Captivated by the Tycoon

He was the last man shewantedto see. The last man sheexpectedto see in her reception room. Matthew Whittaker was heir to one of Boston's great fortunesandwitness to the most humiliating day of her life. Lauren came to a halt inside the discreet office doors of Ideal Match. She was unaccustomedly late, thanks to a luncheon appointment that had run overtime and the snow flurries of the uncooperative January weather. Hurried and breathless, she fought to slow her breath as her eyes connected withhis. He was already unfurling himself from his position on the couch, and she steeled herself against his looming presence. "Your two o'clock appointment is here." Her gaze cut across the reception room to Candace, who raised her eyebrows and opened her eyes wide, then back to the man who stood facing her. Stalling for time to regain her composure, she slowly walked toward him. "Matt," she acknowledged, relieved that her voice sounded close to normal. "This is a surprise." "Hello, Lauren," he said. "It's been a while." When she'd last seen him, he'd been wearing a black tuxedo with a boutonniere of stephanotis. The stephanotis had had fake pearls threaded through their centers, just as she'd requested. It had beenherwedding, after all. The look in his blue-velvet eyes on that day five years ago had been unsettling, but then she'd always found him disconcerting. Her high-heeled pumps sounded on the wood floor before they hit the faux Oriental rug covering the center of the reception area. She kept a professional smile on her face as she reached him. "It's lovely to see you again." As her outstretched hand was engulfed in his, she quelled the little flutter of sensation in her midriff. "I thought it might be," he said with a wry smile. After a beat, he added, "A surprise, that is." Looking up at him, she had a ringing reminder of her small stature. Even in heels, she qualified as petite--a fact she'd been ruing for all of her thirty years. Young, short and female.A winning combination for being taken seriously by any yardstick. He, on the other hand, had everything going for him. At least six feet, he was also wealthy, male and imposing. Hadn't she read somewhere that the height of a candidate was a better predictor of who would win a Presidential election than almost any other factor? She swept him a look from beneath her lashes. He had the dark good looks of aGQmodel, but he was also--what was the word she was searching for?--enigmatic. She recalled the recentFortunemagazine cover story about him. He'd been called the financial engineer of Whittaker Enterprises because of his cool, unflappable style as CFO of the aggressively competitive family conglomerate. Ironically, theBoston Sentinelhad also named him Boston's Most Eligible Bachelor for two years running. After his younger brother, Noah, had gotten married, Matt had succeeded to the title almost by default. Still, surely he wasn't here for her matchmaking services. Yet, what other explanation was there? He was her two o'clock. As if on cue, he said, "I've got to be the last person you expected to see as a client." Please God, no. No, no, no. Not him. Not the man who'd remained perplexingly impassive in the face of her abject humiliation five years ago. Not the man who perversely made her acutely aware of her femininity. Collecting herself, she nodded to Candace, then said smoothly, "Won't you come in? We'll be able to talk at length in my office about what you're looking for and how we can help you find it." She mentally winced--it wasn't as if he was looking to be matched to a computer or some other emotionless object, much as she might think it appropriate. "I meanher." His eyes showed a flicker of an emotion suspiciously like amusement. When he'd followed her into her office, she shut the door behind them,DePalo, Anna is the author of 'Captivated by the Tycoon ', published 2007 under ISBN 9780373767755 and ISBN 0373767757.