Fates Tied by Jack Wildman

something had niggled at her and told her that she knew it but she hadn’t put it together, having decided earlier that day to put all thoughts of Edward from her mind. Normally she would know the names of their clients, normally she paid attention even if she wasn’t directly involved. But she had wanted to show Tiffany that she trusted her and had tried to remain as far away from things as possible. It didn’t excuse it though and she knew that she should have known.
    “Thank you Christian for that marvellous introduction,” Edward said, smiling at the other man. He turned back to the crowd and unclipped the microphone from its stand. “Ladies and gentlemen, just as Christian has said, thank you so much for being here tonight. It warms my heart to see so many brilliant minds gathered in the same room to listen to what I have to say.”
    Suzanne barely heard the rest of what he said. She just stared at him in shock. She knew her mouth was hanging open and she knew that he had seen her.
    The twinkle in his eye and the small dimples that appeared on his cheeks as his smile widened told her all that she needed to know.
    He had put this event together to try to get closer to her even though she hadn’t been directly involved. He was going to enormous ends to get closer to her, trying harder than she would have imagined. As she watched him talking, pacing back and forth across the stage and using his hands to emphasise a point, she remembered why she had felt drawn to him in the first place. She knew as she watched the passion on his face and listened to the passion in his voice as he talked about his work that he was equally as passionate elsewhere.
    Her heart pounded, her pulse raced and she found her mouth suddenly dry. She grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and downed the entire thing, putting the empty glass back on the tray of the shocked man. What was she going to do?
    The event continued with more speakers from Genesis Research and further words from Edward.
    She picked at her food and as soon as the plates were cleared from the table she made her way over to the bar. She knew that it was unprofessional to be drinking at an event that her agency had organised and that she was technically there to oversee but she needed the drink. She had managed to put thoughts of Edward from her mind for the most part and now here he was, almost larger than life and right in her face.
    Edward smiled as he watched Suzanne hurry across the room. He had spotted her reaction as soon as his name had been said and he knew that she had had no idea what was going on. That was a good thing. He hadn’t asked for her specifically, nor had he continued to pester her even though he wanted to.
    But they were in his territory now, surrounded by people that he knew and she was surprised and off balanced. He needed to talk to her, he realised as he watched her order another drink. He needed to explain how he felt and try to get her to talk to him again. He missed their conversations and he needed them back in his life.
    He strode through the crowd, accepting handshakes and pats on the backs from people that spoke to him. Now and then one would stop him, trying to get a deeper conversation going and he would direct them over to Christian.
    His focus was entirely on Suzanne and he saw the moment she spotted him heading in her direction. He quickly hurried over to her, looking down at her slightly out of breath.
    “Hello Suzanne,” he said softly.
    Suzanne only gawped at him, still in shock.
    “Are you ok?” Edward asked, reaching out to place a gentle hand on her bare arm, worried about her lack of reaction.
    Neither of them could hide the response to the feelings that that simple touch evoked in them both. It felt as though an electric current shot through them both from that point of contact, starting every nerve tingling and jolting with excitement as the current spread through their bodies. Edward looked at Suzanne, saw the