Jason gave that some thought before saying, “No, I mean it.” He hesitated before adding, “Emma.”
To his satisfaction, a fair amount of surprise registered in Emma’s expression. “I didn’t think you’d remember me.”
He chuckled as he thought of their last encounter. “Oh, I definitely remember you.” Can I buy you a drink?” Jason badly wanted her to say yes. He ached to get to know her. She intrigued him on a deeper level.
She shook her head. “I’m afraid the music in this place is giving me a headache.” She rubbed at her temples and offered, “Uh, maybe some other time. When I’m feeling a little better.”
She began walking again, and Jason stayed in step beside her. “Well, at least give me your number.”
She frowned. “Why?”
He winked. “So I can ask you out.”
She bit her lip and looked away. “Oh, I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.”
He was about to beg, but before he could form the words, the music picked up and people started to pile in around them. He’d taken his gaze off Emma for only a second, but that was all it took for her to vanish. Damn, he felt like he was trying to keep water from slipping through his fingers.
The woman was a mystery. One he intended to unravel.
Chapter Two
Jason had had his fair share of women. He wasn’t a man-whore, but he wasn’t a monk either. There’d even been a few beauties who’d barely left him with his heart intact. But there was something about Emma Ryan that tugged at him. Some unfamiliar part of him he couldn’t quite identify. He’d known her in high school, but she’d been standoffish and quiet. And, he admitted to himself, he’d been too intent on getting into trouble and screwing off. Besides, he’d known better than to play around with the nice girls. And Emma fit into that category perfectly.
She’d always had a vulnerability that called to the masculine side of him, as if taunting him to swoop down and snatch her up, which was at least half the reason he’d kept his hands off her—then.
The instant she’d walked into the nightclub, Jason had wanted to get up close. Her pretty brown hair that swung just above her ass in bouncy little ringlets made him ache to stroke it. And every inch of her curvy body was on display in the sexy green dress she’d worn. Jason had never been attracted to bone-thin women. He liked something to unveil. Something to make his time worthwhile. And Emma was surely worthwhile.
He tore his thoughts away from the elusive Emma and back to the conversation he’d been having with his brother, Jensen. “I don’t see why you won’t agree to hiring a little bit of office help.”
Jason was growing increasingly bored with the discussion. For over an hour, they’d been sitting at the small round table at the nightclub while Jensen grumbled about their decision to hire an office manager. Their business, Man-Maid Cleaning Service, was a success. They had new clients coming daily. Frankly, Jason didn’t see anything wrong with hiring some help now that they were doing so well. The business was growing fast, and they needed someone to take the load off. It would free them up to take on more clients if they weren’t always stuck at the office. It was a good decision. Still, Jensen seemed reluctant to give up control over the books. Before they’d started the maid service, Jensen had been a financial analyst. Jason supposed that was why his brother balked at the idea of someone else handling the money end of things.
“I would if there was a good reason. You haven’t given me one.”
Jason shoved his fingers through his hair. “It’s simple. If we’re always busy adding up numbers and filling out invoices, then we can’t take on more clients.”
Jensen took a drink of his beer before setting it back on the table. “I do see your point. I’m just a control freak when it comes to the finances.”
Jason slapped his brother on the shoulder. “Yeah, we all know that, man.”
His brother sat back in the chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “We’ll put an ad out first thing Monday morning.”
Jason pushed his barely touched beer away before replying, “Sounds good.”
“Now that we have that cleared up, let’s talk about the woman who just landed in your lap.”
Jason could feel his muscles tensing. He didn’t want to talk about Emma Ryan. “What about her?”
“Isn’t she the waitress you flirted with at Pete’s Pizzeria?”
“Yep.” Jason signaled the waiter for his check before adding, “We also went to high school together.”
Jensen narrowed his gaze. “Something must have happened, because there was some serious tension between you two just now.”
His brother would never let this go. Jason would have to fill him in. “It was during our junior year. She asked me to homecoming, and I turned her down.”
He drummed his fingers on the table. “You were going out with Patrice then, right?”
Jason nodded. “Patrice Samms.”