insulted her that first night.

  With that, he was gone. Elle felt hot and bothered by the soft impression of his lips on her cheek. Pull yourself together, she chided to herself. It was only a kiss on the cheek, and at the end of the day; one pleasant evening does not compensate for insulting your integrity!

  Flowers and Dreams

  True to his word, William did text her, but he did not wait until the next day. He gave the cab driver the address of his house. As he leaned back against the leather of the seat, reliving the moments of the evening, it occurred to him that he had not complimented her on her outfit.

  He had to stop his mouth from dropping open when she first arrived, and he saw how sensationally she was dressed for the occasion. Her dress was made of pale-pink chiffon flowing down to her ankles, with a silver halter styled neck detail that matched the colour of her high heels.

  He must have been incredibly nervous to forget to tell her how beautiful she looked. He always made the effort to compliment every woman’s appearance to whom he felt an attraction to. The magnetism pulling him to her was stronger than he had ever experienced before. Pulling his phone from his suit jacket pocket, he touched the contact's icon and found her number under the B listing. He hit the send message option, and began how best to convey his thoughts to her.

  It seems I was too busy admiring how fabulous you looked tonight; I neglected to tell you, so, please let me rectify that, and accept my apology. WD

  It had only been about ten minutes since they parted company, so Elle had been quite surprised when she heard her own smartphone ping a notification sound. She thought it would be just Jess, or Cate, letting her know that they would be staying the night elsewhere.

  She was astonished when the flashing unread message showed a number not saved to her contact list. She could not help but blush at his thoughtful communication, and it made her enthusiasm for their next dinner date grow. She always dated older men in the past but never one as rich and powerful as the 24-year-old William Dexter. Despite his rudeness and her apprehension, he was the utmost gentleman all night, showering her with his undivided attention throughout the night. As she thought over the evening’s events, she could not help, but think she was beginning to like him. But, she wanted to keep sensible to the fact that he could easily change his personality again. She could not allow herself to fall for his flattery after just one demonstration of a thoughtful trait in his personality.

  Elle was due to fly out to Prague in the mid afternoon. She would be there for less than 24 hours to do a night photoshoot for a clothesline she had modelled for in an earlier season. She rose early, and was packing a few items in her overnight bag, when the doorbell rang. Cate shouted from downstairs that she would grab it, so Elle carried on with what she was doing. A few minutes later that Cate appeared in her room. “You have a rather keen admirer,” her sister said, leaning up against the doorframe, and smirking.

  Elle turned to look at her sister; her eyebrows rose as she saw why she had made such a statement. Cate held, in her hand, the largest bunch of white lilies, with baby’s breath and heather, she had ever seen. “They are for me?” She asked, realising what a stupid question, as soon as she uttered the words.

  “Yes, dear sister, they are.” Cate stepped closer to give them to Elle.

  “Did they say who sent them, or is there a card?” Elle said still feeling quite disconcerted. She had received the odd bunch of flowers before, but nothing compared to this.

  Cate could not help, but laugh softly at her sister’s naivety, at her effect on a certain gentleman last night. The whole room had seen how he looked at her and paid no other person any attention throughout the evening, except where politeness was required elsewhere. “There is indeed a card. But I am sure they are from a rather lush man, whose blue eyes followed you everywhere last night,” Cate teased, pointing to the card among a section of greenery.

  Elle blushed, “I am sure you are mistaken that he looked at me all night.” Taking the card and opened it, her cheeks flushed redder as she read it under Cate’s scrutiny.

  “So, I was right?” Cate smirked “Perhaps I should start calling you, Mrs. Dexter, from this day forwards."

  “Cate,” Elle rebuked softly.

  “So, what does it say, and I wonder how he knew lilies were your favourite flower?”

  “He may have asked Charlie to find out from Jess.” Elle suggested, not answering her question about what he had written.

  “Maybe,” Cate hugged her sister, and left her alone since she was not going to reveal the card contents.

  Alone again, her packing forgotten, she sat on the edge of the bed and read the card once more:

  A beautiful flower for a beautiful lady; until tomorrow at eight @ Netherfields, Will

  Netherfields was a highly publicised, one off restaurant owned by both William and Charles, located in Covent Garden where many opera and ballet goers attended before shows.

  After she had arranged the flowers in two crystal glass vases, she sat down to catch her breath before going back to her packing. Her mobile began to vibrate on the kitchen counter, as she took a swig of water from her constant companion of a drinking bottle. The screen indica
ting that it was her agent, Lauren.

  “I hope you are ready to go.” Her agent piped up in her usual manner of offering no acknowledgement.

  “Of course," Elle responded, used to the brisk way her agent spoke on the phone. "What time am I getting picked up?”

  “In about 15 minutes.”

  “Ok.”

  “Also we have received a specific request for you from a new client.”

  “Who is the client?”

  “Pemberley Hotels. They're looking for a new face to front their ad campaign,” her agent said casually. “It could be quite rewarding. They have told me so far they have already seen a few others that were unacceptable, and they said Mr. Dexter had asked for you, particularly.” Elle nearly dropped the phone at hearing his name.

  “Do you know which Mr. Dexter? There are two,” Elle asked, taking a deep breath, as she willed herself to relax.

  “I think W. Dexter.” Her agent explained, causing Elle to gulp slightly.

  “Ok, well let me have a think about it”

  “Fine, but don’t take too long. This is an excellent opportunity,” Her agent warned.

  During the drive through to outskirts of London for her flight, she took the opportunity to respond to William’s text:

  You guessed well to send the lilies, unless maybe a little birdie told you ;) They were a lovely surprise. See you tomorrow night, E

  She normally texted using shortened abbreviations of words, but she thought, given William’s full worded text last night, she would refrain from doing so when replying to him.

  The check in and flight were quick, arriving to a rainy Prague with the lingering raindrops sparkling in red and orange hues from the setting sun. She was met at the airport by the transport who was taking the whole entourage of the photographer and assistant, hairdressers, makeup people, the editor responsible and one other model; a guy called Tom, with whom she had worked with on a few other assignments.