Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 85838 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 429(@200wpm)___ 343(@250wpm)___ 286(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85838 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 429(@200wpm)___ 343(@250wpm)___ 286(@300wpm)
My head swims with inconvenient lust again, and I clench my fists under the table to clear the fog of desire.
I wish I could erase that encounter at the bar, rewind time so it never happened. Mostly, though, I wish I could say yes to his offer to take me home.
But I’ve never touched a client or come on to a client before. I can’t start now. Mixing business with pleasure isn’t merely foolish—it’s against the rules. If we work together, I’d be his agent; but I’m also and always an attorney. And attorneys don’t sleep with clients, plain and simple.
During the meal, I shift the conversation far, far away from deals and ask about Vance’s kids. The four of us shoot the breeze about kid antics, with Adriana and Vance trading tales of their little ones, then we move on to Los Angeles versus New York versus San Francisco. Adriana lives in Brooklyn and declares it the best borough, while Vance puts in a vote for his home of Manhattan.
“I have to give props to Los Angeles,” I say. I do love my home base. “Can’t beat sunshine, the beach, or the biz.”
Zane, the San Franciscan among us, sighs and shakes his head. “You’re all wrong. Once you’ve gone full fog, you can’t go back.”
I laugh, a little more relaxed—hopeful he can put our wildly hot meeting behind us.
When we’ve polished off every delicious piece of fish, Adriana excuses herself for the restroom and Vance does the same.
Finally, an opening.
The second they’re out of earshot, I turn to Zane, and don’t mince words. “I owe you an apology. I didn’t say who I was at the bar because I was having too much fun talking to you, and I’m sorry. I truly hope I didn’t fuck things up for us when it comes to business. I would love to work with you, and you have my word I don’t make it a practice to hit on clients. That was a first for me.”
The man remains entirely impassive, turning his glass of water round and round. Then he stops fiddling and tilts his head to meet my eyes.
I still can’t read what’s behind his gorgeous greens, and it’s driving me crazy.
“First time you hit on a client, you say?”
I swallow roughly. “Yes.”
“And what made me your first, Maddox?” The way he says my name sounds like sex and heat.
Maybe that’s a sign I’m forgiven. “Do you really want me to go there?”
His stoic expression doesn’t shift, but his eyes darken with bedroom intensity. “Yes. Go there, Maddox.”
He’s giving me a goddamn command? Gritting my teeth, I resist the shudder that whooshes down my chest. But it is an order, delivered quietly and clearly, and I obey. “You’re just…” I pause, collecting my thoughts, before I speak the truth. “Kind of irresistible.”
The corner of his mouth quirks up. “Only kind of?”
I’m so damn close to exoneration, but now he’s tempting me. Maybe he wants to know I’m the type of agent who’s unafraid of risk. “Fine. I suppose you’re all-the-way irresistible.”
Zane leans back in the booth, smiling, his big frame taking up ample space. “Relax,” he says, all sultry, maybe like he’d say it in bed. “Of course I want to work with you.”
Thank fuck.
I breathe a huge sigh of relief then draw an excited breath. There’s so much opportunity for Zane Archer, and I relish the chance to bring fantastic sponsorships to the rising star. “Good. Because I can deliver for you,” I say. “I’m going to make you serious money.”
His green eyes look pleased. “I look forward to seeing what you can do.”
“I look forward to showing you.” At last, my shoulders relax, and I let go of most of the tension I’ve felt since we left the bar. “I know I said I’m good at reading people, but you’ve been a hard man to read through dinner. You’ve been like stone since we sat down.”
Laughing, his eyes drift to his lap. “You’re telling me.”
“I walked into that,” I admit, laughing too. I steal a glance toward the other side of the restaurant, checking that Vance and Adriana are still out of sight.
He follows my gaze, then turns closer to me, then closer still. His smile disappears, and I stop laughing.
“You want to know why I had to go all ice age on you?” he asks.
So fucking much. “Yes,” I say, sounding a little desperate. Feeling a lot desperate.
He drops a hand to my thigh and squeezes. My breath hitches.
I was not expecting him to touch me again, and I like it too much.
“Back at the bar, I was consumed with this desire to take you back to my home and fuck you senseless,” he says, and I can’t fight off a shudder this time. “The only way I could get rid of those images of you naked, spread out and tied up in my bed, was to get into the zone.”